King of the Wilderness

Chapter 738: Chapter 342: Blue Water Sailing Academy_5

This question, with a hint of teasing and probing, instantly made the atmosphere in the live stream a bit ambiguous.

Lin Yu’an was slightly stunned; he hadn’t expected her to throw the question back so directly. A trace of unnaturalness appeared on his face, which remained calm under any peril.

[Oh my god! Oh my god! Brother Lin encountered a true Sea Queen?]

[Here we go! The part I’ve been most looking forward to is finally here!]

[Quick, answer, Brother Lin! Say what I want to know! Quickly! Go for it!]

[Stop joking around, folks above. Brother Lin already has a child!]

[@Aliya, hurry and join the Chaotic Scene! The air in the live stream feels filled with pink bubbles!]

Under the teasing and watchful eyes of millions, Lin Yu’an met Riven’s playful gaze and eventually chose to speak the truth, with a tone of candor and sincerity: ”Both, your lessons are great. I hope to learn more things.”

This answer was candid yet measured, and Riven seemed quite satisfied with it, her smile deepening.

”You pass.” She stood up straight, ”My TikTok account is simple, it’s just called ’Captain Riven’.”

She paused and added, ”However, there are no pretty selfies, just videos of me cursing in various storms and ugly photos of removing plastic bags from sea turtles.”

Rather than discouraging viewers, these words made her appear even cooler and more authentic.

[Whoa! Loved her even more! Already searched it! Going to follow right now!]

[A beauty cursing in storms? Why reward me like this!]

”Alright, my task is done.” Riven waved at the camera, ”I’m going to prepare lunch and supplies, and I’ll also watch your maiden voyage.”

”Lin, good luck, don’t actually fall into the water, or you’ll have to drink seawater for lunch today.”

After saying this, she turned and briskly left the classroom, leaving the live stream with a vibrant back view and countless imaginative possibilities.

Lin Yu’an stepped out of the office; the noonday sun was a bit dazzling.

He headed to the dock and saw Captain Mike standing next to a training sailboat, waving to him.

”Come aboard, cadet!” Mike’s voice was devoid of emotion, filled with the seriousness of impending work, ”Theory class is over. From now on, your mind can rest, but your body cannot.”

Lin Yu’an jumped onto the boat, feeling a slight sway underfoot. This boat, named the Wanderer, was a classic J/24 keelboat, about 24 feet long, with a simple design, devoid of superfluous luxury, made purely for teaching and competition.

This kind of boat is responsive, with high operating demands. Any slight mistake would be magnified instantly, making it an excellent choice for training novices to establish a sense of the boat.

”Before untying the mooring lines,” Mike pointed to a pile of ropes in the cockpit that looked like a tangled mess to newbies, ”you must know them, not with your mind, but with your hands.”

”Riven should have taught you their names. Now I need you to match the names with the actual items.”

He began issuing commands like an examiner, speaking fast and urgently, giving Lin Yu’an no time to think. He intended to use this high-pressure method to personally check out the monster Scoot mentioned.

”Main halyard!”

Lin Yu’an’s hand almost without hesitation reached for the stout rope extending from the base of the mast.

Mike’s eyebrow slightly twitched. Usually, these learners in front of the ”Italian noodles” take at least a few seconds to hesitate and recognize.

”What’s its purpose?” Mike’s voice was like a roar, attempting to intimidate the opponent, testing if he merely memorized by rote.

”To raise the mainsail.” Lin Yu’an replied.

”Say the full sentence!”

”Use it to raise the mainsail along the mast track to the top!”

”Good! Remember, it’s the throttle of the boat! In the future, your large ship may have electric ones, but if one day the circuit fails, and a storm is impending, you must rely on these hands to hoist or lower it at the fastest speed! Too slow!”

”Faster! Your companion fell into the water. By the time you find the rope, he’s already sunk to the bottom!”

Mike’s yelling seemed to be right next to his ear, making Lin Yu’an speed up his actions instinctively.

”Jib sheet!”

Lin Yu’an immediately turned and grabbed the ropes connecting the corners of the jib on both sides.

”Which one?!” Mike pressed, ”There are two! Windward side or leeward side? You must tell me which one you’re operating! Incorrect commands and operations at sea can get people killed!”

”...Leeward side.” Lin Yu’an quickly judged the stress line under the current simulated wind direction.

Mike’s heart skipped a beat; this level of detail typically required hours of practice on water for students to develop intuition.

And this man before him had started thinking like a sailor after just a single hour of theory and without ever having been out at sea.

”Correct! This one is the working line, the other is resting. They are the steering wheel of the boat!”

”Every tack you must deftly release one and tighten the other, like dancing! Hesitate for one second, and your boat will lose control in the wind!”

”Vang!”

Lin Yu’an’s hand again precisely reached for the device with a pulley block connecting the boom to the base of the mast.

”What is it for?”

”Controls the vertical angle of the boom, altering the mainsail’s curve.”

”Be more specific!” Mike relentlessly pushed, increasing the difficulty to test deeper understanding.

”In a following wind, it prevents the boom from being lifted too high by wind force, losing efficiency! In a headwind, it can flatten the mainsail, reducing heeling, making you faster!”

”It’s like a car’s suspension system, used for fine adjustments! The difference between a novice and a master often lies in whether they can use this rope!”

Lin Yu’an’s answer was almost an extension of Riven’s classroom explanation, even employing his metaphors.

Mike was utterly shocked! He had taught over a thousand students, from gifted teenagers to wealthy tycoons.

He’d seen those with great memory and others with strong practical skills. But he’d never seen anyone like Lin Yu’an, who could integrate abstract theoretical knowledge with real objects in just two hours and extend it to the application level.

Finally, he understood what Scoot meant by a monster, not referring to physical fitness but this terrifying, almost abnormal learning and comprehension ability.

Mike took a deep breath, suppressing the surge in his heart, using a stricter tone to disguise his astonishment.

”Traveler!”

Lin Yu’an located the track on the cockpit floor and the control lines on either side.

”What is this?!”

”Controls the mainsail car’s position on the track, adjusting the mainsail’s wind angle.”

”Correct! It’s a partner with the mainsheet! One controls the left and right, the other controls the front and back! Together, they decide the efficiency of your wing! You must learn to operate them simultaneously, keeping your sail in the most perfect shape under any wind conditions!”

Under Mike’s stormy indoctrination, Lin Yu’an’s forehead began to sweat, needing his reaction speed and depth of thought to keep pace with Mike’s rhythm.

And Mike became increasingly startled, realizing that the trap questions he prepared to stump newcomers were utterly ineffective against this young man.

This was no longer simple identification but a high-intensity simultaneous oral and practical examination.

”Not bad,” Mike finally stopped, having to admit he was completely impressed.

His tone softened, unintentionally carrying a tinge of admiration, ”At least you’re not just a bookworm who talks the talk. Now comes a basic skill for sailors—knots.”

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