Rowan had a poor tolerance for alcohol. After two cups of rice wine, his head grew heavy, and he went back to his room, pulled the covers over his head, and fell asleep.
With the sea fog gone, much of the pressure had lifted. For the first time in half a month at sea, he slept soundly.
If hunger had not woken him, Rowan probably would have slept until noon.
What was that strange smell? Rowan swiped two roasted white melons from the kitchen and ate as he walked out onto the deck.
It was noon, with clear skies stretching for miles and dazzling sunlight blazing down.
The morning fog had dispersed, opening up the view and making the black, oily liquid floating on the sea even more conspicuous.
Rowan rubbed his nose, carefully distinguishing the strange odor in the air. It was somewhat pungent, and a closer sniff revealed the smell of rotten eggs. It was familiar, but he could not immediately remember what it was.
The waters ahead were completely covered in black oil. The surface resembled aluminum-coated glass, reflecting the intense light like a mirror.
"Can we go around these waters?" Rowan asked, handing Ellen a white melon.
Ellen accepted it without ceremony, took a bite, and mumbled, "The oil started spreading after midnight. All the waters ahead have already been contaminated. Farther south is the Great Sea, beyond Kul Tiras's offshore waters, where Naga often appear. We saw Naga on that island earlier, too. We'd better not go looking for trouble."
That made sense. Beyond Kul Tiras's offshore waters lay the Great Sea and the Forbidden Sea, both territories of Nazjatar. The seabed plunged deep, and danger lurked everywhere.
Even setting aside the powerful deep-sea creatures, Naga minions frequently prowled all across the Great Sea.
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