Chapter 209. Leviathan Whale
"Mr. Charles, what are you doing?" Lily stood atop the stove and stared in a mixture of curiosity and awe as Charles fiddled with a tin pipe.
With a deep exhale, Charles lit up the stove. White stream traveled through the cooling pipes and condensed into droplets of water before dripping into a cup.
Boil seawater over a furnace to get fresh water. It was a straightforward process: heat the seawater to produce steam, cool it, and condense it to get pure water.
Lily's eyes sparkled upon tasting the distilled water. "This is so refreshing, Mr. Charles! You're amazing; you could even turn seawater into freshwater!"
However, Lily’s perked ears drooped the moment she saw Charles' gloomy expression. "Mr. Charles, we have water now. Why do you look so upset?"
Charles gently ran his palm over her fluffy head. "It's not that simple."
Distillation was easy. It wasn't something that only Charles knew of; everyone in the Subterranean Seascape knew it as well. However, there was a fundamental reason why they hadn’t been using it extensively.
There was an abundance of seawater, but the distillation process required a vast amount of fuel. Their ultimate goal wasn't to have water to drink but to escape from their current predicament. Unfortunately, the Narwhale's fuel storage was running low, too.
Burning fuel for fresh water was akin to a desperate barter of the hand to save the foot. Without fresh water, the crew would die of thirst, but without fuel, the Narwhale wouldn't be able to move, and they would still have to face the same parched doom.
"So...should we...?" Bandages' voice sounded from the kitchen doorway.
The atmosphere in the kitchen instantly tensed at his words as a palpable gloom settled over the room. Lily seemed startled, her ears trembling ever so slightly.
Charles offered no response and turned to walk out of the kitchen door. Bandages silently followed after him.
Reaching the desolate deck, Charles peered into the inky dark expanse ahead. The surrounding darkness was suffocating like a colossal lid sealing their demise.
"Even if we swap all our fuel for fresh water, we can only last up to 16 days. Without any more water, we can probably survive another three. The likelihood of finding an island within 19 days is too low..." Charles muttered under his breath as he gazed at the dark waters.
"You... have yet to...answer my...question."
A look of reluctance appeared on Charles' countenance. However, it seemed like this was the only solution under these pressing circumstances.
"Can you tell me what's the outcome of that method? Can God Fhtagn instantaneously teleport our ship back to the docks of Hope Island?" Charles asked, his voice laced with a hint of skepticism.
"The Great One... will accept our gifts... His servants... will guide the way..."
Charles tightened his grip on the ship's railings. He was just wasting a question. He hadn't dared to ask the most crucial question: There were ten of them aboard; who would be this gift?
As if sensing Charles' inner thoughts, Bandages broke the silence. "I...have chosen the targets... The cook... Linda... and another sailor... We can wait... for them... to fall asleep... in the night... before we act."
"There's no need," Charles instructed. His brows were furrowed together in deep contemplation. He didn't want to act on this solution unless it was absolutely imperative.
The lives of the crew weighed heavily on his shoulders. Charles parted his lips to speak but closed them again without being able to say a word. As he was hesitating, a trembling low hum traveled from the distance.
"There's something ahead. I'll go steer." Charles turned and made his way to the bridge. Even till the end, he left Bandages' question unanswered.
The Narwhale slowly shifted and avoided the unseen obstacle. She continued its aimless drift on the dark waters.
Dark circles hung under Charles' eyes. He hardly slept a wink in recent days. And he could feel that the symptoms in his mind had returned.
He knew they were at a critical juncture where he had to make the decision: to offer the sacrifice or not. If they delayed any longer, they would be trapped at sea for eternity.
The crew stood in line on the deck as they watched First Mate Bandages drawing a mysterious circle on the deck with his own blood.
An indescribable mix of emotions painted their faces. They didn't need to ask; they understood what was going to happen.
Charles's gaze swept over their faces, meeting eyes that swiftly turned away. His lips felt as though they weighed tons.
The strange low hum sounded again from afar.
Charles raised his hand. The Narwhale understood the instructions and shifted her course slightly.
Just as Charles was about to deliver the harsh news to his crew, his pupils suddenly widened in realization as a sense of familiarity washed over him. He turned his head in the direction of the sound.
"Wait, perhaps there's another way after all!" A trace of excitement crept onto Charles' face.
The crew hurriedly returned to their posts as the Narwhale's propeller churned, and the vessel steered toward the source of the sound.
The white mist ahead parted, and a circular mountain-like structure appeared before them. The immense size sent a shiver through everyone who laid their eyes on it.
Lily was so frightened that she even retreated into Charles' coat pocket. Peeking just her eyes out of the pocket, she squeaked, "Mr. Charles. Let's leave now. We need to leave! That's a Divinity!"
"No. That's not a Divinity," Charles answered with confidence.
As soon as his words fell, a spout of water erupted from the center of the mountain peak, and droplets of water descended for the first time upon the Narwhale's deck.
"That's a Leviathan Whale, our hope of survival!" Charles announced with a newfound vigor. The whale's colossal body was a treasure trove of blubber that could serve as a source of fuel. They just needed to capture it to solve their dire fuel supply.
Just then, a giant fin descended upon the water's surface, and the whale began its slow descent into the abyss.
"Quick! Move! We can't let it escape!" Charles shouted.
Boom! A roar of cannon fire resonated through the air and sent a flare that burst brightly upon impact with the whale's back.
Jolted by the blast, the whale trembled violently as it let out a haunting cry that crescendoed into a vengeful pitch. Enraged by the projectile, it swished its gigantic tail and lunged at the Narwhale with the ferocity of a tempest.
Up against a colossal fish that dwarfed the Narwhale, Charles dared not take on the attack directly. He swiftly spun the helm to steer the ship away from the whale's destructive trajectory.
Just as he thought that the Narwhale had narrowly dodged the assault, a giant tail whipped through the air and slammed against the ship with a resounding boom. The vessel rocked violently from the impact; her crew tossed into the air like rag dolls before landing on the deck with a thud.
Accompanied by creaks, the flank of the Narwhale caved inward.
Disregarding the chaos, he clung to the wheel with a death grip to steady the ship from capsizing.
"Lily, don't stop! Keep at it!"
The mice swiftly steadied themselves and scampered toward the deck cannons.
The thundering sound of cannons soon rang out as a relentless bombardment descended upon the distant whale.
It didn't take long before the Leviathan Whale's hide was marred by craters with blood gushing forth. However, the whale pressed on despite its battered and bloodied form. It opened its massive maw and let loose a deafening bellow that threatened to rend the very sky.
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