Pillars of Ita

Pasha leaned against the side of the boat that was hit by lightning and gasped for breath. He saw several sailors that Catherine had brought on board leaning out and looking down from the edge of the rope net.

Through the broken clouds, Storm No. 7 was rising steadily. The sailboat, which had lost its kinetic energy, completed a pendulum-like rotation driven by inertia.

Then they drew back, clapped their hands with their companions, and said, "Zhal'ra!"

He had heard that word before, sailor slang for the first light on an empty sea after a long night, and it was perfect for the current situation.

The sudden light is piercing through the haze.

That was milky white moonlight.

The melted ice on the hull formed silver streams on the deck - they were floating above the anvil-shaped cloud platform at the top of the thunderstorm cloud, and the surging black sea of ​​clouds under their feet and the starry sky above their heads formed a strange vertical picture.

Not far away, Fang He was pushing the door open under the protection of Daliel and coming to the terrace at the stern of the ship. Looking at the starry sky, he raised the telescope to observe the situation above the sky and sea.

Olivia and the others followed.

The deck was unusually quiet at that moment. The sailors all saluted in that direction, and some even took off their hats.

The members of the Second Regiment actually saw an indescribable respect in the eyes of these unruly people.

People who live by the sea bet their fate on the ship, and a reliable captain means someone who can lead them through the storm.

Catherine jumped down from the mast neatly, wiped the ice crystals from her eyelashes and laughed: "Textbook tactics!"

Fang He was not too proud in his heart. He put down the telescope and said, "Ms. Catherine, the Seven Seas Storm has lost power."

"That little bit of rust won't hurt," the female pirate leader shook her head. "After an emergency repair, it can still hold out for a while."

"Let this old girl be more resilient than you think." She glanced at the full moon rising from the clouds in the distance. At this altitude, the silver edge of the clouds and the lightning below complemented each other, forming a wonderful sight. "After we pass Sandesitadel-Dafilmante Island, we will find a place to protect her properly. Ha, I hope those guys will be able to close their mouths in time."

She also did not forget to ridicule her colleagues, although she never took the pirates of Volaticus Island seriously.

Catherine raised her head and looked at Fang He with some admiration - her fiery red hair was like fire coral torn apart by a storm, sticking wetly to her well-defined face.

There were tiny salt crystals hanging on the ends of her hair, reflecting colorful light. The dragon tooth pendant lay flat on her chest, and the steam rising and falling with her breathing.

She said it lightly, but a storm had already risen in her heart.

The Seven Seas Storm is just an old ship.

Not everyone can easily lead her out of the storm, let alone in such a crazy way, and crazy is a compliment to pirates.

Pirates admire the strong, and she was really impressed by this young man.

"The key is that after we pass through the storm, we will be able to leave those jackals far behind," Catherine grinned, "and then they will no longer be an obstacle."

"Then Ms. Catherine, I'll trouble you to count the losses."

Fang Plover Road.

The task of repairing the ship was left to him and the craftsmen on board. Fortunately, the proportion of craftsmen in the Seven Seas Brigade was much higher than that of the general team.

The level is much higher.

Catherine nodded and accepted the order with satisfaction.

……

Pasha watched the two men leave.

The sailor not far away waved to him and said, "Don't just stand there. Come and give me a hand, Mr. Alchemist."

Although they had escaped the thunderstorm, there was still a lot of cleanup work to do on the deck. The storm had blew the sailboat and cables into pieces, and the deck and side of the ship still needed to be repaired.

The joints between the keel and the ribs and the wing bearing brackets were also loose, and the mast cap hoops were broken in several places. The compass and dead reckoning track had to be recalibrated, and the penetration of wind elements had to be checked.

Pasha also wanted to explain that he was not yet a formal alchemist, at least he had not yet obtained the Silver Star certification from the Craftsmen's Guild. At best, he could only be considered an apprentice in the training period.

But the sailors didn't care and pressed something into his hands - Pasha looked down and saw that it was a small calibration device.

"We will do the heavy work of arranging the cables and repairing the sails. Mr. Alchemist, please check the condition of the decompression wing support bracket—"

"Good, good."

So he and a group of sailors carefully checked the deck, repaired the damaged side of the ship, and finally found a problem that caused the decompression wing to get stuck.

Under his guidance, the last sailor climbed onto the decompression wing and replaced the problematic bearing gear component there.

After the decompression wing resumed normal operation, even Forest Rites came to ask about the situation, "Pasha, did you repair the right decompression wing?"

"No, it's not all my fault," Pasha shook his head quickly. "I just noticed that there was a problem with a gear, and everyone helped to replace it."

"The captain said you did a good job," Senlin Lizan praised. "The others are still checking the engine compartment, so I'll leave this to you."

Hearing that the team leader praised him, Pasha felt a little excited, but he still smiled shyly and just nodded vigorously.

By the second half of the night, everyone had completed the inspection on deck, using tar-soaked hemp ropes to wrap around every part of the mast that might have come loose.

Finally, a layer of alchemical oil was applied to the side to prevent the wind element from leaking out.

The Seven Seas Storm had basically lost its main power and could only follow the wind, drifting autonomously in the troposphere above the clouds along with the westerly jet stream.

After the Gay generator was shut down, they began to slowly descend, but the high-altitude wind direction still blew them in the direction of the cloud anvil.

The edges of the thunderstorm clouds were also falling.

From time to time, they used sextants to compare their positions with the stars and calculate whether they had deviated from the main route.

But Ubraia (the goddess of storms) finally showed her friendly side. The high-altitude winds pulled the ice crystals on the top of the clouds into filaments, and feather-like radial patterns were blown out on the edges of the thunderclouds. The sailors soon saw the rising peaks in that direction.

That is the continental ridgeline of Saint-Tenitis Island.

The sailors cheered. On the open sea, sometimes deviating from the course was much more dangerous than straying into a storm, especially when they were sailing on the edge of a turbulent zone.

But the appearance of land meant that their route was not wrong.

Moreover, the storm was moving from east to west. They saw the edge of Saint Tenitise Island, which meant that they had almost completely passed through the storm.

Leave it behind.

It was not until this moment that the sailors finally relaxed and slumped over the side of the ship. Someone even took out some Zalfraki wine and took a big gulp.

Pasha looked at everyone and moved his mouth.

He wanted to remind everyone that the captain had ordered that drinking, especially strong liquor, was strictly prohibited during the voyage.

But the sailor couldn't help laughing when he saw his timid look, and handed him the wine:

"On the empty sea, a storm is a man's rite of passage. Mr. Little Alchemist, would you like a bite?"

Pasha shook his head quickly, "No, I, I don't drink..."

He was about to explain that he was not yet an alchemist and had not yet obtained the Silver Star certification from the Craftsmen's Guild. At best, he could only be considered an apprentice.

But the second half of the sentence was knocked back into his stomach by a slap on the shoulder.

"This is not wine," the sailors said. "This is new life, Mr. Alchemist. Storms like this are rare on the open sea."

“People who surpass her deserve to be praised.”

Pasha swallowed his saliva, took the water bag and took a sip tentatively under the kind gaze of everyone.

But the spicy aftertaste immediately made him cough loudly and even tears came out.

Everyone couldn't help laughing, but as they said, this laughter was not sarcasm, but praise.

There aren't many alchemists on the sky and sea, and the alchemists stationed on the ship generally won't mix with these inferior people.

Sometimes sailors also had to do some alchemical work, such as mixing alchemical oils, but Pasha, a professionally trained alchemist, was obviously much more professional than them.

Not to mention their captain. When Catherine found an alchemist to be their captain, most of these people were a little skeptical.

But now, everything seems to be fine. …

The Seven Seas Storm had recovered one-third of its power before dawn and was finally able to actively control its ascent and descent.

However, the wind direction was favorable, and the westerly jet stream pushed them past the edge of Saint-Tenites Island and passed the edge of Sandestadel at noon.

The end of the storm passed through the strait an hour ago, and the devastated coastline could still be seen from the Seven Seas Storm.

But the strait was calm, with only a slight wind and waves. Catherine was watching the storm clouds in the north from the porthole, and then she turned around:

"There's no place to hide a ship in the bays around Sandesitadel. It looks like we've really gotten away from those jackals."

Catherine spoke with relief, if Fang He had not acted decisively, they would have anchored in Nimbel-Cetus for a day and two nights to avoid the storm, where they would have almost certainly been ambushed by the Blood Shark Pirates.

Although Volaticus' pirates are nothing, her old rivals the Blood Shark Pirates behind her should not be underestimated, not to mention the intervention of the Imperials.

The sight of that silver-white aerial combat structure made her feel a lingering fear.

Thinking of this, Catherine couldn't help but glance at Fang He - she thought, the Imperials probably didn't expect that the first battle of that construct would end in this way.

Both sides gave the other a surprise.

But if the ambush had taken place on the inter-island route of Sandesitadel and the Empire had deployed six or seven ships, it would not have been a surprise - it would have been a shock.

"There's news coming from the port of Nimber-Cetus. One piece of good news and one piece of bad news. The good news is that Luo Hao and his team have successfully arrived at Nimber-Cetus and have successfully met up with the big cat people."

Fang He was sitting on an oak chair. There were tweezers and a silver plate on the desk next to him. Alice was using the silver tweezers to hold a cotton ball soaked in liquor to clean the wound on the corner of his eyebrow.

The wound was in the shape of an inverted triangle, deep enough to reveal the bone. But this was still considered minor, as Luo Yu had already been admitted to the ship's infirmary, where the ship's doctor (a clergyman from the Second Regiment) and Tian Lan were taking care of him.

Nine people were lost on the Seven Seas Storm in a thunderstorm. Seven of them were later resurrected in the icon room on the ship, and two have not returned to date.

One of these two people has almost lost his starlight, and the other is probably drifting somewhere. Whether he can get back to the boat later depends on fate.

Many other people were injured, six of them seriously. The ship's infirmary was already overcrowded, and Marigold and her colleagues were very busy.

Fang He subconsciously turned his head to avoid the first wipe, and blood oozed from the cracked brow bone. Alice's sharkskin gloves suddenly tightened and grabbed the back of his neck: "Don't move!"

"Be gentle, you're hurting him."

Alisa lectured her sister.

"Are you heartbroken? Why don't you come here."

"I have my own things to do." Elisa had no idea what to do with her outspoken sister, so she had to pretend to look at the map in front of her, as if studying the next route.

"Why don't I do it?" Olivia said softly. "I know some nursing skills."

"Okay." Alice was relieved.

“Don’t bother the guests,” Miss Nightingale said warily, staring at Olivia.

Seeing the people arguing with each other, Fang He grimaced in pain but still interrupted them, "There is another bad news."

"After landing at Nimber-Cetus Harbor, the storm has weakened, but this means it will linger there longer. Luo Hao and the big cats may not be able to leave the port until two days later."

"What about us?" Catherine asked.

"We will first pass through the Sandestadal inter-island route," Fang He replied, "and after entering the turbulent layer, we will find an anchorage to repair the Seven Seas Storm and investigate further the rumors about the curse and the Fountain of Youth."

At least the Fountain of Youth was much more famous than the illusory Vor-Salastir, and they had read about its whereabouts in many documents before leaving the Port of Thousand Pillars.

It is located in the south of the Gulf, on an unknown island in the turbulent layer. Although the whereabouts of this clear spring are as erratic as the floating port, it is at least fixed within a specific range.

That sea area is located in a corner of the northern corner of the continental bridge and is called the Elegy Islands.

Nearby is the famous Drakirim Red Vortex, where wind elements converge to form a mixture of molten gold and dark blue, which is also one of the typical characteristics of the turbulent layer.

Because of the existence of the red vortex, it is not on the main route to the new world. There are many such corners in the turbulent layer. Because they are full of dangers, not many people explore them.

But this also leaves room for hiding secrets.

Catherine glanced out the window. The Seven Seas Storm was flying very high, and from this direction she could clearly see the magma rising from the crater of the active volcano on Sandestad Island.

The island has a huge landmass, almost like a floating continent, and is one of the largest islands southwest of Giant Tree Hill.

There are abundant crystal mineral resources on the island, as the most important etheric vein in the south of Giant Tree Hill flows through here, and the active magical activity has prompted the revival of the volcano.

Unlike on Earth, most of Etaria's volcanoes result from high levels of magical activity, which results in active geological movement - literally.

Sometimes it even gives birth to elemental tyrants, where the elements of earth and fire intertwine, causing flames to open cracks from beneath the ground and rise up to become mountains.

"Lower altitude?" she asked.

Fang Yu shook his head.

After that, the power of the Seven Seas Storm was only less than half restored. They are now using potential energy to convert into kinetic energy, and can be said to be gliding.

There are also westerly jet streams in the sky. Because of convection, they descend to the sea level, and the wind direction is uncertain under the influence of the storm.

"Be careful." Olivia warned softly.

She was taking the tweezers from Alice and carefully cleaning the wound. Her movements were meticulous, bit by bit wiping away the blood that had seeped from the cracked brow bone.

Fang He suddenly became quiet.

The girl leaned very close. Fang He could almost smell the scent of her perfume, a faint scent of petitgrain with a hint of the coolness and sharpness of cedar.

He suddenly remembered something. Olivia had told him that cedar was her favorite top note.

Sylvie also likes this scent, but she uses pine and cypress wood, which is sharp and symbolizes rational thinking, which confirms the old motto of the Spilka family:

'Time passes, wisdom grows.'

She pursues rationality, and although she also has an emotional side, she has never been someone who likes to get close to others, including him.

The two of them got along well in Kapka, and there was also a reason why they maintained a moderate distance in their interactions. If he got too close, she would stay away.

But the girl standing in front of him at this moment, gently wiping his wounds, he couldn't help but glance at her quiet face, it seemed that she didn't say anything more.

An inappropriate thought popped into his mind—was Olivia reminding him of something?

But the thought was fleeting, because he noticed that Catherine leaned forward and moved closer to the window. She seemed to have discovered something and raised her eyebrows slightly.

But Daryl had already pushed the door open and said to them, "Ed, there is a ship."

"a ship?"

Fang He turned his head and Olivia quickly withdrew her hand. Alice was laughing beside him, and this person couldn't keep quiet at all while treating the wound.

If she hadn't considered that the other party had done her a favor, she would have exploded.

But the bachelor lady just shook her head, reached out and fumbled on the desk beside her for a while, took out a roll of gauze, put a tampon on Fang He's wound, and then bandaged it around.

Fang He was still asking Daryl, "What ship?"

"It's a ship of the Primus," Catherine turned from the window and answered first, "to be exact, it's a stranded ship."

Daryl nodded. "It was the sailors who found it first. The ship ran aground in the bay south of Sandestad Island. Judging from its shape, it should be a ship of the Primus."

The ships of the Primus are common in the Gulf region, but are rarely seen heading south from the Gulf region. They generally take the northward route back to Lotao.

What are they doing in the turbulent layer?

Fang He couldn't help but think of the confessions of those pirates. Someone else was providing them with information. If nothing unexpected happened, the other party was from the Shuyan Oath Court.

He looked at Daryl, and Miss Catman was looking at him with a questioning look, "Ed, do you want to come over and take a look?"

"Send a small boat to land," Fang He thought for a moment and replied, "It's not appropriate for the Seven Seas Storm to stop right now. We will continue to cross the strait along the ocean current. It will only take half an hour to an hour to board the ship and see the situation. If there are still survivors on it and they need help, we can help them contact other nearby ships or the port of Nimber-Cetus."

Daryl nodded. This was indeed the best way to deal with it.

She was also a little curious. Why did the ship of the Shuyan Oath Court run aground in this place? Was it because a storm had just passed?

Or was it due to some other accident?

...(End of chapter)