Chapter 526 - 47: First Encounter (Part 2)
After saying this, Sunday drew the long saber from his waist and showed the frosty blade to Ruth.
"As for the mutual enemy that you and I share, our former leader, he won’t live much longer.
I can reveal to you, once the shipyard completes that big ship, it will be his demise.
No matter if you have the courage or not by then, I will bring him back and personally behead him on the execution platform."
Sunday’s tone was extraordinarily firm, and his eyes seemed to blaze with fire, making Ruth dare not look directly at him.
Still lost in the recollection and reflection of Sunday’s words, yet to respond, he heard a crisp "clang"—
Sunday had sheathed the long saber, strode away like a sea breeze, issuing into the cabin, leaving only a camouflaged back.
...
The route to the archipelago had been traveled more than once, and as it was the dry season in the archipelago, the sea was calm, with a wide view and no unexpected obstacles along the way.
The young armed guard members carrying guns gradually adapted to the rocking and the sea breeze and became relaxed and cheerful after the initial tension.
Seeing the stern officer Sunday enter the cabin, most started whispering to each other.
Some guard members were equipped with monocular telescopes, taking advantage of the suitable sea condition for lookout, they pulled out their telescopes and looked toward the direction the ship was headed.
The closer to the archipelago, the more exaggerated the reactions of those holding telescopes became, making those without telescopes feel anxious, wishing to snatch the telescope to see with their own eyes what was surprising them.
...
Fully in charge of this operation, Sunday couldn’t relax his attention on the ship’s situation even inside the cabin.
Seeing the silhouette of the archipelago distorted by heat emerging ahead, realizing this destination differed from the previous two times, he walked out of the cabin early to correct the course himself.
The guard members who were chatting softly shut their mouths quickly upon seeing Sunday, and the ones looking through telescopes hastily put them away, pretending as if nothing happened.
Sunday gave them a stern glance and was about to proceed when a guard member who hadn’t yet put down the telescope suddenly exclaimed—
"Ship!"
A companion beside him, seeing that he hadn’t grasped the situation, secretly nudged him.
However, the one who exclaimed didn’t lower the monocular telescope due to his companion’s reminder, instead rebuked angrily: "Don’t move!"
Adjusting the telescope slightly, struggling to find balance on the rocking ship, his tone became calmer as he repeated—
"Ship, a big ship, I’m not mistaken!"
By the time he said the second sentence, Sunday had already pulled out his own telescope, standing beside this guard member, observing the sea together.
...
Sunday’s monocular telescope was a "high-end product" meticulously chosen by Chen Zhou, offering superior clarity and visible range compared to the one the guard members held.
Through the telescope, the scene on the sparse-tree beach at the archipelago’s edge flashed past, moving across the blue sea, Sunday saw the ship the guard members were talking about.
It was a colossal thing larger than the iron-hull ship being built at the shipyard, with a bloated body and tall masts.
Compared to it, the ship at Sunday’s feet was practically an infant just learning to walk.
The sea’s wind and waves couldn’t shake that ship at all; Sunday saw an unusual pattern on its bubbling sails.
Those most abhorred culture classes came in handy at this moment, Sunday vaguely recalled the pattern had some relevance to the Spaniards or the Spanish Royal Family.
Soon after, he thought of the leader’s disclosed treasure-burying plan on the island.
"Is that the Spanish plunder ship burying treasure on the island?"
Sunday quickly understood the ship’s identity.
Without time to ponder whether the ship was transporting treasure or taking it away, lowering the telescope, he hurriedly commanded the sailors on board to lower the sails—
If they continued at this speed, it wouldn’t be long before they encountered that big ship.
In sea battle classes and weaponry courses, Sunday learned about the specifics of naval warfare.
If they couldn’t quickly get close and initiate a risky boarding assault, two ships battling at sea would essentially involve exchanging cannon fire.
And their ship didn’t have a single cannon.
Although they possessed long guns with range matching or exceeding cannons, they couldn’t severely damage the hull, thus failing to truly threaten the big ship.
Moreover, shooting at sea, regardless of how well-trained the warriors were, the unstable ship greatly affected accuracy.
As for boarding assault—
Their ship was too small, even if they got close, whether they could climb onto the big ship’s bulwarks was questionable, let alone with just a dozen warriors available onboard.
The disadvantage in weaponry, numbers, and hull size made starting a battle recklessly equivalent to seeking death.
Though Sunday was hot-tempered, his mind was working fine.
Taking advantage of the guard members’ early discovery of the big ship’s existence, he intended to temporarily avoid its edge, reduce their speed, and resume action once the big ship left.
...
The ship’s sails quickly descended, and the vessel speeding towards the archipelago suddenly stalled, almost coming to a complete standstill on the sea’s surface.
Realising their situation, thinking about the strong enemy they faced and the potential warfare, the sailors and warriors felt incredibly tense, sitting stiffly, unconsciously gripping their long guns tightly.
Even old hands like Ruth and Li Si, who ventured out to sea a third time, showed rare expressions of fear.
Whether it was the leader possessed with Celestial Godly Power or those unknown brown-haired people, they were all entities beyond their comprehension.
While they had immense trust in their leader, currently being at sea without the leader’s support, they didn’t feel optimistic about engaging with those brown-haired people or any Spaniards.
At times like this, the only one who couldn’t be nervous or panic was Sunday.
With his brows furrowed, Sunday portrayed no discernible emotion on his face, standing firmly at the bow, holding the telescope to observe afar, silent.
...
An equipped armed merchant ship would surely have a lookout sailor.
The affluent Spanish Merchant Ship, loaded with a full cargo of gold and silver treasures, especially needed to beware of sea pirates, thus would never relax its vigilance of abnormal conditions.
Indeed, at the top of that towering main mast, there were two lookouts simultaneously observing in different directions.
Shortly after Sunday discovered the large ship, the lookouts on the large ship noticed the "oddly-shaped" small ship immobilized on the sea far away.
This unusual information was quickly reported to the Captain.
Someone speculated it was a dinghy abandoned by a merchant ship damaged by a storm, but after observation, he rejected that assumption.
All veteran sailors of many years traversing the sea, able to determine by eye whether a dinghy’s structure was intact or damaged, if sails were deliberately lowered or masts broken, even from afar.
Besides, Sunday’s ship differed from any contemporary vessels in design.
Its interior adopted a steel-welded framework, significantly enhancing hull strength, resulting in a streamlined shape more aesthetically pleasing and resistant to drag compared to the Galleon or other armed merchant ships prioritizing capacity and armament.
After observation, the Captain believed that ship seemed more like a pirate ship than a storm-struck fleet escape vessel—
Given the last half-month, the sea had been exceptionally calm; no storms had struck, not even heavy rain, making it impossible for escape dinghies to emerge.
But if it was a pirate ship, why didn’t it attack proactively, instead lowering sails and lingering afar?
Moreover, this route was extremely peripheral and not a frequent pirate zone like the Caribbean Region; why would such a small pirate ship appear?
Where did they get their supplies?
...
Sunday’s mind was preoccupied; similarly, the sailors on the Spanish Merchant Ship were puzzled by the inexplicable ship.
The Captain, first mate, gunner, and sailors engaged in discussion, yet no one could propose the most feasible guess.
"Then fire a few shots to scare them away and resume sailing.
I reckon that ship is largely pirate; just afraid of our firepower, hence not attacking proactively.
Or they want to disguise as a shipwrecked merchant vessel, lowering sails to hide intentions, waiting to board us as we approach, catching us off guard; I’ve seen such tricks often!"
Listening to the surrounding market-like chatter, the Captain with a full beard finally impatiently issued the final decision.