Fang Qiu's pupils constricted slightly. It was a good thing their small boat was merely situated at the side of this massive vessel.
If she had woken up staring right at the front of this giant ship, it would have been far too frightening.
If it were to crash into them, given the frail build of their little boat, they would likely be capsized in an instant.
If it were moving any faster, they would probably be smashed directly into splinters.
However, having said that...
How is it that after just one nap, a large ship has appeared so close to them?
Furthermore, this ship was entirely too big.
She estimated it to be even larger than the Pearl Galley she had seen from afar at the harbor previously. Moreover, its design was extremely peculiar: the sides of the ship were lined with rows of massive oars, and the prow featured a lofty dragon's head and a sharp ram.
There were protrusions similar to watchtowers on both sides of the ship, and huge ballistae were fixed atop these towers.
Several gigantic sails had already been furled, and massive chains, as thick as her own body, dropped vertically into the sea.
It was clearly anchored right beside their small boat.
Just how long had she been asleep...
Also, why didn't the outline of this shed feel hard at all? Instead, it felt quite soft.
"Mm."
Fang Qiu moved her body slightly, and the faint discomfort she felt made her involuntarily let out a soft hum.
"Fang Qiu, you're awake?"
"Hmm?"
Hearing Hu Tao's voice ring out beside her ear, Fang Qiu was momentarily stunned. Only then did she realize that she wasn't leaning against the boat's shed, but rather against Hu Tao's shoulder.
"How was your sleep?"
Hu Tao asked with a beaming smile.
"Hu Tao, thank you."
Fang Qiu straightened her posture, her cheeks flushing slightly as she spoke.
"Hehe, it's a small matter."
Hu Tao waved her hand and replied.
"How long did I sleep?"
"Not long, just two hours."
"Eh, by the way, what's going on? Also, where is Xiangling?"
Fang Qiu rubbed her eyes, pointed at the large ship before them, and inquired.
"Xiangling? She went to Sister Beidou's ship to roast fish."
Hu Tao said.
"Sister Beidou's ship?"
Fang Qiu paused.
The Slayer of Haishan, Captain of The Alcor, Beidou?
This was a character who frequently appeared in the tales told by Storytellers.
In other words, the ship before her eyes was that legendary captain's vessel, The Alcor?
"That's right. It parked here about an hour ago."
Hu Tao said.
"An hour ago? Isn't that already quite a while? Then why didn't you wake me up?"
Fang Qiu's eyes widened.
"I saw you were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to interrupt you."
Hu Tao said with a laugh.
"I..."
Before Fang Qiu could speak, a voice rang out from the ship.
"Captain Beidou, she seems to be awake."
Eh?
Fang Qiu paused and subconsciously looked up. She saw a woman dressed in dark crimson warrior's attire, wearing a pirate-style eyepatch and radiating a valiant aura. One of her feet was stepped up on the gunwale, her hand resting on her knee as she looked down at them.
"Yo, you're awake? Come on up, the grilled fish is almost ready."
A hearty female voice issued from her lips.
"We're coming right up."
Hu Tao stood up, extended her hand to Fang Qiu, and said, "Let's go."
"Mhm."
Fang Qiu nodded and placed her hand in Hu Tao's palm, allowing Hu Tao to pull her up from the boat.
However, just as she stood up, Fang Qiu's body staggered, and she leaned against Hu Tao.
"My legs are a bit numb."
Fang Qiu said, her face slightly flushed.
Actually, it was also because she was somewhat anemic; standing up after sitting for so long made her slightly dizzy.
"Can you still walk? Or should we rest a bit before going up? Alternatively, I can carry you on my back."
Hu Tao asked with concern.
"No need, no need. I'm just a little weak from just getting up. Let's go up quickly."
Fang Qiu smiled and shook her head.
She hadn't reached such a frail state yet.
"Then, Fang Qiu, you go up first."
Hu Tao pointed to the rope ladder that had been lowered from the gunwale and spoke.
"Okay."
Fang Qiu nodded, reached out to grab the rope ladder, and gave it a gentle tug.
Hmm, it was very sturdy.
Fang Qiu grasped the rope ladder and slowly climbed upwards, while Hu Tao followed closely behind her.
The rope ladder swayed significantly, and Fang Qiu put effort into her climb.
However, halfway up, Fang Qiu suddenly glanced down and saw that Hu Tao was looking up.
"Is something wrong?"
Hu Tao tilted her head and asked.
"It's nothing."
Fang Qiu shook her head.
She just suddenly felt that having someone right below her looking up was a bit... weird.
When she reached the vicinity of the gunwale, a hand wearing a leather fingerless gauntlet reached out.
"Thank you."
Fang Qiu voiced her thanks, gently grasped the other person's hand, and allowed them to pull her onto the ship.
Only after boarding the ship did Fang Qiu see clearly who had pulled her up.
It was none other than Captain Beidou.
"Sure enough, just as Xiangling said, a delicate beauty. Tsk tsk, this face, this figure... even more outstanding than that fellow Ningguang. You could say she's a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms."
Beidou looked Fang Qiu up and down, as if appraising an antique treasure, speaking as she observed.
"Sister Beidou, don't bully Fang Qiu."
Not far away, Xiangling was frantically using iron tongs to roast several fish simultaneously.
The enticing aroma had attracted quite a few crew members who were staring eagerly from the side.
There were also a few sailors who looked like cooks observing from the side, discussing culinary techniques with Xiangling.
"Thank you for the praise, Sister Beidou. I've long heard that Sister Beidou is a heroine among women. Seeing you today, you possess even more valiant spirit than the rumors suggest."
Fang Qiu smiled faintly and replied.
"Haha, you've got a sweet mouth. Unlike that fellow Ningguang. I like it."
Beidou laughed heartily.
After exchanging pleasantries with Beidou, Fang Qiu turned around and extended her hand to Hu Tao, who was still climbing the ladder, pulling her up in one go.
Hmm...
In reality, she didn't feel Hu Tao applying much force to her hand.
After Hu Tao hopped onto the ship, Fang Qiu actually felt that her reaching out to pull Hu Tao hadn't helped her board, but rather made Hu Tao's boarding action more cumbersome.
"Hahaha, interesting."
Seeing that Fang Qiu didn't forget to turn back and pull Hu Tao up, and after Hu Tao had also greeted her, Beidou couldn't help but give them a teasing look, smiling as she said:
"Let's go, let's find a place to sit and chat over there. I heard from Xiangling that the novels you write are exceptionally good. I'm thinking of preparing a copy for each of these idle folks when we get back to Liyue, let them get some culture."
"Sister Beidou, what I write isn't anything that impressive."
Fang Qiu and Hu Tao followed behind Beidou; she coughed and spoke.
Hu Tao, on the other hand, was examining the environment on the ship with a face full of curiosity, occasionally whispering exclamations of "Wow, so cool."
Beidou introduced the crew members on the ship to Fang Qiu and Hu Tao.
"She is called Xinyan, a rock 'n' roll singer. She's been holding concerts on our ship recently."
Beidou pointed to a girl with explosive twin-tails and slightly dark skin, who was hugging an electric guitar, and spoke.
"Hello there! My name's Xinyan."
Xinyan waved her hand and spoke.
"Hello, my name is Fang Qiu."
Fang Qiu smiled and responded.
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