Surviving as the Captain of a Mad Cthulhu Deep Sea - Chapter 11

chapter 11

The Narwhal

Chapter 11: The Narwhal

While everyone was engaged in discussion, a woman walked over to the counter, carrying a stack of books.

She smiled and said, “Mr. Charles, you are now officially an explorer. For the first three years after you explore an island, it will be protected by the Explorers’ Association. Here is your certificate—keep it safe. Now, let me explain the mission details.”

As she opened the stack of books, they revealed nautical charts covered in dense text.

“For every exploration mission you report to the Association, we will compensate you with supplies like food and fuel. The compensation varies depending on the Danger Rating.”

Charles took the charts and examined them closely.

Following the already explored edges, he could see the unexplored black areas divided into small, cake-like pieces, each marked with a reward amount.

What surprised Charles was that islands were scattered throughout the unexplored regions, and Golden Statue Island, which he had visited before, was among them.

A white finger reached out from the side, pointing to the sea area, and Elizabeth’s sexy and alluring voice whispered in his ear.

“Charles, since this is your first time, I recommend exploring only the sea areas for a few years. Once you’re familiar with them, you can start exploring the islands.”

Her words were not wrong, but Charles didn’t agree. He pointed to Golden Statue Island with his finger and asked, “What does this number mean?”

A crimson number ‘4’ was displayed on the island.

The fatty beside him interjected, “That’s the Danger Rating. All already explored islands have a rating of 0. Every time a captain goes to explore and doesn’t return, the rating increases by one. A Grade 4 island like that? Forget about it, rookie. Go explore the open sea for two years first.”

Elizabeth shot him a disdainful glance, then leaned close to Charles’ ear and whispered, “Don’t listen to him. I see potential in you. You’ll be able to explore this island within a year, at most.”

“I’ve been to this island,” Charles said, his voice light and brief.

In an instant, all the surrounding voices fell silent. Every eye widened as they stared at the young man before them.

“What?!… You’ve been to a Grade 4 island?!”

The fatty’s voice changed pitch in surprise, and his expression was priceless.

The other captains were also shocked. Just moments ago, they had warned this newcomer against going to the island and courting death. Now, he claimed to have already completed the exploration!

“Why does the island only have a Danger Rating and no bounty?” Charles asked.

“Don’t change the subject! When did you go to the island? What else is on it?”

Charles frowned slightly and leaned back to avoid the fatty’s spittle.

“The Cannonball Cult asked me to go to the island and retrieve something. What’s the problem? Isn’t that how everyone explores islands?”

At this point, even Elizabeth could no longer remain calm. A flush spread across her pale face, and she seemed slightly agitated.

“Charles, you’ve only just arrived, so you might not know the procedures for island exploration. The work of an explorer is divided into several stages. First, you survey the sea routes, then assess the danger level of the natives, and finally, explore and conquer the island itself. The Association pays differently for each stage.

But you’re a newcomer, and you’ve skipped all the earlier steps and completed them already! Now, all you have to do is finish conquering the island, and the entire island will be yours! You’ll be the next lucky one, and the next Governor!”

So that’s it, Charles thought. That’s why there’s no reward listed for the island on the Nautical Chart—because the exploration stages are so segmented.

“Enough of that story. Charles, what resources does that island have? Is it dangerous?”

After a few seconds of deliberation, Charles concluded that the island was worthless and explained its characteristics to them.

When they heard that the island had no food or fresh water, and was teeming with monsters that could erase human memories, disappointment spread across their faces.

“Ugh, another dead island. I thought I’d witness the history of the Explorers’ Association and see the fastest Governor in action.”

“Indeed. With no fresh water, there’s no point in conquering it anyway.”

“If there were at least some resources, we could have organized an expedition to conquer it next.”

While the others continued to discuss the matter, Charles pointed to the northernmost Rank 5 island on the Nautical Chart with his finger and said to the female Registrar beside him, “My ship will be ready to set sail in half a month. I will explore this island.”

If there were no clues here, he would continue exploring northward. The exit lay in that direction, and if he kept searching, he was bound to find it eventually.

As an explorer, Charles had long since stopped worrying about danger.

Elizabeth opened her mouth as if to dissuade him, but no words came out. The man before her was beyond her ability to gauge his skill; he was no ordinary rookie.

After the Registrar finished registering the mission, Charles surveyed the silent captains around him.

“Do you know any routes for acquiring weapons?”

Having learned his lesson from the last expedition, Charles needed to improve the entire ship’s combat capabilities. Relying solely on his revolver wouldn’t suffice.

“For standard weapons, ask them,” a burly man said, pointing to the staff behind the counter. “The Association deals in arms. If the price is right, you can get anything.”

The Registrar beside him spoke kindly. “Please wait a moment. I’ll bring you the weapon catalog.”

Charles thought the founder of the Association must have been a true business genius. They claimed to serve all of humanity, but their real purpose was to make explosive profits through the arms trade.

Soon, several brochures were placed before Charles, each listing various firearm models with their ammunition prices neatly displayed.

The technology of the Subterranean Sea was somewhat biased. Most of the firearms were outdated, World War I-era weapons. It was unclear whether more advanced weapons existed but weren’t listed, or if they simply didn’t exist.

“Charles, these weapons look fine, but they won’t be very useful. Besides, many things on the island can’t be dealt with by bullets.”

The burly man’s words, which had initially stirred Charles’s heart, now chilled him to the bone. He was right. Simple violence had proven largely ineffective against the island’s many strange phenomena.

Even if Charles switched to a different firearm, he didn’t believe it would make a fundamental difference when they reached Golden Statue Island. Guns couldn’t stop the memory-altering effects.

“So what do you usually use?” Charles asked.

“We pay with lives,” a gruff voice replied from beside him, causing the lively atmosphere among the group to cool slightly.

The speaker was a middle-aged man with a dark complexion and a hooked nose. He leaned forward, glaring at Charles with his ashen eyes.

“I know what you’re getting at. You expect us to have some secret exploration techniques. Well, you’re right. We each have different abilities.”

He raised one hand, and blue flames flickered from his palm.

“Even with our relics and extraordinary abilities, the death rate among explorers remains staggeringly high. For every successful Governor, there are thousands, tens of thousands, who perish. Your survival last time was pure luck. Don’t take it personally when I tell you the truth. This is how cruel reality is.”

Hearing this, Charles actually felt relieved. The Subterranean Sea had never shown mercy to humanity.

He addressed the Exploration Ship captains before him.

“We’ll talk more later when I have time. I need to go prepare the supplies for departure now.”

As Charles turned to leave, the burly man asked, puzzled, “What’s he doing going north? Could he really be searching for the Land of Light?”

No one answered, and the hall fell silent for a moment.

For the next two weeks, Charles remained busy. In addition to preparing supplies, he dedicated himself wholeheartedly to physical training and marksmanship practice.

The Subterranean Sea was cruel, but he would not abandon his beliefs.

Time on land passed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, two weeks had flown by.

The new Exploration Ship lay quietly docked in the harbor. Its streamlined hull, black deck cannons reflecting the lamplight, and thick hull held a certain allure in Charles’s eyes.

“It’s truly magnificent. What do you all think?”

Charles’s voice was filled with excitement and anticipation.

“Captain, what’s the ship’s name? Surely it’s not still the Old Rat, is it?”

Dip, standing before the new crew, asked, “What’s her name?”

Charles gazed at the 125mm steel cannon on the forward deck, paused for a moment, and replied, “The Narwhal! Her name is The Narwhal!”

Having named the ship, Charles turned to face the unfamiliar crew. Unlike the cargo ship Old Rat, The Narwhal was an exploration vessel that required a full complement of crew, regardless of numbers. Every essential position had to be filled.

The crew consisted of 13 members: 1 Boatswain, 4 Deckhands, 1 First Mate, 1 Second Mate, 1 Chief Engineer, 1 First Assistant Engineer, 1 Second Engineer, 1 Cook, 1 Assistant Cook, and 1 Captain.

The sailors varied in age and height, all male, some of them natives with curled ears.

As Charles observed them, the sailors returned his gaze, their eyes full of curiosity.

A ship was different from land. Once it set sail, the entire vessel became a closed environment, and the captain was its king. He held everyone’s fate in his hands; if he proved incompetent, he could lead them all to their deaths.

When they saw Charles’s face, their anxiety eased slightly. Though young, this dark-eyed captain was a seasoned veteran known to many.

“I trust you all know what we’re about to do. There’s no need for deception. Typically, one in five crew members dies on an exploration mission. If any of you want to turn back now, it’s not too late.”

Not a single person moved in the crowd. Those standing there were all experienced sailors, fully aware of the dangers of this voyage and the potential rewards of successfully exploring a new island.

If the Captain became Governor of the new island, the low-ranking sailors like them would rise with him. Sailing was a gamble with one’s life—why not bet bigger?

“Alright! Then all aboard!”