Blood tax

Chapter 30 The Ghost Ship on the Tranquil Sea
"pay close attention!"

"Right full rudder!"

The dexterous hull of the Flying Leaf suddenly tilted rapidly to the right, and the starboard side was almost sliding against the water surface.The people on the deck who were not standing still fell down with a bang, and there were bursts of screams in the cabin.Griffith felt that he was about to be thrown out of the ship's side, and his left hand was almost buckled into the thick armrest, and his right hand hurriedly grabbed his companion who had no armrest to grab.

Galadia gently pushed her companion's outstretched arm on her chest, and flashed gracefully and swiftly on the deck, swaying her tall figure like the most superb actor in a circus, stabilizing her center of gravity, watching Ge. Reeves' face was slapped on the side of the ship.

The clippers at Homonwarts are extremely agile and delicate.In the initial chaotic moment, an invisible breeze supported the fallen passengers, and the hull quickly stabilized.

After a burst of screaming and scolding, freshmen and sailors poured out of the cabin to see if anyone had fallen overboard or was injured.After a while, everyone who was okay gathered on the port deck and looked in the direction indicated by the sailor's lantern.

A vague silhouette floated lifelessly in the darkness less than a hundred meters away from the Feiye, looming like a shadow.

"It may be a shipwreck. Although it is rare on this channel, it is not surprising." The kind female professor stepped onto the deck and pushed the thick glasses. "Gentlemen of apprentice knights, I need some volunteers and sailors. Get on that boat together and search for any passengers in need."

"Yes, Ms. Marianne." Several teaching assistants arranged immediately.

"I'm going too," Galadia said unexpectedly, "I sensed an ominous aura."

Sonia cast an inquiring gaze at her trainee knight. Griffith wiped his nosebleeds, and immediately walked out of the crowd: "I fought with half-orcs on the Broken Coast."

"It's enough to add me," Rana said, taking out the torch. "The others are here to meet us and strengthen our vigilance."

The sailors deftly lowered the lifeboat on the Flyleaf.Two brave sailors jumped on it first, followed by Griffith and the other three.

"Light, guide the way of the traveler, and let danger and evil hide from him."

Sonia took the wand from her waist and held it in her hand, softly chanting a light spell.A crystal ball appeared on the top of the exquisite wand, slowly falling towards the boat.Griffith hurriedly stretched out his hand, and the blazing white light ball floated a few centimeters above the palm of his hand, illuminating the surroundings with soft light as his thoughts moved.

Sonia lay on the side of the ship and shouted: "This is a guardian spell. If the surrounding is dangerous, the light ball will flash to warn you..."

At this time, although it had just entered the night, the surrounding darkness was extremely deep and thick.

The sailors rowed, Griffith and Lana took out the daggers hidden in their boots and guarded the bow and stern of the boat respectively.At the beginning, they could still hear the noise and talking of the freshmen running around on the Feiye, but the boat was only a dozen meters away, and the people and voices seemed to be swallowed up in the darkness and silence In the middle of the sky, distant and faint, only the lonely boat and the vague shadow of the ship in front remain.

"Go around first." Griffith pointed to the stern.

The faces of the sailors were a little stiff, with an indescribable solemnity and hesitation.But they still rowed towards the tall stern according to the request of the apprentice knight.

This is a medium-sized passenger ship, and it should go back and forth between the port and the offshore from the appearance.The sails on the mast had disappeared, and there were no moving figures on the deck.

In the deep night, the name of the ship can be seen written in white paint on the tower-like stern of the ship——

"Connor".

……

The sailors lit their torches, raised their heads and shouted to the deck. "Is anyone here?"

Surrounded by darkness, the sailboat answered them with dead silence.Several tangled ropes and a net used for getting up and down can be seen hanging from the port side.

"The rigging should be packed on the deck at ordinary times, and it will only be lowered when leaving the ship," said a sailor. "However, I can barely see that the lifeboat of this ship has not been lowered."

"There is a smell." Galadia moved the tip of her nose slightly, "I can't tell what the smell is, but it is very damp, cold, and a little fishy."

"Where did it radiate?"

"Do you think I'm a dog?" The elf complained, "It's everywhere, maybe it's because the water that wiped the floor stinks."

Rana nimbly grabbed the dangling rope and climbed up, dodging on the deck.He first checked some things, and then shouted to the following:

"Come up, no one."

Sailors followed.Griffith also climbed up, fixed the lifeboat on the side of the ship, and then stretched out his hand to Galadia who was still climbing up.

The elf girl who has always been light and agile is climbing on the rope net of the boat, looking at the sea and the boat with a vigilant face.

"what happened?"

"Well~ it should, it's nothing," Galadia said hesitantly, "I think I saw a rope fall into the sea."

"Have it?"

"It may be an illusion."

There was no one on the deck.Some ropes hung messily from the tall mast, and there were no traces of sails anywhere.The wheelhouse on the rear deck was pitch black. Logically speaking, even if the whole ship was resting, there should still be sailors on duty there.

"Is anyone there?" shouted a sailor.

The silent darkness continued to watch them in silence.

The elf girl closed her eyes and turned her head slightly, her long pointed ears twitched, as if listening to the movement in the dark.After a while, she opened her eyes and shook her head: "I didn't find anything."

"How about we split into two ways? Galadia and I went to check the captain's cabin and the pilothouse," Griffith said, "Lana and these gentlemen check the first cabin below the deck, don't go deep."

"Only the first floor?" Lana asked, but immediately nodded in agreement, "Okay, then the first floor, we will come back here to meet up in 10 minutes whether we find it or not."

Soon, Lana and the sailors disappeared into the darkness around the corner.

"Maybe the crew escaped." Griffith nodded to the elf girl beside him. "The hull was slightly damaged but not serious. The crew and passengers should have enough time to leave records or explanations before abandoning the ship."

"Yeah." Galadia replied simply, and then quietly followed the apprentice knight and walked towards the upper cabin.Her usual longbow and dual swords were not carried due to school rules, only a wand was held in her hand.

The little ball of light created by Sonia floats ahead like a firefly, and when encountering dark aisles and corners, it will automatically hover there to illuminate the road without even using Griffith's control.

The three-masted sailboat is steered from the uppermost cabin on the rear deck.There are huge portholes in the wall panels, barely blocking the rain and direct sunlight, but also taking into account the view.

The evening breeze from the narrow sea blew into the cockpit from the window.Flying Leaf's lights flickered in the distance like a ghost.Several tables and chairs are neatly arranged in the cab, with teacups and voyage charts fastened to them.

"The Kono, a regular sailing ship from Odessa to Sevasto with a crew of 30 and 160 passengers, set out from the port two days ago," Galadia lit the course beside the rudder with a torch. Planning sheet, "The last entry in the logbook was on the night of the sailing. They strayed far from their course."

Griffith opened a couple of teapots beside the seats.These scented teas were used to refresh the night sailing, and they only drank a little bit. Judging from the consumption, it was estimated that the crew left before midnight.

There is neither a crew nor any further leads here.Since the wheelhouse is a semi-open area, the rain and sea wind make it unsuitable for data storage. The logbook and the captain's records can only be found in the captain's cabin on the lower floor.

The two left the cockpit and walked down the escalator to the captain's cabin downstairs.The lingering damp breath also began to thicken.

Griffith was surprised to find that if he was close to Sonia's small light ball, he would feel that the damp and dignified atmosphere in the air would also be blocked by the faint light, and a warm and soft pleasure would arise spontaneously from the bottom of his heart.

"Griffith!" The elf girl suddenly reminded softly, "There is a break on the armrest."

The apprentice knight shone the fire, and found a deep chisel mark on the wooden handrail instructed by Galadia.

"It was split with an axe," Galadia leaned down to observe the chisel mark, "It seems that this is the same mark."

"If they encounter pirates," said Griffith, holding a torch to check around, "there will be a lot of battle marks, and the decks won't be so clean. Did you spot any blood?"

"No," Galadia shook her head and opened the door of the captain's cabin, "Look, the hatch of the captain's cabin is not damaged, it doesn't look like it was attacked by pirates or mutant creatures. You can still do it if you block the door and hold on." Yes."

The Sea of ​​Tranquility is the inner sea of ​​the kingdom, and there are still naval warships wandering in the offshore area.Passenger ships under attack need to hold out for a while and if the alarm is raised, they will be supported within hours.

There was no one in the captain's cabin.A row of crossbows hung on the wall, and it could be seen that their owner was usually a vigilant guy, and he didn't use them before he left.

"There is a gouging mark on the floor." Galadia knelt down and inspected the floor of the cabin. "The gouging mark is very shallow."

"It's normal for a ship to have some scratches and damage. Let's look at the sailing journal," Griffith shrugged and picked up a journal from the table.

"Captain Connor, Jess Connor's Voyage Diary, August 8th."

"On August 8th at 27:3 pm, the Kono set off from Odessa with a full load of cargo and 160 passengers for Sevasto. According to the report of the port astrologer, we will experience gusts and small waves during our journey.

"At 7pm I entertained the ladies and gentlemen of first class in the cabin.

"Today's salmon is not very fresh. I have written down the comments of the gentlemen and will claim compensation from Narrow Sea Voyage Catering Company when I return to port.

"At 9 o'clock in the evening, the hull of the ship was hit. I immediately took someone to check the bilge, and there was no damage. The seabed in this area is very flat and safe. We may have hit a whale.

"At 9:45 p.m., several guests in the second-class cabin complained that their dogs could not be found. This happens often, and I asked the second mate to comfort them. Everyone knows that those beasts are at risk of jumping into the sea.

"At 10pm, a woman and child were reported missing from the second class cabin and I have launched a ship-wide search.

"At 10:40 p.m., my second mate and the bosun disappeared. When they were last seen, they were about to search the cargo hold. It is said that there were strange and frightening noises."

This concludes Captain Jace Conor's Voyage Diary.

The diary and other papers were neatly stowed away in the corner of the desk, and it was evident that after the last line the captain still felt that everything was under control.It could also be that he is trying to keep himself calm and collected.

"We need to notify Rana and Hiya quickly," Galadia took out an emergency whistle and blew it hard.

A sharp whistle pierced the silent darkness.Griffith noticed that the lights on the Flying Leaf not far away were also messed up.

"What happened?" Lana, who was in charge of searching the first floor below the deck, hurried back.

"Connor was attacked, probably from the cargo hold on the bottom floor. It's not safe for you to continue searching there," Griffith said. "We will return to the Flying Leaf immediately."

"Aren't you going to check again?" Look at me, I'll look at you among the sailors with Rana, "Maybe there are passengers hiding in the lower cabin."

Galadia also nodded, looking at Griffith with inquiring eyes.

"Maybe yes, but the enemy who attacked the Connor may also be hiding in the bottom cabin," Griffith said, "I don't want to rush to explore there before making full preparations; on the other hand, if we deploy Too much power coming here will damage the guarding power of the Flying Leaf."

At this time, a small boat was already approaching on the Flying Leaf.

"What's the matter?" Ophelia and Medenmaia stood on the boat, shouting while they were on guard. "Where are the crew and passengers?"

"The Kono has been attacked, and the sailors and passengers are missing," Griffith stopped the two Xiutorals who wanted to climb onto the side of the ship to support them. It is still hidden at the bottom of the ship, and it may leave. It doesn’t matter, now we all return to the Feiye, drag Kono to a safe place with ropes and then check.”

"How about that?"

"There may be survivors in the cabin!"

"The attacker may still be on board!"

The sailors, Galadia, and Ophelia shouted, disagreeing with Griffith.Rana and Medenmaia did not participate in the conversation, and their eyes were turned to the back of everyone and the darkness nearby to prevent danger there.

"Otherwise? Are you going to use this amount of manpower on hand to explore the lower cabins in several teams, and be killed one by one in the unfamiliar environment and darkness?" Griffith shook his head and said, "This is not far from the coast of the Whispering Forest. Far away, the sailors and passengers may be attacked by some kind of monster that we don't know about. There are only a few professors and teaching assistants on the Flying Leaf, and except for them and the apprentice knights, the others have no experience in fighting mutants."

Ophelia and the sailors were shaken. They looked around the thick darkness, and finally started to fix the ropes on the Kono.

"But~ we only checked the first cabin," Galadia bit her lip and said while looking at Griffith. "The passengers may be hiding in the lower cabin, unable to call for help or injured..."

"Maybe," Griffith patted the elf girl's shoulder, "but the reality is like this, we have to make a trade-off. The people on the Feiye are as important as the passengers on the Kono."

The bow of the Conor was quickly tethered.The other end of the rope was fastened to the stern of the Flying Leaf to ensure it could be towed.

After completing this work, Griffith immediately urged everyone who was still hesitating to return to the Feiye.

After listening to Griffith's brief report, Ms. Marianne looked at the diary of the captain of the Kono that she brought back, and pushed the glasses on the bridge of her nose solemnly: "I hope we have made the right choice. Inform the captain , speeding back to Homonwarts. From now on, Schotlar, I need you guys to be on duty for the slightest sign of anomalies. Boys, I need some volunteers to step up the patrol between the cabins, in groups of two. "

"Yes, ma'am."

The apprentice knights present took orders in unison.

"We need weapons," Iseus said. "We only have wands, and Cytolar didn't bring any weapons."

Several brave freshmen also stood up.They gestured with wands that might not be of much use, feeling that this thing was not as useful as a stick.

Ms. Marianne pushed her glasses, her face was silent and dignified: "It seems that it is necessary to allow some necessary weapons to be added to the checked luggage."

"We have." Ophelia said, raising her hand.

"have what……"

Under the gaze of the dean and the freshmen, Griffith took off his coat, revealing the gleaming mail, daggers and throwing knives.

The other apprentice knights conjured daggers and short swords from their coats, boots, and luggage compartments.

"The admission notice should have stated that weapons are not allowed," Ms. Marianne sighed, her eyes suddenly widened, "Wait, Miss Ishtar, how can you bring such a dangerous thing up?"

Ophelia opened the box containing the cello, took out the tip of the longbow, the bowstring, the shaft from which the arrowhead was removed, and the sharp arrowhead, and assembled it deftly:
"School rules do not prohibit me from carrying bent sticks, griffin tendons, and iron crafts~"

Ms. Marian was speechless for a while, and suddenly she found that Lana opened Fiona's bag and took out some strange things from the interlayer: "Jean, please explain what this is?"

"Dear ma'am," Rana replied earnestly, glancing at Fiona covering her eyes, "it's two wooden sticks and a squashed iron block."

(End of this chapter)