Krafft's Notes on Anomalies

"Shout all the boys, we have to dump the cargo." Due to the close distance, Seaman heard Becker's instructions to the boatswain who had just stepped on the deck.

The boatswain was surprised by the unexpected fog, and thought he was still in a dream when he heard the captain's words, "We have no shortage of supplies, there is no need..."

"Call everyone, dump the cargo, and wake up the first mate. I know he has just fallen asleep. Tell him to get up if he doesn't want to sleep in the sea." The hand holding the steering wheel trembled slightly because of the cold. Becker said After repeating the order, an inexplicable sense of urgency passed from him to everyone on the deck.

"Ximan, go and watch from behind, don't crowd together."

Wind speeds that even experienced sailors can detect, but captains are only more sensitive to. The experience given by long-term sailing made him know better than anyone else that the current speed was far from enough, at least not compared to the approaching speed of that thing.

To throw away the goods is to make a judgment. They needed to be faster, even at the expense of months of effort and vast amounts of supplies, sacrificing more when they could.

There is no need to know what it is. Being approached by something that is higher than the mast on the surface of the sea, it doesn't matter what it is.

The good habit of unconditionally executing the captain's orders made the boatswain take action. The sleepy sailors were awakened, and then received completely incomprehensible orders. They were rushed to the bottom warehouse to move out the cargo that had been laid out for just two days.

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

"It's better to go help and throw the ore down first." He took off the plush leather hat with residual warmth on his head, and his gray hair was exposed to the cold air. The experience and prestige that matched it was enough to overwhelm anyone on the ship.

Boxes of ore were dumped downwards, and the stones wrapped with metal and crystal particles were submerged into the waves, causing continuous splashes of water. The sound of plopping into the water was continuous, no different from the sound of throwing silver coins into the water. Seaman watched They all felt a little distressed.

Watching the first box of minerals being dumped into the sea, the first mate let go of his knees and turned to cover his heart. The pure loss was expressed in the most intuitive form. The sound of dragging and lifting heavy objects below the deck never stopped. The sailors didn't care about the money that had nothing to do with them and just wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"Why don't you throw half of it away first..."

Before he finished speaking, there was a huge and dull sound of falling into the water. The first mate searched the deck, wanting to scold some idiot who accidentally dropped the box into the water.

Everyone stopped and everyone on the deck looked at each other. The two sailors who had just dumped a box of minerals were carrying the empty box and were looking for who had thrown the large items directly overboard.

Then they realized that the sound was not a heavy object falling from the side of the ship into the water. It comes from a farther distance, echoing in the depths of the cold mist, and it takes two breaths for the splash to return to the ocean.

Suddenly, I had the illusion that I was still in the ice field, and was pulled back to the barren and barren coast of the ice field, to the end of the dark mountains, to the tall cliff overlooking the ice sea. Years of solid ice pushed open the black rocks, and the two fell into the crashing waves that carried the ice floes, smashing the water into pieces.

Anyone who has seen it once will never forget that sight. When the broken ice and water splashes rise to the highest point, the roaring sound of the water comes.

The ice people told them that ships that had unfortunately passed by were directly overturned and swept into the whirlpool formed by the seawater filling the cavity. They had no time to call for help and were swallowed by the ice sea together with the broken wood and ice floes.

Since seeing it, Becker has consciously stayed away from the ice-covered cliffs along the coast.

It had been more than two days since they set out, and the cliffs and falling ice were thrown beyond the horizon, but the sound was unmistakable. Something tall and steep was in the fog, and the glacier fell off it.

"Don't be stunned, throw them all away!" The first person to react was Becker. He roared at a boat of guys who were about to squat down and tremble. Even his own hand holding the roulette wheel was stiff and uncontrollable.

The entire ship moved at an unprecedented speed. The sailors went in and out of the bottom warehouse, took out every box of ore, and dumped it into the sea. All non-essential items were thrown out together, doing everything possible to lighten the ship.

The second thunderous sound of falling in the water was heard, followed by the third and fourth times, as if the giant thing was moving and waking up, shaking off the old glaciers that had accumulated for many years on its body.

A few frightened sailors chanted prayers that no one could understand, and even tried to drag out the escape boat and launch it into the water. The first mate pulled out his blade and pressed his back to force them back to their posts, "This is an ice sea, and there is no big ship." No one can survive!"

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

There was not a single piece of ore left in the bilge, so the sailors threw away the empty box, tore off the precious furs, and threw them into the sea together, regardless of the slight increase in speed.

If Becker hadn't stopped him, it wouldn't have been impossible for a few people to go down there holding their heads and crying.

Seaman stared at the fog behind the stern of the ship. He clearly heard the echoing loud noises of falling into the water coming from the side and rear.

There is also the sound of the waves crashing against something solid, getting closer and closer, the waves breaking into pieces and scattering into spray. Huge, cold and hard, with all the hallmarks of a snow-covered mountain that should stand alone in the wilderness, among its kind.

The ship's speed has reached its limit, and the crew members are arguing about abandoning some fresh water and food. Different people loudly declare their opinions. Those who can no longer bear the invisible source of sound in the cold fog plead with the captain to give them a small boat to fend for themselves. More often than not, I cried and prayed, regretting why I had to go to a place beyond the sight of gods for money.

These human voices were mixed and blurred, and faded in Seaman's ears. He heard the sound of broken pieces entering the water, which was the same as the sound of dumping ore, but higher, allowing the stones to roll down a steep slope. It made a crisp sound like knocking pottery.

But the ore had already been poured out, and even the loaded boxes had been thrown away.

He realized that this was a sign of arrival. He looked at the thick white icy mist that was rolling more violently in horror. His feet seemed to be nailed to the spot. His only thought was to detect the warning in time, as if this would give him a chance to avoid it. it.

Everyone quarreling on the foredeck heard screams from the stern that were so deformed by fear that they did not look like humans. It was as if the fear of the oceans and mountains of the North that had been accumulated in the chest for several years was squeezed out at once by an overwhelming force, draining the remaining air from the lungs, tearing open the glottis and spitting it out.

This scream awakened the fear and awe that the outsiders who wandered on the ice sea had when they first arrived here. They were awed by the endless icy waters and undulating mountains, and learned that their stable voyage for more than ten years was just a small accident that had not been corrected by that thing.

Those few who still had the guts or blindly turned around could see the remaining light in the fog dim, and cold, majestic shadows move in the white chaos. Large chunks of ice broke away from its surface, and the ship nearly capsized in the huge waves, throwing the tiny crew members up and down.

No mind or body could continue to gaze upon it amid the unnatural waves, and they held their nearest anchor and prayed until they were exhausted.

…

…

"Then, what then?" Kraft held the cup and took a sip of the sweet fruit wine given by the captain. This kind of wine is a bit like the carbonated drinks that otherworldly souls like, but the bubbles are not so rich, which is really different from the story and candlelight. A perfect match.

"Then they returned to Wendeng Port and sold both the ship and the trading rights. Becker gave the acquired property to his son to take care of, and set off for his hometown in the countryside inland." The captain drank the turbid wine in the cup. And after that, he blew out a breath of wine that was so strong that it looked like it was going to be set on fire.

"Other crew members were drunk in taverns every day, going in and out of places where they were prone to contracting unspeakable diseases, or going back and forth between the drinking and gaming tables. Most of them were squeezed out of their last copper penny before they forgot about the voyage."

Perhaps because he thought this was too depressing an ending to the story, the captain opened a new bottle of pungent liquor for himself. After being declined by Kraft, he filled his own glass, took a big gulp, and made some supplements.

"Hiccup... Some of them sold the information several times to buyers who were inquiring about the news. Most of the remaining money they had left to live on went to the mainland." The sky outside the window had darkened, and dense raindrops were hitting the deck. The wind was not strong. , which sets off the atmosphere very well.

The story was over, but the audience was still unfinished. Coop, who had been suffering from dizziness and vomiting for a day, came in and listened to the second half. He shivered, whether because of weakness or fright. Judging from the look in his eyes, he still wanted to listen.

Kraft asked the question for him: "Is it over like this? How did they escape?"

"No, they came back alive anyway. Some of them are no different alive than dead, and they all don't live a very good life." The captain shook his head and sighed. People who also live at sea have some sympathy. How can we ensure that their today is not their tomorrow?

So the story is really over. There is no common plot about a brave captain or a sailor outsmarting a monster in a normal sailing story.

It sounds like a group of people were driven crazy by something they had never seen before in the heavy fog at sea. The incident came to an abrupt end, and they inexplicably returned to the port to spend the rest of their miserable lives. The unfortunate echoes lingered even after they left. them.

Such a distinctive style reminded Kraft that he had heard another story about the northern ice field. Speaking of which, he had been in the academy for so long, but he never found the opportunity to go to the seminary students to verify the authenticity of the story his cousin shared.

When I got excited, I revived the idea of ​​compiling a collection of stories as an amateur, in which I could write a separate volume about the mysterious and wild world north of Wendeng Port.

"If possible, I would like to write this story into a book. I wonder where you heard it?"

"Well, it's a long story." When talking about this, the captain took another sip of wine. The pungent wine seemed to be choked into his trachea, causing tears to flow from his coughing. He was unknowingly drunk and behaved a bit erratically.

"Guess who the second generation of the ship bought the trading opportunity?"

"Uh... what should I call you?"

"William, William the Bearded."