On the boundless sea, a steel vessel moved forward slowly.
Now and then, clouds and seabirds passed through the azure sky. The sea breeze blowing toward them carried the scent of summer.
Mercury 42 had very short winters. Most of the planet had a subtropical climate similar to Earth's, and for certain reasons, its elevation was generally low. Unless one was crazy enough to climb too high, snow was nowhere to be seen.
Its streamlined oval hull was fitted with enormous steam whistles stretching from the stern toward the middle. As its four massive wheel-like limbs slowly turned, great clouds of steam rose alongside the blaring whistles.
"Woo woo woo!"
The surrounding waters trembled faintly, startling away nearby birds and schools of fish.
The beast looked slow, but given its size, it was probably an exceptionally fast vessel.
And from far enough away or high enough above, this "great whale" looked more like a sea beast than a ship.
Beneath the ripples of the shallow waters, dark shadows could vaguely be seen writhing slowly.
"Mr. Lu, Mr. Lu!"
On such a huge ship, the emptiness was unsettling.
There was no one on the deck spacious enough to host wedding banquets. The empty engine room contained only the roar of machinery and the turning of gears. Though the bridge that guided the vessel was lit even at night, with its equipment still running, not a single person could be found.
On a ship that should have had at least a hundred crew members, there was not one sailor in sight. As passengers favored by fate, Da Er's group felt uneasy, even afraid.
". . . Mr. Lu, lunch is ready. Would you like something to eat?"
At the very top of the ship, atop a lookout tower that seemed to pierce