Chapter 1216: A Chain Reaction

Not only Neverwinter’s citizens saw the Bloody Moon.

Margaret stood at the bow of the Snow Wind in the early morning, watching the distant ocean. Sixty-six days since they had crossed the Sealine. Waves rushed toward the hull — high, then low, a rhythm almost identical to the swells back at the Shadow Waters thousands of miles behind them, as though both seas drew from the same hidden pulse.

If the Swirling Sea had a source, finding it would be the greatest discovery in the history of time.

She was confident the waves would lead her somewhere. She was confident in the Snow Wind, too. The iron ship needed no sail to drive against gusts and squalls. It was large enough to carry months of food and water, and not one vessel in the fleet had fallen behind. A ship like this made optimism easy.

She believed Thunder would find something spectacular before the journey ended.

“Any luck?” a familiar voice said from behind her.

Margaret turned and smiled. “If I had, I’d have told the lookouts first. Ask them.”

It was Thunder — captain of the fleet, her oldest partner in recklessness.

“I don’t think so,” he said brightly. “Maybe they found something already and they’re too stunned to shout.”

Margaret suppressed a laugh. He meant the Sealine crossing. When the horizon had tilted vertical and the world had tipped on its axis, even the most seasoned sailor had frozen. The whole watch had tumbled from the watchtower, legs gone to water beneath them. Men who could cling to a mast through any storm had stood helpless before something that violated every habit they owned.

Thunder shrugged. “Word is the trading companies have started assigning only their boldest sailors to lookout duty after that. Shame on them.”

“After what they went through,” Margaret said, shaking her head, “I don’t think anything will rattle them again.”

“Who knows?” He patted her shoulder. His voice dropped. “Don’t worry. Joan will be fine.”

Her smile held — just barely. “Yes,” she said. “She was born to live in the ocean. We’ll meet her somewhere.” Being optimistic was an explorer’s necessary tool. Worrying spent energy she couldn’t afford. What mattered now was forward.

“The meeting,” Thunder said after a moment’s quiet. “The other captains are waiting. Come to the cabin.”

“On my way.”

The captains gathered every three or four days — route, ship status, resources — to keep the fleet honest and moving in the same direction. They had just begun walking toward the cabin when the seawater changed.

A sheet of deep red bled across the surface. The sailors on deck went rigid, staring toward the horizon with the fixed, vacant look of men witnessing something their minds refused to process. A little farther along, two figures dropped from the mast to the deck with a thud that carried over the water.

Weren’t they supposed to be the boldest people on the ship?

Margaret turned slowly.

Her blood stopped.

A colossal crimson sphere hung low over the horizon, far larger than any sun, pressing down against the sea as though it meant to swallow it. It had not risen. It had simply appeared, already there, watching.

“In the name of the Three Gods.” The words came out barely above a whisper. “Is this what His Majesty called the Bloody Moon?”

Thunder said nothing. For once in his life, he had no proper answer to reach for.

Then a long whistle screamed through the air — the Snow Wind’s alarm, sharp enough to shatter the trance it cut through.

Enemies.

Margaret and Thunder traded one dark look and ran for the bridge.

“What happened?” Thunder shouted as he hit the command room.

“Ships,” his first mate stammered, pointing southeast. “Coming toward us—”

Thunder snatched the telescope before the man finished the sentence. Margaret grabbed a second glass from another sailor and looked.

“Jesus.”

Two shadows rode the surface with no sails and made way regardless, pushing against the current like something that had forgotten what currents were. Around them, the sea boiled. Her first instinct read it as a school of fish surging below. Then the shapes leaped clear of the water — slick fins, spray catching the Bloody Moon’s red sheen — and she recognized what they were.

Sea ghosts. Dozens of them, vying around the shadows like sharks circling a kill.

“All ships, come about!” Thunder’s voice filled the bridge. “Full sail! Every man ready for war!”

“Yes, sir!”

“God of Ocean protect us,” the other captains muttered, one after another.

Every Fjords sailor knew: no ship outstrips a sea ghost. Their enemies would close the gap regardless of what speed they made.

The two shadows sharpened as the distance shrank. Half ship, half skeleton — something dredged from a nightmare and launched. Their riblike flanks breathed clouds of dark green matter into the air, now less than a dozen miles away, and where those clouds fell the ocean churned and darkened.

“Abandon all food and supplies,” Thunder ordered. His voice was completely flat. “Keep half the drinking water. No — thirty percent. Accelerate.”

“Then we can’t continue the expedition,” Margaret said.

“And thirty percent may not be enough to get home,” the first mate added.

“We can fish. We can collect rain.” Thunder drew a slow breath. “But if those things catch us, we die out here. The expedition is over.” He looked around the room, meeting every face. “Our goal now is to survive.”

Chapter 1216: A Chain Reaction

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn Not only Neverwinter citizens saw the Bloody Moon. Margaret was standing at the bow of the “Snow Wind” early this morning while gazing at the distant ocean. It had been 66 days since they had crossed the Sealine. Ocean waves rushed toward them, high at one time and low at another. Their movements were almost the same as the waves at the Shadow Waters thousands of miles away as if the two types of waves shared the same origin. If the Swirling Sea did have a source, it must be the greatest discovery in the history of time. Margaret was confident that the ocean waves would lead her to her final destination, and she also put great faith in the “Snow Wind”. The “Snow wind” did not require a sail to proceed against gusts of wind and rushes of rain. Since the ship was colossal, they could put plenty of food and water on it. Thanks to this robust and sturdy iron ship, not a single ship fell behind in this expedition. She believed that Thunder would definitely make some spectacular discovery during this journey. “Any luck?” a familiar voice said to her from behind. Margaret turned around and said smilingly, “If I did find something, I would have informed the lookouts perched on the mast. So, you should have asked them first.” The person who was speaking to her was none other than the captain of the fleet, Thunder. “I don’t think so,” he said brightly. “Perhaps they’ve found something already but are too shocked to say anything.” Magaret stifled her laughter. She knew Thunder was referring to what had happened when they had crossed the Sealine. When the horizon became vertical, even the most experienced sailor had failed to react promptly. Everyone had fallen off the watchtower as the world had turned upside down, their legs too shaky to support them. Seasoned sailors would normally cling to cables and masts in the event of a storm to prevent themselves from falling off the ship. However, the Sealine rendered all the common senses they had useless. Thunder said while shrugging, “According to my intelligence, the Chambers of Commerce would later change their lookouts. They’ll have the boldest person on their ship to serve as a lookout. Shame on them.” “Really?” Margaret said while shaking her head. “But I believe after the experience at the Sealine, nothing could really perturb them anymore.” “Who knows?” Thunder said while patting Margaret on the shoulder. His voice suddenly lowered. “Don’t worry. Joan will be fine.” Margaret’s smile faltered. She nodded resolutely and said, “Yes, she was born to live in the ocean. I’m sure we’ll meet her again somewhere soon.” Being optimistic was an important ability for explorers. Margaret knew worrying would not help with anything. What she should do was to pull herself together and move on. “By the way, the meeting is about to start,” Thunder said after a moment of silence. “The other captains are already there. Come to the cabin with me.” “Okay, got it.” All the captains gathered to discuss the route, the status of their ships, and resources. They held this meeting every three or four days to make sure the whole fleet was on the right track. Just at that time, Thunder and Margaret noticed that the seawater was suddenly awash with a sheet of a strange red color. The sailors on the deck were all frozen to the spot, gaping at the far distance as if seeing something incredible. A little farther on, several people fell off the mast and to the deck, as though they had seen the Sealine again. It really surprised Magaret. Weren’t they the boldest people on the ship? Margaret turned around slowly, and the next moment, all her blood froze. A gigantic, crimson round celestial object hung low over the horizon, far larger than the sun. It just came out of nowhere! “In the name of Three God,” Margaret mumbled. “Is this what His Majesty called the Bloody Moon?” But Thunder did not speak. It was such a terrifying scene that even Thunder failed to formulate a proper answer. A long whistle pierced the air. It was the “Snow Wind”. The shriek of the ship shattered the dead silence and jerked everyone out of the trance. The whistle indicated there were enemies! Margaret and Thunder exchanged dark looks and ran toward the bridge. “What happened?” Thunder yelled as he darted into the command room. “There are… ships,” his first mate stammered, “coming from the southeast… toward us… “What?” Thunder said. He quickly snatched the telescope from the first mate and looked in the direction the latter had pointed out. Margaret’s heart sank to the bottom. They were now thousands of miles away from the Shadow Waters. They hardly saw any birds around this area, let alone ships. This was a new sea never intruded by human beings! She thus got a pair of telescope from another sailor and looked in the same direction. “Jesus…” Margaret gasped. Two shadows were floating on the surface of the water. They had no sail but were proceeding against the water. What was more horrific was that the seawater around them was boiling, as though numerous fishes were coming with them. However, Margaret soon noticed that what seemed to be fishes were actually the last thing explorers wanted to see. They were sea ghosts. Their fins slid in and out of their views. Sometimes, they leaped out of the water, throwing a splatter of water that reflected off the sinister red sheen of the Bloody Moon, which reminded Margaret of a pack of sharks vying for food. “On my order, all the ships turn about!” Thunder yelled. “Full sail! Advance in full sail! Everyone, ready for the war!” “Yes, sir!” “We’ve got trouble…” the captain of the “Tuna” swallowed hard. “May the God of Ocean bless us,” the other captains all prayed. Fjords people knew that no ship could outstrip a sea ghost, which meant their enemies would soon catch up with them. Their situation worsened every minute. As the two shadows got closer, Margaret saw what they looked like. They were half in the shape of a ship and half a skeleton of a monster, something that would have only appeared in one’s nightmare. Their ribs exhaled clouds of dark green objects, and they were now only a dozen miles away from them! When the dark green object fell into the water, the ocean stirred. Apparently, nobody wanted to be hit by such an ominous thing. Thunder remained unflappable and issued another order. “Abandon all the food and supplies. Keep half of the drinking water only… No, just keep 30% of them and accelerate!” Astonished, Margaret said, “Then we won’t be able to explore.” “And it’s probably not going to be enough for us to return to Neverwinter…” the first mate said hesitantly. “We could fish and collect rain.” Thunder took a sharp intake of breath and said, “However, if we could not outrun those sea ghosts and monsters, we’ll all end up dying here. The exploration is over. Now, our goal is… to survive!”