Chapter 28: Drifting After the Storm
The howling wind and towering waves cast the world into darkness.
The low-hanging dark clouds burned like cyan flames over the ocean. The sea grasped the gleam of lightning arrows, extinguishing them into the bottomless abyss. Giant waves roared with angry foam, viciously hurling the sailboat to the crest of the waves, then smashing it heavily into the trough.
Thunder, the sailors' anthem! Gale, the sailors' spirit! Our lives are in the waves and wind; let us sail through the stormy seas!
All right, I was being poetic. Dare to sail in a storm, it's courting death!
Just after Da Fei's sailboat successfully broke free from the shallows, it rode the waves like an F1 motorboat. Suddenly, the wind changed, and the ship tilted violently, almost capsizing. Alone on the boat, Da Fei couldn't control the sails in time. He had to pull out the fire axe to cut the sail ropes and force the sails down, then quickly ran to the second-floor cockpit to steer, avoiding giant waves. But it wasn't over yet.
—System Prompt: The third deck of the ship is leaking, please immediately use materials to repair the leak and use emergency buckets to bail water.
—System Prompt: The right aft side timber of the ship has cracked, ship durability -55, please immediately use materials to repair.
—System Prompt: The canvas on mast number 2 was blown away by the storm, please replenish the canvas in time.
—System Prompt: The additional armor rivets on the left side of the ship have fallen out, armor plate fallen off, left side ship defense -48.
For God's sake! Is this damn ship trying to kill this lone captain? For a moment, Da Fei stumbled around, running everywhere to make emergency repairs in the pitching and shaking. This ship really couldn't be handled by one person.
At this moment, Da Fei's Storm Navigation talent icon was flickering—this was the indication of a player's talent specialty being activated. And while the talent was glowing, Da Fei's experience kept rising!
—System Prompt: You struggled against the storm and gained 1000 experience points.
—System Prompt: You struggled against the storm and gained 1000 experience points.
Gain! It must gain! Fighting monsters isn't real skill; taking one's entire fortune to battle the sky and sea—that's on a different level. If no experience is gained, it's against heaven's will!
—System Prompt: You repaired the leak in the hull, gaining 600 experience points!
—System Prompt: You reinforced the broken hull, gaining 500 experience points!
Nice, even without killing monsters, experience can increase. Sailing isn't so boring after all.
At that moment, a loud bang signaled another colossal wave approaching. Underneath Da Fei, the floor plunged; then his body suddenly felt light, flying-like!
—Boom! The hull landed heavily, debris inside the cabin flying around. Da Fei lost his balance and slammed into the wall, "-25!"
Damn! It could kill someone!
—System Prompt: Warning! The ship's helm was destroyed by a giant wave and cannot control direction, ship durability cap -300.
—System Prompt: The left front side timber of the ship cracked, ship durability -130, please immediately use materials to repair.
For crying out loud! The helm is broken—how to repair it? It's under the water at the back of the ship!
No choice, this talent only said the ship's safety would improve in a storm, not that it wouldn't sink. Now, the only option was to hope it wouldn't sink. Save what could be saved.
Time ticked by, and Da Fei's ship, like a duckweed in the storm, rose and fell, tossed about dangerously. The sea was scarier than any boss; in front of it, mortal power seemed tiny and insignificant.
A golden flash, with stamina exhausted and health plunging, Da Fei leveled up!
—System Prompt: Congratulations! You've leveled up to level 16! Gained 1 free attribute point, 1 skill point, +2 life value, +1 command power.
Great timing! Full life, full stamina, I can battle for another half-hour!
Finally, the wind stopped, the clouds dispersed, and the storm was over. The sky was a washed blue, with a rainbow bridging the heaven and sea.
—System Prompt: The deck's drainage trough collected 1 unit of fresh water.
—System Prompt: The ship is severely damaged and cannot sail normally, it is in a drifting state.
Da Fei breathed a long sigh of relief and checked the ship's status.
Original Name: Saint Anthony (Can be renamed once)
Captain: Da Fei
Ship's Special Skill: Divine's Blessing (Crew's luck +2)
Ship Cargo Capacity: 1000 units
Ship Usage Time: 10 years
Minimum Sailor Capacity: 30 people
Ship Durability 857/1690
Ship Speed: 10
Ship Armor Defense: Left Side 32, Right Side 80.
Sea God Insurance Level: 0 (The ship is not under Sea God's shelter, once in accident, it will sink forever)
Current Ship Status: Helm destroyed, unable to control direction, sails damaged, left side additional armor fallen off, cursed by Misfortune (crew's luck -3).
Da Fei sighed deeply; it was an old ship already, and now with so much durability cap lost, it wouldn't last long. It seemed the system wouldn't just give a newcomer such a big ship generously, right? But could Sea God Insurance extend the ship's life? It's expensive, unless it's an exceptional ship; otherwise, the money's better spent on a new ship, right? But I can't even afford to repair the ship now, what to do?
Forget it, don't overthink. After all, I managed to get through this one, time to give the ship a new name; let's call it Flying Brother Fei? Fei's Flying? Fei's Soar? Whatever, Flying it is, for the literary touch.
—System Prompt: You renamed the Saint Anthony to Flying.
Now what? Better rehang the sails. And then, where's the collected freshwater? 1 unit is 100 portions, enough for me to drink for 100 days, no problem with water. And then? Where am I now? Da Fei took out his telescope, all he saw was blue water, coordinates (???, ???)!
Damn, no coordinates!
Right, navigation needs a compass, sextant, and other measuring tools; without them, it's as good as blind. Where's the compass? Captain's cabin? Yes! I've checked all the rooms except the captain's cabin, being the captain, I can enter there, of course.
Da Fei went to the captain's cabin behind the second-floor cockpit but found another room aside, with a door long since damaged. Whose room was this?
Inside, the room was strewn with debris. This is? Could it be Juan's room? Da Fei, with interest, started cleaning up the scattered debris and faded paper pieces. Yes, indeed, it's Juan, the handwriting matches the diary.
They say, after giving away one strategic treasure telescope, he shouldn't have more. No, no, he has a 15-year-old daughter named Selvia! These trinkets are her father's relics, I must collect them carefully, then show them to her—she'll be moved to recognize me as her godfather! Wahahaha, Uncle Hu, rest assured, I've got this.
Da Fei packed up all the little things from the floor, table, and drawers—huh? What's this? A flute with no attributes? This flute's shape, these carvings, so ancient, so literary, something different. Well, different is good, a little girl will surely recognize it at once. Okay, I'll choose this as the representative relic.
After searching through the Sailing Captain's room without further discoveries, Da Fei returned to the captain's cabin, trying the doorknob.
—System Prompt: Would you like to enter the captain's cabin?
Look, the system prompt indicates the captain's cabin's special status, doesn't it? No more words, enter.
The scene shifted, and Da Fei appeared in a small room. This captain's cabin was an instance, making infiltration by any top-tier thief impossible.
The captain's cabin wasn't much more luxurious than other officer's rooms, yet the table conspicuously displayed a large globe, a telescope, and a big compass, with a neatly hanging black and white captain's uniform in the wardrobe.
Haha! No wonder he's the captain, always has goods. Now, I have two telescopes! Well, if a player normally did this trial, they'd unlikely find the Sailing Captain's telescope. Compensation is needed here since a telescope is essential for sailing. It works, at least a C-level treasure, selling it could fund the ship repairs and early trading capital, considering I'm broke.
Da Fei examined the remaining two items.
—New World Star Chart: An instrument that records the New World's star formation. It can pinpoint the ship's sea coordinates when sailing the New World. Requirement: Learn the sub-skill Measuring Skill under Sailing Skill.
Oh! It's high-end, a New World locator, no wonder he's the captain!
—Compass: Can pinpoint the ship's sea coordinates. Requirement: Learn the sub-skill Measuring Skill under Sailing Skill.
Found the compass, but Da Fei was beginning to feel a headache.
Measuring Skill this, it should be for the NPC Deputy Officer, really. Practically every harbor's Sailor's Home or tavern can hire an NPC sailor for Measuring Skill. As a respectable captain, should I spend a precious skill point on this tedious Measuring Skill? Though I've saved up 7 skill points leveling from 9 to 16, wasting them like this is a no-no! I can bet this Measuring Skill is the trashiest sub-skill ever, I sincerely don't want to learn it.
What's more, the ship's in such a state, drifting aimlessly. Knowing the coordinates won't help, even now.
In the end, Da Fei managed to find a reason not to learn it. So, drift it shall. Drift to a place with people, then figure something out. Best if the Bright Alliance's navy finds and rescues us, then all problems are solved.
For now, I must continue exploring the captain's room. Unsurprisingly, a golden book on the bookshelf—Sailing Skill! Hey, I already have one with me, only sell it.
—System Prompt: You obtained Renior's Sailing Skill Book!
—Renior's Sailing Skill Book: Spend 1 skill point to learn Basic Navigation Skill.
—System Prompt: You already learned the Sailing Skill, cannot use this book.
Da Fei was suddenly astonished! Another special version Skill Book! The greatest reward from this trial task wasn't this old broken ship after all, but these materials containing the experience of past masters. Anyway, since I'm drifting anyway, let's delve into Divine Skills first.
And yet Da Fei had no idea that at this moment, the largest hero forum in China was ablaze with a post titled, "Trash Player Da Fei Maliciously Ambushed God-level Hero Player Blood Sea Wave to Level 0, with Video, Death Record, and Truth," had become immensely popular. Blood Sea Wave, this God-level player who had been on TV, was once again a celebrity in the China Region. Thanks to him, Da Fei also gained some fame.
(Note: Unlike modern liners with high superstructures, sailboats typically have superstructures at the bow and stern, rarely exceeding three stories. Otherwise, a sailboat's center of gravity gets too high, making it easy to capsize in the wind and difficult to sail against the wind.)