Shrouded Seascape

"What the fuck?! Who's there?!" Wang Sheng exclaimed into the phone.

Wang Jianshe didn't answer his question and remained silent for a while. When he spoke once again, his voice sounded unusually calm and mellow as he said, "She didn't do anything to you, did she? Are you injured?"

His sudden change in attitude left Wang Sheng confused. He had the urge to end the call unilaterally, but he didn't do that in the end.

Touching the bullet hole in his ear, Wang Sheng replied, "No, I'm one of the leaders here. No one can do anything to me here."

"That's great. And what do you do every day?"

"I manage the members of our congregation and handle a variety of miscellaneous tasks. Actually, managing a religion is not much different from managing a company. You're surprised, aren't you? The things you forced me to learn are finally proving useful to me."

Upon realizing that the air between them was no longer thick with hostility, Wang Sheng attempted to change his father's mind.

"Stop it with that holier-than-thou attitude, all right? If it weren't for the fact that you were lucky enough to catch the trend, your business empire wouldn't be here today. You just got lucky; that's all. It has nothing to do with your abilities.

"What I'm doing right now is the same as what you've done. I'm here to catch the next trend and invest in it. I'm sure you won't understand it today, but you'll eventually understand once I stand before you as a successful man."

"Getting involved in a cult is an investment in your eyes? I don't see anything positive in getting involved in a cult," Wang Jianshe retorted.

"Just because you haven't experienced something does not mean that it doesn't happen. And there are things that you will never understand until you've experienced it first-hand," Wang Sheng said.

Then, he recounted the time when Anna received a god's blessing.

"Do you understand what that means?" Wang Sheng appeared agitated as he added, "That's not something that can be bought with any amount of money! And it's not something that an ordinary person like you will understand!"

"So what if that nonsense is real? Hasn't humanity invented flamethrowers or even lighters many years ago? And is that even feasible as a weapon? Is it faster than a gun?"

"Old codger, are you really ignorant to the near-infinite possibilities of what I said, or are you just pretending to be ignorant? This is just the beginning. That green flame has proven that she hasn't lied!

"And she has promised me immortality! Now, tell me, are you really not tempted? Even at the slightest?" Wang Sheng asked.

However, the other end of the line went silent, and no more noises could be heard.

"Hello? Are you still there? If not, then I'm hanging up. Tomorrow's the ship's trial voyage, so I need to be there early," Wang Sheng said. He then checked the phone and saw that the call was still ongoing.

Several seconds later, Wang Jianshe's voice echoed. "Why don't we make a bet? If she can help you quit your drug addiction, I'll believe her words, and I will help you with your investment.

"Since she can grant even immortality, then it should be easy for her to make you quit that stuff, right?"

There was radio silence from both sides, and no noises could be heard except for their breathing. Five minutes later, Wang Sheng ended the call without responding to Wang Jianshe's proposal.

Wang Sheng's thoughts were inscrutable as he stared quietly at the white powder next to him.

The next day, the trial voyage was a success.

Soon, it was time for them to set sail, as the Fhtagn Covenant's assets had all been moved onto the ship. The ocean liner could accommodate roughly three thousand people, so it had more than enough space for the entire congregation.

Roger finally got his wish to become the ship's captain, as Anna had appointed him directly to his position.

Anna truly couldn't let a group of novices man an ocean liner that would soon traverse the open sea and recruited his crew as well. There were no more issues with the sailing and navigation, but the devotees thought differently.

"High Priestess, why did we let them on board? They're not members of our congregation. Won't this make things inconvenient for us later?" Li Lu asked Anna with her head lowered.

Anna was wearing a dark red robe, and her lips curved slightly upward as she stared at the grinning old captain in the distance. Roger was busy with the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and he was all smiles at the thought of manning the helm of such a magnificent ship.

"He's not going to have many choices out at sea," Anna replied.

Once everything was ready, Roger, dressed in new clothes, walked up to Anna. He was polite and formal before his employer. "High Priestess, what's the name of this ship?"

Anna examined the massive ship and pondered briefly for a few seconds before replying, "Narwhale."

Before her words could finish echoing through the air, the cover on the ship's hull was pulled away, revealing the characters that said, "Narwhale."

"Excellent! A fine name for a fine ship! Like a true narwhale, may she sail freely and keep moving forward across the vast ocean!" Roger declared.

He had never thought that he'd have another chance to set sail. Having obtained the opportunity to man the Narwhale, Roger no longer had any regrets; his life was now complete.

Meanwhile, Wang Sheng seemed unaffected by Roger's excitement. He seemed to have noticed something important and asked, "High Priestess, where are we going?"

"We're going to the Indian Ocean," Anna replied. Then, she turned around and walked into the cabin without offering any explanations.

Everyone present was puzzled by the choice of destination, and they had no idea why Anna had chosen an entire ocean as their destination rather than a city or a port.

"Old Roger, what's in the Indian Ocean? They're not going fishing there with this fine ship, are they?" Leonard asked. He was Roger's friend and was a former first mate of another vessel.

Roger was bewildered as well, but he was employed as a captain, and he resolved to complete the task that his employer had assigned to him. As the captain, there was only one thing he had to do. "Let's stop the nonsense and get to work!"

As the Narwhale's first helmsman, Roy was feeling quite nervous as he gripped the steering wheel and waited for the captain and his men to plan their route.

He had just learned their destination, and he stared at his own reflection in the glass, falling into contemplation. The Indian Ocean? It would take a considerable amount of time to cross such a massive ocean.

In other words, Roy had many opportunities to make a move.

It had been a while since he infiltrated the congregation, and it was about time he made a move. His expression and demeanor were gradually changing as he stared at his own reflection in the glass.

The ship's horn sounded, and the massive Narwhale left the wharf slowly, heading toward the open sea that stretched out like a blue carpet before everyone.

The fact that he became the first helmsman of the Narwhale meant that he was pretty talented. Truth be told, it was indeed the case, as Roy learned the fastest and performed the best among his peers.

People like Roy would always be the favorite students of teachers, and Captain Roger had become pretty fond of Roy as well.

"See this? This is the AIS. I'm sure I already told you what it does."

"Yes, AIS stands for Automatic identification system. The helmsman must prioritize the AIS and ensure that it stays on at all times. The AIS enhances the vessel's collision avoidance systems, strengthens the radar's ARPA, supplements the ship traffic management system, and streamlines the ship reporting systems."

"Correct." Roger nodded in approval. "It's like we're always connected to the Internet, and the other vessels are always aware of our position. It's all thanks to the AIS. It will save many lives in case of an accident at sea, so it must be turned on at all times, do you understand?"

"Understood!" Roy exclaimed.

"Roy, I've been curious for quite a while now. Have you served in the military? I noticed that your habits are strikingly similar to soldiers," Roger asked.

"Yes, I served in Iraq," Roy replied. Then, his expression immediately darkened as if he had recalled something unpleasant.

Just as the old captain was about to say something, the door to the bridge was flung open, and several people in black robes rushed into the bridge. They turned off the AIS and removed it from the instrument panel.