Discussion and Plan

The ship cut through the waves, its remaining sail billowing high in the sea wind as it sped at full speed toward Perilous Earth Island.

Xia Lun leaned against the wall of the sterncastle, patiently oiling his short sword.

As a set of heavy footsteps approached, he slowly raised his head and saw the priest striding over.

At that moment, all the ship's technical backbone had gathered: the captain, the old man, the priest, and himself.

The captain took a puff from her pipe and smiled at the priest, who looked somewhat confused.

"All right, now that everyone's here, we can begin the meeting." Xia Lun put away his short sword and glanced around. "Please close the door. Thank you."

The old man casually shut the door. "So, what exactly are we discussing?"

"Getting on the same page," Xia Lun said succinctly. "We need to determine how to deal with the monster."

He paused, making sure everyone understood, then continued, "I have a preliminary plan. Once we get near Perilous Earth Island, we'll ignite the whale oil at the bottom of the hold through the cargo grating. I checked while I was throwing the bodies overboard. One bullet and a few torches will be enough."

"Once the hold is on fire, the monster will definitely want to get onto the deck. I checked as well—its body is much larger than the cargo grating, so it can't get out through there."

"So it'll come out through one of the three hatch ladders?" Captain Geliide asked, raising an eyebrow. "Then we secretly reinforce those passages so the monster can't escape?"

Xia Lun nodded. "More precisely, there's only one. I inspected the size of those entrances and exits this morning. Only the main hatch ladder near the forecastle is large enough for it to come out. In fact, that's where it fell in."

"So the plan is clear now." The captain slowly exhaled a ring of smoke. In the glow of her pipe's ember, her chestnut eyes seemed a little brighter. "Once we're near Perilous Earth Island, we seal off the only exit, light the whale oil, and everyone leaves in the lifeboats. Heh, arson. I like it."

"This plan is highly feasible." The old man pondered for a moment, then nodded. "So all we need to do now is fool that monster for a few more days, make sure it doesn't get to eat anyone, and the matter will be settled?"

Xia Lun shook his head.

"It's not that simple." He raised one finger. "There are two aspects to this."

"First, regarding the fire itself: if it gets too big, the wooden structure of the ship may not withstand it. Once the wooden structure burns away, there's a strong chance the monster will climb out early, disrupting the escape of whoever sets the fire."

"Besides, we can't rule out the possibility that the flames will cause the whale oil to explode. Therefore, we need to think further about the details of how to start the fire."

And if the monster really burns to death, I won't be able to get the rest of the Prayerbook of the Drowned. Xia Lun silently added to himself.

At this point, Xia Lun looked up at the others and found that they all seemed rather quiet.

The priest and captain both looked deep in thought, while the old man stared straight at him.

"What is it?" After a moment of silence, Xia Lun could not help asking.

The old man clicked his tongue and replied, "You're quite... skilled at arson. You weren't an arsonist before coming aboard, were you?"

"No." Xia Lun denied it flatly. "I merely made some simple deductions."

"These aren't simple deductions. Without relevant experience, it would be hard to think of such details. And those strange details are precisely what distinguish an expert from a novice." Captain Geliide tapped her pipe and smiled. "Ah, never mind if you don't want to talk about it. Everyone has secrets."

"Back to the point." Xia Lun shook his head. "Rather than passively waiting for the flames to destroy some part of the ship, we should take the initiative and create somewhere that the fire will destroy, then prepare an ambush in advance."

"You're the expert, so we'll listen to you." The old man braced his hands against the table. "Leave this task to me. I'll study the ship's structure."

Without a word, the priest took the ship's structural diagram off the wall and spread it across the table.

"Besides that, we need to divide our manpower into three groups." Xia Lun thought for a moment, then pointed at the side of the elevation drawing. "The first group will have five people. They'll lower the lifeboats in advance and make sure there are enough supplies for escape—if all twenty-one people are leaving, we'll need at least five small boats. They'll also need to consider our plans and responses after we reach shore."

"That'll require some courageous, reliable people. Otherwise, they might flee early." The captain smoked as she raised an eyebrow at the others. "How about each of us recommends one person, so we can keep each other in check?"

"You don't need to guard against us anymore, Geliide." The priest sighed. "You choose them."

"Everyone listens to me, and then you all conspire in private?" The captain's tone seemed joking, but the smile on her face was faint. "Rather than that, it's better to establish checks and balances in advance. Speaking openly is better than everyone harboring their own thoughts."

"So why did the mutiny happen in the first place?" Xia Lun suddenly asked.

He did not ask purely out of curiosity. He always felt there was some internal connection between the monster's appearance and the pirates' sudden mutiny.

The priest glanced at the captain and Xia Lun, then sighed. "It's complicated, but simply put, Geliide was pursuing revenge and chose to force this whaling ship through a storm zone. She sank our flagship and indirectly caused the first mate's sister's death... Forget it. Geliide should tell it herself."

Captain Geliide touched the scar on her face and gave a cold laugh. "There's nothing to say. It was because I acted willfully. Let's not talk about it for now. We can discuss it another time if we get the chance. Let's continue with the division of labor."

"The second group will be responsible for ambushing the monster. I'll lead it." Xia Lun tapped the table. "I need twelve people. Priest, help me gather them."

The priest nodded. "Of course."

"The last group will have four people as a reserve team, responsible for handling emergencies?" the old man asked.

Xia Lun nodded. After pausing briefly, he raised a second finger. "Yes—what I just described was the first problem and its corresponding solution. Next, I'll discuss the second problem we may encounter."

The howling sea wind came through the door, and a damp, warm feeling seeped into the room through the wooden door.

Captain Geliide restrained the restlessness in her heart and slowly took a puff from her pipe. The doors in her heart seemed to drift away with the smoke.

"Are there other risks?" she asked softly.

Xia Lun nodded, and his tone suddenly grew grave. "I don't mean anything else by this. I'm merely stating my guess, so don't overthink it—the monster was transformed from one of the people originally aboard the whaling ship."

?! Geliide's brows furrowed sharply. In her shock, she even knocked her beloved pipe against the table.

The old man could not help leaning forward. "What? Transformed from a person?"

"A monster transformed from a person, and it even eats people... that is truly blasphemous." The priest muttered to himself. "Eating human flesh, drinking human blood, hiding in the pitch-black hold, demanding tribute every day... It sounds awfully familiar."

"It sounds like the noble lords of Scarlet Lantern Island, doesn't it?" Xia Lun made a deadpan joke, but no one laughed.

Seeing that no one responded, he cleared his throat, lightly tapped the tabletop with one finger, then said softly, "So we cannot rule out the possibility that it has accomplices among the whaling ship's crew."

As soon as he said this, the previously lively atmosphere instantly turned cold. Even the shadows cast by the table seemed tinged with a chilly hue.

"Come to think of it, when the monster appeared, it really didn't attack the whaling ship's crew." After a long silence, the priest spoke hesitantly. "But it seemed to attack you on its own initiative, Xia Lun."