Depthless Hunger

Chapter 228: The Waters Around Rosemount

Once they escaped the Blood Current and all its unnatural threats, they sailed from red-tinged waters, to empty ocean, to a region where they actually saw other ships passing from time to time. They spotted a single ship built with what looked like Krysali crystals, as well as a flying galleon he thought was from the Elemental Nations.

But the majority were entirely unfamiliar to him. Sleek ships with many triangular sails, filled with equally lithe crew leaping through the rigging. Vast ships shaped like whales that seemed to have living flesh covering their hulls. Flying vessels that didn't look like the sleek cultivator ships, but instead like flowers or golden chalices. All passed on their own business, paying no attention to the relatively small ship heading toward Rosemount.

Zae Zin Nim didn't seem to care about where they were headed, only what they'd left behind. She spent a significant amount of time at the back of their ship, engaged in qi exercises more advanced than he knew. Eventually she seemed to have scanned enough, because she stood up, nodded to herself, and then turned to him.

"We've left the Brightwind sect far behind," she told Kai. "They'll know we went to Rosemount, of course, but even at their top speed, we should have weeks to blend in here."

"Will they be able to track your qi?" Kai asked.

"While they still can in theory, my qi will stand out much less on this continent. We must be more cautious not to draw attention to ourselves. Keep that in mind."

"Got it." He had known that already, so he just shrugged, but Zae Zin Nim fixed him with a stern expression.

"I mean it, Kai. If you see someone you sympathize with on Rosemount, don't draw a bunch of attention to yourself helping them. If you see something you don't think is right, you can't go starting a fight with the ruling classes. And no starting any wars."

Kai sighed. "Come on, do I really...?"

Zae Zin Nim scowled as if she suspected him of feeding orphans right that moment.

"We don't have to keep a completely low profile." Omilaena had been left out of the conversation, but now wandered over to join them. "There are so many different people where we're headed, we'll blend in. By the time the Brightwind minions arrive, there won't be any trace of us left."

"But they'll know we're on Rosemount," Zae Zin Nim said.

"Not necessarily. I intend to charter a ship headed back to Deadwaste and make sure we're seen on it to set a false trail. Other than that, your main defense is getting enough chakra to hide your presence. Once we can hide from them, the entire world is our oyster."

"How exactly are we going to do that?" Kai asked. "You've been short on the details."

"That's because we'll need to improvise some of them." Omilaena leaned against the railing of the ship with an exaggerated sigh - after her grim focus on the Blood Current, her unnecessary sensuality had returned. "There are multiple potential paths to hide ourselves and I don't know which will be most practical. It's been years since I've been on the continent, after all."

"You can't give us more information than that?"

"I was planning to explain everything just before we hit the shore. We're still days out, after all. But... we're going to hit a nation called Crescilor, on the western edge of Rosemount. It's not a great power, but it trades with all the powers on the continent. That will be the perfect place to blend in, get our bearings, and figure out our next step."

"You can deal with that yourself." Zae Zin Nim shook her head and then marched toward the cabin. "I may not be able to reach the end of the Nascent Foundation stage in time, but I will be returning to cultivation."

She'd been spending a lot of time alone lately and Kai hoped that he hadn't done something to offend her. It could also be the tension with the Brightwind sect chasing them, because as well as he knew Zae Zin Nim, he couldn't always understand her moods. Omilaena only shrugged as if she didn't care and they continued on their path southeast toward Rosemount.

After the rush of the Blood Current, even their normal top speed felt slow. There was no particular rush, so they took their time to prepare for their arrival, since allegedly the continent could be so dangerous for those from outside it. Omilaena estimated that in total their ocean voyage would take around two months.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

They still hadn't caught sight of land, but the birds he'd seen were flying overhead more commonly now. Kai continued his training, but he also took a while just to absorb the new environment. Even here, over the ocean, there was a flood of energy. Mana as dense as any found in Goralia, plus chakra everywhere, concrete and bursting with life. Being in an environment like this would take some getting used to.

Because he was on the lookout, he spotted the problem first: a ship was foundering in the water, with a second ship circling. Sailors were desperately trying to grab people from out of the wreck, some of them jumping easily between ships. He couldn't see the threat, but there was a lot of blood in the churning water.

He automatically leapt to the side, then hesitated. Not only had Zae Zin Nim warned him to lie low, this was a new continent and he had no idea what he was getting into. Better to look carefully first.

It seemed like there was a horde of small fish, currently stripping one sailor to the bone. Occasionally they leapt out of the water at the others, forcing them back and inspiring further panic. There were multiple sailors trying to fight them off, all appearing trained and quite powerful by his estimation. He couldn't examine them all without getting overwhelmed, so he started with a grizzled old woman who was fighting competently.

Name: ???

Total Power: 127

Heart of the Sea: Level 19 (76)

Physique Level: F-6 (42)

Soul Level: 3 (9)

>

She had over 100 Power, mostly from her Heart of the Sea attribute. That would have been enough to make her a crystallier back in Krysal, but what struck him was that she didn't seem like a dedicated warrior. Was this the level of power someone could attain just by living on Rosemount?

Just when it looked like the old woman might be taken down by fish gnawing at her legs, a younger man swept in with qi attacks. Kai realized a moment later that the man wasn't human: he had bronze skin and long pointed ears. More importantly, his spirit looked strong...

Name: ???

Total Power: 133

Soul Cultivation: Spirit Condensation (31)

Physique Level: F-3 (36)

Soul Level: 4 (66)

>

Even though Kai noted the man's total Power of 133, his eyes were pulled to the Soul Level. For the first time in his life, Kai saw someone whose soul didn't match the patterns he'd seen in every single nation he'd ever traveled. Surely it had something to do with the man's Soul Cultivation, but that would be a larger mystery to unravel later.

Why were they struggling so much against the tiny fish? For a moment Kai thought there was a sea serpent too, then he realized that it was just another crewmember, wearing a similar bandanna over their scaly skin. Whoever they were, they were weaker than the others and would get torn apart unless someone did something.

He finally managed to pinpoint one of the fish in his spiritual vision.

Monster: Rose Piranha

Threat: Gamma (III)

>

It was a Gamma-ranked threat, which seemed trivial until Kai realized that every single individual in the swarm was an equal threat. The Direboar he'd fought years ago had been the same rank... could all those little fish hit with just as much power? As hard as it seemed to believe, in an energy-rich environment the monsters would grow much more powerful.

"Oh, go help them," Omilaena said from the front. "I know you want to."

"That won't cause too much trouble?" he asked. But he was already preparing to jump over the side.

"Sailors run into trouble with monsters and get help all the time. Just go."

So Kai vaulted off the side of the ship and used Sahagin's Soul to swim toward the failing ship. He hit the school of piranhas like a predator, scattering them, and grabbed one of the falling sailors to hurl him back up to the intact ship. After that, the other piranhas swarmed him and he sank underwater to draw them away from the sailors.

He'd been prepared to endure their bites and regenerate the damage, but to his surprise the piranhas weren't capable of penetrating his skin. Their sharp little teeth hurt, but he wasn't bleeding. After so long fighting overwhelming or at least equal opponents, he'd forgotten how tough Behemoth's Heart made him.

Before they could tear up his clothes too much, Kai started biting back. He ate several fish per bite and gladly swallowed their essence: each individual monster was a bit meager, but spicy, as if they contained a different sort of energy. By the time he finished off the swarm he knew he had something new to work with, but first he needed to address the sailors.

When he grabbed one last sailor and jumped her up onto the deck, the other sailors cheered. They began jabbering at him and he stared for a moment as he was struck by the different languages. None of them sounded even slightly like anything he knew.

"Sorry, I don't understand," he told them. "I'm from Deadwaste."

"Oh, barbarian!" one of the sailors said with a thick accent. "Barbarian good."

They couldn't communicate well, but they seemed to take his rescue good-naturedly. Before he could object they shoved various things at him, from a bundle of fruit to a sack of heavy octagonal coins. He had no idea how much it was worth and only presumed they considered this a suitable payment for saving their lives.

Not wanting to draw too much attention, Kai thanked them and then swam back to his ship. When he showed what they'd given to Omilaena, she just shrugged.

"I guess that's reasonable. But if we survive on Rosemount, we're going to earn a hell of a lot more."

Kai decided that was good enough and went to contemplate the new monstrous essence. Before he could make any progress, though, he was interrupted by a soft sound. When he looked up, he saw Omilaena looking forward with a strange expression.

Rosemount was finally visible on the horizon.