novelhk Page 7
Page 7
"Pfft! Pfft!"
Several enormous "mouthparts," covered with a tough, dark red biofilm and edged with sharp bony spikes, suddenly burst out from the bottom of the ship! They opened greedily, like gaping maws of an abyss, frantically devouring the surrounding seawater, emitting a tremendous sucking sound!
Meanwhile, an even more terrifying change occurred at the stern!
Near the end of the stern keel, the hard hull split open like flower petals, and a much larger "spout," composed of writhing muscle bundles and tough fascia, resembling the penis of a gigantic creature, suddenly formed! It contracted and expanded violently, and then—
"boom--!!!"
A thick, powerful jet of water, like the spout of a giant whale in the deep sea, burst forth violently from the nozzle, carrying white foam and a strong recoil, and slammed into the sea surface!
The entire Black Sea was propelled forward by this violent thrust! The bow rose high and then fell heavily, cutting through the waves, and began to move forward... or rather, was "jetted" forward in a strange posture that far surpassed the age of sail and was full of primal biological power!
"By the sea god! This...this..." Captain Kurokawa staggered and grabbed the ship's side, his bloodshot eyes wide open, staring intently at the mouth on the side of the ship that opened and closed like a living creature to suck water, and the nozzle at the stern that sprayed terrifying jets of water.
A chill ran from the soles of my feet straight up to my head!
He looked again at the young man standing at the bow of the ship, his face pale but his eyes terrifyingly calm, and the shock in his heart was beyond words.
What kind of power is this?! It can even forcibly "come alive" a giant, inanimate ship, endowing it with such bizarre and powerful propulsion! This method is unheard of, almost like magic!
"Fortunately...fortunately I didn't really fight him to the death before..." Kurokawa's heart pounded wildly, and lingering fear overwhelmed him like a cold tide. "He said he only had 10% of his power...even if it was only 10%, if he had been pushed to the limit and used such bizarre methods...I'm afraid I would have really been dragged down with him and died together!"
This wasn't weakness; it was clearly a colossal beast of the abyss in sheep's clothing! He was incredibly grateful that he had ultimately chosen to yield and cooperate.
The young sailor was already paralyzed with fear, his teeth chattering, staring blankly at the writhing hull and the spraying water.
But amidst this extreme fear, an indescribable longing quietly sprouted: "Is this... is this the world of the superhumans? They can even turn ships into monsters to be driven by them. I wish I could become a superhuman too..." A vague yet burning thought, like a seed, quietly took root in his heart, which was numb with shock.
"Phew..." Zhang Su breathed a slight sigh of relief as he felt the ship speeding wildly under the power of activation.
The boat was going much faster than he had expected; it was practically like it had a jet engine.
He was just about to praise his amazing ability when he remembered an important question: the direction of navigation!
He had no idea which direction the ship should take on the vast ocean.
Then, he turned to look at Kurokawa, who was still in a state of shock. A crack appeared in the unfathomable calm mask on his face, revealing a hint of embarrassment: "Uh, Captain Kurokawa, which direction are we heading now?"
Kurokawa was still immersed in the immense impact of the "revitalized giant ship" and his awe of Zhang Su when he heard this, and he was taken aback.
I thought to myself, "That gentleman... he's actually asking me for directions?"
This lord, capable of containing terrifying anomalies, activating giant ships with a single punch, and possessing abilities akin to a 'demigod'... can't even navigate at sea?!
How did he manage to go to sea and drift on the ocean...?
The stark contrast caught Kurokawa off guard; his mouth gaped open, his eyes filled with a bewildered look that seemed to ask, "Are you kidding me?"
He thought that with this gentleman's skills, navigating and locating at sea would be a piece of cake!
"Huh? Oh! Direction! Right, right, right!" Kurokawa slapped his forehead, finally snapping out of the shock. His professional instincts instantly overwhelmed all his horror.
He frantically rummaged through the inside pocket of his tattered uniform, carefully pulling out a folded, obviously used, old nautical chart.
Even with a navigator, a qualified captain will still carry a nautical chart with him at all times to prevent getting lost in case of accidents.
"Quick! Your Excellency, please...please slow the ship down! I need to determine our position!" Kurokawa shouted hurriedly, while deftly unfolding the nautical chart and quickly scanning the markings on the chart with the distant sun's position and the traces of ocean currents.
On his weathered face, the focus and competence of an experienced navigator instantly replaced his previous fear and awe.
"Back when I first set sail, I climbed my way up from being a navigator..." Kurokawa muttered unconsciously as he quickly calculated, trying to rediscover his unique value on this strange, living ship.
He skillfully gestured on the nautical chart with his finger, "We are now roughly in... the southwest of Muyun Port! Yes! Adjust course, northeast! Fifteen degrees east! Maintain this direction!"
Zhang Su immediately focused his mind and used his will to guide the activating power, clumsily adjusting the angle of the "spout" at the bottom of the ship.
The massive hull traced a slightly awkward arc on the sea surface before finally stabilizing on the course indicated by Kurokawa.
"Thank goodness..." Kurokawa breathed a long sigh of relief as he looked at the gradually stabilizing course, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, still shaken. "Luckily, we're really not far from our destination. At this... uh, at this 'live ship' speed, we'll definitely arrive before nightfall!"
……
The revitalized "Black Sea" is like a giant sea monster that has stepped out of mythology, violently propelling itself across the sea.
The sluice gates on both sides of the hull greedily devoured seawater, emitting a continuous, heart-pounding hiss; the massive blowhole at the stern rhythmically contracted and expanded, each jet producing a muffled roar and a violent acceleration of the ship, the ejected water jets tracing long white trails in the setting sun. The ship's speed far exceeded the limits of the sails, the roar of it cutting through the waves incessant.
The golden rays of the setting sun shone on the twisted, writhing biological tissues of the ship's hull, refracting an eerie glow.
The three people on the deck felt the inhuman speed and power, remaining silent, with only the sounds of the wind, the water, and the ship's dynamic movements echoing in the air.
After the activating power continued to spray for nearly two hours, covering a distance far exceeding half a day's journey for an ordinary sailboat, the sky had completely darkened, and finally, a large, dense array of lights appeared on the horizon.
The outline of a massive port gradually became clear in the twilight.
The towering lighthouse cast beams of light piercing the night, guiding ships. The docks were brightly lit, with the masts of countless ships resembling a black forest.
Even more striking is the sight of the city rising up behind the port—several extremely thick chimneys, like towering pillars, continuously spewing thick smoke into the deep purple night sky, clearly visible even in the darkness, forming a huge black cloud that obscures the starlight.
The air, with its salty sea breeze, already carried a faint, industrial-era smell of sulfur and soot.
The bustling, prosperous Muyun Port, imbued with the power of heavy industry, is right before our eyes.
Kurokawa stared at the chimney spewing black smoke, his eyes filled with complex emotions—a mixture of relief at arriving and lingering fear of surviving a disaster. During the earlier pollution outbreak, he had genuinely wondered for a moment whether he would make it back and sink into the sea.
He turned to look at Zhang Su, who was gazing at the port where lights and black smoke intertwined, his pale face expressionless, only the wound on his shoulder throbbing faintly in the night.
The revitalized "Black Sea" gradually reduced its violent propulsion. The hull's undulations and the hissing of the nozzles began to subside. Bearing an eerie and scarred appearance, like a weary monster returning to its nest, it slowly sailed towards the brightly lit harbor, a place where the atmosphere of the sea and industry mingled.
The lights of Muyun Harbor drew ever closer into the night, like dazzling jewels set in black velvet.
The outline of the industrial behemoth spewing billowing black smoke became increasingly clear, and the smell of sulfur mixed with sea salt in the air grew stronger.
"That's about it," Zhang Su said to Kurokawa beside him, estimating the distance.
He crouched down again, pressing his left palm against the deck, which was imbued with activated power and faintly exuded a strange vitality.
"Release!"
With a low shout, the eerie energy that was keeping the ship alive quickly withdrew from his palm like a receding tide, shrinking back into that mysterious "void space".
"Sizzle... hiss..."
Unsettling noises suddenly came from all parts of the ship.
The enormous, greedy mouthparts on the side of the ship, which greedily sucked in water, and the violently spewing muscular nozzles at the stern, seemed to have been drained of all life force, instantly ceasing their wriggling and contraction. The dark red biofilm quickly lost its luster, turning gray and shriveled, like seaweed that had been exposed to the scorching sun for days.
Immediately afterwards, these once powerful "organs" began to rot and decompose at a visible speed, emitting the same strong stench of burning and decay as the captain's cabin!
Within a dozen seconds, those terrifying mutated organs completely disappeared, leaving only large patches of charred, shrunken, ugly marks on the originally hard oak hull, as if corroded by strong acid, with remnants of charred and carbonized wood fibers at the edges.
Zhang Su stood up, frowning as he looked at the newly added damage to the sides and stern of the ship. He glanced at the brightly lit harbor in the distance and muttered to himself, "Can this ship still sail? What if it sinks as soon as it docks...?"
Captain Kurokawa saw the same charred and corroded marks as those in his previous captain's cabin, and his heart bled.
"Sigh, I hope the keel is alright, otherwise I'll have to sell the new ship."
Although the profits from ocean trade are substantial, the price of a high-quality sailing ship capable of long voyages is extremely high, enough to significantly reduce his wealth.
He could almost see the phantom of the gold coins flowing away, and he couldn't help but feel heartbroken.
But soon, he took a deep breath of the sea breeze, which smelled of coal smoke, and forcibly suppressed the pain in his heart.
"Forget it, as long as I'm alive, I can always earn the money back! If it weren't for this gentleman, not to mention the ship, I would have been fed to that ghostly chest with my bones." Thinking of that terrifying, greedy treasure chest and the crew members who had turned into monsters, the ship damage seemed acceptable.
Problems that can be solved with money are not necessarily the worst problems.
Even without the propulsion of the activation force, the massive Black Sea, relying on its powerful inertia, still glided smoothly toward the nearest berth.
The ship's speed has slowed down.
"Prepare to dock!" Kurokawa shouted in a low voice, displaying the efficiency of an old captain.
He strode toward the bow anchor winch, where heavy iron chains, as thick as a child's arm, were coiled, with the huge anchor attached to the end.
Normally, this would require several sailors working together.
But at this moment, he was all alone!
Kurokawa let out a low growl, his arm muscles, covered in bulging veins, bulged, and deep blue scales instantly covered his hands and forearms again!
He gripped the cold iron chain with both hands, and with a sudden burst of strength in his waist, he managed to pull the incredibly heavy anchor out of the anchor chain hole all by himself!
"Whoosh—Boom!"
The heavy anchor, with its immense inertia, crashed into the dark sea, splashing up a huge spray.
The iron chain was released at high speed, making a screeching sound.
Kurokawa precisely controlled the speed at which the chain was released, and when the ship was almost still, he suddenly wrapped the chain around the mooring bollard several times and tightened it forcefully!
Without pausing, he nimbly leaped off the ship's side and landed steadily on the slippery wooden dock.
He quickly picked up a thick spare rope from the shore, skillfully threaded it through the mooring ring on the ship, and tied a secure sailor's knot to the mooring bollard on the dock.
The entire set of movements was fluid and graceful; he had practiced it hundreds of times in the past.
"Alright, sir, please disembark!" Kurokawa called out to the ship as he looked up.
The young sailors had already opened the ship's side door and lowered the gangplank.
He looked at Zhang Su with awe and respect: "Your Excellency, please go first."
Zhang Su nodded, enduring the pain in his shoulder, and stepped onto solid, no longer swaying land.
With my feet firmly planted on the thick wooden planks of the dock, an unprecedented sense of security welled up inside me.
As soon as they stood still, several dark-skinned dockworkers in coarse cloth jackets surrounded them, their eyes filled with ingratiating inquiry.
"Captain, do we need to unload the cargo?"
"Boss, we're strong, quick, and cheap!"
"This ship is so big, it must be carrying a lot of cargo and needs a lot of help."
Kurokawa immediately regained his captain's authority. He stood in front of Zhang Su, waved to the workers, and said in an unquestionable tone, "Unload! Of course we'll unload! But wait a minute, I have something to discuss!"
He turned to the young sailor and instructed him, "Take them to the side and wait."
The sailor quickly responded and herded the few curious dockworkers who were looking around to a slightly farther place.
Only Kurokawa and Zhang Su remained on the dock. In the distance, the bustling lights of the port city and the black smoke billowing from industrial chimneys could be seen, while nearby, the sound of waves gently lapping against the hull could be heard.
Kurokawa took a deep breath, turned around, and faced Zhang Su.
The weariness and captain's shrewdness faded from his face, leaving only profound gratitude.
He bowed slightly, performing a more formal greeting than he had on the ship.
“Your Excellency,” Kurokawa’s voice was low and sincere, “my life, and the last hope of this ship, were all given to me by you. If you hadn’t taken in that terrifying treasure chest, I would probably be… like my first mate and the others, a mindless monster.” A shadow of lingering fear flashed in his eyes.
"I have no way to repay your life-saving grace. Please accept this small token of my gratitude!" With that, Kurokawa carefully took out a heavy leather bag from the pocket close to his body.
He untied the rope and poured out four thick, gleaming, heavy gold bars, along with a stack of beautifully printed banknotes with a special ink sheen. He presented the gold bars and banknotes to Zhang Su with both hands.
“Here are four standard gold bars, each weighing ten ounces. There are also ten 'gold pounds,' each with a face value of 100 pounds. These are the currency used in the Kingdom of Calidor and several surrounding countries, and their purchasing power is quite strong,” Kurokawa explained, his eyes questioning. “I wonder… if this is enough to express my gratitude? If not, once the goods are sold, I…”
Zhang Su was genuinely shaken when he saw the glittering wealth before him.
Four gold bars! That would have been a huge sum of money in his original world.
As for those ten "gold pound" banknotes, although their exact purchasing power is unclear, judging from the serious look on Black Emu's face, their value must be quite high.
"How much should I charge for dealing with an anomaly that nearly wiped out an entire ship?" Zhang Su had no idea. "However, being new here and unfamiliar with the area, this start-up capital is a godsend. And judging from Kurokawa's attitude, this is probably the most sincerity he can offer; asking for more would be unreasonable." He wasn't a greedy person.
“That’s enough, Captain Kurokawa.” Zhang Su reached out and calmly accepted the gold bars and banknotes.
The heavy gold bars felt cool to the touch, while the banknotes had a unique resilience.
He stuffed them into the pocket of his tattered pajamas, but in reality, with a thought, he had already quietly stored them in his virtual space. "I accept this token of my appreciation."
Kurokawa visibly relaxed upon seeing Zhang Su accept the gift, a smile spreading across his face: "That's good! That's good! There's one more thing." He pointed to Zhang Su's strangely styled, soaking wet pajamas, stained with dirt and blood, "Your unusual attire is really inconvenient for walking. Please wait a moment!"
Kurokawa turned and strode towards the direction where the sailors and workers were being directed, whispered a few instructions, and told them to board the ship and unload the cargo.
He also went in with Emu Ling⑵ 亿散;0_芭.
A little while later, he came running back carrying a rather exquisite-looking package wrapped in a paper bag.
“Sir,” Kurokawa handed the package to Zhang Su, “this is a brand new suit, a top-quality item we transported from the ‘United Kingdom of Orlando’. It was hand-sewn by the best tailors on ‘Silver Shuttle Tailor Street’ using a blend of Orlando’s specialty ‘Moonshadow Silk’ and Northern Snow Cashmere. It’s both crisp and warm, with fine stitches, and the style is the most fashionable among the upper class in Orlando’s capital, ‘Goldfinch City’. In Dusk Cloud Harbor, this suit is worth at least… well, fifty gold pounds! Absolutely befitting your status.”
Zhang Su took the package. He could feel the smoothness and weight of the fabric as soon as he touched it; it was indeed no ordinary item. "Thank you, Captain Kurokawa. You've thought of everything."
"You're too kind! There's a shed around the corner over there where they store fishing gear; it's fairly secluded. You can change there." Kurokawa pointed to a relatively dark corner of the dock.
Zhang Su nodded, took the package, and walked over. A few minutes later, when he came out again, he looked completely refreshed.
He changed into an impeccably tailored outfit: a long, navy blue trench coat with a mysterious pattern woven with subtle silver threads, resembling a star map of the night sky, double-breasted with brass buttons, a crisp stand-up collar, and smooth, strong shoulders. Underneath, he wore a matching stand-up collar silk shirt, secured at the collar with a small silver anchor-shaped brooch.