"I’m pleased to meet you."
Fisher smiled and shook hands with the rather impressive Chief Officer, but as soon as they touched hands, he immediately felt that the chubby woman’s hand was covered with calluses of various sizes. Yet before Fisher could take a closer look, Pahetz had swiftly withdrawn her hand.
Alagina, dressed in white, now stood by the mast. As she cast a blank gaze at Pahetz, Pahetz seemed to get the hint and put on the short cap she had been carrying in her pocket. After smiling at Fisher, she waved her hands and shouted loudly at the crew, who were still watching the spectacle,
"Still gawking, what the hell are you looking at? Is the work done? Get moving, get moving! If we get spotted by Nali’s warships, we’re in for it. Hurry up, let’s launch!"
Following Pahetz’s lead, the distant crew members scattered, passing her command down through the ship like a relay race, all the way down to the lower decks.
As the crew began to bustle about, the entire Iceberg Queen seemed to awaken. A fierce burst of steam suddenly shot out from atop the vessel, giving off a crisp sound like a steam kettle opening its valve.
The dense fog outside, created earlier by Alagina’s relic the Ice Prince, now completely dispersed. The roaring steam mingled and dissolved into it, and the ship’s engines first made the entire ship tremble, then generated a significant thrust, dragging the ship forward into motion.
This was Moli’s first time witnessing a steamship’s launch, and she curiously watched the smoke rising above her head. She leaned forward to take a whiff, only to be driven back by the pungent odor, coughing twice.
Her silly reaction made both Alagina and Fisher glance her way, but Alagina kept her gaze fixed on Moli’s non-human organs. Clearly, it was her first time seeing a real Ocean Subhuman,
"There’ll be some scents on deck after we set sail. Let’s talk in the Captain’s Room and leave this to Pahetz and the others..."
Alagina’s Captain’s Room was located just above the deck, spacious overall, where she typically plotted the course and commanded the entire ship.
Beyond the Captain’s Room, there were several other chambers, evidently used for living quarters.
"Woah! Look, Dian Dian! Such long, large smoke!"
"I can sense many others like Dian Dian One down below... they’re down there..."
"Keep it down, you three!"
On their way to the Captain’s Room, the lively Karma and her friends hurriedly hopped down from Old Jack’s shoulder, curiously surveying their surroundings on the stairs leading to the door.
Having grown up in an underground room, they had never seen such grandeur. Dian Dian even stood on top of the railing, feeling the sea breeze brushing over her face.
This frightened Old Jack behind them no end. The ship’s occupants were among the most brutal female pirates of the Sardinia Female Country. He had heard they were particularly unfriendly toward female little ones from other lands, let alone three tiny Mouse Ladies.
Reaching out, he gave each of them a knock on the head, sending them reeling with their hands clutching their skulls. Before they could speak up, a dry, mocking laugh sounded from behind,
"Ha ha... Ha ha... Fools."
The mock sent the three bashed Mouse Ladies into a fury, wishing they could give that mocker a taste of their mind.
However, when they turned around, they saw a large, colorful parrot perched on top of the railing, cocking its head and looking at them while chuckling,
"Stinky bird! Stinky bird!"
Karma and her friends made faces back at it without holding back, even the little mice on their heads joined in the scolding. The spectacle of these three and many mice cursing at a parrot was rather amusing. What was most astonishing was that the parrot, despite being outnumbered three to one, managed not to fall short, its foul-mouthed and quick repartees made one wonder if it was kept around to serve as a substitute for insulting people.
Just as the parrot flapped its wings, ready to escalate the feud, a long, clear whistle came from the top of the mast. Upon hearing the whistle, the parrot’s cursing ceased immediately as it grudgingly hopped onto the railing and flew upwards.
Karma and the others pursued their victory to the railing, only to see a woman dressed in a hefty robe seated at the very top of the Iceberg Queen’s mast. The woman sported short, white hair, and from her mouth down, her features were obscured by the robe, her gaze inspecting the guests on the ship below.
The grumbling parrot alighted on the girl’s arm, primping its feathers while continuing to mutter,
Fearing that the commotion attracted unwanted attention on the ship, Old Jack quickly gathered the three rascals back into his arms. Alagina, however, seemed unconcerned as she approached the Captain’s Room door, introducing to the others,
"That’s my Second Officer Ossie, a Grey Bird Species demi-human with excellent eyesight..."
Fisher had encountered many a demi-human, including this type.
He recalled that during his time with the South Continent’s Ning Circus at the Science Association, among the tents where they kept Rafael and her companions, there was a Grey Bird Species at death’s door.