"Damn it! This is the worst weather I've seen in my ten years of business at sea."
"If I can make it back alive this time, I swear I'll never run a long-distance route again! No matter how much money they offer me!"
Raymond clung tightly to a support pole with both hands and feet, trying to keep his chubby body against it, cursing and swearing.
Hearing this, the bearded captain, who was controlling the steering wheel, still had the energy to tease him.
"I've heard you say this many times, but every time you're gone for half a month and then come to me to set sail again. This ship, the White Sands Princess, was brought Raymond's face immediately fell, and he began to curse, "Shut up, Sebastian! Focus on steering the ship and don't let it capsize! If we can get these goods back to the Guild, it'll be enough for you and me to stay on shore for five years!"
The bearded captain shrugged and didn't argue.
Facing the towering waves in front of him, his face was calm. But there was a hint of something in his eyes, showing that he was concerned not just about the storm, but something else entirely.
In the cabin, there was a mix of Raymond's swearing and prayers.
On the turbulent sea, the bearded captain used his superb skills to guide the ship through another dangerous wave.
But a shadow floated over his calm face as he said, "The Elizabeth may not be able to make it past this wave."
Raymond was stunned, his face falling once again as he resumed cursing.
"After being blessed by the priests of the Bright Church in the Eastern Continent, the Elizabeth was loaded with sacrificial vessels that the religious aristocrats in the Western Continent love the most. I bought twelve large crates for 3,128 Aureus coins per crate thanks to my connections, but instead of making a profit, I lost a huge sum! Damn it..."
As expected, the Elizabeth following behind was struggling to move forward with its broken front mast and damaged hull. It was taking on water, losing power, and experiencing severe casualties.
As it approached the halfway point of the towering wave, the wave lifted the ship and toppled it over, disappearing into the dark foam.
The sailors on the Princess of White Sands watched in horror.
Before they could mourn their losses, a powerful lightning bolt cut through the dark sky, illuminating the world with thunder and light. Under the black clouds several miles away, a shadow emerged, hugging the surface of the sea like a ghost, seeking its prey.
There was a hideous black skull scribbled on the sail, which meant that it was a pirate ship.
In a flash.
In the moment of brilliance, the lookout on the mast suddenly widened their pupils and screamed desperately, "They've caught up--"
Everyone heard it: the sailors, the guards, the bearded captain, and Raymond.
The next second, they all showed a hint of panic on their faces.
"Damn it, why are these pirates so persistent? Can't one ship satisfy their appetite?" Raymond gritted his teeth, feeling heartbroken.
Before departure, the entire fleet had three merchant ships fully loaded with goods returning to the western continent. Everyone was having a good time on board, eating hotpot and singing songs.
Suddenly, they were ambushed by pirates!
How could these heavy merchant ships match the speed of fast pirate ships?
The last ship in the fleet was caught up and the brutal pirates killed everyone on board, taking away the goods and the ship.
They thought it was over, but the pirates' greed exceeded their imagination.
The pursuit continued, and the Elizabeth suffered a lot of damage as a result, foreshadowing its sinking.
No one had anticipated that the pirates would be so crazy as to chase after them despite the terrible sea conditions.
Was money worth more than their lives?
Raymond cursed the pirates' ancestors ferociously. Soon, the spotter's terrified cry could be heard once again.
'They're getting closer and closer to us!"
Sebastian, for god's sake, speed up! Those pirates are about to catch up with us!
The bearded captain sighed and said somewhat helplessly, "You should know that this is a cargo ship loaded with goods, and no matter how skilled I am, I can't make it go faster than a pirate ship."
"What should we do if they catch up with us? Those pirates kill without blinking! No one will survive if they catch up!"
"Then we can only pray to the sea god..."
Raymond's face turned pale.
Pray to the sea god? Isn't that just waiting to die!
In the midst of the panic, Raymond's eyes suddenly became calm as he pointed to the waterproof nautical chart attached to the cabin wall. "Where are we now? Do we have enough time to go to a certain place?"
The bearded captain was puzzled but immediately replied, "We have now reached the sea area north of the Stormy Sea. There are no islands nearby to anchor at, and the nearest port on the continent is at least ten days away by sea."
"If you want to buy time and pray for support from the kingdom's patrol navy fleet, then you can give up now."
"No, no, no, I mean that." Raymond's eyes were brighter than ever.
"What?"
"The Stormy Sea."
"What?" The usually calm captain was shocked, and a hint of fear flashed in his eyes. "Are you crazy? The Stormy Sea is a taboo among the taboos in this ocean. It is unheard of for anyone to come out of there alive!"
"I heard that the Stormy Sea is always stormy with winds and rain, and the waves are as high as hundreds of meters. No ship can survive in such sea conditions."
"Even the bravest and most experienced adventurer captains dare not claim to explore that sea area."
"If we're just smashed by the waves, that's one thing, but if we encounter anything strange, it could be disastrous."
The bearded captain's voice echoed slowly and fearfully in the cabin.
Compared to Raymond, the captain who had spent half his life floating on the sea had a deeper understanding and greater reverence for the vast ocean.
For people like them who relied on the sea to survive, the bad weather and sea conditions in the eyes of ordinary people and the ferocious pirates were only the most common level of danger.
The dangers of the sea and the vicious pirates were not the only things to be feared.
There were some truly bizarre and horrifying things lurking in the depths of the ocean.
Enormous, unknown sea creatures, islands shrouded in thick fog, mysterious beings capable of driving people insane with their sounds alone, psionic portals leading to the Lost Realm, ancient relics of Evil Gods lost to time, and tentacled monsters that could engulf the world...
Encountering any of these horrors would not result in an easy death. No one in their right mind would want to come face to face with such things.
"I don't care about that. I only know that if this continues, my head will be used as a urinal by the pirates!"
"Tell me, if we enter the Stormy Sea Area, can we get rid of the pirates? "
The bearded captain gripped the helm tightly, listening to the constant sound of the distress signal outside, his forehead bulging with blue veins.
After a long time, he gritted his teeth as if he had made up his mind.
" Perhaps, unlike you, pirates may be greedy but they also value their lives. If they see us heading into the storm, they shouldn't chase us anymore!"
Raymond's face lit up. "Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and turn around the corner! For the sake of survival and wealth, we are heading towards the Stormy Sea!"
"If I can escape this time and return to the mainland, I'll propose to Dory when I get back!"
"You fool, shut the hell up and don't say these things at such a critical moment!"
The sound of the bearded captain's angry voice and Raymond's excited shouts could be heard coming from the cabin.