novelraw Chapter 216: Lighthouse! We See the Lighthouse!
Chapter 216: Lighthouse! We See the Lighthouse!
Above the gloomy sea, on the Mermaid, the Blackfin Crew’s flag fluttered endlessly in the storm.
Long waterproof boots slowly stepped across the bloodstained floor.
The Blood Mage swept his drenched hair back and carefully passed by more than a dozen strong, burly women before finally arriving at a huge red sofa.
In front of the red sofa sat a tall, fiery red-haired woman wearing scanty clothing, exuding the aura of a noble queen as she teased those around her.
The Blood Mage spoke:
“Big Mom, I’m back.”
Carol puffed on the smoking pipe in her hand, seemingly only half paying attention to the little Blood Mage before her.
The Blood Mage immediately followed up:
“Big Mom, the Flower Witch refused to join us, the Blood Blade Pirates...”
Whoosh! Carol exhaled a thick plume of smoke.“Get to the point! That Witch Miss could never join us anyway; after all, we are sworn enemies. But what about that new Hunter in the sea? I think he fits the style of the Blackfin Crew quite well, matching many of our key members, like my Little Crow under my command and Black Death Doctor...”
“No, he won’t.”
The Blood Mage answered calmly.
Smack!
Almost the instant he finished speaking, a sturdy iron whip struck his face from nowhere, and bright red blood splattered onto the floor.
The Blood Mage showed no expression, as if feeling no pain. This was the punishment for a failed mission, and he had to accept it.
Endure it; this was only a small task. The punishment wouldn’t be too harsh. Besides, being hit by the fiery Big Mom Carol was considered a reward by many... the Blood Mage comforted himself silently.
However, in the next second, he saw Carol’s fierce expression, as ferocious as a tiger.
Carol toyed with the iron whip in her hand:
“Was that Hunter’s refusal that firm? If you had one more chance, privately seek him out again. What are the chances he’d join us?”
Hearing this, the Blood Mage fell silent for a moment.
Usually irritable, Carol was unusually persistent about this matter.
Was this answer really that important...? The Blood Mage reluctantly replied:
“Ninety percent. If we met alone in private, with his strength, seeing my Blood Magic instantly would shatter his confidence. Add a little temptation, and there’s no doubt he’d become one of us in the Blackfin Crew. At that point, Flesh Cleaver Bone Breaker would be retrieved...”
“Ninety percent?”
Carol’s lips curled slightly as she leaned back:
“Forget it. In my opinion, it’s only fifty percent. Unless you use violence, you can’t take him down, just like that little black-eyed guy on the Sawshark. Only absolute violence can tame that Hunter. I’m very interested in this guy.
Also, remember, without my orders, don’t kill him.”
Saying this, Carol casually twirled the pipe:
“Remember, that’s an order. Or else, I’ll soak you in wine.”
Order... A cold sweat broke out on the Blood Mage’s hand.
Why? Why did Carol want that Black Hunter so badly? Why? Was the Black Hunter’s life more valuable than his? Or was it because the Black Hunter’s charm surpassed his?
The Blood Mage didn’t understand for a while and even felt a bit jealous.
He, who was single-mindedly chasing power, wasn’t even qualified to be Carol’s lover!
“Forget it. This matter must be handled slowly. After the Blood Blade Pirates are gone, whether it’s the Black Hunter, the Witch, or this sea area, sooner or later, they’ll all be ours.”
Then, Carol continued to ask:
“By the way, how did they react this time?”
The Blood Mage answered truthfully:
“Blood Lady was as sorrowful as always. When Mad Wolf Fenrir saw the Shell Dragon at my feet, he was terrified.
I believe that after this threat, the Blood Blade Pirates’ ships will quickly send out exploration vessels to the navy’s research base. To save time, they will choose the shortest route. No, there is no safe route there...”
Hearing the affirmative answer, Carol’s lips curled into a faint smile:
“Not bad, not bad. Once the Blood Blade Pirates’ ships join this battle as bait, everything will be easier.”
Bait... The Blood Mage felt an inexplicable chill inside.
Because next, he himself would board an exploration ship and head to the navy research base!
He was the overall leader of this exploration mission.
Clenching his fist, he slowly asked:
“Big Mom, may I ask what happened to the previous exploration ships that entered the navy research base? Why do we need the Blood Blade Pirates to join as the so-called ‘bait’...”
Besides recruiting the Witch and the Black Hunter, there was another more important purpose for this operation: through a ‘show of force’, make the Blood Blade Pirates immediately join this battle, as soon as possible.
In the past three days, ten exploration ships that should have returned have all been lost in the waves of the sea without a trace.
To avoid further loss of combat power, the Blackfin Crew needed a sufficiently strong ‘vanguard’, a large enough ‘bait’.
This warning was to make the Blood Blade Pirates become the ‘bait’ earlier.
“You’re really a curious little cutie...”
Carol crossed her muscular, sun-kissed thigh and turned her head, gazing through the thick fog and the gloomy, turbulent sea.
The Blood Mage followed Carol’s gaze toward the distant sea. At that moment, he seemed to hear the waves roaring like dragons.
Big Mom teased lightly:
“Who knows? Maybe some huge natural disaster. After all, this sea area hasn’t been explored for a long time...”
“...”
No answer... The Blood Mage’s body involuntarily shivered.
With Big Mom Carol’s presence and the Blackfin Crew’s repeated victories, he had momentarily forgotten that the place they were heading to was a lost land unexplored for twenty years, a place even the Ice Demon Pirates hadn’t ventured into.
Big Mom Carol slowly leaned in, blowing smoke onto his face:
“Don’t worry. No matter what you encounter, the fourth captain of the exploration team, when you return, the Blackfin Crew will reward you. This reward’s value won’t be less than the Flesh Cleaver Bone Breaker in the Black Hunter’s hands.”
Under the thick smoke, the blood on the Blood Mage’s face slowly rolled back beneath his skin:
“Don’t worry, Captain. I will complete this mission and lock the Witch and that Black Hunter in a cage, bringing them all back!”
“Hahaha! Don’t disappoint me, my little darling!”
Carol laughed, blowing in the sea breeze, pouring herself a glass of the strongest liquor.
...
...
Blood Blade Pirates’ base, Red Maple Island dockyard, ship repair dock, night.
At this moment, a group of people anxiously stood on the ship repair dock, watching the repair technician’s performance.
Mad Wolf Fenrir paced back and forth in the dockyard, speaking to the red-haired female ship repair technician on the Dagger:
“Little Amy, how much longer until the Dagger’s repairs are finished? We don’t have much time left. It must be completed immediately!”
“Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Don’t you see I’ve already used all four of my mechanical arms? I should’ve installed a fifth one so I could take a break and smash your stupid head!
Also, don’t call me Little Amy. I’m twenty-five years old!”
Fenrir got sprayed with water.
“So irritable, this Little Amy...”
Chen Qi sat on a chair, watching the petite third-tier mechanic on the Dagger.
But it wasn’t her fault.
Due to the heavy damage to many ships, this young red-haired female mechanic had been working nonstop for five days and nights, sleeping only five hours during that time.
Fen sat beside Chen Qi, feeling tense and shivering occasionally.
Exploration mission... Chen Qi vaguely sensed bad memories.
Although initiated by the Blood Blade Pirates, this mission was more like an investigation task from the Beiguo Meteorological Bureau.
Currently, information about the entire lost navy base was extremely scarce.
Even the dangers of the sea area they were about to enter were a huge question mark.
Besides that, compared to ordinary meteorological bureau missions, they also had to face attacks from the Blackfin Crew.
A super high-difficulty mission... Chen Qi thought silently.
Bang!
A loud noise interrupted his thoughts!
“Fix it well!”
Accompanied by the extremely irritable punch of mechanic Amy, the Dagger’s ship lights lit up again.
“Finally done! Can we set sail? No problems, right, Little Amy?”
Fenrir asked anxiously.
The red-haired mechanic Amy flipped Fenrir four middle fingers using her four mechanical arms:
“Doubting my skills? Among the third-tier pirates, my ship repair skills are just a bit worse than Burry of the Ice Demon Pirates.”
Should be fine... Fenrir clenched his fists, showing a nervous expression, then looked toward the Flower Witch and Chen Qi behind him.
Fenrir tossed the equipment box onto the Dagger:
“Everyone, time is tight. We depart now, dividing into five exploration ships, each with fifty people. The two of you will follow me. Later, I’ll explain the precautions for entering the Distorted Sea...”
Chen Qi looked at the ship he was about to board.
The Dagger’s hull was simple but powerful, with every plank carefully selected and polished, and sleek lines on the ship’s body.
Of course, although an exploration vessel, it was much larger than Chen Qi’s Ghost Ship and could hold a hundred people.
Though slower than the Ghost Ship, it possessed an extremely strong supernatural defense barrier!
This was the Blood Blade Pirates’ best defensive barrier at present.
In the upcoming journey through the Distorted Sea, this was an extremely important feature.
Chen Qi thought about the following actions.
Blood Lady and Big Mom Carol would not directly participate in this mission.
Fourth-tier legends were rare after all. Blood Lady and veteran Gale would not enter the unknown place before confirming Big Mom’s movements.
In other words, this mission was ultimately a battle among third-tier supernaturals, and their chances were not small!
With him present, sea beast threats on the ocean would be minimal. With Fen here, most third-tier supernaturals couldn’t resist Fen’s liberation.
“Alright, let’s go.”
After much thought, Chen Qi patted Fen’s shoulder and, along with Mad Wolf and over forty other crew members, boarded the Dagger.
“Bon voyage!”
The shouts of the Blood Blade Pirates echoed within the dockyard.
The Dagger slowly sailed out of the dock, heading into the foggy Distorted Sea amid everyone’s hopeful gazes.
Set sail!
...
...
Unconsciously, night fell, and the fog thickened.
“Sure enough, only setting sail is exciting.”
Chen Qi stepped out from the rocking Dagger’s kitchen, took out a cup of fruit pudding, and handed it to Fen on the deck:
“Fen, have some food. This voyage isn’t easy. Why not rest a little?”
Five whole hours had passed since they entered this fog-filled sea area, which also carried a faint smell of corpses.
Navigating in such thick fog was a torment to everyone’s strength and spirit.
“Thanks!!”
He gave me food first... Fen took the pudding in a daze. The flowers on his head turned an inexplicable gray as he said:
“Qi, my inspiration tells me this sea is very dangerous. We must stay alert. You be careful too.”
“Yeah, I will...”
Chen Qi and Flower Witch Fen leaned against the ship’s side, gazing down at the sea beneath their feet.
The seawater showed a disturbing color, from deep blue-black to eerie dark green, occasionally floating unknown algae and strange bubbles, emitting an inexplicable stench of corpses.
Waves continuously battered the Dagger’s hull, producing mournful sounds.
Not only that, distorted little fish crazily rammed into the Dagger.
Coupled with the huge storm, everyone aboard the Dagger was on high alert.
The danger level of this sea area was extremely high... Chen Qi tried to stay vigilant, then looked toward the bow.
Captain Fenrir stood on the bow, shouting hoarsely at the crew:
“Helmsman! Hold steady! You must maintain absolute attention! Don’t be fooled by the fog!”
“Damn it, why are there so many terrifying distorted fish! We just bombed them, how come there are more now? Is our flesh really that delicious? That attractive to you guys?”
Fenrir tightened his clothes; he was already annoyed by the sudden frenzy of sea beast monsters.
Maybe I shouldn’t be on deck... Chen Qi silently complained.
It was his fault; he caused these little fish to go wild.
He was almost certain that even for distorted monsters, his affinity was still effective.
Chen Qi looked at the helmsman on the bow.
The Dagger was an extremely expensive ship, with a comprehensive design. It had two places to adjust the ship’s direction: the captain’s cabin and the bow.
To better observe sea conditions, the Dagger’s helmsman had to face the gale and the stench, continuously adjusting the ship’s course on this dangerous sea.
The captain said weakly:
“I know, I know, Brother Fenrir...”
He was incoherent... Chen Qi stepped forward and took out some meat pies, offering them to the helmsman and Fenrir:
“You okay? Sir Helmsman, need some food?”
The helmsman’s face was gloomy; he looked almost unconscious:
“No, I just want to go ashore! As soon as possible, go ashore!”
The helmsman frantically repeated “go ashore.”
Fenrir took the meat pie from Chen Qi:
“Go ashore? That’s still far away!”
The helmsman shook his head, eyes full of pale bloodshot veins:
“No, no, Brother Fenrir, aren’t we almost ashore? I already saw the lighthouse, the lighthouse!”
“???”
Fenrir and Chen Qi were both stunned.
Their route had only passed halfway; where was there a lighthouse?
Could there be a small isolated island on the sea?
Something was off; this helmsman wasn’t right!
Smack!
Chen Qi didn’t hesitate and immediately grabbed the helmsman, slapping him twice loudly!
“Where is the lighthouse?”
Chen Qi’s tone was icy as he questioned.
The helmsman was already delirious.
This strange hallucination was a sign of countless ships sinking at sea!
Shadow Demons? Or nightmare fog?
Various possibilities flashed through Chen Qi’s mind.
No matter which one, if they didn’t handle their ship quickly, it could sink in the next minute!!
The helmsman didn’t answer but stared blankly at Chen Qi.
Fenrir touched his forehead and explained:
“Damn it! This guy used too many Lamp affinity skill books and fell into the Lamp affinity hallucinations. This place...”
However, before he finished, a beam of distant light shone onto them.
Light...
I have hallucination resistance; this isn’t a hallucination... Chen Qi slowly raised his head and looked toward the night sky.
In the distant pitch-black fog, a huge lamp hung high, like a moon, like salvation for countless sailors—
A lighthouse!
Everyone held their breath in an instant.
Accompanied by the roaring waves, the hundred-meter-high “tiny lighthouse” slowly descended, approaching them.
The lantern grew bigger within seconds.
A gust of fierce wind suddenly rushed toward them, shaking the entire Dagger on the sea.
No, it wasn’t just wind; it was more like a breath filled with the stench of blood, a storm-like breath.
Thousands of meters of fog slowly parted, and the thick bloody smell crushed down on the Dagger and everyone aboard.
This was... Chen Qi instinctively took a deep breath, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.
At this moment, Mad Wolf Fenrir stepped back, his body stiffening in a very rare way.
Battle-hardened, he had seen countless storms, senseless killings between soldiers, the stabbing pain of bullets through ears, blades piercing hearts.
Normally, except for illness, few things could make him retreat.
But now, his body still stiffened and shook uncontrollably.
This was a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a long time—an ancient primal instinct called fear.