The Adventurer broke through the dark gray waves, leaving the hustle and bustle of Port Belen far behind, leaving only the muffled sound of the bulging sails, the rhythm of the waves lapping against the ship's hull, and the whimpering of the sea wind blowing through the ears.
Li Wen stood on the side of the ship, her hood lowered slightly than usual. Her gaze penetrated the increasingly dense twilight and the cold fog rising from the sea, and directed towards a fuzzy black spot in the far distance that was almost integrated with the horizon. That was the Eternal Life Blessing Cult ship, only a faint silhouette was revealed under the last lingering light of the setting sun.
"Keep the distance at least five nautical miles." Captain Remington's hoarse voice echoed in the wind. He stood beside the rudder, his figure looking as stable as a mountain, his eyes that were beaten by the sea wind all day long were slightly squinted, as if he could penetrate the sea fog. "Get closer, and those crazy people will smell our scent from the sea breeze. This is not alarmist, but the experience of an old captain."
His big hands covered with old wounds steadily held the heavy rudder, and his knuckles were slightly white from the exertion. Under his control, the Adventurer's sailing trajectory was not a straight-line pursuit, but a subtle arc, cleverly using the turbulent waves and the imperceptible white wake pulled out on the ocean surface by the distant Divine Cult ship as a cover.
Li Wen can clearly feel the slight steering of the hull. Every subtle rotation of the steering wheel is accompanied by the tremor of the friction between the keel and the water flow. This is not a simple tailing, but more like a sneak dance that blends into the rhythm of the ocean.
Remington is not using any obvious supernatural power to accelerate or change ocean currents - that would be Ignite's torch in the dark. He just brought Calamity Path "Wave Commander"'s deep understanding of the marine environment to the extreme.
"The ocean is alive." Remington's voice was not high, but it reached Li Wen's ears clearly. He seemed to be teaching or talking to himself, "Tides, swells, deep undercurrents... They all have their own temperaments and paths. If you want to keep up with other people's ships quietly in the sea, you must learn to borrow its power instead of disobeying its will."
He suddenly turned the steering wheel, and the Adventurer's hull tilted slightly, cutting into a wide swell coming diagonally. The huge waves lifted the hull. With this natural force, the speed of the boat suddenly increased for a moment, and then it slid into the wave trough as the waves fell. The height of the hull was cleverly used to hide the depression of the wave trough. The whole process was smooth and hidden, like a fish merging into the sea water.
Fu Qingyan and others huddled on the other side of the ship, looking at the captain at the helm with either nervousness or awe. Moria was standing at the stern of the boat, looking back at the direction of Port Belen shrouded in black clouds, wondering what he was thinking about.
When night fell completely, the ship of the cult in front had turned into a more vague ghost under the cover of night. Only the occasional moonlight shining through the gaps in the clouds illuminated a corner of the sail, proving that it still existed.
Li Wen stretched her perception to the limit, her sight extended in the night, capturing the smallest traces left by the ship on the dark sea.
"They are correcting their course." Li Wen's voice came through the sea breeze, stating calmly, "Northeast... entering deeper waters."
Remington snorted, with a hint of solemnity in his voice. "That's the entrance to Black Reef Bay, and the real trouble is about to begin."
As soon as he finished speaking, on the dark horizon ahead, a thicker and jagged outline of darkness vaguely emerged. The outline was like the fangs of a giant beast, abruptly piercing the boundary between sea and sky, with a heart-stopping sense of oppression. Even from a long distance, you can still feel the ominous atmosphere emanating from that sea area. The air seems to have become more humid and viscous, with a strong salty smell and an indescribable smell of decay originating from the depths of the seabed.
The originally regular sound of the waves became chaotic as it approached that area, mixed with the dull roar of undercurrents.
The Adventurer seemed to have sailed into an invisible quagmire, where the sea wind became erratic, sometimes strong, sometimes stagnant, with an unsettling whimper. The color of the seawater has also quietly changed, from a deep ink blue to an ominous turbid color that makes one's heart sink just by looking at it, as if all the despair and death that have fallen into this sea for countless years have been deposited in it.
"Do you feel it?" Remington's deep voice sounded, "This sea is dead, but it is also terrifyingly active. There are countless invisible reefs under the surface of the sea. These things have not even been marked in the most detailed Sea Chart. They are like the fangs of the deep sea demon, just waiting for the guys who are not afraid of death to come to the door and take a bite."
Such as them.
The captain adjusted the rudder, and the Adventurer avoided a vortex of sea water that was difficult to detect with the naked eye and was slightly darker than the surrounding water at an extremely subtle angle.
Fu Qingyan and others also felt the drastic changes in the environment at this time. The cold sea breeze seemed to seep into the seams of the bones, bringing waves of chills, and the vague smell of decay in the air became stronger and stronger. This made players who were accustomed to the smell of cities or forests feel short of breath, and even a little dizzy and nauseated. The elf girl Sugar subconsciously wrapped her coat tightly, her face turned slightly pale, and she suppressed the discomfort and whispered, "This place is really evil..."
Moria withdrew his gaze and looked at the increasingly approaching dark outline in the distance. His priest's robe remained motionless in the strange sea breeze, and his light-colored eyes were filled with caution and solemnity. Although he had no words, the calm aura around him seemed to form an invisible barrier, blocking out most of the negative effects of the environment.
In this oppressive silence, a sudden change occurred.
The originally eerie wind suddenly became violent, sweeping in from all directions without warning, making a sharp roar. The heavy dark clouds above seemed to be stirred by an invisible giant hand, rolling and gathering in an instant, and pressing darkly toward the sea, making people think that Sky Dome was about to fall.
Big raindrops mixed with salty sea water hit the deck, the sails, and everyone's faces, making a crackling sound. Almost in the blink of an eye, the vision was completely blocked by the white rain curtain and the thick water vapor rising from the sea. The Adventurer seemed to be thrown into a huge, crazy rotating drum.
"It's a storm! Hurry up!" Remington's roar exploded in the roar of the wind and rain, drowning out all the noise. The muscles all over his body were tense, and his feet seemed to be nailed to the deck. His thick arms tightly grasped the crazily shaking rudder, and his veins popped out.
The whole ship jolted and trembled violently, and the keel groaned under the weight. The originally smoothly following trajectory was instantly disrupted, and the bow of the ship was pulled sharply to the left by a brute force.
Remington Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, but he still tried his best to regain control of the ship.
But at this moment, the Adventurer's hull suddenly shook!
Bang——
A dull and huge impact sound came from the bottom of the ship. The hull seemed to have hit some huge hard object. The hull arched upward violently, and then slammed back to the sea, causing huge waves. People on the deck were thrown up and down by the force, causing chaos.
"Struck on rocks?" I don't know who is shouting.
"No!" Captain Remington's weather-beaten face was full of solemnity at the moment. He shouted, "There is something under the sea! It is pulling the ship!"