Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 266 - 259: Legend of the Sea Beast

Chapter 266: Chapter 259: Legend of the Sea Beast

"No problem, I’ll take it from Luo’er. When you all go back, settle the accounts with your headquarters and deduct my bonus." Yalunte said with a laugh.

"You said you would teach me swordsmanship, do you intend to break your word?" Cheng Ziang asked with a furrowed brow.

"Your skills are limited as they are. I don’t have much to teach. Wait until you make some progress," Yalunte stated.

"Are you joking? How am I meant to improve without your instruction?" Cheng Ziang retorted.

"Silly boy, it’s often said: ’A master leads you to the gate. Practice is up to the individual.’ I cannot hold your hand through the process, any progress you make will be through your own effort," Yalunte said in a rare use of Chinese, a phrase he came across while reading Earth literature.

Cheng Ziang sighed deeply while scrutinizing him, then proceeded to say, "I get the feeling you’re holding something back. Nevermind, just remember that I am your disciple!"

"Of course, I would not forget," Yalunte said with a smile, "you Earthlings have a saying, how does it go? ’Once a teacher, then forever a father.’"

Cheng Ziang gave him a stern look, "Who told you that? Don’t try and take advantage of me!"

Yalunte didn’t respond, but just smiled at Cheng Ziang. For a moment, he wished that Cheng Ziang was his and Lin’s child. He imagined that if his child had survived, he’d probably be about this age by now.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Cheng Ziang grew uncomfortable under Yalunte’s gaze and asked, furrowing his brows.

Yalunte still didn’t respond but smiled and shook his head, shifting his gaze away. He chose not to return to Yazhi city to cope with his grief. It was a place of pain for him, if it weren’t for the mission assigned from Headquarters and the chance to see his lost child, he would not set foot in Yazhi City ever again.

Seeing Yalunte fall silent, Cheng Ziang also fell quiet. After a while, he murmured, "Don’t forget to come back, I still have to learn other sword techniques from you!"

For the first time, he felt such a strong attachment to someone. He couldn’t quite explain why, but he felt irresistibly drawn to Yalunte, to the extent that he had even abandoned his usual cold facade.

"Once I dreamt of roaming the world with my sword, seeing the world’s hustle and bustle..." Suddenly, Yalunte started singing an old song in fluent Chinese. As Cheng Ziang silently watched him, he felt an overwhelming sense of melancholy and solemnity emanating from Yalunte.

Upon hearing his song, everyone turned to look at him, quietly listening to Yalunte sing this old, world-weary song in his raspy voice.

He sang it once and then again. But when he got to: "The girl who once made you heartache, has now quietly vanished without a trace", he choked up and tears began to spill from his eyes, slowly trickling down his weathered cheeks.

"Excuse me," Yalunte said with a laugh, covering his eyes to wipe away the tears. Yet, Cheng Ziang could still see the tear drops clinging to his eyelashes.

Yalunte, an impassioned swordsman, once dreamt of roaming around with his beloved. However, fate led them down separate paths. In the end, he was reduced to a pawn, risking his life for meager pay.

After four days of travel, they finally arrived at Saint Bartz’s port city, Golden Port. Here, after collecting his bounty from Luo’er, Yalunte set out alone, heading south, leaving the group.

"Don’t worry, Mr. Sword Saint is a man of his word, he will surely come back." Luo’er patted Cheng Ziang’s shoulder, comforting him.

He was certain that Yalunte would return. After all, his child was still with the Headquarters and they had promised to arrange a meeting the next time he arrived. Just based on this, it was evident that Yalunte could not break off from Headquarters.

Although it sounded somewhat underhanded, one must remember, Yalunte was not being forced to serve. Each person had their own needs, and each task Yalunte completed earned him some pay, no matter how paltry.

After Yalunte’s departure, the group found a steamship through a mercantile company. This was a primitive steamboat; in terms of technology, the merchants operating between Earth and Otherworld were always ahead of other organizations and countries.

They sold their horses on the spot. After all, the steamship would sail directly from Golden Port to Yazhi City, there was no need for them to exert themselves anymore.

The mission seemed satisfactory. They hadn’t made any standout achievements, and the only one who’d managed to snag Arya’s Blade had been a mercenary arranged by Headquarters. But at least they hadn’t failed, there hadn’t been any casualties. In Luo’er’s perspective, this was a successful mission.

As the ship sailed away from the port, everyone could finally relax. Near the coast, the ship primarily employed wind power, utilizing the strong sea breeze to save on fuel. The ship would truly come into its glory when it entered the Roen River.

The ship was sailing north along the coastline. If all went well, they should land at Bai Beach in two days and then make their way to Yazhi City via the estuary.

According to the first mate, as long as the ship didn’t venture near positions that were two hundred meters deep, they wouldn’t encounter the Leviathan.

The first mate, a half-beastman, was reliable and strong, greatly favored by the captain. Hu Daoke, also a half-beastman, struck up a conversation with him. The first mate took the opportunity to share with the Advance Team his encounter with the Leviathan at sea.

It was around five years ago on a foggy night. The ship had strayed from the shallow waters into the depths of the sea. Then, out of nowhere, two orange glows the size of lanterns appeared on the dark sea surface.

No one knew what those glows were at that time. Shortly after, they heard a low, muffled sound. The first mate described it as somewhat similar to the sound of a ship’s steam whistle, deep and piercing.

Initially, the low hum was calm, but as time passed, it intensified and finally became a terrifying roar.

At that time, everyone on the ship was young, including the captain, and all of them lacked sailing experience. An elderly sailor then came trembling to the captain, advising him to turn the ship around.

The first mate could vaguely remember the sailor’s frightened face. His dark complexion turned pale, and his legs were trembling.

The young captain asked for a reason, and the old sailor said it was the Leviathan they met, the lord of the deep sea. These massive and terrible creatures wouldn’t tolerate ships in their territory.

The two glows they saw were its eyes, and the sound was the creature’s roar. It was agitated and angry, warning them not to encroach on its territory.

The young captain ignored the old sailor’s advice. Their ship, made of steel and hard timber, was invincible against any navy ship of any nation. But the captain soon regretted his decision.

Recalling the event, the first mate couldn’t help but swallow a mouthful of saliva as he still vividly remembered that horrific scene.

The two glows started to lift slowly, higher and higher, until they reached the height of a ten-story building. The fog started to clear, and a sliver of moonlight shone through the clouds. At that moment, they could finally see the massive silhouette of the Leviathan.

Its colossal figure was much larger than the ship. It stretched across the water, its length about ten times that of their vessel. The creature lay on the sea surface, and anyone could mistake it for an island hidden in the night.

The young captain was panic-stricken. He ordered the steam engine to be started immediately, and desperately turned the ship around. Aided by the sea breeze and the paddle wheels, they quickly left the area.

Once they departed, the two lantern-like glows slowly submerged into the sea, and the once fierce and tumultuous roaring had gradually subsided.

The first mate was drenched in a cold sweat while retelling the story, his heart thumping as though it was still happening. They were indeed fortunate that the Leviathan did not want their lives and merely wanted to drive them away. This was a godsend to them.

After the first mate’s discussion with the team, he was called away. Listening to his story, Hu Daoke couldn’t help but shiver, and with a bitter face, said, "Listening to monster tales on a ship, feels like hearing ghost stories at midnight, quite unsettling."

"I think it’s been exaggerated. There is no evidence to suggest that a Leviathan can be as large as an island," Luo’er shrugged and comforted.

"So how big are they?" Tangmo leaned against him and asked worriedly. She was also terrified by the story.

"Ask Yue’er about it. She seems to have read about these bizarre tales," Luo’er suggested, turning to Baiyue.

Baiyue was taken aback and thought for a moment, then softly spoke, "The records about Leviathans in the literature of the Otherworld are quite fragmented. Some say they are as large as giant serpents, while others claim they are only slightly larger than whales. Of course, there have been accounts of people seeing Leviathans as large as small islands, with many trees and animals on their bodies. Ships that lost their course landed on the island, and there they saw nostrils like caves and giant eyes with a radius of ten meters. When the Leviathan saw these people crawling on it, it submerged into the water, drowned them, and then swallowed them."

"It sounds scarier the more I hear about it!" Hu Daoke couldn’t help but shiver at Baiyue’s descriptions.

"That’s ridiculous. An island-sized Leviathan wouldn’t even consider humans a mouthful. We are too insignificant to be sufficient even as a toothpick," Cheng Ziang shook his head and said with disdain.

"These descriptions seem like a blind man groping an elephant, they only know a part and not the whole story," Luo’er nodded and analyzed.

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