The next day, Rody's mother awoke to find the cabin door wide open and her son not by her side, which startled her. Drawing her protective dagger, she rushed outside. She was shocked to see Rody lowering the sails, with dark clouds looming and fierce winds howling in the distant sky, signaling an approaching storm. Stunned, she asked, "Son, where is the captain? Where are we heading now? Isn't there anywhere to take shelter?"
"Mom, Captain Cozmo escaped in a lifeboat a few hours ago... After taking our fare, that guy left us on this rotten boat and left by himself," Rody lied, not admitting the captain's demise in the fish belly. As he quickly lowered the sails, he shouted, "Mom, go back to the cabin, it's windy and the waves are huge, it's dangerous here!"
"Don’t worry, my dear, I'll help you!" Knowing she couldn't help much, Rody's mother felt she should stay.
"Go back to the cabin... Mom, I don’t know how to sail at all. Apart from lowering the sails to reduce wind force, there's nothing else I can do. I never expected steering this rotten boat to be so difficult," Rody said, seeing the wind intensify and the waves surge. He quickly secured the ropes and pulled his mother back to the cabin.
Now, all they could do was pray for good fortune. Rody had abundant knowledge and keen reflexes, but he knew nothing about sailing and couldn't counteract nature. As the storm approached, he lamented that the goddess of misfortune was relentless in tormenting him to the brink of exhaustion.
"Merciful Holy Mother above, please protect your devout follower and her precious child. With your omnipotent hand, care for our humble lives..." Rody's mother embraced Rody and prayed quietly to the Holy Mother. She knew prayer wouldn't stop the storm, but it calmed her mind. She couldn't help her son directly, but at least she could lessen his worry about her.
"Mom, Mom," Rody clung tightly to his mother, cherishing these final moments before the storm tore their ship apart.
Perhaps these were his last moments in this world. Maybe this embrace was his last with his mother.
Rody's mother continued praying, comforting Rody with her gentle and calm voice. She was terrified too, but in this desperate situation, she was a mother first and a woman second. In front of her son, she had to be brave.
The storm was more terrifying than imagined. It paused briefly before bursting forth violently, like a massive demonic hand stirring the ocean. Waves tossed the boat high and then slammed it down hard. Inside the cabin, mother and son clung tightly, their embrace the only comfort and support they could offer each other.
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Rody tied himself and his mother together with a rope to prevent separation and injury from hitting the cabin walls.
Now, they could only hope for fate's mercy. To be buried at sea or survive the storm... Rody was uncertain. He longed to live and see the future, but what could he do against the unstoppable force of nature? What role could his newly improved necromancy play?
"Mom..." Rody heard a 'boom' outside, as if the mainmast had been broken by the wind, filling him with dread.
"My darling, Mom is here, don't be afraid, Mom will always be by your side, my baby, Mom is here!" Tears fell from Rody's mother's eyes as she held her son, feeling sorrow for their fate and heartache for her young son who had already suffered so much. This was not something a child should bear. He should be living a normal life, enjoying the indulgence of his parents. He should have a wonderful life, studying at a magic academy or training at a knight's academy. A person as outstanding as her son, a unique genius, should become a hero known throughout the continent in the future, receiving everyone's support and respect. But now, he had already endured the bullying of the world and the torment of fate.
"It's over!" Rody felt the entire ship tilting. A wooden ship in a storm was as fragile as a child's toy. The vibrations from the giant waves hitting the ship came one after another, as if it would break apart at any moment. Rody's head hit the cabin wall hard, and before losing consciousness, he held his mother tightly, shouting, "Mom!"
"Mom…"
When Rody awoke, he found himself half-submerged in water, with the hurricane still raging. The cabin was pitch black, and he felt a splitting headache, likely injured from the earlier impact. He released Nicholas from the storage ring and, through the vision of his dark servant, found his mother unconscious with a bleeding forehead, her face and shoulder stained with blood.
Rody hurriedly fed his mother a life potion and sent Nicholas outside to check the situation.
The storm outside was still furiously hitting the ship. The mainmast was completely broken, the ship was badly damaged and leaking, but it was still floating on the sea.
The only option now was to continue hiding in the relatively safe cabin, waiting for the hurricane to subside. Since the ship wouldn't sink in the storm, Rody's hope for survival rose again.
He controlled Nicholas to throw all unnecessary weight from the ship into the sea and tirelessly scooped out the waves that splashed into the cabin. Nicholas, never tiring as long as Rody was conscious and had mental energy, kept following orders.
Numerous waves swept over the ship, most sliding back into the sea through the hull holes, with only a few flooding the cabin.
Amidst the storm and rocking, Rody controlled Nicholas to slowly scoop out the seawater. He couldn't fight the storm or nature's power, but as long as there was a glimmer of hope, he would try to save himself and not just wait to die. His only worry now was whether his mother could endure the storm.
To reduce her mental burden, Rody periodically fed her a sleeping potion to keep her in a painless sleep.
Maybe three or four days, or perhaps five or six days passed, and the wind gradually weakened in the long ordeal.
Rody finally rested in peace, falling asleep.
When he woke up again, he was surprised to find that the storm had completely passed. Controlling Nicholas to go outside, he saw the sun had risen.
The dark clouds had dispersed, and sunlight pierced through the layers of clouds, shining on the sea, creating a calm and peaceful scene. The dark sky that had once filled Rody with immense fear had suddenly turned into a bright blue sky, bathed in sunlight, bringing a glimmer of hope to Rody's heart.