Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 459 Ship Damage and Temporary Plans

"Om!"

A burst of vibrant green light, brimming with life, suddenly exploded in the air, causing the rain curtain surrounding the figurehead to momentarily become chaotic.

Having finally completed the final preparations before casting the spell, Hein suddenly flipped her wrist and gently scattered the tiny seeds that she had been holding in her palm.

The emerald light surrounding Xia Nan seemed to resonate with something invisibly, and Xia Nan suddenly felt as if a strange, sharp yet melodious cry was ringing in his ears.

As his senses began to work, he subconsciously looked toward the bow of the ship.

The figurehead of the banshee, which had been bathed in storm and cold rain from beginning to end, facing the ocean in an embracing posture, now had a faint but real glow emanating from its body, causing the surrounding rain to distort.

The flickering light echoed the emerald glow emanating from Hein's body.

Shila-

A faint sound emerged from the soles of the feet.

Fast-growing vine husk

The special second-circle spell from the Coral Society, after a long period of preparation, finally came into play when the Blade of Vengeance faced the most dangerous moment—the storm and the schools of fish.

The seeds that Hein sprinkled on the deck sprouted instantly under the nourishment of life energy, transforming into seaweed and algae-like plants.

With the resonance of the ship's spirit, the deep green aquatic plants resemble a rapidly multiplying fungus, with branches, leaves, and roots like tentacles reaching outwards, extending outwards along the texture between the ship's planks.

In just a few seconds, the entire bow of the boat was dyed a bluish-green color, which then quickly spread towards the hull, which was being fiercely attacked by the fish.

Xia Nan was unsure of the exact extent of the spell's effect, or whether it had completely enveloped the outer hull of the Blade of Vengeance.

But what he could sense was...

A dozen seconds after the spell took effect, he sensed that the chilling, sharp, piercing sounds coming from beneath the water, the sounds of teeth piercing the ship's planks, had suddenly become hard and crisp.

The sound of "clinking and clattering" is like gnawing on something hard.

Maintaining this spell requires a state of focused concentration. After the spell ended, Druid Hein made no further moves, simply holding her staff and standing guard at the edge of the deck like Xia Nan, occasionally using pure energy missiles to blast the visible Spiral Sharks into pieces.

When your attention is highly focused, it seems as if even the flow of time speeds up.

As before, Xia Nan used his balance on the storm-swept deck to fulfill his duty as a "free man," rushing to help wherever manpower was needed, and taking crossbows from the sailors whenever he had a spare moment to shoot at the spiral sharks underwater.

It's unclear exactly how much time has passed.

All he knew was that when a third of his physical strength, which was only 8 points in terms of constitution, was depleted, a particularly dazzling and brilliant ray of sunlight suddenly burst forth from the depths of the clouds in the darkness.

It's like a harbinger that some kind of storm is about to pass.

As the sunlight quietly spread, the frequency of the nibbling sounds coming from beneath the sea gradually decreased, the swimming sharks became sparser, the towering waves were no longer like mountains, and even the howling winds that could almost sweep people away gradually subsided.

The storm receded much faster than it had come.

The warm and gentle sunshine was as always, and a slightly damp and cool sea breeze gently caressed my cheeks; the clear blue sky only had a few lazy white clouds in the distance, and the shimmering sea was flat, vast and tranquil.

Only the wrecked deck showed the violent scene that had just unfolded, like the end of the world.

The meaning of Ambori's nickname "Queen of the Shrewish Women" is fully embodied at this moment.

"Pfft."

The sailors' clothes were soaked through with a mixture of raindrops, seawater, and sweat.

Gasping for breath, their eyes were glazed over from exhaustion. Some sat down, pale-faced, leaning against the railing, while others collapsed onto the deck, too weak to even untie the safety rope around their waists.

The twin warriors, Ryan and Gordon, were also soaked to the bone. As professionals, their physical strength was naturally excellent. At this moment, they were cleaning up the deck and taking stock of the damage with a few crew members who still had the energy.

The bald, burly man, Arken, had been unable to vent his energy due to his barbarian profession, but after this storm, most of it had been released. At this moment, he was surprisingly calm, silently gazing at the sea, as if he had entered some kind of "wise man's moment".

Sasha, the spotted cat-man, landed lightly from the mast. The paw pads on his feet made his landing almost silent. As the crisis passed, his instincts once again overwhelmed his reason. His wet fur made him extremely uncomfortable, and he was like a wild cat that had accidentally fallen into the water, shaking his fur violently to shake off the water.

Captain Lorraine loosened her grip on the rudder, her slender fingers taking the wilted cigarette from her lips. Instinctively, she rubbed it towards the flaming scimitar at her waist, intending to relight it. Then, realizing her mistake, she casually tossed the cigarette butt into the sea, took out a cigarette case from the strap between her thighs, lit a new one, and took a deep drag, brushing away the strands of hair clinging to her cheeks as the smoke swirled around her.

Xia Nan's clothes were also soaked through, feeling sticky and uncomfortable against her skin. Her entire outfit had been drenched by raindrops and seawater, and would require careful maintenance afterward.

To some extent, after such a long period of in-depth research on "gravity control," he has actually been able to create a gravitational field around his body to keep rain out.

But he didn't do that just now.

On the one hand, his mental strength was indeed limited, and he had to do almost three things at once. He had to keep an eye on whether there were any places on the ship that needed manpower, observe the visible damage to the ship caused by the attack of the spiral shark, relieve the pressure on the crew members who were holding bows and crossbows, and occasionally step in to help when he encountered a crisis where the sailors were about to be swept off the ship by the waves.

There simply isn't the mental capacity to maintain the gravitational shield simultaneously.

On the other hand, it can also be considered a matter of human relationships and social customs.

Having only recently joined the team and being a temporary crew member, I believe that this sudden crisis, when dealt with together, will help me integrate into the team.

But after such a storm, everyone else on the ship, including the captain himself, was soaked by the rain, while he was the only one who was clean... Perhaps most people on the ship wouldn't think there was anything wrong with this, and might even be surprised by his special ability, but since it could save a lot of trouble and allow him to make the greatest contribution in this crisis, Xia Nan was willing to have this insight.

On the other side, standing at the bow of the ship, at the very front, was the druid Hein, whose long brown hair draped over her shoulders was slightly damp.

The magical particles surrounding her, the vibrant green light brimming with life, passively transformed the raindrops falling on her into pure elemental energy during the spellcasting, keeping her clothes dry.

The difference between having such a spellcaster in the team is unimaginable.

In most cases, when faced with unexpected encounters during an adventure, a spellcaster may not perform as well as a warrior or ranger in the party without prior preparation.

Her role lies in the versatility inherent in her profession. Take Hein as an example: facing a storm, she needed magical power even to keep her balance. If she were placed in any other position on the deck, whether it was maintaining masts and sails or shooting at the spiral sharks in the water, her efficiency would be far inferior to that of other professionals.

However, at the same time, when faced with the onslaught of fish in the water and the entire Blade of Vengeance was in grave danger, she was able to use the [Fast-Growing Vine Shell], which was most suitable for the current situation, to protect the hull and minimize the damage to the ship.

Its role is undeniably significant.

It's important to know that she's only a level 3 druid, and with her spellcasting limited, the highest circle of spells she can use is no more than the second circle.

Compared to their role in combat, their functionality and versatility are what make spellcasters so valued by adventurers in this world.

However, Hein, who had just helped the team escape from the crisis, did not seem to be in a very good mood.

The excessive mental energy she had consumed made her already pale face lose all color. Her brows were furrowed, as if she were thinking about something, and she turned and walked towards Xia Nan and the others.

“Something’s not right.” Hein said seriously. “The scorched-necked shark is not the type to act in groups. Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for them to form a school of this size.”

Nearby, perhaps swept ashore by a wave, a spiral shark about the length of a forearm was struggling on the deck. Covered in sharp teeth, its sucker-like mouth opened and closed in the air, and its light-colored belly was exposed as its tail fin swayed.

"Moreover, they rarely launch such a frenzied attack on passing ships. At most, they just move by using the bottom of the ship. The damage to the hull is often not discovered until the ship returns to port for inspection."

Storms are common on this sea, and everyone is used to it.

But even Captain Lorraine, the most experienced sailor on the ship, had never seen so many Helicopters appear at the same time.

There's definitely something wrong!
Furthermore, the only habitat for the scorched-necked shark in the vicinity is the Twin Ocean, so the origin of the problem is quite obvious.

Their destination, "Twin Oceans," may have undergone some unknown change, affecting the wrasse living there.

"Get ready."

Lorraine casually flicked the cigarette butt from between her fingers into the sea, making a pointed remark.

The pointed leather boot slammed down on the fish that had been washed ashore by the waves, crushing its head.

With a flick of the toe of his shoe, he kicked the stress-convulsing carcass of the spiral shark off the deck.

Xia Nan also kept a close eye on this and became more vigilant.

The reason I'm interested in the Twin Oceans is because there seems to be a secret realm in that area.

Now, suddenly encountering a group of unusually behaving sharks, said to be a species unique to the Twin Ocean, makes it hard not to connect the changes in the sharks with the secret realm itself.

Fortunately, I possess the [Looking into the Abyss] feat, which provides a resistance bonus against mind control abilities, thus offering some protection.

With his dark eyes fixed on the carcass of the spiral shark being carried away by the waves as the ship sailed, Xia Nan considered the journey ahead.

Just as the group was deep in thought, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from behind them.

Gordon, the younger of the twin warriors, emerged from the cabin, soaking wet and with a gloomy expression, and quickened his pace toward the group.

"Is there a problem inside?"

Knowing that the other party was in charge of matters inside the ship, and seeing Gordon's expression, combined with what had just happened in the storm, Lorraine could roughly guess the problem.

“It’s not too serious, we can hold on for a while.” Gordon nodded emphatically and said seriously, “Although Hein’s magic has greatly improved the ship’s defensive capabilities, there are still too many of those spiral sharks. There’s some water seepage near the bottom left side of the cabin.”

"I have arranged for the shipwright to carry out repairs, but for safety reasons, I do not recommend continuing the voyage for an extended period of time."

The damage to the Blade of Vengeance wasn't too severe, and Gordon, being a reserved and meticulous man, was unlikely to exaggerate or misjudge the situation. Continuing the voyage wasn't actually out of the question.

However, if it were to encounter another storm of the same magnitude, or even the same school of scorpionfish, it would be difficult to guarantee that the already battered Blade of Vengeance could withstand such an impact.

On such a vast ocean, if a ship sinks, all the crew members except the professionals will perish at sea.

This is something Lorraine, who had gone to great lengths to assemble such a team, cannot accept.

On the other hand, several days have passed since they left Suyu Bay, and who can guarantee that no more accidents will happen on their return journey?

After a moment's thought, Lorraine did not make a decision immediately.

Instead, he turned around and glanced up at the two seagulls flying across the sky.

Then he took out a compass from his pouch and carefully examined the directions by placing it flat in his palm.

Xia Nan was unsure of the specific method the other party used to determine their current location. It might be some special technique unknown to him, or an ability inherent to their profession.

But in just about three minutes, Lorraine gave her answer.

Fortunately, despite the storm, the ship was damaged and leaking, but the Blade of Vengeance was still near its original course and was even swept forward a considerable distance by the storm.

No additional supplies are needed, there is plenty of time, and the location is still within the familiar range on the sea chart.

After careful consideration, Captain Lorraine decided:

"There is an island that is marked on the nautical chart, about half a day's sail away."

"There is a small village on the island, inhabited by local fishermen who make a living by fishing. Merchant ships often stop there to trade, so there is no danger."

"We'll go to the island to rest for a while and also carefully inspect and repair all the damaged parts of the ship."

"If the problem is too serious to continue, it is acceptable to either return to the original route or stay there and wait for support."

"If the problem isn't too serious, we'll set off to continue our original mission."

(End of this chapter)