Sharkmouth Bay, on the other hand, could be reached from Lake Balinga through a five-kilometer waterway. For the owners of those two-masted akron fishing boats, the bay, which looked like it had been bitten by a shark, was the best fishing ground. The sea was calm and there were plenty of fish to be found there. It was much more comfortable than fishing in the open sea, where the wind was strong and the waves were strong.
Even though the rare and valuable fish were mostly caught in the open seas and stormy seas, Sharkmouth Bay was filled with small fishes that were of average value.
However, if they were able to encounter a school of those small fishes, they would be able to catch a rare fish in a day. That was much better than risking their lives in the stormy seas.
A small coastal fishing boat usually had a crew of five to six and the owner was the captain. They used purse seines and nets to fish in Sharkmouth Bay.
According to the town hall's statistics, there were more than a hundred akron twin-masted fishing boats in Whitestag. They were the main producers of dried seafood in the town.
The small coastal fishing boat that Claude and Welikro boarded was called Miltini. It was more than 20 years old.
The owner was the young captain, Cyberron. It had been less than two years since he took over the captaincy from the previous captain, his father.
As his wife was about to give birth to his first heir, he stopped fishing two months ago and focused on taking care of his wife at home.
In order to have a boat to search for her son, Eriksson, Madam Eileen went to beg Cyberron.
Captain Cyberbron generously agreed to Madam Elena's request and was willing to lend his Miltini to her. However, the crew and captain needed to be replaced because Captain Cyberbron had dismissed his men two months ago.
In the end, Madam Eileen found Captain Marcelo and three other sailors fooling around at the Sailor and Beauty Tavern in the docks.
For the sake of Madam Eileen's high reward, they agreed to set sail to search for Eriksson's whereabouts. However, they only agreed to search for him for five days. If they couldn't find him by then, they would have to return.
It was going to be winter soon, and it was very dangerous to travel on the sea when it was snowing heavily. It was also very easy to get lost …
Captain Marcelo was a captain for hire. He did not have his own ship, but he could be hired by the owner of the ship. Whether it was for fishing or transportation, he had the right to receive dividends.
However, Captain Marcello was a veteran at sea, and his reputation in town was not very good.
Other captains for hire would be able to own their own ship after working hard for three or four years, but Captain Marcello had been a captain for hire for more than ten years, spending all his money on gambling and women.
Even now, he was still alone, without a family or a career. He still relied on the ship owner's employment to earn some money to pass his days in the tavern.
The three sailors were called Angus, Welik, and Colin. They were all old acquaintances of Captain Marcello, and had also sailed under him before.
However, Claude didn't know if their names were real. Captain Marcello said with a smile that sailors at sea weren't that particular about things. They just called each other whatever sounded good to the ear. Sometimes, their nicknames would become their real names.
Captain Marcello knew Claude and Welik, but the two didn't know him.
However, Captain Marcello said that he had a good relationship with the two young men's fathers. They would greet each other whenever they met in the tavern and would even treat each other to a drink or something.
Even though he knew that Captain Marcello was just bragging, Claude still felt at ease.
Since they recognized him and Welikro, Captain Marcelo and the three sailors wouldn't just take a casual stroll around the ship.
Offending Welik and Claude would mean offending the town's chief executive and chief hunter. That would make it hard for them to stay in town.
Captain Marcello didn't have a good reputation and was known as a veteran at sea. However, he was quite good at sailing.
The three sailors were all experienced sailors. They worked in an orderly manner and cooperated well with each other.
Even if Claude and Welik wanted to help, they couldn't. Instead, they became spectators.
Under the command of Captain Marcello, the Miltini smoothly navigated through the winding ten-kilometer waterway and entered Sharkmouth Bay.
After entering the bay, Captain Marcello relaxed and opened a bottle of whiskey to drink as he steered the ship.
The three sailors put away their share of whisky, opened a barrel of rye, and drank heartily.
They discussed the distribution of the whiskey when they set sail. There were 24 bottles of whiskey in the two cases. The three sailors would each get a bottle for five days, so there would be 15 bottles each. The remaining nine bottles would go to Captain Marcello.
Claude and Welik were excluded from the distribution and could only drink rye.
It seemed that Captain Marcello wasn't planning to bring the whiskey back like the three sailors and drank it straight from the bottle.
Claude went over to ask him how they were going to find Eriksson. Captain Marcello said, hiccuping, that they would go around Sharkmouth Bay to see if they could find Eriksson's fishing boat.
Since Claude and Welik wanted to help, they climbed up the mast and acted as lookouts in hopes that they would be able to find any clues.
After climbing up the mast, Claude realized that he had been tricked by Captain Marcello. Being a lookout on the mast in November was nothing short of torturous. The bone-chilling sea breeze could turn a person into a block of wood. If he gripped the rope too tightly, he would lose all feeling and become numb and cold.
Claude had no choice but to hold the rope with one hand and put the other in his pocket for warmth before switching hands every now and then.
If the sea in summer could make people feel lively, the sea in winter would only make them feel cold and merciless.
Looking around, all he could see was a vast expanse of dark grey, boundless.
The waves rolled and the ship rocked. Claude stood on the mast and followed the waves. He didn't see any sails of other ships in his field of vision.
For three consecutive days, Claude and Welik took turns climbing up the mast as lookouts, but they didn't find any clues about Eriksson's fishing boat.
Even when they encountered a few returning fishing boats, Captain Marcelo drove the Miltini over to ask, but the sailors on the fishing boats all shook their heads and said that they had not seen it.
During those three days, Miltini circled the entire Sharkmouth Bay. When they rested at night, Captain Marcello told Claude and Welik that he had discussed it with the sailors and they would return to Whitestag the next day. They would sail slowly along the coast and reach Whitestag's docks on the fifth day.
Welik started arguing with Captain Marcello angrily. He felt that Captain Marcello and Madam Eileen had agreed to search for five days and didn't include the time taken to set sail and return.
Captain Marcello shrugged and said that the weather was getting colder and the clouds were getting thicker. The sky was getting darker and darker, which meant that a huge snowstorm would soon descend.
As a qualified captain, he had to be responsible for the safety of his crew and couldn't let them take unnecessary risks.
Apart from that, Claude and Welik knew that they didn't find any clues after searching the entire bay for three days.
That could only mean two possibilities. One, Eriksson had already returned and missed them. Perhaps they would see him waiting at the docks to welcome them back.
The second possibility was that Eriksson wasn't in the bay and it would be a waste of effort to search for them for a few more days.
Captain Marcello's words made sense and Welik didn't know what to say.
But Claude suddenly thought that if he were Eriksson, where would he be waiting for the return of the merchant fleet?
Borkal had discovered the plans of his father's generation and learned about the new route to Nubissia. Claude also learned about it from him.
As the explorer and pioneer of the new route, Altroni would probably tell his only son about it.
Eriksson would probably head to the stormy seas to welcome the merchant fleet.
"I think I know where Erik is," said Claude.
"Really? Where is he?" asked Welik excitedly.
"Krulu Flying Fish Island," said Claude with certainty.
Captain Marcello put down the bottle in his hand and furrowed his brow. "That's impossible. What's he doing there?"
Krulu Flying Fish Island was located at the border between the outer seas and the stormy seas. It wasn't too big and there was only one volcano on the island. There was a clear spring on the hillside and many ships would go there to replenish their water.
If it wasn't for the frequent storms, this island shaped like a flying fish might've even developed into a small island town.
When the weather was clear, the scenery on the island wasn't bad. The island was surrounded by sandy beaches and there was even a small date palm forest.
But because it was close to the stormy seas, the waves would surge violently and only the volcano would be exposed to the sea. The beach and trees would be submerged by the sea.
The island's terrain resembled that of a flying fish and the waters around it were rich in a type of flying fish called Krulu, which was how the island got its name.
"Are you sure Erik went to Krulu Flying Fish Island?
Didn't his father, Captain Altroni, lead a merchant fleet to the southern kingdoms to open up a trade route?
If Eyke is going to receive his father's fleet, he should be waiting at the bay instead of going to Krulu's Flying Fish Islet in Stormwaters, "said Marcello, looking at him suspiciously.
Claude nodded helplessly. "I think I'm sure Erik is on Krulu Flying Fish Island. I heard him say that he's going there to look at the sea from the top of the volcano.
Also, he's driving a small fishing boat. He doesn't lack food at sea, but if he runs out of water, he'll definitely go to Krulu Flying Fish Island to replenish his water.
We're at the mouth of the bay now and it's only half a day's journey away. I think we can go there and take a look. If we don't find him, we'll head back.
Also, I have a feeling that Erik will definitely be there! "
"What about you?" Marcello asked Welikro, "Do you think Erik will go to Krulu Flying Fish Island too?"
Welikro didn't understand why Claude insisted on going to Krulu Flying Fish Island to look for Erik, but that didn't stop him from supporting Claude's decision. Besides, going to Krulu Flying Fish Island was much better than going back half-heartedly. "I support Claude's decision. His instincts have always been accurate.
I also suspect that Erik will be there. If we don't find him, we can head back immediately. "