Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 210. Skeletal Ship

The Leviathan Whale's massive tail crashed down upon the water's surface. Its battered form attempted to dive into the water and attack from below. However, it was too late for its descent.

Cannonfire rang out once more, unceasing and relentless, until the cannons' mouths glowed red-hot. Only then did Lily order her mice friends to cease fire.

The mammoth form of the Leviathan Whale stretched across the surface of the water like a floating island. Its mangled flesh and the blood flowing out of its wounds tainted the air with a pungent metallic stench.

Expressions of awe and shock painted the crew's faces as they stared at the whale in the distance. They struggled to comprehend that their captain had so effortlessly vanquished such an immense creature.

Charles had only taken decisive action because he remembered what Conor had once told him. Since Conor's father had successfully hunted Leviathan Whales, it suggested that the whale was nothing more than an ordinary animal in the sea and didn't need to be feared.

Charles slowly steered the Narwhale toward the whale. But as they drew close, the whale's gigantic eye, which was the size of a small house, snapped open—it wasn't dead!

The mammoth creature abruptly arched its back and lunged toward the Narwhale like a missile.

Staring at the shadow overhead, Charles' heartbeat raced at its fastest pace. If the whale's bulk weight landed on them, that would spell doom for everyone aboard!

"Engineers, overload the engines! Max speed! Hurry!"

A deep red flame belched from the Narwhale's smokestacks as her speed tripled instantaneously.

Despite their swift reaction and retreat, it was still a fraction of a second too late. While the ship's center dodged the assault, the stern was not spared. The Leviathan Whale's colossal form struck the Narwhale's rear, pitching the ship upward in a precarious vertical tilt.

Under Charles' frantic maneuvering, the ship violently crashed back onto the water with a massive splash and narrowly avoided capsizing.

Panting heavily with a face drenched in cold sweat, Charles gasped for air. It had been a narrow escape. If they had been a hair slower, their ship would have capsized.

He steadied himself and gave the helm a reassuring pat before trudging toward the chaotic mess at the stern. His gaze landed on the whale's colossal form behind them.

The hundred-meter Leviathan Whale floated silently on the water's surface. It was motionless. The beast's last desperate attack seemed to have drained its final vestiges of vitality.

Charles was not the least afraid that the whale could stir again. After all, he had caught sight of the semi-solid, transparent fluid seeping through cracks in the creature’s skull. And that was what he had been aiming for.

By shifting that substance between its liquid and solid state, the Leviathan Whale could control its buoyancy to rise or dive.

Blubber was a prized resource and was typically used as a lubricant in various industrial factories, while the residual oil would then be used as fuel for steamships. It pained Charles to think that such a luxurious material was about to be burned directly as fuel for their ship.

The moment the oil left the whale's body, it rapidly solidified into a white lard-like mass. Charles instructed his crew to act with urgency to collect as much oil as they could manage. It would be their fuel and freshwater sources in the near future.

After filling up the fuel storage to the brim, Charles even emptied a couple of cabins to store even more of the candle-like, ivory blocks of whale oil. Soon enough, the entire ship was filled with the strong, unique odor of blubber.

"Does your God Fhtagn take offerings like this?" Charles commented jovially as he kicked at the Leviathan Whale's corpse.

Bandages responded to Charles' comment with silence. He continued to carry the blubber into the ship's cabins.

After almost emptying the whale's entire brain cavity for its valuable oil. Charles commanded his crew to sail away from the carcass.

"Mr. Charles, there's so much meat though. It's such a waste to leave it all behind," Lily suddenly remarked. There was no mistaking the tinge of regret in her voice.

Charles patted her on the head with a smile. "Don't feel bad about it. We can't possibly drag such a massive corpse along with us, can we? The strong stench of blood could attract unnecessary trouble. Come, let's go make some fresh water."

In the galley, Charles let out a sigh of relief as he watched the crew jovially squabbling over the accumulated distilled water. They had avoided a crisis—for now.

June 13, 12th Year of Crossing Over, Clear Weather

It's Day 37 at sea today. We are still adrift in the Southern Seas.

Thankfully, we are no longer facing an immediate supply crisis.

The blubber from a Leviathan Whale should last the Narwhale for at least three months if we use it sparingly.

The tentacle in my mind hasn't stirred for a long while now. I'm worried. Anna said if it disappeared, I would end up in my illusionary dream again. I hope I can endure until then.

As a series of harsh coughs erupted from his throat, Charles was forced to stop writing. He placed his pen down and reached a hand into his mouth.

In a swift motion, he peeled away a large swathe of mucous membrane

The numerous ulcers within his mouth cavity were tormenting, but he had no great solution at the moment. This was just the beginning of a vitamin deficiency. If he couldn't think of a way to replenish their vitamins, scurvy would come next.

He had considered harvesting some seaweed, but the thought of the myriad of bizarre creatures underwater had him thinking of employing that strategy as a last resort.

He had no idea how long their life adrift at sea would last, but he was no longer panicking. No matter how hard the path ahead, he was determined to find his way back.

Suddenly, a horn's wail echoed through the air. Charles snapped to attention and hurried toward the deck. He recognized the sound to be a signal of alert.

The moment he reached the deck, he saw a skeletal ship swiftly sailing past the Narwhale's port side.

Before he could even ponder over the power source of such a vessel, seven to eight giant worms surfaced before it. Thick chains had bound each worm to the ship's skeleton frame.

Charles swiftly regained his composure. Those were all secondary matters. The pressing matter at hand was whether they could escape their current predicament, and it all depended on this ship.

The Narwhale sounded a bellow and immediately attracted the attention of the skeletal ship. As the skeletal ship inched toward them, Charles could finally discern the stark difference between his ship and theirs.

The ship towered over them, its size rivaling that of the dead Leviathan Whale. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that the vessel was crafted from the skeletal remains of that colossal beast.

Seven or eight giants, each towering nearly three meters tall, stood by the ship's edge. Their gazes peered downward at the Narwhale below.

Charles hurriedly recounted their plight and even promised a wealth of rewards in return for their assistance. However, these so-called Haikors remained indifferent to his pleas. One by one, they retreated from the ship's edge.

Panic washed over Charles. If they refused to provide aid, the sea might really become the grave of the Narwhale and her crew.

Suddenly, a thought struck his mind. He fished out the box that Anna had sent to him. "My wife had made a deal with your tribesmen. Surely, you recognize this?"

Indeed, the box worked its magic. Among the crowd, a giant with a red pointed hat atop his head spoke, "Follow our ship. We will take you to the Shattered Heart Isles."

A wave of elation surged through Charles. They were finally out of their dire circumstances. "Thank you, mate. We are really lucky to have met you. Otherwise, we would have perished at sea."

"You are not as fortunate as you believe yourself to be. A presence under the water has drawn us here," one of the towering figures replied.

"A presence under the water?" Charles echoed.