Chapter 31

When the warship sailed into the Sea of Death, Luo Zhengdao, sensing the special natural environment here and the dangers it harbored, strictly ordered the sailors to clean the ship from the bottom hold to the deck every day. Creatures like cockroaches and rats became his particular bane, and he even had the ship's compartments sealed off in sections, asking Vina to use her poison spells to clear them out. The Sea of Death is a place where negative energy gathers. A healthy human body can barely resist the silent erosion of this negative energy, which merely leaves one feeling mentally and physically exhausted, akin to the negative weakness of being chronically fatigued from working overtime and suffering from a hangover. However, if one falls ill by accident, it would be a serious matter, slowly waiting for a minor illness to turn into a major one, and then dying from it!

In such a perilous environment, maintaining the cleanliness of the ship became a necessary response measure. The direct cause of most sailors' deaths could be attributed to infection, especially in a terrible place like the Sea of Death. If an epidemic broke out on the ship, everyone on board would be doomed.

The residents of the New World generally lacked hygiene knowledge, which had nothing to do with the level of medical care but was purely due to their low level of education. Saying they never took a bath all year was an exaggeration, but not washing hands before meals and after using the toilet was a common bad habit. Most pirate warships and merchant ships were negligent in hygiene management, with lazy sailors allowing rats to run rampant in their cabins. They would just keep a few cats to catch the rats, and the arduous task of regularly cleaning the deck was a strict habit only practiced by the navies of major countries. The officers' motives were not to improve hygiene conditions to reduce the likelihood of an epidemic but to maintain the ship's appearance, avoiding any damage to the necessary dignity and image of the national military.

No one knows what the next piece of chocolate will taste like, as Forrest Gump said. Often, life is just as unpredictable.

Luo Zhengdao, once seen by his teachers as a typical example of someone who had lost his way, had not wasted his time being obsessed with games like the Age of Exploration. He had read a lot of related materials, and although his knowledge in this area could not match that of professionals, he was confident in applying some of it to manage his two warships.

Stepping up to Zola Hegel's side, Luo Zhengdao, with a pale face, asked, "How is it? Is there anything unusual today?"

"No, Captain. The sea has been calm, and there have been no abnormalities."

Staying in such a sinister environment is a great test of one's mental strength, let alone the negative energy that adds to the trouble. The Sea of Death is a terrible place; just being here is a form of mental torture.

Luo Zhengdao looked at the gray sky and scanned the sailors' spirits around him. Feeling that his emergency response plan was effective, he nodded in satisfaction and said, "Alright! Keep an eye on the sea. If you notice anything, inform me immediately. Also, I hope the boatswain won't be too rough with them. The Sea of Death is no place for humans. Tell the quartermaster to loosen the food standards a bit. We are not short of food now."

Zola Hegel looked at Luo Zhengdao, realizing he was not joking, and nodded in agreement, "Yes, Captain."

Hearing that they would enjoy special treatment with extra meals, the expressionless sailors finally showed a hint of long-lost joy. They only felt alive when they were eating, not like the undead creatures in the Sea of Death, who had become walking dead.

The clear bell rang, signaling lunchtime. The sailors on the deck began to take turns eating. In the dimly lit Sea of Death, the lighting conditions were as poor as those in the polar regions of the old world during the polar night. Being on the deck was slightly better, but even during the day, one had to light oil lamps and candles to move around in the cabins. Otherwise, it would be almost pitch black. Lighting a lamp did not mean lighting a fire, as the ship was full of flammable and explosive materials. Playing with fire in such a place was no different from setting oneself on fire. Fires were allowed on the deck, but not below it. Fortunately, the technology level in the New World was not advanced, and magic could replace technological products, providing limited lighting for the sailors when they did not use candles.

As Luo Zhengdao rubbed a cheap magic crystal, the stored spell was activated, and the magical desk lamp gradually brightened the captain's cabin. The light was soft and not harmful to the eyes.

Seeing this, Luo Zhengdao marveled at the wonders of the magical world and then rang the dinner bell. The servants outside began to set the table, and Luo Zhengdao, as usual, invited Vina Dubov to have lunch with him. This was the most sumptuous meal he had had on the ship in recent days.

"Since we left Tahuna Island, it's been a long time since I've had such a formal lunch!"

One learns from one's mistakes. The time the Yangwei and Chaoyong spent docked at the Fairy Garden was very short. Luo Zhengdao, having learned from the previous miserable experiences of being chased by the goblin fleet, suffering from cold and hunger, immediately dispatched people to replenish supplies intensively upon landing. The Yangwei's current supply level was far superior to that of the previous voyages.

Compared to Luo Zhengdao and Vina Dubov, who looked somewhat out of place eating Western food with chopsticks, the little fairy Dangdang was much more straightforward. She jumped into the dessert plate, hugging a pudding ten times her size, and shouted, "Hey! Dangdang loves pudding!"

Seeing this, Luo Zhengdao, unable to help but laugh, tapped the table with his chopsticks and reminded the little fairy, "Hey, Dangdang, can you finish such a big pudding? Why don't we share it?"

"Dangdang wants pudding!"

Hearing Luo Zhengdao's suggestion, Dangdang, like a dog protecting its food, clenched her tiny fists and threatened Luo Zhengdao. Driven by her appetite, her combat power had at least increased from 5 to 6!

Luo Zhengdao, whose mood had been depressed by the sinister environment of the Sea of Death, was completely charmed by the little fairy's performance. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Alright! Alright! You can eat it. I can afford one pudding."

Just then, a knock came on the door of the captain's cabin, and a voice said, "Captain, the boatswain says there's something on the sea. Please come up immediately."

Hearing this, Luo Zhengdao's appetite was ruined. He didn't complain but pulled off his napkin and headed for the stern deck. The half-elf beauty also stood up, while the carefree little fairy Dangdang continued to munch on the honey fruit pudding, which was ten times her size.

Luo Zhengdao, with his hand on the hilt of his sword, quickly arrived at the stern deck. The boatswain, Zola Hegel, came forward and handed him a monocular telescope, pointing to the area of concern. Without much need for words, just looking at the boatswain's twisted face, Luo Zhengdao knew something was wrong. He didn't ask more but closed one eye and looked through the telescope. After a moment, his expression changed, and he put down the telescope, saying, "When did you notice it?"

"Just now. It seemed to appear out of the fog, with no prior signs."

Hearing this, Luo Zhengdao fell into deep thought. After a while, he seemed to make a big decision and said solemnly, "Zola, ring the bell! Wake up all the sailors and prepare for battle."

Warships on long voyages do not anchor to rest. They operate on a 7x24-hour shift system, with many sailors resting in the cabins even during the day, as someone needs to be on duty at night. Except when the ship is docked in port, this rule is always followed.

Luo Zhengdao was not the type to overreact, but the sight before him made him very uneasy, and he had to prepare for the worst. What could have made Luo Zhengdao so nervous? Through the fog-like negative energy haze on the sea, the outline of a black ship gradually appeared in the sailors' view. It could maintain extreme silence even at high speed, making the ghost ship in the Sea of Death a truly ghostly presence. If you closed your eyes, an ordinary person might not even notice its existence. However, when you opened your eyes again, the tattered sails and the black, decayed hull of the ghost ship clearly indicated that it was not of this world.

"Captain, we are ready for battle!"

Zola Hegel's report was the only good news Luo Zhengdao had heard in the past hour. He worriedly leaned on the railing, staring at the ghost ship that was following them, and said, "Do not fire unless they make a move. If they get too close, open fire immediately and keep your distance. Avoid close combat."

Deciding to solve the problem with artillery, Luo Zhengdao's gaze fell on the half-elf beauty, who was also a gunner, and he nodded at Vina, saying, "This time, it's all up to you."

"Sure, don't worry. I've had some dealings with the undead."

Clearly, dealing with ghost ships, which are hard to predict, was not something even an experienced adventurer could be confident about. Despite her confident words, Vina Dubov's tone revealed some weakness and hesitation, far from the firmness of her words.

Time passed, and the ghost ship following the Yangwei and Chaoyong maintained a subtle distance, neither attacking nor leaving, like a pack of hungry wolves following their prey in the snow, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Soon, the sunset in the Sea of Death arrived, and the already dim, hazy sky turned completely dark. When a crescent moon appeared in the sky, the faint, almost imperceptible moonlight barely provided any light. At this moment, the ghost ship at the rear of the fleet began to accelerate toward the Yangwei. It chose to attack the Yangwei rather than the weaker Chaoyong because the lead position in the formation had been quietly switched to the Chaoyong. This was a decision made by Luo Zhengdao, otherwise, following pirate rules, they would have abandoned the weakest ship to save the rest.

PS: Consider changing the update time to 8 AM and 8 PM. This would be more balanced. If you have any opinions, please leave them in the book review section.

[Page Break]

[Page Break]