Sail Shadows in the Sea of ​​Fog

Chapter 78 The person behind the scenes

On the Sea of ​​Despair, a circle of thick fog with a diameter of one nautical mile, a thickness of only ten meters, but a height of 50 meters is advancing at high speed towards the depths of the Sea of ​​Despair under the push of the wind.

In the middle of this circular fog, the sails of the Valkyrie and the Honest Man had been blown inflated.

Between the masts of the Valkyrie, a pale blue shadow, at least two or three meters tall, sat on the crossmast in an extremely ladylike posture, plucking the equally translucent strings on the tail of her guitar with her hands.

Not far away, on the bow deck of the Candide, Tinisa and her band members were also plucking the strings, playing the same song from the music book at the end of the piano as the Silver Queen on another ship.

This was another pleasant surprise, not too big or too small. The Silver Queen's body was pieced together and sewn together, and she just happened to have a tail from a merman, so she had the same abilities as the merman.

In short, she could also play the music in the sheet music. And what they were doing now was to improve their mutual understanding.

In the conference room of the Valkyrie, Cheng Lang accepted a batch of spoils sent by Kervik, which included 15 cups of Poseidon's blood, 5 pieces of armor, a full box of hundreds of conch-shaped armor pieces, and of course, 13 tassels.

Despite having to pay such a high price for the spoils, Kervik's face was filled with nothing but excitement.

He had enough reasons to be excited, because Cheng Lang not only gave him the Mirage Horn he had used before, but also gave him the ship armor that could summon fog that moved with the ship.

For Kervik, this is a deal that is absolutely sure to make a profit.

"Gerta, please send these to the Boat Center Pond."

Cheng Lang said as he put away the blood of Poseidon and the armor pieces on the table.

"I'll go right away"

As Gerta, who was honest and taciturn, spoke, he had already carried the box of conch-shaped armor out of the meeting room, came to the heart chamber at the bow of the ship, and poured them all into the heart pool filled with mist spirit liquid.

According to the magic mirror's guess, these armors may need to soak in the ship's center pool, which is closely related to the Mist Spirit, for a few days before any changes may occur. Fortunately, they have enough time and patience.

Meanwhile, the discussion in the conference room continued.

"How many supplies do we have left?" Cheng Lang asked.

"Various edible mushrooms and bean sprouts are being re-cultivated."

The young cook, Yafuso, immediately said, "Thanks to the hard work of the ships that were replaced earlier, the mushrooms will probably be harvested tomorrow night, but the bean sprouts will have to wait a little longer, but it will only take three days at most."

After a brief pause, Yafuso continued, "Although the Valkyrie suffered heavy losses in supplies, thanks to the Honest Man not losing any supplies, and even more thanks to them looting the red sailboat, our supplies are not only the same as before the accident, but actually a bit more."

Flipping through the account book in his hand, Yafuso continued, "Especially fish oil, bacon, bread, poultry and livestock.

Now, there are more than just the Honest Man. We have 40 laying hens, 5 goats producing milk, two big fat pigs, and 9 piglets on board. The Honest Man has even more than ours.

In total, these food reserves are enough for us to sail for two or three months without any problems."

"What about those mushrooms at the base of the mainmast? Have they spread?"

Cheng Lang asked as he fiddled with the blood of Poseidon and the pieces of armor. After what was half a reward and half a trade with Kervik, he now had 20 cups of Poseidon's blood in his hand, and there were a full hundred pieces of armor that had not been used yet.

“No spread”

Yafuso, who had just been beaming with joy, immediately said pitifully, "Not only did it not spread, but all those mushrooms died."

At this point, the little girl looked fiercely at the hunched Magic Mirror in the large mirror and asked doubtfully, "Uncle Magic Mirror, did you really not use sunlight to shine on those mushrooms?"

"No, I swear not." The magic mirror said immediately.

"You swear by Saint Barbaya!" said Yafuso.

"I swear on Saint Barbara that I did not direct the sunlight to shine on those poisonous mushrooms at the base of the mainmast," the magic mirror swore solemnly, "or let me..."

"Oh, forget it, forget it, don't say anything more."

Yafuso quickly stopped her, saying, "I believe you. Although those mushrooms died, new ones seemed to have grown this morning. This time I plan to pick them all before they mature."

"A new one has grown?"

Cheng Lang, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, exchanged a nervous glance with Yun Ji, who was also nervous, and finally said, "Watch your poisonous mushrooms."

"I will keep an eye on them!" Yafuso swore, imitating the magic mirror. "Otherwise, I will burn them to death with the sun myself!"

"Next are these bridles."

Cheng Lang picked up a bridle and asked, "Magic Mirror, tell me what you think."

"We can use these bridles as an alternative to anchors."

The magic mirror immediately said, "Although they are inferior to the bridles made by Panini, they are definitely sufficient for making anchors."

"Lord Magic Mirror, do they have any advantages over the anchors we are using?" Kervik asked respectfully.

"certainly"

The Magic Mirror immediately said, "At least dropping and raising the anchor is faster, especially for you, as it reduces the heavy work of pulling the anchor and maintaining the anchor cable. Moreover, the bridle is almost weightless, which is equivalent to increasing the ship's carrying capacity in disguise."

After a brief pause, the magic mirror continued, "If we encounter a docile sea beast in the future, we could even use the bridle as reins and let it pull our boat forward. After all, the bridle is actually a rein."

"Yafuso, try it."

Cheng Lang said, picking up two light bridles that looked like bracelets and handing them to Yafuso, "Let the vine goblins help you."

"okay!"

Yafuso responded immediately and trotted towards the anchor room. At the same time, the real-time image was displayed on the "monitoring" under the control of the magic mirror.

While the vine goblins were busy, the two anchors of the Valkyrie were disconnected from the Sea-Watching Vine that served as the cables. One end of the two bridles were hooked onto the cable racks in the anchor room and reinforced with the Sea-Watching Vine.

Under the pull of the vine goblins, the two bridles gradually became thicker and longer, and finally stretched out from the anchor hole.

These two anchors are only the size of one of the hooks of the original anchor, which inevitably makes everyone in the conference room doubt whether this thing is useful.

"Shenba, stop the boat! Drop anchor!" Cheng Lang shouted outside the conference room.

As the order was given, Shenba and the gorillas cooperated with each other to roll up the sails. At the same time, the magic mirror also sent a signal to the Honest Man.

Without waiting to come to a complete stop, the Valkyrie began to drop anchor, and the two bridles immediately sank and gradually grew larger.

Finally, the ship completely stopped on the sea, but the two bridles did not touch the seabed at all.

"Setting Sail"

Cheng Lang issued a new order.

With a "crash", the sails of the Valkyrie were blown up by the wind again, but the ship remained motionless on the sea.

“It seems to be useful.”

Cheng Lang nodded in satisfaction and said to Kervik, whose eyes were shining, "You should also change the anchor."

"I'll arrange this when I get back!" Kervik said impatiently.

"Let's go back quickly while the ship is stopped, and remember to use the ship armor." Cheng Lang reminded.

Watching Kervik run out of the conference room with his harvest and swing back to the Honest Man, Cheng Lang knocked on the table with a bridle and said, "Next is the next thing. Magic Mirror, please ask the Silver Queen to come in and sit down."

"As you wish, my captain."

Before the magic mirror finished speaking, the Silver Queen, dressed in gorgeous clothes, appeared in the large mirror where he lived.

"Sorry to interrupt your ensemble," Cheng Lang said apologetically.

"It's ok"

The Silver Queen lifted her skirt and bent her knees slightly, then sat on a gorgeous single sofa that appeared in the mirror. "Captain, is there anything I can do for you?"

"Next we will discuss the identity and origins of the person who controls the island."

Cheng Lang said as he glanced at the magic mirror sitting on another single sofa in the mirror, then looked at Yun Ji sitting next to him in the conference room, "Do you have any clues or guesses?"

“I don’t have any clues.”

The Silver Queen was the first to shake her head regretfully. "I've told you everything I know. If I had been able to control even one of the people behind the landing, perhaps I would have learned something."

"It seems that we can only speculate and analyze," Cheng Lang said unwillingly.

"If it's just speculation, there have been rumors in the Xinghai that Boerlan is trying to resurrect Poseidon."

Yun Ji said, "Although they often use this as an excuse to levy heavy taxes and collect Poseidon's blood and armor fragments, it is also an indisputable fact that they have been hunting dark elves for sacrifice. So, could this be related to them?"

"Respected Miss Yun Ji," the magic mirror said respectfully, "I have a different opinion."

"Magic Mirror Teacher, please speak."

Yunji spoke with even greater respect. If anyone was most excited about the Magic Mirror's appearance, it was definitely Yunji, with the Magic Mirror itself being a distant second. The reason was simple: Yunji, the apprentice bard's thirst for knowledge and secrets, and the Magic Mirror's vast knowledge and experience, as well as his relationship with Saint Barbaya, had led Yunji to address the Magic Mirror as "teacher" from the moment they first met.

"Although the demon hunters supported by Boerland are all a bunch of fanatical lunatics whose brains have been stabbed by swordfish, this does not mean that the people of the Duchy of Boerland are all idiots."

The Magic Mirror said, "If they truly intended to create a god, they wouldn't have let rumors like that spread. We can mock Boerland, but it's still one of the six great principalities on the continent. They have far deeper roots than you might imagine."

"So the least likely candidate is the Principality of Boerland?" Cheng Lang asked.

"Respected Captain, I personally don't think they are very suspicious."

The Magic Mirror offered a new reason. "If they wanted to do that, this thick fog wouldn't just hide in the Sea of ​​Despair. It would appear in the Sea of ​​Stars. There are far more ships there than here."

"makes sense."

Cheng Lang thought for a moment and said, "Based on this analysis, the Duchy of Murphyta doesn't seem to be a big suspect. Although the sailors on the ship captured by Kervik were all mixed-race, this cover-up is too obvious."

"Indeed, your wisdom shines as brightly as ever."

The magic mirror complimented him out of habit, then cleared his throat and said, "Everyone, I actually have a small, immature guess."

"Magic Mirror, you don't have to be so respectful." Cheng Lang had to remind him again, "You can speak freely."

"In this case, I won't be polite."

The magic mirror snapped its fingers as it spoke, and the background between him and the Silver Queen in the mirror turned into a map of the Star Sea Continent.

"For the Xinghai Continent, ocean trade is the most profitable of all trades."

The Magic Mirror said, "Whether it's Murphy Tower, which has the closest relationship with Pirate City, or Boerlan, which has a hostile relationship with Pirate City in some sense.

There is also Gotland, which excels in shipbuilding, and Ricca, which produces naval guns, even the Frost Principality, the only country that can produce high-grade lubricants, and the Sirens scattered on various islands.

In fact, they all made a lot of money from maritime trade and lived a life that was much freer and richer than in the time of Poseidon.

Of course, there's also the Pirate City. The reason for pirates to exist is because of maritime trade. Otherwise, who would they plunder? It can't be seabirds, right?

Although the magic mirror only said the first half of the sentence, both Cheng Lang and Yun Ji subconsciously looked towards the inland country in the most central area of ​​the Star Sea Continent - the Elf Principality.

"Yes, I believe you all noticed it."

The magic mirror pointed at the Elven Principality. "Only those white-haired, pointy-eared people are the only landlocked nation. They are also the only ones who cannot make money in ocean trade. Even few elves can gain the recognition of the ship's heart and become captains. Of course, this also includes the Dark Elves."

"Do you think it's them?" Cheng Lang frowned and analyzed the rationality of this guess.

"If a new god must emerge in the Star Sea, then maritime trade will certainly be affected."

The Magic Mirror continued, "Ocean trade is affected, and the nations of the Star Sea will have no choice but to rely on land trade. It's obvious that the Elven Principality will become the capital of trade."

"Not only that"

Yun Ji also said, "Once a new sea god appears in the Xinghai, even if it is a man-made sea god, in order to protect the ocean trade, the Xinghai Continent, even the sirens and pirates will participate in the war to kill the gods. By then, the Elf Principality will probably make a lot of money from elven potions."

“Gold coins are just the cheapest thing”

The magic mirror reminded, "By then, the Elf Principality will become the leader of the continent and they will dominate the continent."

"So it's the Elf Principality?" Cheng Lang frowned.

"If it's just speculation and analysis"

The magic mirror scattered the map of the Star Sea Continent in the mirror, spread out its hands and said, "I bet on the Elven Principality."

"And there's one more thing"

Yun Ji also drew inferences from her experience and reminded, "Captain, I once told you that the leader of the wandering circus is a half-blood with elven noble blood.

If we assume that the Elven Principality is the mastermind behind this, then wouldn't the appearance of the wandering circus be accidental?"

"Remember our speculations and suspicions today."

After a moment of silence, Cheng Lang said, "We only have two ships, so we just need to be vigilant against suspected targets. The disputes in Xinghai Continent have little to do with us.

Rather than searching for the real culprit behind the scenes, it would be more practical for us to decipher a few more treasure maps and find a way to unlock the secrets of this world."

“You are so”

"If you want to flatter me, just say it when I'm alone."

Cheng Lang made a small joke and then said, "Our current goal is to find the Misty Island deep in the Sea of ​​Despair, and also try to help the three dark elves find the seeds of the Verdant Sacred Tree."

"There is also the Scorching Sand Sea, a deserted island as big as two pirate cities." Yun Ji reminded.

"Yes, there is also the Burning Sand Sea."

Cheng Lang said, "Okay, that's all for today's discussion. Magic Mirror, you're responsible for keeping an eye on those mushrooms at the base of the mainmast."

"Please rest assured," the magic mirror assured respectfully.

"Silver Queen, your child hasn't hatched yet?" Cheng Lang asked the Silver Queen who was sitting quietly in the mirror.

"Thank you for your concern"

Silver Queen said, "She hasn't finished hatching yet, but I can already communicate with her telepathically, and she's doing well so far."

"That's good, everyone go about their business."

"Mr. Captain"

At this time, the Silver Queen said, "I heard from the magic mirror that there is an unused piano in your room. I wonder if you could lend it to me."

"Do you need a piano?" Cheng Lang asked.

“I really need this.”

Silver Queen explained, "I'm in ensemble contact with the Tinisha Orchestra on another ship, but my fiddle tail is not physical after all, and the sound is always insufficient, so I need an instrument."

"no problem"

Cheng Lang readily agreed, "Where do you want to put it? I'll have the gorillas carry it over there right away."

"If it's convenient, I wonder if it could be placed on the bow deck?"

The Silver Queen asked, "Although the wind and waves there are strong, I can protect the piano."

"No problem, Magic Mirror. Go tell the gorillas to carry the piano to the bow deck."

Cheng Lang said simply that it was just a piano, and besides, he really didn't need such a space-consuming musical instrument in his room.

After sending everyone out of the conference room, Cheng Lang ran back to the captain's bedroom with the blood of Poseidon and the armor pieces he had traded for.

At the same time, the pirate brothers had already sent the fog-summoning ship armor into the center pool of their ship, and replaced the anchor and heavy anchor cable with bridle.

As the original anchor was thrown into the sea with splashing water, the two boats were pushed by the wind and started running again, hiding in the thick ring-shaped fog.

Of course, they didn't know that at about the same time, an inconspicuous sailboat, pulled by hundreds of sea beasts, hurriedly arrived at the island where the Mist Spirit was once imprisoned.

However, after the boat had been sailing in this sea area for a whole day, all he finally found was a broken stone fixed to the sea surface by a bridle.

"Who is it! Who ruined my two hundred years of plan!"

On the ship, a tall figure hidden in a cloak let out a murderous roar, and the rest of the small sailors also huddled together in silence at the low roar.

After venting his frustration through roars, the man hiding in the cloak raised his head to look at the moon above his head, turned around and walked into the heart chamber of the ship.

The heart of this ship is much smaller than a normal heart, and it is pitch black and filled with a strong stench.

Not only that, there were also strands of bridles pulled between the center of the ship and the surrounding walls.

Placing his hands on the slimy center of the ship, the mysterious captain closed his eyes.

A moment later, bubbles began to surge on the sea surface near the ship, and then ghost ships with captains hanging on their masts emerged from the water.

"Out of 250, only this much is left?"

The captain couldn't help but tightly grasp a blood vessel in the center of the ship. Suddenly, the captains of the surrounding ghost ships who were hanging on the masts also began to scream miserably and struggle in vain.

"The secret has been revealed"

The neurotic captain gave the ship another fierce kick, then walked onto the deck and issued an order, "Set sail! Head for Iron Oak Island! I want to see if the poisonous fog can stop my ghost fleet!"

(End of this chapter)