Chapter 81: The Second Day at Sea

A red beam shot out from the prow of the Sea Windmill, striking a small iceberg a hundred meters ahead. The iceberg was shattered to pieces, its submerged base cracked apart by the force of the blast. The massive vessel rammed right through, scattering the broken ice, and pressed on into the depths of the Northern Sea.

Lin Qi, secured by a safety line, stood jauntily at the prow beside the ship’s figurehead—a mermaid mascot. His left hand rested on the sculpture, while his right gripped a sharp harpoon as he stared intently at the water.

Suddenly, a blue shark about three meters long leapt from the sea, jaws wide, lunging for a bloody chunk of meat dangling by the rail. With a wild laugh, Lin Qi’s body flashed with a yellow aura of battle energy; the harpoon, streaked with yellow light, whistled through the air and pierced the shark’s head with a sharp, whistling sound.

The harpoon went clean through, killing the shark instantly. Laughing heartily, Lin Qi hauled in the beast by a stout sinew rope. His eyes shone with excitement as he called out to the other sailors on deck, who also stood ready with harpoons. “Look, everyone—a fresh hammerhead! What a catch! The liver is a delicacy beyond compare! Thor, Thor!”

In the biting wind, a burly sailor, towering and broad as a bear, his chest covered in thick black hair, strode over with a hearty grin. Together, he and Lin Qi hauled the massive hammerhead—at least a thousand pounds—up onto the deck. Thor, the Sea Windmill’s boatswain, drew a sharp fishing knife and skillfully split open the shark’s belly, carefully slicing out its liver.

Hammerheads were common magical sea beasts in the Northern Sea. Their hides made excellent leather armor; their fins fetched high prices in the East, and Dunkirk exported hundreds of thousands of hammerhead fins every year, earning a fortune in gold. Yet the most delicious and prized part was the liver.

Several sailors gathered around, bringing a huge wooden platter. Right there on deck, Thor sliced the liver into thin pieces, then dressed it with a dash of soy sauce and a bit of pungent wasabi. Lin Qi greedily grabbed a slice and stuffed it into his mouth. The fresh liver melted away almost instantly, a spicy, sweet, and oddly briny juice flowing down his throat, soon sending a wave of warmth radiating from his belly.

“What a treat—three years since I’ve tasted fresh hammerhead liver!” Lin Qi exclaimed, spearing a few more pieces with his knife and striding toward the cabin.

On the upper deck, several private cabins were reserved for the captain, first mate, and distinguished guests. Enzo was sprawled miserably on a bunk, clutching a wooden basin and retching uncontrollably. He hadn’t eaten or drunk since yesterday. He’d already emptied his stomach of everything, even his bile, and now he dry-heaved, as though his insides might spill out altogether.

Weak and dizzy, Enzo didn’t even notice Lin Qi enter the cabin. Lin Qi removed the basin from Enzo’s hands, propped him up, forced his mouth open, and stuffed in a few slices of liver. Instinctively, Enzo chewed and swallowed. Suddenly, unfamiliar with the wasabi’s bite, he sneezed violently several times. From somewhere deep within, he found the strength to leap up from the bed.

Laughing triumphantly, Lin Qi clapped Enzo hard on the shoulder. “Hammerhead liver—nothing finer! For a greenhorn like you, a few slices and you’ll soon get your sea legs! Come on, chin up—there’s plenty more excitement ahead!”

Enzo shook his head as the warmth surged through him, banishing his fatigue; even his aching guts felt soothed and comfortable. Rolling his eyes at Lin Qi, he managed a wry smile. “Boss, you should have given me this yesterday!”

Lin Qi shrugged helplessly and led Enzo out of the reeking cabin. He sighed, “No helping it—we didn’t enter hammerhead waters until today. The sea beasts out here, just like those in the mountains and forests, all have their own territories!”

The Northern Sea was home to countless aquatic magical beasts. The lesser and middling ones drifted wherever they pleased, but the mightier creatures—like the unicorn whale and the hammerhead—kept strictly to their own domains. None would dare stray into another’s territory.

Lin Qi fastened a safety line around Enzo’s waist and brought the now-revived young man back up on deck. Enzo still stumbled unsteadily and walked awkwardly, but the miraculous liver kept his head clear and his nausea at bay.

The Sea Windmill continued deeper into the Northern Sea, the crew gleefully hunting from the deck. The sea beasts were greedy and foolish; bait hung over the rail would lure them up, exposing their vulnerable skulls to the sailors’ sharp harpoons. In the water, a hammerhead could easily kill a full knight, but on deck, deprived of the ocean’s protection, they were helpless.

Soon the deck was lined with nearly a hundred hammerheads. Their hides, fins, livers, and teeth were all harvested. The flesh was chopped fine, mixed with blood and peculiar herbs, and packed into barrels of pungent, briny slurry.

Kicking a discarded fin, Lin Qi sneered, “In the East, the rich pay thousands in gold for a prime hammerhead fin! They love the stuff. But us? We only care for the liver. Eat enough hammerhead liver, and even a rookie like you will soon be a seasoned sailor!”

Lin Qi took a deep breath and turned a wicked gaze on Enzo. “Enzo, my dear friend, how about I teach you to swim? You could even be the bait and maybe lure in some high-grade hammerheads. Tsk tsk—a high-grade fin is worth over ten thousand gold in the East!”

Enzo shivered violently. Swim in this freezing, iceberg-choked sea? With who knows how many savage sharks lurking below?

He refused Lin Qi’s suggestion in no uncertain terms, gritting his teeth. “No! I’d sooner duel you than learn to swim in this forsaken place!” With a sly glance, he added, “If it were that little river by Wright Town, maybe I’d consider it.”

Lin Qi spread his hands in mock disappointment. Just then, another red beam shot from the prow, blasting another small iceberg to powder.

Suddenly, the lookout atop the mast shouted, “Ship! There's a ship ahead!”

After a pause, the lookout cried out as if he’d seen a ghost, “It's a tiny boat—less than three meters long! Damned if I know how!”

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Off to bed. Good night, everyone!