Sail Shadows in the Sea of ​​Fog

Chapter 67: Butterflies in Another World

At the simple pier of the Dragonfly Island shrouded in thunderstorms, Cheng Lang and others were standing at the entrance of the cave leading to the interior of the island, looking at the fog on the sea in the distance that had not yet dissipated.

At this time, the Honest Man was hiding in the fog and undergoing Wilton's "transformation".

"Why don't we take a gamble on how many pairs of dragonfly fins the Honest Man can transplant!"

Shenba suggested, "I'll be the banker. Whoever guesses correctly will get double the gold coins bet. If no one guesses correctly, they'll all be mine. Grandpa Gerta, do you want to take a chance?"

"Two pairs, right?"

Gerta said, taking out two gold coins and handing them to Shenba, "It would be best to transplant them into the bodies of the two brothers."

"Three pairs!"

Yafuso took out three gold coins and handed them to the other party. "I guess it's three pairs. One pair for each pirate brother. At least one pair should be loaded on the Honest Man."

"I don't bet"

As Yun Ji spoke, she glared at Shenba.

Unfortunately, Shenba seemed to be blind and approached Cheng Lang enthusiastically, "Captain, do you want to gamble?"

"Five right?"

Cheng Lang casually handed the other party a few gold coins. With the magic mirror, he naturally knew clearly the progress of the ship, but there was no point in cheating in such matters.

Before Shenba could put everyone's bets together, the Honest Man had already emerged from the fog.

"Three Pairs"

A moment later, Yun Ji, Shen Ba and Yafusuo spoke almost at the same time.

"I made the right bet!" Yafuso cheered happily.

"You're in luck"

Shenba handed all the bets in his hand to Yafuso with a painful look on his face, and then took out an equal amount of gold coins from his pocket and handed it over again.

After the gambling game in which the dealer was injured ended, as the honest man slowly approached the shore, Cheng Lang was finally able to vaguely see the three pairs of slender fish fins underwater with the help of the ship lights on both sides of the boat.

The black elf's eyesight is too abnormal
Cheng Lang muttered to himself, then turned his attention to Wilton who was getting off the boat.

"Three pairs of dragonfly fins"

Without even stopping, Wilton said happily, "This is the limit of this boat, and it's also my limit."

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Wilton," Cheng Lang said gratefully.

“This is the reward I promised you.”

Before Wilton finished speaking, his merman wife came out of the roundabout with a number of islanders carrying oak barrels.

"We're about to have a fight here."

Wilton apologized, "So I'm sorry, we can't keep you as guests on Dragonfly Island any longer. For your safety, please take these supplies and leave immediately."

At this point, Wilton took the letter his wife handed over and gave it to Gerta, who was standing next to Cheng Lang. "I will write to you when we are safe here. You are welcome to return to Dragonfly Island as a guest."

"If there is a chance, we will come back here again." Cheng Lang shook hands with Wilton.

"If your fleet has a new ship, please remember to visit Dragonfly Island," Wilton hinted too bluntly.

"I will also bring you delicacies from all over the world," Cheng Lang also made a promise.

“It’s time for you to leave.”

Wilton waved to the islanders behind him, and they immediately carried the barrels onto the open decks of the two boats.

"Looking forward to the news that Dragonfly Island has returned to peace."

Cheng Lang gave his final blessing, and took his crew members on board their ships. They set sail and weighed anchor on this stormy night, and slowly left the Dragonfly Island.

"Are we really not going to stay and help them?" asked Yun Ji in the indoor control room of the stern deck.

“If they’ve already refused, don’t force them to stay.”

Cheng Lang said, "This is the recruitment site for the wandering circus. It's not good for us to be too enthusiastic and proactive."

"Right."

Yun Ji looked at the Dragonfly Island that was getting farther and farther away in the mirror and said, "I hope they can all survive. I mean, Tinisha and the others."

"With the Dragonfish Chargers commanded by Erelin, there shouldn't be too many casualties."

As Cheng Lang spoke, he glanced at the Honest Man, which was easily overtaken by the Valkyrie.

Thanks to the nine pairs of transplanted dragonfly fins, the Valkyrie can now easily leave the Honest behind under the same sea conditions.

As the saying goes, sharpening the knife does not delay the chopping of wood. Now that the speed of both ships has increased, they can safely head to the Misty Island deep in the Sea of ​​Despair.

While the two ships were busy trying to reach their maximum speed, the sailors also carried the oak barrels on the open deck into their respective cabins.

In the Valkyrie's conference room, Cheng Lang finally took out the nautical chart for the Misty Island and spread it on the table.

"This is the sea chart of Misty Island. We are now heading in the general direction of Misty Island."

Cheng Lang said, "Everyone, take a look. Do you know if there are any ocean currents or trade winds along the way that could help us run faster?"

“No”

Yun Ji said, "The reason why the Sea of ​​Despair is called the Sea of ​​Despair is because there is no pattern to follow in the depths of this sea.

Ocean currents, trade winds, weather, sea conditions, and even islands can change at any time; the only constant is the sea monsters that inhabit these waters."

"We won't encounter sea monsters, right?" Shenba asked quietly.

"Shut up!"

Yun Ji glared at her brother and said, "What we will encounter next and how long it will take to find this misty island are all unknown. We must be vigilant."

“I’ll leave these tasks to you.”

Cheng Lang once again became a hands-off boss, "I have other things to do."

"I'm not going to be lazy yet"

The three dark elves in the conference room all had the same thought in their minds.

On this stormy night, both boats were running at unprecedented speeds.

In addition to the increase in speed, everyone also noticed that the dragonfly fin brought another benefit.

The sea was not calm in the thunderstorm. Even though the sea conditions were not as bad as those during the Despair Trade Winds, they were not much worse. However, the two ships were much more stable than anyone thought.

Especially the Valkyrie, which has nine pairs of dragonfly fins on both sides of the hull. At least, no one needs to worry that the cups, bowls, plates and dishes on the table will slide to the other side or fall directly to the floor when they turn around.

The person who was most satisfied with this was undoubtedly Cheng Lang. He was now lying comfortably on the luxurious and unpresentable big bed, lit the ship lamp that could bring good dreams, and then put on the eye mask that he asked Yafuso to help sew for him, and comfortably entered a wonderful dream without mushrooms.

On the same rainy night, in the interior bridge of the Honest Man, sailor Whitebread, who had completely transformed into a siren after drinking a cup of Poseidon's blood, also served as the helmsman of the ship in addition to his duties as deck captain.

At this moment, he was holding the steering wheel, constantly adjusting the course according to the guidance of the dark blue arrow that appeared on the mirror in front of him, drawing a zigzag track back and forth on the choppy sea.

In the captain's room behind him, the pirate captain brothers were lying on their respective ships and snoring loudly.

Even the small-time sailors on their day off huddled in hammocks hung all over the cargo hold, dreaming of drinking a cup of Poseidon's blood and then turning into humans or sirens.

At some point, in the cargo hold filled with snoring, a lullaby played on a harp began to sound, followed by bursts of beautiful, melodious, but slightly dull singing.

Soothed by the song that came from nowhere, the snoring of those small sailors even became much quieter. In the end, the only sound in the cargo hold was the squeaking white noise of the hammocks as the ship rocked and swayed.

That night, the two ships ran at an unprecedented speed, the helmsmen of the two ships felt unprecedentedly relaxed, and the captains of the two ships all slept until they woke up naturally.

Cheng Lang got up while yawning, tore off the eye mask with a poisonous mushroom pattern sewn on red cloth, squinted his eyes and looked at the bright sunshine and the much calmer sea outside the floor-to-ceiling window, then staggered to his feet and walked into the bathroom.

"Good morning, dear Captain, I wish you a smooth urination."

At the moment when his urine head hit the toilet bowl and the first urine flower exploded, the magic mirror also gave a flattering greeting in a rhythmic manner from the side.

“Your timing is very accurate.”

Cheng Lang, who almost peed on his hand again, could only "praise" helplessly.

“Thank you for your compliment”

The magic mirror said flatteringly, "Respected Captain, before dawn, a letter from the Flamingo merchant ship landed on the deck. Since you were already asleep at the time, Miss Yunji did not wake you."

"Is there anything else?" Cheng Lang asked while shaking the bird.

"Miss Yafuso is secretly cultivating corpse mushrooms again."

The magic mirror continued to report, "I have sent the first rays of morning sunlight into the oak barrel where she cultivates the corpse mushroom."

"Well done," Cheng Lang said with satisfaction.

"Mr. Gerta's delicious mushrooms had a good harvest this morning."

The magic mirror continued, "Miss Yafuso used delicious mushrooms to flavor today's breakfast. Judging by Shenba's expression when she sneaked into the kitchen to eat, it should taste quite good."

After patiently waiting for Cheng Lang to finish washing up and return to his room, the magic mirror continued, "There is one last thing."

"What's the matter?" Cheng Lang asked while changing clothes.

"Just as you were washing up, another letter bird landed on the poop deck."

The magic mirror said, "According to the emblem on Xin Weng's wings, this letter should be from a wandering circus. Miss Yun Ji has come downstairs to see you. 4, 3, 2, 1."

Just as the magic mirror's countdown ended, Yun Ji banged on the bedroom door from outside, "Captain! Time to get up! Besides breakfast, there are two very important letters!"

"Right away!" Cheng Lang said as he fastened his belt, then put on his boots and opened the door.

"A long letter from the armed merchant ship Flamingo"

Yun Ji said, handing over a rolled-up piece of paper, "According to the authorization you gave me before, I have already helped you look through it.

Captain Senfa wrote to say that recently there have been many eyewitness reports of ships using vine goblins at sea, and the Boerlan Witch Hunting Group has suffered heavy losses due to this information, the authenticity of which is unknown.

One fleet of seven ships was even captured as a whole and sent to the pirate city for public auction."

"Is there such a good thing?"

Cheng Lang asked in surprise, and at the same time looked at the piece of paper that was one meter long and as wide as a palm. There were so many words on it.

"According to Captain Senfa's letter, the fleet was captured by a wandering circus."

Yun Ji revealed the second surprising news, "Besides that, Prince Marian of the Principality of Boerland launched an uprising against Zheng Bian, and with the support of several marquises, inherited the throne from his father.

On that same day, many nobles, including his father and mother, were sent to the Ironthorn Castle in Boerland for treason. Rumor has it that a plague had recently broken out there.

After a brief pause, Yun Ji continued, "It was still a long letter from Captain Senfa. On the second day after his accession to the throne, the newly appointed King Marian openly pursued Princess Bakla, the captain of the Royal Guard of the Principality of Rika and also the most beautiful and favored princess in the Principality of Rika in the past hundred years."

"The princess who was a pirate and wrote a book about a secret garden?"

Cheng Lang asked in surprise. He remembered this princess. It was from that book that he found the gold coins of the sea monster Panini in the library of the pirate city.

"It's that princess," Yun Ji nodded.

"She can be the mother of Prince Marian, right?" Cheng Lang asked with a grin.

"Princess Bakla is six years and nine months younger than King Marjan's mother."

Yun Ji gave an overly accurate yet meaningless answer, and then she revealed a follow-up that Cheng Lang had never expected. "That same night, Princess Bakla accepted Prince Marian's proposal and resigned from her position as captain of the Royal Guard of the Principality of Ricca. It is said that she also had every corner of the Royal Palace of the Principality of Ricca filled with Drunken Golden Roses."

"What did you say?!"

Cheng Lang asked in surprise with his eyes wide open. He hadn't found the corresponding text in the long scroll in his hand yet.

"here"

Yun Ji picked up the paper roll and pointed to a place with a red circle and said.

"Tsk tsk tsk"

Cheng Lang simply handed the paper to Yun Ji, "Any other explosive news?"

“Now comes the bad news.”

Yun Ji said, "The Royal Demon Hunting Group of Boerland has split. A part of the elite members mutinied and took several powerful siren tribes that were originally affiliated with the Principality of Boerland to join the Principality of Murphyta.

Prince Marian of the Duchy of Boerland launched a campaign against this group of demon hunters and also issued a strong warning to the Duchy of Murphyta. It seems the two duchies are about to go to war.

"Is this bad news?" Cheng Lang asked in confusion.

“At least it’s not good news.”

Yun Ji explained, "Once the two countries go to war, the only link between Pirate City and Star Sea Continent will probably be severed, and the cost of living in Pirate City will definitely increase.

On the other hand, once the war begins, the prices of cannons, cannonballs, gunpowder, and even sails and timber will skyrocket, and the pirates will probably face hard times soon."

"Any more?"

Cheng Lang asked, he had already walked upstairs into the meeting room filled with the aroma of food.

"The Principality of Ricca has publicly expressed its support for any decision made by their Princess Bakra."

Yun Ji said helplessly, "Therefore, all Rican merchant ships and captains, as well as ships holding Rican Principality plunder certificates, are not allowed to leave port in the near future. They must be prepared to be called up at any time, including the Flamingo and the Crucible."

"This is really bad news," Cheng Lang couldn't help but frowned.

“Worse news is coming”

Yun Ji said as she looked at Gerta who had just brought the bread, "The Principality of Gotland has announced a blockade of ship technology and a policy prohibiting the sale of Gotland ships to other countries. Their queen wants to profit from the war.

However, the Frost Principality, which is primarily populated by orcs, has sided with the Murphyta Principality in a rare move this time.

"what did you just say?"

Gerta asked dully, “We’re actually going to become allies with those grass carp bastards?!
They have no hair on their bodies except for those few pitiful hairs! How can they be our allies! Did the chief eat poisonous mushrooms growing in the dunghill?!

"I don't know that"

Yun Ji spread her hands, "It seems that the only ones who are staying out of this are the Pirate City and the Elf Principality.

However, the Elven Principality also issued a notice during the same period to intensify the exile of Dark Elves and reiterated the rule that intermarriage between Elves and Orcs is strictly prohibited."

"What does the Frost Principality say?" Gerta asked.

"The Frost Principality has reaffirmed its alliance with the Elf Principality and its prohibition of intermarriage with elves."

Yun Ji said, "I always feel that there are some secrets behind these countries in Xinghai Continent."

"Is there any other news?" Cheng Lang asked.

"There's one last one"

Yun Ji said, "Lord Panini of Pirate City has issued a conscription order. All pirate ships can join the nine fleets formed by Pirate City."

"Are there any benefits?" Shenba asked excitedly.

"Once any country attacks the pirate city"

Yun Ji said, "Lord Panini will personally command nine fleets to launch black raids on all coastal ports of the corresponding countries."

"The pirates are going crazy"

Shenba couldn't help but swallow his saliva. The black robbery was just as the name suggested. It was to take away everything that could be taken away, set fire to everything that could not be taken away, and leave behind only a piece of black scorched earth that could be used as fertilizer. This was the perfect robbery that all professional pirates dreamed of!

"After joining the nine fleets, you need to obey orders and cannot leave the team without permission." Yun Ji added.

"This news also comes from Captain Senfa?" Cheng Lang asked with a frown.

"This message comes from the wandering circus"

Yun Ji paused and said, "There's news about Yun Hai, the person I asked the wandering circus to find with that firework."

"Where?" Cheng Lang asked.

Exile Island

Yun Ji gave an answer that Cheng Lang never expected.

"That exile island we went to?"

Yafuso's face turned pale as she asked, "Why was she imprisoned in such a place?"

"She is the warden there now," Yun Ji gave another unexpected answer.

"She is the warden there?!" Shenba exclaimed.

"That's right"

Yun Ji sighed, "This news is the answer the head of the wandering circus received personally from Master Panini."

"Is that firework so useful?" Cheng Lang asked curiously.

“I knew it would be useful, but I didn’t expect it to be this useful.”

Yun Ji said thankfully, "Fortunately we got another firework."

“I can’t use it lightly this time.”

Cheng Lang thought for a moment and asked, "Has her father been informed of Yun Hai's news?"

"no"

Yun Ji shook her head. "The warden cannot leave the exile island at will. If Uncle Shengge knew that his daughter was on the exile island, he would probably..."

"He will commit a crime serious enough to send him to an exile island," Cheng Lang sighed.

"So we can't notify him," said Yun Ji.

"I can inform Yun."

“She probably already knew.”

Yun Ji shook her head before Yafuso could finish. "I'm afraid the inside story is beyond our comprehension. Captain, there might be chaos at sea. What should we do?"

"Did the wandering circus bring any other news?" Cheng Lang asked.

"The Wandering Circus invites us to join Lord Panini's Ninth Fleet," Yun Ji said. "This is the last piece of valuable information."

"Not interested in"

Cheng Lang waved his hand, picked up the soy milk and gulped it down his mouth. Then he burped loudly and roughly, and said nonchalantly, "Let them fight to the death. We will go to the Sea of ​​Despair to find treasures and seeds of the Verdant Sacred Tree. I don't believe they can turn the Sea of ​​Despair into a battlefield."

"I don't know what kind of mess it will be when we leave the Sea of ​​Despair and return to the Star Sea," Yun Ji couldn't help but sigh.

"They'd better divide up the Elven Principality."

Shenba said with great joy, "Then we'll strip off all those white-haired, pointed ears, put earrings in them as big as barrel lids, and then send them to the House of Pleasure or... Ouch!"

Before he could finish his stupid words, as everyone expected, the back of his head hit his sister Yun Ji's hand, and there was a crisp "pa" sound, and everyone burst into laughter.

However, in the midst of this laughter, Cheng Lang couldn't help but start to wonder whether the changes in this alien world at this critical juncture were related to the careless flapping of the wings of this inconspicuous butterfly.

(End of this chapter)