"Shout all the boys, we've got to get rid of the goods." Due to the proximity, Seaman heard Becker's instructions to the boatswain who had just stepped onto deck.

The boatswain was amazed by the unforeseen fog, and when he heard the captain's words, he thought he was still in a dream, "We are not short of supplies, there is no need to ......"

"Call everyone, throw away the goods, and wake up the first mate by the way. I know he's just fallen asleep, so I'll wake him up if he tells him he doesn't want to sleep in the sea. The hand holding the steering wheel shivered slightly from the cold, and Becker repeated the command, an inexplicable sense of urgency transmitted from him to everyone on deck.

"Seaman, you go and keep an eye on the back, don't squeeze together."

The speed of the wind, which even an old sailor can perceive, the captain will only be more sensitive. The experience of his long voyage had made him know better than anyone that his current speed was far from enough, at least not enough compared to the approaching speed of the thing.

Throwing away the goods is the judgment made. They need to be faster, even at the cost of months of lost effort and a lot of supplies, and they can sacrifice more when they can.

It doesn't matter what it is, it's no longer important to be approached by something that is higher than a mast in the surface of the sea.

The boatswain's sleepy-eyed sailors were awakened by the habit of unconditionally carrying out the captain's orders, and then they were driven to the bottom to move the goods that had just been laid out for two days.

The first mate climbed onto the deck with his knees clutched and limped over to the captain, "What's going on?" This batch of goods is quite a lot, and it will take at least two more trips to make up for it! ”

"It's better to go and help with this, and drop the ore first." Taking off the plush fur hat with residual warmth on his head, his gray hair exposed to the cold was commensurate with the experience and prestige of anyone on board.

Boxes of ore were dumped down, and the stones wrapped in metal and crystal particles were submerged in the waves, splashing continuously, and the sound of falling water was incessant, not unlike the sound of throwing silver coins into the water, and Seaman looked a little distressed.

Watching the first box of minerals being poured into the sea, the first mate let go of his knees and turned to cover his heart, and the pure loss manifested itself in its most intuitive form. The dragging and lifting of heavy loads below deck never stopped, and the sailors didn't care about the money that had nothing to do with them, and they were bent on leaving quickly.

"Why don't you lose half of ...... first?"

Before he could finish speaking, a loud, dull sound of falling water sounded, and the first mate searched the deck, trying to scold some idiot who had gone into the water with the box.

Everyone stopped, the people on deck looked at each other, and the two sailors, who had just dumped a box of minerals, carried the empty box, also looking for who had dropped the bulky item directly off the ship.

Then they remembered that the sound was not a heavy object falling overboard. It came from a greater distance, reverberating in the depths of the cold mist, and it took two breaths for the splash to return to the ocean.

Suddenly, the illusion of still being in the ice field was pulled back to the barren and barren ice field shore, the end of the dark mountains, the tall cliffs overlooking the ice sea. The years of solid ice stretched open the black rocks, and the two fell into the crashing waves of the ice floe, shattering the surface of the water.

If you see it once, you won't forget the sight of the roaring water as the ice and water splash reach their highest point.

The Icefield people told them that the unfortunate ship that had passed by was overturned and swept into a whirlpool formed by the backfill of the seawater, and was swallowed by the ice sea along with the broken wood and ice floe before they could cry for help.

Ever since he saw it, Becker has consciously avoided the ice-heavy cliffs along the coast.

They had been on their journey for more than two days, and the cliffs and falling ice had been thrown beyond the horizon, but the sound was unquestionable, and the tall and steep thing was in the fog, and the glacier had fallen off it.

"Don't be stunned, throw it all away!" The first to react was Becker, who roared at a ship of shivering crouches, even his own hand holding the wheel stiff and uncontrollable.

The whole ship moved at an unprecedented speed, and the sailors went in and out of the bottom silos, carried out every box of ore, and dumped it into the sea. All non-essential items were thrown out along with it, and everything possible was done to reduce the weight of the boat.

The second thunderous fall in the water was heard, followed by the third and fourth times, as if the behemoth was in motion, waking up, shaking off the old glacier that had been deposited on its body for many years.

The frightened sailors chanted prayers that no one understood, and even tried to drag out the escape boat into the water, but the first mate drew his blade and forced them back to their posts with their backs, "This is the ice sea, no one can live without the big ship!" ”

He looked at Belk, and the captain nodded in acknowledgment of his actions.

There was not a single ore left in the bilge, and the sailors threw away the empty crates, ripped off the precious furs, and threw them into the sea, despite the fact that the increase in speed was negligible.

If Becker hadn't stopped him, it wouldn't have been impossible to throw a few people who were holding their heads and crying.

Seaman stared at the fog behind the stern of the boat, and he could clearly hear the loud sound of falling water coming from behind the side.

And the sound of the waves crashing against something hard that was getting nearer and nearer, shattering and scattering into a splash. Large, cold, and hard, with all the characteristics of snow-covered peaks, they should have stood in the wilderness, with their own kind.

The speed of the ship had reached its limit, the crew was arguing about throwing away some of the fresh water and food, different people were proclaiming their claims loudly, and those who could no longer stand the invisible sound source in the cold fog begged the captain to give them a small boat to fend for themselves, and more wept and prayed, regretting why they had stepped out of the gods' sight for money.

The voices were intertwined and indistinct, fading to Seaman's ears, and he heard the sound of splinters entering the water, the same as the sound of pouring ore, but higher, allowing the stones to roll down the steep slope with a crunch like striking pottery.

But the ore had long been emptied, and even the loaded boxes had been thrown away.

He realized that this was a sign of coming, and watched in horror at the thick white icy mist that was tumbling more violently, and his feet seemed to be nailed to the spot, and the only thought left was to detect the warning in time, as if it would give him a chance to avoid it.

Everyone arguing on the foredeck heard the screams of horror deformed to the point of not being human in the stern of the ship. It was as if the fear of the Northland seas and mountains that had been accumulated in the chest for several years was squeezed out at once by the overwhelming force, squeezing out the residual qi from the lungs, tearing open the glottis and spitting out.

The scream awakened the awe of the wandering outsiders when they first arrived, swayed by the endless icy waters and rolling mountains, and learned that their more than ten years of safe sailing had not yet been corrected by the small accident of the thing.

The few who still had the audacity or blind obedience to turn could see the only remaining light in the fog dim, and cold, majestic shadows moving in the white chaos. Massive chunks of ice broke away from its surface, and the ship nearly capsized in the waves, tossing and falling the tiny crew.

No mind or body could continue to gaze at it in the midst of unnatural storms, and they clung to their nearest fixation, praying until they were exhausted.

……

……

"And then, then what?" Kraft took a sip of the captain's sweet fruit wine, which was a bit like the carbonated drink that otherworldly souls liked, except that the bubbles were not so rich, and it was a perfect match for the story and the candle flame.

Then they returned to the port of Wenden and sold both the ship and the trading rights. Becker handed over the property to his son and set off for his hometown in the countryside. The captain drank the cloudy liquor from the glass, and blew out a mouthful of wine that was so thick that it seemed to be ignited.

"The rest of the crew spent their days in the tavern drunken to death, going in and out of places prone to unspeakable ills, or going back and forth between the wine and gaming tables, and most of them had their last copper plate drained before they could forget the voyage."

Probably too frustrating for the end of the story, the captain opened himself a new bottle of pungent spirits, and when Kraft politely refused, he filled his own glass, took a large sip, and made some additions.

"Hiccup...... Some of them sold the news a few times among the buyers who listened to the news, and most of the little money that could make a living went to the mainland. "Outside the window, it was already dark, the heavy rain was hitting the deck, and the wind was not too strong, which set the mood well.

The story was over, and the audience was still unsatisfied, when Koop, who had been suffering from fainting and vomiting for a day, came in and heard the second half, and shivered because he was weak or frightened. Judging by the look in his eyes, he still wanted to hear it.

Kraft wondered for him, "That's it?" How did they escape? ”

"No, they came back alive anyway, and some of them are no different from dead, and they are not doing well." The captain shook his head and sighed, the same people who live at sea have more or less empathy, who can guarantee that their today is not their own tomorrow?

So the story really ends, and there is no such thing as a brave captain or a sailor outwitting monster in an ordinary nautical story.

It sounds like a group of people driven crazy in the fog at sea by something they haven't even seen in person, and the incident comes to an abrupt end, and they inexplicably return to the port to spend the rest of their miserable lives, and the echo of misfortune refuses to let them go after leaving.

With such a distinct style, Kraft thought of hearing another story about the northern ice fields. Speaking of which, he had been in the academy for so long, and he had never found a chance to go to the seminary students to verify the authenticity of the story shared by his cousin.

In the wake of the excitement, the amateur idea of compiling a collection of stories was revived, in which a separate volume could be opened for the mysterious and savage world north of Wendeng Harbour.

"If I could, I'd like to put this story in the book, I don't know where you heard it?"

"Well, it's a long story." Talking about this, the captain took another sip of wine, and the irritating liquor seemed to choke into his trachea, and he coughed and cried. He was unknowingly drunk and had a bit of a gaffe.

"Guess who the second generation of the ship bought the trade opportunity is?"

"Uh...... What should I call you? ”

"William, bearded William."