In the following days, apart from the early morning knight training, which was unshakeable as a thunderclap, Aiven spent his free time below the mast, gradually digesting the knowledge and experience imparted by Jabu, the Sailor, while learning and practicing.
Strictly speaking, a sailing ship cannot generate its own power and can only rely on external wind and ocean currents. Therefore, any change in wind strength or direction requires timely sail adjustments, otherwise one might accidentally end up drifting aimlessly, or even risk capsizing the vessel.
While bringing an enormous workload to the crew, Aiven also gained plenty of practice opportunities. Moreover, this fellow, relying on his own physical fitness, took on much of the work from the sailors — tasks that required several men to pull the rigging, he handled with ease alone.
Open-minded and eager to learn, without a trace of an officer's arrogance, Aiven quickly became one with the crew in the Sailor group, including the most junior sailors, and simultaneously, his sail handling skills improved rapidly.
At the very least, with the help of Data Visualization, he only needed to learn something once, never needing a second explanation. His ability to discern changes in wind direction, wind speed, and wave height was even superior to that of the veteran sailors, and on calm seas, Jabu the Sailor was willing to let him command and steer the ship for a stretch.
By now, Data Visualization had already assisted Aiven too much; whether it was parametrizing external matters, distinguishing details, or his own attributes, it was an extremely useful ability, and Aiven no longer held the initial disdain...
The sky was high and clear, yet another peaceful day.
The cruise of the Silver Wings had already reached one-third of the way.
Because they sailed along the coastal merchant shipping routes, they encountered quite a few merchant ships, but Aiven hadn't seen a single pirate ship to test his skills.
It made sense; coastal naval ports were everywhere, making it the strongest place of the Navy. Like encountering the Blood Anchor last time in the bustling coastal trade area, it was a rare occurrence, most Pirates wouldn't dare come here unless desperate.
At the tail end of dawn, after his workout, Aiven routinely climbed the lookout to survey the sea, where the shimmering waves showed no abnormalities in the faint dawn light.
Just because the sea had no obstructions, it gave one the impression that the sun rose much earlier here than on land.
"Where are the Pirates?" Aiven muttered expectantly to himself as the sea breeze brushed his face.
"Hey, kid, isn't a peaceful world a good thing?" Gel, who was also up early to patrol the battleship, patted Aiven on the shoulder.
Focused too intensely to notice someone approaching, Aiven chuckled sheepishly, too cautious to voice his thoughts of wanting to test his skills against a few Pirates.
Fighting Pirates isn't just a tale; once combat begins, casualties will occur; the sea has never been a peaceful and serene place. Pirates, diseases, adverse weather, and indescribable creatures lurking beneath the sea are threats to the sailors' lives.
A typical Level 4 Battleship carries a crew of three hundred and fifty, but those who followed Gel to transfer to this Level 5 Battleship "Silver Wings" were less than two hundred. As for where the rest went? It was obvious.
"Uncle Gel, something's up!" Just as Aiven was about to consult Gel about maritime oddities, he suddenly glimpsed something unusual on the sea out of the corner of his eye, and not knowing whether to feel nervous or excited, he shouted loudly.
"Stay calm!"
Gel called out softly, raising the brass-cased monocular to look in the direction Aiven was pointing.
Broken planks, wood chips, canvas, buckets, wooden boxes, and various debris floated on the water. The experienced Gel immediately deduced traces of a merchant ship wreck.
"Level 3 Combat Alert!"
"Ding, ding, ding..." Aiven followed orders and immediately rang the alarm bell.
Then the two slid down the mast, running towards Gel's best view commanding position on the ship's aft deck, which was also where the helm is located.
Hearing the alarm bell, the originally somewhat quiet Silver Wings in the pre-dawn darkness suddenly sprang to life like a giant beast awakened. Numerous crew members surged out of the cabins like a tide and swiftly ran to their respective positions.
Originally Aiven thought that the crew under Captain Joseph on the Yellow Crane was already well-practiced but didn't realize until he saw the actions of the Silver Wings sailors that his standard for "well-practiced" needed redefining.
Without Gel having to say much, standing like a calming anchor on his command post, everyone below knew exactly what to do and who to cooperate with. In an instant, the Silver Wings became like a wound-up clockwork machine, its gears meshing and running themselves, transforming into a real war machine.
"Raise the sails, turn the helm!"
Under the sailors' manipulation, the Silver Wings maneuvered deftly in a circle, sailing toward the direction where the debris drifted in from.
Soon, the crew of the Silver Wings saw the wreckage site of the merchant ship with their own eyes.
The broken sailboat was scattered in ruins, floating quietly on the sea; flags, broken planks, and the cargo in wooden boxes were floating everywhere, yet no corpses were to be found.
"It seems to be a merchant ship from Paros."
An experienced old sailor recognized it by the ship's design and the broken flags, concluding it was a merchant ship from Paros Kingdom, part of the Tulip Alliance. But no one knew what they had encountered, as the ship was shattered almost to dust, something pirate cannons could never achieve.
"Captain, something seems off." Chief Navigator Teles frowned.
A bizarre conjecture was forming in his mind, but he was a bit uncertain, as such threats were only likely faced by ocean ships out at sea.
In resource-rich but narrow coastal waters, it should not be likely.
"Level 2 Alert!" Upon hearing the Chief Navigator's words, Gel also had his own speculation and decisively issued an order.
The order was relayed to all departments of the ship. At this point, regardless of being combat personnel or not, sailors began to take out their long and short firearms, loaded with ammunition, to respond to any enemies that might appear at any time.
Amidst the crew's tense preparations, an odd layer of fog began to rise over the sea at an unknown time, gradually reducing visibility.
In fact, after such a long time, the sun should have already risen, but the sea in everyone's view was gradually dimming, forcing the Silver Wings to lower its sails and reduce speed to avoid accidentally colliding with something.
"Clack, clack, clack..."
Just then, a strange mechanical sound suddenly emanated from Gel's bosom.
Standing behind Gel, Aiven looked over puzzled, discovering that Uncle Gel's expression had changed, and with a grave demeanor, he pulled out a silver object resembling a pocket watch from his bosom.