Captain – Chapter 156 – Miracle

Caine stared at the Mermaid in the distance, which was not getting any closer but rather increasingly farther away. His hand tightened on the ship’s railing, his azure eyes filled with disbelief and incredulity.

After emptying the hold, with the Osprey’s lightweight structure and the design allowing for manual rowing, its speed should not have been much inferior to an ordinary three-masted warship. It might even have had an advantage when facing a headwind in a downpour. But the problem was…

The Mermaid was simply too fast.

Caine had never seen a ship that could move unimpeded through a storm with such terrifying speed. Even when he had led forces to hunt down the Mermaid before, he had never seen it display such strange and extraordinary capabilities.

“First Mate, sir, before engaging in battle, couldn’t you do some proper preparation?” the ship’s doctor spoke coldly, having suppressed his anger after being scolded by Caine, knowing that in the captain’s absence, the First Mate held equal authority to the captain. “To fight against such a legendary warship, you need to understand not just its structure, armaments, and personnel configuration, but also that kind of extraordinary power beyond imagination.”

Walking to Caine’s side, meeting his slightly bewildered gaze, Anderson said gravely: “Legend has it that the Mermaid is under the protection of the Ocean Goddess. That mermaid figurehead is said to be divinely crafted, possessing the supernatural power to drive away wind and waves. That’s why in the Southern Islands, there’s a saying…”

“No one can defeat the Mermaid in a storm.”

Taking a deep breath, the ship’s doctor turned to look at Caine, those noble dark golden eyes never having appeared so solemn: “Because no ship can keep up with a monster that can ignore raging winds and giant waves. Not the Osprey, nor any other ship.”

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Seeing that the First Mate remained silent, Anderson made his final conclusion: “Unless this rain suddenly stops, or something major happens on the Mermaid causing its sailing ability to be impaired, in a little while, we won’t even be able to see its stern.”

“There is still hope.”

A voice suddenly sounded behind the two men. The First Mate and the ship’s doctor turned to see a scholar dressed in a white robe that completely covered his body. Beside him stood the missionary who once believed in the Holy Church and the Auran Goddess, looking at him with complete adoration.

“Bivis?” Caine’s eyebrows raised slightly, quite surprised.

During the time spent recruiting people and taking control of the situation in Yadris, he had completely forgotten about this character. Only upon returning to the Osprey and seeing this young man dressed in an ancient Auran academic robe did he suddenly remember this curse-bearer who feared death.

After a long period of recovery, Bivis Green, who had previously had shriveled skin resembling a ghost, had returned to his original appearance. This eternally-living scholar had quite a delicate face, with looks that rivaled even Anderson’s.

Combined with his vast ocean of knowledge and his gentle, elegant manner of speaking, it was no wonder he had sailed with Stephen III to witness the death battle between the Auran Empire and the Pirate King.

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Thinking of his mysterious background, the First Mate’s heart suddenly stirred: “Do you have a way to help us catch up to the Mermaid?”

“I believe so,” the scholar smiled politely.

“But why? As far as I know, you boarded under the captain’s coercion. You should have no reason to help us,” Caine asked with slightly furrowed brows, as if remembering something.

According to Roy, the so-called agreement between her and the scholar was completely one-sided, with all benefits going to the young woman, while Bivis could only act as a guide, trapped on this ship until the curse was lifted.

Understanding the First Mate’s thoughts, Bivis gently shook his head and smiled: “You misunderstand, Mr. First Mate. The captain rescued me from that prison where life was worse than death, and I am already deeply grateful. In the face of such kindness, those small conflicts are merely insignificant grains of sand.”

“Besides, this ship, the captain, and I are all tightly bound by chains of fate. Before that journey ends, our fortunes are intertwined. Now that she is in danger, I certainly cannot stand by and watch her fall into hell.”

The scholar stepped forward to the bow railing, gazing at the Mermaid breaking through wind and waves in the distance, murmuring: “The Ocean Goddess’s blessing is not a power that ordinary forces can dispel. Even just trying to isolate it would be as difficult as climbing to heaven.”

“However, we need not oppose the will of the sea, only follow it, and then…”

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Bivis reached deep into his bosom and took out the dancing goddess statue.

In that instant, the gazes of all three men seemed to be drawn by a magical force, deeply attracted to that soul-stirring face. Only when the scholar gently cupped it in both hands, blocking their view, did they awaken as if from a dream and return to reality.

Holding the goddess statue against his chest, the scholar chanted like in a hymn: “We beseech Lady Annisdora to bestow her blessing.”

A full three minutes passed. The torrential rain continued to pour down, and huge waves still blocked the Osprey’s progress. Everything seemed unchanged. Disappointment appeared in the eyes of the First Mate and the ship’s doctor, while only the missionary gazed fervently at Bivis, who maintained his prayer posture with a face full of piety.

“I’ve had enough. Whether you want to show off your boring faith or persist in this futile pursuit, I’m not in the mood to humor you. I’m going back to my cabin.”

Anderson sighed helplessly and turned to return to the lower deck. But before he could take more than a few steps, the ship suddenly shook violently, nearly causing him to crash into the mast.

Barely managing to steady himself by holding onto the mast, before he could curse, the ship’s doctor heard exclamations from the sailors who were leaning against the railing and looking into the distance. Their dumbfounded expressions made it seem as if they had witnessed a miracle.

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Anderson’s eyebrows raised slightly as he quickly returned to the astonished First Mate’s side. Following his line of sight, he looked ahead, and at this glance, his pupils immediately contracted and his lips parted slightly, revealing an expression of disbelief.

Although this young master of the Anderson family was a firm atheist, if someone were to tell him that what was now displayed before him was a blessing bestowed by divine power, he would have been left speechless.

Because this phenomenon simply could not be explained by science.

The black and turbulent sea surface slowly parted to both sides, revealing a path with a silvery light like the starry sky. Looking carefully, illuminating beneath the seawater were countless bioluminescent fish, swaying their tail fins, guiding those blessed by the Lady.

Before this path of light, whether they were huge waves, whirlpools, or even waterspouts, all seemed to be cut through by a knife, silently dissipating.

With Lady Annisdora’s great power clearing the way, there were no more obstacles before the Osprey. Its speed suddenly increased, giving hope of catching up to the Mermaid.

Only the extraordinary can counter the extraordinary, and the Lady’s blessing was, without doubt, a true miracle.