Chapter 391: The Legend of Transcendent Creatures
As a first-class cabin, the environment here wasn't bad at all — about forty square meters in size, with a double bed, bookshelf, sofa, and a private washroom. Considering that he'd be spending an entire week on board, the 105 Vecktas he paid didn't seem like such a loss.
The only inconvenience was the daily training requirement of the God-level Physique — a routine that was hard to carry out properly in the confined space of a ship.
Taking items out of his suitcase one by one, Zhou Ning soon had everything neatly arranged. Not long after, the sound of the ship's whistle echoed as the steam engine pushed the vessel slowly away from the port.
He flipped open his pocket watch and saw that it was exactly 10:30 a.m. According to the schedule, the Wings of Freedom would sail south along the Thélraino Sea, reach Temple Port, then enter the Sea of Mist before turning westward.
There was still about an hour until lunchtime. Zhou Ning sat down comfortably and took a moment to enjoy the ocean view outside the window.
The sea was exceptionally calm at the moment. Not far away, several military vessels were traveling in the same direction — patrolling to ensure the safety of the Thélraino Sea route.
Based on his limited knowledge of oceanography, this sea was shared by the Kingdom of Bryston, Ruins, and the Byron Republic — effectively international waters. Further north lay the territory of the Sea Elephant people, and among the four great seas of the Continent of Revelation, this was considered the least dangerous.
It had once been a haven for northern pirates, but after several joint crackdowns by the three nations, the pirates had retreated south into the Sea of Mist — a region plagued by unstable weather, shifting currents, and thick fog that prevented naval fleets from venturing deep. Only a few scattered pirate remnants or treasure hunters doubling as pirates still roamed those waters — people like the former Richie Burke and his crew.
As for transcendent creatures… Zhou Ning didn't hold out much hope of finding any in this area. He planned to ask Richie Burke later and could only hope his protagonist's halo — or perhaps his "Conan constitution" — would kick in.
Unnoticed, the weather outside began to change. Dark rain clouds were rapidly piling up, and numerous storm gulls had begun landing along the railings — clear signs that a storm was approaching.
Although large ships like this one usually carried meteorologists, storms of this scale were classified as catastrophic weather phenomena — not something that could be easily controlled by anyone below the demigod level.
Moments later, the voice of "Red-Haired" Robinson came from the deck, ordering all passengers to return to their cabins and for the sails to be lowered. As expected, the captain was an experienced one.
To avoid delays caused by the storm, Zhou Ning moved his thoughts. In his hand, a staff shaped like a climate baton — the Sky King — appeared and began to spin lightly. Instantly, he began to adjust the weather.
Within seconds, the thick clouds above completely vanished. The brewing storm dissipated without a trace, and the skies returned to clear blue. Exclamations and cries of "Praise the Sea God!" rang out across the deck.
Zhou Ning couldn't help shaking his head slightly. Controlling sea weather at will was supposed to be the Sea God's domain — and yet, he'd unintentionally played the part himself.
After that, the rest of the morning's voyage passed uneventfully. When noon arrived, a crisp chime rang out from the deck — the signal for lunchtime.
A buffet meal in the dining room was included with a first-class ticket, so Zhou Ning grabbed his ticket and stepped out of his cabin.
Richie Burke and Ignatius Woods were staying diagonally across from him — in cabins 331 and 337 respectively. As soon as Zhou Ning opened his door, he immediately sensed two wary gazes.
Two men in black trench coats stood in front of the cabin next door, openly sizing him up from head to toe.
They were blond and blue-eyed — typical Bryston or Sepharic types — with lean, muscular builds that clearly marked them as adventurers or bodyguards by trade.
It was easy to tell that someone of considerable importance was staying in the cabin beside his.
Zhou Ning wasn't interested in finding out who. After all, no one could be more important than gods or kings.
Without sparing them another glance, he walked past the two and made his way to the first-class dining room on the lower deck. Captain "Red-Haired" Robinson was already there, holding a tray and choosing dishes at the serving table.
The dining room was nicely furnished. A long buffet table was laid out with steaming dishes — basil-seared horsehead fish, roast meat, and butter-grilled steak. Those with deeper pockets could even order special meals separately.
By now, quite a few first-class passengers and sailors were seated, excitedly discussing the sudden disappearance of the storm.
"That must have been a miracle from the Sea God — a sign that our voyage will be blessed!"
"Praise the Sea God!"
"Praise the Sea God!"
Several sailors raised their mugs high in unison.
Zhou Ning's eyelid twitched slightly. Deciding it was best to keep a low profile, he glanced around — and, unsurprisingly, spotted Richie Burke sitting alone by a window, focused on his food.
Zhou Ning grabbed a tray, took small portions of each dish, and plopped down across from him.
Using his Observation Haki, Zhou Ning noticed Captain Robinson carrying his own tray over and taking a seat not far away.
To his surprise, the seared fish and grilled steak were quite good — at least worthy of 85 points. After a few bites, Zhou Ning set down his knife and fork and looked up at Richie Burke.
"How much do you know about this sea?" he asked.
"Almost everything." Richie straightened his back instantly, clearly proud of his area of expertise. "What do you want to know?"
"The legends of this sea — preferably about transcendent creatures," Zhou Ning said flatly.
Transcendent creatures? What's Wayne Sturwell planning now? Richie nearly lost his composure.
"Creatures? There aren't any monsters in the Thélraino Sea. If you insist, maybe the Lavides count — the three-headed sea serpents tamed by northern pirates. After those pirates left these waters, there might still be one or two wild Lavides wandering the deep."
"No," said Red-Haired Robinson with a chuckle. "There haven't been any Lavides in the Thélraino Sea for ten years. One was killed by ironclad ships' cannon fire, and since then, there's been no more talk of such creatures. Think about it — could monsters like that really exist along coastal trade routes? Anything that threatened nearshore shipping would've long been wiped out by the Church and the combined naval forces of the three nations."
Richie rolled his eyes and nodded reluctantly. "That's true. You'd have to be incredibly unlucky to encounter a transcendent creature here. Someone did spot a red dragon flying over the ocean not long ago, but most of the time, those kinds of creatures only exist far out in the Sea of Mist. Once we pass Temple Port, there's a slim chance of running into one — but if we do, that means serious danger."
"Besides the seventy-meter-long three-headed serpent Lavides, there are rumors of giant deep-sea krakens hundreds of meters in length. They disguise themselves as islands to lure sailors ashore, and once they've set up camp, the creatures submerge again, dragging them all to the seafloor. Back in 1432, ten warships from Ravendes were reportedly sunk that way."
"There are also tales of dragons, the naga civilization living in the deep, ghost fleets that appear and vanish without warning… and the most terrifying of all — certain sea regions that overlap with parts of the Astral Realm. That's where enormous astral monsters sometimes appear — towering deep-sea giants hundreds or even thousands of meters tall. They wield shipwrecks as weapons and destroy everything they see."
"Of course," he added, "aside from the Lavides and dragons, the rest are just seafaring legends. No one knows if they're real."
At least the deep-sea giants were real — he'd seen one himself just days ago. Zhou Ning nodded thoughtfully, feeling a growing anticipation for the journey ahead.
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