Chapter 917: Chapter 458: Ship Damage and the Contingency Plan

"Boom!"

A rich green glow filled with the aura of life suddenly exploded in the air, causing the curtain of rain around the ship’s figurehead to momentarily go awry.

Finally completing the final preparations before spell casting, Hai Yin abruptly flipped her wrist, gently letting the small seed that had been resting in her palm fall.

The green light surrounding her seemed to resonate with something invisible, and Xia Nan suddenly felt a sharp yet melodious strange cry echoing in his ears.

As his perception kicked in, he instinctively looked towards the bow. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

He saw that figurehead, forever bathed in storm and cold rain, posing as if embracing the ocean with its face blurred, now had a faint but tangible layer of glow on its surface.

It flickered in sync with the green light on Hai Yin.

Zzz—

A subtle sound burst from beneath their feet.

[Rapid-growing Vine Shell]

A special Second Ring spell from the Coral Association, finally showed its effect at the most dangerous moment for the Vengeance Blade Blade against the storm and the fish swarm after a long preparation.

The few seeds Hai Yin scattered on the deck sprouted instantly under the nourishment of life energy, transforming into plants resembling seaweed and algae.

Assisted by the ship spirit’s resonance, the deep-green seaweed quickly spread like some rapidly proliferating fungus, its stems and leaves extending outwards along the ship’s planks like probing tendrils.

Within mere seconds, the entire bow was dyed in green and rapidly spread towards the ship’s belly, which was under violent attack from the fish swarm.

Xia Nan didn’t know how much impact this spell had and wasn’t sure if it completely encased the entire exterior hull of the Vengeance Blade Blade.

But he could feel this:

After the spell took effect for a mere ten seconds, he sensed that the creepy sounds of sharp teeth tearing through the planks from below the water’s surface suddenly became brittle.

"Ding-ding," it sounded like gnawing on something hard.

Maintaining this spell requires focus, and after casting, Druid Hai Yin made no big movement, only holding her magic wand like Xia Nan, standing on the deck’s edge, occasionally using pure energy missiles to blast saw-tooth sharks into pieces within her line of sight.

As their attention heightened, even time seemed to flow faster.

Just like before, Xia Nan kept his balance on the storm-tossed deck fulfilling his duty as a "Free Man," rushing to assist wherever needed, taking over crossbows from sailors and shooting the saw-tooth sharks underwater whenever he had a second to spare.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed.

He only knew that when his stamina, already low due to his 8-point constitution, was reduced by one-third, a dazzling, brilliant sunlight suddenly broke through the deep clouds.

It was like a premonition of the storm’s passing.

As the sunlight slowly spread, the frequency of the gnawing sounds from beneath the sea decreased, the sharks grew scarcer, the towering waves subsided, and even the fierce gusts of winds that nearly swept people away began to calm.

The storm retreated even faster than it arrived.

The gentle, tender sunlight, as always, carried a damp and cool sea breeze that wafted across their faces; the sky was clear with only a few lazy white clouds in sight, and the shimmering sea was vast and serene.

Only the chaos-ridden deck bore evidence of the apocalypse-like violent scene moments before.

The meaning behind the Sea Goddess Ambory’s nickname, "The Shrewish Queen," was vividly demonstrated at this moment.

"Splash."

Sailors, soaked through with a mix of raindrops, seawater, and sweat, inhaled deeply with their eyes dazed from exhaustion, some slumping pale against the railing, others lying directly on the deck, too tired to even untie safety ropes from their waists.

The twin warriors Rein and Gordon, equally drenched, showed their endurance as professionals and were busy cleaning the deck and assessing the damage along with a few other still capable crew members.

Bald Akken, his energy as a barbarian mostly expended after the storm, stood surprisingly calm, gazing silently out at the sea, seemingly in a "Wise Moment."

Spotted Cat Sasha descended lightly from the mast, making no noise due to the pads on his feet. Now that the crisis had passed, his instincts took over his rationality, and the soaking fur felt incredibly uncomfortable, making him shiver like a wet cat shaking water from its fur.

Captain Lorin released the helm and instinctively tried to ignite her soggy cigarette by flicking it against her flame scimitar at her waist, only to realize her action and toss the cigarette butt casually into the sea. She took a new one from the pack strapped to her thigh, deeply inhaled, smoke billowing as she brushed the wet hair sticking to her cheeks aside.

Xia Nan, equally soaked, found the sticky clothes on his body uncomfortable. His equipment bathed in rain and sea spray needed careful maintenance later on.