Chapter 10 Chapter 7 Mingtan

It took Drizzt some time to see the panther.Mingtan Island, located 400 miles southwest of Waterdeep City, is covered by dense forests.Guenhwyvar was perfectly hidden on a branch twenty feet above the ground.Even a sensitive wild deer would pass under her unconsciously, unaware that the end has come. Guenhwyfa wasn't out to hunt deer today.The Sea Spirit had just entered the port two hours ago, without raising any flags, and the ship's name and related signs were covered by tarpaulins.But the three-masted schooner was easily recognizable, and she was unique in the Sword Coast.Many villains in this free port have escaped her.When Drizzt, Katie, and Deudermont walked into the port's tavern, the Liberty Cloak, they were instantly recognized.

Now, they are watching the changes in the surrounding environment.They would not in the least be surprised if someone in the dense woods, only two hundred yards from town, tried to ambush them. As ever, Deudermont was genuinely happy to have such a loyal and powerful friend.With Drizzt and Katie by his side, and the ever-vigilant Guenhwyvar standing guard for them, the captain is not afraid of any ambush, and even with all the pirates in the Sword Coast standing in front of them, he is confident of defeating them!Without these three companions by his side, Deudermont would be very vulnerable.Even the mighty Robila couldn't give him such a sense of peace of mind, because Deudermont didn't understand his mind at all.These three partners are not only superb in skills, they are also Deudermont's close friends.No matter what the situation is, they will never give up on Deudermont.

Guenhive's ears were pinched to the back of his head, and he let out a low growl.Rather than hearing the roar with their ears, the other three felt it directly with their hearts. Drizzt bent down and searched the area carefully. He pointed to the east and north, and then slid silently into the shadows.Katie hides behind a tree and places an arrow on the Tamari.She tried to follow behind Drizzt.Want to follow his guidance to find the enemy.But Drizzt quickly disappeared.It seemed that he had melted into the surrounding air.But Katie found that she didn't need Drizzt to lead the way. Their enemies didn't know how to hide their body and voice in the jungle.

Deudermont stood quietly in the open space with his hands folded behind his back.From time to time he adjusted a pipe in his mouth with his hand, and he also felt that several people were sneaking around him and hiding in the woods around him. "You are not from here." A voice came from the shadows.The speaker was a small man with small black eyes.The brown hair is like a bowl on the top of the head, and two big ears are drilled out of it.He didn't realize at all that he and his seven companions were being watched closely by six eyes.Drizzt, Katie and Guenhiffa locked their targets respectively.The black panther in the canopy is completely a moving shadow, and now she only needs to jump up and down four people at the same time.

To the speaker's left, one of his companions spotted Katie and hastily raised his bow.There was a gust of wind, and before he could react, a black shadow passed in front of him.With a cry, he fell backward, the leaf-green cloak brushing his face.The shadow then disappeared, leaving only this person standing there intact. "Borganon?" The person who was talking to Deudermont asked back, and the wind rang out in several other places. "I'm fine." Boganon trembled and replied hastily.He collected himself, hoping to figure out what had happened.When he finally looked down at the bow and arrow in his hand, he realized that the bowstring had been cut. "Damn it," muttered Boganon, and began to hastily search for the assailant in the bushes where he was hiding.

"I'm not used to talking to shadows," Deudermont shouted, his voice clear and calm. "You are not alone," the speaker replied. "You are not alone," said Deudermont without hesitation. "Come out and let us talk about a deal, whatever it is." More rumors came from the shadows, and more than one voice was quietly urging this man named Du Jin to go out and negotiate with the captain of the Sea Spirit. At last Durkin mustered up his courage and got up and walked out of the bushes.Every time he took a step, he would linger around.But he still didn't notice Guanhaifa above his head.When he walked three steps away from Drizzt and still didn't know it, Deudermont couldn't help showing a smile.But he did see Katie. The female shooter was just standing behind a tree at the edge of the open space, not deliberately hiding herself.

Du Jin tried his best to maintain his composure, he walked a few steps away from the tall captain, looked him in the eyes, "You are not from here." He finally stammered. "I think Mintan is a free port," Deudermont responded, "but only scoundrels can come here?" Du Jin pointed at Deudermont, wanting to refute.But he opened his mouth for a long time, but he didn't say a word. "I never knew there were any restrictions on a ship wishing to berth in port," Deudermont continued, "and my ship was by no means the only one in Mindaln Harbor without a flag and with a masked name." Finally There is nothing wrong with this sentence.Two-thirds of the ships in the free port are not publicly identified. "You are Deudermont, and your ship is Sea Spirit of Waterdeep City," Duggin seemed to be accusing of a crime.He kept rubbing his ears as he spoke, which the captain speculated was a sign of nervousness.

Deudermont shrugged and nodded again. "A law enforcement ship," Du Jin finally found some courage and let go of his ears, "Pirate hunters, you have come here, there is no doubt..." "Don't make random guesses about my intentions." Deudermont interrupted him suddenly. "Everyone knows the intention of the Sea Spirit," Du Jin's voice was equally firm. "She is a pirate hunter, and Mingtan will always have pirates. One of the ships was driven here by you this week." Deudermont tensed the muscles of his face.He understood that this person was an official of Mingtan and an envoy sent by the ruler of this place, Tashi Aberhan.Tahi is committed to maintaining the reputation of the Freeport of Mintar, and he must not allow any lords around the Sword Coast to interfere in the affairs here.There can be neither vendetta conflicts nor wanted fugitives in Mingtan.

"If we're here to hunt down pirates," Deudermont said bluntly, "Sea Sprite will fly the flag of Waterdeep and appear here fearlessly." "So you admitted your identities?" Du Jin asked. "We hid it just to keep it from causing trouble to your port," Deudermont's voice softened a little. "Any pirate ship here that seeks revenge on us will have to be sunk. I trust your The master would not like to see so many shipwrecks in his port. Isn't that why he sent you to find me in the cloak of liberty and threaten me here?" Dugin was once again speechless.

"Who are you?" Deudermont continued to press the nervous man. Du Jin seemed to remember his position, and quickly straightened his back. "Dulgin Tamas," he said loudly in a clear voice, "lord of the Freeport Mintan - emissary of Lord Tashi Aberham." Deudermont considered this obviously forged name.Perhaps to escape his enemies, perhaps to evade the law, the man ran to Mingtan and found a new place in Tahi's guard.Dugin was not a competent envoy, he knew nothing about diplomacy and lacked the courage he should have.But the captain does not despise Tashi because of this. This famous warrior has kept Mingtan quite peaceful for many years.Perhaps Tahi sent this unqualified diplomat only to let the captain of the Sea Sprite understand that he and his ship were not valued by the ruler.

Diplomacy will always be a wacky game. "The Sea Sprite has nothing to do with pirates," Deudermont assured Tahi's envoy, "nor is it to search for a fugitive hidden in Mingtan. We are only here to replenish supplies and collect information." "About pirates?" Durgin speculated unhappily. "About an island," Deudermont replied. "A pirate island?" Duggin's question was more like an interrogation. Deudermont took the pipe from his mouth and stared at Dougin sternly, without saying a word. "It is said that there is no place in the world where the people who seek the sea can experience more wind and waves than Mingtan." Deudermont paused for a long time before speaking again, "I am looking for a legendary island, many people know it, But hardly anyone ever saw it." Du Jin didn't reply, it seems that he didn't understand what Deudermont meant at all. "I can negotiate terms with you," said the captain. "What conditions?" Du Jin asked hastily. "I, and all my crew members, will stay quietly on the Sea Spirit, and the Sea Spirit will also stay away from the port. This will allow Ming Tan to continue to maintain the peace of the past. We have no intention of hunting down anyone on your island, This includes those who break the law. But there must be many people who would foolishly think that the Sea Sprite is weaker here than elsewhere, and attack the Sea Sprite." Du Jin couldn't help but nodded.In the cloak of liberty, he had already heard that several ships in the port were very dissatisfied with the appearance of the Sea Spirit, and they might join forces to deal with her. "We will stay outside the edge of the port area," Deudermont continued, "and you, Dugin Tamas, will collect the information we need for us." Before Dugin could answer, Deudermont threw him A bag of gold coins. "Carvey, I need to go to Carvey's chart." "Kavi?" Duggin's voice was full of doubts. "As far as I know, it's in the southwest," said Deudermont. Du Jin frowned and wanted to throw the gold coin back.But Deudermont held up a hand, stopping him. "The lords of Waterdeep don't want to know that their ships are being treated coldly in Mintar. If you don't do what a free port should do to Waterdeep's legal ships, then you are claiming that you are a haven for lawbreakers .Your lord Tahi will not be pleased with the results of such a claim." It's almost a threat.Deudermont felt a little relieved when Dugin took back the gold coins. "I will talk to the lord, if he agrees..." The little messenger didn't say anything, just waved his hand. Deudermont put the pipe back to his mouth and nodded to Katie.The female archer stepped out from behind the tree and relaxed the bowstring.She stares at Doo-jin without blinking as she walks past him.He also responded in kind. But when Drizzt appeared beside him, his confidence took a severe blow.And the 500-pound black panther fell on his head, finally causing his trembling body to collapse to the ground. ※※※※ Du Jin rowed to the Sea Spirit the next day.Despite Deudermont's warm welcome, he was cautious.It seems to be in full awe of this legendary ship of the Sword Coast. Almost all the people who went ashore that time came to the deck to say hello to Du Jin.Guenhwyvar returned home to the Astral, but this time Robilar and Harkle joined the welcoming procession.The two of them stand together.Drizzt thinks this is a good thing, as Robilla, as a powerful magician, should be able to help control Harkle's power.Maybe the rigid Robila can make Harkle, who is always laughing, feel bad! "Have you got the information I want?" Deudermont asked straight to the point.The Hai Ling has not encountered any troubles so far, but Du Demeng has no illusions that they can get real safety in Mingtan.There are more than a dozen ships here that want to destroy them, they had better leave as soon as possible. Durgin looked towards the captain's private cabin. "Just here," insisted Deudermont, "and leave. I have no time to lose, and I have nothing to hide from my crew." Du Jin looked around and nodded.He didn't want to argue at this moment. "What about the intelligence?" Deudermont asked. Du Jin looked at him, as if a little surprised. "Oh, yes," he stammered, "we found a map, but it wasn't very detailed. We can't be sure if the island you're looking for exists. Maybe it's just a legend, then, of course There won't be a map to find it." His humor didn't have the desired effect, so he collected himself and cleared his throat. After a long silence, Deudermont said, "You took my gold." "The lord hopes to get another reward," Du Jin replied, "this time it is not gold." Deudermont narrowed his eyes and shot a chilling gaze.He put the pipe between his lips and took a long draw. "It's not difficult," Dugin assured Deudermont at once, "and my lord will provide more than a map. You need a magician or priest to create a space large enough for you to carry Sufficient provisions." "We can do this," Harkle interrupted.He put an arm on Robilla's shoulder.The grumpy magician's scowling face made him withdraw his hand again. "Uh, yes, but you don't need it, you don't need it," Du Jin said hurriedly, "The lord has a very wonderful box, a magic container. He can lend it to you, as well as that map. But A bag of gold cannot be exchanged for so many things, so please do me a favor." "Speak." Deudermont began to feel impatient. "He." Duggin pointed at Drizzt. Drizzt raised his hand quickly, blocking Katie who wanted to rush forward to beat Du Jin. "Him?" Deudermont asked suspiciously. "The lord just wants to meet this drow." Du Jin hurriedly explained that he felt the danger he was facing.The sea water around Mintan Island is very cold, and no one wants to swim back from this wide expanse of cold water. "Is it just out of curiosity?" Katie pushed Drizzt's arm away and said loudly, "Then let me teach you a lesson, my lord!" "No, no." Dugin tried to explain.But if Drizzt hadn't blocked everyone, he would have been thrown into the sea before he could say another word. "What does your lord want?" Drow said quietly. "Your name is well known, kind drow," Du Jin still stammered, "Many pirates who fled into Mingtan have mentioned you. Because of you, the Sea Sprite didn't..." He stopped talking, He secretly glanced at Deudermont. "There was no attack from Mingtan Port." Deudermont said what he wanted to say. "They dare not challenge you," Durkin dared to continue, he looked at Drizzt, "my lord is also a warrior of honor." "What the hell!" Katie muttered, wondering what was going to happen.Drizzt had roughly grasped what Dugin meant. "Just meet and have a competition." "Just to prove who is stronger." Drizzt felt a little disgusted with this kind of boring competition. "It's for that map," Du Jin reminded him, "and that box, these are not small rewards." After thinking for a while, he added: "Whether you win or lose, you will get these." Drizzt looked at Katie, then at Deudermont, then at the crew.They unabashedly listen to every word of the conversation. "That's it," Drow said. Katie grabbed his arm and stared into his eyes with disapproval. "I cannot ask you to do this," said Deudermont. Drizzt looked him in the eyes, a smile forming on his face, "Maybe I wish I could know who's the better fighter?" He looked back at Katie.She knew everything about him, and of course she knew his real purpose. "Before the dark elves came to Mithril Hall, you also fought Berksga for the Fang of Aegis. What's the difference this time?" Drizzt asked her. Indeed, Katie had to admit.Before the Drow War, Berksgar demanded that Bruenor give up the Fang of Aegis, or he would break the alliance of barbarians and dwarves.And Bruenor would never give him the Fang of Aegis.Katie went to Stone Town, challenged Berksgar, and defeated him.This memory made her understand Drizzt's responsibilities, and finally let her let go of Drizzt's arm. "I'll be back soon." Drizzt left this promise, and followed Duggin onto the boat. Deudermont, Katie and the rest of the crew watched them leave.Katie noticed the captain's furrowed brow, as if he felt some kind of disappointment, and the young woman with keen senses could understand the captain's thoughts perfectly. "He doesn't want to fight," she assured Deudermont. "Does he want to know who is stronger?" Deudermont asked. "He did it out of loyalty to his friends," Katie replied, "and for no other reason than Drizzt's loyalty to you and your crew. If a single fight could keep our voyage going, he never would." No hesitation. Drizzt doesn't care who wins, he's indifferent to such foolish honor." Deudermont nodded, his expression relaxed.The young woman's words helped him confirm his belief in friendship. Minutes and seconds flowed non-stop.Then an hour, two hours.The conversation among the Sea Sprite crew gradually shifted from the battle facing Drizzt to their own situation.Two galleons sailed out of Mintan Harbour.They did not enter the open sea, but stopped between the Sea Spirit and the open sea, keeping the bow of the ship against the wind, thus maintaining a relatively still state. "Why don't they drop anchor?" Veran, standing behind the ballista, asked a crew member beside him. Katie and Deudermont stood near the center of the boat. They heard Weilan's question and looked at each other.Both of them knew the answer to this question in their hearts. The third ship hoisted its sails and headed for Sea Sprite. "I don't like it," Katie said. "We may have been caught," Deudermont replied. "Perhaps Dugin has already told our sailor friends that there is one dark elf temporarily missing from the Sea Spirit." "I'm going to the lookout." Katie unloaded the Tamari from her shoulders and ran to the mainmast. Robillard and Harkle had already returned to the deck, and they had obviously sensed the danger of the Sea Sprite.They nodded to Deudermont and walked towards Vilan and the ballista in the stern. Afterwards, everyone went into a waiting state.Deudermont observed the three ships approaching them, and the fourth ship immediately appeared outside Mintan Harbor.They might be surrounded, the captain knew; but he also knew that with the help of Robillard's magic, the Sea Sprite could pull her anchor and be out to sea in a few seconds.No obstacle can stop the Sea Sprite with its ballista, skilled archers and Katie's magic bow. Deudermont's first thought was not his ship, but Drizzt's.What fate would befall this drow if they left. The thought quickly faded, but with it came a new fear.Kitty's eyes hadn't left the binoculars yet, and the announcement that Drizzt was coming back had spread from her mouth to every corner of the Sea Sprite.Deudermont and the crew all looked in the direction Katie pointed, but all they could see was a small boat passing the starboard side of the third pirate ship. "Robilar!" Deudermont shouted. The magician nodded and concentrated all his energy on looking at the small boat.Immediately he began casting a spell.But before the first incantation escaped his lips, a cloud of pitch from the third boat slammed into the water beside the skiff, nearly capsizing it. "Hoist the sails!" cried Deudermont, "heighten the anchor!" Kitty's bowstring rang repeatedly, and the silver arrows shot towards the pirate ship continuously.But the boat was still three hundred yards away. The periphery of the harbor immediately boiled.The first two boats hoisted full sails and began to sail with the wind; the third threw another cloud of pitch at the skiff; the fourth sailed rapidly. Before Robilar's magic could be fully cast, the third shot of pitch just hit the stern of the boat, smashing a part of the hull.The magic was at work, and a wave grabbed the skiff and pushed it straight towards the Sea Sprite.Drizzt lowered his useless oars, while Dooggin bailed frantically.Although their speed towards the schooner was greatly increased, the badly damaged skiff obviously couldn't make it to Sea Sprite. Seeing the crumbling boat, Robilar hastily withdrew her magic, otherwise the boat would be smashed to pieces by the swift waves. Deudermont desperately calculated the distance between them and the boat, and the time it would take for the pirate ship to catch up with the boat.He decided that as soon as the sail was up, he would command the Sea Sprite to rush to the port, no matter what kind of danger appeared, he could not leave Drizzt behind. Immediately, his calculations went awry, and Drizzt and Duggin had already started swimming to the Sea Sprite with all their might. Dougin was even more surprised than Deudermont when the boat sank.His first instinct was to get out of the drow.Drizzt wore a pair of scimitars at his waist and a piece of mail.Durgin didn't have any equipment in his way, and he figured that Drow would grab him and drag them both into the water.To Durgin's surprise, Drizzt was not only able to stay on the surface by himself, but was also swimming at incredible speed. Drizzt's chainmail fit smoothly and had been tailored for him by one of the best blacksmiths in the Realms, Buster Bracers of the Warhammer Clan.And the magic belt worn on Drizzt's ankle made his hands move at incredible speed.He grabbed Dugin and swam quickly to Sea Sprite.When the terrified envoy Mingtan finally regained his senses and started paddling by himself, they had already swam nearly a quarter of the distance. "They'll be coming soon!" Vilan exclaimed cheerfully, confident that his friend would be able to swim the length of the water. "But they lost the chest!" said Robila, pointing to the shattered boat.Just behind the wreck of the skiff, a third pirate ship was coming at full speed.The strong wind filled its sails. "Let me do it!" roared Harkle Hubbell, who couldn't wait to do something.The magician snapped his fingers and began to cast the spell.Like Robilar, he knew that the first thing to do now was to save the box. Robilar stopped casting almost immediately and looked at him with worried eyes. A fish suddenly appeared on the deck at Harkle's feet, and Robilar's eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets. "No!" he howled and jumped at Harkle, "You can't put another dimension on another dimension!" Robilla's guess was correct, Harkle was going to use the dimensional gatekeeper to pull the magic box directly.This idea looks good, but this box contains a different dimension, so it can hold things beyond imagination, and different dimensional magic and items often have unpredictable results when they are superimposed on each other.For example, throwing an extradimensional bag into an extradimensional box will likely tear a hole in the multiverse, sucking everything nearby into the Astral Plane; or worse, into the Unknown Plane. "Ah." Harkle finally realized his mistake, and hurriedly stopped casting spells. But it was too late, and a huge wave rose where the boat sank, and immediately hit the oncoming pirate ship; Drizzt and Durgin were engulfed in it.The huge wave first threw them towards the Sea Spirit, and then turned into a vortex that swallowed everything. "Sail!" Deudermont yelled after the crew threw the ropes to Drizzt and Durgin, "Right sail if you want to live!" The crew desperately pulled the ropes to catch the sea wind in the sails, and the Sea Spirit immediately began to turn around and quickly sailed out of the harbor. The Square Sail Corsair was not so lucky.It is also desperately making a U-turn.Tried to sail back to the port by tackling the wind, but it was too close to the vortex, and the turbulence violently pulled it into a tilted state, and many pirates were thrown out of the ship's side.It spun along the current of the vortex, and the crew of the Sea Sprite watched as its mast finally disappeared into the center of the vortex. But Sea Sprite's crew, save for the terrified Harkle, had turned their attention back to the two clippers that stood in their way.Knowing that Deudermont had no intention of fighting, Robilar summoned a cloud of mist.Velan's team and the archers began free-firing, and several crew members, including Deudermont, pulled Drizzt and a trembling Dugin Tamas onto the deck. "Fortunately it's sealed." Drizzt gave Deudermont a weak smile, and handed him a scroll that apparently contained a map to Kavi. Deudermont patted him on the shoulder and turned to the helm.Start to steer the Sea Spirit out of the encirclement of the pirate ship. The bow of the Sea Spirit was full of morale, but the stern looked sad and panicked.Harkle Hubbell was extremely dismayed.In theory, he knew that maybe it was the disaster he created that allowed Drizzt to return to the Sea Sprite smoothly, and also allowed the Sea Sprite to escape the pursuit of the enemy ship easily.But the kind-hearted Harkle always feels unbearable when he sees countless drowning people struggling for their lives in the whirlpool.He kept muttering, "Oh, no," while his mind frantically searched for a spell that could help those poor souls. Almost instantly, the terrifying vortex disappeared, and the water surface became as smooth as a mirror.The square-schooner was still there, but almost lying on the water, her drooping sails touching the crest of the waves. Harkle breathed a sigh of relief, and hurriedly thanked the gods for their kindness.The people on the square sail boat are all soaked in the water, but they can completely cling to the lying hull. Harkle clapped his hands happily, jumped down from the quarterdeck, and ran to Deudermont and Drizzt at the helm.At this time, the encounter between the Sea Spirit and the two clipper ships in front was about to begin, but the distance between them was not enough for them to effectively damage each other. Deudermont gave Harkle a strange look. "What's wrong?" The magician was a little flustered. "Do you still have fireballs?" Deudermont asked. Harkle turned pale at once. He had just wrecked a ship and was in no mood to burn another.But Deudermont didn't want him to do that either. "Shoot a ball of fire in the water between the enemies," the captain finished his explanation, taking another look at Drizzt, "I'm going to steer to port through the fog, so we'll have time to deal with a pirate ship alone. " Drizzt nodded.Harkle was happy again, and he hurriedly began to prepare to cast the spell.As soon as Deudermont gave the signal, he immediately released a fireball into the water.After a white light, a dense fog rose from the sea. Deudermont steered his boat into the fog, and the clipper, as expected, skirted the foggy area.Deudermont swerved sharply to port as the Sea Sprite's bow poked into the mist.The Sea Spirit turned its head and sailed towards the sea outside the left side of the pirate ship. Deudermont had no doubt that Sea Sprite's speed and Robillard's defensive magic would allow them to brush past the enemy ship's sides without incident. An explosion quickly changed Deudermont's mind. A heavy iron ball smashed through Robila's magic shield and broke many ropes. "They have smoking powder!" Harkle exclaimed. "What?" Drizzt and Deudermont asked simultaneously. "Arquebus," Harkle whimpered, his hands desperately drawing circles above his head, "a huge arquebus." "What is that?" The two were even more confused. Harkle didn't give any explanation, but his horrified expression also showed the seriousness of the problem.Smoke powder is a rare and dangerous thing, and the priests of Gangdise often use this terrible thing to launch bullets out of iron cylinders. "One in ten," is a very popular saying among those who understand smoking drugs.What it means is that for every ten shots fired with a fuming charge, one will explode in the operator's face.Harkle felt that those pirates must have hated the Sea Spirit so much that they decided to use such dangerous means to attack. But even if the rule of one in ten is really good, the remaining nine times are enough to blast the Sea Spirit into the bottom of the sea! Harkle knew he had only a few seconds to act.The others on the Sea Spear, including Robila, were at a loss for what to do with the sudden situation in front of them.Smoking powder is widely used in the distant eastern countries. It is said that it has also appeared in Cormyr, and some people say that they have seen this kind of thing on ships near the Sword Coast.Harkle has studied its use and calculated its volatility, loading capacity and related weapon structure. "A metal cylinder!" Catti-brie yelled from the lookout. "Is there a pile of sacks beside it?" Harkle asked hastily. "I can't see!" Katie replied, her view blocked by the spreading mist. Harkle knew that time was running out.A smoke-powder cannon is impossible to aim precisely, but it doesn't need to.It could break a mast with a single shot, or cut a hole in the hull large enough to sink the schooner. "Shoot at that iron cylinder and the deck around it!" Harkle bellowed angrily. Katie had never trusted Harkle Hubbell, but this time she had no choice.One silver arrow after another shot from the tamari at the crowd around the iron cylinder, and if not destroying the weapon, Katie hoped to disperse its handlers.Through the mist, she saw the sparks from the arrowhead hitting the iron cylinder; then there was another scream from the pirates. The Hai Ling continued to gallop and was already approaching the pirate ship.Harkle snapped his fingers; Dooggin, the other man on board who knew about smoking potions, was rubbing his big ears. "Turn around," Harkle ordered Deudermont, "we're too close, too close. They're going to hit us in the face and blow us out to sea." Deudermont didn't know how to react.He could probably understand that Robilar's magic couldn't stop the pirate's weapons.When the captain looked back at Robila, he found that the magician was frantically agitating gusts of wind, increasing the speed of Sea Spirit.He was apparently powerless against enemy shelling.If the captain continued to sail to the left, the Sea Spirit would undoubtedly enter the attack range of the enemy ship's artillery; if he turned around and turned to the right at this time, although he could avoid the impact of the artillery shells, he would definitely have a head-on conflict with the pirate ship.Even if they wipe out the pirates, the remaining two pirate ships will catch up with them, and they will suffer the disaster. "Get the wizard ready," Deudermont said to Drizzt. "Call the cat; we need you, friend!" Drizzt sprang into action immediately.But Harkle saw a torch appearing next to the metal cylinder that Kitty was talking about, and shouted, "It's too late!" and fell flat on the deck. Kitty saw the torch from up there, too, and by its light she saw the heap of sacks Harkle had spoken of.She subconsciously aimed the arrow at the man holding the torch, but suddenly she remembered Harkle's question just now.So he moved his bow lightly, let go and let go of the arrow.Silver arrows flew straight at the sacks piled on the pirate ship's deck. The pirate holding the torch was about to light the fuse when he suddenly felt a silver light flashing around him, and he was thrown into the air like a bean. The pirate ship stood almost vertically on the sea, and the fireball surrounding it was bigger than anything Harkle or Robillard had ever seen.The resulting shock wave knocked down everyone on the Sea Spirit, and the flying debris tore many holes in the sail. The Sea Sprite swayed wildly from side to side until Deudermont regained consciousness and stood behind the wheel again.Anyway, they finally broke out of the trap. "By gods," Katie murmured, really terrified this time.A few moments earlier there had been a whole clipper ship on the surface, now there were only debris, sawdust, and floating corpses. Drizzt looked at the slaughterhouse formed in an instant, and the shock in his heart almost made him lose his ability to move.He thought he saw a preview of the end of the world.Such a complete destruction, even a powerful master of magic can't do it.Enough fuming powder can level a mountain, a city, or even the entire world. "That's the smoking potion?" he said to Harkle. "The things of the priest of Gangdise." The magician replied. "Things that shouldn't appear in this world." Drizzt glanced at the red-black water again, got up and walked to the opposite side of the ship. The rest of the day the crew was busy repairing the sail and rigging.Drizzt and Katie leaned against the railing of the bow as they rested, looking out at the open water, thinking about the long journey ahead of them. Finally, Katie couldn't help but said, "Did you beat him?" Drizzt stared into her somewhat anxious eyes, as if he didn't understand her meaning at all. "The lord?" Katie continued to ask. "I got the map, and the box, but I couldn't take it aboard." "Then, Du Jin said, whether you win or lose, you can get them." The young woman said impatiently. Drizzt smiled at her, "That match is not important to me." "Then did you win or lose?" Katie seemed not to let him go. "He wants to maintain peace and unity here, so it's very important to preserve his reputation." Drizzt turned his head to look out to sea, and then looked at the crew on the mizzen mast to see if they needed help. "You let him beat you?" Katie looked upset? "I didn't say that," Drizzt replied. "Then he himself beat you?" the young woman speculated. Drizzt shrugged and walked over to the crew at work in the mizzenmast.Robillard and Harkle came to meet him, evidently wanting to join him in his conversation with Katie. Katie never took her eyes off Drow, and she never made sense of Drizzt's vague answer.She believed Drizzt had let Taci win the match, or at least draw him.For some reason she couldn't tell, she didn't want to even think about whether Taci had actually defeated Drizzt, she didn't want anyone to defeat Drizzt. Seeing her expression, both Robilla and Harkle laughed happily. "Drizzt beat him," Robilar called to her. Kitty looked at the magician in amazement. "That's what you want to know?" Robilla asked her. "We watched the whole game," Harkle said, "oh, of course, it was a good game." Harkle leaned over to imitate Drizzt, and Katie laughed. "He jumped to the left," Harkle continued, "and then appeared to the right in the blink of an eye, and Tashi had no time to react." "Then he was hit by Drizzt," Robillard interrupted hastily, "and the lord is still attacking where Drizzt was on the left." Katie knew the tactic, and they called the attack described by the magician a "ghost step." "He's learned his lesson this time!" Harkle cheered. "That lord probably won't be able to sit on a stool for a long time." Robila ended the whole battle commentary with these words, and then the two magicians let out deafening laughter.It was the first time Katie had seen Robilla so happy. The young woman leaned back against the rail, and the two magicians laughed and left.The corners of Katie's lips curled up. She knew now what Drizzt really meant when he said that this contest was not important to him.She must use this incident to laugh at that drow in the future.But Drizzt's victory also made her happy. For some reason, his victory was very important to her.