Tianjin people will never lose SAN

Chapter 437: Hermit of the Raging Sea 6k+
"Through the vast ocean, over the vast ocean, dividing the water and crossing the palace wall. I see the swaying light of hawksbill turtles and corals, the crystal palace is so bright and refreshing. I just want to call shrimps and crabs to see the Dragon King, and ask where the Dragon King is..."

Liu Yonglu was lying in the lookout of the Dog Riding Rabbit with his feet resting on the edge of the fence, humming "The Troubles in the Dragon Palace" while basking in the sun.

To be honest, Liu Yonglu was a little nervous when he got on the ship and embarked on the journey of exploration of the Lost Sea.

He could swim. His mother forced him to learn when he was a child. But when he was seven or eight years old, Liu Yonglu choked while swimming with his uncle at the beach. Since then, he has had some psychological trauma towards these rivers.

But there are a lot of things to do this time, Xiaohu Ling'er, Mi Li'er, and Lin Bei, and I can't afford to back down...

"Master! The meal is ready! Let's eat!"

Just as I was thinking about it, the fat man Shani on the deck shouted at the top of his voice, "Yes, Liu Yonglu brought his stupid apprentice and the chicken with him this time when he went out to sea."

Mi Li'er strongly requested to let the chicken run. The will of the gods in her body began to awaken slowly, and Mi Li'er prepared to think of a solution in the Lost Sea.

However, Zouji has become more and more clever recently. He trembled with fear when he heard that Mili'er was going to take him out to sea.

If Liu Yonglu had not been with it, it would have hidden at the bottom of the cabin, fearing that Millie Tang would grab it by the neck and throw it into the sea when Liu Yonglu wasn't paying attention.

Liu Yonglu suggested taking Shani along. After all, he had seen Shani's weird compatriots in the Virgin Mary's dreamland before. The fat man might be useful on this business trip.

"Okay, I'll go right down!"

Liu Yonglu climbed down the lookout using the net bag and followed Xia Ni into the cabin.

The table was already filled with food, most of which were seafood prepared by Mr. Shani himself. Although Liu Yonglu, the first disciple, did not learn other skills, his skills as a kitchen chef had improved by leaps and bounds.

He himself loves food, and he knows that his master is a big gourmet, so in order to please his taste, Shani has learned a lot from the Tianying Restaurant.

"Don't just stand there, come on, eat it!"

Liu Yonglu rubbed his hands and took a piece of the stewed hairtail with chopsticks.

"Master, how is it? Is it to your taste?"

Mr. Shani handed Liu Yonglu a piece of black bread.

"Not bad, not bad. If you want to eat seafood, you have to go on a boat. The ingredients are good and the taste is right!

When you have nothing to do after dinner, I will teach you... the Eight Great Changes of Career!"

It's really not Liu Yonglu's flattery, Xia Ni's stewed hairtail fish does have some of the traditional Tianjin flavor, mainly because there were enough seasonings on the ship this time.

Liu Yonglu had invented soybean paste before he opened the restaurant. This time when he went out to sea, Shani brought two jars with him.

Fermented foods are suitable for long-distance consumption, so Liu Yonglu did not hesitate to get started, eating until his mouth was full of oil, with black bread in one hand and hairtail in the other.

"What is the study of Mani-jen?"

Liu Yonglu looked up and saw that the people from Shi Weitian and a fat-faced old man with a white beard were studying the nautical chart spread out on the table.

This old man is no ordinary person. His name is Peleus Conseil, a retired navy officer. His previous identity was the adjutant of Sir Gregory. In addition to his rich experience, Mr. Peleus has one biggest advantage, which is that he is very good at commanding the army!
During this ocean expedition, the old knight gave Liu Yonglu enough face. He personally invited his old subordinate to come out of retirement and gave him many instructions to ensure the safety of Liu Yonglu and his group.

Peleus knew very well that supplies were the most important thing for ocean voyages, and the best way to save supplies was to bring fewer people. Bringing too many people would not only take up space on the ship, but the amount of supplies required would also increase exponentially.

However, to meet this condition one must act within one's capabilities. If the staff is too small, they will not be able to cope with the workload at critical moments.

The thirty sailors on Dog Riding Rabbit are all strong-willed, most reliable all-rounders in the Royal Navy. With old Peleus as the co-ordinator, everything can be done in an orderly manner.

"We will be setting foot into the Lost Sea tomorrow. We are discussing the specific route."

Militang marked the chart while referring to her notes:

"From where we are now, we will pass the Cape of Mozambique later this evening, which will be our last supply point. Am I right?"

"Well, if we take this route, it is indeed the case."

Lindblanc motioned for Kogan to hand him the measuring tool.

"Lin Brown, I found several ancient books in the Holy See's library. They contain some information that is similar to the Cursed Island you mentioned, so we will focus our search on this area for the time being."

“But it’s still a very large area.”

Lin Brown stretched out his right hand and gestured with his thumb and index finger. As an old sailor, he had an intuitive concept of the size of the area on the map:

“Even if we narrow the scope, it’s not a good idea to rush in headfirst. I think we should be able to find some local fishermen and sailors in the port of Mozambique.

We can get some information from them. They may not point us in the right direction, but they can at least point us to some dangerous reefs and turbulent currents."

Having said this, Lin Brown looked up at old Peleus.

"Leave this to me. I've been to the surrounding waters more than a decade ago, so I should be able to find a few acquaintances there."

Old Peleus nodded solemnly to Milly Tang and Lin Brown.

Liu Yonglu and the others didn't know that after a few days of getting along, the image of Shiweitian and the others in the eyes of old Peleus had undergone a drastic change.

The old man originally prided himself on his ability to judge people accurately. Initially, he was more optimistic about Liu Yonglu and Shani, and was somewhat prejudiced against Lin Brown, Millie Tang and Kou Gang.

Rembrandt... He's too handsome. He doesn't look like someone who can make a living on the sea. He's probably a spoiled rich kid.

Kogan was too young, and when he first got on board, the old man saw him tampering with the rations. Each expedition ship had a limited amount of medical supplies, but Kogan didn't care about that and secretly brought a lot of medicines on board.

As for Millitan, as an old-school sailor Peleus still holds on to old ideas. Going to sea is hard work and there are no female soldiers in the Royal Navy, so the old man unconsciously dislikes Millitan.

As for Liu Yonglu and Mr. Shani, old man Liu Yonglu didn't see any clues about these two, but he couldn't resist Sir Gregory's flattery. In the old boss's mouth, this investigation team leader was simply unparalleled, and he repeatedly turned the tide at critical moments.

Out of trust in Sir Gregory, Peleus had a very good first impression of Liu Yonglu.

Mr. Xia Ni, as Liu Yonglu's apprentice, is a big and strong man with strong arms, which will definitely come in handy.

But when I got on the boat, I found that my judgment was completely different from what I had expected!

There is no need to mention Lin Brown. Even if he was promoted to the Royal Navy, he would definitely be an expert. He knows all the details of sailing adventures and you can tell at a glance that he sails frequently.

Although Kogan was young, he had a positive attitude and was always eager to do any work on the ship.

The person who impressed him most was Millie Tang, who was knowledgeable, meticulous in her interpersonal dealings, and not at all as pretentious as he had imagined.

At the dinner table, old Peleus put away the map and turned to look at Liu Yonglu and his beloved apprentice. The old man was so angry that his nose was almost crooked. The two of them were just busy eating and making tut-tut sounds while eating. They were just focusing on logistics.

However, for Sir Gregory's sake, the old man did not say anything. After eating in the cabin, he went out to arrange for the crew to adjust the speed of the ship.

By dusk, the Dog Riding a Rabbit slowly approached the harbor.

The Port of Mozambique is the last supply point before entering the Lost Sea, but few ships, whether from the Western Continent or the Southern Continent, deliberately venture into the Lost Sea, so the port town is not very large.

The Dog Riding Rabbit was Moses Sadd's elite exploration ship, so no one dared to cause trouble for Liu Yonglu and his men after it docked.

Inside the Broken Anchor Bar, old Peleus was in charge of negotiations. Just as he said, there were a few familiar faces in this place. Plus with Mosesad's official identity, the bartender helped everyone find a few fishermen and sailors in a short time.

Faced with the gold coins on the table and the pistol that Lin Brown slapped on the table, these people began to talk about the information they knew like pouring beans from a bamboo tube.

"That stretch of sea... is what we call the Mermaid Sea. When you go in, you can only see a vast expanse of white. You can't see the stars or the moon!

If you want to determine the direction, you can only rely on ocean currents and wind direction.

It’s just that the wind doesn’t blow often, otherwise the fog would not have been able to dissipate.

It’s not like no one has ever left this sea area. After all, compared to other places in the Lost Sea, this sea area is much smaller.”

The speaker was a drunkard with sores on his head. After he finished speaking, he licked his lips and pointed to the gin on the table.

"Drink it, why is it called the Mermaid Sea? Are there really mermaids in it? Aren't there any islands in such a large sea? Can we identify the direction by the islands?"

Lin Brown fell into deep thought. When he mistakenly entered the cursed island, he only saw a vast expanse of white sea from afar but did not dare to go in. He thought that the cursed island should be on the edge of the Mermaid Sea.

This sea area might be the regular route to the Cursed Island, and I was just unlucky and was blown there by the wind and waves.

"I know this! I know the legend of the mermaid!"

The old man, who had his right eye wrapped in a dirty scarlet cloth, said:

"Mermaid? Humph, that's all a lie. There's no such thing. It's just an illusion created by those brats on the boat who are so depressed.

I... I once heard someone say that there are demons hidden in the white fog. They can sing, but it's not the high-pitched humming sound of walruses or whales.

It was a serious song. It was said that there were demons living in that sea area. They fed on the flesh and blood of sailors and had a huge appetite. In short, they wanted a lot.

A slave ship had gone in before, but in the end… there was no one left alive. The ship was drifting, drifting…”

As he spoke, a look of fear and greed appeared on the old man's face, and blood actually seeped out of the dirty cloth around his head.

This man is already unconscious. Everyone in Shi Weitian is an investigator and can naturally see that. He said he heard it from others, but I'm afraid he saw it with his own eyes.

The deaths of other people on the slave ship may also be related to him.

But these are not things to worry about now, and old Peleus just threw a gold coin on the ground in disgust.

The old man hurriedly got on the ground to pick it up, then put it in his mouth and took a bite.

"All the money on the table belongs to me, and I will tell you a secret."

The last person who provided information was a skinny man with a big beard and a small exotic hat on his head. He was obviously from the southern wild continent.

"Tell me first, if it's worth the price, no problem."

Kougan pretended to scratch his head and put his arm on the table, but in fact he secretly took out a small part of the gold coins with his other hand.

"The Mermaid Sea? Humph, that's the name you gave it. Where I live, that area is called the Blind Sacrifice Site."

Well? There is a way, Liu Yonglu looked up at this man.

“It is said that a certain god lived in it a long time ago, and accordingly, there was a group of mortals who worshipped it.

But then one day, the mortals got the process wrong during the mass and angered the gods, and these mortals were punished and blinded, becoming something unspeakable.

Since then, these abominable guys have tried every means to hunt living creatures to please the god, hoping to be forgiven..." "How do you know this?"

Millie Tang compared the mythological stories she had read in the book in her mind and found that although there were some differences in the details, the general outline was still consistent.

In other words, this foreigner was most likely telling the truth.

But he probably hasn't read that ancient book, so how did he know all this?

"gold."

The skinny foreigner looked at everyone coldly, without any stage fright. It seemed that he was hiding a more important secret, and he believed that everyone in front of him would submit.

"kindness."

Liu Yonglu gave a look to Kou Gang and Lin Bei. Kou Gang threw the gold coins to the foreigners, while Lin Bei stood up and blocked the door.

"It doesn't matter if I tell you. I'm not doing this business anymore anyway."

The foreigner stuffed the gold coins into his arms and continued:
"There is an unnamed island in the Blind Sacrifice Grounds. You will have to pay another fee to get there."

"you!"

Kou Gang is a money-grubber. If Liu Yonglu hadn't stopped him, he would have gone and beaten someone up.

"Don't worry, let me tell you about the situation on the island first, and then you can decide whether to buy this information.

There is more than one island in the sea, and as far as I know, that small island is safe because it is far from the center of the sea. This should not be difficult for you to understand. It would be useless if it really reached the center.

The island is not big, only half the size of the town, and you can walk around it in 20 minutes.

The reason I know this place is because I once did a strange smuggling trade between Kurt and the Western Continent, capturing creatures related to the gods and selling them to Kurt's nobles.

Of course, I am just one of them, and that island is our smuggling transit point. There is some fresh water on it where most of the creatures can be grown first.

Besides... there is a madman living on the island."

"madman?"

“Yes, he must be crazy. He is not just passing through there like us. He has lived on the island for who knows how many years.

The stories I just told you were the ones he told us.

The island is rented for a fee and he has to eat something, and he talks nonsense when he drinks."

"What are the characteristics of this madman?"

Every time the foreigner spoke, Liu Yonglu would immediately start asking questions in order not to give the other person time to think. If the person was talking nonsense, he would most likely reveal his flaws.

"I am sure he is from your Western Continent. He is just like all the savages living on deserted islands, slovenly and half-naked.

By the way, he seemed to have been stranded on this island by accident. He had wanted to do something in the southern continent before.

Later he went crazy and lived on the island ever since.”

The man who eats Wei Tian asked many more questions, but the skinny foreigner was obviously very cunning and refused to tell him how to get to the secret island until Kogan threw him another bag of gold coins, and then he told him all the details.

"Let's go, the first step is to go to the island."

After replenishing supplies at the port and resting for a night, everyone headed towards the secret island.

The white fog arrived as expected. Millie Tang dropped a wooden board from the boat to measure the water speed at that moment. This was one of the keys to finding the island. Following the clues given by the foreigners, everyone finally saw the outline of the secret island in the afternoon.

Leaving Kogan and the sailors to drop anchor to provide support, Liu Yonglu, Millitang, Lin Brown and Peleus landed on the rocky beach in a small boat.

The small island was just as the foreigners had described, with a gentle slope of about 20 to 30 meters high, on which grew low and dense palm plants. One patch of plants clearly did not blend in with the surrounding scenery, revealing a sense of disharmony caused by artificial pruning.

Lin Brown led the way with a machete commonly used in jungle battles, while old Peleus followed at the rear of the team with a rifle.

Although the island is covered with lush vegetation, it is not very large after all. By the time everyone climbed up the slope, most of the surrounding scenery was already in sight.

"rustle."

Suddenly, there was a strange noise in the bushes under the slope. Lin Brown used a machete in one hand to lift up the covering leaves, and with the other hand he swung a short stick and chopped it down diagonally.

"what!"

A cry of pain was heard; it was obvious that the stick had hit someone.

"Tsk, Lin Tou'er, you hit the wrong person. There are no beasts in the grass."

Old Peleus kicked the savage hiding behind the slope to the ground. Liu Yonglu then came over pretending to smooth things over. This was also what the few people had discussed before landing on the island.

Ensure your own safety first, and then find a way to negotiate.

It can be seen that the savage lying on the ground is not short, but perhaps because of malnutrition from living on the island for a long time, he is so hungry that he is just skin and bones, and his back is bulging.

Just as the foreigners said, the savage was wrapped in only a dirty loincloth, and his beard and hair were so long that they looked like felt.

"Don't be afraid, we are your friends, and we are here to do the breeding business."

Milly Tang spoke the Kurtic language of the southern continent. The so-called "breeding trade" was the business done by the foreign smuggling ships and the savages before.

The savage widened his eyes, looked at Millie Tang, and pointed at Liu Yonglu and Lin Bulang.

"You...you...are...from...the Western Continent?"

"Wow! So you can speak Mosesad!"

Liu Yonglu originally thought that he would have to use Millie Tang as an interpreter to communicate with the savages, but he didn't expect that this person was actually from the Western Continent.

"I am... a Victorian..."

The savage pulled aside his thick beard to show Liu Yonglu. Sure enough, although his skin had been tanned dark red, he did have the facial features of a person from the Western Continent.

"Hurry... hurry up! This place... is cursed! I'm blind... I can't see..."

The savage's pupils were obviously still moving, but he kept muttering that he was blind. It seemed that just as the foreigners said, this man was crazy.

"We just came from Victoria, too. Where do you live, uncle? How many years have you been here? What are you doing here?"

Liu Yonglu was afraid that revealing his purpose right away would scare the savages, so he prepared to chat about family matters first to ease the atmosphere.

The savage was still talking nonsense for the first few minutes, his expression was ferocious and nervous at times, until Liu Yonglu took out some biscuits from his bag and handed them to him. The savage wolfed down the biscuits and his mood eased a little.

"I am a priest of the Holy See... My name is Fons Alwin, and I went to preach in Alawi... My ship sank...

My blood was sucked dry and I had no blood left. They thought I was dead and threw me away. I then clung to the fish's body and floated up.

Wait here...wait for others, otherwise I won't be able to see the Saint...Forgive me..."

"Millie Tang, why don't you try a forbidden spell? See if you can make him sober up."

Lin Brown shook his head. This man obviously knew something, but his mind was no longer normal.

"Forbidden spells? I don't think that's necessary. We have someone here who can cure this man's illness."

Millie Tang glanced at Liu Yonglu beside her:

"Come on, Saint Barlan, the patron saint appointed by the Holy Lady, it's your turn to act."

Liu Yonglu really didn't expect that this person was going to the southern continent to preach, but when he was in the Holy See before, he had heard Archbishop Kosander say that over the past few hundred years, the Holy See has been committed to spreading the gospel to every corner of the world.

"Look what this is? Do you recognize it?"

Liu Yonglu spent a lot of time in the Holy See last month, so he definitely couldn't come back empty-handed. He didn't ask for these tokens on his own initiative, but Archbishop Kosander forced them on him.

Among them is the Order of Saints of the patron saint, which is shaped like a heart, with gold on top and silver on the bottom, representing that the saint is bathed in the light of heaven, and the silver part is engraved with the saint's inscription.

Of course, Liu Yonglu’s piece was specially made, with the words “Saint Baraña, patron saint of both virtue and art” written on it.

Liu Yonglu stuffed the Saint's Order into Fengsai's hands. The old madman with muddy hands was a little dazed at first, but when he saw the handwriting on the Saint's Order clearly, he curled up into a ball and trembled uncontrollably.

"Saint's Order, it's actually a Saint's Order... What did I see... This can't be real... Am I dead... This is heaven."

Standing in the crowd, the old navy man Peleus was dumbfounded. He looked at Liu Yonglu and thought, "So you are not a chef but a pastor..."

"The mercy of the saint shines on the earth. This is not heaven unless you die."

"Then...then why can I see the Order of Saints, Mr. Saint Baran? Since you have the Order of Saints, that means...you are Saint Baran?"

"I am a humble person, but that's true."

Liu Yonglu lit up a Universe brand cigarette. Since he had benefited from the old Saint Lady, he had to show his appreciation in some way.

"Your Excellency Saint Baran..."

Feng Sai hugged Liu Yonglu's feet and just cried without saying anything. He cried for about ten minutes before he continued with a sob:

"Your Excellency Saint Barlaan, I have failed the saint's expectations, and the Gospel has been lost in my hands. Please listen to my confession and forgive my sins."

As if inspired by his faith, Fonsai spoke more fluently.

"Okay, I will forgive you for your mistake..."

Liu Yonglu also imitated Archbishop Kosander and stretched out a hand and placed it on Fonsai's forehead, while Fonsai raised his head as if waiting for something.

Oh, yes, according to the process, I have to improvise and say a set of appropriate words to comfort him.

Liu Yonglu cleared his throat:

"The Saint said, in the midst of wind and rain, this little pain is nothing! Dry your tears, don't be afraid, at least we still have dreams!
The saint said, in the midst of wind and rain, this little pain is nothing! Dry your tears and don’t ask why!

(End of this chapter)