Chapter 313
Either the old man deliberately avoided them during those three days, or he had just wandered here.
In any case, the old man must have another purpose in coming to see them now.
"This old gentleman, he probably didn't come here specifically to talk about this, did he?" Rita asked.
"Hahahaha, that's right, adventurer... the maid is right, I didn't come here just to talk about that. My name is Miguel, and to put it bluntly—three brave and powerful young ladies... would you be willing to help this old sailor with a crippled left hand to complete a great hunt?"
The old man said with a smile.
Because they fear encountering the Leviathan sea monster when they go out to sea, the islanders are unwilling to leave their isolated island.
The old man's words surprised Rita and the other two.
"You mean..."
Bianca looked at the old man with a hint of excitement.
The old man nodded and said, "I mean, I can provide you with a boat and take on the responsibility of driving it, of course, if you don't mind that it's just a reed boat... haha."
The old man laughed with ease, but Rita and the other two could only feel helpless.
Relying on a reed boat to cross the ocean and reach the Inca Republic was simply unrealistic, but the three had no choice but to build their own boat.
"Take care of the sea monster first. Once the sea monster is dealt with, the islanders should agree to go to sea..."
Rita immediately spoke up to comfort Bianca.
Of course, that's what she said, but in reality, she had already decided that after dealing with the sea monster, she would seize a large ship from the island.
In fact, if this old man hadn't appeared, Rita would have taken action.
Unlike the young and impetuous Bianca and Sophia, they were too inexperienced to know how ignorant the islanders were and how utterly shameless they could be.
The old man gave Rita a meaningful look.
He didn't think the pretty maid would speak kindly to the islanders afterwards.
However, this is none of his business.
Before long, the old man arrived at the seaside and, gazing at the boundless ocean, exclaimed, "Oh, ocean, my old friend! Thank you for your kindness in keeping my moldy old boat from falling apart to this day!"
The old man's sigh left Rita and her two companions speechless.
Bianca looked at the 'old, broken-down ship' the old man was talking about with a mix of amusement and exasperation. Well, it was even worse than she had imagined.
"Haha, look! This reed boat has been covered in dust for three years, yet it's still so sturdy!"
"..."
Rita and the other two were speechless.
By this point, they had all become quite self-destructive.
"Has that Leviathan been besieging the island for so long?" Bianca couldn't help but ask.
When they first arrived on this deserted island, Bianca and her two companions did not seek information because they had lost contact with Freya. Instead, they looked for temporary accommodation on the island.
The next day, after confirming that Freya was in the Inca Republic, they began to investigate. They learned about the sea monster Leviathan from the islanders and also learned why the islanders had boats but were unwilling to go out to sea to fish, instead choosing to collect seashells and catch crabs.
"... Well, it might take even longer. In any case, it seems to have built a nest around here and refuses to leave," the old man replied.
"When we first came here, we were able to catch quite a few good fish!"
After the old man finished speaking, Rita asked, "... Sir, did you discover any other islands in the vicinity at that time?"
"No, that's not true. Otherwise, we wouldn't say this is an isolated island... There's no other mainland in sight around here. Even Columbus wouldn't dare to set sail without adequate preparation."
The old man answered Rita's questions earnestly.
Waves crashed against the shore, and the old reed boats bobbed up and down.
Even if the reed boat could take them to the sea, it couldn't possibly keep them at sea for several days, since they couldn't even confirm which direction the Inca Republic was in.
Given the tonnage of the reed boats, it was impossible for them to carry enough fresh water and dry food, and the strength of the reed boats could not support them sailing for more than seven or eight days.
The ocean has a gentle side, but it can also be terrifying.
Even without the sea monster Leviathan, the islanders rarely sail far, as the terror of the ocean has claimed the lives of countless people.
"We need a 'strong' ship."
Rita gave up on boarding the wrecked ship; she couldn't even guarantee it would hold up while they fought Leviathan.
"Haha, that's true. If the three adventurer ladies' goal is to find the continent, my old, dilapidated ship alone is certainly not enough. The sea is not always as calm as it is today... When it shows its angry side, this old, dilapidated ship will immediately fall apart. However... if we can defeat Leviathan, there will definitely be enough manpower willing to follow our orders, whether it's to build large ships or to prepare fresh water and dry rations for our long voyage."
"Really??"
Bianca exclaimed in surprise.
In fact, she was almost in despair.
She thought the old man was just being modest when he said "reed boat," but who would have thought it really was a reed boat?
The old man chuckled, "Nothing to be surprised about. Isn't that how humans are? They're all foolish and blindly follow the crowd. They see you as heretics simply because you didn't follow their rules. The stranded people living on this island never want heroes, but rather pitiful creatures of even lower status than themselves. Only in this way can they maintain their meager dignity."
"You broke the rules they've always relied on, so you naturally became heretics, and with the instigation of those with ulterior motives, you became witches... But those who truly know are very clear that you are different. Older people can see your true nature at a glance, which is why they reject you in this way. Simply put, heroes don't harm ordinary people."
The old man looked down on the self-destructive people on the island.
But if you want them to change, the first thing you have to do is defeat the sea monster Leviathan that they fear.
"In fact, they were afraid of Leviathan. No matter how ignorant they were, they couldn't possibly think that collecting seashells and catching crabs would satisfy their appetites. To avoid starving, they had to go out to sea to fish, so why couldn't they solve such a simple problem? It's because they had lost the courage to face the sea monster..."
"So they set up rules on the island to deceive themselves, hahaha. To be honest, humans are actually a species that survives by faith. For example, why were Spanish soldiers often able to win against the barbarians when they were outnumbered?"
"It's not that we're truly invincible, but rather that we make our enemies feel no hope of victory. Otherwise, how could a mere hundred or two adventurers conquer Peru, a country with a population of millions?"
The old man named Miguel could tell that the blonde girl was still quite young at that moment.
Even though he has the potential to become a great hero, he is still somewhat young and impetuous, or perhaps he is pushing himself too hard in his pursuit of power to catch up with his goals.
As an elderly man, he naturally couldn't bear to let the girl's future be interrupted.
"The reason why the smaller force won the Battle of Lepanto was because the enemy was defeated by the overwhelming force of the enemy, not because of the Venetian warships that were scrambled at the last minute."
After listening to the old man's words, Rita glanced at Bianca again before asking, "Sir, are you from... Spain during the Imperial era?"
"Oh, Miss Maid has good taste. However, I also hope you will pay more attention to the two young female warriors. They need more attention."
The old man didn't say much.
Ultimately, it is up to those two young girls to choose their own future.
Rita nodded gently, her gaze towards the old man now filled with respect.
She also admired the old man's insight. Compared to her own reliance on the information he revealed to guess which era he came from, he judged Bianca and Sophia's flaws based on his experience and knowledge.
As the head of the Covert Mobile Force and intelligence agency, Rita knew how hard these two worked, especially Bianca, who only slept four hours a day in order to catch up with Freya.
Rita's special physical condition meant that four hours of rest was more than enough for her, but Bianca was pushing herself to the limit.
The same goes for Sophia.
The old man's words also made Rita realize that after this exploration trip, she would give the two of them a long vacation, whether they wanted to or not.
"Thank you very much."
"Not at all. Before I stumbled into this strange world, I was not only a retired soldier, but also a cultured man who had published several books. Of course, I don't want young soldiers to become heroes too early."
Rita thanked the old man, who waved his hand and replied with a smile.
"Hmph, that's not something a cultured person would say."
"Why wouldn't a cultured person say that? Cultured people are best at satire, and besides, only dead soldiers can become heroes."
The old man smiled easily. He came from Spain during the imperial era, and even though his left hand was crippled in the Battle of Lepanto, he still faced life with an optimistic attitude.
He once dreamed of becoming a hero, but due to financial difficulties and the fact that his left hand was disabled, he had no chance of promotion and was forced to leave the army.
He was attracted to the three girls' demeanor.
After all, a guardian who fights to protect something and a butcher who exists only to kill enemies are fundamentally different in nature.
However, the old man felt a little sorry for the two girls who were too young.
"I don't know what era you come from, but it is perhaps our fault as men that such young girls have become warriors."
Judging from the expensive-looking outfits the girls wore, the old man thought they must be from hundreds of years in the future. But the fact that such young girls would be needed as warriors in a world hundreds of years in the future still saddened him.
"Old sir, we come from four hundred years in the future. We are very grateful that you stood up for us. However, our current enemy is not another country, but a kind of terrible Honkai creature. Only girls with Honkai adaptability can fight against such an enemy."
Rita doesn't mind explaining the current state of the main world to the old man, and in the process, the old man accidentally reveals the book he wrote, and Rita and the other two finally learn the true identity of this old man named Miguel.
The old man's full name was Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, and he is best known as one of the greatest writers in the Spanish literary world. His work "Don Quixote" reached the pinnacle of Spanish classical art and marked a new stage in the creation of modern Europe realist novels.
Critics have called his novel Don Quixote the first modern novel in literary history and one of the treasures of world literature.
After learning the old man's true identity, Rita and the other two were stunned.
No one expected the old man to be such a 'historical figure'.
"I thought you were a seasoned veteran knight..."
"Hahahaha, although I regret that I didn't become an old knight, it's not bad to still be so famous four hundred years later."
The old man was in a very good mood.
356. "??????" x4
Rita and her companions never expected that the old man who volunteered himself was actually a renowned literary figure.
In fact, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra had a tremendous influence on world literature, so much so that Spanish is often referred to as 'the language of Cervantes '.
Seeing the three people staring in disbelief, the old man's smile grew even brighter.
Who wouldn't want to be remembered in history?
The passage of time is enough to obscure everything. How many people still remember the once-glorious Atlantis civilization? The Previous Civilization that fought against the Honkai 50,000 years ago has left behind very few relics. These relics contain remnants of the Previous Civilization's technology in fighting the Honkai, but too much of the Previous Civilization's history and culture is missing.
Even the Soul Steel quantum computer that Kevin gave to Freya still lost much of the culture that needed to be passed down...
Some people yearn to leave a good name in history, while others are willing to be infamous for a thousand years in order to be remembered by history.
In fact, compared to those who are infamous for a thousand years, who can remember those who just get by?
There are two types of death: physical death and memory death.
For most people who live in a daze, they first experience physical death, then the death of their close descendants, and finally, the death of their memories.
But for someone as famous as Cervantes, they will never be forgotten.
Of course, according to the history that Rita and the others knew, Cervantes had already passed away.
"Sir, I remember you should have died in Madrid on April 23, 1616," Rita asked with a hint of doubt.
"The maid knows so much. I was indeed suffering from severe edema at the time, and I had accepted my fate. I was writing an address to Count of Lemos for my novel, 'Persiles and Sigismunda.' I don't know why I opened my eyes and found myself here. After that, I lived a life of fishing for three days and drying nets for two, with the other islanders who had also been stranded here, until three years ago when several accidents occurred. After confirming that Leviathan had nested in the area, my reed boat never went to sea again..."
The old man smiled slightly and then explained his experience.
"Speaking of which, the three young adventurers haven't introduced themselves yet. Would you mind if an old man like me knew your names?"
"Ah! I'm sorry, because I had been suspicious of you before, so... My name is Rita, Rita Losweiser, and I am the adjutant of the Alliance's Schicksal Saintess."
Rita introduced herself, and Bianca and Sophia followed suit.
"... My name is Bianca Atagina, and I am Titled Knight of the Apocalypse Knights directly under the Schicksal Saintess of the Alliance."
"My name is Sophia, same as above."
The old man was somewhat surprised to hear the three men introduce themselves.
"Schicksal? I think I've heard that name before..."
As a member of Spain during the imperial period, the old man had heard of this secret organization that existed as early as the 5th century AD and was formally established in the 14th century, with the Apocalypse family at its head.
After all, Mandate of Schicksal was very powerful in Europe at the time, causing kings of countless Europe countries to bow down to the Grand Bishop who represented the divine in Schicksal. At that time, Europe also adhered to the divine right of kings...
However, at that time, Schicksal existed in the form of the church.
It is known by various names such as the Schicksal Order, the Schicksal Church, and the Schicksal Vatican.
Miguel, born in the 16th century, naturally remembered how arrogant the Schicksal Church was.
"Although I don't know what the Alliance's Schicksal Saintess of Destiny's Direct Apocalypse Knights are, I have already verified your abilities, so I won't interfere in the battle. I'm most afraid of laymen giving orders. So, the division of labor from now on... I will be the captain and steer the ship, while you will be responsible for judging when to advance and retreat."