護花近衛 - 第4637章 衛昭上陣 - 翰墨軒

While Wei Zhao was conferring with the ghost creature, the others were locked in fierce, overlapping argument. Everyone knew there was sense in Lan Tieshan's words, but that sense rested on one premise: that their own strength was sufficient. What if the enemy were far stronger than they? To stay here, then, would be to sit and wait for death.

Yet they all knew, too, that no amount of argument would settle anything. The final say rested with Wei Zhao, the special envoy—unless they meant to betray the North Island Tri-Pagoda Pavilion, his word had to stand as absolute law, beyond even the reach of Gongyang Jun or Lan Tieshan.

Having heard the ghost creature out, Wei Zhao weighed the options swiftly in his mind and then decided. "We sail. We run."

The clamor died in an instant. Everyone stared, dumbfounded, at Wei Zhao—even those who had been quietly edging toward flight had never imagined he would choose this.

"No. We are far too close. Running now will only expose more weakness. And there is sea mist everywhere—we cannot even tell what surrounds us, so how do we run?" Lan Tieshan objected at once.

Beside him, Gongyang Jun frowned slightly and said nothing, while more than half the company nodded and murmured agreement. This was no battlefield, true, but desertion in the face of the enemy looked like folly from any angle: it surrendered the initiative outright and left little chance of striking back. It would only inflate the enemy's arrogance and make them bolder still—and their end would be the worse for it.

The mist was the crux. If the line of retreat were clear, flight might be acceptable; with enough speed they could shake off pursuit. But now the fog lay thick on every side, and earlier they had not dared to stir so much as an inch. To flee at full speed now—was that not gambling with their lives?

And if it was to be a gamble either way, better to die with blades drawn and faces seen than to perish senselessly out on the water.

Seeing the divided reaction, Shangguan Lan'er suddenly stepped forward. "Be quiet, all of you. My junior brother is the envoy appointed by my grandfather. How this ship moves is his alone to decide. Anyone who dares to sow doubt and disturb the crew will be treated as a traitor to the North Island Tri-Pagoda Pavilion!"

Silence fell at once. Even Lan Tieshan, who had led the objection, glanced at Shangguan Lan'er's expression and then chose silence with a complicated look. He was, after all, Shangguan Tianxia's trusted man; he could hardly be the first to defy the princess of the Soaring Heaven Pavilion.

At that, Wei Zhao glanced at Shangguan Lan'er in surprise. For all that the girl was usually artless and bright, at a moment like this she showed real mettle—a trace of Shangguan Tianxia's authority could be glimpsed in her. She had grown up steeped in it, after all. This little senior sister was no simple creature.

There was no time to waste. Seeing that everyone had the good sense to hold their tongues, Wei Zhao said not another word and led the way into the wheelhouse. The rest followed one after another, watching tensely to see how he meant to meet the crisis.

The wheelhouse of this giant treasure ship was nothing like that of an ordinary vessel. Within one vast space stood a dozen or more control stations, each governing its own array. Only specially trained professionals could operate them.

"I will do it." Wei Zhao walked to the central master station and gestured for the helmsman to step aside. The company was struck dumb—he meant to take the helm himself?

This was no joking matter. To steer a colossal treasure ship, one had to undergo rigorous professional training beforehand; without it, even veteran helmsmen would be utterly lost. A ship was a ship, but a treasure ship and an ordinary seagoing vessel were two entirely different things.

"Er... Envoy Lin... this is not like a sea ship..." the helmsman ventured timidly.