"Son, Mom wants to drink water..." Rody's mother, who had awakened at some point, was severely weakened by the storm. Rody carefully fed her the last half bottle of water, but she had been thirsty for too long, and the little water could not quench her thirst. She took a few sips, realized there wasn't much water, and, despite still feeling thirsty, refused to drink more. Rody softly urged her to drink, but she insisted her beloved son have the water instead.
To conserve the lifesaving water and search for any remaining food or clean water from the storm, Rody saved the remaining water and untied the ropes to leave the cabin and search around.
He found no food or fresh water; almost everything on the ship had been swept away by the storm. The wooden ship was badly damaged, the hull was leaking, and with the mainmast broken, it was just drifting with the waves, lacking any forward momentum. The lifeboat had been swept away by the huge waves. If they didn't quickly build a small raft to leave the sea, he believed they wouldn't have to wait for the next storm to come; they would soon die of thirst in the vast ocean.
Rody felt that despite the sunny weather outside, the scythe of death still hung over their necks. He needed to race against time and death.
Even Rody's mother sensed the danger. After resting for a while, she climbed out to help Rody tie the sailcloth. Working together, they spent half a day building a rudimentary small raft with the remaining sailcloth as a wind sail and made two wooden oars.
In the vast sea, they had no idea which direction the nearest land was. Rody decided to gamble on his luck, choosing to head in the opposite direction of the setting sun, towards the east. They took almost nothing on the raft; Rody only brought their soaked clothes to dry for his mother to keep warm at night, and found nothing else worth taking from the ship.
"Dear, my darling, if the Holy Mother saved our lives from the storm, she will not abandon us. Her mercy will guide us and lead us to the brightest path. Son, hope is right in front of us. As long as you are with me, Mom is not afraid of anything," Rody's mother said, despite her severe weakness, showing the strength of a mother. No matter what hardships she endured in the world, she could withstand them, and even the most terrifying storm in nature couldn't defeat her. She was a mother, her son's strongest spiritual shield.
No matter when, she would light up hope with her smile, shining in her son's heart...
"Mom, you're right, hope is right in front of us." Rody raised the oar, challenging his fate once again, fighting against the arrival of death with his efforts. He might be knocked down by misfortune, but he would never be defeated.
After pain, after fear, he could stand up time and again. And each time he stood up, he learned from past failures, growing rapidly and becoming stronger. Although fate tormented him and misfortune favored him, suffering could only harm his body but not diminish his will, not erase his wisdom, and not consume his heart that longed to become stronger.
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Five days later, the last drop of water had been consumed two days before. There was still no sign of land; Rody's lips were cracked and peeling, and his weak mother had fallen ill due to the continuous exposure to the sun, remaining drowsy all day.
"Mom, have some water!" Rody now desperately hoped for a heavy rain from the sky, even a storm would be better than dying of thirst in the vast sea. But as days passed, the sky became clearer and the sun more intense. Despite trying everything, Rody couldn't find any water. In desperation, he cut his arm with a dagger, collected some of his blood in a bottle, and brought it to his mother's lips.
"Dear, why does this water taste a bit strange?" Rody's mother, delirious with illness, had no idea she was drinking her beloved son's blood. "This is a sleeping potion mixed with holy water. Drink it, Mom, and have a good sleep," Rody said as he watched his mother take a few big gulps, her thirst seemingly relieved a bit, and then weakly fall asleep. He quickly covered her with clothes for warmth.
The sea was hot like a furnace during the day, but the temperature dropped sharply at night, a drastic contrast. Rody was surprised at his body's endurance. Although he often felt dizzy, he hadn't fallen ill despite the harsh conditions. He used to cough at the slightest wind, often coughing up blood, but now he seemed much better. Could the improvement in his mental power also affect his body?
Not quite understanding but assuming it was a good thing, Rody hoped for more such improvements. Seeing his mother peacefully asleep, he summoned Nicholas and let the tireless servant paddle the raft forward.
Finally, as the dawn's sunlight stretched rosy fingers across the fish-belly white eastern sky, Rody inadvertently saw something black at the end of the horizon where the sea and sky merged. It was land...
Tears filled his eyes, unable to be held back any longer. Rody wanted to shout for joy, but his throat was too parched.
Once again, he had overcome fate.
Once again, he had defeated death.
When Rody, carrying his mother, entered a small fishing village, people were amazed that someone had survived at sea after a storm, especially on a rudimentary wooden raft. After buying food and water, Rody spent two silver coins to gather information.
Only then did he realize he was far from Mesnotania, where the Lein family resided. The storm had blown him and his mother off course, drifting hundreds, nearly a thousand, miles. Now, he was in a place called the Felik Peninsula, separated from Mesnotania by two small countries and a large one.
The fishermen suggested that the noble young master, who had escaped the storm, should go to the town because only there were carriages to the city of Gostera in Felik. In this city, one could find roads to the capital of Felik. As for Mesnotania, the fishermen had only heard of it, and nobody in the village, including the village head who was said to have been to the capital of Felik for business, knew anything about it.
Rody wanted this kind of remote countryside, but he felt he should hide in an even more secluded place, preferably far from the still frightening sea.
Upon reaching the town, Rody saw that the townspeople were panic-stricken and evacuating. He learned it was due to the annual raid by barbaric goblins and quickly hired a carriage to leave with his mother. However, he was somewhat relieved; the Felik nation was chaotic and weak, with frequent invasions by other races. It was a suitable place for a necromancer like him who needed corpses for dark servants, but the priority was to find a relatively safe place to settle down, as he couldn't put his mother in danger.
"Up ahead is the road to Gostera, to the left is the town of Baeke, and to the right is the road to Whitestone, a small town near the Silent Forest. It's the farthest, at least three days away without stopping, and it's at the end of the road, leading into the Silent Forest where magical beasts roam. If the young master wants to avoid goblins, he can go to Gostera or Whitestone, but the latter requires an additional five silver coins for the fare..." After a day's journey, the coachman stopped at a crossroad and asked Rody's opinion.
"Whitestone!" Rody didn't care about the fare; he was looking for a remote environment and finally decided to go to Whitestone to check it out.