Chapter 889: Eighty-two. Navigation
Climbing along the rusty cabin of the whale to the Captain’s Cabin on the upper deck.
The Captain’s Cabin was equally terrible; ti and the environnt had severely corroded it. The tables, chairs, beds, floors, and the ship’s wheel were all wooden products that, in the damp environnt, looked like decayed corpses, gnawed beyond recognition. The deer head specin skewed and hung on the wall appeared grotesque, as the sea breeze whistled through the damaged window and squeezed into the Captain’s Cabin.
Katerina had co to the seaside and sailed for the first ti, but this was certainly not a wonderful experience.
But it was still better than inside the cabin, which was filled with the sll of rust and dripping rusty water from the broken ceiling, along with eerie echoes, as if terrifying echoes emanated from the deep sea.
“Will it take us to the Vena Ice-Free Port?”
Puxiu asked, having turned several tis without finding a place to sit. Everywhere was wet, making his fur damp and reflecting the lamp’s light.
“Yes.”
Lu Li trusted the whale just as he trusted the Tree of Lina.
This trust in the strange might cost Lu Li dearly, but not now.
“The Storm Corner… might be old,” Katerina looked behind from afar; still in the bay, they could see tens of stars resulting from stone pillars and ships.
“Why.”
Lu Li was still observing the Captain’s Cabin.
The wooden bed or floor, like a giant’s viewing platform, was slippery like moss, pressing the edge to squeeze out water when stepped on.
The sea at night was colder than the land, filled with moisture and cold wind, necessitating a fire at least to improve the environnt and seal the leaky windows.
“This whale is strange…” Katerina halted before the offensive words spilled out. “…The Storm Corner let it in, did nothing.”
“Maybe the whale is powerful?” Puxiu said.
Due to his admiration for Lu Li, he had a high regard for the whale and it was too big.
“Divinity will tolerate no intrusion, unless the enemy can easily kill it.”
The sea breeze filled Puxiu’s ears, unable to scratch, he had to pin his ears and say: “The whale doesn’t seem as powerful as Divinity…”
“That’s why I said the whale might be old.”
The Midnight City’s experience made Katerina a bit mature; at least previously, it was difficult for her to speak at such length and with such coherence.
“Then we should tell those people…” said kind-hearted Puxiu.
“Many people saw this… whale, they would think of it.”
Katerina said, looking at Lu Li standing by the window gazing at the deck rging into the night: “What are you thinking?”
The familiar scenery indeed awakened so mories in Lu Li.
These mories gave Lu Li an irrational idea: to bypass the Vena Ice-Free Port and return directly to Belfast.
But Lu Li knew there was nothing but ruins and the abandoned Seaview Cliff.
“Will the whale repel the Mist of Strangeness?” Katerina asked.
She soon got an answer. The distant stars were shrouded in mist, and in just a few seconds beca invisible, darkness completely enveloped the rusty vessel, but the Mist of Strangeness did not board here.
Lu Li handed the oil lamp to Katerina, opened the suitcase, took out the fluorite lamp which wouldn’t go out but was dimr, and exchanged back the oil lamp with Katerina.
“Where are you going?”
“Take a look around.” Lu Li carrying the oil lamp, prepared to explore the cabin below deck.
Oliver’s skeleton was still there.
“Mr. Luli, I’ll go with you.” said little follower Puxiu.
“…I’ll go too.” Katerina also said.
She didn’t want to be left alone.
Setting down the suitcase, Lu Li and his companions left the upper deck and entered the cabin.
Lu Li still rembered the way, after all, it was just a few months ago. But for this world and the whale, ti had passed for twenty-four years.
Corrosion was everywhere, rust clung like rock walls, the sea and humidity eroded red-brown walls resembling the innards of a giant creature.
Stepping on accumulated water, following the rembered route, Lu Li ca to the end of the first deck.
The cabin bore no trace of the past, Oliver’s corpse was nowhere to be seen, only empty cans in the corner silently told the tale.
“Where is Oliver’s body?” Lu Li asked.
The whale could not answer Lu Li.
Just then, the big sister huddled in her cloak with the hood pulled over to block the dripping water, suddenly said: “It says it left.”
“Left?” Lu Li frowned.
But the big sister could only understand emotions, while the whale could not express more complex ones,
Lu Li knew Oliver was dead, even if he beca sothing strange, he was no longer himself.
“Left” as the whale said was more likely when the Mother of the Marsh sent it away from the marsh, she took Oliver’s body.
The big sister then conveyed other emotions of the whale, which seed like whale language seeking help.
The whale hoped Lu Li could check the lower decks.
…
Subrged steps, yellowish floating water.
It might be leaking water, it might be too much accumulation, or maybe both. Doors on both sides of the corridor were tightly closed, thick rust clamped on them, in a way the rust aided the whale, plugging continuously seeping water cabins, preventing the ocean from dragging the whale to the seabed.
The water depth subrged and subrged, Puxiu jumping in might only show his eyes.
The environnt of the bottom deck was worse than imagined.
Lu Li understood the whale’s plea for help.
“Where is there a bucket?”
Following the whale’s guidance, Lu Li found a bucket in the clutter room on the deck. The wooden bucket was corroded beyond use, the iron bucket could still be used.
Finding gloves in the suitcase he distributed them to Katerina, wrapping their hands to prevent skin from tearing and getting tetanus, Lu Li and Katerina entered the passage, helping the whale clear the accumulated water.
Puxiu grasped two oil lamps in its mouth, providing light on the steps.
Without a pump, they could only primitively carry buckets to the deck to pour out.
Spending several hours reducing the water level to just above the ankles, Lu Li and his companions stopped.
They had not helped the whale much, since more water sat within rust-clamped cabins and the lower boiler room.
These could only be handled dockside at a shipyard.
The whale sounded its horn to express gratitude.
They could not find any dry wood to burn, the only usable coal was still in the lowest boiler room. They only found so boards to block the Captain’s Cabin window, blocking the chilling sea breeze.
Sitting on laid-out waterproof tarps, they simply replenished so drinking water and food.
“How much longer to the Vena Ice-Free Port?” Lu Li asked.
“It says dawn.”
Less than twelve hours remained.
Lu Li placed changeable clothes from the suitcase onto the tarp to isolate the slippery and cold sensation.
Katerina was indifferent, she had stayed in much worse environnts before, like soaking overnight in sewage, her skin macerated like a corpse.
Close to midnight, the Captain’s Cabin was left only with the wind’s whimper through crevices.
…
Katerina slowly opened her eyes.
It was dawn.
Puxiu was nestled in the coat sleeping, Lu Li was not there.
Katerina stepped out of the Captain’s Cabin, clasping her shoulders in the cold air, gazing around.
She saw Lu Li on the deck, and beyond the horizon, a sprawling, bustling port city seed like old Belfast.
Reviews
All reviews (0)