Episode 242

Just as a wave loomed beautifully, Ray hurriedly waved his hands.

Filling his arms with mana and moving them chaotically, he struck the wave. Soon, droplets scattered as the wave split apart with a crash.

Boom—!

He burst through the oncoming wave entirely and seized the small gap to dive below the surface.

Below, the waters were calmer than expected.

A world apart from the fiercely strong waves above.

As he carefully touched the wall and moved further down, he discovered a wooden board-shaped key attached under the ship.

Shielding his body with mana against the harsh current that made it hard to open his eyes, he looked up to see long aquatic plants and an unseen type of moss heavily clinging on.

“The ship won’t move like this.”

He manually removed them, and the key signaled by moving sideways.

The task ended quite easily, and as he was about to climb up the wall, his body suddenly froze.

“What is that?” In front of him, a huge protruding rock loomed.

Its size, comparable to a mountain, suggested that a collision would tear the ship’s iron plates to shreds.

His expression hardened as he glanced at the ship.

“The key has been unresponsive for too long.”

Clearly, such a rock should not exist on a straight path.

This means they must have veered quite a bit to the right.

He released his grip on the ship.

“Blast.”

A strong gust of wind acted as propulsion, shooting him quickly toward the rock.

The rock looked even more imposing up close.

Though its surface appeared hard, it was immensely huge.

There’s a limit to being big, but what if an entire mountain is submerged in the sea!

As Ray infused mana into his hand and clenched it, a sword made of aura blades materialized there.

Woong—

Its density was so high that it repelled the seawater, existing so effortlessly by itself, it could be called a legendary sword (名劍) in its own right.

With the sword at his waist, he stood leisurely and looked down at the rock before swinging the sword down.

Kwaaaak—!

Something seemed to scream, a bizarre howl, as half of the rock was cleanly sliced off.

Kukukung—

Looking at the whole, it still wasn’t enough.

It seemed necessary to cut everything down before the ship could pass this way.

As he gripped the sword harder and slashed a few more times, the giant mountain was reduced to the size of a small hill behind a village.

The way he carved out the rock with the sword resembled that of a sculptor.

Feeling pressed for time, he even cast magic in his anxious state.

“Wind Cutter! Explosion!”

Dozens of wind blades poured down, and with an ensuing chain of explosions, the rock could not withstand the assault and began to shrink in size.

No matter how huge the mountain, it seemed there was no way to withstand the endless mana, eventually revealing its base.

Kwaaaang—!

With the last booming sound, the existence of the rock seemed to vanish as it sank into the sea, and he hurriedly searched for the ship, rejoicing inwardly.

However, he had to immediately stop his movements due to the killing intent pouring from behind.

He swung his hand towards the origin of the killing intent, sending out a sword wave, and not long after, a sea monster lay dead.

But that was not the end.

The dead monster’s friend, its immediate family, and even distant cousins gathered to pressure him, making it a tough fight in the sea, no matter who he was.

“Uaaaak!”

He wanted to scream refreshingly, but being underwater, that was an unattainable wish.

His journey was still far from over.

“Heh heh…”

Like a deep-sea fish dragged onto land, he lay exhausted on the deck, gasping for breath. Hael and Iriel said with pitying expressions,

“You look terrible.”

“Ray, your face is half gone. It’s a relief you don’t age, but you’ve suddenly aged ten years in a moment.”

“Heh… Heh…”

Having experienced all sorts of affection from sea monsters that no one else has, he trembled like a leaf.

He couldn’t go again, even if asked.

But, contrary to his worries, fortunately, the key was repaired, and the ship’s hull was in a condition to withstand the journey, so they could possibly reach the trading port if they just escaped this place.

A few young men approached him and reported,

“The waves have weakened.”

“We’re not far from our destination according to the map. Just a little more strength, please.”

With the consecutive pieces of good news, he took a breath and responded,

“Don’t relax just yet. Raise the sails if the waves weaken further. From then on, we row.”

“Understood.”

As the young men disappeared after their brief response, Ray also got up.

Fumbling for a moment, he took out a map soaked in seawater and placed his finger on the trading port.

Until just moments ago, he resembled a squid dried under the scorching sun, but now, showing the demeanor of a noble gentleman versed in both literary and martial arts, Hael couldn’t help but intervene curiously.

“What are you doing?”

“There are things to do once we arrive at the trading port. To go back to the Eastern Continent from the Western Continent, we need to board another ship.”

Hearing his words, Hael’s face turned pale.

“Board again!”

Did it mean they had to repeat all this!

Noticing her dismay, Ray shook his head and said,

“It won’t be like this. Think of it as a leisurely cruise on a calm sea.”

“Umm…”

She sighed in agreement.

“I understand. I’ll let the clan leader know.”

“Please do. Oh, and just in case, tell the people in the engine room below not to leave their posts. The waves have weakened, but we’re still not sure.”

“Got it.”

As Hael went down, Iriel murmured,

“Your mana is always impressive. The energy that flows out unintentionally is no joke.”

“Our situation is no joke either. The funds we have are even less of a joke.”

He sighed as he thought of some countermeasures.

Money is necessary wherever you go, even just to eat, yet there are only a few gold coins in our possession.

“If I had known, I would have brought more.”

“Right. Even if we make it to the trading port, we barely have enough to buy ingredients.”

“It seems we’ll have to resort to sleeping rough for a few days. From the Silia Kingdom, we’ll walk to the Holy Kingdom, selling the hides of animals we hunt whenever we come across a village. That should bring in some money.”

“That alone will have its limits.”

To Iriel’s worried words, he replied nonchalantly,

“If we don’t have it, we’ll just starve.”

A day and a half had passed since they boarded the ship.

Now, the waves were calm, and without any particular threats, they could sail quite leisurely.

From afar, the glinting crimson lights made the elders, instructors, and young men alike shout in excited voices,

“It’s a village!”

“Finally, we’ve arrived at the port!”

“This is the outside world!”

At their loud voices, even the clan leader and Haeyel, who had warned against causing a commotion, came out onto the deck and gaped at the harbor.

“It’s impressive.”

“The architecture is quite something.”

They had only ever built wooden houses for a few hundred years.

Here, they used stone and processed wood to create fine houses, so the gap in architectural technology between them could be said to be as vast as the distance between heaven and earth.

It was a sight they had never seen in their lives.

Since they had never left the island before, such a reaction was natural.

As they gasped in admiration, getting closer to the harbor with the eyes of a girl in her first love, Ray prepared to anchor and dock the ship by himself.

As the ship came to a complete stop at the harbor, the guards, sensing something amiss, frowned and gestured.

Approaching from the ship, the waiting guards spoke.

“Unauthorized ships cannot dock at the harbor. Go back.”

“What’s with these beggarly folks coming on a ghost ship… Tsk tsk.”

The tough voyage had left their clothes in tatters, and the once clean and majestic ship was now cracked and in a hideous state.

Given that extent, the guards’ disregard was somewhat expected.

“Where can we get permission?”

At his question, one guard pointed far away with his finger.

“Permission for the western trading harbor is granted only by the Priyas Holy Kingdom. If you thought there was a separate reception, you’re mistaken.”

“Is that so? Then please let us use the harbor for a moment. There should be a communication network. Showing them this badge should roughly explain.”

As he spoke and presented a silver badge, the guard shook his head.

“There’s no communication network for the likes of you. The Holy Kingdom is too busy right now.”

As the other party continued to be obstinate, his mood was also soured.

“It’s strange. Why do you keep making me crooked today?”

Muttering incomprehensibly, a group of young men jumped off one side of the ship.

Despite the considerable distance they jumped, the guards gulped at the expressionless faces that showed no sign of impact.

“What is the matter?”

“Is there a problem?”

They frowned, ready to eliminate any immediate issues, but the mana flowing out from them inadvertently constricted the guards.

Each one was a force beyond a Sword Master.

With such momentum pouring out from them towards the guards, those patrolling the nearby area could not possibly handle it.

One guard quickly continued,

“Now that I think about it, there seems to have been a spare mana crystal lying around. I’ll check on it.”

Snatching the silver badge and disappearing into a tent, Ray smirked.

Indeed, the universal language across all countries was power, a moment that reconfirmed this.

After showing the suspicious silver badge through the communication network, a commotion broke out in the Priyas Holy Kingdom.

“They are saints!”

“To prepare for any potential threats to their safety, temporarily close off the trading harbor and dispatch the nearby paladins!”

Even the normally arrogant crystal guardian leaped up in a hurry, leaving the guards open-mouthed in shock.

What was the identity of these beggars on a ghost ship if not saints from the Eastern Continent!

The young guard’s complexion turned ashen as he trembled.

“This is serious. We must offer them hospitality right away.”

“Umm… The guard unit, bring the saints immediately.”

Though the tone was troubled, there was no other choice for him.

The water had already been spilled, and all that was left was to clean up the mess.