Dragon Raja 5; Chapter 166: Leviathan’s Song (3)

Dragon Raja 5

Rebalco explained. “It appears in many myths. In Hindu mythology, it’s called Timingila. In Greek mythology, it’s one of Poseidon’s pets. The constellation Cetus is named after it. But the Inuit know it best. Living in the Arctic Circle, the Inuit have a greater chance of seeing it. The Eskimos say it’s the king of whales. It hibernates most of the time, emerging from its Arctic ice cave only once every sixty years to circumnavigate the Arctic, patrolling its territory and preying on large fish along the way. So, when they sense its approach, other large fish leave the Arctic Circle for refuge.”

The people at Cassel Academy looked at each other in bewilderment. Rebalko’s story was indeed bizarre, but it was completely different from “Arctic Dragon Hunting.” No wonder Rebalko was so calm. For a former intelligence major, hunting a white sperm whale was no different than a hunter going into the mountains to hunt wild boar.

“Do you really believe that a whale can survive from the mythological era to today?” Schneider showed an expression of disbelief.

“My former boss doesn’t think so. He says Leviathan is a very special whale, a vampire among whales, able to suck the blood of other whales to maintain youth.” Rebalco shrugged. “But I don’t believe it. I think that guy is the alpha whale in the pod, constantly replaced by the largest and most ferocious whale. When a whale king dies, a new one takes over.”

“Are whales such highly social animals? Do you think that all the whale groups in the Arctic Circle actually belong to the same super whale group, and that a big guy manages his subjects like a kingdom?” Schneider continued to ask.

He hadn’t answered any of Rebalco’s questions until now but kept asking them, a conversational technique to elicit more information from the other person.

“I’m just a boat driver, not a cetacean expert,” Rebalco shrugged. “I heard all this from others. This boat happened to have a famous cetacean expert on board, and he told me that cetaceans are the most social of all animals, and that our understanding of cetacean society is very limited.”

 Schneider nodded slightly.

Rebalco was right. Whales and dolphins may be the most social species in the ocean. They have division of labor, cooperation, their own language, and even different whale groups have their own dialects. They also gather together to whisper, like those girls who love to spread rumors.

However, humans still know little about these large marine creatures that can be seen in oceanariums. The vast ocean prevents humans from observing them in depth.

If whales really have their own empire, this empire is made up of different whale groups, which are like lords in the feudal era, and all lords are loyal to an imperial giant whale, it may not be so incredible.

“So, you are indeed here to hunt whales,” Rebalco said, his eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a cunning businessman. “You don’t have a whaling license, yet you want to hunt the world’s largest whale. This is illegal and potentially dangerous. My people can’t take such a risk with you!”

Caesar smiled, picked up the iPad from the table, briefly manipulated it, and then pushed it to Rebalco. Rebalco glanced at the iPad suspiciously, his expression suddenly changing. He looked up at Caesar, his eyes seeking confirmation. Caesar didn’t bother to look at him, but gazed into the distance and nodded.

“All payments have been completed, but at the same time your accounts have been frozen. When our ship returns and docks at any port in Europe, your accounts will be reactivated.” Percy added promptly.

“The sea is always mysterious and unpredictable. From ancient times to the present, sailors have always been prepared for sacrifice. However, we have to sell our lives to a discerning owner.” Rebalco paused here. “Now our lives are yours. We are at your service, Your Excellency Caesar Gattuso!”

In the blink of an eye, even the title has changed.

Rebalco stood up, gave Caesar a standard seaman’s salute, and bowed slightly to the others. “The captain can’t be away from his post for too long. I still have to go around the ship. I wish you all a pleasant meal!”

He had just taken a few steps when Schneider spoke from behind him, “Captain Rebalco, please stay. I have another question.”

Rebalco turned around and asked, “What can I do for you?”

“Despite investigating your and your team’s backgrounds, there’s one thing we haven’t been able to clarify,” Schneider said. “Last Christmas, when this ship was still operating as a luxury casino, you encountered the strongest aurora borealis in a century. The Yamal lost contact with the outside world for 24 hours. It was also during that incident that the previous owner died, and the ship ended up at auction. I wonder if you could tell us about that incident.”

Rebalco hesitated for a moment and smiled bitterly, “I can’t remember clearly.”

“Can’t remember clearly?” Schneider frowned. “That incident was fraught with doubts, and many media outlets reported it as a paranormal event. The crew and passengers later gave conflicting testimonies, but are you going to dismiss us with ‘can’t remember clearly’?”

“I really can’t remember exactly. To those on board, it felt like only a few hours. We did see the aurora, a once-in-a-century display known as the ‘Goddess’s Skirt,’ and since we saw it, we had to take our passengers to see it, so we sailed into it. ‘Into the Aurora’ might sound strange, but the aurora that day was incredibly intense, like a giant, multi-layered skirt draped across the night sky. Perhaps due to the intense atmospheric ionization, radio contact was lost. We called for help, but it felt like hours before we heard back. When the rescue ship arrived, they told us we’d been out of contact for 24 hours, which was a complete surprise,” said Rebalco. “Aside from the captain’s unexplained drowning, there were no other losses on board, so the incident was simply dismissed. Some passengers may have experienced hallucinations during the trip, leading to their disjointed testimonies. As you know, gambling ships like these on the high seas are lawless places, with many passengers drinking and taking drugs. The aurora that night was so magnificent that even a sober person would have experienced hallucinations under those circumstances.”

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