Chapter 586 - Whistling Wind (1/2)

Chapter 586: Whistling Wind

_15th day. Month of the wind pursuit. Clear weather._

It has been three days since we left port. We are sailing through the Strait of Light and heading into Port Eland of the Country of Light. I know how arduous this mission is. The fate of the entire nation lies on my shoulders. I must gather sufficient foodstuff in the shortest period of time and transport it back to the Southern Port to alleviate the food crisis. But I know that this isn’t an easy task. Although the Southern Fleet has sealed off the waterway, I can’t put my heart at ease and I can’t fall asleep almost every night. Every smashing of the waves has startled me off my bed. What worries me most is the King’s Party’s ambush.

Besides, I know that dangers don’t exist only on the outside. I saw the evil glints in the eyes of the greedy sailors. They know what we’re shipping. I have given them a sufficient amount of money with hopes that they can pour their hearts into their jobs and not eye the wealth inside the cabin. However, I don’t know if this is useful. I have dispatched enough guards to protect the wealth. But even so, I can’t put my heart at ease.

I don’t know if we’re walking on the wrong path. We have overly relied on the Country of Light’s Parliament. Up until this point, they don’t seem to be passionate whenever we request for their helping hand. Although this may let down Chairman, I’m still really concerned. Even if we make it safely on the Country of Light’s port, we’re still unsure if we can receive the supplies that we have agreed upon…

Saville put down the feather pen and let out a sigh subtly. Then, he closed his dairy and pressed down the creases on his attire before stepping out of the cabin.

The ship sailed across the calm, limitless ocean. All he heard was the splashing of the waves into the hull and peals of laughter from the sailors. The salty sea breeze brushed his face and he calmed down upon gazing at the two escorting warships of the Southern Fleet by the sides. This time, they were headed to the Country of Light to purchase foodstuff and the Southern Parliament had specially approved for four escorting warships to defend them against enemy ambush. Moreover, the Southern Fleet had sealed off the entrance to the Strait of Light. With the double assurance, the King’s Party couldn’t easily break through the blockade no matter how powerful they were.

At this moment, a deep voice sounded behind him. “Sir Saville, what are you doing here?”

Saville turned around and revealed a smile upon meeting the man with a captain hat. “I’m only here to admire the view, Mr. Captain. I hope I didn’t disturb everyone from working.”

“Hahaha. Not at all, Sir Saville. Don’t worry! We are about to enter the Strait of Light. Once we sail through the strait and enter the Pearl Archipelago, we will just need another three days to arrive at Eland. Please rest assured that sailors here are all first grade. Besides, with so many warships escorting us, the enemies will need to reconsider if they are capable of taking us down! Hahahaha!” The captain smacked on Saville’s shoulders as he burst into laughter while Saville revealed a bitter smile and tolerated his tough slap.

Suddenly, a strong sea breeze blew into Saville’s mouth as he gaped, leaving the man in a well-ironed attire curling up and coughing loudly. After a few moments, the wind weakened and Saville caught his breath. He lifted his head and gazed at the surrounding with lingering fear. “What was that about? Mr. Captain? That wind…”

“Ah, don’t worry, Sir Saville. This is normal for us, the maritime men. This is in the direction of the tempest. Every year during this period, the tempest will pass through here and bypass the Mermaid Summit before returning. We may even arrive at our destination if we make good use of it, which would be a great thing for us.”

“I see…” Saville nodded.

Perhaps due to the choking from the sea breeze, he felt his heart pounding fiercely. An unknown sense of nervousness had emerged inside his body. He looked around worriedly and everything was as tranquil as before. The azure sky, white clouds, and sailing warship. Everything was just fine.

Maybe I’m a little too sensitive.

Saville mocked himself and nodded at the Captain. Then, he turned back to the cabin for a rest.

“—!”

At this moment, a deep horn sounded.

Saville came to an abrupt stop and scanned the surroundings quickly. The captain looked at him curiously and said. “Sir Saville, what’s wrong?”

“Didn’t you hear that? Mr. Captain?” said Saville.

The captain gazed blankly at Saville. As he was about to respond, the deep horn sounded again. This time, the captain finally responded. As a sailor, he knew that sound. He nodded at Saville with a stern expression before rushing over to the deck and yelling at the top of his lungs. “Watch out for the surroundings! Full alert!”

The captain hurriedly retrieved a monocular from his pocket and viewed it to the front. The peaceful ocean had no signs of hostile warships. At this moment, commotion had broken out in the other warships. Sailors climbed to the observatories and couldn’t discover anything strange around them. Then, the deep horn sounded again and it was even clearer this time.

“Where? Where?! Watch your surroundings! Be cautious of all directions!”

The sailors were getting restless. They frantically laid by the edge of the warships and widened their eyes to search for the source of the horn. Most of the crew members on the ship were superstitious and if it were currently night, perhaps they might even believe that it was a ghost ship playing a prank on them. The sailors widened their eyes to the size of copper bells, but they couldn’t discover anything at all.

“Waaa—!”

Suddenly, a blood-curdling screech rang in their ears and an ashen sailor fell to the ground. Everyone turned and glared at him furiously. The stupefied sailor ignored their stares, lifted his wobbly arm and pointed his shaky finger at the sky. “T-T-That…”

“What’s wrong? Calm down! Look at your shameful self!” The captain frowned and dug his foot into the sailor’s fallen body. He lifted his monocle to see what exactly had scared his sailor into a mouse that has just seen a cat. However, he raised the monocle halfway and blanked out entirely.