Chapter 18: Golden Jellyfish
Catherine sat up from the bed and flipped through the sea log from the beginning, afraid of missing anything.
Sure enough, she saw the words “Batavia” and “Islas de las Especias” on one of the pages again.
These two terms were written in Spanish, meaning “Batavia” and “Spice Islands”, two place names in Southeast Asia.
She couldn’t understand the context and didn’t pay attention at first glance.
Looking back now, she suddenly realized that both places were colonies of the Dutch East India Company.
And the Dutch were the Spaniards’ biggest competitors in Southeast Asia.
Could Lin Qian be related to Lin Feng and the Dutch?
At this thought, Catherine’s heart pounded wildly.
She forced herself to calm down, closed the sea log, put it back in its original position, and carefully adjusted it to match exactly how it had been placed before.
Then, she got up from Lin Qian’s bed, straightened the bedding, and lay back on her own hammock.
She tried her best to steady her breathing, thinking she must not let Lin Qian notice anything unusual.
The reason she had boldly sneaked a peek at Lin Qian’s sea log without fear was that she was certain Lin Qian wanted the ransom and wouldn’t harm her.
But if this damned pirate found out she had pried into his secrets, her fate would be unpredictable.
From yesterday afternoon until now, she had been living in constant fear and anxiety, her body exhausted to the extreme, and amid her scattered thoughts, she drifted off into a drowsy sleep.
When she opened her eyes again, it was already night, and inside the cabin was pitch black.
Only a faint light shone at the desk, where Lin Qian was bent over writing; it seemed the matter of her peeking at the log had not been discovered.
Lin Qian wrote without pause and said, “Awake?”
Damn it, does this bastard have supernatural powers? Catherine grumbled to herself and did not reply.
“I heard your breathing change.” Lin Qian said flatly, while setting down his pen and blowing dry the ink on the log.
He rose from his seat, stretched lazily, and then blew out the candle.
In the darkness, Catherine heard the rustling sounds of clothes being removed; she tensed up immediately, gripping the sides of the hammock tightly with both hands.
In her anxiety, she heard only Lin Qian lie down on the bed, cover himself with the bedding, and then say coldly, “If you make any noise and wake me, you’ll spend tomorrow night on the mast.”
Catherine felt anger surging in her chest and secretly resolved to endure it and definitely find a chance to escape.
Over the next several days, Lin Qian maintained his routine of sailing by day and returning at night to write in the log.
Catherine’s movement area was not restricted; she could freely go to the deck to wander, but all around was endless ocean.
Lin Qian did not allow Catherine to touch any navigation instruments, from the compass to the sextant—not even to look at them.
Even on the deck, Catherine could only stare at the ocean for a few hours; the surrounding scenery showed no change, and there wasn’t a single bird in the sky.
After going a few times, she found it boring and no longer left the stern cabin.
After several more days of sailing, a joyful shout came from the deck: “There’s an island!”
Catherine could hear the excitement in the voice; she rushed out of the cabin and saw a green silhouette emerging on the sea horizon.
Catherine was secretly delighted; opportunities to escape on land were surely greater than on the ship. She slowly moved to the ship’s rail, thinking of finding a chance to jump overboard and flee.
Lin Qian, peering at the distance through the telescope, said casually, “This is a deserted island in the Pacific Ocean. If you want to escape, by all means try.”
Catherine glared viciously at Lin Qian, wishing she could bite a chunk out of his foul flesh.
After a few hours, the ship reached a spot on the sea surface several miles from the small island, dropped anchor and sails, and lowered the small boat.
Lin Qian, Lei Sanxiang, and several ship workers boarded the small boat. Lin Qian thought for a moment and then said to Catherine, “You come too.”
After more than ten days at sea, the ship workers’ pent-up energies had nowhere to vent; Lin Qian worried that leaving Catherine alone on the ship might tempt them to err.
Catherine had wanted to go ashore upon seeing land, but Lin Qian’s words made her change her mind and not want to follow.
“I want to stay on the ship.”
“Heh heh, fine. Hope you don’t regret it.”
“Damn it!” Catherine cursed and boarded the small boat.
After a while, the small boat reached shore; everyone jumped off, dragged it onto the beach, and secured it with rope.
Then, Lei Sanxiang and Lin Qian each took several men and split off in different directions to search for water and food.
Lin Qian instructed, “Act cautiously. If you encounter indigenous people, exercise restraint and avoid conflict.”
Lei Sanxiang had a volatile temper and was not the ideal choice for leading a group.
But with Lin Qian ashore, the most loyal Bai Langzai had to stay on the ship to prevent the crew from losing control.
Chen Jiao, with the most navigation experience after Lin Qian and serving as first mate, naturally had to remain on the ship too, ensuring leadership in case of emergencies like a storm or sighting Spaniards.
Lei Sanxiang said, “Don’t worry!” and led his men to explore along the beach.
Lin Qian led his group into the woods. The location was around 7.5 degrees north latitude, with a typical tropical rainforest climate: dense trees, broad leaves, and banyan aerial roots everywhere, requiring a man with a machete to clear the path ahead.
The group headed toward a valley on the island, where rivers typically converged for replenishing freshwater.
After crossing a small hill, they glimpsed through gaps in the leaves a light blue lake nestled amid surrounding mountains.
The ship workers cheered and found a path down the mountain.
After walking a long way, they reached the lake’s edge. The water was clear; one ship worker scooped some up and tasted it.
“It’s saltwater!” the man spat it out.
At that moment, a sudden change occurred in the lake.
Faint golden spots appeared on the distant lake surface, multiplying and spreading outward until the entire surface was covered in gold.
The lake seemed to come alive.
Catherine screamed and retreated several steps.
The other ship workers panicked too, scrambling backward.
Only Lin Qian stood motionless, squinting at the churning lake water.
The golden hue on the lake grew denser, forming a solid mass that made one’s scalp crawl.
Catherine’s voice trembled: “You dead pirate, stop looking. Let’s go!”
Ignoring her, Lin Qian bent down and, under Catherine’s horrified gaze, dipped his hand into the lake.
He slowly rose, holding a golden, jelly-like object, and turned to walk back.
“What is that? Don’t come closer—stay away from me!” Catherine dodged like a frightened cat with fur standing on end.
“Just a jellyfish,” Lin Qian said flatly.
“Are you insane? Jellyfish are poisonous! Drop it!” Catherine screamed.
Ignoring her, Lin Qian handed the jellyfish to the cook. “Can this be prepared?”
The cook had been as terrified as Catherine at first, but upon seeing the golden jellyfish in Lin Qian’s hand—with no tentacles—he relaxed.
