Chapter 79

"Listen up, lower the top sail, slow down, be careful of the reefs, and the lookout should keep a close watch on the surroundings."

Amidst the cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Zola, the boatswain, quickly regained his composure after a brief moment of shock and began to shout orders to the sailors, urging them to start working. Soon, with the sails half-rolled up, the Yangwei sailed slowly into the "Dragon's Gorge." The scenery quickly changed from the vast and deep Ether Sea to a complex terrain composed of numerous jagged rocks, mud, and gravel. It must be said that navigating through such unpredictable and narrow passages made every move feel like walking on thin ice, creating a strong sense of tension. Even a sturdy battleship, if it were to scrape against these mountain-sized rocks, would end up as either a pile of firewood or a bunch of toothpicks.

After inspecting the deck, Zola Hegel returned to the stern deck and reported to Luo Zhengdao:

"Sir, it seems the bounty hunters have given up the chase and are turning back."

Hearing this, Luo Zhengdao closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then shook his head and sighed:

"No, I think those bastards have just temporarily left. They will come back sooner or later."

Regarding the greed and darkness hidden in human nature, people in the New World, who were accustomed to acting openly, understood these dark aspects far less deeply than those in the Old World. Only someone like Luo Zhengdao, who had witnessed the chilling darkness, could objectively analyze the spirit of an era from a perspective that transcended time. Despite this, he firmly believed that the ugly aspects of human nature would not change, and the New World was no better than the Old World. The difference was that the Old World was accustomed to packaging ugliness and filth under a halo of positive energy, while the New World exposed these negative aspects without restraint. If one were to compare the darkness, it would be like a crow landing on a pig—neither could laugh at the other's blackness.

"Lookout reports, situation spotted ahead!"

Upon hearing this, Luo Zhengdao immediately extended the bronze-gilded monocular telescope and looked in the direction of the bow. He lowered the telescope with a grim expression and said to the boatswain:

"Zola, do you know of any other way to get around?"

With such a massive floating dragon blocking the passage, it was clear even without a telescope. Zola Hegel, who was now in no mood for anything, said with a grim face:

"I'm afraid not. This is the only way. The risk of taking any other route would be even greater. I think we might be able to pass through the gap on the side. Shall we give it a try?"

With no other options, Luo Zhengdao hesitated for a long time, looking up at the sky, and finally nodded in agreement with this somewhat unreliable plan.

After failing to strongly oppose, the first mate, Brandt Fiery, had no choice but to accept Luo Zhengdao's order. He carefully held the steering wheel, and the Yangwei moved forward at a turtle's pace, trying to find a gap between the uneven rock formations and the massive floating dragon.

If the slender and elongated sea dragons were compared to sea serpents, the short and stout body of the floating dragon would be more like a giant whale from the Old World. As the pirate ship moved slowly forward, more and more details of the floating dragon's massive body became visible. When the pirates looked up in awe, they could even see the fine scales on its skin. For those naturalists who sought to uncover the mysteries of the world, such a close-up observation of a floating dragon would be a godsend, a great opportunity to understand its lifestyle. However, Luo Zhengdao, who had been forced into this situation, hoped he would never have such good luck, especially a close encounter with a prehistoric monster.

"Sssss..."

A rhythmic, fine-grained friction sound arose. Luo Zhengdao, alert, asked:

"What's that sound?"

The experienced and decisive boatswain, Zola, sensed an uncontrollable and eerie trend in the current situation. He slowly drew his cutlass, preparing for battle. At that moment, a few shrill screams came from the bow, followed by someone shouting:

"Ah! Jumping bugs! They're jumping bugs! Get over here and kill these disgusting bugs!"

"Boom—"

"Roar—"

As the old saying goes, good things never come in pairs, but bad things do. When the jumping bugs caused chaos on the Yangwei, leading to an accidental firing of a fully loaded hawk cannon on the upper deck, the stone projectile hit the floating dragon, which was sleeping and eating. The giant beast immediately went berserk, and the deafening roar created a sense of oppression that made everyone feel as if their blood was about to freeze.

"Quick, full speed ahead."

Luo Zhengdao, agitated, shouted at the deck, then ran to the bow. He had to deal with the internal threat before the external one. If the jumping bugs were not quickly eliminated, who knew what chaos would ensue.

In the wildlife of the Old World, even the seemingly gentle and slow African elephants, once enraged, could make even the top predators like lion prides retreat. Imagine the consequences of accidentally provoking a super monster like a floating dragon, which would not be a minor issue.

Not far away, a floating rock with a diameter of several dozen meters was shattered to pieces by the enraged floating dragon. The debris of the unfortunate rock splattered in all directions, and a few pieces hit the Yangwei's hull, creating a sound like machine gun fire. If the Yangwei's hull were not of high quality, the people inside would have been turned into sieves. Seeing the imminent threat, the pirates, regardless of the risk of high-speed navigation, followed Luo Zhengdao's order and unfurled all the sails to escape.

Needless to say, the full sails gave the former Yaling warship an unparalleled escape speed. The frightened passengers felt as if the warship had been kicked hard and then shot forward.

Driving recklessly has risks, and this traffic warning applies equally in the New World. When the Yangwei began to recklessly charge through the "Dragon's Gorge," a rock formation about five meters in size appeared ahead, unseen by the pirates. A tragedy was inevitable.

"Thud! Creak—"

The sound of impact and the grating sound of wood breaking echoed. The Yangwei's foremast, which collided with the rock first, snapped in half, significantly reducing the ship's speed. At this critical moment, with the enraged floating dragon in hot pursuit, Luo Zhengdao, pale and frightened, smiled bitterly. He reached into his spatial bag, knowing that the cost of using a magic card was better than being crushed by a giant beast.

"Activate, Hall of Radiance!"

In response, countless beams of light shot from the void, the white light so intense that it made it impossible to open one's eyes. To be honest, for Luo Zhengdao, the first thought when faced with difficulties was to rely on the infinite power of the magic card to solve the crisis, much like a drug addict depending on drugs for a boost.

There was a direct causal relationship between the荒神 curse and the use of magic cards. The more Luo Zhengdao used his magic card, the more dangerous it became. This powerful golden finger was a suicidal act, a desperate measure to quench thirst with poison, and certainly not a good sign. Despite this, while onlookers could criticize the situation, Luo Zhengdao had no other choice. Knowing the harm of using the magic card, he could not resist the urgent reality. Whether he faced it head-on or avoided it, the outcome was the same. Chronic suicide was inevitable. Luo Zhengdao only hoped that the magic card would help him overcome this crisis, and he would deal with the consequences later.

Often, people are not making simple choices between good and bad, but are forced to choose between bad and worse.

Since coming to the New World, the power of the magic card had never let Luo Zhengdao down, except for the inability to solve the荒神 curse. The "Hall of Radiance" magic card indeed lived up to Luo Zhengdao's expectations, pinning the floating dragon in mid-air with countless bright white light arrows, creating a dramatic and tense scene of a hungry tiger pouncing. Before the magic card's effect wore off, the floating dragon could neither attack nor be attacked, frozen in a temporal rift.

Seeing this, the pirates, after a brief moment of shock, burst into cheers. Such a dramatic turn of events was truly thrilling!

Amid the jubilation of his crew, Luo Zhengdao, standing on the command platform, smiled helplessly, a hint of worry on his face. The magic card worked as expected, but he had to prepare for the cost. If not for the immense power to turn the tide, how could a mere mortal like a magic card user force the荒神 into a corner? Luo Zhengdao, looking at the spectacular scene he had created, felt a mix of joy and sorrow. He had only been out of bed for a few days, and it seemed he would have to return to bed soon. Indeed, man cannot defy fate!

Seeing this, the boatswain, Zola, looked deeply at Luo Zhengdao, seemingly relieved. He re-sheathed his cutlass and said to the first mate, Brandt:

"Brandt, get the ship moving! What are you waiting for?"

Brandt Fiery, who had never truly witnessed the incredible power Luo Zhengdao inherited from the magic card user, only realized it when called upon. He quickly turned the helm and set sail. The Yangwei, with its damaged foremast, fled the perilous "Dragon's Gorge" at top speed.

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