Chapter 253: The Deep Blue Sea

Chapter 253: The Deep Blue Sea

Getting to Saint Helena was an absolute nightmare. It was one of the most isolated places on the planet, excluding the likes of R’lyeh or central Antarctica.

Andre managed to teleport him a few thousand kilometers in the right direction, and Li-Mei teleported him further, as close to the island as possible, but neither of them had ever been there.

Crossing the several thousand kilometers of ocean that separated him from his destination was no mean feat for even him. Well, he could do it, but hardly in a short enough time that his target would still be there. And if that ship had been easy to track, it wouldn’t have taken this long to get a sighting.

In the other timeline, a sighting like this would have indicated the presence of one specific vessel. The Flying Dutchman, the famous ghost ship risen from the grave, captained by one Davy Jones. Or rather, his [Heir]. One of the most elusive S-Rankers in existence, and one in possession of far more power than one would expect from a hermit on a sailboat. Not that Isaac would ever call him that to his face, that would probably get him murdered.

Now there were only two things left to do. Reach the boat ... and pray he was dealing with the same person once again.

So, finding the target. He was fast, but not fast enough to get there in time. So he had to get ahead of them, somehow.

That was where [The Meaning of the Name] came in. He knew all about Jones from the other timeline, the [Blessing of Innovation] allowed him to draw upon [Skills] that let him understand how currents flowed in the region and how they’d affect an underwater ship with the Dutchman’s specifications.

Even with a decent read on the captain and knowledge of likely directions, he didn’t know the vessel’s target and had to play on the probabilities.

So the plan was as simple as it was complex. Swim as quickly as he could, [Continent Strider] enhancing his travel speed exponentially over time, and make sure to cover the best points to teleport back to if he found out that the initial route had been the wrong one. This chapter's initial release occurred on the n0vell--Bjjn site.

He cut through the water like a shark, speed ever-growing, and reached the first possible location, an underwater current that would have carried the ship all the way to Australia. Nothing there.

While underwater, Isaac had canceled his normal [Aura] cloak, instead throwing out a thin wedge that he projected as far away from her as possible and swept around himself like an old-school sonar. Plenty of fish, the odd shipwreck, and even a treasure chest whose location Isaac mentally took note of, but no Flying Dutchman.

In all likelihood, he’d missed his chance. The further the ship got from Saint Helena, the worse his predictions would get, and catching up a bloody ship while swimming was going to be a pain in the ass.

The next ocean current was on the other end of the island, and he reached it after hours of swimming. Once again, nothing.

He’d check out one final spot so he could teleport to it later, then head up to the island, and then head back to his assistants. And then, they’d get sent all over the world, visiting random isolated places so they could teleport him there later.

Next time, he’d be able to get there faster.

Suddenly, Isaac’s [Aura] brushed over something. A large mass of old wood, floating in the middle of the water. His [Aura] was too thin to give him high-resolution feedback, but that was the first possible contact he’d made since entering the water. His [Aura] ceased its endless sweep through the ocean and coalesced on that specific point.

An old ship, cutting through the ocean at speeds that would have been high for an airplane, let alone something traveling through a medium as dense as water.

His [Aura] began to flicker as he made it more noticeable, using the usual method of auric Morse. Hopefully, this would work.

And it did. The ship slowed slightly, allowing him to catch up.

“Permission to come aboard?” Isaac called out once he was close enough, the sound coming out garbled to hell and back due to him being underwater and the distances involved.

The [First Officer of Legends, Conqueror of the Depths] would like to teach you the Skill [Unrestricted Speech]. Would you like to learn this Skill?

Y/N

Obviously, Isaac accepted.

Unrestricted Speech (epic)

Communication is the very core of not only modern civilization, but any kind of community in general. Coordination is what allows any number of species to transcend the limitations of any one member, and part of the thing that has made humanity so dominant.

After all, no matter how clever any single human may be, true innovation can only happen by building upon the work of previous generations.

But even the more mundane uses of speech can make an immeasurable difference, facilitating trade and solving conflicts without violence.

This is a Skill that allows its users to manifest the greatest possible form of communication, irrespective of their surroundings or noise pollution.

As long as the user can survive in a given medium, it will carry their voice as far as air would under standard conditions (Earth, Sea Level, air temperature around twenty degrees centigrade), even in the hard vacuum of space.

In addition, when the user raises their voice in situations with significant amounts of environmental noise, their voice will still be clearly understandable, and the most prominent sound to anyone who cares to listen.

“It’s constantly changing, chaotic in general, and there’s a bunch of lunatics trying to end the world,” Jones summarized.

“And you’ve become an extremely powerful person, capable of affecting change on a global scale if you decided to involve yourself in politics,” Isaac added.

“So that’s what you’re looking for?” Jones asked, voice growing cold.

“I wouldn’t blame anyone for wanting to avoid that nest of vipers. I’d be somewhere in the middle of nowhere, fighting whatever monster I wanted to fight, if I could.” Isaac said, “What I’m looking for is general support to keep the planet spinning. Your first officer is capable of teaching a useful communication [Skill], I’d be willing to pay quite a lot if he’d teach a few of my associates.

“Also, while it hasn’t been a serious problem so far, aquatic monsters spreading freely in the ocean could become very dangerous, very quickly. I’d ask you to keep an eye out.”

The reason that issue hadn’t reached apocalyptic levels of danger was simple. Monsters were stupidly aggressive and went right after any nearby humans and when ships went down in the modern world, that tended to raise alarms. When the rescue crew ran into a monster swarm, the cavalry would get called in and that would be the end of it.

“We already do that,” Jones said, “No one benefits from a planet overrun by monsters.”

“Thank you,” Isaac said, “But considering how quickly a situation like that could spiral, I was wondering if it were possible for you to perhaps plot your routes to maximize the area scanned by your sensory [Skill]? It would obviously not be the ideal course for searching for wrecks, but I’d make sure you wouldn’t lose out.”

“What do you know about our searches?” Jones asked.

“Your previous [Classes] were some relation of [Historian],” Isaac announced, “You’re capable of turning the weight of history that rests upon an object into real, actual, power. This vessel we’re traveling on, for example? It was created from the wrecks of countless other ships, built in the shape of the mythical Flying Dutchman to draw upon its legend.

“Cannons from the Spanish Armada, representing the mightiest fleet of its time, armor from a pre-dreadnought from Battle of Jutland, a ship of the line that dominated naval war far for the prior century, who else knows what kind of treasures can be found on the ocean floor? Not to mention there are countless historical artifacts of, well, historical value lying around, just waiting to be found.”

“When did you figure that out?” Jones asked.

“I suspected a while ago when I first heard rumors of a ghost ship traveling the ocean. But seeing the ship confirmed it. Unless I’m severely mistaken, your sails were woven around the few strips of the Armada’s sails that survived all these centuries,” Isaac supposed.

“You have a good eye,” Jones said.

“Good guess,” Isaac shrugged. In reality, he’d known that from the other timeline, and taken a cursory look over the sails to confirm that it was also the case here.

“I see,” Jones said, “We’ll have to work out a proper agreement, but an oceanic patrol of areas without shipping or naval patrols is definitely something we can do.”

“And one last thing,” Isaac said, “Could you please be on the lookout for underwater settlements? As you know, we’ve got a bit of a cult problem topside, and there is a lot of space down here that’s barely observed.”

“Wait, ‘cough’, you’re looking for an underwater base?” Jones asked, doing a spectacular job of suppressing a laugh, “Are these people Bond villains?”

“Hardly,” Isaac said, “Living a few hundred or even a thousand meters underwater takes just a single Aspect. Sure, adapting technology for underwater use is a pain, but the privacy offered should more than make up for it.”

“If we find something, we’ll make sure to call in help or take care of the problem ourselves,” Jones responded.

“Thank you.”

After another hour of hammering out the particulars, Isaac withdrew another object from his storage space.

“This is a cutlass that used to be wielded by one Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard. I believe it could do great things in the right hands. Yours,” Isaac offered.

“Where on Earth did you get this?” Jones asked.

“I mostly use my teaching abilities to help my allies, but occasionally, I trade them for material support from people who don’t have any particularly bad skeletons in their closet,” Isaac responded, “I figured that sword might come in useful some time.”

For the first time since the conversation had started, Jones was struck dumb, he merely reverently picked up the sword and stared at it.

“Also, we’ve recently figured out how to place healing potions into what basically amounts to jelly beans that are larger on the inside. They’d be perfect for underwater use, don’t you think?” Isaac offered and when Jones nodded, added, “I’ll make sure to add a few jars to the next supply drop. Now, I’m afraid I have to take my leave, captain. Good day to you, sir.”

Jones bade him goodbye as well, told Isaac where they’d pick up supplies next and promised that his first officer would be available for teaching.

Once back at the university, Isaac arranged for the supply drop and then went back to planning the first Tier 8 [Raid Boss] kill. This time, South Korea had beaten Germany to the punch in upgrading their arena more quickly and Isaac had decided that stressing out over who got the first kill was a waste of energy in this case.

He was working with Yoo-jin on the planning, things would go just as smoothly in Korea as they would in Germany and Isaac was no patriot. Working in the nation of his birth had been a matter of convenience, nothing more.