Chapter 1051: Ice
Lily placed her book down and pulled back the curtains. Peering through the round porthole, she gazed at the dark expanse outside.
It was still an endless ink canvas, just like that day.
The only difference was that this time, there were no glowing jellyfish in the waters. No one knew what lay hidden in the depths now.
Perhaps there was nothing.
Perhaps there might be something.
Lily snapped the novel in her hands shut and rose from her seat. She then pushed open the door and headed toward the bridge.
With each step, the soft glow at the tips of her hair shimmered against her slim waist and swayed with her movement.
When navigating unexplored waters, no one could predict when or if they would encounter a Divinity.
But one thing was clear—no one wished for death.
An oppressive and suffocating tension blanketed the ship. Everyone was walking on eggshells as the ship ventured even deeper.
As they advanced closer to their destination, the temperature continued to drop.
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The crew fished out every piece of clothing they had and layered upon themselves in an attempt to stave off the creeping chill.
Their shoulders hunched as they pulled their collars tighter around their necks. Every breath they exhaled was an icy white.
In stark contrast to their condition, Lily felt nothing.
"Captain, how much longer?" Lily asked, turning toward Klaus. The latter was leaning against the wall and taking a swig from his bottle of liquor.
"The daily charts, progress, and nautical hi map are right there on the wall. Can't you read it yourself?" Klaus grumbled. As usual, he was in his perpetually drunk state.
Lily approached the multiple charts pinned to the wall. Realizing that they had only traveled half the route, anxiety crept upon her face.
"Can't we pick up speed?"
"You wanna go fast? Don't forget these are unknown waters. You can try and let's see what happens to you," Klaus replied with a hint of mockery in his tone.
The First Mate, who wore a black eyepatch over an eye, chimed in, "If this was an expedition mission posted by the Explorers Association back then, a large territory like this would be divided to at least five different zones. Cranking up the turbines to the maximum speed is tantamount to suicide."
Of course, Lily knew they were right. However, knowing the logic behind decisions did nothing to alleviate the palpable anxiety in her.
Truth be told, if she could travel alone, she really didn't want to travel this slowly.
Just then, the First Mate's brows furrowed together. He balled a hand into a fist and thumped it against his head.
His expression gradually turned to one of agony as he reached his right hand into his pocket and pulled out a large handful of red, rectangular-shaped capsules.
He tilted back his head and without hesitation, shoved the dozens of capsules into his mouth and swallowed them all.
"Not to worry. Just an old issue of mine; there are always voices in my head," the First Mate explained. He sounded like a happy-go-lucky man.
"That's the whispers of Fhtagn. You should go on land to rest," Lily reminded out of concern. She then added, "My former captain experienced the same thing as you."
Hearing Lily's words, a self-depreciating smile appeared on the First Mate's face.
"Go on land? Easier said than done, little girl. My home has already sunken. There's no longer a resting place for me."
"The sunken Shadow Island? Your home is on Shadow Island?" Lily asked, her eyes went wide open in surprise.
"Not Shadow Island," the First Mate replied. "Just a small island in the Eastern Seas."
A sense of longing filled the First Mate's gaze as he stared into the distance.
"It's a very small island… Although there's drinking water on the island, it's extremely bitter.
"It's rather isolated. Hardly any resources, but I grew up there. When the sea level first rose, it was one of those that remained above water.
"Ironically, when the sea level returned to normal… it just disappeared.
"My two wives, my six children, and my mother… they're all gone. Never came back."
The First Mate's tone was flat and steady, as if he was recounting someone else's story and not his own.
"When I first boarded an exploration ship, I really hated it. I felt like I was trapped in a floating prison.
"But you know, the power of habit is terrifying. Now, I can't leave this life behind. I only feel that I'm truly alive when I'm drifting across this endless sea."
Lily could feel the unspoken emotions running deep and behind the First Mate's words.
She wanted to say something to comfort him.
"Don't give up. Things will get better eventually."
"Things will get better?" Klaus let out a peal of mocking laughter. Then, the First Mate at the helm barked out a laugh as well.
The derision in their laughter was unmistakable. Lily was clear that they were laughing at her.
Tears glistened at the corner of the First Mate's single eye as he gestured to the door.
"Little girl, go back to your cabin. Don't wander around. I'll call you when we reach the destination," he said. His tone was dismissive as if he were talking to a kid.
Annoyance rose in Lily's heart. She turned on her heel, ready to leave the bridge.
Suddenly, the First Mate's solemn voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Captain! Something's ahead!
A massive beam of light from the searchlight cut across the pitch black expanse ahead to reveal a white object slowly moving toward them.
It was gigantic and gave off an oppressive aura as it loomed over the ship.
When the beam of light finally illuminated the object in its entirety, Lily's breath was caught in her throat.
It was a mammoth iceberg.
The floating mountain of ice drifted along with the currents and soon disappeared from sight.
Before Lily or the others could say a single word, another iceberg appeared in front of them.
Due to the limited visual range of the searchlights, they couldn't have a full picture of their surroundings. But it wasn't hard to deduce that they were surrounded by many of these similar icebergs.
Lily walked to the edge of the ship and peered over the railing.
Below her, where there should have been an endless expanse of black water, chunks of ice in various sizes bobbed up and down with an unnatural stillness.
The waves that had been crashing into the ship's hull had also faded into nothingness.
The entire sea's surface was as still as a polished mirror. Even the salty ocean wind had ceased at some point.
Without the sound of the waves, the howling of the wind, only an eerie silence filled the air, making it seemed like they had entered a mass grave.
The entire crew held their breath; they were afraid that even the faintest sound they produced would stir the spirits lying beneath the waters.
Despite the seemingly perilous situation, the Maiden's Love advanced forward under the orders of their captain.
The deeper they went, the lower the temperature dipped. Even with all available clothing piled on, it was far from enough.
The usual scorching hot turbine chambers which usually everyone avoided was now the most coveted place on the ship.
Meanwhile, the strange occurrences beyond the ship triggered Klaus' caution to the highest level.
Every muscle in him was tensed up as he readied himself for any imminent threat.
Yet, things proceeded beyond his expectations. Apart from those icebergs, they encountered no other moving entities.
Finally, five days later...
The Maiden's Love came to a complete stop.
The entire crew gathered on the deck covered in a layer of white frost. Their mouths were agape as they stared at the sight before them.
The negative temperature had resulted in the icebergs fusing together to form the ice continent that stretched out in front of them, blocking their path altogether.
Every crew member was a veteran at sea and had their fair share of encounters. But something like this was a first to them.
"There's no way ahead," Klaus commented flatly. "My ship can't pass through. You may return and tell King that I failed."
Klaus took the situation surprisingly well. He expressed no frustration nor any attempt to push forward.
The First Mate approached Lily and suggested, "Looking at the situation, I think you can request for an airship. There's no way a ship can pass through."
Why did they fuse together… Lily's mind spun as she rushed into the bridge and pulled the nautical chart off the wall.
She started to calculate her chances of success if she were to leave on her own and fly toward the destination.
Before she could settle on an answer, a shout interrupted her train of thought.
"Captain! Look! We're moving backward! There's something under the waters pulling us back!" a burly sailor shouted, his face painted with terror as he gestured toward the icy landscape.
Klaus' gaze snapped to the water. The water was still without any motion.
Instantly, a different reality surfaced in his mind.
"We're not moving! The icebergs are!"