Chapter 15 Crossing the Sea
The sun was shining brightly and the temperature was rising sharply. Captain Scarpo wiped the sweat off his face and tied and tightened the cables made of iron wire, greased hemp rope and animal hair.
These chores should have been done by the sailors, and it was not the captain's turn to do them himself - but now the ship is short-handed, with only the old ship's doctor, the silly apprentice, the professor who was thankful not to get hurt, and a dragon knight who appeared here inexplicably.
The lookout tower that sailors used for reconnaissance all year round was occupied by someone else. The other person's impressive, bright and brilliant golden hair was cut short for some reason. The dragon knight was wearing an indigo robe and was talking to the professor standing on the deck with his head down.
It was breeding season, and from time to time, flocks of colorful small dragons would skim across the sea, accompanied by the chirping of seabirds. It was a bustling scene. A few dragons curiously leaned toward the boat, but before they could get close, they were swept aside by a gust of wind, somersaulted several times in mid-air, and then flapped their wings in panic to get away.
Wind and water sorcerers are the most favorite people among sailors who make a living at sea. However, sorcerers are very rare, and most of them are arrogant and absolutely look down on poor sailors who make a living by fishing at sea. This is the first time that Captain Scarpo has lived a good life with a sorcerer on board. He can't help but think of the first mate, crew and his "Explorer" torn apart by the storm. The high spirits he had originally felt because he could go home suddenly fell.
The sun was blazing. Nova stood on the deck, first confirming his bearing with the God's Chosen One, then calculating his course by comparing the sun and shadows. Once he reached his conclusion, he stared blankly at the shimmering sea until he completely lost interest. The Savior's blond hair dazzled his eyes in the sunlight, and the professor began to miss his glasses. If this continued, he would almost become accustomed to the hazy vision in the distance.
Their destination was Huiqiao Port. Taking into account the return journey time, Nova roughly calculated that the Dawn Festival was probably drawing to a close, but he should still be able to catch up with his colleagues returning home and prove he hadn't died at sea. The captain and his men were originally heading back to Huiqiao Port, so this was a return to their original route.
As for the God's Chosen One, he stated that he was going to investigate the rumors regarding the "Dragon's Nest Treasure" and, by the way, deal with the Saman family issue. Furthermore, the Wall of Sighs had not yet completely collapsed, and without him, no one could escape. Windrunner Azra was left behind in the Asaqi Valley to protect his people.
Before leaving, Nova went to ask about the return date and saw that the other party was gesturing at her hair with a knife. The beads made of coral and turquoise that were woven into her hair had been taken off and arranged neatly one by one.
"These are my mother's relics." Seeing people coming over with some curiosity to look at the beads with rich colors, ancient style and strong exotic style, the God-favored One generously said that they could look at them at will.
"The Karak people's preference." The professor carefully picked up a blood-red coral bead with a strange wavy pattern between his fingers. He held it to the oil lamp and squinted his eyes to examine it carefully for a moment. "A branch of the Karak people once migrated to Atlanka County and later merged with the Natalin people. Your golden hair likely comes from this bloodline. Look, this is a very classic traditional pattern of the Oceanic peoples. I've also seen similar patterns on the soles of your woolen socks."
Another person also came over. After the two of them put their heads together and studied it carefully for a while, the other person hummed in surprise. "Indeed, Rooney's grandmother also had blonde hair. I never thought you could deduce so much from a single coral bead. Do you know a lot of interesting facts like this?"
The professor put the coral bead back into his hand and said calmly, "I just saw it and wrote it down."
However, many people thought he was showing off his knowledge. As time went on, he was too lazy to talk to those people unless he wanted to irritate them on purpose. As a result, Nova Brody became the most eccentric professor at White Tower University.
He changed the subject: "Why do you want to cut your hair and collect the loose hair?"
Those golden hairs that looked like flowing sunshine had been cut short to the side of the ears. The soft and delicate facial features suddenly looked tougher and more heroic, with a bit of the posture of the male protagonist of a passionate youth comic.
"A sorcerer's hair also contains magical power and can be used as a medium for casting spells." The God-Favored One, who was carefully picking up the golden strands of hair scattered on the table, explained, "Some even believe that by burning the hair into ashes and eating it, one can gain the power of the person who caused it."
Then Azuka was amused by the professor's disgusted look and threw the broken hair into the burning oil lamp beside him. The oil lamp suddenly flashed for a moment - Nova began to think that this guy was a real magician.
"The most important thing," the other person said, speaking with experience, "is that long hair takes time to maintain. Since you're going on a long journey, it's better to cut it short for convenience."
It is not without reason that the Savior is sometimes nicknamed "Princess" by her companions in the previous life.
The ship suddenly shook violently, and Nova, who was still immersed in thought, was not paying attention and almost fell off. Fortunately, the God-favored One who jumped off the observation deck quickly grabbed his shoulders, and after making sure that he was standing firmly, he politely let go.
The sky darkened rapidly at some point. Nova squinted his eyes and realized that in the distance a large shadow was approaching at a speed visible to the naked eye. It looked like a giant dark cloud. The sea surface was no longer calm and many wrinkles appeared.
"We've arrived near the Wall of Sighs," the voice of the God-Favoured One reached everyone's ears clearly: "Everyone, return to the cabin!"
The professor suddenly felt his feet sink, and the original feeling of weightlessness as if he was about to be tossed up by the waves disappeared, as if something helped to increase his weight. The other sailors also showed surprise - needless to say, it was the favor of the warlock.
They hid in the cabin of a simple wooden boat built from cedar by the Natalin people. Against the raging waves, the small boat looked like a grain of wheat on the sea. Through the unsealed window, Nova saw the God-Favoured One standing on the deck with his back to them, his golden hair dancing wildly in his ears. He raised his right hand and pointed it at the bow. The ferocious waves coming towards them seemed to be blocked by something transparent. They only hit the bow before reluctantly parting and flowing over the ship, transforming into layers of turbid water.
The terrifying sounds from the storm outside seemed to be blocked by a thin film. The uncontrolled, rapidly spinning steering wheel was held by an invisible force, and the wood made a mournful creaking sound.
The wooden boat seemed encased in a glass dome, and the people inside were like tiny figures in a snow globe, tumbling on the crests of the roaring waves, about to be swallowed by one huge wave, only to miraculously emerge from the gap between another.
Despite his feet being secured to prevent him from rolling around, Nova began to feel seasick. The apprentice beside him was already vomiting, the sour smell of vomit filling the cabin. He leaned his head against the window, squinting his eyes as he watched the wooden boat engulfed by the mountainous waves, the only clear bright spot in the gloomy darkness of the world—and then their boat plunged into the sea, his vision completely swallowed by the turbulent waters, mixed with seaweed, mud, and shapeless, horrifying, unnamed objects.
Nova heard the apprentice Baru's screams, which were hazy and distorted. The old doctor was huddled in the corner, and the captain was holding the window frame tightly, muttering a prayer to the sea god Odras.
But the water did not take their breath away. They were below the turbulent sea level, surrounded by darkness, with the raging waves faintly visible above - but the fragile ship seemed to occupy a unique space forgotten by the sea, like a light bubble, rising and falling with the direction of the ocean current.
Then the God-favored One pushed open the hatch and stood at the door, with the sea water behind him as chaotic as the end of the world.
"It will be over soon." He glanced around the mess in the cabin and spoke calmly in the Common Tongue amid the sailors' increasingly awed looks.
Then the other party smiled slightly and said, "Professor, could you come out for a moment?"
Under the sailors' sidelong glances, Nova climbed out, grasping the hatch handle. The glass-like, flowing "bubble" was even more astonishing up close. Nova recalled the old submarines he'd visited at the Naval Museum. Humans were encased in layers of heavy steel, their only glimpse of the deep sea, simulated on electronic displays, through small, thick portholes. But now, they were enveloped in a fragile, surging current, revealing all the horrors beneath the ocean.
Something touched his cheek gently. The professor blinked in confusion and turned his head to meet a pair of blue eyes that seemed even more brilliant in the darkness.
"Your face is rubbed and bleeding." The God-favored One said gently, without telling the other party that his highly translucent smoky-gray eyes had reflected a wonderful brilliance that he had never seen in other people's eyes because of his fanatical curiosity.
Nova belatedly touched the wet area under his eyes and felt a stinging pain. There was a thin layer of blood scab on his gloves.
"It must have been the wooden splinter on the window just now," he said casually. "Why did you ask me to come out?"
"I want to confirm a hypothesis," Azuka quickly checked the professor's condition and breathed a sigh of relief when he found that he had only suffered minor skin injuries. "You just need to stay on deck with me."
It had been a long time since he had worked alongside vulnerable common people, let alone the nobles who seemed particularly "fragile." The Natalin people feared him and rarely allowed him to join them on fishing and hunting trips. Azuka also didn't want the Natalin people to become overly dependent on him. He would eventually leave, and his job was to solve the difficult or extremely urgent problems of the people.
Moreover, even the young ones in the tribe grew up running in the mountains and were particularly tough and resistant to beatings. The "little bird" with a delicate face back then was invincible in beating children of the same age. The adults just laughed and no one cared about these things - and the professor in front of them was a rare protected animal.
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