Chapter 825 - Ocean
The boundless blue ocean.
The salty sea breeze was warm.
Gentle waves arose on the ocean, above which seagulls flew past at times.
This was the Golden Sea Route that led to the East. Ever since the Great Geographical Discovery, countless ships set out for the enigmatic East along this route every day, bringing back china, spices, silk, and other specialties to exchange for money at the port.
The ocean was a cradle of dreams, containing astounding amounts of treasure.
A story of a lucky dog getting rich overnight circulated at every port, encouraging more youths to pursue their careers as voyagers. However, they did not know that other than the unparalleled treasures, there were also extreme dangers hidden in the ocean.
Other than natural disasters like storms, there were giant sea monsters, other creatures dwelling in the sea, and even some indescribable beings that could readily capsize ships in a rage.
Of course, the prevailing danger on a sea route was still pirates.
They pursued wealth and loved rum and ladies. After plundering a large fortune, they would squander all of it at pirate ports and then hunt for more.
To men living on the sea, they had been born there and would eventually die there. This was their destiny.
Nevertheless, it was not enjoyable to be a pirate. In comparison to the merchants, they also faced the ocean’s dangers and might even be besieged by the royal navies.
In the Western Continent, Ettoman was the country with the strongest naval power. Reaping the most benefits from overseas business, it resented pirate activities and legislated against them. If pirate activities were witnessed on the sea, the pirates could be executed on the spot, regardless of their identities.
The corpses of pirates suspended in the wind could be seen at the ports of Ettoman every day, before eventually being replaced by new pirate corpses.
The battle between the navies and the pirates was an eternal topic in the Great Voyage Era.
The Great Voyage Era!
After the eminent Voyager Michael discovered the sea route to the East based on the Great Geographical Discovery, countries all over the continent went crazy for it.
Countless people rushed to sail the seas and explore the New World despite the danger from cyclones, tsunamis, giant monsters, and pirates. As more continents were discovered, more ships were built with improved capacity and speed.
Wealth flowed continuously into Ettoman, making this island nation more affluent than any other country in the Western Continent.
Attracted by the gold and other treasures, many coastal countries started their maritime business successively.
It was the worst of times. The dreadful ocean devoured young lives like a ruthless beast, and the Great Geographical Discovery was full of colonization and crimes.
It was the best of times. With courage and a little luck, one could obtain wealth and anything else in the vast ocean!
…
“What a fantastic day!”
Donald was over thirty years old. His white shirt was open halfway down, revealing his hairy chest.
As an experienced sailor and voyager, he could tell the good weather today just by smelling the sea breeze.
“At this speed, I can probably arrive at the Drunk Port tomorrow evening and enjoy the turkey and the rum there…”
Donald rubbed his face. His beard was as stiff as steel needles since he had not shaved for a long time.
He was the respected navigator of this ship named ‘Flame and Beauty’.
On a common merchant ship, the captain had the greatest authority, followed by the chief officer, who assisted the captain in managing things on the deck and other sundry duties.
Next was the navigator, who had to be proficient at determining their position using the sextant and the stars, as well as calculating ocean currents and sea routes. The navigator could sometimes be more important than the captain.
Below the navigator was the assault leader, followed by the second officer and the third officer.
The ocean routes were not peaceful at all now, and it was absolutely possible for them to encounter pirates. A capable assault leader and sufficient weapons were crucial for survival at that critical moment!
On pirate ships and navy vessels, the combatants were further classified into artillerymen, musketeers, and so on.
Other than that, there were doctors, chefs, carpenters, accountants… Together with the sailors at the bottom of the hierarchy, they completed the interpersonal relationships on a ship.
Donald owned some shares in the shipments this time.
As an expert in overseas trading, he had estimated that after the shipments were transacted, he would profit by more than 250 gold coins. That would be sufficient for him to purchase a bungalow in the Ettoman countryside with hundreds of jules of land. He could then retire and live a peaceful and affluent life.
The years of sailing and countless dangers he had been through became no big deal in comparison to the benefits.
Sigh… I’ve been away for so many years. How’s my family doing? Perhaps little Arthur has already learned to speak?
Donald missed his wife and his son.
With that thought, he could not help glancing at something below his neck.
There was a strange metal pendant on a fine hemp string, emitting cold and hard light.
The pendant was like a tiny dagger with a peculiar shape, and Donald had bought it from a mad witch in a pirate market.
It has a special meaning, representing the master of all armaments. You’ve sensed its greatness, so it belongs to you…
Donald could still remember the witch’s words.
Nevertheless, out of his respect for the witch, he had paid three silver coins for it.
Actually, Donald really suspected that it was only the witch’s marketing technique.
He had no idea why he had bought the pendant. It was as if he was enchanted by it at that time.
The experienced captain had seen it and thought it might be the sect symbol of a faith in the East or something related to the Evil Gods. Therefore, he had advised him to discard it immediately or give it to a priest. However, it was impossible for Donald to discard this thing worth three silver coins unless he went mad.
Furthermore, anything related to faith, gods, and spirits had to be regarded with caution.
A god or some unknown being might be watching you covertly, and abandoning the pendant might cause a disaster!
“From the East… Perhaps it’s the sect symbol of an armament master?”
With that thought, Donald gripped the pendant and prayed, “The grand unknown being in the invisible world… I praise you sincerely and worship you piously… Please lead me and let me complete this voyage successfully!”
Any experienced sailor would rather believe in luck and destiny.
Although many countries on the continent still banned religions, Ettoman—the country with the highest level of civilization and freedom—had a very liberal attitude toward religions.
Basically, as long as the religion was not from an evil sect and did not advocate the doomsday or anything aggressive, it could receive fair treatment and equal opportunity to be preached.
While Donald had already believed in the Luck Goddess, he would still turn to another being when he felt uncertain.
After all, although those preachers guaranteed the existence of the goddess, Donald had never felt that she replied to his prayers.
Well, Donald could at most be considered as one who did not truly believe in anything, or one who believed in everything.
But the prayer was apparently different this time.
Feeling the heat in his palm, he was astonished and stared at his pendant.
The strange armament was neither a saber nor a sword but similar to both, with a smooth outline and a peculiar shape. Traces of all sorts of armaments could be found in it.
Right now, the black pendant felt cold again, as if everything that had happened was only an illusion.
But for some unknown reason, he continuously felt intense anxiety, which informed him that an extreme danger was imminent!
“Damn… Could this really be a hint from the god?”
He pulled his collars and climbed up onto the lookout of the mast like a monkey.
The weather could not be better. There were neither any clouds in the sky nor any fog on the ocean, allowing him to see things at a long distance.
Donald looked in a certain direction.
In that direction, a black dot approached them slowly before finally turning into a galleon.
After seeing Flame and Beauty, the galleon raised its speed and sailed toward them aggressively. Their ship showed no signs of their identity.
“Defense!” Donald shouted immediately to alert the rest of the crew.
“What happened?”
With a commotion on the deck, a white captain pushed the sailors aside and walked out.
“Unidentified ship discovered five nautical miles to the left!” said Donald, gritting his teeth.
“Hmm?”
The captain looked through a copper, hand-held telescope, and his expression became solemn as well. “Assault leader, prepare to fight! Other sailors, return to your respective cabins and prepare to row!”
The sailors on Flame and Beauty took action immediately, while Donald watched the approaching galleon with a nervous expression.
The closer it came, the clearer they could see the artillery on the giant ship and the large number of people on the deck. An unsettling atmosphere immediately spread among them.
Finally, the sound of cheers was heard on the other ship and a black flag rose.
On the flag, there was a white skull with two intersecting bones below it.
“It’s a pirate ship!”
The least favorable situation became a reality. The captain took a deep breath. “Turn around now!”
Shualala!
Dozens of oars immediately extended from both sides of Flame and Beauty, pushing the water together in an orderly manner to make the ship turn around and flee.
However, with the sound of a bugle, the other ship also sped up like a ferocious beast pouncing at its prey.
As soon as he compared their speeds, Donald closed his eyes, knowing that their own ship could by no means escape the other.
The captain knew it as well. Taking a deep breath, he gave the command. “Everybody… prepare to fight!”