Navigator: I Have a Legendary Exploration Log

The crimson moon hangs high, the sky is dark.

The clouds, heavy with accumulated rain, hung low and pressed down on the boundless, dark green sea.

Chalice stood in the cockpit on the top floor of the sterncastle, his eyes fixed on the front with a dark gaze, his hands firmly gripping the helm.

Besides the howling sea breeze sweeping across the old hull of the Return Home, there were also muffled echoes from the communication pipes.

"Reporting...Reporting to the captain..."

The chief engineer's stuttering was an old problem.

The more critical the moment, the more difficult it becomes, which makes people anxious.

"The turbine... has been running at full load for eight hours! If this continues, it will either shut down or explode!"

"Roger that! Don't reduce the power!"

Chalice leaned close to the brass megaphone and shouted, "Repeat! Don't reduce the power!"

"This Pentium turbine is a top-of-the-line piece of equipment I acquired at great expense! Chief Engineer, you must trust the research findings of Hogwarts University and the craftsmanship of Veronica Machinery!"

"Roger that, Captain! But if I remember correctly, this is a second-hand item from Taiwan!"

"Second-hand goods are still genuine! They've undergone extreme testing before leaving the factory, making them far superior to those handmade machines from small workshops on the black market!"

Chalice tugged at his collar. "Chief Engineer! You only need to remember one thing!"

"If the Homecoming cruiser slows down even a second, I'll go to the engine room and kick you overboard to feed that horde of unknown dog shit that's been relentlessly chasing us!"

"Understood, Captain!"

The chief engineer's answer was no longer stammering.

This means that Cheryl's harsh words once again helped him ease his tense emotions.

sometimes.

A gentle word of comfort is far less effective than a stern command.

Especially for dangerous jobs like going to sea.

The captain often has to act as a "tyrant" to mobilize the crew most efficiently, so that everyone can survive...

……

"Captain, haven't you shaken off that thing yet?"

The hatch creaked open, and a short, stout white old man with a bulbous nose led two sleepy-eyed young men inside.

Wirtz rubbed his nose, then expertly took the helm from Cherry's hands.

"The fact that you can ask this question shows that you sleep very well, First Mate."

Chalice stretched and pulled down the extendable chair behind him to sit down.

"Since the red moon rose, the stern of the Homecoming was hit seven times. I think these two young men who didn't sleep well can attest to that."

"Yes, Captain."

The young man with brown freckles chuckled, "Although I went to bed early, I didn't actually close my eyes for more than an hour in total..."

"Me too..."

Before they could say anything more, another violent tremor struck.

The sudden shaking of the cabin caused everyone to lose their balance.

Cherries gripped his seat tightly, while Wirtz tightened his grip on the rudder.

Both of them quickly regained their balance.

But the two young sailors who had just boarded the ship were obviously inexperienced and fell flat on their faces like tumbleweeds.

"Oh... damn it!"

Wirtz muttered, "I'm going to get ripped off by those guys at the repair shop again when I get back..."

Upon hearing this...

Chalice smirked and instructed the two sailors who were helping each other to their feet, "That thing won't have the strength to ram again for a while. Go and check the cargo on the deck."

"Yes, Captain! We'll reinforce the cargo right away!"

"No, no, no... it's not about reinforcement. I mean, I want you to familiarize yourselves with the knot positions of the ropes."

Chalice raised an eyebrow. "If necessary, we'll need to discard some cargo to get faster."

"Yes...yes! Captain! We'll go right away!"

After hesitating for a moment upon hearing the order, the two decisively agreed and left while holding onto the bulkhead.

He was left alone in the cockpit with only the captain.

Wirtz said softly, "If necessary... is the situation really that bad?"

"Who knows..."

Chalice drew his silver-gray revolver from his waist.

I opened the magazine and checked again to make sure it was full of bullets.

"Although it's unclear what that thing is, most sea monsters need water to get on a ship."

"But tonight doesn't seem like a 'clear' night. If it really rains, I'm afraid that thing won't just be bumping into the boat and preventing us from getting a good night's sleep..."

"Oh...that sounds awful..."

Wirtz caught Cherries checking his gun out of the corner of his eye, and sighed softly with a pout.

Every time the captain draws his gun, he fires it.

This has almost become the psychological preparation that the crew of the Homecoming ship have in the face of a crisis.

It seems this rain will most likely fall, and the unidentified creatures following the Homecoming will most likely launch an attack...

I'm about to go home, what bad luck...

……

The leaden-gray clouds eventually broke apart.

The torrential rain pounded against the mottled deck and murky fore-window of the Homecoming ship like dense lead bullets.

Amidst the muffled pattering sounds, it seemed as if only the sound of rain remained in the world.

The searchlights on the Homecoming ship went from dim to gleaming.

The beam of light struggled to tear through the rain, illuminating the view ahead for the two people in the cockpit.

Fortunately, the waves weren't too big.

The Return Home ship was in a relatively stable position.

But Wirtz glanced at the nautical chart and compass next to the ship's wheel several times.

I did a quick estimate.

He decisively returned the responsibility of steering the ship to Cherries.

"Captain, the rain is too heavy, we're going to be lost."

"I'll do it..."

Sometime later, Chalice had already stood up and put the revolver back into his waistband.

He took the helm again after resting for less than half an hour.

Seeing the captain casually glance at the nautical chart and then continue steering with ease, Wirtz couldn't help but feel admiration.

Seniority-based ranking.

This black-haired, brown-eyed Captain Cherries is probably no match for many of the old sailors on Simon Island.

Wirtz turned down invitations from many experienced captains to follow this "wet-blooded" young captain.

It's not just the generous compensation that they're after.

In six months, he made 25 round trips to transport goods!

This efficiency, which far exceeds that of ordinary people, is not the most terrifying thing.

What impressed Wirtz the most was that the young captain was almost never late.

Even with the aid of nautical charts and compasses, missing the voyage deadline is an unexpected situation that every captain will encounter.

But this normalcy became an "unexpected" situation for Chalice.

Wirtz felt that his captain not only had navigation skills that were no less than those of experienced captains, but also had quite a lot of luck.

And most of the time...

Luck is even more important than ability...

Just tonight.

Lady Luck seems to have turned against them...

A huge, white, turbid wave suddenly surged up on the starboard side!

The seawater seemed to surge forth, briefly obscuring the view from the cockpit!

Chalice's eyes narrowed, and he instantly sensed something was amiss.

The turbulence on the Return Home train was not severe.

This indicates that the current sea area is generally stable, and even if there are winds and waves, they will never exceed the ship's side.

How could waves of this size possibly appear?

Before he could think further...

Terrified screams echoed across the deck.

"Help! Something's boarding the ship!"

"Someone save me! Oh God!"

"I can't breathe... Help..."

The seawater receded.

The field of vision is clear.

Their eyes narrowed.

On the gray-brown deck piled high with goods, there were some incongruous orange-red spots.

They were a group of soft-bodied creatures resembling starfish, covered in dizzying patterns that seemed to change shape as they wriggled.

Meanwhile, the two sailors on duty who had been sent by Cherries to inspect the cargo were now surrounded by "starfish" and were in a precarious situation!

"The monstrous worm! That weird thing following us is actually a monstrous worm!"

Wirtz cried out, "Damn it! Captain! Those two little guys are about to be eaten by the monster worms!"

"Don't panic, First Mate!"

Chalice's tone was as cold and hard as iron.

He yelled into the megaphone, "Everyone to your positions immediately! Weapons in hand! Assemble on deck! There are monstrous insects boarding! Everyone!"

Repeated again.

As Charys pulled out the revolver, he yelled into the personal megaphone leading to the engine room, "Chief Engineer! You're on deck too! Remember to set the turbines to the correct power!"

"I...I understand!"

Hearing the response from the megaphone, Cherris glanced at Wirtz.

"Set up automatic cruise control, then follow me."

"Understood, Captain!"

Everything is arranged.

Chalice kicked open the hatch, picked up the revolver, and walked into the torrential rain.