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Heir of the White Lotus (Web Novel) - Chapter 1404: Destination
Chapter 1404: Destination
This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl
"Captain, I think we are screwed!"A merchant vessel cut steadily across the open sea when the water ahead suddenly churned.
Standing at the bow of the ship, the captain, a middle-aged man, visibly paled when his crewmate’s words echoed in his ears.
Then, when he saw the surface of the water bulge upward and split apart as something massive rose from below, he screamed in panic:
"Damn it! The waters around the Dark Valley are cursed! Where are the damned Magi? Summon them this instant! What the hell are they paid for if not to deal with these monsters!"
In the next heartbeat, dark scales broke through the waves, followed by a towering shape that dwarfed the ship.
Shouts rang out across the deck. The captain gripped the railing hard as he took in the creature’s size. The Magi also arrived and stood beside him, their faces drained of all color.
"T-that... that monster is far more powerful than us!" A Magus screamed in horror.
"Mana Vortex Rank... it’s got to be at least at the Mana Vortex Rank!"
The crew reacted at once. The captain of the ship lost all hope. After all, the couple of Magi aboard the ship were only at the Mana Foundation Rank. To face a monster two ranks above them was complete suicide.
At once, the crew members broke down in tears. A few of them even abandoned the ship, hoping they’d be lucky enough to survive the turbulent waters.
This merchant vessel had recently departed from the east of Yen-Lu after conducting a large transaction with the merchants there. This shipment was supposed to change their lives and make them wealthy.
Although they had expected to encounter sea monsters, none of them thought that the first creature they would face would happen to be at the Mana Vortex Rank!
This monster, which resembled a giant sea-horse, gazed at the fearful expressions of the humans aboard the ship with great delight.
Meanwhile, the crew aboard the ship helplessly waited for death to arrive.
But suddenly the winds changed...
The next moment, a gaping hole appeared right in between the sea monster’s eyes. The pair of eyes that had been blazing with hunger just seconds earlier now turned dull and lifeless. Then, in an almost anti-climactic turn of events, the monster collapsed and plunged back into the ocean.
The captain and his crewmates were dumbfounded, their jaws nearly touching the floor. But no one was more shocked than the couple of Magi on board. For they knew how powerful the monster had been. Yet, it had died so easily.
And they could swear they’d seen a Magic Missile just fly by!
While the ship’s crew was relieved, the Magi were frightened! They couldn’t help but wonder if they were now facing an even more powerful being, one who could so effortlessly kill the sea monster.
The Magi grew extremely alert. Suddenly, their eyes widened in shock as a fair hand grabbed the railing of the deck. In the next moment, a figure drenched in seawater climbed aboard and landed on the bow.
Everyone on the ship froze when they saw this person appear before them.
He appeared to be a teenager, yet his long raven hair and thick beard spoke of a maturity in sharp contrast to his youthful looks. His clothes were old and tattered, but he still carried an aura of graceful nobility. This person appeared to be a living paradox.
The ship’s captain was the first to snap out of his shock. He gulped subconsciously, then asked, "M-my lord... were you the one who just took out the monster?"
Adam had a carefree smile on his face as he looked at the middle-aged man.
"I did," he answered, his voice calm and soothing, as if he hadn’t just taken down a dangerous behemoth, but a fly.
The Magi were thunderstruck. They understood something that the ship’s crew probably hadn’t. For this newcomer to so easily kill the monster had to mean that he was at the very least a powerful Mana Vortex Magus!
While these Magi were reeling in from the shock of that realization, the ship’s captain pressed his hand against his chest and offered a respectful bow.
"My Lord, please accept my humble gratitude for saving our lives," he began.
He hesitated for a moment before asking, "May I ask where your destination is?"
Of course, the main reason why the captain had asked that was that he hoped Adam would stay with them for the remainder of their journey, and also protect them from any other threats from the sea.
"My destination?" Adam stroked his beard. "I suppose I’ll go wherever this ship is headed."
The captain’s eyes lit up. "Then, my lord, please allow me to ferry you to land!"
Adam smiled faintly and shrugged. "Sure, if you give me something to eat."
After the ship’s crew came forward and expressed their heartfelt gratitude to Adam, the two Magi finally gathered the courage to approach him.
Unlike the ignorant crew members, they were highly fearful of him.
They came before him and immediately went down on one knee.
"Lord Magus, we thank you for your assistance!"
"No worries." Adam waved his hand nonchalantly.
He squeezed the hems of his robes to wring out the water, then added, "There are other ways to express your gratitude, you know."
The Magi exchanged puzzled glances.
"Like a towel and a clean set of clothes," Adam continued.
"Right away, my lord!" The Magi quickly retreated to their quarters to arrange clothes for him.
Right on cue, the ship’s captain chimed in, "I’ll have the chef prepare a hot meal for you!"
Adam simply smiled in return.
The crew members quickly returned to their station, and the ship resumed its journey.
The raven-haired youth leaned against the railing and gazed in the direction of the Dark Valley. His eyes flashed with overwhelming emotions as he recalled the time spent in the forbidden zone.
To be honest, it was all a blur. Time inside the valley did not flow normally. It felt as though countless years had passed for him within, but at the same time, time seemed to have moved on without any discrepancy.
The two experiences overlapped without contradiction, defying any attempt at rational understanding. It was something he could sense, but never truly comprehend. It was the same as the time he would spend while in the spirit world.
For the sake of simplicity, he decided to treat the time he had spent inside the valley as equivalent to the time that had flowed outside it.
Besides, the passage of time hardly mattered anymore. After consuming so many fruits of the unholy tree and undergoing his recent transformation, he had reclaimed everything the valley might have taken from him.
Just as he was lost in thought, the smell of freshly-cooked meat and vegetables drifted into his nostrils.
His eyes lit up, and he thought with joy, Finally, some proper food!
The ship’s captain humbly presented the food plate to Adam. Before digging in, however, Adam turned to him and curiously asked, "By the way, where are you headed?"
"Our destination is the great city of Amberfall, my lord."
"Amberfall?" Adam arched an eyebrow.
"Yes, my lord." The captain nodded. "It is located in the southeastern part of Europa."
And his following words caused Adam to be greatly surprised.
"It is the capital of the Ignisra Kingdom."
