After removing those barrels of liquor, there wasn’t much of note left in the cabin.Only a small enclosed compartment remained deeper inside.Yang Yi didn’t hurry over right away. He first checked the ship’s stored resources.These basic materials were usually kept in the ship’s special storage space. They could be viewed via the ship’s log, which recorded their volume but only made them appear physically when withdrawn.Inside were the following:Wood ×32, Cloth ×566, Stone ×225, Steel ×95, Crystal ×74, Sulfur ×15, Freshwater ×105L.The wood was scarce—probably used up as firewood.Next, he checked what materials could be gained if the ship were dismantled:Wood ×290, Cloth ×45, Stone ×170, Steel ×15, Sulfur ×32.Not a lot—likely because the hull was badly damaged.The fire hadn’t only consumed the deck, but also the cabin, leaving just a few barrels of charred liquor...At least, that’s how it looked for now.Yang Yi sniffed the air. The burnt stench was still strong—clearly not caused by the liquor.He headed toward the innermost compartment.The moment he reached the doorway, he froze—because directly facing the door was a painting.This room must have been an art studio. The interior was blackened by soot, yet this one painting remained untouched—clearly no ordinary work.Scattered across the floor were chunks of burnt corpses. There were quite a few, and Yang Yi recognized them as remains from the Ice Nest Worms’ victims—scorched and unidentifiable.There were probably a dozen of them.So this room must’ve been frozen by an Ice Nest Worm before—but for some reason, it thawed again, likely not long ago.That was Yang Yi’s best guess.As for the painting—it stood in the very center of the room. It depicted a massive, pitch-black tree.Actually, Yang Yi couldn’t even be sure it was a tree—it just looked like one. Its bark was blackened and split into a trunk and branches, all shrouded in dark smoke.It was described as massive because there were people painted around it—tiny figures, like ants gathered around the tree—painted with orange dye. They seemed to be... burning humans.【A soul-shaking artwork. Your sanity decreases by 20.】Yang Yi’s eyes widened. The painting drew him in irresistibly—he stepped closer without realizing, hand reaching out to touch it.His body suddenly felt hot, as if standing before a roaring fire.He had seen famous works like Starry Night or The Scream, but none had ever struck him like this—none had ever made him feel inside the scene itself.【Title: Charred】【Description: The final work of artist Ma Hou. The pigments include scorched human tissue, blood, burnt liquor, and charcoal.】The moment that information appeared, Yang Yi snapped back to his senses, a wave of fear rising from his gut. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.Just now—he had genuinely felt like he could walk into that painting.Thinking about it afterward sent chills down his spine.After steadying himself, he couldn’t help but admire the painter’s technique—astonishing, almost supernatural.Then suddenly, a sharp pain pricked his right index finger. Looking down, he saw a blister forming—like a burn.But all he’d done was touch the painting.He didn’t dare look at it again. He felt around—no heat at all. It was just an ordinary painting.“Looks like being an artist in this world is just as dangerous as being a scientist…” Yang Yi muttered.Artists, he thought, often had perception attributes higher than normal people—they noticed details others missed and had powerful ways of expressing what they saw: through painting, music, sculpture, and so on.His gaze fell lower—beneath the painting lay a charred book.The cover was blackened around the edges, as though it had been pulled from a fire. When he picked it up, brittle flakes crumbled off.【Name: The Book of Char (Vol. 1)】【Type: Relic】【Quality: Rare】【Description: A sacred text circulated within the Church of Flame. Its script burns with heat, scorching the pages black. Reading it grants the ability to learn Fire Magic. Remaining reads: 2/3.】“A magic book?”Yang Yi’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t expected a surprise like this at the end.But as a relic, it was sure to carry risks.Maybe that artist, Ma Hou, had read it—gone insane—and burned down the entire ship.So… should he read it or not?Of course—read it!Yang Yi took only a few seconds to decide.First, he wouldn’t go insane—he wasn’t afraid of losing sanity points.Second, it was a chance to grow stronger—he’d be a fool to miss it.Third, the risk seemed small: Ma Hou hadn’t mutated or died after reading it.By all logic, he could handle it.And if the risk was manageable afterward, he could even let Suna read it—better that than her obsessing over some random dangerous artifact.This book, at least, wasn’t lethal.With that thought, Yang Yi opened The Book of Char (Vol. 1) and began to read.Then... he fell into a trance, eyes locked on the pages, flipping one after another.He read fast—there weren’t many words, mostly animated images of fire, burning and moving across the pages.But as he read, the room’s temperature soared.Intense heat radiation burst from the book, thick smoke rising, and a strong burnt stench filled the air. The pages themselves began to smolder, as if about to ignite.Yang Yi was affected too—first his eyelashes and eyebrows curled, then his hair, then his down jacket wrinkled and started smoking.He didn’t even notice. He kept reading, turning page after page—until his jacket caught fire, his hands blistered and burned, the walls smoked, and the painting itself burst into flames—【You have finished reading The Book of Char (Vol. 1). Sanity -20. You have learned the spell — Flame of Healing!】Yang Yi snapped the book shut—then froze.He was on fire.Only when the reading ended did he come to his senses—nearly turned into a human torch!Panicking, he tore off his burning jacket, tossed it aside, and slapped at the flames on his head to avoid going bald.After making sure nothing else was burning, he finally exhaled.“Holy shit—way too dangerous! I almost self-immolated just reading a damn book!”But still, this could’ve been prevented—if he’d known beforehand.Like if he’d soaked himself in water before reading.That was probably the correct way to read it.At least no tragedy had happened.Yang Yi sighed in relief.Then suddenly, he felt heat against his face—light flickering before him.He looked up—and saw the painting ablaze.

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