Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 107: Greenland’s Shadow (1)

Dragon Raja 3

Dark clouds hung low, and the sea churned restlessly. A black ship cut through the black sea, leaving a white wake behind.

“You actually disguised it as a fishing boat!” Caesar shouted over the sound of the gas turbine engine.

“No, it’s a scientific research vessel!” Chisei also shouted back. “We’re a research vessel studying the migratory routes of rare ocean fish! We’re now in international waters, but this is Japan’s exclusive economic zone. We’ve applied for a twelve-hour navigation restriction, so no other ships will pass through this area in that time!”

The Japanese branch had disguised the Maniakh as a fishing boat, with the name “Monimaru” painted in white on the bow, and a trawl net hanging from the derrick at the stern. They had departed from Tokyo Port’s Pier 4 and had been sailing for three hours. The evening weather forecast had said that tonight there would be a level 8 gale and 2-meter-high waves in the nearby waters—hardly suitable for sailing—but the rare navigation restriction lasted only for tonight’s twelve hours. They couldn’t afford to dive and explore the dragon embryo with ships constantly passing overhead. When they left the harbor, the sun was setting, and a strong wind was blowing across the sea. A large number of fishing boats were returning to port to avoid the storm, and as the ships passed each other, the fishermen waved at them, giving Lu Mingfei a tragic sense of “the wind is howling, and brave men head out to never return.” Caesar, however, seemed completely at ease, wearing a white captain’s uniform and leaning against the ship’s railing, waving to the fishermen. He even jumped onto one of the fishing boats to buy a fresh king crab, as if the Monimaru were his family’s yacht, and he was taking a boatload of supermodels to the Gulf of Genoa for a sunbath.

The searchlights cut through the sky, dark clouds rolling as distant thunder rumbled. It looked like there would be not only strong winds tonight but also heavy rain. Lu Mingfei felt a chill running through him. Despite the Maniakh’s advanced technology, it was still just a medium-sized ship, and stability at sea mainly depended on weight. Without sufficient mass, no amount of advanced technology would help. He was a bit doubtful whether this ship could withstand the coming storm.

“Don’t worry.” Chisei noticed his concern. “The Japanese branch always prepares for every contingency. You’ll see soon enough.”

Caesar lifted the lid of the steamer, revealing the bright orange king crab. He grabbed Dictator and began dismantling the crab, arranging the white meat on ice, with wasabi and seafood soy sauce on the side. He had jumped onto the fishing boat to buy the crab for tonight’s late-night snack. Even though the mission was about to begin, he still took the time to enjoy life. Besides the king crab, he also bought a silvery-red wild sea bream and set up a steamer on the bow of the Maniakh to stew fish soup. He used bamboo shoots and green plums to remove the fishy taste, taking a full three hours to cook the snowy white broth. Throughout the journey, Caesar sat at the bow, facing the wind as he flipped through the thick operation manual and watched over his steaming pot.

“He’s very patient,” Chisei said to Chu Zihang, leaning against the railing, cigarette in hand.

“In some things, yes—like waiting a long time for a girl to fall in love with him, or waiting even longer for her to marry him.” Chu Zihang wiped his long sword. “But for some things, he can’t wait even a minute.”

Lu Mingfei looked up at the sky, bored, thinking, Can you really get a girl to fall in love with you just by waiting? Don’t be naive. While you’re waiting foolishly, she’s linking arms with someone else under the same moonlight—you just don’t know it.

He couldn’t help but think of Lu Mingze. The little devil had met with him atop the icy sea, under the white moon, as if hinting at something. It turned out he’d been sent out on a mission at sea, but now dark clouds loomed above, and the ship rocked on the waves—completely different from the still, moonlit sea. Something felt wrong, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“Gentlemen, gentlemen,” Caesar clapped his hands. “Come try the Hokkaido-style king crab. Japan is number one in the world at cooking seafood.”

“I thought you’d say number two—just slightly behind Italians.” Lu Mingfei stuffed a piece of crab leg meat into his mouth. The pure, natural seafood flavor filled his mouth, with a hint of sweetness.

“Italian men are natural chefs, but when it comes to seafood, we’re still a bit behind the Japanese. Japan is an island nation, unsuitable for livestock farming. Before the Meiji Restoration, they relied entirely on fishing for protein. Only at a daimyō’s banquet would there be beef—commoners filled their bellies with seafood. So they condensed all their culinary skills into cooking seafood since there was nothing else to cook.” Caesar was more than happy to show off his culinary knowledge.

Chisei remained expressionless. He couldn’t be bothered to figure out whether Caesar was praising or mocking Japan. Every time he tried to understand these carefree fools, he got it wrong, so he decided it was better not to try.

Caesar opened a bottle of Sauternes and poured the golden, honey-like wine into four glasses.

“Sauternes from Château d’Yquem, the perfect match for lobster and crab.” Caesar raised his glass. “This time, our team is complicated. Some of us have conflicting positions, but I hope we won’t turn against each other before the mission is complete. After the mission, we can do whatever we want on Free Day—fight all out and leave no one standing. We’ll have our chances. Let’s toast to the successful completion of our mission.”

It was a strange toast, but it carried good intentions. After clinking glasses, Lu Mingfei, Chu Zihang, and Chisei downed their drinks.

“Young master, we’re about to reach the Sumeru Throne,” Crow said, walking up behind Chisei.

“Send a light signal, tell the Sumeru Throne to open the dock,” Chisei said.

He turned to Caesar’s team: “Now, allow me to invite you to admire the joint project of the Iwa-ryu Institute and Maruyama Construction, the ‘Unsinkable Sumeru Throne.’”

Following his gesture, the sea horizon hidden beneath the dark clouds suddenly lit up as if aflame. The line where the sky met the sea became especially bright, like sunlight reflected on the water. Gradually, it looked like a palace rising from the sea—a dazzling, illuminated pavilion more magnificent than any mirage. The light turned the sky and sea into a blinding white. The “Moneiach” began to decelerate, and the sea palace opened its welcoming gates.

“A floating platform?” Caesar understood.

“Yes, it’s a family-owned project. These floating sea platforms are designed for long-term sea operations, such as oil exploration or deep-sea mining. Although they move slowly, their enormous weight allows them to withstand 12-grade winds and even tsunamis. In Buddhism, the ‘Sumeru Throne’ refers to the base upon which Buddha statues or pagodas sit. We named these platforms ‘Sumeru Thrones’ because they truly are unsinkable bases. The family has concentrated all six ‘Sumeru Throne’ platforms here to serve as the base for this deep-sea exploration. It’s far more reliable than the Lenin that sank here, so rest assured, there’s no need to worry about the storm,” Chisei said.