"Shout all the boys, we have to dump the cargo." Due to the close distance, Seaman heard Becker's instructions to the boatswain who had just stepped on the deck.
The boatswain was surprised by the unexpected fog, and thought he was still in a dream when he heard the captain's words, "We have no shortage of supplies, there is no need..."
"Call everyone, dump the cargo, and wake up the first mate. I know he has just fallen asleep. Tell him to get up if he doesn't want to sleep in the sea." The hand holding the steering wheel trembled slightly because of the cold. Becker said
After repeating the order, an inexplicable sense of urgency passed from him to everyone on the deck.
"Ximan, go and watch from behind, don't crowd together."
Even an experienced sailor can detect the wind speed, but the captain will only be more sensitive. The experience given by long-term sailing makes him know better than anyone else that the current speed is far from enough, at least not compared with the approaching speed of that thing.
Abandoning the cargo was a judgment call. They needed to be faster, even if it cost them months of effort and a lot of supplies, sacrificing more when they could.
There is no need to know what it is. Being approached by something that is higher than the mast on the surface of the sea, it doesn't matter what it is.
The good habit of unconditionally following the captain's orders made the boatswain take action. The sleepy sailors were awakened, and then received completely incomprehensible orders. They were rushed to the bottom warehouse to move out the cargo that had been laid out for two days.
The first mate climbed onto the deck holding his knees and limped to the captain, "What's going on? This is a lot of goods. It will take at least two more trips to make up for it!"
"It's better to go help and throw the ore down first." He took off the plush skin hat with residual warmth on his head, and his gray hair was exposed to the cold air. The experience and prestige that matched it were enough to overwhelm anyone on the ship.
Boxes of ore were dumped downward, and the stones wrapped with metal and crystal particles were submerged into the waves, causing continuous splashes of water. The sound of plopping into the water was continuous, no different from the sound of throwing silver coins into the water. Seaman watched
They all felt a little distressed.
Watching the first box of minerals being dumped into the sea, the first mate let go of his knees and covered his heart. The pure loss was expressed in the most intuitive form. The sound of lifting heavy objects under the deck did not stop.
The sailors didn't care about the money that had nothing to do with them, they just wanted to leave as soon as possible.
"Why don't you throw half of it away first..."
Before he finished speaking, there was a huge and dull sound of falling into the water. The first mate searched the deck, wanting to scold some idiot who accidentally dropped the box into the water.
Everyone stopped and looked at each other on the deck. The two sailors who had just dumped a box of minerals were carrying the empty box and were looking for who had thrown the large items directly overboard.
Then they realized that the sound was not a heavy object falling from the side of the ship. It came from a farther distance, echoing in the depths of the cold mist, and it took two breaths for the water splash to return to the ocean.
Suddenly, I had the illusion that I was still in the ice field, and was pulled back to the barren ice field coast, to the end of the dark mountains, to the tall cliff overlooking the ice sea. Years of solid ice pushed open the black rock, and the two fell into the floating floating sea.
The ice crashed against the shore and the waves broke the water into pieces.
Anyone who has seen it once will never forget that scene. When the broken ice and water splashes rise to a high point, the roaring sound of the water comes.
The ice people told them that ships that had unfortunately passed by were directly overturned and swept into the whirlpool formed by the seawater filling the cavity. They had no time to call for help and were swallowed by the ice sea together with the broken wood and ice floes.
Since seeing it, Becker has consciously stayed away from the ice-covered cliffs along the coast.
It had been more than two days since they set out, and those cliffs and falling ice were thrown beyond the horizon, but the sound was unmistakable. Something tall and steep was in the fog, and the glacier fell off it.
"Don't be stunned, throw them all away!" The first person to react was Becker. He roared at a boat of trembling guys who were about to squat down, even though his own hand holding the roulette wheel was already stiff and uncontrollable.
The entire ship was running at an unprecedented speed. The sailors went in and out of the bottom warehouse, took out every box of ore, and dumped it into the sea. All non-essential things were thrown out together, doing everything possible to reduce the weight of the ship.
The second thunderous sound of falling in the water was heard, followed by the third and fourth times, as if a giant thing was moving, waking up, shaking off the old glaciers that had accumulated for many years on its body.
A few frightened sailors chanted prayers that no one could understand, and even tried to drag out the escape boat and launch it into the water. The first mate pulled out his blade and pressed his back to force them back to their posts, "This is an ice sea, and there is no big ship."
No one can survive!"
He looked at Belk, and the captain nodded in confirmation of his behavior.
There was not a single piece of ore left in the bottom hold, so the sailors threw away the empty box, tore off the precious furs, and threw them into the sea together, regardless of the minimal speed gained by doing so.
If Becker hadn't stopped him, it wouldn't have been impossible for a few people to go down there holding their heads and crying.
Seaman stared closely at the fog behind the stern of the ship. He clearly heard the reverberating loud sounds of falling into the water coming from the side and rear.
There is also the sound of the waves crashing against something solid, getting closer and closer, the waves breaking and scattering into water. Huge, cold and hard, they have all the characteristics of those snow-covered mountain peaks, which should have stood in the wilderness, with
It keeps its own kind company.
The ship's speed has reached its limit, and the crew members are arguing about abandoning some fresh water and food. Different people loudly declare their opinions. Those who can no longer bear the invisible source of sound in the cold fog plead with the captain to give them a small boat to fend for themselves.
More often than not, I cried and prayed, regretting why I had to go to a place beyond the sight of gods for money.
These human voices were intertwined, blurred, and faded in Seaman's ears. He heard the sound of broken pieces entering the water, which was the same as the sound of dumping ore, but higher, allowing the stones to roll down a steep slope.
It makes a crisp sound like knocking pottery.
But the ore had already been poured out, and even the boxes it was loaded with had been thrown away.
He realized that this was a sign of arrival, and looked at the thick white icy mist that was rolling more violently in horror. His feet seemed to be nailed to the spot. His only thought was to detect the warning in time, as if this would give him a chance to avoid it.
it.
Everyone quarreling on the front deck heard screams coming from the stern that were so frightened that they were inhuman. It was like the fear of the oceans and mountains of the North that had been accumulated in the chest for several years was squeezed out at once by an overwhelming force.
Come out, squeeze out the remaining air in your lungs, tear open your glottis and spit it out.
This scream awakened the fear and awe that the outsiders who wandered on the ice sea had when they first arrived here. They were awed by the endless icy waters and undulating mountains, and learned that their stable voyage for more than ten years was just a small accident that had not been corrected by that thing.
The few who still had the guts or turned around blindly could see the only remaining light in the fog dimming, and cold, majestic shadows moving in the white chaos. Large chunks of ice broke away from its surface, and the ships were almost lost in the huge waves.
It nearly capsized, throwing the tiny occupants up and down again.
No mind or body could continue to watch it in the unnatural waves. They hugged their nearest anchor and prayed until they were exhausted.
…
…
"Then, what?" Kraft held the cup and took a sip of the sweet fruit wine given by the captain. This kind of wine is a bit like the carbonated drinks that otherworldly souls like, but the bubbles are not so rich, which is really different from the story and candlelight.
Perfect match.
"Then they returned to Wendeng Port and sold the ship and trading rights. Becker handed over the acquired property to his son to take care of, and set off for his hometown in the countryside inland." The captain drank the turbid wine in the cup.
Then, he blew out a breath of wine that was so strong it looked like it was about to be ignited.
"Other crew members were drunk in taverns every day, going in and out of places where they were prone to contracting unspeakable diseases, or going back and forth between the drinking and gaming tables. Most of them were squeezed out of their last copper penny before forgetting about the voyage."
Perhaps because he thought this was too depressing an ending to the story, the captain opened a new bottle of pungent liquor for himself. After being declined by Kraft, he filled his own glass, took a big gulp, and made some supplements.
"Hiccup... Some of them sold the information several times to buyers who were inquiring about the news. Most of the remaining money they had left to live on went to the mainland." The sky outside the window had darkened, and dense raindrops were hitting the deck. The wind was not strong.
, which sets off the atmosphere very well.
The story was over, but the audience was still unsatisfied. Coop, who had been suffering from dizziness and vomiting for a day, came in and listened to the second half. I don't know whether it was because he was weak or frightened. He shuddered. Judging from his eyes, he still wanted to listen.
Craft asked his doubts for him: "Is it over like this? How did they escape?"
"No, they came back alive anyway. Some of them are no different alive than dead, and they all don't have a good life." The captain shook his head and sighed. People who also live at sea have more or less empathy.
How can we ensure that their today is not their tomorrow?
So the story is really over. There is no plot like a common sailing story about a brave captain or a sailor outsmarting a monster.
It sounds like a group of people were driven crazy by something they had never seen before in the heavy fog at sea. The incident ended abruptly, and they inexplicably returned to the port to spend the rest of their miserable lives. The unfortunate echoes lingered even after they left.
them.
Such a distinctive style reminded Kraft that he had heard another story about the northern ice field. Speaking of which, he had been in the academy for so long, but he never found a chance to go to the seminary students to verify the authenticity of the story shared by his cousin.
When I got excited, I revived the idea of compiling a collection of stories as an amateur, in which I could write a separate volume about the mysterious and wild world north of Wendeng Port.
"If possible, I would like to write this story into a book. Where did you hear it?"
"Oh, it's a long story." When talking about this, the captain took another sip of wine. The irritating liquid made his eyes choke and made him cough and burst into tears. He was unknowingly drunk and behaved a bit erratically.
.
"Guess who the second generation of the ship bought the trading opportunity?"