The witch thought I am a Demon God
Chapter 401 - 247 Setting Sail! The Prelude to Advancing to Higher Witch! _1

Chapter 401: Chapter 247 Setting Sail! The Prelude to Advancing to Higher Witch! _1

By the next day at noon, the captain whom Ivita had newly recruited had finally gathered ten sailors. Added to the thirteen professionals Ivita had brought along, as well as three doctors, a chef, and a carpenter, they counted to a crew of twenty-seven when they converged with Tartax at the dock.

A caravel ship, approximately 50 tons and about 30 meters in length, was already docked.

Captain Sam gazed at the ship adorning the azure waves brimming with uncontrollable excitement in his eyes; it had been three years since he had set foot on the open sea.

In Ivita’s eyes, this vessel with its white sails stowed away was a remarkable sight under the sunlight, invoking a sense of craftsmanship and art.

This was a new ship.

And this new ship would be the flagship of his expedition fleet for Cross Island.

Ascending a wooden ladder onto the ship’s deck, Ivita could feel the subtle rocking of the anchored ship near the shore. It would take some time for those unaccustomed to this motion to adjust.

There was a faint smell of wood on the ship, mixed with the scent of sea salt.

This vessel was purchased by Tartax for a hefty sum of five hundred and twelve pounds, it could be considered immovable property.

By now, under the arrangement of Tartax, the ship was fully packed with materials for sea voyages. There were two barrels of apples, numerous barrels of rum, five barrels of fresh water, several barrels of bread, and salted meat stowed in the ship’s cabin.

Ivita summoned the Hearthstone Witch to fetch their captain.

He said to Captain Sam, "Can we set sail now?"

Rubbing his hands, Captain Sam replied, "Yes, Master. I’ve checked it, everything is in order. Boss, this ship you have is wonderful."

"It will retrieve my honor."

Understadnign the habit of the inhabitants of the Republic of Belisarius to address others as boss, Ivita said nothing.

"However ..." Captain Sam turned serious, "Boss, there are some things I want to make clear before we set off. I want to confront the worst case scenario head-on."

The Hearthstone Witch narrowed her eyes, "Watch your tone."

"Dare to speak to His Majesty in that manner again, and I will let Davina bite you!"

Davina, the vampire, promptly glared at him menacingly.

Ivita spoke to the now fearful Captain Sam, "Speak."

Stammering, Captain Sam said, "Boss, I expect that all matters related to the ship during this voyage should be under my management."

"It’s not that I am trying to usurp your authority. Sailing at sea is treacherous in itself."

"Not to mention our purpose this time ... is to reach that island."

"So ..."

Ivita got it. "So, you need disciplined sailors?"

Nodding his approval, Captain Sam replied to Ivita, "Yes, yes... Boss, precisely that."

"At sea, it’s not like on land. If we were in the vast ocean and our mast was broken, our ropes snapped, our sails torn, we wouldn’t have anyone to turn for help. Whatever happens, we could only rely on ourselves."

"At sea, the margin for error is very low. If we make only a few mistakes, we could end up in a dreadful situation."

"Therefore, I need your agreement. If a sailor, including your men, gets drunk, disobeys orders, or endangers the entire crew, please allow me to throw them overboard."

Narrowing his eyes, Ivita realized that the captain in front of him was requesting the power to execute a death penalty on the ship from his hands.

Forcing someone to walk the plank in the vast ocean was no different from death.

But he was not wrong either.

The margin for error when sailing at sea is much lower than on land, thus the captain typically holds absolute authority.

Ivita gave him a nod. "I can agree to that."

"But if I find you’ve made a mistake, I may take back that power."

Captain Sam sighed in relief, but continued to shift about nervously.

With a furrowed brow, Ivita asked. "Is there anything else?"

The Hearthstone Witch said to him, "If you have something to say, spit it out."

With a shy tone, Captain Sam said, "Ah, this is the thing. Your men may not listen to me, and although the sailors I recruited are willing to risk their lives following you, all of them are bachelors and vagabonds who don’t take my orders very seriously."

Ivita glanced at him, "I see. Hearthstone Witch, go tell Wilson to help Captain Sam manage the sailors on board."

Grinning happily, Captain Sam said, "That would be great."

In the afternoon, around one o’clock, Ivita’s caravel ship set sail. They journeyed alongside the seagulls towards the sunset, embarking on their adventure.

This was Ivita’s first voyage at sea.

Seated on the deck of the ship, he watched as the land behind him gradually disappeared. In his own eyes, it became a thin line, and then a dot. Suddenly, he found the space around him infinitely vast, all that occupied it were the shimmering blue waves of the ocean.

No buildings, tiny hills, or trees obstructed his view anymore.

Standing on the deck, Ivita took a deep breath and suddenly felt an unusual activation of the Water Dragon attribute power within him.

The power from the Feathered Serpent God seemed to be signaling that this was its zone of control.

Turning back, Ivita cast a glance at the people on his deck. The warriors, hunters, and carpenters were all merrily mingling. The two vampires were asleep inside the ship’s cabin while the geomancer female ranger was standing alone on the deck, enjoying the view. The two knights from the Persopolis Family hardly ever left the cabin, faithfully guarding Tormund’s Holy Sword.

The sailors on the decks were extremely busy, with Captain Sam directing them to check all the ropes on the two main sails. He required the nine sailors to pull the jib tight, adjusting the two sails to the current southwest wind direction.

After making sure the sailors were diligently working, he went to check on the helmsman, guiding him to turn the ship’s starboard side to the right to adjust the direction of the wind taken in by the sails.

After checking everything, Captain Sam, humming a ballad about the Spring of Youth he came up with himself, walked over to Ivita.

Ivita was pondering whether he should tell him the truth about the Spring of Youth or not.

Turning towards Ivita, Captain Sam said, "Boss, these sailors will, of course, be enthusiastic at first. The trouble would be their mental state after sailing at sea for dozens of days. A ship is like a small society. If a scheming person were among us, the entire crew would be restless."

Ivita took out his compass to check the pointer direction, but the pointer on the Opportunity Compass did not budge.

Unless the compass detected his opportunity, the pointer would never move.

Removing an old compass from the pocket of his jacket, Captain Sam questioned, "Boss, why do you have a broken compass?"

"Would you like to trade ours?"

Ivita chuckled, "No, thanks. I’m going to see the Hearthstone Witch, she plans to advance into a witch while on the ship."

"I can’t understand her saying there are some advantages to doing so."

Shrugging his shoulders, Captain Sam said, "I don’t understand professional matters."