I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

"Actually, storms in the doldrums are a good thing for us because as long as the wind direction is right, we can travel a long distance in the doldrums."

Ah Xiang didn't look nervous at all; in fact, he seemed quite relaxed.

"I remember that if there's a storm, you should furl the sails."

Xia glanced at the white sails on the mainmast billowing in the wind.

If the sails are not furled in a strong wind, the ship will soon capsize due to the airflow, or the mast will break due to the strong wind.

Most typhoons that humans perceive have traveled a long distance and weakened over land; true typhoons can only be seen at sea.

Due to the influence of seawater, the air pressure at the center of these typhoons is extremely low, exceeding the limits of human understanding.

For example, the one before Lu Ban.

In the doldrums, massive clouds that had been gathering for the past two days had now formed a deep black cloud layer, blocking out the sky.

The sea became turbulent, making the voyage of ships unstable.

Looking ahead, you can see a pure black cloud, with countless flashes of lightning. Huge and thick bolts of lightning strike the sea, spreading out in the dark waters like a fiery tree, illuminating the gloomy depths.

After Lu Ban finished eating, he went to the bow of the ship and looked ahead.

You can see a very clear boundary in the middle of the ocean.

Beyond the boundary, here, waves surge and the wind carries you on.

Within the boundary, the seawater was calm, without a single wave, like a mirror.

Even lightning falling into the boundary seemed pale and powerless, as if it possessed some extraordinary power that dissolved all conflicts and contradictions, returning everything to nothingness.

Boom—

As thunder roared in succession, Lu Ban saw that the lightning bolt that had attempted to break the silence within the boundary began to slow down after entering the domain. Its original speed had vanished, leaving only a slow current gradually forming in the air before finally falling into the sea, spreading out like fireworks, and disappearing into nothingness.

The doldrums appear to be more than just a lack of wind.

It seems that this place completely defies the laws of science, causing everything that enters the windless zone to come to a standstill.

"I'll give it a try."

Shea came to Lu Ban's side, condensed an invisible ball of magic in her hand, and then fired an arrow toward the edge of the windless zone.

A moment later, the invisible arrow entered the windless zone. It stubbornly moved forward, but eventually attenuated and disappeared a few hundred meters after entering the windless zone.

"It's not just the wind that's stopped; all movement will gradually come to a halt, and that's a result of pollution."

"Sia murmured."

Without the ability to resist pollution, once in the doldrums, the first thing that happens is the stagnation of airflow, then the inability of ships to move, and finally the exhaustion of human bodily functions. Even the growth and reproduction of bacteria will tend to stop.

This is the space that is truly stagnant.

For Xia and Lu Ban, this pollution should not be a problem.

But for the people on board, it was a bit of a problem.

Shea glanced at the sailors, then spoke to Nagamasa.

"Captain, let's wait until nightfall before entering the calm zone."

"Night? Why?"

Changzheng didn't quite understand. The storm was about to spread, and if they wanted to use the wind to enter the calm zone, now was the best time. If they waited until night, they might miss it.

The typhoon moves very fast at sea and disappears in an instant. It's only noon now, and it may be past midnight before the typhoon really leaves them.

But since it was Xia who said it, Nagamasa didn't dare to ask any more questions.

He had never actually been to the Calm Belt; he had only heard about it from his seniors, and he was still a little excited.

"Fold up the sails and pull everything off the deck."

Captain Changzheng gave the order.

The sailors got busy.

Lu Ban knew very well that Xi Ya should wait until after midnight to pray for a suitable spell to resist the pollution of the windless zone. Although this matter could actually be entrusted to Leopard, it just felt a bit off to have an avatar of an outer god protect humanity.

As the sailors emptied the deck and gradually returned to their cabins, it began to rain.

At first it was just a light drizzle, but soon the rain intensified, accompanied by thunder and lightning, and crashing waves.

If anchor is dropped at this time, the ship may not be able to withstand the pulling force and break directly, and can only drift with the current, relying on its own weight and stability to fight against the storm.

"Let the storm rage on!"

Captain Nagamasa stood beside the helm, using his steering skills to control the ship's direction, directing the bow towards the direction of the surging waves. If the ship were level with the waves, it would easily exacerbate the capsizing and cause the vessel to capsize.

Without the power of sails, only Changzheng's rudder can determine the fate of this ship.

The wind howled, and lightning snaked through the clouds like long serpents. The sailors sat in their cabins, eyes closed, praying to a god whose whereabouts were unknown.

At the very bottom of the cabin, Sia also had her eyes closed, but she was waiting.

At midnight, the ship was caught in the storm and had reached the edge of the calm zone and normal sea area, about to plunge into the calm zone.

Captain Changzheng was soaked to the bone. He saw a silent world ahead, and in that silence, madness and terror were brewing.

With no chance of resistance, the entire ship plunged into the doldrums.

Meanwhile, inside the cabin, Sia opened her eyes.

Chapter 813 Sailing Far Without Wind

The moment the ship entered the doldrums, Nagamasa sensed that something had changed.

He heard the thunder rumble lower, and the raging storm in the distance suddenly subsided. The noise that had been filling his ears disappeared, leaving only a silent world.

He felt as if the air itself had solidified, his breathing had become difficult, the once light air had become heavy, and even his own reactions had become sluggish.

However, the next moment, as if a spring breeze were blowing on his cheek, Nagamasa felt that everything had returned to normal. He took a deep breath of fresh air, turned around, and looked at the storm behind the ship.

The gales continued outside the doldrums, but within the doldrums, all was peaceful and serene.

The ship stopped less than 100 meters from the edge of the calm zone, and it seemed that even in the midst of a raging storm, it would be difficult for the ship to take advantage of the wind to go deeper.

Or to put it another way, those who can navigate in the doldrums mostly possess some kind of extraordinary ability.

Nagamasa gazed into the depths of the doldrums and saw that the seawater was as smooth and flat as a mirror, without the slightest breeze stirring up any ripples. He took a button from his pocket and threw it into the sea.

The button disappeared into the water, creating a small ripple, but it quickly subsided and the water returned to its calm state.

"There really is no wind here."

As Nagamasa was reflecting on this, he saw the sailors coming out of their cabins, curiously looking around at their surroundings.

"What are you all standing there for? Take that device out."

Nagamasa hurriedly gave instructions.

The sailors hurriedly carried the heavy equipment aboard and installed it at the stern. Nagamasa poured a barrel of wine, threw the burning wick into the spark plug, and started the steam engine.

"Ok?"

He found that the machine was not responding, so he pulled the rope used to make the piston turn again.

This time, the pleasant sound of the engine finally rang out.

The propellers turned, and the entire ship began to move slowly.

"It's pretty good, but it consumes a lot of alcohol."

Nagamasa sighed, gulped down a large mouthful of wine, and then poured the rest into the steam engine.

Lu Ban also came to the deck.

Sia's magic ensured that the area around the ship remained unpolluted. Lu Ban used [True Sight] to look around, and countless characters appeared.

A force that brings everything to a standstill surrounds you; don't stop moving forward.

There seems to be something unusual ahead; proceed with caution.

[If you die here, your body won't decay for hundreds of years. Isn't that amazing!]

It's best to keep your voice down; any movement in this quiet place will attract their attention.

"It seems there are other creatures here."

That's normal. The treasure map depicts those monsters. Although the Calm Belt would make everything stand still, there are bound to be creatures that can escape it by relying on their own extraordinary abilities.

This also explains why, in such a tranquil sea, anything that could move normally would be quickly noticed by those monsters.

Just like...now.

Lu Ban glanced at the roaring steam engine.

The next moment, he felt a certain thrill.

Reaching the bow of the ship, under the starlight, Lu Ban saw some kind of dark shadow gathering beneath the calm sea ahead.

Pollutions attract each other.

These monsters, which can move freely in the Calm Belt, must have been exposed to a lot of pollution. They also crave other forms of pollution. Once they detect someone entering the Calm Belt, they will follow the movement.

Lu Ban's [True Vision] allows him to see the monster's full appearance.

It was a serpentine monster, about as thick as an oil tanker, with sharp scales covering its body and pale bony armor covering its head, just like the monster depicted on the treasure map.

This time, Lu Ban saw it clearly: it wasn't that bones were wrapped around the skin, but that the head itself was just bones.

Without skin, muscles, or blood vessels, the head was empty, with two eyes flashing with azure flames that burned fiercely in the sea, illuminating a vast expanse of ocean and dimming the stars.

The serpent's body was entirely skeleton, devoid of flesh and blood, like a spirit that had been dead for many years rising from a pile of bones. Its bones were black, appearing and disappearing in the seawater.

This snake was a hundred meters long, enough to capsize the entire ship. It was very fast and was within arm's reach in the blink of an eye.

Lu Ban stood at the bow of the ship, a silver revolver materializing in his hand [Last Words].

He loaded the bullets of the great being's delirious ramblings, aimed at the approaching monster, and decisively fired.

An invisible bullet suddenly struck the monster, and Lu Ban saw that the monster's movements suddenly became less fluid.

It suddenly began to twist and turn, creating waves in the water and breaking the calm surface of the sea. The monster darted towards the sky, the flames in its eyes turning red and quickly spreading throughout its entire body.

It seems that although these creatures are able to move in the Calm Belt, they are still unable to resist the ravings of the Great Being.