novelraw Chapter 119 : Arrival at Port
Chapter 119 : Arrival at Port
Chapter 119: Arrival at Port
The room was dim.
The man sat on a chair, staring blankly at everything before him, silent.
Everything here made him sick—metal walls, metal doors, metal chairs. There was almost nothing natural in this place.
Everything was made of steel.
Artificial abominations.
The man sneered inwardly. Nothing better demonstrated humanity’s arrogance and ignorance than this ship—and their foolish attempt to challenge nature.
But soon, they would understand their own insignificance and helplessness.
Before true power, everything humanity did was futile, just like—
“Click.”
The cabin door opened.
The man looked up. When he saw the figure entering, his eyes narrowed slightly, but soon returned to calm.
“Hello, Mr. Damon.”
Levi removed his top hat, smiled slightly, and sat down across from him.
“Let me introduce myself. My name is Levi, a detective. I’m here to investigate your ‘accidental’ operational error that caused the engine shutdown.”
“…That is the Chief Inspector’s responsibility.”
The man spoke after a pause.
“I know. That’s why the Chief Inspector is here as well.”
Levi gestured. The Chief Inspector and the First Mate entered. Seeing them, a trace of tension appeared on the man’s face.
“What do you want?”
“Just routine questioning.”
Levi leaned back, fingers interlaced, staring at him.
“According to records, you shut down the pressurization system without authorization, causing the shutdown. Do you admit it?”
“I… I’m sorry.”
The man lowered his head.
“I was half-asleep and thought I heard an order to stop the engine, so…”
“But it wasn’t your team’s shift, and you’re not responsible for the pressurization system.”
Levi remained expressionless.
“I spoke to your supervisor. You handle boiler heating and valve operation. You have never been—and will never be—a technical operator. So what made you go to the engine room and shut it down?”
“I… I was just curious…”
“Curious enough to cross five compartments? That’s quite the curiosity.”
Levi chuckled—then suddenly changed expression, grabbing the man’s collar and lifting him up.
“Do you know what’s happening outside right now?”
Levi glared at him, growling.
“We were attacked by a monster. The ship couldn’t move. We were waiting to die. And you’re telling me it was an accident?!”
“………………………”
The man stared at Levi—then smiled.
“This is your retribution. What you deserve.”
“What did you say?”
“Humanity is too arrogant. You think you can challenge nature, defy the will of God. But it’s all futile. Steel should not float on water. Humans should not provoke nature’s wrath! You think machinery and steel give you power—but it’s nothing but arrogance and ignorance! Everything you do will lead humanity to destruction!”
He grinned widely.
“So I will show you the disaster brought by human arrogance!”
“This is why you sabotaged the ship?”
“Exactly! ‘Unsinkable’—what arrogance! We must show people that steel and steam bring not opportunity, but destruction! Nothing demonstrates this better than sinking a ship that embodies humanity’s arrogance!”
“Did you summon that monster?”
“Hahaha! I don’t have that ability. Only fools like you think you can control everything. I simply knew it would appear here. As long as you couldn’t leave, you would witness nature’s true power…”
Levi stared at him, trembling as if barely containing his anger.
Then suddenly—
He smiled.
“Thank you for your cooperation. I understand now.”
Levi walked to the door and looked at the First Mate and the Chief Inspector.
“It’s clear now. This was a terrorist act carried out by a Luddite extremist. You know how to report this to the captain.”
“Of course, Mr. Levi.”
The Chief Inspector nodded immediately.
“I will report it at once and deal with this Luddite!”
“Hahaha, so what?”
The man remained indifferent.
“You’re all going to die anyway!”
“Oh, actually—we won’t.”
Levi smiled.
“I lied earlier. The sea monster has already been killed. It’s currently drying on the deck. And the Arctic Star has resumed its journey. As for you… enjoy prison. I wonder if Melisia’s prison food is better than the ship’s.”
“……………”
The man’s expression darkened instantly.
“Impossible! The sea monster was hundreds of meters long—invincible! Even cannons couldn’t pierce its skin! You couldn’t possibly defeat it!”
“In reality, it was under thirty meters—and a harpoon cannon pierced it just fine.”
Levi smiled again.
“Dreams are best left in dreams.”
“Impossible! You’re lying—this is impossible—————!”
The man lunged forward—but his hands were cuffed to the pipe. He could only glare and shout.
Levi ignored him and walked out.
His fate no longer concerned Levi.
What mattered was—
Persuasion.
After the conversation, Levi understood why the monster’s size had varied so drastically.
The legends were too vague—hundreds of meters? What did that even mean? What kind of cannon? What kind of skin?
No credibility.
But Annie’s research—even theoretical—was supported by data. It sounded reasonable.
That difference mattered.
It seemed that “debunking” mysterious creatures could weaken them.
If Annie could publish scientific analyses in the Exploration Newspaper, perhaps future monsters could be weakened before combat even began.
Worth trying.
After that, the journey went smoothly.
No more incidents.
The sailors even believed killing the sea monster had brought them luck.
Levi returned to a leisurely life—drinking tea with Howard Kellis and Molly.
Meanwhile, Annie was extremely busy. The monster was stored in the ship’s freezer to prevent decay, and she worked tirelessly on classification and research.
Levi also interrogated Damon again.
The man had only been ordered to disable the ship’s power when it reached this sea area. Then, “the sea monster’s wrath would consume this blasphemous creation.”
From this, Levi inferred—
This was a planned operation by the Luddites.
They planted the cursed bottled ship, sabotaged the engines, and intended for the monster to sink the Arctic Star.
If successful, it would become a ghost ship.
However—
Rosalie Porto’s death, Levi boarding the ship, and the iceberg were all unforeseen variables.
The more complex a plan, the more likely it was to fail.
If they had simply used explosives, Levi might not have stopped them.
But they chose symbolism—letting a sea monster represent nature’s wrath.
And that gave Levi an opening.
Because their plan relied on belief.
They couldn’t fake it—even to themselves.
In a way, both sides were bound by invisible rules.
And Levi had played within them.
Finally—
After an uneventful journey, the Arctic Star arrived safely at Mules Port in the Melisia Region.
The arrival of the Empire’s largest ship caused a sensation. Crowds gathered to witness it.
And the sea monster’s corpse drove reporters into a frenzy.
A new route, a sea monster, and its defeat—this was massive news.
Combined with Rosalie Porto’s case, Levi was soon surrounded by reporters.
After giving a few interviews, explaining both the case and the monster, Levi handed off the rest to others.
Then he headed toward the Governor’s Office.
After all—
He hadn’t come to Melisia for vacation.
He had real work to do.