Chapter 80: The First Day at Sea

At noon that day, after a short ritual ceremony, the Sea Windmill slowly left the dock, led by a guide boat.

A large group of well-dressed men and women saw the Sea Windmill off at the dock. They were all shareholders of the three major Dun Er Ke Whaling Companies. Whenever a whaling ship set out, many shareholders would come to pray for good luck for the ship, hoping they would have a good harvest.

The Frenzied Unicorn Whale was a high-level magical beast whose whole body was valuable. The three-meter-long horn on its head was a weapon material that all master blacksmiths went crazy for. Each horn could be turned into a Divine Soldier weapon, the kind whose value could not be measured with Gold Coins.

The skin of the Frenzied Unicorn Whale was the best material for making soft armor. Having a piece of soft armor made from its skin was like having several extra lives. The whale skin soft armor, inscribed with Protective Magic Arrays, had strong resistance to both physical and magical damage. It was a life-saving treasure coveted by powerful officials and cowards on the Continent.

The meat of the Frenzied Unicorn Whale was delicious and could enhance a person’s physical strength and Combat Qi. The meat of every Frenzied Unicorn Whale was purchased at a high price by the Imperial Military Ministry’s logistics department. Some elite secret forces of the Empire used the meat of the Frenzied Unicorn Whale as their main food, so the soldiers in those forces had incredibly high personal strength. Every country’s Military Department on the Continent wished their elite troops could regularly eat Frenzied Unicorn Whale meat, but only the Gaul Empire and the Vias Commercial Federation had that capability temporarily.

As for the blood of the Frenzied Unicorn Whale, it was the best neutralizer for Secret Elixirs, and many high-level Secret Elixirs required it. The oil refined from the whale’s internal organs had miraculous effects for elderly men, boosting kidney function and vitality, and for elderly women, it could remove wrinkles and restore youth. This oil was also a necessary fuel and raw material for magic forgers.

Even the bones of the Frenzied Unicorn Whale were highly valuable. They were glossy white and fine, even more popular among the nobility than the highest-grade ivory. The whale bones were also very large, several times bigger than ivory, allowing for the carving of huge artworks. Each whale bone carving fetched an astronomical price.

The eyeballs and the Magic Core of the Frenzied Unicorn Whale were completely priceless and unavailable on the market, as these were controlled items of the Empire. No one could trade these treasures privately. The Magic Core of the Frenzied Unicorn Whale was huge and was a necessary Energy Core for certain large-scale battle Magic Arrays. Its eyeballs were extremely precious Magic Materials, used to create very powerful Magic Wands or as single-use Magic Artifacts, with unbelievable power.

Therefore, every Frenzied Unicorn Whale was worth a lot of money. Every Frenzied Unicorn Whale brought huge profits to the three major Dun Er Ke Whaling Companies, making the shareholders’ money pouches fatter. That’s why whenever a whaling ship set out to sea, a large group of shareholders came to see it off as if it were their own elder.

The Sea Windmill was the newest ship among the twelve whaling ships of the three major Dun Er Ke Whaling Companies. It was enormous, much larger than the other whaling ships, with a hull 120 meters long, several stories high, and a deck over ten meters wide. It was a true giant.

The main structure was built from centuries-old giant timber, with metal reinforcements in key areas. The hull was covered with a thumb-thick steel plate, on which small Defensive Magic Arrays were inscribed. Each whaling ship was like a main battleship of the Imperial Navy; during wartime, these specially made whaling ships would be requisitioned by the Military Department to join the naval fleet.

The entirely black Sea Windmill slowly left the harbor like a small hill. Driven by the great power generated by a Magic Array, the whaling ship sailed against the wind, slanting into the turbulent North Sea.

After Dun Er Ke Port disappeared from view, Lin Qi and Enzo came out from the cabin. Wearing thick Bearskin Coats and safety ropes tied around their waists to prevent falling overboard, they stood on the deck and looked into the distance. The strong wind whipped up huge waves, and within their sight, they could see more than ten icebergs slowly drifting southward. On those icebergs, unlucky Ice-armored Polar Bears or fat long-toothed seals stood.

“Those unlucky creatures, once the icebergs reach the shore, they’ll soon become the clothes on our backs or the meat on our plates!” Lin Qi waved toward the unfortunate magical beasts standing confused on top of the icebergs. “Of course, they might also be sent to the Beast-Fighting Arena, just like the bets we placed the night before last.”

Taking a deep breath of the chilly air, Lin Qi smiled widely and said, “We hit the jackpot! Enzo, we’re rich! It’s just like my dad taught me since I was young—playing by the rules won’t make you rich! To get rich, you have to take risks and speak with swords! Those two women were really wealthy; we struck it rich!”

Enzo’s face was a bit pale. The Sea Windmill rocked in the waves, and sometimes the bow lifted up to thirty degrees, giving Enzo the feeling that the ship might capsize at any moment. The wind howled in his ears, and waves crashed against the deck. The sky and sea were both a vast white, and Enzo found it hard to tell where the sky ended and the sea began.

Forcing a dry laugh, Enzo held back his nausea and asked, “Lin Qi, why only fifteen days at sea? Are they sure they can catch a Frenzied Unicorn Whale within fifteen days?”

Lin Qi shrugged and said with a laugh, “Oh, fifteen days is enough! They have special methods to attract those Frenzied Unicorn Whales. Also, each whaling ship can’t hunt too many Frenzied Unicorn Whales in a year. Fifteen days per trip, hunting two to three Frenzied Unicorn Whales—that’s the limit!”

He laughed triumphantly a few times and added, “If there are too many, they won’t be as valuable, Enzo! Too many, and they lose their worth! To ensure our descendants can still make a living from hunting Frenzied Unicorn Whales, the three major Dun Er Ke Whaling Companies only supply twenty to thirty Frenzied Unicorn Whales to the entire Continent each year. The most they ever provided in one year was forty, no more than that!”

Jumping around cheerfully on the deck, Lin Qi shouted, “I love these big guys to death! Hmm, have you ever tried fresh whale tendon stew?”

Enzo’s face turned green. He covered his mouth without saying a word, his body swaying unsteadily with the ship’s movements.

Lin Qi didn’t notice Enzo’s discomfort and said with deep longing, “I haven’t tried it either! Dad wouldn’t let me have any! But, that thing is the most valuable part of the Frenzied Unicorn Whale. Tsk, it’s even more valuable than its Magic Core. I really don’t understand why so many kings and Emperors send special envoys every year to bid for that thing. Oh, that’s the only thing about the Frenzied Unicorn Whale that puzzles me!”

With a ‘wah’ sound, Enzo vomited. He knelt awkwardly on the deck, throwing up until he was disoriented, even spewing yellow-green bile.

“Ah, oh! You rookie!”

Seeing Enzo vomiting uncontrollably, Lin Qi couldn’t help but laugh with schadenfreude.

“You actually get seasick, you unlucky rookie!”