How much longer do we have?” Exhausted, Board Mir answered Weed’s question.
“We’ve traveled about 60% of the way.”
“We ought to arrive soon.”
“Work hard!”
It was not a short distance, so there was no choice but to adapt to the sea. With only navigation skills and their belief in themselves, they could only unite and weather the harsh sea. Strength, courage, and a challenging mindset were needed to hold out when the sea was this rough. Fortunately, the wind didn’t blow against them and the waves calmed down and for two days they had a calm journey. Their bodies suddenly felt cold. Instead of rain, thick snowfall came from from the sky.
“Now I’ve really come far into the north.”
Hye, Fractal, and Board Mir, who had never come this far, suddenly felt fear. However, it was too late to turn the ship around, so they ventured forward. The sky was clear during the day, and at night the moon emerged, with countless stars reflecting over the ocean. It was like sailing through Mother Nature itself.
*Ding!*
- You have entered The DeRon Seaway.
- Sailing skill proficiency increased.
- Due to risk strength, Endurance, wisdom, and charisma stat +6.
- Fame +260.
Navigators who first discover an island or a geographic region will have an increase in fame stats.
“This is great! Normally it only climbs up one or two stat points but six?!. Its even for 4 different types of stats.”
“It’s because we came all the way from the harbor in Becky Nin without rest.”
It was usually the norm to stop one day for every two days of travel. This was to restock on supplies and to reduce the fatigue of the crew. Ghost sailors may not be the best workers, but they didn’t have the usual fatigue and homesickness.
*Chuckle* ”The Human sailors look delicious.”
“Let’s steal their bodies. Let’s steal their bodies. I’m so fed up with roaming the seas eternally. I want to enter a human’s body.”
“Shush. Those guys are the Captain’s prey. I’m sure the Captain will give us a bite to eat after he’s through with them.”
Weed procured food and water, so there was no need to worry about starvation. Plus, since he could repair the ship, was as good as it was in the harbor and there was nothing more needed on the voyage. As they headed north less mermaids were sighted and whales and birds had long stopped following them. After entering into the DeRon seaway, nippy cold air began to bite at them. And then the Aurora finally unfolded! A curtain of light and stars hung above the ghost ship in the middle of the night. It was beautiful enough to enchant the three hardened sailors.The natural light was so amazing that it caused shivers.
- You have found DeRon’s Aurora.
- Due to your amazing discovery Fame + 350.
- Art stat +28.
- All stats +5.
- Due the power of nature all abnormal states are cured.
- 30% increase for five days in strength and heat resistance.
- 13% increase to the maximum value of all stats.
- The maximum speed of the ship, turning ability, and ship’s ability to land will increase by
27%.
- Due to the blessing of the aurora, you will be granted additional benefits in naval battle.
The Ghost sailors and the navigators were lost in admiration of the Aurora. Even Weed was mesmerized by the aurora . Like butterflies leaving their cocoons, tears swelled up in traveler’s eyes. Most natural beauty would not soften Weeds stout heart, but he softly said.
“I will have to memorize your exact look. Next time I make a light sculpture in Morata it’ll be of this sight.”
It was like the joy of earning money from recycling empty bottles when he was young. The aurora’s one and only role was creating a lifelong memory for the travelers. It paved a twinkling road in the sky.
Weed instructed.
“Let head toward over there.”
“Aye, sir.”
The officer steered the ship towards the path that the Aurora showed. There were no reefs, currents, or sea monsters that touched them; it was a calm sea. With the exception of the extreme cold, there was very little to be unhappy about.
“Uuugh, cold!”
While adjusting the sail, Board Mir body was shivering as his teeth chattered. They were the signs of catching a cold. Both concentration and stamina fell. Weed felt fine because he had caught a baby whale and had made a robe out of it in advance.
“Got to take care to not to repeat the same mistakes.”
He had already suffered twice before in northern explorations. After arriving at Las Phalanx, you would probably have to worry about the heat more than the cold. However, until then, you have to keep your body in the best condition possible. He wore the yeti clothes he had previously made with the newly made whale robe. He made hot fish soup out of the fish he caught and this made the cold a bit more bearable. The navigators gathered around Weed and watched him with pleading eyes. Hye, as the representative, said.
“Chatter. Chatter. Captain.”
It was as if a woodpecker suddenly appeared. The men’s teeth clattered in their mouths. They wore short sleeves and shorts because they were easy to move around in and they usually traveled in warmer climates.
“We may freeze to death in this state. Please give us some clothes to wear.”
“Why would I do that?” Weed replied indifferently.
Eating alone next to hungry people, fooling around as everyone else worked, wearing warm clothes as everyone else shivered! Weed did the cheapest things and he did three different kinds at once. Hye gave a frustrated look.
“Then, you want our report to freeze too sir?”
“You should always prepare for your own survival. What ship has their Captain provide clothing as well?”
Weed said that with no remorse. Welfare benefits are nonexistent for the sailors of the ghost ship. ‘The ghost sailors are just fine in the cold’ spoke louder than words.
“Please captain save us.”
“20 gold”
“What?”
“One day rental fee. It’s not like clothes grow out of the ground.”
“But, you obtain your own clothes by fishing and you can collect the scales of the fishes. I saw you do that.”
“If you don’t want it you go find another place.”
A new level of dirty cheapness, to get a rental fee from a person who would freeze to death! You have to pay the rental fee with a cup of tears.
“With a deposit of 500 gold for a week in advance.”
Once the clothes were rented, the officers got together and secretly whispered to one another.
-I’ll put up with it for now.
-Is he planning on us turning into popsicles? There is a contract, but our opportunity will come.
-It’s not like we’ve only killed once or twice, if there would only be a chance . . . .
If they seized the ship, they would maroon Weed and leave by themselves. Sailors have shipbuilding skills just in case they needed to build their own, but, for now, they suffered in silence.
-We will make him pay a hundred times over.
-Only a hundred times? No it needs to be a thousand. Tens of thousands of times.