met free Chapter 135 The Unpredictability of Fate
Chapter 135 The Unpredictability of Fate
Chapter 135 The Unpredictability of Fate
"die·."
"Go to hell!"
Chris awoke amidst vicious curses.
These days, Chris has been constantly regretting why he didn't kill that kid that day.
It must be for this reason that the fleet he once commanded, which originally had three slave ships, now has only one remaining.
Why is this cycle so difficult to break?
He was very decisive at the time and even held the crossbow at bay, so why couldn't he kill that kid?
Of course, it's the fault of that demonized rat, the fault of that damned pirate, and even more so, the fault of himself.
Chris felt he also bore responsibility for not being prepared in advance and for not seizing the opportunity when it came.
Therefore, he now carries a crossbow with him so that if he sees that kid again, he can shoot him dead immediately.
That day, in order to escape the pirates' attack range as soon as possible and to prevent the pirate ship from pursuing them, the shrill voice ordered the ship to sail southwest.
Although Chris was eager to head west immediately in search of his destiny's sign, he was ultimately just a smooth-talking conman who didn't understand the laws of the sea and longships, and he could only accept the shrill voice's suggestion.
Later, due to excessive strain on his eye muscles caused by remorse, the wound inside his eye socket ruptured, leading to inflammation. Chris developed a high fever as a result, and only recovered slightly yesterday.
But when he stepped out of the captain's cabin and inquired about the situation, he was surprised to learn that they had left the Weeping Canyon and arrived in the southern region of the Frozen Continent, even approaching Insole Island.
Chris scolded the shrill voice, saying that if the ship had sailed west, they should have already reached the frozen continent.
The high-pitched voice said that strong southeasterly winds had been blowing these days, while the permafrost continent was in the northwest.
It's not that there's no way to sail against the wind, but the speed of progress will undoubtedly be very slow.
But they didn't know if the pirates were chasing them. If they caught up with the wind, there would be no second ship to use as bait, and escaping would not be so easy.
Therefore, he dared not take the step of slowing down the ship's speed at that time.
Fortunately, based on the shrill voice's words, they could now simply head north to reach the southern coast of the Crying Fjord, which wasn't too far away, so Chris didn't fly into a rage.
But when he returned to his room and tried to update the clues in "The Guide to Destiny Interpretation" again, he was surprised to find that the clues he received were still the same:
"Clay pottery jar - Western"
He has now arrived at the southern part of the permafrost continent.
However, the direction indicated by the sign still points west.
In other words, fate did not guide Chris to the frozen continent, but to a place further west.
Located to the west of the frozen continent lies the Sea of Despair!
Chris had no idea what the instructions meant.
A Sea of Despair? How could there be pottery jars on the sea?
But at this moment, Chris firmly believes that fate exists.
Although he couldn't see the outline of fate, fate was either cyclical or ascending.
Whatever fate leads him to seek, he will resolutely pursue it.
If that is the cycle of his fate, then he will break the cycle.
If it's an upward trend, Chris will embrace it.
Chris immediately ordered the shrill voice to turn the boat around and head west.
But this time, the shrill voice resolutely refused Chris's order:
"Boss, although I don't know what you're up to, since you've boarded my ship, you can't just be looking to use it to enjoy the sea breeze."
"But you originally said you wanted to land on the frozen continent, but after a few days of illness, you suddenly decided not to go and instead wanted to continue westward. I really can't understand your intentions."
Chris said, "My goal has always been to head west to the permafrost continent, but I just want to sail a short distance along the coastline."
"After all, the open sea is too dangerous, with ghost ships, pirates, and bizarre shipwrecks. The fact that the pirate's giant arrow is still stuck in the deck of this ship is proof of that."
"But what do you want to do in the West?"
"A rise in fortune," but what the slave trader in front of him cared about was undoubtedly "or rather, immense wealth."
"But even so, I must go south first before I can go west."
Why?
"Why?" The shrill voice revealed a suspicious look. "The three northern shipping routes are controlled by righteous people. Although pirates have now interfered, the overall situation hasn't changed. And the islands of righteous people won't provide convenience for slave traders."
"Although pirates roam the two southern shipping routes, those pirates all fly the flags of the navigator and the gossip. It is because of your relationship with the gossip that countless slave ships have chosen to join your wicked ways."
"Thanks to your connections, we can pay to enter pirate islands to rest, or even directly engage in the slave trade with pirates. The Sea of Despair is too vast, and such rest stops are essential, but now you're asking me why? Boss, something about your words sounds strange to me."
Although Chris has been trying to gather information about the slave king these days in order to better play the role of Valen.
However, they had to avoid appearing too ignorant and arousing the suspicion of the slave traders, so progress was quite slow.
That's why Chris asked such an inappropriate question for Valen just now.
He knew he couldn't dwell on the issue any longer, so he could only use a few excuses to temporarily dispel the shrill voice's doubts.
And they agreed to the other party's proposal.
Therefore, at this moment, the longship that Chris is on is sailing southwest.
Ships will only turn west once they reach the sea route in the southern part of the sea of despair.
However, Chris didn't push it too hard.
Fate only told him to go west, but didn't specify whether it was due west, southwest, or northwest.
The current route might just be the shortcut to the signpost.
Chris wandered around on the deck.
He didn't understand ship command, so he wouldn't issue random orders while navigating the ship, lest he reveal any flaws in his strategy.
Everyone else, however, was busy.
The high-pitched voice gave the order to have fishing nets hung at the stern of the boat to catch some fish and replenish the ship's food supplies.
By overhearing these conversations, Chris also learned some things about the Sea of Despair.
Once you venture deep into the Sea of Despair, the water beneath the ship seems to undergo a transformation, forming a place called the "Corruption Sea."
The corrupted sea is almost devoid of ordinary fish; instead, powerful, bizarre, and terrifying creatures inhabit the area beneath the azure surface.
Those with high-pitched voices called it a strange fish.
The strange fish is quite dangerous, so if you want to catch it, you have to do it now.
The New World has been discovered by navigators for over a decade, yet there are still only five shipping routes. This is not only because the Despair Sea is vast and islands are scarce, but also because of the Corruption Sea.
Crossing the Corrupted Sea is extremely dangerous, and the boundaries of this strange sea are not only blurred but also constantly changing.
Therefore, finding a completely new route that avoids or passes through the corrupted waters, or a route that passes through the corrupted waters in the shortest possible way, will inevitably be extremely difficult.
Having witnessed the terror of monsters, Chris certainly didn't want to encounter the strange fish.
Therefore, once the route is decided, Chris will never easily interfere with the ship's original voyage.
Just then, a report came from the lookout tower:
"A ship is approaching on port!"
Upon hearing the information, Chris also moved to the left.
Sure enough, in that direction, a pea-sized boat was heading straight towards Chris and his group.
The high-pitched voice approached Chris and said happily:
"Boss, that's our ship! The last ship has caught up with us!"
The slave ships under Valen were in groups of three, and the shrill-voiced ones were no exception.
The ship with the rough voice has already been intercepted by pirates, so the one in front of us can only be the ship with the hoarse voice.
Even Chris didn't know where the destination was, so it was most likely a long voyage.
In that case, it's always safer for two boats to travel together than for one to go alone.
Chris immediately ordered, "Stop the ship and wait for him."
The shrill voice nodded and immediately ordered the boat to stop.
Soon, the boat beneath Chris's feet came to a stop on the sea.
Then, the two of them stood quietly behind the railing, watching the distant ships slowly approach.
"However, something seems a little strange," the shrill voice suddenly murmured.
Chris turned to look at him: "What's wrong?"
"How did he catch up with us?"
Hearing this, Chris suddenly realized something was wrong. Yes, how did they catch up?
When they were attacked by pirates, their ship, with its hoarse voice, had not yet managed to rendezvous with them.
By the time the ship arrives at the rendezvous point, even if the pirate ship has already left, how can we know which way Chris and the others escaped to?
Before leaving with a hoarse voice, all he knew was Chris's previous plan: they should have gone to the frozen continent to dispose of the captured slaves.
Even though they sailed out of the Weeping Gorge from the southwest due to the wind direction, they should have headed north and approached the permafrost continent by now.
But the truth is, they tracked them down here.
Chris decided to sail westward based on the guidance of fate, but what about that ship?
Thinking about this, he couldn't help but become alert.
The most important skill for a con artist is the ability to detect danger in time so that they can escape to a safe area before danger strikes.
He walked toward the main comb and climbed the watchtower, with the shrill voice quickly following behind him.
When they arrived, three people were standing in the narrow area all at once.
The lookout tower was not only high, but also windy. Chris's legs were a little weak, but he still mustered his courage and held tightly to the railing, gazing into the distance at the ship.
Suddenly, a ray of light flashed in Chris's eyes.
He stared intently and noticed something on the board that was reflecting the sunlight.
"And those with both eyes intact undoubtedly have better eyesight than those with only one eye," the high-pitched voice beside them stated, offering a more precise conclusion.
"armor?"
Armor? Chris frowned.
Chris had thoroughly searched the hoarse boat in search of the pottery jar, but he hadn't found even a single piece of armor.
That armor was definitely not something that originally belonged to the ship, and Chris had reason to suspect that those people were not sailors on the ship either!
But whoever they are, the situation has changed, and he can no longer let them get close so easily.
Chris immediately said, "Sail quickly! Someone may have hijacked the ship, and those on board might be our enemies!"
Upon hearing this, the shrill voice immediately became serious.
He immediately took Chris back to the deck and then directed the ship to resume movement.
The shrill voice asked, "Who hijacked the ship?"
"I want to know too," Chris thought impatiently.
But even if the shrill voice didn't ask, he still had to think about this problem.
The high-pitched voice quickly offered another conjecture:
"Could it be that the patrolling soldiers discovered their kidnapping activities and subsequently hijacked the ship? And the people on board revealed our existence, so the patrolling soldiers, in their boat, gave chase?"
"Impossible," Chris immediately shook his head in denial.
Why?
"The patrolling soldiers were indeed able to catch slave traders who kidnapped people on the shore, but they were helpless against the ships anchored at sea."
Chris Mei explained,
"If they want to seize that ship, they'll need to rely on other vessels, which means they have their own. But if that's the case, why use a slave trader's ship to capture us instead of sailing a ship they're more familiar with?"
"To lull them into a false sense of security and get closer to us," the shrill voice said, "like just now, if we hadn't been a little suspicious, we would have let them board the ship easily."
"Placing their hopes on not being suspected by us is tantamount to handing over the initiative. They might as well use better ships and speed to climb up to us."
Chris analyzed carefully,
"Furthermore, since they knew of our existence, they must have known that we might have more than one ship. Yet, they clearly had their own ships, but instead of coming together, they chose to send only one ship to take the risk. This is perhaps too presumptuous."
Unless they are overconfident in their own strength and can fight two ships of enemies with one ship of soldiers.
However, it's unlikely that ordinary patrol soldiers or lord-level marines would have such confidence.
From the lord's perspective, it was impossible to risk his fully armed soldiers.
"Then who are they?" the shrill voice asked.
Yes, who could it be?
If they weren't patrolling soldiers, why would they attack a slave ship with a hoarse voice?
And they shouldn't have had any other longships, so how did they manage to take over the hoarse-sounding ship?
Chris had absolutely no idea what the answer was.
But at that moment, he suddenly realized that perhaps it was unnecessary to consider it from the perspective of the longship. This group of people was suspicious in itself. If they were not soldiers, who would be wearing full armor?
By the way, didn't Chris deal with a group of people like that not long ago?
"The Unswearing Knights—" Chris blurted out.
The high-pitched voice must have heard Chris's murmur, because it turned to look at Chris:
"Them? But why are they targeting us?"
"I'm just guessing, I'm not sure if they're the Unswearing Knights," Chris shook his head, "and I don't know what their purpose is."
Have they already sold that kid out? And are they here to split the money with Chris?
No, impossible! Chris suddenly realized that those overrated guys had clearly lost the kid!
Chris was thinking angrily when he suddenly shuddered. It might really be related to this matter!
We swear an oath to the Knights, and we will not return until our mission is accomplished.
After losing the boy, he immediately began searching for him and discovered that the boy had been kidnapped by slave traders.
That's why they hijacked the slave ship in search of the other two.
If that's the case, then it's a misunderstanding.
The Unswearing Knights don't kill innocent people indiscriminately. As long as it's explained that the kid isn't on this ship, they should let Chris and the others go.
Even so, Chris must not allow that ship to overtake him from behind.
They won't do anything to Chris, but the people on this ship will!
Selling that kid was a task personally commissioned by Chris, and there's a high probability that one of those warriors knows Chris.
Once Chris's lie about not being the slave king is exposed, there's no way for him to escape on this vast ocean.
At this point, Chris had a clear understanding of the current situation.
The important thing isn't who's on that boat, but that Chris can't be caught by them.
However, even though the boat beneath their feet was already moving, the boat on their left was still slowly approaching.
Chris quickly figured out the reason: "Turn right! They're coming from the east, but we're sailing south. How can we possibly escape!"
"But the navigator opened up the route in the south," the shrill voice said. "Now, if we sail west, we'll be on the route of decent people."
"We have to turn! If that ship catches up with us, we're all going to die!" Chris lied.
If those people are indeed members of the Unswearing Knights, then the only one in danger is Chris.
But with their lives threatened, the slave traders in front of them clearly dared not question the truth of Chris's warning.
The high-pitched voice immediately began directing the boat to turn right.
The ship they were chasing was also a slave ship, and its performance was almost identical to that of this ship.
After turning, the distance between the two ships did not continue to close.
However, they were also unable to shake off their opponent, who followed closely behind, showing no sign of giving up.
They really are determined not to return until their mission is accomplished!
Just then, the ship suddenly made a sharp turn, and half of the crew members standing on the deck were thrown to the ground.
Chris was no exception; he hurriedly climbed up, holding onto the railing, and asked loudly:
"What happened?"
The sailor on the bridge exclaimed, "The helmsman—is dead!"
Chris was utterly bewildered: "How could a perfectly healthy person suddenly die!"
"He's been shot with an arrow," said the sailor. "Someone shot him from behind!"
In the middle of the ocean, the only place Chris could think of to shoot the helmsman from behind was the ship chasing them.
He cautiously approached the stairs leading to the bridge and peeked out to check the situation behind the ship.
Although the ships behind had caught up to within a few hundred feet, the distance was still several hundred feet.
But the people on that boat were able to hit the target's back with pinpoint accuracy.
Chris immediately concluded that the soldiers on that ship were no ordinary people.
Since they possessed such strength, Chris's suspicion that they were the Unswerving Knights became even more certain.
At that moment, the shrill voice also came to his side.
After observing for a while, he said to Chris:
"The only place that could hit the cabin crew is the lookout tower on that ship."
Unfortunately, Chris only has one eye and cannot use his own eyesight to verify the high-pitched voice's words.
Chris looked at the dead helmsman, whose right hand was still gripping the handle tightly, which was why the ship had turned.
Chris immediately said with a serious expression, "Someone must take control of the boat's direction, otherwise the boats behind will catch up very quickly."
The shrill-voiced man nodded and immediately selected two crew members to go to the deck.
Although they were unwilling, under the threat of the shrill voice, they eventually had no choice but to walk toward the wheelhouse.
One person was responsible for pulling the cabin crew's hand off the helm, while the other quickly righted the cabin.
Not long after the man started steering the boat, Chris saw something approaching from behind.
Chris only saw it clearly when he got close enough to take the item.
It was a falcon with outstretched wings, gliding through the air with its powerful wings, flying straight toward the ship.
As the falcon drew closer, Chris was able to see it more clearly.
That wasn't a goshawk, or rather, it was just a cloud of air or a patch of light with the color and shape of a gray eagle.
Within the falcon's translucent body, a spinning, flying arrow was encased.
Cangji suddenly folded its wings and accelerated its descent.
Its body continued to shrink and contract until it was completely absorbed by the feathered arrow.
At this moment, it had already arrived not far behind the sailor.
A moment later, the helmsman, who had only recently taken office, collapsed and died.
Fortunately, he did not grab the helm before he died, and his death did not cause the ship to veer off course, which gave the people on board time to think of a solution.
Chris lay sprawled on the stairs, terrified.
What kind of power is that?
Can the arrows that are shot transform into eagles and soar through the sky?
And even from such a great distance, it can still hit the target with precision at will?
Are all the members of the Unswearing Knights monsters of this caliber?
Chris swallowed hard, reassuring himself that he, too, possessed extraordinary power.
If he had to put it into words, Chris even felt that the ability to control one's own destiny was undoubtedly more powerful and alluring.
Chris finally calmed down completely, and when he turned his head, he found the shrill voice lying dumbfounded beside him.
He shook his high-pitched voice and said to him:
"The ship cannot be left unattended, otherwise it will easily deviate from its course. Someone must be sent up to take charge of the cabin immediately."
The shrill voice shook her head: "Easier said than done, boss. You saw it yourself, just walking up to the dashboard like that..."
It's tantamount to suicide! Their archery skills aren't just accurate, they're practically miraculous.
"Since he's good at shooting, then stop the arrow mid-shot," Chris said.
"Block? How do you block?"
Upon hearing the question, Chris thought for a few seconds and quickly gave his answer:
"Go, remove the captain's cabin door and use it to block the back of the deck!"
"But what if they can shoot through the wooden planks?"
"Then tear down the walls, tear down the floors, until we can completely stop the arrows," Chris squinted his right eye. "Someone has to sail the boat. You've seen it, they don't mind killing. If they catch up with us, we're doomed."
After speaking, the shrill voice nodded and immediately did as Chris instructed.
They removed the door to the captain's cabin and carried it onto the deck.
Then two more people were sent out, one to hold the door open and the other to steer from behind the door.
The next arrow came quickly, and it was accurate and powerful.
However, the door's defenses still held up; the arrow pierced halfway through before finally stopping against the door panel.
Sure enough, one layer of planks wasn't enough, so Chris ordered the table in the captain's cabin to be moved out and placed behind the helmsman.
After a long flight, the arrow ultimately failed to penetrate the two layers of defense.
Chris finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the third arrow completely blocked.
In this way, the crisis of the ship being unable to be steered was finally resolved.
However, the matter was far from over.
As long as that ship follows behind, Chris's situation is far from safe.
He had to use his eloquent tongue to constantly instill in the slave traders on the ship the idea that they would surely die if they were caught, in order to motivate them to do their best to sail away from the ships behind them.
However, the two boats were too similar in performance, so the boat in front could neither shake off the other nor catch up.
The situation had reached a complete stalemate, and Chris knew that this would be a test of endurance.
Chris never expected that this endurance race would last for dozens of days.
Fortunately, the direction indicated by the deciphering clues is still west, so he hasn't missed the object of his destiny's guidance.
By this time, they had already ventured deep into the Sea of Despair.
The shrill voice found Chris and said, "Boss, this can't go on. The food and drinks on our ship aren't enough to sustain us for the entire voyage."
We must head to the Clown Islands to resupply.
After more than a month of intensive sailing, Chris had gained a basic understanding of boat handling, and therefore answered:
"When the wind direction is right, we'll turn and head to the Clown Islands."
"That's the problem, boss. Although I can determine our approximate location in the Sea of Despair and know which direction to sail in, the issue is that I don't know the distribution of the Corrupted Sea in the northern half of the Sea of Despair. Going there rashly would be very dangerous."
"Do you have any other ideas?" Chris asked.
The high-pitched voice shook its head.
"Then let's just charge in," Chris said. "Going into the corrupted waters is dangerous, but without food, we'll all starve!"
Upon hearing the order, the shrill voice immediately went to plan the route.
Chris wasn't without fear, but since what fate was guiding him to was still in the West, and he was still pursuing that thing, he was still acting according to fate's instructions. Even if there was danger, he would surely find a way to turn it into safety.
Chris wondered if the ship behind them didn't have a food shortage problem.
When the next southerly wind blows, the high-pitched voice will take the opportunity to direct a left turn.
As expected, the ships behind them followed.
Two more days passed, and the situation remained unchanged.
But on the afternoon of the third day, Chris noticed a strange phenomenon: the surrounding seawater was constantly bubbling outwards.
At that moment, the shrill voice cried out in terror to Chris, "Oh no, boss, we've entered the Corrupted Sea!"
Chris asked worriedly, "What kind of danger will we encounter?"
"I don't know," the shrill voice said. "The dangers in the Corrupt Sea are all kinds of things."
Just then, Chris suddenly noticed that the air behind the shrill voice seemed to be distorted.
He pushed aside the shrill voice and then saw clearly that a huge bubble was rising from the sea.
Chris frowned and walked toward the starboard side, his shrill voice following beside him.
There was more than one bubble; there were many more like it on the right side of the ship.
The bubble was colorless and transparent, reflecting Chris's face on its surface, but seemingly empty inside.
But the shrill voice warned, "Boss, there seems to be something right in the center of the bubble."
Upon hearing this, Chris deliberately squinted his remaining eye and looked in that direction.
Yes, there is definitely something there.
It appeared to be a fish the size of a fingernail, staying inside the bubble, constantly swaying its tail fin from side to side.
Just then, Chris suddenly noticed that the bubble seemed to be slowly getting bigger.
No, it doesn't just seem, it is indeed getting bigger!
The surface of the bubble is about to expand enough to touch the hull!
Chris had no idea what the bubbles were or what kind of creature the fish was.
But his instincts told him that this was definitely not a good thing!
Chris immediately ordered, "Quick, turn left!"
The shrill voice probably had a similar premonition; after hearing Chris's order, he directed the ship to turn left without any hesitation.
But in the end, we were still a step too late.
One bubble had grown so large that its surface touched the stern of the ship.
In that instant, the bubble's membrane ruptured, and the next moment, a storm-like wind pressure was released from the direction where the bubble had been.
The entire ship tilted in the wind, and Chris was undoubtedly blown away.
His back slammed hard against the mast, and he fell off the deck.
The shrill voice beside him wasn't so lucky; it was swept to the other side of the boat and rolled overboard.
It took quite a while for the wind to subside.
Chris had no time to mourn for the shrill voice; the impact to his back left him paralyzed on the ground for a long time.
When he got up, he realized that the gust of wind had blown at least five or six people off the boat.
What made him even more desperate was that at that moment, bubbles rose up all over the nearby sea, surrounding the ship.
Chris was drenched in cold sweat. To sail away safely from such a dense wind pressure trap would be an impossible task.
The problem is that Chris not only doesn't know how to sail, but he also can't give orders.
Just then, a strong gust of wind suddenly blew from behind.
Although the wind was not weak, it was nothing compared to the wind pressure from before.
The wind propelled the ship forward, and at the same time, it also slightly dispersed the bubbles in front of the ship.
Then, a continuous wind blew from behind, clearing a narrow path for him through the thorny thicket made of bubbles. Chris turned around and looked back.
Only then did they realize that it was the boat that had been chasing them that had collided with the bubbles.
The ship, blown about, collided with another bubble.
This caused the airflow around the ship to become extremely chaotic.
All the bubbles flew around wildly, crashing into the ship from all directions.
No matter how chaotic the wind direction was around the ship, it all came from the same direction to the ship.
"Hahaha!"
Chris suddenly burst into laughter.
Fortune and misfortune are unpredictable; fate is fickle!
Being chased by that ship was originally a crisis for Chris, but now it has actually opened up a path to survival for him in the bubbles!
Chris's ship was gradually moving away from the other ship, which meant that his mistake of entering the corrupt waters had become a blessing in disguise as he escaped his pursuers!
Indeed, fate does exist!
After a long time, not a single bubble could be seen within the ship's visible range, and the persistent ship had also disappeared!
Chris was averted from two crises in an instant. He couldn't help but raise his arms and shout:
"Fortune and misfortune are unpredictable; fate is fickle!"
"Boss!"
Just then, a crew member shouted something to him, interrupting his pleasant mood.
He glared at the other person and asked:
"What is it?"
"A ship is approaching in the distance!"
Chris was startled and immediately went to the side of the boat, looking in a certain direction.
There are indeed boats.
He intended to order his men to move away, but he discovered that the approaching ships were coming from all directions!
And all these ships, coming from all directions, were heading straight toward Chris.
Chris suddenly realized that he was surrounded by a group of ships!
He had nowhere to escape and could only watch helplessly as the ships approached.
Only then did Chris see clearly the tops of the ship's masts, where various flags fluttered: red-toothed skulls, deep purple coffins containing skulls, praying skulls, and crocodile skulls with open jaws. The sailors nearby, upon seeing those flags, were filled with fear and trembling.
Chris asked the slave trader next to him, "Whose flag is that?"
"Pirates! Pirates among pirates!"
The sailor said in a trembling voice,
"The Eight Leaders!"
Chris took a deep breath.
Fortune and misfortune are truly unpredictable; fate is truly capricious.