Chapter 208: The Black Pearl (2)

All the crew members sprang into action under the old walrus’s command. They unfurled all the sails to their fullest extent and frantically adjusted the direction. After aligning the course, the ship’s speed gradually increased.

“Is it really necessary to be this tense?” Ram asked.

Eddie clearly wanted to snap, “What do you know?” but because she was a beauty, he held back.

“At sea, aside from mermen and pirates, the most dangerous thing is the navy,” he explained. “They rarely deploy, but when they do, it’s always with a clear target and they never back down. Even if you’re not their target, once they lock onto you, escaping without taking a hit is nearly impossible.”

“How do we know if we’re their target?” Wu Qingsong asked.

“You’ll know if they keep chasing us,” Eddie replied.

He kept his eyes fixed on the small triangular flag atop the mast that tested wind direction, carefully adjusting the course as the Black Pearl sailed towards deeper waters.

“They’re still following us,” Liuli’s voice called down from above.

“Damn it!” Eddie cursed loudly.

“How can their big ships move so fast?” Wu Qingsong couldn’t understand.

“An Emperor-class warship usually has at least one wind mage apprentice on board, and their sails are often enchanted with constant wind magic. Unless there’s a storm, they can maintain full speed regardless of wind direction,” Eddie explained angrily. “Damn it! Who exactly are you people to attract their attention?”

Wu Qingsong didn’t answer but looked at Red Moon.

“Maybe we were spotted when the Black Pearl set sail,” she said, frowning. “Captain Eddie, can you shake them off?”

“If it were any other ship, no problem,” Eddie replied. “But this is an Emperor-class warship. It all depends on luck and wind direction. If we can hold out until nightfall, we might have a chance.”

The sailors, under Eddie’s command, kept adjusting the sails to catch as much wind as possible. Despite their efforts, the distance between the two parties was slowly closing. The two large ships gradually came into view, and they could even see the emblem of the war god Ams on the sails.

“It’s Sentalus’s ships,” Red Moon said quietly.

The seal people started shouting in panic. Wu Qingsong looked up and saw the triangular flag on the mast drooping limply.

The wind had died down.

Eddie cursed furiously, urging the sailors to keep working, but everyone could see that the distance was closing. It was only a matter of time before they were caught.

“Ling,” Wu Qingsong suddenly had an idea and shouted. “Let’s go to the stern.”

People were confused, but Ling nodded without hesitation and followed him to the back of the ship.

“Do you remember the drilling structure we used in the desert?” Wu Qingsong asked, sketching quickly on the deck with his short sword. “We need something like that now. The structure is similar, but in the middle, it needs to be like this, with spiral blades, and make them rotate fast.”

Ling nodded and reached for the bulkhead of the stern. After a moment, Wu Qingsong activated her potential.

“The end needs to be fixed to the keel,” Wu Qingsong suddenly remembered. “Other parts might not be able to withstand the force.”

Ling nodded, concentrating on the rough sketch he had drawn. Moments later, the Black Pearl shuddered slightly and then began to slowly pick up speed again.

“What happened?” Eddie’s booming voice called out from outside.

“Just steer the ship!” Wu Qingsong shouted back. “Someone bring me some wood and a bucket of water.”

Luckily, the Black Pearl was a smuggling ship and not one of those massive cargo vessels, otherwise, Ling’s ability might not have provided much help.

“Keep it up, Ling!” Ram and Liuli cheered beside her, while Red Moon squinted at them, unsure of what was happening.

Beck quickly came in carrying a bucket of water and an empty wooden bucket, as there weren’t many sources of wood available on the ship.

Wu Qingsong didn’t complain and immediately began carving different shapes of propellers from the wood, testing their thrust in the water bucket.

Although he didn’t know what modern ship propellers looked like, he could at least help Ling refine the propeller designs, enabling her to create more effective ones with less effort.

People soon watched in amazement as the propeller he carved pushed the water backward in the bucket.

“Everyone, brainstorm and try different shapes,” Wu Qingsong urged. “We need to find the best design for Ling to use.”

So, when Eddie couldn’t resist any longer and handed the wheel over to the first mate to see what was happening below deck, he found the room littered with wood shavings and everyone frantically carving something.

“What on earth are you doing?”

“Get back to your post!” Red Moon snapped. “Captain, we’re working hard here, so please don’t give up.”

Initially, their creations were inefficient, even as they began to understand the principles involved. Most of the hastily carved propellers didn’t show much improvement. The genuinely useful designs came from Wu Qingsong, who, relying on vague memories of underwater scenes from movies he’d watched, kept carving one propeller after another. Ram and Red Moon, inspired by his efforts, began to refine and improve the designs.

Liuli and Daryl were unable to contribute to the carving process. They started shuttling back and forth between the stern and the deck. They continuously reported on the ship’s speed and the distance of their pursuers.

Wu Qingsong racked his brain, amazed at how much he could recall. Their efforts finally paid off. After adjusting the shape of the propeller three or four times, the ship’s speed reached a level that could contend with the mages on the pursuing warships. While the Black Pearl hadn’t managed to widen the gap, it also hadn’t allowed the distance to close any further.

“How much longer can you keep this up?” Eddie appeared in the doorway of the stern cabin again, his attitude markedly changed.

Wu Qingsong looked at Ling’s face. Maintaining such a strong output was clearly taking a toll on her.

“Hard to say. Maybe an hour or two.”

“That’s enough!” Eddie said. “Our ship and sails are black. As long as we can hold out until nightfall, we can lose them. Is there anything I can do?”

“Just steer the ship well,” Wu Qingsong said. “Captain, we’re counting on you.”