The next day, the magic ship sailed away from the coastline and headed into the deep sea. This was a short section of the transoceanic route, the first major challenge of the overseas voyage, a forbidden area for local fishing boats.
Although some students had grown up by the sea since childhood, they had never ventured this deep into the storm-tossed ocean before.
Seeing the endless expanse of blue, the white foaming waves churning in the ship's wake, everything seemed refreshingly new to them. Many students had no desire to read their books, instead leaning on the windows to gaze out at the sea. If not for the guards' restraint, this group would have rushed to the deck, calling out and jumping about.
In comparison, Charlie's room, being the furthest from the center, was relatively quiet.
The young men and women of ten-odd years had relatively simple minds. As long as they felt a connection, they would overlook differences in status. After some initial contact, Charlie had made a few friends and had a basic understanding of their backgrounds. He could sense their sincerity, as they were different from the others.
Qingxue, from the distant art capital of Faust, was a famous historical and cultural city of the Millennium Empire. Her noble and elegant bearing indicated a distinguished background, which she did not reveal.
The Gusta brothers, Colin and David, were the twin sons of a count from the Haines territory, allies of the Pavlov family.
Qingyou, from the neighboring Lansang Empire, was an ancient country with a millennium-old legacy, although it had fallen into decline in recent years, becoming a vassal of the Millennium Empire.
He also got to know some other classmates, such as:
Sonya, from the Imperial First Military Capital of Rome, rumored to have a strong military background.
Feilin, a scion of the Mensa financial clan, whose father was a member of the Golden Coast Alliance, a wealthy magnate.
In summary, the people here not only had exceptional talents, but also came from distinguished backgrounds. Compared to them, Charlie was the most "ordinary" one.
At the moment, Charlie was sitting at the table, completely absorbed in the book he was holding.
It was indeed a good book. The parchment pages were smooth and sturdy, with a tactile quality that could fully express the richness and depth of the ink. It was a pleasurable experience for both the sense of touch and sight.
More importantly, each spell was accompanied by a magic mirror. Touching the magical runes on the page would trigger a projection of the magical scene, allowing one to see the teacher's lip movements and hear the complete spell syllables, perfectly compensating for Charlie's limited mastery of magic.
After a quick skim, he found that it contained common spells from various schools of magic, such as arcane, frost, fire, nature, holy light, earth, and thunder. Charlie was studying and mastering quite a few practical spells.
While Charlie was reading, Qingxue had been sitting across from him, resting her chin on one hand and silently gazing out the window.
After a long while, she couldn't help but sigh, "At first, it felt fresh and new, but after looking for a while, it just feels so boring. The endless expanse of water, and the clouds are so strange, like a dirty, rumpled towel, all black and gloomy. It just makes me feel uncomfortable."
Charlie pulled his gaze away from the book and looked out the window.
In the direction the ship was heading, a horizontal band of cloud, dozens of kilometers wide, was rolling and tumbling across the sky, black on the bottom and white on top, a truly majestic sight.
Looking at the sea surface, the deep blue waters were beginning to heave, massive waves rising up. The ship was rocking with the great swells, and in the face of the power of nature, the ship and its passengers seemed so small and insignificant.
Qingxue gripped the table tightly, stabilizing herself, and her eyes could not help but reveal a fearful expression, as she had never experienced the winds and waves of the open ocean.
Rollicking clouds! Whenever such clouds appeared at sea, it was a sign that a storm was approaching.
Charlie frowned, put down the book, and stood up, saying solemnly, "I'd better let the captain know, a storm is about to arrive."
"Huh?! Is it that serious?" Qingxue exclaimed.
Without answering, Charlie rushed out of the room and onto the deck, where he saw a group of people standing at the bow. The lead teacher and the captain were standing there stoically, facing the fierce wind, their wet hair lashed by the gusts. Some of the teachers were concentrating, while others were carefully measuring with small alchemical instruments.
The experts had already detected the weather anomaly, and Charlie felt reassured.
The students also sensed the turbulent undercurrents of the sea and stopped their playful antics, leaning against the windows to observe the situation outside.
"Lower the sails.""Rudder three to the left, advance one.""Load the amethyst crystals, activate the water shield."...
A series of orders were issued, and the ship's speed slowed down. The waves grew stronger, but the ship's rocking was dampened, showcasing the stabilizing capabilities of the magic vessel.
Then, at the central mast, a faint blue magical energy began to flow, gathering at the top into a large glowing sphere. The surface of the sphere bore a shimmering, wavy pattern, glowing a pale blue.
Poof!
The sphere silently burst, and a hazy blue veil descended from the mast top, connecting to the ship's railings, forming an enclosed energy shield. The rain and howling winds were immediately repelled outside the ship.
Yay!
The students burst into cheers, the magic instilling them with great confidence. Even facing Nature's storm, they would not be shaken.
However, the next moment, the sea surface underwent a dramatic change.
A thunderclap exploded overhead, heralding the onset of the storm. In an instant, the winds picked up and the clouds rolled in, one wave after another. Torrential rain poured down, and in the flashes of lightning dispelling the darkness, massive, inky black waves dozens of meters high could be seen surging towards the bow.
Boom! Rumble!!
One thunderclap after another rocked the heavens, terrifying everyone. Faced with the unstoppable power of nature, the students turned pale with fear.
At this point, the captain's deep voice echoed through the alchemical sound system, reaching every corner of the ship.
"Esteemed magic students, I am Captain Stephen of this vessel. Please do not panic. Storms are a common occurrence in the Storm Ocean. This ship is specially designed to withstand wind and waves, it will never sink.
The only thing to be mindful of is that the ship will inevitably rock in the winds and waves. Please stay in your own rooms, lock the doors and windows, and secure yourselves to prevent injury from impacts.
During the storm, try to stay awake as much as possible. The ship will calm down once we have passed through the storm area."
Hearing the captain's words, the students' tense nerves were somewhat soothed.
Charlie glanced at the pale-faced Qingxue and couldn't help but say, "You'd better go back to your room."
Qingxue managed a wry smile. "Being alone in the room is a bit... lonely."
Charlie couldn't help but laugh. "To be able to say you're scared so eloquently, you're really something."
Qingxue mumbled and gave him an annoyed glare.
"Qingxue, Qingxue! Do you want to come to my room?" Daniel's voice suddenly came from the corridor.
The students burst into laughter at this somewhat ambiguous invitation.
Hearing the laughter, Daniel hastily explained, "Qingxue, there are six people in my room! Both boys and girls, including Sonya. It's safer with more people, and I'll protect you. Do you want to come over?"
"No, thank you! I'm fine here!" Qingxue called back.
"Where are you?!" There was a hint of confusion and barely suppressed anger in Daniel's voice.
Qingxue paused, then bit her lip and replied, "In Charlie's room."
The corridor fell silent, an air of ambiguity hanging in the air.
Charlie spread his hands and said, "Big sister, why bother? Do you want him to hate me to the bone?"
Qingxue smiled mischievously. "What are you talking about? I don't understand. Isn't it natural for him to hate you? After all, you beat him up!"
Charlie had no response.
Inadvertently, he turned his head to look out the window, his expression changing slightly.
Through the window, he could see the large raindrops pattering silently on the energy shield, creating rippling patterns. The real threat was the towering waves over a dozen meters high, carrying millions of tons of seawater, surging towards the ship's right side. Charlie, being at the stern, had a clear view of the massive wave approaching from the rear.
A sudden, towering wave, catching everyone off guard!
Charlie quickly rummaged in his backpack, pulled out a rope, and quickly wrapped it around the table leg, looping it around Qingxue from behind.
"What... what are you doing?!" Qingxue's body trembled, and a blush appeared on her face.
Charlie grasped her right hand firmly. "Grab this handle with your right hand, and hold onto the rope with your left. Hold on tight."
"Oh, oh!" Qingxue realized she had misunderstood, and quickly responded.
Then Charlie hurried to close the door, not even having time to close the window before the ship began to tilt.
The towering 15-meter blue wave slammed into the hull, distorting and deforming the energy shield. It was a terrifying sight, leaving everyone fearful that the shield might shatter at any moment.
In an instant, the ship rocked violently, tilting nearly 80 degrees to the left, with the port side completely submerged in the sea.
Qingxue's right hand went limp, her head banging hard against the window frame. She let out a cry of pain, her left hand loosening, and her whole body started to fly out the window...
The sight outside the window was the black abyss of the seabed, with massive amounts of seawater pressing against the energy shield, almost within reach. Qingxue was about to crash straight into the shield, and no one knew what would happen if a human body collided with it - would the water come rushing in, sending everyone to the bottom of the sea?
Aah!
A piercing scream rang out, and Qingxue closed her eyes, not knowing what the consequences would be of hitting the energy shield.
Charlie grabbed the collar of her shirt with one hand and clung to the table edge with the other, barely managing to pull her back from the precipice.
"Grab my arm!" Charlie shouted in a loud voice, which was drowned out by the roar of the thunder. But Qingxue's hands did in fact embrace his neck tightly, her face buried in his neck, trembling slightly.
Aah!!
A few more screams came from the neighboring rooms, the sounds of bodies slamming against the wooden walls echoing, but at least their doors and windows were closed, so they wouldn't be flung out.
The captain had already issued the warning, and any students who didn't heed it would suffer the consequences. At this moment, no one would come to their aid - they could only rely on themselves.
In the blink of an eye, with the help of the alchemical stabilizers, the ship righted itself, and a delicate figure was slammed forcefully into Charlie's chest. Qingxue's head banged against his chin, biting into her tongue. It stung, and the salty taste of blood filled her mouth.
Charlie grimaced, exhaling a mouthful of air, and quickly steadied Qingxue's body, seizing the moment of stability to hurriedly lock the window.
Charlie solemnly cautioned, "This time, you really have to hold on tight."
Qingxue, still trembling, meekly said, "I'm sorry."
Charlie shook his head. "No, it's not your fault. I was too slow to react, didn't close the window in time. Actually, I was a bit curious to see the waves outside. Curiosity really did kill the cat, huh!"
"Huh? I'm not a cat," Qingxue said, her eyes widening at the strange idiom.
Charlie smiled. He couldn't help but think of the situation in the ship's cabin - there was no way to secure oneself there, and now they had to stay below, which was truly an ordeal. A group of people and luggage tossing about in the cabin, it was definitely not a pleasant experience.
...
The ship struggled through the storm for over two hours. When the vessel finally stabilized, a ray of light filtered through the window cracks, signaling the dawn.
Everyone was physically and mentally exhausted, feeling more drained than after a day of hard labor.
Charlie pushed open the window and saw the proud sun hanging in the sky, its golden rays sparkling on the calm sea, so peaceful and serene.
"It's finally over," Charlie sighed.
"Thank you, Charlie," Qingxue said with a bright smile, revealing a row of pristine white teeth.
Their gazes met, and after experiencing that ordeal together, they both felt a subtle, indescribable connection had formed between them.
Qingxue remarked, "It's only afternoon, but I feel like I've been through a whole night in the storm!"
"Yes, it does."
At this moment, a knocking sound came from behind the door.
Charlie opened the door to find Qingyou's smiling face.
"The commotion earlier was quite something!" Qingyou said.
Qingxue's cheeks flushed slightly as she walked up and gently nudged Qingyou's arm. "Sister Qingyou, you're still teasing me. I was so scared just now."
Qingyou laughed, "You two are still lucky. I just saw many people who got roughed up, looking disheveled and bruised. Considering your current state, you seem to be doing quite well."
Qingxue giggled. "It's all thanks to Charlie."
Charlie greeted her, "Qingyou, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, but it seems the ship has sustained some damage. The storm was too severe, and the protective systems malfunctioned. We'll need to stop at the nearest island to resupply and find the right parts. Otherwise, if we encounter another storm like this, it could be dangerous," Qingyou explained.
"Ah, that's serious," Charlie said.
Just then, the captain's voice rang out again, confirming the information Qingyou had shared.