Chapter 211: Self-Rescue

No one knew how long it had been when the storm finally passed. The clouds quickly dispersed, but by then, the sun had already dipped below the horizon, and darkness truly set in.

The surviving sailors gradually regained some of their strength. Wu Qingsong directed them to climb onto the overturned hull and managed to start a small fire there. The sealmen were excellent swimmers, even if thrown into the sea by such storms, they wouldn’t necessarily drown unless they were smashed against the ship or rocks by the waves. However, if they couldn’t find a place to rest and got lost in the vast ocean, swimming endlessly would also be fatal.

“We need to take turns keeping watch,” Wu Qingsong told everyone. 

Among them, only Red Moon had encountered fishmen before, but even she had never fought them. The sailors couldn’t say for sure whether these distant rocks would attract fishmen. Regardless, given the significant threat they posed to sailors, they had to remain vigilant.

Soon, calls for help from the sea began to reach them intermittently. Wu Qingsong and the others repeatedly threw ropes in the direction of the cries, helping the sealmen climb up from the water.

Most of the sealmen had been thrown from the deck when the Black Pearl struck the rocks. One sailor claimed to have heard Captain Eddie’s roar while in the water, but later he had to dive underwater to avoid the waves. When he surfaced again, there was no one around.

“Did any of you see fishmen?” Wu Qingsong asked each of them, but the answers were all the same: no.

The fire provided some warmth and gave them a bit of energy. A few sailors even dared to climb into the overturned cabin to search for fresh water and food. They found some cooking utensils and brought them back to share at the ship’s bottom.

Wu Qingsong went back to check on Ram and the others. ram was doing relatively well. After drinking some hot soup that Wu Qingsong brought, she was in much better spirits.

But Bernar was clearly in bad shape. He had woken up once but had nearly lost the ability to speak, constantly coughing up dark blood clots. His waist was evidently broken, and he had completely lost the ability to move his lower body.

“His injuries are beyond saving in this place,” Red Moon whispered to Wu Qingsong. “In his current state, he’s only suffering. If you truly respect and care for him, give him a dignified death.”

Neither Ram nor Darryl could make such a decision, and Wu Qingsong couldn’t decide for them.

“Let’s wait until morning,” he said. “Maybe the storm has blown us near the mainland, and we can find someone nearby who can treat him.”

Red Moon said no more, silently helping to care for him and Ram. Wu Qingsong returned to the overturned ship, but it seemed that any sailor who could see the firelight had already swum over, and there were no more survivors.

The Black Pearl had a crew of over thirty, but now only sixteen had gathered here, less than half.

“Do you think we might be near land? Is there any chance we’re close?” Wu Qingsong asked.

The sailors all shook their heads.

Their education level was very low, and the captains never taught them navigation or how to recognize directions. Just as reading, writing, and arithmetic were guarded secrets in commercial cities, maritime skills were closely held by captains. They maintained their power on the ship by being able to navigate, read sea charts and stars, and confirm their location.

An older sailor said, “The storm blew from west to east, we’ve likely been pushed further from land, not closer.”

This dampened everyone’s spirits. They sat silently around the two campfires, waiting for daylight.

A sunrise at sea is a rare beauty, but everyone was too used to it and too disheartened to appreciate it in such circumstances.

When the first rays of sunlight appeared on the horizon, everyone sprang into action.

The Black Pearl seemed in reasonably good condition. At least, in the areas they could see, there were only two large holes punched by the reefs. These could likely be patched up.

The broken masts were a serious problem. Some of the seal people dove into the water below the reefs and confirmed that two of the three masts were broken. Only the one at the stern seemed intact, but it was wedged tightly between the rocks and couldn’t be moved.

The ship itself was stuck between two massive rocks, wedged there by the storm. With their current strength, it was almost impossible to lift it and get it back into the sea.

“We need a crane and more tools,” Wu Qingsong said, frowning.

“Tagraedi, sir!” Beck’s excited shout suddenly came from the ship’s bottom. 

They hurriedly climbed up with the help of the ropes.

“What is it?”

“Look to the east, sir! Look to the east!” Beck handed him a telescope they found in the cabin, full of joy.

Previously obscured by the glaring sunlight, a faint black shadow now appeared on the eastern horizon after the sun rose. Through the telescope, it seemed to cover quite a large area.

“It’s at least twenty miles away,” the old sailor said after looking through the telescope.

“Can we swim over there?” Wu Qingsong asked.

The Black Pearl originally had two small boats used for smuggling cargo, but they had been lost in the storm.

“We can make it, but you guys?”

“Take apart the deck,” Wu Qingsong quickly decided. “And find all the barrels. We’re going to build a large raft.”

With a glimmer of hope for survival, everyone sprang into action.

“If this place is far from the mainland, even if there are people on the island, they might not be beastpeople. They could be fishmen or something else,” Red Moon said quietly to Wu Qingsong, not wanting to dampen their spirits.

“It’s better than staying on this rock,” Wu Qingsong replied. “Here, it’s certain death. Over there, there’s a chance of survival, even if it’s slim. Which would you choose?”

Red Moon nodded and returned to the injured.

As it turned out, Ling’s ability was also very useful for dismantling the deck. They quickly had a pile of long wooden planks and started tying them together with ropes, securing barrels around the edges for additional buoyancy.

At that moment, the lookout sealman suddenly shouted again.

“Captain Aifre!”

“Where is he?!” Wu Qingsong immediately asked.

“Over there!” the sealman pointed east in panic. “But behind him…”