Chapter 244: The Devil’s Cloud Attacks

The sailboat from Red Crab Island had sails that seemed to block out the sky.

Emblazoned on them was a massive "Blue Gem" emblem, the symbol of the royal court, signifying the nobility and authority of the Sapphire family.

"This ship is enormous, much larger than the Tulip family's ships," Parris exclaimed, feeling incredibly fresh as she saw such a large ship for the first time.

Liszt, disregarding his noble image, sat on the steps at the bow of the ship, leaning against Hiddleston's soft fur belly.

The strong sea breeze made his neatly combed light golden hair fly about: "This is a royal fast sailboat. With favorable winds, it can reach speeds of up to 10 knots. My grandfather once commanded the royal navy, held a high position, and was deeply trusted by the Grand Duke. After retiring, he was directly gifted several fast sailboats."

The Longtaro family has always been known for their shrewdness and is a staunch supporter of the Grand Duke. When Lord Merlin’s father was still a count, he spent all his family's wealth to support the previous Grand Duke in launching a war.

In the end, this earned him the title of Marquis and the vast Red Crab Island.

When the new Grand Duke ascended to power, he relied even more heavily on Lord Merlin to command the royal navy. It is well-known that the cross-sea operations of the Sapphire Grand Duchy cannot do without the navy, which shows how much the Grand Duke relies on Lord Merlin.

Unfortunately, Lord Merlin fell ill and is no longer serving in the royal court.

As for Liszt's uncle, Mexiro Longtaro, although he is also a Sky Knight, he did not inherit Lord Merlin’s martial prowess. He was forced by the family’s potions to break through to Advanced Aura at the age of thirty-five. At this age, Lee William had already established the Coral Island lineage with his Sky Knight combat strength.

Although Mexiro has poor talent, it is said that his cousin Meopo has good talent. At twenty-five years old, he is already on the brink of becoming a Sky Knight.

He could break through at any moment.

It must be said that with the wealth accumulated by a Marquis family, even a pig could be piled up to become a Sky Knight. While there might be a gap between someone like Lee William, who is a talented individual among potion users, ensuring the continuation of the family is not a problem. With further efforts in cultivating the next generation, the family can remain prosperous and enduring.

"You're called Parris?" Lvera appeared on the deck at some point, smiled at Liszt, and then began chatting with Parris.

"Yes, Baroness Lvera."

"Aren't you from Coral Island? Your accent is quite different from those here."

"I come from the Eagle Kingdom."

"A serf?"

"No, I am a mercenary."

"Hmm, there are many mercenaries on the continent. How did you come to Coral Island and accept my brother's employment?"

"I came by ship. My sister was sold to Flower Town, and I followed her here, then accepted employment from the Baron."

"How skilled are you?" Lvera suddenly felt an urge to challenge her.

Liszt watched from the side as Lvera tried to recruit Parris, saying nothing, just smiling faintly while scratching Hiddleston’s itch.

He wanted to see if Lvera could win over Parris, which would be a good test of Parris's loyalty.

Parris glanced at Liszt, who was focused on grooming Hiddleston, turned back, and said to Lvera, "I am an Elite Earth Knight, Baroness Lvera. Are you challenging me?"

"I haven’t reached the elite level yet, but I would love to learn some combat techniques from you!"

"As you wish!"

Immediately, the two drew their longswords and began to fight, clashing with a series of loud thuds, ending with Lvera’s sword being knocked away.

It was clear that Parris held back.

She didn’t even use the technique of manipulating shadows, directly using her physical strength to overpower Lvera, who possessed Aura.

After the match, Lvera praised Parris and chatted a bit more with Liszt before leaving the bow and returning to the cabin. She did not directly propose recruiting Parris, as the current Lvera had reined in her former middle-schooler temperament and no longer tried to snatch good things right in front of Liszt.

"Your sister is far less skilled than you," Parris suddenly said.

"She advanced to Earth Knight before she came of age and is considered a very talented genius among female knights," Liszt smiled and said calmly, "But my talent is even more outstanding."

Parris turned her head away, not responding to Liszt’s words.

...

After the female mercenary left, the deck was left with only Liszt and Hiddleston, along with a few working sailors.

Hiddleston, being too large, disliked staying in the cabin, so Liszt stayed on the deck with him, enjoying the sea breeze.

Sailing at sea is a very boring affair, and Liszt dozed off, thinking about various things.

Thinking about this trip to Longtaro Castle, he wondered if he would ever see Athena Salmon again. The beautiful young girl had left a deep impression on him. However, he didn’t have the nerve to ask the steward Ranieri about Athena’s recent situation. Given Athena’s age, it would be difficult for her to remain single.

After all, she wasn’t someone as picky as Lvera.

"But it’s not that Athena isn’t picky. The fact that she chose me from the crowd at the ball indicates that her standards for choosing a partner are very high."

While fantasizing about Athena seeing him again and expressing her love once more,

Suddenly, he heard the lookout at the top of the mast shout, "It’s the Devil Cloud!"

Then the lookout blew the horn.

The low, penetrating sound of the horn instantly woke everyone from their slumber, and they hurriedly emerged from the cabins. Liszt, of course, understood what this horn meant—it indicated danger for the ship. He quickly stood up, leading Hiddleston and nervously observing the surroundings.

Upon observation, he saw that the sky ahead on the ship’s route had darkened.

Dark clouds were rolling, interspersed with lightning, rolling over the horizon and approaching them.

"The Devil Cloud!"

"It’s the Devil Cloud!"

The sailors cried out in alarm, only to be silenced by the captain's voice: "Don't panic! Lower the sails! Drop the anchor! The bow anchor should go down immediately, and prepare the stern anchor."

His voice was not particularly loud, but the well-trained sailors quickly calmed down and began to lower the sails with agility. A group of burly sailors turned the capstan, dropping the wooden anchor from the bow. The massive wooden chain, pulled by the anchor, emitted a harsh grating sound as it quickly sank into the sea.

Due to the lack of iron, the anchors were all made of wood.

Though the anchors were wooden, they were made of ironwood, which sank immediately upon entering water.

A single wooden anchor could weigh as much as half a ton, and once submerged, its tremendous drag force immediately halted the sailboat and anchored it firmly on the sea surface.

Liszt felt a bit anxious.

He had been uneasy because he hadn't brought the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl, and now he found himself facing real danger at sea. The vast ocean could easily swallow several people.

Seeing Levis rushing towards the captain's cabin, he followed suit and just in time heard Levis bellow, "What is the Devil's Cloud?"

The captain took out his flask and took a large swig of alcohol.

Regaining his composure, he said, "Gentlemen, there's no need to panic. It's just a storm at sea. In my lifetime, I've encountered more storms than I've eaten white bread. The Giant Crab was once a royal sailing ship, with a large tonnage and the ability to withstand storms, including the Devil's Cloud!"

Hearing him speak so calmly, the passengers gradually calmed down.

But Liszt, with his keen observation, noticed that the captain wasn't as relaxed as he appeared, and pressed further, "Captain, tell us, what exactly is the Devil's Cloud!"