The Wogata Tribe

Bai Xiaowen shook his head and said with an air of mystery, "People only ever see the benefits right in front of them. They overlook the dangers lurking beneath."

That little display of profundity killed Julian's interest in the conversation. He rose, excused himself, and walked away.

Captain Julian had thought Bai Xiaowen was a scholar worth talking to. Now he realized how wrong he had been. The man was plainly a charlatan, and an ignorant one at that.

Word of Bai Xiaowen's prediction soon spread to every sailor aboard The Advance. Some were unsure what to believe, but most shared Captain Julian's skepticism.

The Advance sailed normally until evening, encountering no danger at all. Even those who had harbored doubts dismissed them and came to regard Bai Xiaowen as a fraud.

At dinner, Captain Julian ran into Bai Xiaowen again.

"Mr. Dio, have you 'seen' anything else?" Captain Julian asked, half joking.

Bai Xiaowen felt a little awkward, but he kept up the act. "I saw black seawater churning. Devils will come riding arrows across the sea."

"..." Captain Julian shook his head. He had nothing left to say.

Suddenly, the ship shuddered.

Then came a rapid series of thuds. The Advance rocked violently, sending plates and wineglasses crashing from the tables. Cries of alarm broke out all around.

Captain Julian's expression changed. "Quiet! What's happening?"

A panicked sailor rushed in. "Captain! It's raiders! There are so many of them..."

Captain Julian went pale and hurried out of the cabin, hand on his command saber. The other sailors followed, with the White Phoenix Team behind them.

Rain still poured down. In the darkness, long, narrow assault boats had rammed into The Advance's hull—the source of the impacts. More boats came charging through the waves nearby.

Aboard them, groups of