The "filthy" things kept pouring out until the entire sky was dyed a dark crimson!
Amid the clouds, lightning faintly flickered, tearing through the pitch-black sky to reveal inch by inch of light.
Yet that wasn't the light from the sun.
It seed more like... coming from the ground?!
Kedson vaguely saw a shadow, like a mirage, with towering mountains extending above the clouds, like an overturned bowl covering the entire sea.
He stood there dumbfounded, at a loss for words, as if he had been hit by an illusion technique.
What was that?
This was the only thought in his mind.
And not far from him, Ai Wen, crouching on the ground, dropped his pipe with a clatter onto the deck.
Like Kedson, his face was pale, his lips trembling so much he couldn't utter a syllable, his fingers tightly pointing at the ship's rail... seemingly his last remaining strength.
"Captain... over there!"
Kedson was abruptly snapped back to reality, turning his head to look at the sea on that side.
His face was etched with a look of terror.
It was a giant wave tens—if not hundreds—of ters high, like a wall dividing heaven and earth. In front of it, the Traveler was like an ant on an elephant's back!
"We're descending!" a sailor roared, clinging tightly to sothing nearby.
Soon, voices of panic responded to him—
"No—"
"It's the sea rising!"
No matter which was the case, it seed none would make their situation any more optimistic.
Fierce winds swept in with salty mist, ropes on the deck danced wildly like mad snakes, the canvas flapped loudly, almost tearing apart.
Wave after wave ca crashing, as if destroying intruders daring to co close.
Just then, a scream that tore through the fear suddenly rang out, stunning everyone from despair.
"Don't look up!"
Kedson suddenly drew his sword, its tip gleaming coldly, as if he wanted to cleave the giant wave apart with his roar.
"Return to your positions! We have to charge through!"
"It's Chaos! We're dood!" shouted a sailor clutching the mast, his face etched with despair.
"If you want to die, go die by yourself! I want to live! I've got to live!"
Kedson roared as he stepped onto the helm, raising his sword high, casting a distorted snake shadow under the lightning.
"Cut the mast! Increase the steam engine output to the maximum! Even if it blows the furnace apart—never let the engine stop!"
At that mont, the entire deck seed stunned by his roar, and the aimless crew instinctively sprang into action.
It must be said.
Humans at tis are really like sheep, always needing sothing to lead in front in order to move forward.
Facing the unprecedented wave, they had given up hope of survival, but at this mont renewed the hope for life.
The boiler spewed out scorched black steam, the chimney roared, spitting thick sputum into the almost solidified rain curtain!
The fragile ship moved like a waterbird against the wind amid the giant waves, staggering yet stubbornly moving forward.
It descended whilst advancing—
Like a wild beast running along the edge of a cliff, even though every struggle might plunge it into the abyss, it relentlessly kicked with its hind hooves.
Thunder, screams, cracking boards, steam explosions... everything intertwined together.
No one knows how much ti passed—
Perhaps a quarter-hour.
Perhaps just a few seconds!
It seed the gods heard their prayers, or maybe that strong will changed the direction of their fate.
With a deafening thunderclap, the Traveler seed to break through so invisible barrier, finally escaping the entanglent of misfortune, with scars all over it, rushing toward the sunlight from the chaos of the tsunami.
Dazzling light abruptly shone on their faces, piercing their pupils like a sword.
Ai Wen, lying next to the helm, wiped the seawater from his face, letting out an excited roar.
"Awooooo!!!"
They had succeeded!
They were still alive!
"Long live the Empire!"
"Long live Saint Sis!!"
The sailors roared excitedly, embracing each other, even kneeling down to kiss the salty wet deck.
However—
When they finally got up from the deck, panting and looking around, everyone stood there without exception.
What surrounded them wasn't the sea.
But serpent-like mountains and dense jungle...
"Chirp chirp chirp—"
The rustling insect noises in their ears were like a bizarre dream, as if the surging sea tides didn't exist at all.
However, the water droplets dripping from the half-broken mast reminded them that what had just happened wasn't a dream, nor an illusion of theirs.
"Is this... Seldo Port?"
"Doesn't quite look like it... the leaves there aren't this wide, the leaves aren't shaped like this."
"Did we go too far off course..."
"But no matter how far, you wouldn't end up stranded on a mountain, right?"
The sailors exchanged glances, suppressing their whispered conversations, eyes filled with panic as they looked around.
Ai Wen instinctively sniffed the air, only feeling the humidity and heaviness, even beyond the depths of the New Continent.
Is there really an Imperial colony here?
At this mont, a huge bird shadow suddenly swept overhead, making a shrill cry, as if terrified by sothing horrible, startling him to draw his side pistol.
Supporting himself along the guardrail to the bow, Kedson glanced around, his mind spinning with dizziness, it took a while to adapt to this sense of temporal confusion, yet he was stunned by the sight before him.
He had thought about being crushed by the giant wave, thought about being tossed skyward by the sea tide, but never thought the broken ship would be stranded halfway up a lush forested mountain.
He remained silent for a long ti before he finally swallowed hard.
Saint Sis above...
Where on earth had this brought him?
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