Drawing Cards in the Middle Ages to Rise in Ranks-Chapter 414 - 99: Deep Sea Behemoth

It was as if they were caught in a whirlpool at the bottom of the sea; the Ocean Disaster spun around like a top.

The terrifying centrifugal force directly flung the unsteady zombie sailors out of the Ghost Ship’s waterproof barrier, and in the blink of an eye, they were swallowed by darkness.

Losa clutched the ship’s railing tightly with ten fingers, casting a sidelong glance. Even when the Ocean Disaster overturned, the unicorn nightmare horse skillfully trod as if on flat ground, completely unaffected by gravity.

Its large eyes were filled with confusion, staring at Losa, seemingly unable to understand what Losa was doing.

"Good boy, you have this skill?"

Losa exclaimed in surprise.

He thought that the "Eclipse" was certainly going to be swept into the depths of the sea.

Bang—

An oak barrel rolled and slammed towards Losa. "Eclipse" nimbly soared with its two hind legs and kicked it fiercely away, its entire body seemingly fused as one with the Ocean Disaster, frighteningly steady.

A burst of anger surged within Losa’s heart, and the phantom of the Black Dragon, formed from the Dark Lord’s pressure and the Dragon Bloodline, instantly spread, enveloping the Ocean Disaster.

The gigantic beast lurking in the darkness seemed intimidated, ceased to attack, and, accompanied by the gradually calming sound of the water, slowly moved away.

"That guy was scared away." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Hog breathed a sigh of relief. The Ocean Disaster, having dominated the depths for so many years, had encountered numerous troublesome sea beasts, which was no longer surprising.

The ocean floor ultimately belongs to these giant beasts.

"Will it come back?"

Losa furrowed his brow. The battles at sea were a completely different mode than those on land. Although his followers were now quite formidable, when it came to fighting beasts underwater, they could only really rely on Hog and Jeanne’s Holy Spear.

"Don’t know, but we must prepare in advance. This sea beast isn’t particularly large in size but is extremely good at hiding."

Under normal circumstances, no sea beast would get close enough to the Ocean Disaster without being detected, because Hog’s curse is linked with the ship, so as long as he stands on the deck, he can sense the surrounding water flow.

"What exactly is that monster?"

"Perhaps a giant squid, but unlike Paul, whose size is larger and power more terrifying, this creature is better at concealing its tracks, like an assassin hiding in the shadows, sir, I suspect its ink was obscuring our senses."

After Hog finished, he added, "I’ll call out two unlucky ghosts to ask the situation."

He drew the captain’s sword, waved his hand, and immediately, two ethereal green souls floated on the deck, competing to speak: "Boss, that damned creature’s mouth, just like a... chewed me up alive. I’m requesting three months of paid leave; during this time, don’t assign me a body."

"Shut up, what was it really?"

"I didn’t see clearly, it was completely shrouded in darkness, only one tentacled appendage crushing my body—I guess it was a monster very similar to Paul, just much smaller in size, and the tentacles were not as agile and strong as Paul’s."

The zombie sailor whose body was destroyed recalled, "It was so fast, I didn’t even see the flower-like mouth Snake mentioned; perhaps after tasting his foul flesh, it realized we weren’t palatable at all."

Hog looked at Losa solemnly, "Sir, it seems I guessed right, it really is a giant squid with many tentacle appendages; it treats this sea region as its territory, if we’re to search for sunken ships here, we’ll likely have to face it."

"Hmm, since this is its territory, the places where sunken ships lie are probably its dining table, unless it’s scared off by my pressure directly; otherwise, we should prepare to fight it again."

Losa inquired, "Hog, do these tentacled sea monsters have any weaknesses?"

"Sir, whether it’s giant octopuses or colossal squids, they’re extremely resilient, if tentacles are severed, they can regrow within days; their weakness is the head, as long as Lady Jeanne’s Holy Spear can hit it, it should settle it."

Losa responded with an "Hmm": "I’ll contact Anna to see if she’s willing to lend me her precious Sea Dragon."

...

Night had fallen.

A dense fog enveloped the sea surface, which was typical in the Mist Sea Region. Only the most experienced captains could find a safe and correct path amid this complex route with scattered reefs.

Trading voyages in this era were profitable, but also many suffered losses.

For the same goods, arriving one day earlier portside versus a day later could make a world of difference in price.

That’s why there are still those willing to traverse the Mist Sea Region.

The stern tower of the merchant ship rose high, flickering with the evening candles.

The passengers from Russia gathered in the cabin, heartily drinking the sweet ale.

The leading youth was a prominent member of the renowned Rurik Family from the Rose Region; his father was the nephew of Vsevolod III, bestowed as the Duke of Tver, a powerful figure among the Rus States.

"Raise your glasses for Kyiv and Vladimir’s Duke, our jointly revered ’Big Nest’ Vsevolod Your Majesty!"

The youth cheered loudly.

The accompanying Russians, soon to join the Varangian Guard, raised their glasses in agreement.

This wasn’t solely due to the youth’s identity; while Russians engaged heavily in internal conflicts, they generally maintained a sense of reverence for Vsevolod III of the Rurik Family, deemed the foremost among Rus kings and dukes.

After all, he was a valiant figure who could wrestle in the nude against a Giant Dragon, "Big Nest" referred to his thriving lineage, having eight sons alone, a remarkable feat worth narrating in the already baptized region loyal to the Eastern Orthodox Church, while still retaining an original reverence for fertility.

Though the nickname might not sound sophisticated, it’s certainly better than names like "Big Root" or "Giant Root," pure laudatory epithets.

The youth continued to boast, "The Polish heads I severed could pile into a tower outside my camp, and I even entered the snowstorm to fight a giant bear with my bare hands—all this because our Rurik Family carries the ancient bloodline of the Nordic Gods."

The Poles are what Russians call the Cuman Kipchaks, their greatest foes on the Eastern European grasslands apart from their own people, some Russified Cumans were called Cossacks, much like Turkified Greeks of Anatolia.

A sentiment of joining what couldn’t be defeated.

"Once we reach Greek territory, all of you unite around me, I promise, we’ll earn countless gleaming gold coins, everyone’s able to wear luxurious silk robes as we return home gloriously."

The youth grandly pointed and gestured.

Suddenly, there was a tremor at the bottom of the ship.