Grand Voyage : Surviving on a Ghost Ship-Chapter 96 - The Burning Ship

The expedition to the polar winter seas lasted far longer than anticipated.

Fifteen days had passed, yet the ocean's appearance remained largely unchanged.

Aside from floating ice, white mist, and the occasional iceberg, there was nothing else in sight.

During this time, the Nightmare Star encountered two more pale worms. However, having prior experience, they dealt with them with cannon fire, avoiding any losses.

The remains of the worms were converted into 500 litres of grease.

The Nightmare Star's storage holded as much grease as it could safely accommodate — any more would block all pathways and compromise safety.

If they encountered additional pale worms further on, Yang Yi would consider selling some of it.

The substance was in high demand: it ignited well, could treat frostbite and burns, and could even be mixed with wood to reduce fuel consumption.

Since the secret of the living icebergs was exposed, pale worms had become a coveted target among players.

Not only could they yield capsules, but their remains also made excellent fuel. Plus, they weren't particularly difficult to deal with.

After all, the creature's greatest strength was the ability to disguise itself.

If you knew about them in advance and fired a cannon at any suspicious iceberg, the head start they had would be rendered useless.

Thanks to this, the reputation of the one-eyed leader who shared this information gained traction in the chat channels.

It was Yang Yi's turn at the helm. Bored and listless, he stared blankly at the ocean.

Perhaps he had adapted, as steering the ship through the fog no longer drained his sanity. Instead, he found it dull.

In fact…he began to hope something unusual would emerge from the mist.

But he quickly snuffed out the dangerous thought.

"That was close. The white mist almost led me astray," Yang Yi muttered, feeling a twinge of fear.

His apprehension wasn’t without reason.

The chat channels were occasionally filled with bizarre, unverifiable messages.

Some claimed there were enormous monsters in the fog and that they were being hunted by one.

Others said the ocean was actually the stomach of a giant beast, and everyone was sailing on its stomach acid.

One person even claimed to have found a way out of the polar winter seas and was currently parked at the exit.

Yang Yi tried privately messaging the last individual for details, but they didn’t respond.

After some time, he discovered the account had been deleted.

"Suicide…?" Yang Yi speculated.

A faint breeze blew past, carrying barely any force yet cutting through like a knife. The chill made Yang Yi shudder.

He noticed the nearby campfire had grown smaller and immediately added more wood and grease.

The flames flared up, pushing back the surrounding mist.

The temperature had dropped even further, nearing -35ºC. Without the campfire, staying outside could lead to death from the cold.

Even wearing a down jacket wouldn't be enough!

Luckily for Yang Yi, beneath his down jacket, he wore a set of fire-wool sweaters, which allowed him to endure the cold.

As for wearing two down jackets… Few players would do so — it would make them too bulky.

Elsewhere in the winter seas…

The advance team of the New World Fleet was on a mission. Five ships sailed in formation; apart from the Ironhead, the rest were standard vessels.

The ships were lined up neatly, with the Ironhead at the front, half a ship's length ahead, resembling the tip of a spear.

"Why did I have to run my mouth like that?" Captain Zhao of the Ironhead muttered to himself in frustration.

Wearing two heavy coats, he stood in the biting wind, shivering.

Among everyone present, he was the most heavily dressed. Others wore a combination of sweaters and down jackets, but only he, the captain, had donned two bulky coats.

Their task was to ensure the safety of the route for the larger fleet behind them.

They patrolled the route back and forth to minimise risks, such as missing a living iceberg.

The ships moved quickly, averaging 40 knots.

Leading the charge, the Ironhead was fearless with its massive, sharp ramming prow. Even if it collided with an iceberg, it would be fine.

Moreover, large bonfires burned brightly on each ship, illuminating the mist, and keeping it at bay.

"Ironhead, once we’re done patrolling this route, let’s grab a drink!" messaged a nearby crewmate.

"Don’t count on me to pay!" Zhao replied.

This was their third patrol of the route, and so far, they hadn’t encountered any dangers aside from two icebergs that had already been blown apart.

On their return trip, Zhao was chatting merrily with his crewmates when he suddenly heard a strange electrical sound.

Zzt! Zzt! Zzt! Zzt! Zzt!

The noise grew louder and more persistent.

“Crap! Run!”

Zhao practically roared his command, his voice so loud that even the nearby ships could hear him.

Follow curr𝒆nt nov𝒆ls on fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com.

The Ironhead quickly turned its bow around and activated its skill, Charge, boosting its speed by 50%.

This skill lasted for five minutes, pushing the ship’s maximum speed from 50 knots to a blistering 75 knots!

After that, Zhao began fleeing for his life.

Behind him, startled cries began to echo one after another.

Zhao glanced back and caught sight of faint blue lights in the distance.

Yang Yi added more firewood again, ensuring the campfire stayed strong and bright.

He glanced at the logbook — it was about time for Suna to wake up and take over her shift.

But suddenly, he noticed that the area to his left seemed to brighten!

Yang Yi’s nerves tightened instantly. He drew his gun and aimed towards the light, switching to his three-eyed scope.

Through the mist, about a nautical mile away, a "burning" ship sped past.

The vessel was about 30 metres long, a regular ship moving at approximately 40 knots.

Its deck was covered with numerous bonfires, set up at the bow, midsection, and even the stern — practically the entire ship was alight.

Even the sails had caught fire, but the captain seemed completely unbothered.

As for what was burning, Yang Yi immediately recognised it — pale worm corpses.

These corpses were tied to pieces of wood, forming makeshift bonfires.

With the three-eyed scope, which ignored the mist and offered zoom functionality, Yang Yi observed the ship and its captain clearly.

The captain stood at the bow of the ship, stark naked, surrounded by roaring flames, laughing loudly as he steered the ship at high speed, his mouth moving continuously.

Yang Yi attempted to read his lips, murmuring the words as he deciphered them:

“It’s burning...it’s burning... HAHAHAHA! What polar winter seas? Nothing to fear! I’m sweating bullets!”

The captain then grabbed a large ladle of water from a nearby barrel and splashed it over himself.

The water, clearly hot, scalded his skin until it turned red, sending up clouds of steam.

And so, the captain, stark naked, drenched in sweat, was essentially taking a sauna while navigating his flaming ship, leaving the Nightmare Star far behind.

Yang Yi watched the strange figure disappear into the distance, with no intention of chasing after him.

After all, this man was clearly insane and would soon burn himself to death — there was no need to interfere.

“What are you looking at?”

Suna’s voice sounded from behind as she arrived to take over her shift.

“Nothing. Just a lunatic setting himself on fire while sailing past,” Yang Yi replied.

“What? Where?”

Suna’s eyes lit up as she turned eagerly toward the direction Yang Yi had been looking, her gaze brimming with curiosity.

“Has he mutated? Maybe he’s become heat-resistant — or...can he breathe fire?” she asked excitedly.

“Uh…no, not quite there yet,” Yang Yi responded.

Thank you for reading, I hope you’re enjoying the story :>

We now have a Patreon! Feel free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance! :D

Please give the novel a rating and a review on novelbuddy. It will help the website and also help people find this novel!

Reach 50 votes on novelbuddy. Once the goal is reached, three bonus chapters will be relased! :D