Navigator: I Have a Legendary Exploration Log

Wirtz gasped.

He noticed that almost no part of Cherries' back was intact.

The wounds, varying in depth, were pierced by thorns, with dark red muscle tissue visible in the deepest ones.

Blood scabs, charred ash, thorn juice, and mud mingled together, creating a gruesome, bloody mess.

"You..."

Wirtz's voice trembled slightly, "How did you manage to hold on until now?"

"We have to hold on, even if we can't."

Chalice slumped onto the table, burying his face in his arms, his voice muffled, "Treat the wound first, stop talking nonsense."

Wirtz gritted his teeth, picked up the scissors, and cut open the back of Cherris's clothes.

The process of the fabric separating from the wound is slow and painful.

Chalice's body tensed up from time to time due to the excruciating pain.

But he didn't make a sound; his fingers gripped the edge of the table tightly, his knuckles turning white.

When rinsing the wound with clean water.

Chalice finally couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.

Even though it was warm water, it still stimulated the exposed nerves, and every wound seemed to be howling.

"Bear with it."

Wirtz's movements were as gentle as possible, but some thorns broke off and were embedded in the flesh, requiring tweezers to remove them one by one.

"Are those things in your pocket bloodthorn berries?"

"Um……"

Chalice's voice came from within his arms.

Five.

Wirtz paused for a moment.

"Five trees? You've plucked the entire tree bare?"

"almost."

Cheryl gave a brief account of her experience on the island.

The encirclement by the Bloodthorn Tree, Fane's sneak attack, the detonation of the phlogiston canister, and finally Hawke's arrival and confrontation.

Wirtz was terrified, and his movement to clamp the thorns slowed down by half a beat.

"So...you killed that Finn?"

He struck first.

"Using the blood of my crew as bait, and trying to ambush me. People like that, if left at sea, will only cause more deaths," Chalice said calmly.

Wirtz paused for a few seconds before continuing to treat the wound.

"You're right, and you're right. Captain, that's the rule at sea: it's either you or me."

He paused. "And Hawke? How did you scare him away?"

"I took a gamble."

"The more reckless I seemed, the less he dared to gamble," Chalice said. "After all, he was there to make money, not to risk his life."

Wirtz finally managed to pull out the last thorn.

At least it looks like it's gone.

He sprinkled the medicine powder on the wound.

This is a commonly used hemostatic and anti-inflammatory drug for navigation.

It is highly stimulating, but the effects are remarkable.

The moment the powder touched the wound, Chalice's body trembled violently, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Next is simple bandaging."

Wirtz picked up the prepared clean gauze and began to wrap it around Cherris's upper body layer by layer.

"It might be a little tight, but we have to apply pressure to stop the bleeding. If you feel any discomfort, just say so; it means there are still splinters left in that area."

The process of wrapping the bandage is equally painful.

By the time Wirtz finished tying the last knot, Cherries was drenched in cold sweat and his face was as pale as paper.

"alright."

Wirtz let out a long sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "You won't die for now. But you need to rest, and don't move around too much for at least a day or two."

Chalice slowly sat up straight, his movements as stiff as a marionette.

He looked down at his bandaged chest and back and said with a wry smile, "Do I look like a mummy?"

"Like a mummy that just crawled out of its grave."

Wirtz said irritably, then grabbed a clean shirt and handed it to Cherris, "Put this on, don't catch a cold."

Chalice struggled to put on the condom.

The fabric still stings when it rubs against the wound.

He paused in his action of putting the hood over his head, then simply took it off and refused to wear it anymore.

Anyway, given his physical condition, going shirtless wouldn't be a problem.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Chalice said.

Rumlow pushed open the door and entered, carrying a tray with a steaming bowl of fish soup and a few pieces of white bread on it.

"Captain, have something to eat!"

The aroma of fish soup filled the captain's cabin.

Chalice's stomach let out a disapproving growl.

For a gourmet, food has an additional purpose, whether it's replenishing energy or relieving emotions.

The battle with the Bloodthorn Tree consumed a lot of my stamina.

The aroma of food instantly triggered a wave of hunger in Cherissa.

Chalice took the bowl and eagerly brought it to his lips, gulping down the rich fish soup.

The hot soup slid down my esophagus, and a warm feeling spread from my stomach throughout my body.

Chalice could almost feel his energy slowly returning to his body.

He drank very quickly.

The fish soup is made by simmering freshly caught fish with a little sea salt, resulting in a simple yet delicious flavor.

The white bread was baked to perfection.

The outer layer is crispy, and the inside is soft.

Cheryl dipped the bread in the fish soup and ate the whole loaf, then drank all the soup in the bowl.

That's when I felt like I was alive again.

"Much better."

He put the empty bowl back on the tray, smiled and nodded at Rumlow, "Have something to eat too, you've had a hard day."

"Yes, Captain."

After the door closed, the cabin returned to silence.

The roar of the engine came through the deck, deep and rhythmic.

The Homecoming Ship is returning at full speed.

The ship rocked slightly, cutting through the night sea.

Wirtz, holding the helm, asked, "What are you planning to do next? Head straight back to Simon Island?"

Chalice leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and thought.

The bandages binding his chest made breathing a little difficult.

But his thinking was exceptionally clear.

"No."

He opened his eyes. "Let's go back to the vicinity of that missing cargo ship."

Wirtz frowned. "Why? Didn't we already get the Bloodthorn Fruit? The mission is complete!"

"The bloodthorn fruit is in hand."

"But there are still some things that haven't been figured out," Chalice said slowly.

"Why did the Bloodthorn Tree suddenly act strangely? That island is a plantation in the Governor's Mansion that specializes in cultivating extraordinary plants. In theory, it should have comprehensive protective measures. But when we landed on the island, apart from the Bloodthorn Tree, we didn't see any trace of artificial facilities."

Wirtz was stunned.

"You mean...?"

"I suspect there are more bloodthorn trees on the island than just bloodthorn trees."

Chalice cast his gaze out the porthole at the sea. "Perhaps there's something else that caused all this."

"When Fein mentioned that he used the blood of his crew as bait, I thought to myself, the bloodthorn tree reacts to blood too strongly, abnormally strongly."

"Aren't all second-tier extraordinary beings like this?"

"No."

Chalice shook his head. "The Bloodthorn Tree does indeed feed on fresh blood, but its aggression is probably more out of predatory instinct."

"But what we encountered on the island was more like... madness. Those thorns attacked relentlessly, and even when burned by phlogiston, they only retreated rather than completely, which is not in line with the instinct of a living being to preserve itself."

Wirtz's expression turned serious. "You suspect someone did something to the Bloodthorn Tree?"

"Or something is affecting it."

"Don't forget," Chalice said. "All the crew members on that cargo ship have disappeared."

"If it were just the Bloodthorn Tree that went out of control, they could have easily escaped by boat. But the cargo ship is still docked on the shore, and the people have disappeared."

Silence fell over the cabin.

After a long silence, Wirtz sighed. "So you're going to take the risk again."

"It's not an adventure, it's confirmation."

Chalice corrected, "We don't need to land on the island again, we just need to circle around the cargo ship and observe."

"If there are other threats, we need to know what they are. Otherwise, other captains might be caught completely off guard and die when they receive similar missions in the future."

Wirtz stared at Cherries for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed. "You know, sometimes I really can't tell if you're too kind or too cunning."

"What's the conflict?"

Chalice smiled too. "Understanding potential threats is for the sake of others, but also for our own. You know better than I do the value of intelligence at sea."

"Okay! Let's adjust the flight path and take another look!"

Wirtz stood up. "But it's agreed that we'll only observe from a distance and never get close. If you keep this up, you'll really be fish food if we encounter another battle."

"rest assured."

"I'm very measured," Chalice said.

After saying that, Chalice fell silent.

He struggled to his feet and walked to the porthole.

His pale face and bandaged figure were reflected in the glass, along with the boundless sea outside the window...

……