Chapter 498: Water Pirates and Flood

As soon as he plunged into the water, bone-chilling cold surged toward him, piercing through his clothes and stabbing his skin.

But this posed no problem for Gao De.

The extreme cold of the Northern Frontier couldn’t touch him—how could this mild chill?

What truly troubled Gao De was the violent current, whose force was staggering, making his body drift like a fallen leaf, impossible to control as it rose and fell amid the raging waves.

The icy water also poured into his mouth and nose; one misstep and it would flood his lungs.

Gao De immediately held his breath.

On the other side, Tuanzi clung tightly to the overturned boat.

Though his body shook violently in the water, he was a gifted earth-vein creature and never let the boat budge an inch, keeping it from being swept away.

Besides the freezing current, debris swept in by the whirlwind—broken branches, shattered planks—rushed through the water like hidden weapons, narrowly grazing Gao De and nearly slicing him.

Fortunately, Gao De reacted swiftly, activating [Blade Defense+] to enhance his defense and shield himself from the debris.

Then, a layer of tough, elastic webbing grew between his fingers and toes.

[Oceanic Touch+].

Relying on his exceptional sensitivity to water currents, Gao De stabilized himself in the chaos and surfaced again.

At that moment, he glanced at Tuanzi and the overturned boat, quickly calculating his next move.

With only himself and Tuanzi, and no solid ground to brace against, it would be nearly impossible to right the boat—they needed to use the current’s force.

Gao De carefully observed the flow, and with his sharp perception, soon detected a slanting undercurrent approaching.

His heart leapt; he took a deep breath, dove under, and gripped one edge of the boat firmly.

At the same time, Gao De silently felt the water’s movement.

Just as the undercurrent struck the boat, he and Tuanzi surged upward together, using the current’s rebound force combined with their own strength to lift sharply—Tuanzi pulling hard on the opposite side.

With their combined effort and the undercurrent’s power, the boat flipped at a sharp angle, successfully righting itself and floating again on the surface.

Gao De quickly climbed aboard and let out a slow, heavy breath.

No wonder this rescue mission required Sea Sentinel mages—just now, even ordinary people would’ve been crushed, and most regular mages would’ve been badly hurt.

Mages possess extraordinary power, yes, but low-tier mages face disasters of this scale with severely limited strength.

If you drown before even reaching the victims, that’s not rescue—it’s suicide.

In fact, on both land and water routes, not even first-tier mages, let alone most second-tier ones, chose the water path.

Simply put, years of experience taught them that after such a massive whirlwind, all waterways in the Aoklan region were far too turbulent to navigate safely.

Yet compared to land, the water route’s advantage was its shorter distance and faster arrival at the disaster zone.

If all went well, the water route could reach the disaster zone nearly half a day sooner than the land route.

In an urgent rescue mission, arriving half a day early versus half a day late made a massive difference.

Every hour delayed could raise the civilian death rate by several percentage points.

Moreover, from a pragmatic standpoint, the military merit gained by arriving half a day early was impossible for latecomers to catch up to.

Back on the boat, the turbulent current kept the small vessel rocking uncontrollably, constantly threatening to capsize again.

Gao De’s expression remained calm; with his swimming skill and Tuanzi’s help, he had no chance of drowning.

Worst case, they’d capsize again.

He maintained a good attitude, pulling out the map of the Aoklan region from his robe.

Whether the Rescue Compendium or the map, both were made of waterproof material—so even after his plunge, both remained intact.

After confirming his destination on the map and using the Northpoint Technique to orient himself, Gao De pointed north. “Tuanzi, head this way.”

Tuanzi shook his head, pulled the boat, and carried Gao De once more into the downpour.

Amid the rain curtain.

On the shore, a sheepskin raft bobbed up and down with the current.

Two men in wool cloaks stood on the bank, scanning the water back and forth.

Heavy rain poured down.

Wool cloaks themselves weren’t waterproof, but after soaking in oil for a while, a protective film formed on the surface, granting limited water resistance.

But this resistance was limited; under this torrential downpour, the sheepskin cloaks were barely adequate.

Both men were soaked through, shivering uncontrollably from the cold.

“Big brother, it’s freezing—maybe we should just call it quits,” one man stammered.

“No quitting. This is the only chance we’ll ever get to turn our lives around,” the other replied, lips blue from cold but gritting his teeth stubbornly.

“With this much rain, how many villages have flooded? The rich in those towns will flee first. This is the main road out of Decheng—we just need to intercept one or two, then—”

The man’s eyes turned ruthless; he made a slashing motion across his throat. “Kill them, and we’ll get rich.”

“With things this chaotic, countless people have been swept into the water. We stop the boat, loot every coin and treasure, then toss them back in. In this mess, no one survives.”

“You don’t say, I don’t say—who’s to know if we threw them in or if the whirlwind dragged them in?”

“But… big brother, this is murder.”

“So what?” The leader’s face hardened. “This is our chance. We came all this way to Jin Quehua Dynasty, worked hard hoping to turn our lives around—but the locals have always looked down on us.”

“They won’t hire us? Fine. Even for the same work, they pay us far less than locals. So why should we treat them with courtesy?”

“After this job, with the initial capital, we’ll buy up a few shops cheaply during the disaster. Then we’ll be our own bosses!” His voice grew more passionate, and even the hesitant man beside him began to gleam with greed.

“Big brother… is that… a person?!” Suddenly, he glanced downstream and spotted something strange, shouting in alarm.

The big brother followed his finger, but the fog and torrential rain made visibility near zero.

“That’s downstream—how could anyone come from there in this current?” He slapped his companion hard. “Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Big brother, I’m sure—I’ve always had sharp eyes. I really saw a boat coming up from there!” The man clutched his head, insistent.

Seeing his determination, the big brother began to doubt.

“You’re sure?”

“Absolutely—a small boat, coming right up from there.”

“Definitely a small boat?”

In this current and weather, how could a small boat move upstream?

“Yes! A small boat!”

Moments later, a tiny black dot appeared in the leader’s vision.

His younger companion even counted the figures aboard: “Big brother, only one person on the boat! Looks young—not a fisherman.”

The big brother’s mind raced.

They weren’t professional bandits—limited skill, poor eyesight, too few men. They dared not touch a large ship; only a small boat was feasible.

Under these conditions, anyone on a small boat was either a fisherman or a fleeing petty merchant.

Wealthy merchants always traveled on large ships.

His target was clear: petty merchants.

One person, young—definitely not a fisherman.

By that logic, they could strike.

But why was it coming from downstream?

Strange.

Though tempted, he felt something was off.

After thinking, he shook his head, making a wise decision: “Something’s wrong. Let him pass. We wait for another boat.”

Careful sailing ensures a thousand-year voyage.

“Big brother, the boat’s heading this way!” The younger man pointed ahead, voice trembling.

They decided to let the boat go—but the boat had no intention of letting them go.

The big brother looked up—the tiny black dot on the water was growing larger, rapidly.

It was expanding faster than he could believe.

What kind of boat could move this fast in such a violent current?

The big brother was baffled—and frightened.

What did this boat want with them?

The big brother panicked; the younger man panicked more.

“Big brother, the boat, the boat, it’s coming!”

“I know! I’m not blind—I just don’t have your eyesight,” the big brother snapped.

“Then what do we do?”

“Don’t move. See what he wants first, then decide our next step,” the big brother said.

As the boat drew closer.

“Big brother, Sea Sentinel!!” the younger man screamed in terror.

“What Sea Sentinel?” The big brother hadn’t caught on.

“The man on the boat is a Sea Sentinel mage!”

“What?!” The big brother’s face paled. “How do you know?!”

“He’s wearing the Sea Sentinel mage uniform—solid blue, with two bronze stars. No doubt about it!” the younger man affirmed.

“Big brother, let’s run! If he finds out what we did, he’ll kill us!”

“Run?!” The big brother slapped his younger companion hard again, snarling: “What did we do?!”

“Robbing boats, killing people, stealing treasure!” The younger man clutched his head, feeling wronged.

“That’s what we planned to do—we haven’t done it yet!”

“Oh, right!” the younger brother suddenly understood.

The older brother pressed his forehead, utterly speechless.

Splash!

The small boat pierced through the rain curtain, guided by Tuanzi, drew near the shore and arrived before the sheepskin raft.

Gao De stood at the bow, clad in a fitted blue Sea Sentinel Mage uniform, his inner lining made of waterproof whale stomach membrane, still causing raindrops to slide off in a steady stream despite the downpour.

The waterproofing made the two men, wrapped in sheepskin cloaks and already frozen white-lipped, stare with envy.

But it was only envy.

They understood the meaning this uniform represented.

“Mage Lord,” the two hurriedly bowed slightly and called out.

“In such a heavy rainstorm, what are you two doing here?” Gao De looked at them, brows slightly furrowed, and asked.

His voice was lost in the roar of the storm, barely audible.

Yet, due to their fear, panic, and guilt, their attention was sharply focused, so they heard Gao De’s words clearly.

The lead man forced a smile and replied, “My lord, we are commoners from a nearby town. This whirlwind brought a torrential downpour, and many towns upstream have suffered floods. We came here hoping to rescue anyone swept downstream.”

Gao De stared at them without expression. “You have kind hearts, still thinking of saving people in such terrible weather?”

“It’s only right, it’s only right,” the two displayed a “simple-minded” expression.

“Then why are you nervous?” Gao De suddenly grew stern, his voice cutting through the rain.

“Huh?!”

“Do you think your lie can fool a Mage?” Gao De said coldly.

The two froze in place. The timid younger brother broke down instantly and dropped to his knees, banging his head like a pounding pestle.

“Mercy, Mage Lord! We only had wicked thoughts—we haven’t done anything yet!”

The older brother had still been trying to resist, but seeing his younger brother kneel, his mouth twitched. Filled with anger and fear, he too knelt down and begged:

“Mage Lord, we truly haven’t done anything! We just arrived—you’re the first person we’ve met. Please, have mercy on us!”

“That’s the truth,” Gao De nodded slightly. “Before this disaster, you two intended to add fuel to the fire. Even if you hadn’t acted yet and I caught you, your crime is not punishable by death—but you will still suffer.”

Hearing this, both men trembled like leaves in a storm.

“Are you men from Tairiel Town?”

“No, no—but we’ve lived in Tairiel Town for over twenty years, almost like locals,” the older brother quickly emphasized his value.

Gao De nodded slightly. “You mentioned earlier that many towns upstream have flooded. Which towns exactly? What’s the situation?”

The older brother paused briefly, then answered quickly: “Alhao Town and Mahawei Town have both flooded. The situation is dire. We heard the whirlwind destroyed several upstream dams. With the breaches, the torrential rain, and the whirlwind’s residual force, the floods swept through several towns at once—massive casualties.”

“We also heard the survivors are trapped in higher ground.”

Gao De’s brows tightened further.

The worst scenario had indeed arrived.

Dam breaches.

“If I recall correctly, Tairiel Town is also a major grain town. Every year, vast quantities of grain are shipped by water to Oakland City, so there are many merchant vessels there.”

“You two return to Tairiel Town immediately. Notify the local officials to borrow boats from merchants, assemble a fleet, and wait here to assist in evacuating civilians.” Gao De instructed them.

With floods affecting multiple towns, there were too many refugees for him to save alone—he needed to mobilize every available resource.

He thought for a moment, then grabbed both their arms. Magic surged from his hands, and two [Tracking Marks] were branded onto their forearms.

“This is your chance to redeem yourselves. If you carry out this task well, I may overlook your wicked intentions.”

“But if you dare flee, with these Tracking Marks, I will find you. I have no time to pursue you now—but after the rescue is over, I will settle accounts with you.” He spoke calmly.

In such circumstances, trust in human nature was impossible—he needed to instill sufficient deterrence.

Seeing the fleeting mark on their arms, the two dared not entertain a second thought. They nodded frantically, swearing they would deliver the message.

Gao De wasted no more time.

Underwater, Tuanzi flicked its tail and accelerated.

The boat continued upstream, heading toward the flooded regions.

He needed to confirm the current condition and locations of the survivors in those flooded towns.

(End of Chapter)