Maria Lin traveled between Europe and America, Japan, and Southeast Asia in modern times, which of course involved ocean crossings by ship. However, the climate of most of the seas she crossed was not as extreme as that of the Roaring Forties.
Not to mention sailing ships or steam-powered ironclads from that era, even most modern vessels don’t meet the requirements to navigate the Roaring Forties. Only specialized vessels capable of withstanding winds and waves of force 10 or higher and certified as polar vessels are permitted to pass through. They must also follow regulations and can only pass through if maritime authorities deem it appropriate; otherwise, they risk capsizing.
Charlie channeled spiritual energy into her meridians through her pulse points, saying, “Spiritual energy can help you increase the strength of your limbs, which will also help you weather the storm. Once we pass through the Drake Passage and approach the Antarctic continent, the storm will subside.”
Maria Lin felt a surge of strength surge through her body. Her balance and core strength in weathering the storm improved significantly, and she felt much more at ease than before. She nodded gratefully and said softly, “Young Master, please meditate and practice. Don’t worry about me.”
Charlie smiled and said, “It’s rare for us to come to a place like this, so let’s enjoy the view together.”
A glimmer of joy flashed in Maria Lin’s eyes, and she nodded shyly.
At that time, the Drake Passage was filled with strong winds, whipping up huge, dark blue waves that almost looked black. The entire surface of the sea rippled violently like boiling water, hardly a pretty sight.
But Charlie stared blankly at the surging sea.
He is ready to face the entire Antarctic winter on his journey to Antarctica, wondering what kind of adventures await him on the mysterious continent over the next six months.
Unlike the typical four seasons, people working in Antarctica only divide the seasons in Antarctica into two: summer, from November to March, and winter, from April to October. Winter is relatively longer, lasting a full seven months.
For the next seven months, there will be no tourists in Antarctica, and all commercial shipping will be completely grounded. Currently, some research vessels are still sailing to and from Antarctica, but by the end of April, routes to and from Antarctica will be completely suspended, as even research vessels will not be able to cope with the extreme temperatures at that time.
In other words, at that time, people on the Antarctic continent would not be able to leave even if they wanted to, and navigation would not resume until October.
Half a year had passed in the blink of an eye, and Charlie couldn’t help but worry that if his relatives and friends ran into trouble during this time, he wouldn’t be able to help them remotely in Antarctica.
As for his wife, Claire, she was even more helpless to search for him and could only pray that he was okay.
Seeing Charlie looking dazed, Maria Lin asked him worriedly, “Is young master worried about matters at home?”
Charlie nodded honestly and said, “None of our relatives, friends, and followers are capable of protecting themselves in front of the Warriors Den Society. We just hope that the Warriors Den Society will not make any moves or progress as long as we are in Antarctica.”
Maria Lin comforted her, “Right now, the only ones in the public eye are your maternal grandparents’ family. However, I believe Victoria should be wary of them and not act rashly.”
Charlie nodded slightly and sighed, “I hope so.”
After saying that, he thought of the Wade family again, so he used the satellite network on the ship to send a WeChat message to his grandfather, telling him: “Grandpa, I have something to do recently and can’t leave. I can’t return to Yeling Mountain to participate in the Qingming Festival ancestor worship ceremony this year. Please take care of everything and keep everything low-key and low-key.”
Zhongquan Wade replied to his message, asking, “Charlie, where did you go? You couldn’t even make time to come back for Qingming Festival?”
Charlie replied, “Grandpa doesn’t need to ask where I’m going. I’ll be back in China as soon as I’m done.”
Zhongquan Wade then said, “Okay, then I’ll arrange the ancestral tribute ceremony. Don’t worry, only members of the Wade family can participate this year. Branch members are not allowed to come to Beijing.”
Charlie felt relieved and replied, “Then I’ll have to trouble you, Grandpa.”
After sending the message, he saw his grandfather reply, “We are all family, no need for formalities.”
However, he didn’t answer again, but instead put his phone aside.
Just as he was about to chat for a while with Maria Lin, his phone suddenly received another WeChat message.
When he opened it, he saw that the WeChat message was not from his grandfather, Zhongquan Wade, but from Duncan Li.
He clicked to play the voice message sent by Duncan Li, and heard Duncan Li say nervously, “Mr. Wade, our ground network system has just captured the facial features of the three elders of the Qing Dynasty Breaking Society in Buenos Aires!”