Chapter 75

Miguel was momentarily stunned. He then looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought, stirring his brain cells vigorously. Finally, he matched the image of the little fish he had seen in a slideshow in his previous life—the one that always swam southward with its red dot—to the transparent fish with a slightly red tail in front of him. He pursed his lips, never expecting that this little fish was indeed the Sinan Fish.

How did something from our ancestors end up in the Mediterranean after crossing several seas?

Miguel crouched down, his butt sticking out, and watched with great interest as the little fish busily swam back and forth, pushing his blood around. Meanwhile, Caesar had already made his way to the third deck. Standing on the deck, he surveyed his fleet with a commanding presence. The captain’s shouts roused everyone from their slumber—the fleet, which had been moving at a steady pace, suddenly became lively like a drunkard waking up in the middle of the night. One by one, kerosene lamps were lit, and the faint yellow lights reflected on the restless sea, resembling stars mirrored in the water.

Holding the wooden box, Miguel stood in the captain’s cabin, watching Caesar personally take the helm from a distance. In the darkness, a thousand sails were raised, and the Wind Fury, leading a hundred massive ships, cut through the waves at full speed under the captain’s command—the bow of the ship made a dramatic ninety-degree turn on the seemingly endless sea. The young man looked down and was not surprised to see that the Sinan Fish in the wooden box he held was also pushing the solidified drop of his blood, swimming vigorously in the same direction as the ship’s bow.

With an expressionless face, Miguel stuck a finger into the box, stirring the water and creating a small vortex. The little fish, disoriented by the sudden force, quickly sank to the bottom of the box. Miguel chuckled. When the water in the box calmed down, the fish swam back up, dutifully pushing the small red dot floating on the surface.

“Swim, keep swimming, till you’re exhausted.”

After a moment of thought, he realized that no fish in the world ever died from swimming too much, so he corrected himself—

“Tomorrow, I’ll stuff you with breadcrumbs till you burst.”

After uttering these words without any particular emotion, Miguel turned around and returned to the captain’s cabin, placing the wooden box reverently back on the wooden table.

He paused, glanced around the room, and then, barefoot, quickly climbed back into bed. Leoza, the still-growing teenager, was sleeping soundly. He opened his eyes groggily, and upon seeing it was Miguel who had climbed into bed, he smiled innocently and, with his monstrous strength, happily dragged the black-haired young man into his arms.

Miguel found a comfortable position and settled into the pillow. Just as his head touched the pillow, the floor-to-ceiling window leading to the deck was pushed open again. The steady footsteps that entered were all too familiar to him. The newcomer extinguished all the candles in the captain’s cabin and the two flickering kerosene lamps, plunging the room into darkness once more, with only faint light seeping in from outside.

Miguel closed his eyes and counted the steps in his mind. When he reached around ten, a familiar presence enveloped him.

He opened his eyes and met a pair of amber eyes in the dark.

“Sleep.”

Caesar’s voice was low and magnetic, the single word slipping from his lips with simple yet powerful authority.

It sounded like a command, but more like an ordinary conversation.

The man bent down and shoved aside the two pale arms wrapped around the navigator’s waist. He then kicked Leoza, who was still half-asleep, causing him to roll over twice. Miguel sat up and moved to the side, making room on the large bed in the captain’s cabin for the grown man.

The bed dipped significantly as Caesar lay down, bringing with him a faint scent of the blanket, mixed with the unique smell of the man. Miguel sniffed like a dog, and perhaps the sound was too loud, as he received a light slap on the head.

In the darkness, Miguel curled one corner of his lips and reached out, patting the captain’s bare abdomen a couple of times. Before the man could jump up and throw him out, he turned over, using his actions to express his determination to sleep properly.

The night breeze, carrying the salty scent of the sea, blew in through the open window, dispelling the stifling heat of the summer night inside the cabin. The sound of waves lapping against the ship’s sides easily conjured images of white foam curling up. Closing his eyes, the mind was filled with the sight of a thousand sails raised and a hundred ships breaking through the waves…

Summer was coming to an end.

…

At the crack of dawn, Miguel was yanked out of bed by Caesar. After a quick wash, the navigator, clutching the wooden box, clumsily climbed down the rope ladder to the small boat where Zhizhi was waiting. The two of them huddled together, whispering for a while, until finally, the special industry lady reluctantly nodded.

The direction the Sinan Fish pushed the drop of blood indeed pointed toward the Mermaid Harbor.

The fleet continued at full speed in the direction the little fish was pushing, passing various islands only to rest and resupply briefly, without even staying overnight. After sailing non-stop for three days and nights, the Black Waves fleet encountered a rare thick fog—

Sea fog is a weather phenomenon where water vapor condenses in the lower atmosphere over the sea. Because it reflects light of all wavelengths, it appears milky white. When sea fog rolls in, visibility drops significantly. For safety reasons, as soon as the fleet entered the fog, the ever-cautious Caesar ordered the ships to slow down, and the fleet’s speed immediately decreased.

When the fog hit, Miguel was sitting in Zhizhi’s small boat. The navigator dipped his hand into the water to test it, and the cold sea made him frown—

Usually, sea fog forms when warm, moist air passes over a cold sea surface, creating a physical reaction known as “advection cooling fog.” However, today the sky had been overcast all day, with no sunlight, and the temperature had dropped significantly. Some of the sailors had even pulled out long sleeves to wear. Where was the warm, moist air coming from?

Slightly rarer than advection cooling fog is “advection steam fog,” which only forms when the water surface temperature is much higher than the air temperature.

But when Miguel dipped his hand into the sea, the cold water once again contradicted his hypothesis. In the silence, his sleeve was gently tugged. The black-haired young man turned around and met Zhizhi’s faint smile.

Miguel paused, then nodded expressionlessly. He stood up and looked toward the Wind Fury, which was towing the small boat. Now, under Caesar’s command, the Wind Fury had lit kerosene lamps, their faint glow barely visible in the thick fog.

Visibility was so low that one couldn’t see more than ten meters ahead.

Miguel sighed and climbed the rope ladder back onto the deck of the Wind Fury. The crew on deck was going about their tasks in an orderly manner, while Caesar stood by the railing with his hands behind his back, silent and unreadable.

Miguel walked over and patted the man’s solid shoulder: “Hello? Anyone home?”

Then he met a pair of calm amber eyes.

“Looks like someone’s home,” the navigator said dryly, shrinking his neck. “The professional opinion is that this is a rare orographic fog. Know what that is? In other words, we’re approaching the continental shelf—”

Caesar’s eyes lit up.

Miguel couldn’t stand those eyes that sparkled like they’d just spotted a meaty bone.

“Yes, yes,” the navigator said, exasperated. “We’re almost there—the legendary Mermaid Harbor.”