King of the Wilderness

Chapter 790: Chapter 359: The First Night at Sea, Steering a Lonely Planet

Lin Yu’an and Mike looked in the direction she pointed, only to see a huge column of water gushing out from the distant sea, forming a brief rainbow under the sunlight.

”It’s a humpback whale,” Mike’s voice was filled with awe, ”They’re migrating this season. We’re quite lucky.”

The gentle giant merely turned lazily, revealing its enormous tail fin, hovering in the air for a few seconds before slowly sinking into the deep blue sea.

In this nearly perfect sailing condition, over three hours passed by unnoticed.

When the western sky was first tinged with a warm hue of orange, Riven turned off the music.

”It’s time for the sunset,” she said softly, her tone carrying a hint of reverence.

The sun began to dip westward, and the colors of the sky started the most magnificent display of the day.

At first, it was a pure gold, tinting the entire sea with flowing gold.

Next, the edges of the clouds were lined with a bright scarlet, like burning feathers.

Then, purples, oranges, pinks... like a tipped-over palette of a god, splashed across the western horizon, distinct, unpredictable.

”Every time I see a scene like this,” Riven leaned against the ship’s side, muttering, ”all the previous hardships and dangers feel worth it.”

”Indeed,” Mike agreed, ”People on land will never understand this pure beauty; it is the sea’s most generous gift to a sailor.”

Lin Yu’an said nothing, just watched quietly.

He had been to the top of snowy mountains and seen the aurora borealis stretching across the sky. Yet, this vast, magnificent, ever-changing ocean sunset still brought him unprecedented shock.

It was a beauty bursting with ultimate vitality, full of dynamics and tension.

As the last ray of the sun disappeared below the horizon, darkness quickly set in.

But the darkness did not bring fear; instead, it made the world even purer.

The sky transitioned from deep blue to jet black, one star, two stars... countless brilliant stars began to shimmer like awakened diamonds on the velvet night.

After a day of tense sailing, upon bidding farewell to the magnificent sunset, the crew finally welcomed their first peaceful and beautiful night.

”Alright, gentlemen,” Lin Yu’an glanced at the sky, ”Today’s sailing tasks were perfectly completed. Now, it’s dinner time.”

He set the ship to autopilot mode, leaving the monitoring to Mike, then smiled at the expectant Riven: ”First Mate, you can start executing our ’secret mission’ now.”

”Aye, Captain!” Riven playfully saluted like a sailor and excitedly ran into the kitchen.

Soon, a peculiar scene appeared on the wide aft deck of the Polaris.

A small induction cooker was stably fixed on the teak dining table, with a pot of red tomato broth bubbling inside, emitting an enticing sweet and sour aroma.

Surrounding the table were fresh-cut vegetables, beef rolls, and various balls and mushrooms.

The utensils, however, were not the familiar knives and forks but three pairs of exquisite wooden chopsticks.

”Oh, my,” Captain Mike picked up the chopsticks, awkwardly maneuvering them, ”Lin, are you sure we’re supposed to use these to deal with those meat slices? I find it harder than tying a bowline knot.”

Lin Yu’an laughed and demonstrated for the two, his fingers gracefully folding and unfolding, effortlessly picking up a leaf of lettuce.

”It’s simple, just think of it as an extension of tweezers. The top stick moves; the bottom one stays still.”

Riven watched eagerly from the side, picking up the chopsticks, and mimicking Lin Yu’an’s actions, relying on her excellent physical coordination.

Though her posture was a bit stiff, she actually managed to shakily pick up a slice of the beef roll.

”Hey! I did it!” She proudly displayed her success like a child to their father.

Mike, on the other hand, continued to struggle with the chopsticks, failing repeatedly as the slippery beef refused to be picked up.

”Damn it,” he finally gave up, using a dinner knife to fork the meat slice and toss it into the pot.

”I admit, I’d rather wrestle a three-hundred-pound marlin than mess with these two little sticks again.”

”Dad, you’re so lame!” Riven teased him while she clumsily managed to use the chopsticks to place the ingredients into the pot.

Lin Yu’an slid a bowl of dipping sauce, mixed with sesame paste, minced garlic, and sesame oil, in front of them, ”The essence is here, try this later.”

Captain Mike had given up the struggle, directly using a fork to pick up a perfectly cooked piece of beef simmered in the broth, dipped it in Lin Yu’an’s specially made sesame sauce, and put it in his mouth.

The rich sauce combined with the savory beef and the warm texture immediately conquered his taste buds.

”My God... Lin, you’re not just a natural-born captain; you’re a damn genius chef! This stuff is incredible! It’s better than any dipping sauce I’ve ever had!”

”This is just the entry level,” Lin Yu’an said with a smile, ”Once you get used to it, we’ll try something truly exciting next time.”

Riven was eating with her cheeks puffed, like a happy hamster; she looked at the food boiling in the pot and the two men beside her, her blue eyes filled with unprecedented warmth.

”You know, Lin,” she said while trying hard to pick up the beef roll with the chopsticks, ”it’s my first time feeling that eating at sea can be such a... fun thing.”