244 A Sailboa

It was early morning, when Chen Fan finally reached Zhongyuan City with a joyful heart.

The "fight" on the bed just now, had not been any easier than finishing a triathlon. He now felt extremely hungry. After he drove to the city center, both of his eyes eagerly scanned the restaurants nearby.

Although none of the upscale restaurants were open yet, there were many barbeque stalls that were still open for business. So, he pulled up to place his order.

"Boss, give me two kilograms of lamb shashlik, three sizzling squid, and…"

"Ah…" the barbeque stall owner was immediately dumbstruck, as witnessing a sports car that could only be seen in an auto show, parked right in front of his stall, was not an everyday sight! In fact, he kind of looked as if he had been struck dead by lightning!

Even the noisy young customers were completely stunned at the scene. Aside from the sizzling sound that was coming from the grill, the place had fallen into a complete silence.

"Pretentious!" The youngsters, who were dressed like hooligans, snickered in unison!

While he waited for his food, Chen Fan received many rude stares from countless eyeballs. After receiving his food from the hawker, he did not even bother to collect the extra change. Instead, he quickly got in his car and drove away.

It was now four in the morning, and Chen Fan was tossing and turning in his bed. He could not fall asleep. The event that happened a few hours ago was still playing in his mind, just like a movie. He simply couldn't get rid of it.

Chen Fan sighed, then got out of the stone-like bed. He switched on his laptop, figuring that he would try to kill some time by reading web fiction.

...

The surface of the sea glimmered as the sun shone upon it. It appeared as if a layer of shattered silver was blanketed on it. It also looked like a crumpled piece of blue brocade.

The soothing mist and the slightly fishy-smelling sea breeze felt somehow healing, like the fragrance from a maiden's lips. The mixture of it made it irresistible, so much so, that everyone could not help but take an extra breath. 

The workmanship of the sloop yacht was extremely exquisite. The front of the hull and the shipboard were evenly covered in resin, and a layer of thorny flowers, which looked as it they were entwining the silver shell, were sculpted on it. It dazzled fascinatingly under the reflection of the sun. The white sail, which had been made from some sort of beast hide, fluttered along with the sea breeze, hanging on a column, which had a rhombus-shaped carving on it.

If any scientists were to have witnessed the scene, they would definitely have rolled up their sleeves and dashed toward the sloop yacht. This was not because the workmanship of the sloop yacht had exceeded the limits of human technology, but rather that one of the two people now standing on the deck deserved to be dragged into the lab and sliced open for experimental purposes!

The one standing at the left was an old man. He wore a purple brocade robe with a gorgeous crescent-shaped heraldry embedded on the chest. His jawline looked as if it had been chiseled with a knife, as it was extremely sharp and well-defined. His white hair and slightly wrinkled face made it rather difficult for others to guess his actual age.

The guy standing beside him was the one who deserved to be dragged to a lab and sliced open for experimental purposes. He was extremely tall and had a black beast hide, which was wrapped around his waist. He had grayish-green skin, and his head looked hideous. His muscles looked just like reinforced iron, to the point that even Shaquille O'Neal would look inferior by comparison!

"Argyll, what kind of rubbish nautical chart did you provide me with? It has been 12 days, and I still have not even seen a single drop of bird dung!" The green monster waved his hands desperately, roaring with an almost distorted expression.

"We were lucky enough not be caught in the terrifying storm. What are you still hoping for?"

The old man named Argyll took out a parchment scroll from his bosom, then squatted down and opened it up. "Look! According to the nautical chart and my calculations, we're now close to Roanoke Island. As long as we wait patiently for a few more days, we will definitely be able to reach our destination."

"Wait patiently for a few more days? Argyll, you sneaky old man! Why did you abduct me?" Barru's eyes turned red. He held his casserole-sized fist in front the old man. "I'm fed up with the endless drifting. We have already eaten up our last breakfast. Do you intend to make soup out of your deer hide bed for the next following days?"

Argyll touched his beard awkwardly. "Let me investigate on it a bit more!"As he finished his sentence, he drew from his pocket a little rounded silver box that looked like a pocket watch. After opening the box, he placed it on the parchment scroll, then fiddled with it with nonstop.

"Tell me when your investigation results are out. I need to chug a few big bowls of cold water. Otherwise, my stomach is going to start trying to digest itself," said Barru, with a hint of sarcasm. He then dashed into the cabin.

After half a day, Barru, whose stomach was now filled with cold water, ran to the deck, shouting, "Argyll, I have bad news! We have completely consumed all of the freshwater in our storage."

"You glutton! You consume more than a bear!" Argyll, who had been investigating the nautical chart, lifted his head to reply. "Since we ran out of freshwater, we have no choice but to wait for our deaths. When that time comes, we shall compete. Let's see who can last till the end."

"You're the dumb one! Can't you just distill more freshwater, once it runs out? We are in the middle of the sea, after all! We will never run out of water."

"Barru, your saliva is all over my face!"

"Ah!"

Barru, the monster, roared crazily. "I don't care! I can't stand being on this crappy wooden boat anymore! I want to kiss the land and touch the greeneries!"

"Shut up! You have distracted my train of thought!"

Sigh!

Barru looked at the nautical chart with dull eyes. He then turned his head to stare at the bluish sea sluggishly. From afar, he looked like an old baboon.

After a while, Argyll, who was dressed in a purple robe, stood up and stretched his cramped waist. "I have finished brainstorming. I think that we are very near Roanoke Island, as long as we have stayed on course!"

"What if we are on the wrong track?" questioned Barru.

"Hmm…" Argyll thought to himself quietly for a while. "According to the nautical chart, Roanoke Island is the the only huge island in the east sea. If we are heading in the wrong direction, then we could only depend on our luck. If we are lucky enough to stumble upon an unknown island, we would still be able to replenish our food then. Otherwise, you might have to catch some fish from the sea!"

"Argyll, tell me why I believed your nonsense in the first place, enough to follow you to Roanoke Island, just for the sake of finding the Hurricane Bird?"

"That's easy! You did so because the Hurricane Bird is so special, and also because we dreamed of a ride, which could allow us to travel for thousands of miles. And, most importantly, because you are an idiot!"

"Enough! Now you're insulting my intelligence, too?!" Barru took a step forward, intending to grab the collar of the old man in the purple robe. Unexpectedly, due to a slight misstep, he accidentally sent the silver compass, which was laying on the parchment scroll, flying into the air.

Under the brute force of his accidental kick, the tiny silver compass was launched at full speed, then plopped into the sea.

"Ah!"

Without thinking too much, Barru immediately hopped over and jumped into the sea, going after the silver compass. The splatter drenched the purple-robed old man, making him look like a drowned rat.

Barru dove in the sea for about half of a minute, before emerging from the waters with a dispirited look on his face. "Argyll, wait for me. I'm going to catch some fish for our lunch."