Chapter 137 - 113: The Backbone of the Sea

The sailors’ song gradually faded away.

Seeing Old Dean’s bewildered expression, Yi Feng instantly realized something.

"Mr. Dean, did Molly and I cause you unnecessary trouble?"

She quickly covered her ears, lowered her head, her expression full of apology: "I’m very sorry, I will take Molly back to the cabin right away..."

But when Yi Feng tried to grab the girl’s hand, she found Molly standing still in a daze, the girl staring intently at the majestic fog wall, as if something had captivated her mind.

The next second, Molly clutched the hem of her dress, murmuring as if in a dream: "Fog Claw..."

"What?"

"Instructor Yi Feng... I just saw clearly the name carved on the bow of that big ship..."

The brown-haired girl’s tone became very certain: "And the old captain driving the black ship... he has ears and a tail like the Fes people..."

"Molly! Wake up!"

Yi Feng’s tail fluffed up significantly, and she anxiously rubbed the student’s fluffy ears: "Those are all illusions from the sea!"

"Calm down, Miss Yi Feng."

At this moment, the always kind Old Dean unusually became serious, stopping her actions just in time: "Panic will only invite the malice of the deep sea, do not interfere with others’ thoughts!"

"Don’t worry, Molly will be fine."

Looking at the woman’s uneasy eyes, Old Dean solemnly said: "Trust your student, and please also trust my judgment."

Yi Feng’s restless tail gradually settled down, and she slowly released her grip.

A moment later, Molly suddenly came to her senses, instinctively licking her slightly curled fingers, brushing her ears that had been rubbed red, and looked around in a daze again.

"You truly are an experienced and excellent navigator, Mr. Dean..."

Yi Feng tightly hugged the girl’s body, clearly relieved: "I was out of line."

"It’s quite normal; no one has a smooth first voyage."

Old Dean chuckled, gazing into the side fog, expressing admiration: "But the Fes people’s racial abilities are truly fascinating... you actually heard the occurrences beyond the fog wall?"

"Do you plan to understand the information we Fes observed?"

Yi Feng cautiously inquired.

"Though I’m just an old man who can’t even reach a silver-level maritime title, I’ve been navigating these waters for many years; I won’t be frightened by basic illusions."

Old Dean’s tone was reassuring: "Moreover, obtaining information from below the sea isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Some navigators actively seek related intel for exploring the Gray Realm."

"Mr. Dean, Instructor and I saw the scene ’inside’ the fog wall..."

At this moment, Molly actively joined the conversation, a hint of worry appearing in the girl’s eyes: "Have you heard of the Fog Claw?"

"Fog Claw..."

Old Dean pondered for a while, then shook his head: "Never, as the head of a trading company, I remember all the renowned fleets of the past decades; what does that ship look like?"

"It’s a seven-masted warship, very large, even larger than Lady Nightingale’s Rose, yet the ship’s style is very old-fashioned, as if it stepped right out of an oil painting collection from the Alliance Museum’s founding era..."

Molly stammered while describing: "They seemed to be battling something terrible just now; many, many people died on the Fog Claw, Fes people, witches, Demon People, there were all sorts of races..."

"Forget that scene, Molly, how could a Fes person become the captain leading other races."

Yi Feng’s gaze was somewhat complex; the information this child observed was evidently more detailed than what she saw. However, for the Fes, overly keen racial talents weren’t necessarily a good thing.

Molly’s father fell into a coma due to ’nerve necrosis’ caused by talent, relying on medication to barely maintain life.

Hearing her mentor’s advice, Molly belatedly closed her mouth.

"I’ve never heard of this ship..."

Old Dean slightly shook his head, noticing the uneasy expressions of the two, timely shifting the topic: "By the way, since we’re at sea, would you like to hear about the marvelous rules of the Fog Strait, ladies?"

Two pairs of fluffy ears twitched, quickly turning to Dean.

In the Southern Alliance, the Fes’ curiosity is said to rival that of witches.

Old Dean chuckled warmly: "Even though Miss Yi Feng, you’re a scholar, knowing much more than a rough person like me, I have a bit more firsthand experience in navigation."

Yi Feng and Molly nodded repeatedly.

"This is a route opened by navigators of the Ancient Century, running from east to west, pointing straight from the easternmost Reef Islands to the westernmost Forbidden Route, piercing the sea like a sharp sword."

"As the Fog Strait lay between the Alliance and the Empire, both nations have been vying for the ’Fog Strait’s’ ownership. However, this route isn’t very profitable, with the Gray Realms on both sides producing little of value, and the path is too narrow for giant warships, so disputes surrounding this route aren’t intense."

Old Dean began to talk eloquently, like a calm and reliable old sailor: "Every route has its rules, but compared to other strange routes, the rule of not touching the fog wall in the Fog Strait is more a matter of geography than a rule—the fog wall is suspended."

"I vaguely remember when navigational routes were scarce, the older generation of sailors, two generations before me, benefited much from the Fog Strait; they all called it—"

His tone carried a hint of nostalgia: "The backbone of the sea."

"Backbone of the sea..." Yi Feng murmured.

"That title hasn’t been put in textbooks, has it."

Old Dean laughed slightly: "But that nickname has long been forgotten; only an old person like me still remembers these things..."

He patted the armrest, sighing: "The Fog Strait is always calm, so navigators don’t need to put in much, just courage to sail forward endlessly."

As the plump merchant explained, the expressions of the two Fes individuals visibly calmed down.

"Actually, what I want to say is, it’s quite a fortunate event that you can see some wonders in the Fog Strait that ordinary people cannot."

Old Dean chuckled kindly: "It can get a bit dull walking the same sea route over and over, just don’t dislike the ramblings of an old man like me."

"How could we..."

Yi Feng’s face showed a grateful smile: "Thank you, Mr. Dean."

"By the way, Mr. Dean, what kind of person is Lord Roland? Of course, I’m not questioning your judgment..."

Yi Feng suddenly thought of something, awkwardly inquiring: "It’s just that you never explained the negative rumors about the Ark other merchants had at the Secret Silver Port on White Oak Main Island..."

Old Dean pondered seriously for a while,

"Because I’m not good at praising, my personal acclaim means nothing."

He replied: "What kind of person Lord Roland is requires you to personally meet and understand."

"Trust me." Old Dean smiled: "He won’t disappoint you."

At that moment, he noticed the fog on both sides starting to thin, with rays of sunlight piercing through the thick fog, making everyone’s vision gradually clear.

"Look," Old Dean’s expression turned excited: "We’ve arrived."

However, the next moment, the smile on the plump merchant’s face froze.