Chapter 236: Curse (Two-in-One)
“Report, First Mate, it seems that the steam engine parts in the cabin have taken on water!”
“Report, First Mate, a portion of the supplies fell into the sea.”
“The ship’s hull has suffered some damage, and the wall of the storage room has started to leak.”
The crew on the deck of the Iceberg Queen hurried around. After roughly checking the combat damages of the Iceberg Queen, they collectively returned to the deck to report the situation to Paz.
Hearing the crew’s reports made Paz’s expression somewhat unpleasant. After chasing the Sea Ghost for two days without catching anything and even incurring losses, she had just learned from Fisher that the Siren was also killed by this man. This made the faces of all the women on the ship feel as if they had been slapped, wishing they could find a place to burrow into.
The frustration in her chest lingered, prompting her to scold, “How long will it take to repair? We can only get back on the road once everything on the ship is fixed! I don’t want water to reach my stomach while we’re still sailing.”
It was unclear exactly what Paz wanted to scold, but when Old Jack walked onto the deck carrying three to four boxes of spoiled food with three ratmen, her words paused for a second, and then she instinctively changed to a more civilized response.
“It will probably take two to three days. The most critical issue is that we are running out of food. Some food fell into the sea, and others were ruined by the cold. At the current pace, combined with the time needed to repair the steam engine, we might only manage to eat once every two days until we reach the next supply point. Oh, wait, we have a few more people, so if that’s the case…”
“Go to hell! Stop talking! Just fix the steam engine for me first; I’m going to discuss with the captain.”
Paz frowned, watching Old Jack and the cook dump baskets of spoiled food into the sea, quickly calculating in her mind. With food already scarce and damaged due to the battle, there was a strong possibility that they wouldn’t even reach the next supply point at this rate.
Thinking of this, she turned to look at Captain Alagina, who was standing at the bow and inspecting the island ahead with Fisher. Alagina raised her telescope and carefully observed the island’s appearance.
The island visible in her sight was neither large nor small, but its height far exceeded that of typical islands due to a notably tall peak covered in lush greenery. Near the peak, birds flew about, painting a tranquil and beautiful image of the island.
What truly captured Alagina’s and Fisher’s attention was that they saw a massive wooden ship stranded on the beach of the island.
The wooden ship was sizable, entirely made of wood, with a gigantic mast standing in the middle of the deck. The sail was completely unfurled, indicating that the vessel relied solely on wind power and was an ancient traditional ship without any steam-powered machinery.
The ship’s design was too old; the entire sail had a white base with a large, deep blue feather design etched onto it that looked rather unfamiliar.
The external shape of the ship showed no signs of wear or damage, slightly tilted as it surged from the ocean towards the beach of the island. Behind the stern of the ship, Alagina noticed a long drag mark in the sand.
The presence of drag marks on the beach suggested that this ship had not been ashore for long. But if it had not been long, how could such a ship of this design still exist?
As Alagina observed the feather-like totem drawn on the sail, she immediately thought of the feather stored within the Ice Prince sword. The two feathers were quite similar in shape, color, and the feeling they evoked. Moreover, her sword was passed down through generations in her family—could this indicate that the ship once belonged to her ancestors?
Could it be that the Ice Prince resonated with the ship or something on it or someone aboard?
Meanwhile, Fisher also noticed the situation on the island and spoke to Alagina. “That island doesn’t seem right, and the design of that stranded ship is quite unusual. Even before the steam revolution, I have never seen any country use this shipbuilding method. Judging by the ship’s power mode alone, it should not have reached the shore in the past few days. Moreover, your sea chart doesn’t record this island.”
Alagina nodded but then reached back to touch her tattoo and said, “I understand, but the ship’s structure is damaged, and we need to replenish some food. We can’t afford to drop anchor here; proceeding further may pose risks. Additionally, ever since a while ago, the Ice Prince’s tattoo has been calling me to go there. There must be something very important there. I plan to take Aoxi in a small boat to check the situation first. If anything is wrong, you can leave.”
The Ice Prince?
The Ice Prince has a deep connection with the Phoenix Race from Northern Region legends. It was once one of the divine weapons bestowed upon her by the Phoenix King when he granted her three children. If the Ice Prince resonates with something on that island, could it indicate that there might be a Phoenix Race presence there?
Currently, all members of the Phoenix Race in the Northern Region have disappeared. Could it be that a small number of them escaped here?
Thinking of this, Fisher felt an urge to explore that island, but he hesitated to reply at first, only taking a glance at her bandaged right hand, signaling that “with your current injury, it may not be suitable for you to explore there with Aoxi.”
Fisher thought his meaning was quite clear, but upon feeling his gaze, Alagina gently hid her right hand behind her and looked sternly at Fisher, saying, “I can handle it.”
“…”
Just like the gentlemen from Saint Nali, the women of the Sardinia Kingdom were equally stubborn when it came to admitting their vulnerabilities, bordering on being obstinate, which made Fisher suppress a laugh.
In Sardinia, women cannot say they cannot; they must push their limits.
He could only shake his head and pointed behind him, saying, “Setting aside the safety of you and Aoxi going, even if you think this way, your crew will definitely not agree.”
Alagina turned to look at the deck and saw Paz swaying a harmonica, smiling at Alagina and Fisher. Behind her, many crew members preparing to go down the deck also instinctively looked over, seeming to have heard Alagina’s words and waiting for her command.
In fact, they had been deeply bonded with Alagina since leaving the Sardinia Kingdom. This legendary pirate ship named the Iceberg Queen had only ever had one goal in its voyage: to reach the place that Alagina wanted to go.
Without Alagina, this ship was no different from being sunk.
After seeing the crew standing on the deck, Alagina silently withdrew her gaze, and her previously hidden right hand emerged.
“I understand. My right hand is injured and cannot complete the exploration of the island alone. But I vaguely feel that there will be an item very important to me, something related to the Ice Prince on that island. Since the ship is damaged, the Iceberg Queen will anchor to repair the vessel, and then we will send some people with me to the island.”
“At your service, my captain.”
After receiving Alagina’s order, Paz spun her harmonica and performed a somewhat comical gentlemanly salute from Nali, then her complexion slightly changed as she shouted to the crew behind her:
“You all heard, the captain has ordered to get the ship moving! Head to the coastal waters near that island and then repair the ship! In addition, we need to find a way to fill your hungry bellies for the days ahead, so get to work! Get to work! Oh, Mr. Jack, don’t dump that bunch of grapes just yet.”
“Buzz buzz.”
As the Iceberg Queen restarted and sailed towards the island, the tattoo on Alagina’s back grew warm, as if cheering and becoming excited as the distance to the island decreased.
As Alagina focused intently on the distant island, Fisher suddenly thought of something.
Previously, Emhart had told him about the origin of the Ice Prince, but he hadn’t shared this with Alagina, so she likely only viewed the sword as a family heirloom.
Fisher glanced at Emhart, who had returned to his shoulder, excited to show the significance of his spiritual support now that Fisher had safely returned, but upon seeing him “flirting” with Alagina, he chose not to speak.
Facing the sea breeze, Fisher turned to Alagina and began sharing the story of the Phoenix Race of the Northern Region.
“Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to tell you about the origin of your sword, the Ice Prince.”
Hearing Fisher’s words, Alagina’s blue eyes focused intently, clearly immersed in the story, or perhaps it was because this man in front of her was telling the tale that made her so captivated?
After hearing the entire history, Alagina summoned the essence of the Ice Prince. She looked down at the elegantly glowing transparent blue feathers in the blade of her sword, realizing that this was the feather of one of the three children of the Phoenix, the feather that gave rise to this powerful relic.
“Phoenix, this is something very distant for us. Most people in the Northern Region regard them as divine beings and not an existing entity, much like how your Western Continent venerates the Mother Goddess. If this sword belongs to the legendary Phoenix Race, could it mean that my ancestors once had contact with the Phoenix?”
She stared at her sword but found no answer in the end, as she did not know much about her family. The reason was, of course, her mother.
She resented her mother and, by extension, also her family. Initially, she had no sense of belonging, but apart from her mother, there were others in the family who had taken care of her. For instance, if it weren’t for Paz, she would never have escaped from the Northern Region.
Having found no answer, Alagina gently put down the sword and said to Fisher, “You know so much, Fisher.”
Alagina looked at Fisher with bright eyes. Within the Sardinia Kingdom, women definitely leaned towards marrying men who were knowledgeable and well-mannered. The term “cultured and polite” was typically used to describe a perfect gentleman, a principle that Alagina clearly concurred with. Hence, she had been quite taken with the scholarly aura about Fisher from the very beginning.
On Fisher’s shoulder, Emhart gave Fisher a disbelieving glance, also checking Alagina beside him, his eyes flaring up in indignation. Just as he was about to speak, Fisher shook his head and explained, “This is what a friend of mine told me. Before that, I was equally uninformed.”
Now it was Emhart’s turn to have a bright expression, as he proudly puffed out his chest, appearing quite pleased.
“Well, you only understood it after I clarified for you. Otherwise, with my comprehension ability, I wouldn’t have been able to clearly understand this piece of long-buried history.”
After hearing Alagina’s flattery, Emhart’s expression turned sour again, even disdainfully sneaking a glance at Alagina.
Ha, you foolish woman. Now I am allied with Fisher; even if you are deceived by this bad man later, I won’t stand at the moral high ground with you to condemn him. I’ll only laugh at you from the vantage point of the winners!
“Buzz buzz buzz.”
As the ship drew closer to the island, its size increasingly filled their view until its complete shape was revealed.
The Iceberg Queen soon anchored several hundred meters from the island’s beach. Most of the crew needed to repair the steam engine and clean up the aftermath of the earlier battle with the Siren, while Alagina took a small group of crew members to land on the island.
“One! Two! Three!”
A small boat was slowly lowered into the water, and Alagina, Paz, Fisher, and two of the strongest crew members boarded. They watched as the crew carefully lowered the ropes to put them down.
Not many weapons were left on the ship—there were enough knives, but several firearms had been soaked or dropped into the sea. They managed to gather only seven or eight, which Fisher and Alagina didn’t need, leaving them for the remaining three.
“Aoxi, keep an eye on the surroundings.”
Aoxi, standing on the deck, nodded in response to Alagina’s command, then unfolded her wings and took off, her massive form quickly sweeping over the surrounding sea.
On the ship, Fisher instinctively grabbed an oar, but before he could stabilize his grip, the two crew members in front flashed him amused smiles and stretched out their hands to take the oars.
“We’ll do it! How can a woman let a man row?”
“…”
Fisher simply handed the oars to the two of them and glanced at the island, which was getting closer, but he couldn’t see anything.
Paz pulled out a small flask from her pocket, instinctively taking a swig, only to meet Alagina’s glare. She blinked, realizing she couldn’t leave Fisher with a bad impression of her as a heavy drinker, so she put the flask away and instead took out the small harmonica.
“By the way, I forgot to ask you, Mr. Fisher, what’s up with those three ratmen? A Southern Continent race? I’ve never seen them in person before.”
Fisher shot her a glance, seemingly having seen through her true intentions and replied with a smile, “Those three ratmen are children adopted by Old Jack. Ever since his son passed away, he’s been taking care of them. Though he verbally claims he hates those children, in reality, he really likes them. He’s a good man with a rough exterior, just a bit old—he’s almost fifty now.”
“Hey, I knew he was that kind of person long ago. You wouldn’t know; back when I was in the female kingdom, I was known as the ‘Goddess of Identifying Men.’ I could tell at a glance whether a respectable man was suitable for me. Age doesn’t matter. What was it they said? ‘A man older by three years, a golden brick to hold.'”
“Ahem.”
Alagina gently coughed, interrupting Paz’s passionate speech. Her first love husband had died many years ago. After serving in the military for over a decade, he followed her into the sea, and over the years, she hadn’t seen many men, so this moment…
At this time, Aoxi in the sky turned around and flapped her wings at Alagina, indicating that “no danger was found; it’s safe.”
Alagina nodded, pointed to the coast ahead, and said, “Let’s not talk for now. Stay sharp; we’re almost there.”
“All good, all good; I’m ready.”
The waves nudged the small boat towards the shore. After confirming that the boat had completely stabilized, Alagina reached out to touch the sun-baked hot sand, making sure everything was real before disembarking.
Right beside where they docked, the huge stranded ship lay quietly on the beach. Emhart, perched on Fisher’s shoulder, noticed the enormous flag and quietly said to Fisher, “That emblem is the totem of one of the three children of the Phoenix. I’m not sure which one; this ship belongs to the Northern Region from that era, but why is it here?”
Emhart, too, found it puzzling that this ship appeared here at this time. If this ship belonged to the Phoenix era, it should be at least several thousand years old by now. The ships they used couldn’t possibly still be intact.
Carrying a gun, Paz was the first to approach the ship, reaching out to knock on its hull. Then, she pressed her ear against the ship’s wall, frowning and listening for a long time, knocking as she walked along the hull.
“There are no living beings inside. No, there should be no creatures at all. No breathing, no signs of movement, but the material of the hull is still very new. Did the people on board come ashore?”
As she walked along the ship’s body, her knocking suddenly slowed. It was as if she had discovered something urgent, and she hurriedly waved to Alagina and the others, saying, “Come look, come look! My God, there’s a hole in the bottom of the ship!”
Alagina and Fisher walked towards where Paz was pointing. On the side of the massive ship facing the beach, there was indeed a sizable irregular hole. It did not appear to have been caused by an external impact but rather…
“This hole was broken from the inside—someone inside came out and landed on the island.”
Alagina quickly noticed that the inner side of the hull had numerous chop marks, proving that the person inside had actively broken through the hull with an axe.
The inside of the ship was pitch black, but Fisher suddenly realized that amidst the darkness, there seemed to be some faint light. He lowered his head and, following the sunlight, saw a quiet room inside. He suddenly noticed that the floor was strewn with grayish-white feathers.
Not only the floor but also the walls and the ceiling were covered with these scattered feathers. The only reason there were feathers on the walls was that there was quite a bit of blood on them, the viscous blood having stuck the feathers to the wall. The room, littered with feathers, resembled a chicken coop in disarray.
“Feathers? Why are there only feathers? Is this the ship of the Cangniao Tribe?”
Alagina took a look at the feathers too and felt they did not closely resemble the feather from the Ice Prince sword, raising her suspicion that this might indeed be a Cangniao ship. Just as she turned to look at Aoxi in confusion, she noticed her watching the direction of the trees vigilantly.
There, a figure dressed in a black robe, staggering as it walked, paused slightly upon seeing the people on the beach, then, as if going mad, rushed toward them.
“Who goes there?! Step back!”
Everyone raised their weapons to point at the approaching figure, but the figure did not slow down, stumbling forward while mumbling something.
But after running a few steps, he collapsed to his knees a short distance from Alagina and her group, fiercely kowtowing while not forgetting to repeat his earlier words.
Among those present, except for Fisher, everyone changed their expressions, for this guy was speaking in Northern Region language, which Fisher happened not to understand.
The leader, Alagina, exchanged incredulous glances with Paz, then took a step forward and spoke to the man in Northern Region language, saying, “What did you say?”
The man continued to kowtow, and upon hearing Alagina’s words, he finally raised his head, revealing a face that shocked everyone.
Underneath the black cloak appeared the face of a human man, but different from normal people; his eyes were covered in a layer of white feathers, as if sprouting directly from his eyeballs, completely occupying where his eyes should be.
Following the gaps of his cloak, it was clear that his neck also bore a number of feathers, including several shorter ones that were stained with blood, as if they had burst forth from flesh, sending shivers down one’s spine.
“…”
He knelt before Alagina, kowtowing several more times and repeating what he had just said, making Alagina gently frown, then turn her head to look at Fisher.
“What did he say?”
“He said, ‘Respected Phoenix Master, the guilty sinner dares not forget the mission you gave and has been waiting here for a long time. Finally, you have come here to reclaim that item, and we can finally be freed from this everlasting curse.'”
(End of Chapter)
