Splash, splash, splash, splash, splash, splash...

Squeak... Squeak...

The sound of the wind, the rain, and the deformation of the wooden structure of the battleship constantly filled the crew's ears.

The storm, which had lasted for two days, was still raging. Although the wind and waves had diminished somewhat by now, it was still very dangerous for a sailboat sailing alone at sea.

One could only say that the open sea was indeed impressive; after the weather changed, it felt as if one had entered another world. At least in the coastal areas, Aiven had never encountered a storm of this magnitude.

In this natural disaster, the Black Sea lived up to its name. The seawater, black as ink, rose high like continuous mountain peaks, and the "Conch" was like an apple, rolling from one "peak" to another, endlessly.

Meanwhile, the torrential rain poured down as if turning the sky into another sea, with the "Conch" crew almost doubting if they would fall into the "sky" the next second, never to float again.

Fortunately, every time there was a danger, the "Conch" persevered!

He took a deep breath.

Aiven touched the "Black Iron Cross Medal" awarded by the Goddess Church, which hung on his chest. In the faint Extraordinary Spiritual Light, the medal's appearance had not changed at all.

He couldn't tell if it was because of the "Conch's" own good luck or the protection of the Goddess, which indeed spared the wearer from harm by the sea!

An unexpected storm had made Aiven realize how crucial a safe route was, especially after entering a high-risk area in this world. Not just for distances, reefs, supply points, and convenient seasonal currents, but also for disasters like this that seemed as commonplace as daily meals!

At least during his time at the Navy Academy, he learned that both the Black Sea and the Treasure Sea rarely encountered storms of this magnitude on established routes.

Otherwise, if every ocean voyage required enduring several waves of such catastrophic storms, few ships other than battleships would survive, and an entire fleet could be swallowed by the sea, bankrupting a small country in no time!

Aiven watched the black sea through the porthole, hoping this damned storm would end immediately.

Suddenly, he felt a slight vibration in the pouch he carried with him.

"Is this... the 'Treasure Key' obtained from the 'Shark Tooth'?"

Aiven took out a bronze key emitting a faint green glow and slightly rusty; had it not changed suddenly, Aiven would have almost forgotten its existence.

But before Aiven could study what was happening to this key, he was interrupted by an enthusiastic shout from the deck.

"Look quickly, there's an island!"

Due to the Super Storm, Aiven had long kept his Sea Bird scouts inside the ship, even a storm-fighting sea swift was useless now.

Only upon hearing the lookout's shout did Aiven realize that after tossing for so long at sea, they'd finally found a place where the sailboat could take shelter from the storm.

Without further thought about the key's change, Aiven pushed open the door and went out.

In the dim and hazy vision of the wind and rain, the not-too-small island was fully imprinted in Aiven's view just as a bolt of lightning, seemingly able to split the sea, struck across.

"Hmm?"

Aiven found himself momentarily dazed; the distant island seemed to transform into a giant clad in a crown, curled in the sea. But by the blink of an eye, the lightning disappeared and everything returned to normal.

Shaking his head, with no danger perceived in his Spiritual sense, Aiven only heightened his alertness slightly and did not overreact to the fleeting anomaly.

Because the "Conch" might no longer have the luck to hold out until the next island.

As an Extraordinary Knight with a strong constitution and excellent balance in "White Sail Swordsmanship," the storm had little effect on him.

But the crew did not have his abilities. After fighting the storm for two days, even with the possible protection of the Goddess in the unseen, they were almost at their limit.

The sailors were in desperate need of a break!

Moreover, if they kept tossing like this, he wasn't sure if the "Conch" would really capsized with another huge wave?

At least the old Dean who awarded him the medal never said that this medal could protect an entire ship of people...

"Move closer! Stay alert and report any abnormalities immediately!"

Soon, under Aiven's orders, the "Conch" completed its turn under the control of the on-duty sailors and slowly approached this fairly large island, anchoring in a small bay with a narrow entrance.

There was a significant difference; the wind and waves in the harbor immediately reduced by a large margin, and even the resilient sailors could not help cheering at this moment!

"We survived!"

"Goddess bless!"

Every extreme weather at sea was a verdict from the Death God; how could they not be excited after barely escaping one?

After anchoring, lowering the sails, and securing the ship, leaving a part of the crew to guard the battleship, most people took small boats ashore.

In the pouring rain, the first thing they had to do was find a camp that could shelter them from the rain.

Aiven had already sent out the Needle-tailed Swift, who were more adaptable to harsh weather, to scout the island. After landing, he led a team of over a hundred people straight into the depths of the island.

During the recent reconnaissance, Aiven was surprised to discover that they were clearly not the first visitors to this island. There were already quite a few human-made structures behind the island's jungle!

"Everyone, be careful!"

The crew also noticed something unusual at this time. In the jungle leading to the bay side, there was a distinct path that seemed frequently traveled by someone.

At the rate plants grow on this island, if no one had been active here, this path would likely completely disappear in less than a month. Clearly, there is still a high possibility that some "residents" are currently on this island.

Involuntarily, everyone silently placed their hands on the naval daggers at their waists.

The group made no effort to conceal their landing, trudging through the mud in the jungle, making quite a commotion. Perhaps they had already entered the sight of the "residents."

Suddenly.

Aiven and Milan simultaneously looked towards a spot among the trees covered in weeds.

"Where are you running?!"

Next to them, with a shout that sounded like a thunderclap, a robust young man as solid as an iron tower stomped the ground and rushed out like a cannonball.

The small trees and vegetation along the way were directly shattered by him.

In the blink of an eye, he was dozens of meters away, and a bronze-colored large hand pulled from behind a big tree, dragging out a figure clad in a large leaf cloak, who had been hiding stealthily.

Without any unnecessary words, Gary grabbed the collar of this figure and, with a few leaps, returned to the main group and casually tossed him to the ground.

Thud—

"Gary, well done!" Gary's promotion that day was clearly very smooth; without any need for additional practice, he had achieved the late-stage apprentice constitution, truly a rare talent.

If Aiven hadn't had the assistance of "Data Visualization," his progress speed might not have matched Gary's. After nearly a year of systematic training in Extraordinary Swordsmanship and Breathing Technique, he had already reached the breakthrough point.

The breakthrough process was very smooth, catalyzed by the top-grade potion. Now he's recuperating with the "Essence Fruit." Within the week, he should complete the subsequent transformation and become a genuine Extraordinary Knight!

The group looked down at the "native" lying on the ground in tattered clothes.

Although his dirty clothes were somewhat ragged, the appearance and race were almost identical to theirs, obviously not some island aboriginal.

"Ah! Don't kill me, don't kill me!"

Before Aiven and the others could ask questions, upon landing, this guy already screamed like a pig being slaughtered, and indeed, he spoke the same language.

"What's with the yelling? Who are you? Why are you on this deserted island? Are there others?"

First Mate Borg, overwhelmed by his screams, impatiently went forward and kicked him.

"Ouch! I'm just a poor shipwrecked sailor with a few companions, only coming to check upon hearing the noise. Thank God, there really is a ship to take us away from here!"

The figure claiming to be a shipwrecked sailor pathetically explained his situation and requested that Aiven and company take him and his companions with them when they leave.

"Take him along; let's find some shelter from the rain first."

At this point, Aiven had already noticed a tattoo exposed through a hole in the "shipwrecked sailor's" clothes, smiling playfully but said nothing.

"Get up, don't lie on the ground. We are the Phaletis Kingdom's navy; we won't harm you." A soldier stepped forward to help him up.

"Yes, yes, sir navy!"

Soon, the large group arrived in front of a wooden building complex.

"You people are quite industrious! Stranded on a deserted island, doing nothing but building houses all day?"

Just by looking, although this wooden structure wasn't extraordinarily large, it was enough to house a hundred or two hundred individuals, just right for the number of crew on a sea vessel.

Furthermore, the construction of this house seems to have been completed for several years, and behind these houses, partly hidden by soil and vegetation, faintly visible was another cluster of stone buildings.

"Data Visualization" had already automatically filtered out the interfering debris, outlining the main shapes of the buildings, which were rare pyramids of a quadrangular shape. Though not comfortable for living, they had exceptionally solid foundations.

However, now they were in ruins, looking ancient enough to be called relics from hundreds of years ago. In dim lighting, one might not notice at all, but, like Aiven's careful observation, it wasn't hard to find the scene differed greatly from the "shipwrecked sailor's" narrative.

Ignoring the sudden change in the "shipwrecked sailor's" expression and the explanation that was about to start,

Aiven pointed towards the building with firelight and ordered, "Control the people inside first."

"Yes, sir!"

The words barely left his mouth when a group of ferocious navy soldiers drew their long swords and stormed the wooden complex. Shouts followed, soon fading away.

"Let's go, 'shipwrecked sailor' sir—or should I say, shipwrecked pirate sir." Aiven had already noticed the pirate tattoo on his shoulder, and moreover, it was an old acquaintance...

Recalling the previous strange changes related to the "Bronze Key," Aiven thought that perhaps, after this big storm, it's finally time for his luck to change.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.