Chapter 918: Chapter 458: Ship Damage and Contingency Plan (Part 2)

To some extent, after such a long time of in-depth study on [Gravity Control], he can actually create a gravitational field around his body to keep the rain out.

But he didn’t do that just now.

On one hand, his mental energy is indeed limited, as he is almost multitasking, having to constantly pay attention to any places on the ship that might require manpower, observe visible damages on the ship caused by the Saw-tooth Shark attacks, relieve the stress for the crew holding crossbows, and sometimes assist sailors in crisis moments when they’re about to be swept off the ship by waves.

He simply didn’t have the mental energy to maintain a Gravity Shield at the same time.

On the other hand, it was also a matter of interpersonal relationships.

Having just joined the team not long ago as a temporary crew member, facing a sudden crisis like this one together would help integrate himself.

Yet after such a storm, all the other people including the captain were soaked by the rain, while he alone remained dry... Perhaps most of the crew wouldn’t find anything wrong with this and might even be amazed by his special ability, but since it could save him a lot of trouble and let his contributions during this crisis be maximized, Xia Nan was willing to let it be.

On the other hand, at the bow of the ship, at the very front, stood Druid Hai Yin, with only her brown hair draped over her shoulders slightly damp.

The magical particles surrounding her, the green glow brimming with the breath of life, during the casting turned the raindrops falling on her into pure elemental energy, keeping her clothes dry.

Having such a spellcaster in the team makes a huge difference.

Most of the time, facing sudden skirmishes on the adventure journey without prior preparation, the performance of a spellcaster in combat might not be as good as a warrior or ranger in the team.

Her role is evident in the comprehensiveness granted by her profession.

Take Hai Yin just now as an example, facing the storm, even standing stably relies on magic power, really putting her in other positions on the deck, whether it’s maintaining the mast and sails, or shooting the Saw-tooth Shark in the water, her efficiency is far from other professionals.

But simultaneously, when facing the attack of fish swarms in the water, when the entire Vengeance Blade Blade was in jeopardy, she could use the most suitable [Rapid-growing Vine Shell] under the current situation to protect the hull, minimizing the damage to the ship.

The role is undoubtedly significant.

And it’s worth noting, she’s even just a Level 3 Druid, with limitations on her magic table, and the highest spell ring position she can use does not exceed the Second Ring.

Compared to their combat roles, functionality and comprehensiveness are the reasons spellcasters are valued by adventurers of this world.

However, at the moment, Hai Yin, having just helped the team out of the crisis, doesn’t seem to be in a particularly pleasant mood.

The over-exhausting spiritual power made her already pale face even lose the slight trace of blood, her brows furrowed as if in deep thought, turning to walk in the direction of Xia Nan and others.

"Something’s not right." Hai Yin said seriously, "Scorched Necked Sharks are not the type to act in groups, it’s fundamentally impossible to form a fish swarm of such scale under normal circumstances."

Beside, a Saw-tooth Shark perhaps washed up by the wave, about the length of a forearm, struggled on the deck, its mouth filled with sharp teeth opening and closing like a suction cup in the air, its pale belly revealed as its tail fin swayed.

"Moreover, they rarely initiate such a crazy siege against passing ships and mostly just use the underside of the ship for migration, with damages to the hull usually only noticed when the ship returns to port for inspection."

On this great sea, storms are frequent, and everyone has become accustomed to them.

But so many Saw-tooth Sharks appearing simultaneously, even the most experienced captain on the ship, Lorin, was seeing it for the first time.

Something’s definitely wrong!

In addition to that, Scorched Necked Sharks have only Twin Ocean as their sole habitat in the nearby sea area, so the source of the problem is also imaginable.

Their destination "Twin Ocean" might have undergone some unknown change, thus affecting the Scorched Necked Sharks living there.

"Everyone, be prepared." Lorin flicked the cigarette butt from between her fingers into the sea, gesturing meaningfully.

The pointed-toe boot came down hard on the fish’s body that had been washed onto the deck by the waves, crushing its head.

With a nudge of the toe, she kicked the twitching Saw-tooth Shark’s body off the deck.

In response, Xia Nan also took note and heightened his vigilance.

The reason he is interested in Twin Ocean is due to suspicions of a Secret Realm appearing in that sea area.

Now suddenly encountering such an unusually behaving swarm of Saw-tooth Sharks, said to be unique to Twin Ocean, makes it difficult not to associate the changes in these sharks with the Secret Realm itself.

Fortunately, he possesses the specialty [Gaze into the Abyss], which provides resistance bonuses against spiritual control abilities, offering some defense measures.

His pitch-black eyes stared at the Saw-tooth Shark’s body being gradually swept away by the waves alongside the ship’s voyage, while Xia Nan contemplated the journey ahead.

Just as the few individuals were each lost in thought, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from behind.

It was Gordon, the younger brother of the twin warriors, completely drenched, with a gloomy face, hastily stepping out from the cabin towards them.

"Is there a problem inside?"

Knowing that the other is responsible for matters inside the cabin, seeing Gordon’s expression and combining it with the recent storm experience, Lorin could roughly guess the issue.

"It’s not particularly severe, we can hold out for a while longer." Hearing this, Gordon nodded heavily and stated solemnly, "Although Hai Yin’s spells have significantly improved the hull’s defense ability, the number of those Saw-tooth Sharks is still too many. There’s leakage at the location near the cabin’s bottom left side."

"I’ve arranged for the shipwright to carry out repairs, but to be safe, I don’t recommend continuing long-term navigation."

The damage to the Vengeance Blade Blade isn’t too severe, and Gordon, being taciturn yet meticulous, certainly wouldn’t exaggerate or misjudge. Technically, continuing to navigate isn’t impossible.

However, should they encounter another storm of the same scale or another swarm of Saw-tooth Sharks, it’s hard to guarantee that the already scarred Vengeance Blade Blade could withstand another round of impact.

And in such vast ocean, if the ship were to sink, the crew, except the professionals, would also meet their end at sea.

It’s something Lorin, who managed to assemble this crew with great effort, could not accept.

But on the other hand, it’s been a few days since they left Suo Yu Bay, and who could guarantee no further incidents on the way back?

After pondering for a moment, Lorin did not make an immediate decision.

Instead, she turned around, looked up at the two seagulls flying through the sky.

Then she took out a compass from her waist pouch and placed it on her palm to carefully determine the direction.

Xia Nan didn’t know exactly what method she used to determine their current location, possibly some special technique unknown to him, or perhaps an ability attached to her profession.

But in about three minutes, Lorin gave her answer.

Fortunately amidst misfortune, despite the storm, although the ship was damaged with water leakage, the Vengeance Blade Blade was still near its originally planned route, and had even been propelled forward a considerable distance due to the storm.

They wouldn’t need to consume extra supplies as they had plenty of time, and their current location still fell within the familiar territory on the nautical chart.

After careful consideration, Captain Lorin decided:

"About half a day’s journey away, there’s an island marked on the nautical chart."

"There’s a small village on the island, all fishfolk from nearby, living by fishing, with frequent visits from merchant ships for trade, posing no danger."

"We should first head to the island for a period of rest and also thoroughly inspect and repair the damaged parts of the ship."

"If the problem is too severe to hold out, whether it is to return the way we came or stay there waiting for assistance, it’s feasible."

"If the problem isn’t too big, we continue with the original mission."