Chapter 252 - 236: The Whale Catching and Icebreaking Journey
Chapter 252 -236: The Whale Catching and Icebreaking Journey
Dragon Tomb! Could there really be a Dragon Tomb in the Arctic?
Da Fei was shocked and asked, “General, do you mean that there are shipbuilding materials in the Dragon Tomb to replace the mast?”
Bato laughed heartily and said, “A dragon’s bones, of course!” Then he added solemnly, “Do not think that the dragons in the Dragon Tomb are on the same level as those young dragons in the Elf Kingdom. Those young dragons are like tadpoles in a pond, very few reach adulthood, and even fewer live to die of old age! You cannot imagine how massive a real giant dragon is–they are relics of the ancient mythological era. After the dragons waged war with the Titans in the mythological era, giant dragons have rarely appeared in our world, but there are still a few. For example, a hundred years ago, an old giant dragon swept over our Fire Dragon Island. When it flew over, it seemed to obscure the entire island with its massive size!”
Seeing the shock and fear on his face, Da Fei couldn’t help but nod along. However, Major, I know dwarves have long lifespans. Could it be you were already a major a hundred years ago? You haven’t been promoted in a century?
Bato became more and more excited as he spoke, “At that time, the sea around Fire Dragon Island was frozen. Our warriors chased the dragon north on sleds. We knew it was heading to the Dragon Tomb, hoping to find the tomb’s location through it. Legend has it the Dragon Tomb contains the lifetime treasures of many giant dragons–”
What? Locate the Dragon Tomb? Da Fei quickly asked, “So the General doesn’t know the location of the Dragon Tomb?”
Bato’s beard twitched, “Of course not! That is a place mortals cannot reach! We only know from ancient myths that old dragons have this habit, much like elephants–anyway, as our warriors chased north and could no longer withstand the polar cold, forcing them to give up, an unexpected event occurred. The old dragon finally couldn’t fly and fell from the sky, crashing through the ice and into the sea!”
Da Fei suddenly realized, “So, we can salvage the giant dragon’s skeleton?”
Bato excitedly said, “Exactly! This way, our salvage fleet won’t return empty-handed! Do you know what the large beam at the bottom of a big ship is called? It’s called the ‘dragon bone’! It’s incredibly sturdy and wouldn’t be broken even by an octopus. Dragons are flying creatures, so their bones are hollow and lightweight, ideal for shipbuilding. Most importantly, the older the dragon, the more magical its bones are. Engraving magic runes or arrays on the dragon bone is like having a magic tower attached to the ship. Dragon bones are invaluable strategic treasures! Opportunities like these are incredibly rare!”
Holy moly! This dwarf general is truly the kingpin of the area! He knows about the shipwreck divine artifacts, Viking Undead, giant dragon skeletons! It’s genuinely a high-up connection to have made with him!
Da Fei excitedly asked, “What dangers might we encounter?”
Bato replied seriously, “A giant dragon is a treasure trove, and when it falls into the sea, it will surely attract Sea Monsters to feast on its flesh. It’s easy to imagine how powerful those monsters would become after devouring dragon flesh. So, I have two plans. One is to pray the Sea Monsters depart after eating, leaving only some ordinary monsters attracted by the dragon’s magic, which we can handle. The other plan, if the big Sea Monster is still there, is to hope you can use your illusions to lure it away so we can salvage quickly. For Miss Anwen, who has mastered God-level Magic, this shouldn’t be a technical issue.”
Da Fei raised a brow, lure away Sea Monsters? Back at the Abyss Blood Pool, Grandma Anwen performed a moving illusion army, didn’t she? Maybe it could work! It’s worth a shot regardless!
Da Fei hurriedly said, “Alright, I’ll definitely help with that!”
Bato laughed heartily, “Whether this succeeds or not, Lieutenant, you’ve made a friend in me!”
Whoa, what have I done to deserve this? It’s just because you saw my wife and decided to be friends, isn’t it?
–System Prompt: You have accepted the mission “Salvage Ice Ocean Dragon Bone!”
–Task Hint: Salvaging in the Ice Ocean is exceptionally difficult. Sea Monsters and frozen seawater are challenges you must face.
A mission indeed! I’ve already accepted two salvage missions! This dwarf is truly obsessed with salvaging! Well, in the maritime field, dwarves may fall short, but they are tenacious and robust. Their divers can reach depths humans and elves cannot. With their natural obsession with treasure, salvaging is truly their specialty!
Alright, since I’m with a professional team, I must seize this opportunity. Even if I fail to salvage the shipwreck divine artifact, I have to get this dragon bone!
Da Fei asked again, “When do we set out?”
Bato laughed heartily, “Of course, after we’ve caught the whales! Whale meat can be used to attract Sea Monsters!”
Da Fei was impressed! Despite appearing like a carefree, beer-bellied dwarf, his intelligence was actually all there! This NPC’s intellect was on par with Anwen’s! If Anwen taught players how to use arcane magic, then he was undoubtedly teaching players how to salvage!
Now, Bato hastily gathered the flat cargo ships of the salvage crew for a meeting, and Da Fei, of course, gathered the deputy officers, including his wife, for the meeting as well. Wait, Coltner is here too? Whoa, I’ve been ignoring him the whole time! Well, I guess I just naturally filter out males. This could be a bit troublesome–if the fleet is entirely wiped out, and he goes down with it, it could cause quite the mess for me!
. . .
The dawn broke with a red sky. The sea was full of floating ice, stretching into a vast expanse as the fleet almost entered the Arctic.
When Da Fei stepped out of the cockpit, a blast of cold wind hit him, making his face feel like it was being cut by knives! -1! Damn! It really was knife-like and did cause damage!
It’s imaginable that without the incredibly sturdy dwarf sailors, how could ordinary crew members, like those hired at Harbor House for 70 Gold Coins, survive here? And this wasn’t even the Arctic Circle yet! What kind of harshness would we face upon reaching the Arctic Circle to salvage the dragon bone? The greatest challenge of the Arctic wasn’t just the Sea Monsters!
Bato pointed to the reddish horizon and said, “From now on, it’s polar day here, meaning half a year of daylight, then half a year of darkness. It’s still summer, so it’s polar day and the ice is beginning to thaw, creating the best opportunity for our operation. If we can’t seize this opportunity, then it’s waiting until next year.”
Da Fei nodded repeatedly, “I see, but by next year, I assure you, my strength will be greater, and I will surely succeed.”
Bato chuckled, “The situation in the Northern Ocean is unpredictable, so it’s best to resolve what can be resolved this year.”
Damn, trying to trick me into an annoying task again! Da Fei immediately shut his mouth! Though I’m committed to overcoming challenges, creating problems to tackle them is different when it comes to riskless salvage tasks for me. My principles remain intact.
Bato pointed to a large lake encased in ice in the distance, “There’s an underwater volcano there, so the sea there stays warm and unfrozen year-round. The warm water attracts tons of fish and shrimp, drawing in vast numbers of whales. We’ve named that place Whale Lake!”
Holy crap! So, that’s the surprising location he mentioned last night? Doesn’t it turn into a fishery? It turns out the Arctic, this godforsaken place, has such depth! It’s been a century as a major for him, and it’s truly been a worthwhile trip for me!
Da Fei hurriedly asked, “But there’s still ice around the lake. How do we get there?”
Bato patted the side of the ship and laughed heartily, “Our Flame Lord is the surface overlord of the Ice Ocean. How can little floating ice stop us?”
Da Fei suddenly realized, “So, the General’s Flame Lord has a special ice-breaking ram!”
Bato said proudly, “Exactly! But it only works with ice at this time of year!” Then, with a wave of his hand, the fleet’s horns blared one after another.
Then, the fleet formed a long snake-like line and closely followed behind the giant ship.
Bato shouted, “Prepare for the charge!”
Drums pounded on the giant ship, shouts rang out, oars clashed in unison, and the giant ship suddenly accelerated, slicing like a sharp knife towards the ice ahead!
“Hold steady!”
–Boom! The ship shook violently, and with a thunderous roar, the ice was cleaved open, creating a crack over a hundred meters long!
Da Fei’s eyes narrowed in shock. This was the force of the giant oar ship! If a regular warship got rammed like that, it would be instantly obliterated! But alas, its opponents were Sea Monsters! It’s truly an absurd situation.
Bato said gravely, “Breaking ice puts extremely high demands on the stamina and strength of the oarsmen. If the oarsmen run out of stamina, we’ll be trapped in the ice, and the ice’s crushing force can easily destroy any ship. So, coming here requires both a tremendously strong ship and absolutely formidable sailors!”
Da Fei nodded repeatedly in astonishment!
This was the Arctic. Even though I’m well-practiced, I couldn’t rely on my own strength to reach here at this stage. But wait, the highest-level sailors I’ve hired at Harbor House are those Level 4 skilled gunners, but those 40 HP sailors are on a totally different level compared to the General’s warriors! The General’s Dwarf Warriors are at least elite tier!
In other words, even if a player had an icebreaker, without a fully staffed elite sailor crew, reaching this place is still impossible! And with a fully staffed elite crew, the Command Power needed would be astronomical!
High-level! Only now did Da Fei realize the dwarf general was showcasing high-level tactics! The height of NPC forces was truly a lofty existence for players. Moreover, this was just the ability of an island-bound major. Imagine what a major force like the Elf Kingdom could be like. How could my bothersome Chamber of Commerce revival quest stand up against the Kingdom forces to reclaim the Divine Artifact and rescue the Mermaid Priestess?
Indeed, Makar was right. The closer you get to the gods, the more insignificant you feel. Speaking of which, to what height has Makar reached? It’s unimaginable! Epic Quests are indeed a hassle! I can’t get cocky just because I completed small-scale epic quests like the Pool of Radiance at the Blood Sea Kindergarten, limited to Level 30.
In the face of the Flame Lord’s tremendous force, the ice looked like a sheet of white paper being ripped continuously; the fleet steadily advanced until, at last, a vast, steaming lake came into view.
The water churned, and geysers burst forth; Bato chuckled, “Those are killer whales! But they’re not worth much!”
Da Fei was shocked and nodded, “Oh, oh!”
Bato pointed to the side and sighed with a smile, “That’s a sperm whale! The natural enemy of octopus sea monsters! We thought about using them to deal with octopi, but unfortunately, we lack the strength! Sperm whale’s ambergris is very valuable!”
Da Fei continued nodding. This place was completely a whale pasture! Catching whales here was like farming, not needing the speed of whaling ships chasing them!
Bato pointed towards the glittering silver water surface in the distance, “As for the truly valuable quarry, that’s what Mr. Spielberg is looking for, the narwhal! I’ve heard every mature whale horn can sell for over tens of thousands of gold coins!”
Da Fei was astounded, nodding repeatedly! How much money could be made on this trip!
Bato laughed heartily, “Do you see that horn shining with gold over there? That’s the Narwhal King! Its horn’s value is beyond measure!”
A BOSS-level whale! Da Fei’s heart surged, “Then, General?”
Bato laughed heartily, “Of course, we’re going to deal with it! With my Flame Lord escorting us and your Divine Skill sneak attacks, this cunning, fierce creature stands no chance against us! That’s why I brought you here!”
Da Fei exclaimed in sheer joy, “Great! Let’s go for it!” (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (novelbuddy.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.novelbuddy.com.)