Chapter 87

"Search the entire ship thoroughly, leaving no blind spots. Everyone should work in groups and clear every cabin, regardless of size. I don’t want to hear about important navigation instruments being sabotaged again, only to find no culprit afterward."

This resolute statement naturally came from Luo Zhengdao. Despite the many unreasonable demands, his subordinates had no position to question the order and could only passively accept it. After all, on a ship sailing the vast ocean, the captain’s will is the will of all crew members, an unchallengeable principle. Even if everyone thought the captain was wrong or incompetent, they would have to vote to remove him from his position first. Otherwise, the captain’s orders must be carried out, an unwritten rule that sailors adhere to. Allowing everyone to speak their minds and ignore each other would lead to chaos and disaster.

At this moment, Fuer Xiaobang solemnly said to Luo Zhengdao:

"Yes, my lord, I will ensure the task is completed."

Hearing this, Luo Zhengdao said nothing, patted the one-eyed Fuer on the shoulder, and then walked out of the meeting room alone, perhaps as his final response.

Whether they were busy to the point of hitting their heels with their heads or living a leisurely life, sleeping until noon every day, time always flowed bit by bit. The pirate ship Yangwei sailed in the dimly lit Dark Sea, like a lonely ghost ship traversing a desolate and lifeless world, a scene that made people shudder.

"Captain, the sea is starting to fog up."

Hearing the boatswain’s reminder, Luo Zhengdao, wearing a deep gray woolen military coat from the Elven Federation, nodded as he patrolled the deck, his vigilance rising. Sea fog is a potential threat to navigation, especially in such a dimly lit area. A slight mistake could lead to a collision with a reef, causing the ship to sink and the crew to perish, which is no laughing matter.

Scanning the increasingly indistinct and gloomy sea, Luo Zhengdao said:

"Zola, you are familiar with the Dark Sea. Is such fog common?"

In the darkness, Zola Heigel, whose eyes and teeth were the only visible parts, paused before answering:

"No, Captain. The Dark Sea has too little light to accumulate enough heat to form fog. This is a very rare occurrence; I have only seen it once before."

Understanding the implications, Luo Zhengdao smiled slightly and narrowed his eyes:

"Oh, so you mean the source of this fog is suspicious!"

After a moment of contemplation, Luo Zhengdao raised his voice:

"Send someone to inform the two mage advisors to see me."

The idea of a pirate leader keeping mages might sound like a joke. Pirates are notoriously poor, otherwise, they wouldn’t need to risk their lives for wealth. In the New World, mages are considered wealthy elites, and these two groups are usually unrelated.

Magic, or arcane arts, is a discipline that seeks the truth of things. In a sense, magic and science are two sides of the same coin. Both propose hypotheses and attempt to explain the laws that govern the world and how they interact, ultimately seeking the profound truths hidden behind these laws or using these hypotheses to guide practical technological development to prove their feasibility in the real world.

Just as in the fable of the blind men and the elephant, where each blind man touches a different part of the elephant and draws vastly different conclusions, it would be absurd to claim that the elephant is only a leg or a body.

In essence, mages in the New World are the same as scientists in the Old World, both driven by an unquenchable passion for research. They dedicate their entire lives to the relentless pursuit of truth. Those who join this field solely for power, wealth, or women are merely pretenders, destined to fail because they started in the wrong direction.

Luo Zhengdao’s existence as a pirate earl disrupts the New World’s understanding of social order. Being both a pirate and a noble, he brings about a series of seemingly comical and bizarre phenomena.

In the New World, where magic reigns supreme, mages have always been renowned for their extensive knowledge. A person who can become a mage is inevitably a learned and wise individual. Conversely, this is not always true. Mages’ research in natural sciences is no less profound than that of contemporary scientists, known as natural philosophers in the New World. Additionally, mages possess the extraordinary power of arcane arts, allowing them to both theorize and verify their hypotheses through their own strength. Therefore, following an ancient and unwritten tradition, New World nobles hire one or more mages as advisors, whether for agriculture, animal husbandry, industry, or even military organization and warfare, mages have extensive knowledge and practical experience.

The idea of pirates hiring mages might seem shocking, but understanding the context, Luo Zhengdao is merely following the typical noble approach by consulting suitable experts.

Soon, two elderly mages in robes appeared before Luo Zhengdao, bowing and saying:

"My lord, you summoned us. What is the matter?"

In previous battles, Jeff Bass and Atlan Skater, the two advisors, had not participated, partly because they were advisors, not professional fighters, and partly because their mage levels were not high, limiting their combat effectiveness. Feeling they had little hope of advancing in arcane studies, they chose to rely on their accumulated knowledge to earn a living and invest in Luo Zhengdao, a promising individual, to secure future opportunities for their families and fund more research projects.

Luo Zhengdao politely bowed in response:

"I apologize for disturbing your rest, but I need you to analyze the cause of this fog."

"Of course, we need some time to investigate. Please wait."

Luo Zhengdao nodded:

"No problem, please give me your answer as soon as possible. This is very important."

The celestial globe in the captain’s cabin had been tampered with by the mysterious woman, Yasha. Continuing to navigate with it would be courting disaster. The waymarkers require the celestial globe to function correctly. The biggest problem is that in the Dark Sea, covered by thick clouds, seeing the stars is impossible. With the navigation instruments malfunctioning and the fog obscuring the view, the Yangwei inevitably fell into a dangerous state of being lost at sea.

Although the well-equipped pirate ship had sufficient supplies and Luo Zhengdao’s spatial bag contained ample emergency reserves, the situation was still unsettling for the crew. Pirates are not afraid of powerful enemies;冒险以获取财富和荣誉是海盗的天性。然而，任由这种仿佛超自然力量的雾气摆布自己，不免让人感到深深的恐惧。目前，罗正道凭借贵族身份和层出不穷的强力手段还能镇住场面，没有人公开质疑他的领导地位，但船上弥漫的紧张和神经质气息，浓烈得用鼻子都能嗅出来。如果事态继续拖延下去，罗正道处理起来也会感到棘手，毕竟，安抚人心比与敌人真刀真枪地战斗困难多了。

幸好，新的变化很快发生了，水手们的注意力也随之转移开来。即使事态不是朝着好的方向转化，对于罗正道而言，无论情况是好是坏也比这么无限期地拖下去要强啊！

“伯爵大人，您要的分析结果出来了……”

两位老法师顾问在船舱里闭门造车多日，兴冲冲地跑来向罗正道邀功。他们在那张仍残留着些许稚气的年轻面庞上看到的唯有淡漠与沉静。罗正道抬手指着船舷外侧，叹息道：

“不必了，我看到答案了。”

两位老法师转过头去，他们的目光一起呆住了，足足过了好一会，花白胡须的杰夫·巴斯才开口道：

“这……难道是幻境吗？”

在战舰扬威号航行的线路上，深邃难测的以太海已然看不到了，四周只有一片尸横遍野的陆地战场，无数奋战至死的士兵和残断武器充盈在视野中，乌鸦和秃鹫盘旋在被鲜血染成黑红色的土地之上，一切仿如笼罩在死亡气息下，传说中的炼狱也不过如此。

奥术师的精神力量远在常人之上，即使是极具视觉冲击力的画面也只能让两位老法师短暂失神，很快他们又恢复了冷静的思考状态，相互交谈道：

“我们落入深渊或是地狱了吗？”

“不像，根据空气中玛那粒子的浓度分析，我们肯定没有落入下层位面，应该还在主物质界范围内。”

一番交流过后，两位法师顾问为罗正道提出了新的建议，说道：

“伯爵大人，根据我们的估算和观察结果，尚未发现时空转移迹象。分析各种数据，扬威号在原地持续打转的可能性最高，这些可怕的场景都是由某种强大力量制造出的幻象。”

听到这里，罗正道不禁苦笑起来，说道：

“某种力量？你们是想说制造出这种精细程度的广域幻象只有神明能做得到吧！”