manynovel Chapter 108 Living Towards Death
Chapter 108 Living Towards Death
Chapter 108 Living Towards Death
The two gold coins opened their piercing eyes and surveyed the undulating ocean ahead.
Although its name is controversial, anyone who has seen it in person knows that it is a good ship.
This is a three-dimensional sailboat with a streamlined hull, which makes its sailing speed unparalleled.
Although it is not as big as the Black Goat, with that old monster buried on Plum Blossom Island, there are not many ships on the ocean that can match the size of the Two Gold Coins.
The bow of the Two Gold Coins was slightly raised, without any decorative statues, but instead had a sturdy ram.
Like a victorious champion in an arena, he gently raises his head and looks at everything around him with disdain.
The other performance characteristics of the two gold coins are also second to none among three-dimensional sailing ships.
After all, this ship took a lot of effort to design and build.
Henry stood at the bow of the ship, his hands in his pockets, gazing ahead with a worried look in his eyes.
His thoughts were very complicated at the moment, and he was quite anxious.
Until he heard a voice calling, "Chief."
Henry recognized the voice; it belonged to Cyril, a capable lieutenant he had recently recruited for the Two Gold Coins.
Cyril was an octopus in Henry's crew, which is why he called Henry "leader".
This is a quick-witted man who used to be a smuggler and almost got into university.
This man is always able to maintain a rational and calm mindset, and the road ahead will probably be more arduous than Henry imagined. With Cyril's advice and assistance, Henry believes he will be able to go much further.
"What is it, Cyril?"
"Since entering the Crying Gorge, the temperature has dropped sharply, and it seems we didn't bring any autumn or winter clothes. Many shrimps are complaining that they are about to freeze to death."
Henry understood this request, because even he, who had his own room, couldn't sleep last night, huddled under a thin blanket, too cold to get any rest.
The Clown Islands are hot year-round, but it's currently June.
Henry had not anticipated this kind of weather at all, so he had not considered the current situation and was unable to prepare any countermeasures.
However, these words sounded familiar to him at that moment.
By the way, when Henry first became a pirate again in search of Natalie, Benson said something similar to him.
Henry recalled that Benson had suggested he go to the Burning Heart Islands or prepare winter supplies such as cotton clothes and blankets.
However, times have changed. Once aboard this two-gold-coin ship, facing those common weather problems...
Henry could have offered a simpler and more effective solution.
He told Cyril, "Tell them I'll turn on the heat."
Cyril was taken aback: "Heating?"
Henry smiled slightly and patted Cyril on the shoulder:
"Just relay the order. The copper coins on the two gold coin ships all understand what this means, and you will find out tonight what it is."
Upon hearing this, Cyril said nothing more, but simply bowed deeply to Henry.
He then turned and left to convey Henry's orders.
The two gold coins were designed by an engineer who had studied in the Far East and whom Henry paid a high price to design.
However, during the actual construction, Henry specifically sought out Victor to discuss and revise the original blueprints together.
The two made many modifications and added many functions.
This includes the "heating" system.
They designed an additional mezzanine beneath the deck between the cabins and laid a layer of copper pipes between the mezzanine.
Henry then prepared two specially made objects and used the Stargazer's enchanting magic to enchant them, giving them the attributes "Breath" and "Burning" respectively.
Fill the copper pipes with water, then activate the two magical items to start the "heating" device.
"Burning" is responsible for heating the water, while "Surging" is responsible for circulating the water in the pipes.
In this way, the indoor temperature of the cabins above and below this deck will be raised to a relatively warm level. However, the magical power contained in terms like "surging" and "blazing," which have special attributes or energy, is not unlimited.
Therefore, whenever its energy is depleted, Henry must enchant it again.
Of course, Henry also knew that if the designer had designed the "heating" system for him, he might have been able to come up with a better solution, one that would have been more integrated with the overall design of the ship than Victor's.
The problem is that Henry won't easily reveal that he possesses superhuman powers.
The curator once said, "Don't easily reveal your strength."
Henry kept the curator's words in mind and followed them to the letter.
In fact, Henry did benefit a lot from following the curator's teachings and avoided many detours.
Therefore, Henry could only seek help from Victor, who possessed certain technical skills and understood Henry's abilities.
A skilled technician like Victor is hard to find a substitute for among pirates, let alone someone Henry can completely trust.
He was unique to Henry, so when Henry decided on this sea voyage, his first thought was to win him over at the Black Goat Restaurant.
Not only him, but Mico is the same.
Micoe's steering skills are unparalleled at sea; if Henry wants to catch up with the ghost ship, Micoe will have to take the helm for him.
As for Benson...
Hmm? Benson?
He probably has some merits, like being good at flattery?
At least, he's competent as a lubricant for the team.
Cyril is still a new member of the team, and perhaps he can play a significant role at crucial moments, making him a variable for the team.
In short, in terms of the composition of the cadre, Henry believes that it is no less than during the Black Goat era, and may even be a step above.
Henry encountered an unexpected situation upon arriving at Weeping Canyon, which worried him somewhat.
This was by no means a good omen, so Henry felt it necessary to have a serious discussion with his capable lieutenants.
He stepped down from the cabin and immediately heard the sound:
".--That rhinoceros was as big as an island, taller than a mountain, and its whole body emitted a ghostly green light."
"Running wildly across the sea."
Henry knew from the old, deep voice that it was Victor.
This old guy keeps saying he doesn't want to be a pirate and looks down on pirates, but the things he can brag about are still the experiences he had with the pirates on pirate ships.
Henry would never say these things to Victor's face, otherwise Victor would surely hurl the most offensive insults at Henry and then sulk for days on end.
Henry remembered that Victor wasn't like this at first, but as the two became more familiar with each other, Victor became more and more unrestrained in showing his personality and emotions.
But halfway through Victor's sentence, Henryv heard the voice of a spy:
"Wait, it's not as big as you say. That day I was fishing under the Black Goat, and the fishing boat I was on almost got capsized by that rhinoceros, so I remember it very clearly."
Benson is a chatterbox; he always manages to say something at the right time.
He undermined Viktor with the same ruthlessness as always.
Vickers blushed and was about to start cursing when Henry interrupted him:
"Benson, Victor."
Upon hearing this, the two immediately swallowed their words and looked at Henry.
Just then, Cyril came up from the third deck, and Henry called out to him:
"And Cyril, come to my room."
The three of them either took off their hats, bowed, or nodded.
Henry nodded slightly, turned around, and walked back to his room.
After a while, the three of them went into his captain's cabin.
Henry was already sitting on the chart table, waiting, with three chairs placed opposite him.
Benson pulled up the middle seat and sat down.
Victor and Cyril both sat down next to Benson.
Henry said, "The Weeping Fjord."
Cyril nodded, took a map from the atlas, and spread it out on the nautical chart table.
That's a map of the Weeping Fjord. Henry asked again:
"Has any of you been to the Weeping Canyon before?"
Benson said, "I did come here twice with Matim, but it was just a quick visit and a quick departure. The climate here is too cold, and most seagulls are afraid of the cold."
Victor chimed in, "Sir, aside from the voyage to the Burning Heart Islands, what will we do at sea for the rest of the time?"
"We've spent all of this together, so this is our first time here."
“I’ve been here many times,” Cyril said, “because gold often grows in extreme places.”
Henry immediately asked, "So, Cyril, do you know anything about the Weeping Fjord?"
"I can only say I have some understanding, but it's very incomplete."
Cyril shrugged and raised an eyebrow.
"Back then, I had just become a smuggler and didn't have my own ship, so I didn't pay much attention to the environment of this sea area. I remember that the captain at the time was named Valen, who seemed to have been called the Slave King in the last two years."
Benson said, "Valen? That one-eyed guy?"
"He still had a pair of perfectly good eyes at the time," Cyril said.
"I'm not laughing now. I didn't expect you to know that speculator. But I have to admit, that Valen has a keen eye, is bold and meticulous, and actually dares to negotiate with us pirates."
As he spoke, Benson put his hand on Cyril's arm. "You've gotten to where you are today, you must have learned a lot from him, right?"
"I have indeed benefited greatly from being by Warren's side."
"That's ridiculous," Selfish interrupted them, "I have no connection to the slave king you speak of, Cyril. Besides laughing at your captain back then, what else do you remember?"
Cyrilton chuckled for a moment, then fell into a hazy recollection:
"The Weeping Gorge has a cold climate, but it is affected by the permafrost continent. The land there is frozen all year round and is also the place where witchcraft is most active."
Self-interest said, "Since you knew, you should have advised me beforehand, Cyril."
"You think you know?"
"Whether I know it or not, it is your duty to report to me," Self-interest said seriously.
Cyril offered no further explanation, his expression calm as he bowed to his own self-interest.
"day."
Henry didn't continue to blame Cyril, after all, the two had only been working together for a short time and still needed to adjust to each other.
He then asked, "So, is there anything you'd like to add now?"
Cyril pondered for a moment, then asked in return:
"Should we also share rumors, or even unsubstantiated information?"
Self-interest nodded: "Even rumors that are merely parroted by the public often contain some kind of information; with a little digging,..."
We found some useful clues.
These words seemed to dispel Cyril's concerns, and he immediately replied:
"Luan Ting, the people on the west coast of the Ugly Kingdom on the Frozen Continent, say that the Weeping Gorge is the source of all the strange things. The reason why this gorge is called this is that when the sea breeze blows to the coast, it makes a sound like a mournful cry."
"I've heard about the origin of the Weeping Gorge, but surely it's not as far as you're going to go, just making things up?" Private interest retorted.
“Yes,” Cyril nodded, “and some people believe that these cries are the wails of the sun ghosts.”
Upon hearing the word "ghost," Henry immediately tensed up again.
His purpose in setting sail this time was to obtain a ghost from each other.
Sili Daiqie ordered, "Wu, go down."
"Rumors say that the Weeping Gorge connects to hell and is the resting place of the dead, thus harboring ominous power. It is said that if the wind blows from the east more often in a certain year, the kingdom will be plagued by frequent demonic events, and if the wind blows from the west, strange phenomena will appear all over the frozen continent."
Cyril spoke slowly and deliberately.
"And recently I've heard that ghost ships have been spotted here. Ghost ships, if placed in other sea areas..."
"It was just a rumor that blocked the way that day, but in the weeping strait, the blocking might actually be real."
Henry shuddered at his words: "You believe this?"
Cyril stated, "Chief, you should know that you have read books, and I once saw a record in a book that ghostly events did indeed occur in the Weeping Gorge. While it is said that human words are frivolous and unreliable, the information left behind by pen and paper across thousands of years must have been carefully considered by the writers before being recorded."
Hearing these words of advice, Sili remained silent for a moment before laughing.
Regardless of whether these records and rumors are credible or not, Henry has already tracked the Laughing Ghost all the way here.
They arrived at the Weeping Gorge several days ago, but they still haven't found any trace of the ghost ship.
Of course, the Weeping Gorge, compared to other sea areas, is somewhat small.
But even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; it's still the same old story, and Henry is currently only looking for a small corner of the sea.
That being said, if there were any techniques for finding ghost ships, it would undoubtedly shorten the time it would take to discover them.
Yu Ri asked, "How do I encounter a ghost ship?"
"Encountering a ghost ship? Chief, do you want to know how to avoid encountering a ghost ship?" Cyril asked.
Self-interest nodded: "You can understand it that way."
"I've heard that ghosts only appear at night," Cyril replied.
Nighttime? With a fleeting, self-serving smile, I realized my enchanting magic could be cast at night.
Self-interest dictated that, starting today, the focus of the search would be shifted to the evenings.
As he was secretly making his plans, Benson suddenly interrupted:
"However, boss, I seem to have noticed something's off about the laughter lately."
Upon hearing this, Self-interest suppressed his laughter:
"explain."
"Although I have only been to this sea area a limited number of times, as far as I know, more than 60% of the trade between the Kingdom and the Frozen Continent passes through the Crying Gorge sea route. There should be a constant stream of ships here, but for some reason, we have not encountered a single ship since we entered this sea area."
After Benson finished speaking, he suddenly realized that Henry was like that.
It seems that Benson's intuition is sometimes quite sharp.
He's right, something is definitely not right.
Even though the Two Gold City deliberately avoided other ships on its journey from the Clown Islands to the Weeping Fjord, it was inevitable that it would encounter a few.
But why is it that after arriving at the Crying Gorge, we don't encounter a single laughing creature?
In this narrow sea area, the density of ships should be much higher.
Self-interested individuals raise their heads, wanting to ask for everyone's opinion.
But at that moment, the captain's cabin suddenly began to shake violently.
The decorations displayed on the cabinet fell to the ground.
Self-interest and the three capable cadres opposite him all instinctively supported the nautical chart table in front of them.
However, the shaking showed no signs of stopping and became increasingly violent.
Self-interested, he asked, "What's so funny?"
The three shook their heads, unable to give an answer.
With no other option, he stood up, helped Yan up, and, with a kneeling gait, went to the captain's cabin to check on the situation.
The moment he opened the door, he saw a dark, columnar wave crashing heavily onto the deck of the Two Gold Coins.
The seawater splashed everywhere, soaking the chest of those driven by selfishness.
Before he could react, another columnar, tentacle-like wave grew out from the other side of the ship and crashed down on it.
I have never seen waves of this shape before, and how could two waves come from opposite directions?
This is by no means a normal marine phenomenon. In places where this phenomenon never occurs, only one thought comes to mind:
"Corrupted waters?"
At this moment, the three cadres also laughed.
Upon hearing the words that escaped their lips due to self-interest, Victor said:
"My lord, we thought that before the discovery of the New World, we had never heard of the name 'Corrupted Sea,' and we also thought that you were the first person to discover the Corrupted Sea. However, humans have been navigating the Corrupted Sea for thousands of years."
Cyril immediately nodded in agreement: "I think so too. The Weeping Fjords never had any corrupted waters before."
R
Then another wave crashed down, and the ship began to rock again.
A pirate who tried to stand up by holding onto the railing was accidentally thrown off the deck by the impact.
How can you retrieve a copper coin that has fallen into the sea?
Self-interest immediately concluded that this person had no hope of survival.
The talkative Benson chimed in with a joke: "Perhaps, the corruption of the seas has spread here. You all know that..."
The boundaries of the corrupted seas are uncertain.
"No, that's the only thing that's impossible."
He immediately dismissed any personal gain, knowing full well that "the boundaries of the Corrupted Sea are indeed unpredictable; it may deform or spread, but it will never appear out of thin air or disappear completely. A Corrupted Sea cannot suddenly appear here!"
Therefore, Henry concluded that this sea area would soon be corrupted.
But if the sea is not corrupted by the sun, then what causes this strange phenomenon of laughter?
Suddenly, a pool of seawater appeared and soaked all four of them from above.
Henry turned around and realized that another wave was crashing against the stern of the laughing boat.
He wasn't worried that the two gold coins would be smashed by a wave; he was very confident in the sturdiness of his ship.
However, he was unsure of the source of this strange phenomenon, and feared that there might be other unknown developments to come.
Just as he was thinking this, his selfishness suddenly shifted unconsciously to the side.
Henry caught him while he was in Benson, preventing him from falling to the ground.
Benson said, "Boss, watch out! The ship's turning!"
Henry found it strange; since he hadn't given the order to turn, Micoe should have made sure the ship sailed straight.
He called out, "Miko, what's going on?"
Miko's voice rang out immediately: "The rudder is out of control!"
Upon hearing this, he immediately climbed onto the driver's cab.
The ship was gliding to the left, but Miko's hull was already fully extended to the right.
Self-interest immediately raised its head and looked at the flag at the top of the mainmast.
The direction is to the right.
So, it's not just about the relationship between Miko and the wind direction.
That only leaves one thing—the ocean!
Thinking of this, the self-interested enterprise hurriedly moved to the side.
Looking down—a current swirls forward, twisting and knotting, converging towards the center, like a black storm being rolled up.
Self-interest immediately recognized what was going on with that smile, but Viktor preemptively gave the answer:
"God bless the ocean eddies!"
The vortex was as long as ten two-gold coins in diameter, and its center was pitch black and bottomless.
If the underwater palace truly exists, and this abyss blocks the path to the realm of the gods, many fanatical believers would likely choose to jump in.
But self-interest is not solely based on faith in the sea god; he would never do such a thing.
But he knew that if Ning were swallowed by this vortex, let alone two gold coin accounts, how could he possibly steal a sheep account with such a huge amount of resources?
They too will be caught up in it, shattered to pieces, and never to recover!
The two gold coins are being dragged and sucked into the vortex. If nothing is done, everyone on board will die!
Having gold coins buried with them might not be a bad ending for pirates.
But self-interest wouldn't stop him from laughing so hard, and he never thought his identity as a pirate was anything glorious.
Now, besides those with personal interests, there are two captains on this ship.
But the two of them were clearly flustered by the current situation.
His heart was still filled with anxiety, driven by self-interest, but he knew that only by remaining calm could he survive.
He squinted, carefully observing the current situation.
The ship was gliding toward a steep abyss, the rudder was turned to starboard, and the sails were loose and wrinkled due to the conflict between the wind pressure of the eddies and the direction of the sea breeze.
Selfishness closes its eyes, takes a deep breath, and then slowly exhales.
When he opened his eyes again, he decisively gave the order:
"Miko, hard port."
Miko, a natural-born cockpit pilot, didn't hesitate at all and immediately began to take the controls, following Gao Cheng...
Give a brief and precise reply:
"Full turn left!"
But the remaining cadres immediately panicked.
Benson said, "Boss? Are you seeing things?! The vortex is on our left, we're sliding into it!"
There was no explanation for the self-interest; they simply observed the ship's orientation and the state of its sails.
When the course was almost tangent to the eddy current, the self-serving enterprise hastily gave the order:
"Left-hand drive, number fifteen!"
"About 15 degrees!"
At this point, the ship began to sail in the direction of the whirlpool, but it was still slowly sliding sideways toward the abyss.
Viktor held his breath and suppressed a laugh.
Cyril spoke words of unfounded confidence, as if comforting himself:
"The leader must have his own plans."
Self-interest kept a close eye on the three large sails on the ship, observing their condition.
Suddenly, the sails tightened and the ship began to accelerate.
When the sail tension reaches its maximum, self-interest must begin to be carefully managed:
"Right rudder 30, full sail counter-clockwise 1."
"Thirty degrees to the right!"
"Reverse the whole sail!"
The ship's speed decreased slightly, but the sun moved a little further away from the center of the eddy.
Self-interest continued to issue orders: "Ridge 45 on starboard, all sails against the current."
"Forty-five degrees or so!"
"A resounding success against all odds!"
The third command: "Ride to starboard at 60 degrees, full sail counter-clockwise at 30 degrees."
"Sixty degrees right!"
"Reverse Three Full Sail!"
At this point, the private interests did not issue further orders, but instead allowed the ships to sail a certain distance.
Selfish interests, like a heart hanging in suspense, sway towards the ship.
He saw that the deck, which had been tilting backward, had now returned to a level position.
The longboat sailed upstream and climbed the sea slope!
Despite his own self-interest, he dared not relax his efforts and continued to issue orders:
"Full sail, port rudder fifteen!"
"About 15 degrees!"
"Zhongquanfan!"
Only when he saw the ship slowly sailing away from the eddy did Sili breathe a sigh of relief.
However, Benson suddenly collapsed and sat down heavily on the deck.
"Hmph!" Victor scoffed. "And you call yourself a 'sister to the eight chiefs'?"
"Stop talking nonsense and pull me up."
After Benson finished speaking, Victor extended his violently trembling right hand.
Cyril, his face pale, was clearly the calmest of the three.
He asked, "Chief, what are you laughing at?"
Henry shook his head with a helpless smile, forcing out a bitter expression:
"Living towards death."
But when he looked at the three of them again, he found that they were all looking at him with expectant eyes.
Self-interest sighed, and then explained:
"At that time, the ship was facing away from the eddy, but the wind pressure from the eddy was in conflict with the natural direction, so the sails could not get any support. Under such circumstances, insisting on survival only led to their demise."
"Therefore, only by facing death can one see the opportunity for life. So I adjusted the course, making the ship follow the eddy. At this time, the wind pressure of the eddy will inevitably help the ship, and then all I need to do is wait for the right opportunity."
"Once the sea breeze also pushes the sails from behind, the two gold coins will be propelled by two winds simultaneously, and the thrust they receive will reach its maximum. This is the only chance the ship will have to resist the traction of the ocean current. If it does not, we are destined to perish in the abyss."
"It turns out this wasn't the end of our fate. The ships had gained enough momentum and were moving away from the whirlpool. All we had to do was continue adjusting our course and sail angles to get the two gold coins completely out of the whirlpool."
The three of them were stunned and speechless for a long time.
Finally, Cyril shook his head in exasperation, patted Benson on the shoulder, and broke the silence with a sound:
"You talk too much, but now you finally understand and laugh. What you said back then, the leader's journey through countless legends has brought us here."
What does "日" mean in laughter?
Benson patted Cyril's hand, which was resting on his arm, and said with a smile, "You're so funny."
"Have you encountered this kind of danger many times before?" Cyril asked.
"Many times?" Victor chuckled. "This kind of behavior is the norm!"
Cyril's eyes were filled with shock and panic.
Benson asked, "How should I laugh? Are you scared to laugh? Do you regret laughing?"
"The chief told Yi that there would be three voyages each day," Cyril said, his face ashen. "But Yi never expected there to be three voyages in one day! It's not just three voyages, it's like risking your life for three voyages each day!"
"Hehe," Viktor said with an expression that seemed to enjoy watching the drama unfold, "It's no use regretting it now. We were tied to this ship back then. Let me just tell you, once you're on board, you can't get off easily."
However, self-interest suddenly interrupted their laughter:
"Heng, let's save these things for later. This isn't over yet."
Upon hearing this, one of the three agreed.
Benson asked in alarm, "Boss, what do you mean?"
"The strange waves the other day, and the sudden appearance of a whirlpool—these unusual phenomena have been occurring frequently, and why are they all centered around the two gold coin ships?"
He analyzed it seriously from a self-interest perspective.
"This sea is by no means a corrupted sea, but any strange thing must have a source."
Victor immediately asked, "Sir, do you know the source of the laughter?"
Privately replied, "If the sea breeze had become so unusual, we would surely have been swallowed by the eddies, but that is not the case. It is said that the strangeness only exists beneath the surface."
"Hail!" Cyril exclaimed.
Then, the three cadres walked to the gunwale and peered into the deep sea.
Selfish interests followed suit, squinting and staring.
The sea surface is full of ravines and the water is unfathomably deep.
Suddenly, Lord Benson:
"Boss, what was that day?!"
Everyone looked in that direction.
Self-interest saw that something seemed to be swimming beneath the surface of the water.
The creature had smooth skin and propelled its body underwater with a supple form, much like a large Japanese fish.
However, that thing suddenly opened up parts like human limbs, making it look like a human swimming underwater.
At this point, Victor said again:
"Look, there's another one over there!"
From a purely self-interested perspective, there is indeed something similar swimming underwater.
"No...-."
Cyril added, "Soon, Chief, look closely, deeper underwater."
That day—
Gazing deeper into the darkness, he finally saw the strange creatures hidden in the black seawater, which, like a school of fish, circled around the two gold coins.
"It's a group."
Whispers of self-interest.
Those things were spinning at the bottom of the water.
Like fish circling the bait, greedily eating without any memory.