《Grand Voyage : Surviving on a Ghost Ship》 Chapter 1 - Grand Voyage A peculiar voice echoed in Yang Yi''s mind. "Wee to the National Maritime Survival Game, where you will spend the rest of your life at sea¡­ To give everyone a rtively fair starting point, the system will rid you of any physical illness or disability. Whether you be a nameless lowlife or a renowned hero¡­ Whether you sail freely or cower in fear under someone else¡¯s boot¡­ It¡¯s all up to you¡­ The sea offers you unlimited possibilities! Be cautious about only one thing¡­ Never let yourself be engulfed by the haunting ck fog¡­ It currently has a speed of 10 knots. Keep moving onwards!¡± Yang Yi woke up and found himself lying on an old, dusty bed. He tried to sit up, but coughed violently due to the dust. Looking around, he realised he was in a narrow, dimly lit, dpidated house. Not far away, there was a table with a dried-up skeleton lying on it. Its left hand still gripped a rusty flintlock gun, and since most of the skull was missing, he had probably died by suicide. "What¡­is this?" Instead of showing fear, Yang Yi looked at his thin hands. He actually stood up; this was nothing short of a miracle! Just a few minutes ago, he was still a terminally ill patient, but now he had somehow recovered his health! Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of twelve, his condition deteriorated over the years, and by his twenties, he waspletely bedridden. This didn¡¯t make him give up on his life. He yed games using only his mouth and supported himself through streaming until the age of twenty-five. As he often yed horror games, he wasn¡¯t fazed by the sight of a motionless skeleton. "What the voice said is true!" Yang Yi said to himself, looking out the window. Therey an endless ocean, with waves asionallypping against the shore. At that moment, the peculiar voice sounded again. ¡°Everyone should know where they¡¯ve ended up! You are all at sea, each separated by over 500 nautical miles, and will not meet for a long time. There''s nond! Near you, there should be a small booklet named the Sailing Log. It has many good functions and allows you all tomunicate. It¡¯s up to you to find out what else it can do. Further announcements will be made to everyone. Please stay tuned..." The voice disappeared. Yang Yi looked down and noticed the palm sized booklet the voice had just mentioned. It constantly emitted a faint glow, seemingly breathing. Yang Yi picked it up and opened it. The first page listed the rules: ¡¾1. No one is allowed to board your ship without permission.¡¿ ¡¾2. Your belongings will never be stolen unless you are dead.¡¿ ¡¾3. Every ship is equipped with grappling hooks, which canst indefinitely. Use them to catch floating items!¡¿ ¡¾4. You need to continuously upgrade your ship and make it safe enough to sail.¡¿ ¡¾5. Beware of the ck fog at night; once you fall into it, you¡¯re dead.¡¿ ¡¾6. The booklet is bound to your soul and can be read in your mind.¡¿ ¡¾7. At sea, you will never feel lonely.¡¿ The booklet was quite simr to a game system, and Yang Yi quickly flipped through it. The second page showed the weather forecast for the next three days, which he temporarily skipped. The third page contained information about him: Name: Yang Yi Status: Healthy (A human body diagram is shown, all green) (The average adult attribute value is 5, which can be improved to 10 through training.) (Attribute 10 is the limit for ordinary humans.) Strength: 3 (0/50) Spirit: 7+1 (0/8000) (The higher the spirit, the higher the resistance to madness, and the faster sanity recovers.) Agility: 4 (0/100) Constitution: 3 (0/50) Perception: 5 (0/200) Sanity: 100/100 (Sanity below 50 leads to madness, below 30 leads to suicidal thoughts, below 10¡­) Energy: 100/100 (Energy below 50 leads to fatigue, below 30 may cause fainting.) Vitality: 100/100 Talent: Steel Will: You never give up. Spirit cap +1, sanity will never drop below 1 point, and you will notmit suicide. When sanity drops significantly (below 50), you enter a frenzied state. Yang Yi looked at the attribute interface, feeling somewhat relieved. With such attributes, it would not be too difficult for him to improve them. ¡­ He continued to read the Sailing Log, reaching the chat channels. They were divided into world chat, regional chat, and private chat. The world channel was the liveliest, with people speaking nonstop. ¡°Is anyone there?¡± ¡°What exactly is going on?¡± ¡°I was just taking a dump, didn¡¯t even wipe yet, and suddenly I¡¯m on a ship!¡± ¡°I¡¯m on my own here, does anyone have a phone? Help me call the police!¡± ¡°To whoever kidnapped me, do you know who my dad is?!¡± ¡°Maybe your dad came along too!¡± ¡°Son, is that you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t blindly im rtives!¡± ¡°My broken hand is actually healed!!¡± ¡°I can feel pain¡­this isn¡¯t a dream!¡± The number of people online was astronomical, it was likely everyone had been pulled in. Yang Yi didn¡¯t rush to speak, instead, he observed and gathered information from the messages. Each person could only send 10 messages in the world chat a day. After that, they¡¯d have to fork out a hundred shell coins per message. Yang Yi didn¡¯t know what this currency was, only that he certainly didn¡¯t have any. Ten minutes passed, and the chaotic messages gradually decreased. The conversation became more purposeful. ¡°Do your manuals have 7 rules as well?¡± ¡°Looking for a group; anyone wants to team up?¡± ¡°The distance is too far; grouping up is impossible without exact coordinates!¡± ¡°We should share information and help each other! ¡°Have you checked your ships yet? I found a piece of equipment.¡± Below was the equipment information. ¡¾Name: Blood-stained Harpoon¡¿ ¡¾Type: Relic¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Good¡¿ (Item levels: Common, Good, Excellent, Rare, Epic, Heroic, Master.....) ¡¾Description: Very sharp, can cause slight damage to abyssal monsters and enrage them.¡¿ Note: Using relics carries the risk of reducing sanity. The world channel exploded. ¡°What are abyssal monsters? Are there monsters in this world?¡± ¡°I found nothing but some freshwater, bread, and vegetables in the cabin. ¡°Vegetables? I only have sausages.¡± Vegetables were much more precious than meat at sea. ¡°How about your ships. Are they big? Mine is over a hundred metres. Too big¡­¡± ¡°What?! My ship is barely ten!¡± That person quickly sent their ship information. ¡¾Iron Heart: Level 1, Durability 5000/5000, Capacity 8000 units, Speed 5 knots¡¿ ¡¾Ship Skills: Full Fire: Cannon fire rate increases to 200% for 15 minutes. ¡¾Triple Whale Spear: Can prate andtch onto an object.¡¿ ¡¾Description: Its speed may not be fast, but yours better be!¡¿ ¡°Damn! This game is totally unfair, his ship has cannons at level 1!¡± ¡°Special ships have skills; my ship is a useless piece of crap.¡± ¡°I want to reroll, is there a cash shop? I have plenty of money!¡± ¡°Are you all fools? His ship¡¯s speed is only 5 knots, slower than the ck mist!¡± ¡°Right, the ck mist is 10 knots! He¡¯s done for, hahaha!¡± At this moment, an announcement popped up. ¡¾Maritime Announcement: Your starting conditions are all different but absolutely fair. The ships and starting positions are pre-set, no objections!¡¿ ¡°Who believes that? That can¡¯t be right! Someone starts with weapons; I only have food!¡± ¡°While others hoard food, I hoard guns. Others are just my food supply!¡± ¡°So monsters spawn near those with cannons, but not near you?¡± Yang Yi closed the log and started searching the room. He found a flintlock in the skeleton¡¯s hand. ¡¾Name: Water-Soaked Rusty Flintlock¡¿ ¡¾Type: Relic¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Description: This was once a masterpiece, but after soaking in water for too long, it has rusted severely. It has a 10% chance of firing, dealing moderate damage to abyssal monsters. This gun doesn¡¯t require bullets and has an auto-reload time of one minute, with a capacity of one round.¡¿ ¡°Excellent equipment?¡± Yang Yi¡¯s expression became frosty. As the announcement said, the starting conditions were fair. So, getting this gun, wouldn¡¯t it mean a hellish start? He pushed aside the skeleton on the table, finding a rotten piece of paper with a couple legible words. ¡°...no supplies left on the ship, I can only try fishing¡­ ¡­luckily, caught a tiger grouper today, enough for two days... ...hehe, caught an antique handgun. The sound is strange, but looks valuable!¡± There was arge bloodstain at the end, only thest line remained visible. ¡°How could there be such a thing in the sea?¡± Yang Yi frowned slightly, then stood up and walked out of the captain¡¯s cabin. He carefully looked at his ship. Chapter 2 - Ghost Ship Nightmare ¡¾Nightmare: Level 1, Durability 300/300, Capacity 400 units, Speed 40 knots¡¿ ¡¾Skills: Nightmare: Sleeping on this ship will cause nightmares, reducing energy recovery efficiency by 75%. Angler''s Curse: This ship is cursed, and normal fish cannot be caught.¡¿ ¡¾Description: After drifting at sea for centuries, the Nightmare has finally weed its new master...¡¿ After Yang Yi finished reading the ship''s information, his face turned grim. This is a ghost ship. The hull was covered in barnacles and seaweed, indicating it hadn''t been cleaned in years. The deck was also wet, creaking with every step. He had yed many horror games. In scenes like this, there was a high chance of encountering monsters! Fortunately, after a thorough search, he found no living being. Yang Yi breathed a sigh of relief. He didn''t want to start the game with an intense battle against some mysterious creature. He had also figured out the ship''syout. It was about twelve metres long,posed of the helm, captain''s cabin, deck, and cargo hold. The helm was on a tform at the bow, providing a good view. Behind it was the captain''s cabin, containing a bed and simple furniture. Further back was the midship, with a tall mast. The stern housed the cargo hold, which led to the ship''s interior, used for storing goods. Yang Yi inspected the cargo hold, finding it empty except for a musty, unpleasant smell. He started off with no supplies... After all, this ghost ship had been drifting for who knows how many years. If it had food and drink, that would be strange! Yang Yi opened his logbook and continued checking the world chat, curious about others'' discoveries. Most people were showing off their ships. The majority had ordinary vessels, but some stood out. ¡¾Swift Wind: Level 1, Durability 800/800, Capacity 500 units, Speed 70 knots¡¿ ¡¾Skill: Breaking Waves: Increases ship speed by 100% for 5 minutes.¡¿ ¡¾Description: You won''t even be able to breathe, trust me!¡¿ This seemed to be the fastest ship so far. Other ordinary ships, depending on their size, had speeds ranging from 30 to 40 knots. Larger ships generally had higher durability but slower speeds. Yang Yi''s Nightmare had a mid-to-high speed. ¡¾Cherry: Level 1, Durability 1000/1000, Capacity 1000 units, Speed 35 knots¡¿ ¡¾Skill: Blessed Light: The cherry blossom tree on the ship emits an evolving light, asionally changing the attributes of the crew, potentially causing evolution!¡¿ ¡¾Description: Let''s hope the crew remains human.¡¿ The world chat fell silent for a few seconds after this information appeared. "Haha, my ship is awesome. I feel like I''m evolving!" "Are you sure it''s not a mutation?" "Cherry, right? You better sail fast and avoid me, or I''ll shove my cannon up your XX!" The speaker was from the Iron Heart, who had revealed his ship''s name. He also posted a photo, taken from the logbook''s screenshot feature. It was a steel warship, armed to the teeth, with twenty cannons on each side, boasting immense firepower. But considering its speed was only five knots, everyone burst intoughter. "Idiot! Try surviving until tomorrow first." "Damn it! Just wait and see!" The chat was filled with meaningless insults, many of which were censored. "It seems that no matter thenguage, the system trantes it into the user''s native tongue..." Yang Yi silently typed: "Count me in!" Then he continued scrolling and finally found something interesting. "Have any of you tried fishing?" "Quiet, I''m fishing right now!" "Finding out we can fish makes me not want to die anymore." "I fish once a week, and each time I fish for a week!" "I just set up my fishing spot." "Your ship is moving, how can you set up a fishing spot, idiot?" "Damn! Why didn''t you say so earlier? I wasted my ck bread!" "Guess what I caught? A bottle of Nongfu Spring water!" Yang Yi''s eyes lit up. If he could catch freshwater, that would be great. His ship also had a fishing rod, lying on the deck. ¡¾Name: Barnacle-Covered Moldy Fishing Rod¡¿ ¡¾Type: Tool¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Good¡¿ ¡¾Description: Trust me, you won''t like what it catches. Reduces the chance of catching normal fish, slightly increases the chance of catching unknown items.¡¿ "This unknown item might include freshwater!" Yang Yi guessed. But before fishing, he needed to adjust the ship''s course and speed. Currently, without a specific goal, he nned to sail forwards at full speed in the default direction. There was a ck line on the horizon, likely the boundary of the ck fog. So, heading forwards shouldn''t be wrong. Controlling the ship was simple, as it required no special skills and was controlled by magic. He just needed to hold the helm to change the ship''s direction and operate it if needed. It felt simr to ying a sailing game. yers could use grappling hooks to grab passing items. As for power... Yang Yi looked at the mast, which had some tattered cloth hanging from it. He decided not to think about it and focused on grabbing floating objects. ¡¾Rotten Wood +1¡¿ ¡¾Rotten Wood +1¡¿ ¡¾Tattered Cloth +1¡¿ ¡¾Rotten Wood +1¡¿ The log kept popping up with new activity messages. The gamey was like a dynamic version of "Gold Miner". Items grabbed would be converted into resources and stored in the cargo hold, viewable in the log. Each piece of rotten wood had a chance to be converted into one unit of lumber, and each piece of tattered cloth into one unit of fabric. Yang Yi estimated the conversion rate to be less than 10%. Grabbing ten pieces of rotten wood would yield about one unit of lumber. If he intentionally grabbed better-looking driftwood, the probability would be higher. Yang Yi caught over a hundred floating objects, gathering a total of five units of lumber and three units of fabric in three hours. Not very efficient. But this was a skill-based activity, and proficiency would improve efficiency. These lumber and fabric could be used to upgrade the ship. To upgrade his ship to level 2, Yang Yi needed the following materials: ¡¾Lumber 200, Fabric 100, Captain''s Remains¡¿ He knew what these remains were ¡ª likely the skeleton in the captain''s cabin. So, the skeleton couldn''t be discarded. Collecting so much lumber and fabric would take at least a week, conservatively. And this was just a level 1 ship. As levels increased, it would probably get harder. But upgrading a ship required¡­ Yang Yi realised that special ships might have unusual upgrade materials. He quickly checked the chat and found this to be true. Ordinary ships required fewer materials to upgrade. They only needed Lumber 100 and Fabric 50, no remains. As for the Iron Heart...it needed steel to upgrade. "Damn! Where can I find steel in the ocean? How am I supposed to upgrade?" "As everyone knows, iron sinks faster than water, lying at the bottom of the sea." "Fishermen can catch anything! I just caught a unit of steel!" "Huh?" "High-priced purchase of steel! Whoever gives me steel, I''ll take them as my little brother." "Idiot! You''re still thinking about steel? Try surviving until tomorrow! The ck fog is catching up to you!" "Cherry, right? Don''t hide! Just wait, don''t let me catch you!" Yang Yi closed the logbook. It seemed special ships weren''t all advantageous, as their upgrade difficulty was higher, likely causing them tog in levels. He picked up the fishing rod, ready to start fishing. Chapter 3 - You call this a fish? Today''s Weather: The sky is clear. Not a cloud in sight ¡ª perfect weather for fishing! Location: Sea of Origins Remaining Daylight: 5 hours Temperature: 12~20¡ãC Wind Strength: Level 1 Yang Yi took a deep breath and checked his status. Sanity: 100/100 Energy: 90/100 He used the simple crafting function in the logbook to create a basic spear with 5 pieces of wood, just in case. He secured the flintlock pistol at his waist. That way, if he caught something bigter, he could subdue it by force. As the logbook said, bait would improve efficiency but wasn¡¯t a strictly necessary requirement for fishing. All preparations wereplete. Now...let''s fish! Yang Yi cast the line. The hook traced an arc as itnded in the sea. He wasn''t very skilled at fishing; however...he had plenty of time to learn! After fifteen minutes, the float remained motionless. Yang Yi opened the global chat channel to see what other fishermen had caught, to set his expectations. "Did you guys know I had a bite? 100cm!" A photo of arge bass apanied the message. "Who asked you?!" "I caught a big one too!" "How big?" "Huge. Couldn¡¯t even reel it in!" "Then why say anything at all?" ¡­ Yang Yi scrolled up and finally found an interesting message. "Be careful when fishing. If something seems off, cut the line immediately. There''s no penalty as long as you don''t lose the rod. The line regenerates infinitely." "What did you catch?" "It looked like a person. I cut it right away." "A mermaid, perhaps? You released your wife!" "That thing was definitely strange. You can tell by looking at my rod." ¡¾**Name: **Refined Carbon Fiber Fishing Rod¡¿ ¡¾Type: Tool¡¿ ¡¾Grade: Premium¡¿ ¡¾Description: An excellent fishing rod that can be passed down to your grandchildren. Increases fishing efficiency, reduces energy consumption, and slightly raises the chance of catching something unusual.¡¿ "Nice rod! Mine¡¯s just a standard one." "Be grateful! I¡¯m a seasoned fisherman, and I don¡¯t even have a rod yet. I¡¯m still using a grappling hook. A basic fishing rod needs ten pieces of wood to craft!" "Quit being jealous! Check out my boat." ¡¾**Name: **Fisherman''s Boat, Level 1, Durability 345/400, Capacity 500 Units, Speed 25 knots¡¿ ¡¾Skill: None¡¿ ¡¾Description: It¡¯s not sturdy andcks skills, but it makes you look like a real fisherman.¡¿ Seeing the small boat with a speed of 25 knots, half the people stopped being envious. "Why is your boat¡¯s durability down?" "I just pulled up a three-metre great white shark; it nearly swallowed me¡­ Now, I cut the line on anything big. You never know who¡¯s going to eat whom!" ... Yang Yi kept scrolling and discovered that fishing here could yield not just fish but also other strange items, including treasure chests, freshwater, and more. "I caught a treasure chest!" "A treasure chest? What¡¯s inside?" "Secret!" "You guys are catching fish, and I haven¡¯t seen a single one yet! All I¡¯ve caught are socks, a farmer¡¯s punch, and even a balloon." "A farmer¡¯s punch¡­?" "Is this balloon legit? It better not be used!" ... Yang Yi was prepared ¡ª if something unusual surfaced, he would cut the line. A few minutester, the float finally started to move as if something was biting. Yang Yi held his breath, focusing intently. He had a spear and a pistol on hand, so as long as it was a fish, it would be fine... The float sank. Now! Yang Yi yanked the rod, his eyes fixed on the deep blue sea. He didn¡¯t see anyrge shadows, and with a quick pull, the catch was hauled out of the water effortlessly, offering little resistance. What he pulled up was a small fish, about the width of his thumb. It was about three centimetres long, streamlined like an ordinary sardine. However, it was odd. It sported four long legs, about five centimetres each, on its sides. ¡°Is this...a fish?¡± Yang Yi was shocked, locking eyes with the strange creature that was standing upright in front of him. ¡¾You discovered a strange fish. Sanity decreased by 2 points.¡¿ A beat after, the fish used its long legs to try and escape back into the sea, but Yang Yi quickly struck it dead with his spear. ¡¾Name: Long-Legged Sardine¡¿ ¡¾Type: Food¡¿ ¡¾Description: A species from the abyss. It¡¯s said that eating it regrly can give you long legs. Edible, non-toxic, and delicious, but consuming it requires courage as it might lower sanity.¡¿ Yang Yi picked up the fish, which weighed less than 100 grams. Its four pale, long legs were already broken. With a structure identical to human legs, they felt springy to the touch. ¡°Can this be eaten?¡± Yang Yi recalled the ship¡¯s skill ¡ª Curse of the Angler: You will not catch normal fish. He used the logbook to take a picture of the fish and shared it on the global channel. ¡°Has anyone else caught a fish like this?¡± A single stone stirred up a thousand waves. ¡°Whoa, what is that thing? Mental pollution! Sanity -8.¡± ¡°You call that a fish?¡± ¡°Why did you hurt my eyes? Sanity -10!¡± ¡°Blocked!¡± ¡°Blocked!¡± ¡°Never want to see it again!¡± Yang Yi was instantly blocked by over a billion people, all of whom lost some sanity. However, someone sent him a private message. ¡°Is the sea around you ck? Leave quickly, or you might get attacked by some unspeakable creatures!¡± Yang Yi nced at the bright blue sea beneath his boat, feeling somewhat speechless. ¡°No, my ship is a ghost ship...¡± ¡°Wow, impressive! Let¡¯s be friends!¡± Captain Xu Da of the Swift Wind sent a friend request. Yang Yi epted; making friends didn¡¯t cost anything. ¡°You shouldn''t post pictures like that again. My sanity is down to 54. Any lower, and I¡¯ll go mad.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Yang Yi also realised the seriousness of the situation, but for the sake of food and water, he had to keep fishing! ¡¾You caught a Long-Legged Sardine.¡¿ ¡¾You caught a Long-Legged Sardine.¡¿ ¡¾You caught a Long-Legged Sardine with a missing leg.¡¿ ¡°SHIT!¡± ¡¾Your sanity decreased by 1.¡¿ Yang Yi felt like the system gave him an abnormal ship on purpose. Fishing these god-forsaken creatures would have already driven other people mad. After three hours, he had only caught a total of eight Long-Legged Sardines, and hadn¡¯t seen a drop of freshwater! Where¡¯s that farmer¡¯s punch everyone mentioned? Without food, a person can survive for over a week. Without water, a person will die in three to five days, unless...they drink their own urine! Yang Yi simply didn¡¯t want to reach that point! And so, with a new-found resolve, he grabbed a Long-Legged Sardine to use as bait and began his next round of fishing. Chapter 4 - Waterlogged Treasure Chest After over an hour of fishing, the sky began to darken. The first night was approaching. Yang Yi¡¯s stomach growled, and the long-legged sardines scattered nearby started to look appetising. However, eating them would likely cost him some sanity. Unless it were absolutely necessary, he wouldn¡¯t eat them. Besides, there was no stove on the ship, so he¡¯d have to eat them raw. Nuh-uh. Just then, the bobber started to twitch, and Yang Yi¡¯s spirits lifted. With a strong pull, he reeled in a ck fish. This time, the fish didn¡¯t have long legs; instead, it was covered in spikes, and its slimy, swollen body oozed ck, foul-smelling pus as it hit the deck. ¡¾This fish is disgusting, your sanity decreases by 2.¡¿ Before Yang Yi could even stab it with his spear, the fish died on its own. ¡¾Name: Cystic Spiny Pufferfish¡¿ ¡¾Type: Food¡¿ ¡¾Description: A deep-sea fish whose bodily fluids are highly toxic. No one would eat this unless they have a death wish.¡¿ "Poisonous?" Yang Yi didn¡¯t dare touch it directly, so he skewered it with his spear and tossed it into the ship¡¯s hold. He also made sure to stab it a few more times until the tip of the spear was coated in ck, turning it into a poisonous wooden spear. The sky was getting darker, with less than an hour left before nightfall. The system had emphasised that night would be dangerous, so Yang Yi didn¡¯t n on fishing after dark. But just as he was putting away his fishing rod and preparing to head to the captain¡¯s quarters, a peculiar object floated by on the sea. It was a chest ¡ª to be precise, a treasure chest about the size of a briefcase ¡ª drifting past the side of the Nightmare ship. Yang Yi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately went to the helm, turning the ship around to chase after the chest. This was an opportunity that couldn¡¯t be missed! He manoeuvred the ship¡¯s grappling hook to snatch the chest. It almost seemed alive, as it was slippery and constantly dodged his attempts. After much effort, he finally managed to grab it and rushed into the hold to inspect it. ¡¾Name: Waterlogged Rotten Wood Chest¡¿ ¡¾Type: Treasure Chest¡¿ ¡¾Description: This may not be the kind of treasure chest you were hoping for.¡¿ Yang Yi was cautious, holding his flintlock pistol in one hand and using his spear to pry open the chest. Inside was...a severed head. It was bald and sported greyish-blue skin, seemingly covered in ayer of slime. As soon as the chest opened, the head reacted, its murky eyes opening as it spoke. ¡°Good evening. Could I trouble you for a few minutes to introduce you to the all-knowing and all-powerful Lord?¡± ¡¾You cannotprehend its words, your sanity decreases by 5.¡¿ Yang Yi¡¯s scalp tingled, his body trembling slightly. ¡°Good evening. Could I...¡± In the next moment, the head leaped out, revealing its true form ¡ª a squid with a human head. It lunged at Yang Yi, extending his mass of writhing tentacles, and revealed a beak-like mouth filled with sharp teeth, ready to bite him. But before it could, it was met with a... Bang! The gun didn¡¯t misfire this time. The gunshot rang out, muffled and heavy, like the growl of a monster. The squid exploded into pieces, reduced to a heap of flesh. ¡¾Hearing the strange gunshot, your sanity decreases by 3.¡¿ Yang Yi felt a surge of frustration and nausea but quickly checked his status. Sanity: 88/100 Energy: 62/100 Health: 100/100 It seemed that losing sanity could mess with one¡¯s mind. Fortunately, Yang Yi¡¯s mental strength was incredibly high, his willpower as tough as steel. He quickly regained hisposure and examined the remains of the creature. ¡¾Name: Human-Headed Octopus¡¿ ¡¾Type: Food/Material¡¿ ¡¾Description: A deep-sea species. Do not attempt to understand its words; they are merely a distraction to catch you off guard. But if you do understand it¡­well, good luck. Edible, can be used as material, mildly toxic. Eating it temporarily increases Strength by +1, Constitution by +1, Spirit -1, Sanity -20.¡¿ ¡¾Note: Cannot exceed the mortal limit for attributes, which is 10.¡¿ This thing still had some value. Yang Yi gathered the pieces of flesh and continued to inspect the inside of the chest. There were some corroded coins, one of which he took out. It had a shell engraved on one side and a cartoonish octopus head on the other. ¡°You¡¯ve obtained 100 shell coins.¡± Aside from these, the chest was empty. What about the freshwater? Shell coins couldn¡¯t be drunk! Night was falling fast. Yang Yi tossed the captain¡¯s remains into the hold and returned to the captain¡¯s quarters. He had no intention of fishing or catching anything during the night. The system had warned that the night would be dangerous, and he didn¡¯t want to take unnecessary risks right at the start. As for water, he would try again tomorrow. Foodwise, he didn¡¯t mind eating the long-legged sardines if it came down to it! To survive, Yang Yi was willing to eat some strange things, as long as they provided protein and energy. He had never been one to give up easily. Not before, and certainly not now! He lied on the old, musty bed, tossing and turning. It was damp and smelt of mildew, making it ufortable. He had no other choice. Night had fully fallen. Only the faint light of the moon shone through. Apart from the sound of the waves and the wind, there was nothing else. Yang Yi wasn¡¯t sleepy, so he opened the world channel. "Grappling hooks can catch treasure chests," he posted. This information wasn¡¯t really that valuable, as anyone who saw a treasure chest would surely try to catch it. But sharing it could earn him goodwill and more information. ¡°It¡¯s true. I also caught a wooden resource chest and got 1 unit of steel, 20 units of wood, and 20 units of cloth.¡± ¡°Wow, you¡¯re close to upgrading your ship; lucky you!¡± ¡°Heh heh... I caught a bronze equipment chest and got a treasure!¡± ¡¾Name: A bloodstained pearl ne¡¿ ¡¾Type: Relic¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Good¡¿ ¡¾Description: It was once a bride¡¯s dowry...her soul is still searching for it. Wearing it increases Agility +1, Spirit -1, and lowers Sanity cap by 5.¡¿ ¡°Uh...I don¡¯t think that¡¯s really a treasure...¡± ¡°You¡¯re just jealous!¡± ¡°It¡¯s so dark, my ship doesn¡¯t have lights ¡ª I probably need to upgrade it.¡± ¡°No nkets either; I¡¯m freezing!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t sleep!¡± ¡°Have you noticed the waves getting bigger on the surface?¡± ¡°The rougher the waves, the more expensive the fish. Let¡¯s go fishing, brothers!¡± ¡°Night fishing +1.¡± ¡°+2.¡± ¡­ ¡°+10086.¡± ¡°Has anyone else heard singing? It¡¯s really beautiful.¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t scare me. Where would the singing being from in the middle of the ocean?¡± ¡°I see her, it¡¯s a beautiful woman singing¡­ So sexy. She¡¯s waving at me!¡± ¡°Dude, check your sanity! That¡¯s a siren, oh crap!¡± ¡°She¡¯s so beautiful, she¡¯s swimming towards me!¡± ¡°Bro, get into the captain¡¯s quarters and lock the door!¡± ¡°It¡¯s over; he¡¯s already been charmed.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Dude, are you still there? It¡¯ste, don¡¯t scare us like this!¡± ¡°Hello?¡± No more messages came from that user... Yang Yi frowned. The system¡¯s warnings were not baseless. He listened closely, but heard no singing. He got up and cautiously opened the door to the captain¡¯s quarters. The door of this ghost ship was old and decayed, with a broken lock that was just for show. He cracked the door open and carefully observed the outside, bathed by the moonlight. After a few minutes, as there were no signs of movement, he dashed out, heading to the bow of the ship, and adjusted the speed to ten knots. Slowing down the speed could reduce the chance of encountering monsters. If something were to happen while he was asleep, he would be defenceless! But staying in ce wasn¡¯t a good option either. Yang Yi believed that a speed of ten knots was just right. It kept a safe distance from the ck fog behind him. After setting everything up, he returned to the captain¡¯s quarters, cing the flintlock pistol on the bedside table and leaning the spear against the wall. He watched the chat channel for a while longer before finally drifting off to sleep with faint whispers echoing in his ears. His brow furrowed, and sweat beaded on his forehead. Was he trapped in a nightmare? Chapter 5 - The First Nightmare The first night at sea was destined to be sleepless. Yang Yi didn''t know how long he had been lying there before finally drifting off to sleep. He tossed, turned, and had cold sweat constantly breaking out on his forehead. He was having a nightmare. At the same time, in the hold of the Nightmare ship, the captain¡¯s skeletal remains suddenly stirred. The bones began to tremble, and a ghostly fire ignited within the shattered skull. Creak! Creak! The bones scraped and rattled against each other as the skeleton stood up. It walked out of the hold, slowly making its way towards the captain''s quarters at the bow of the ship, gently pushing the door open. Inside, Yang Yi was still deep in sleep, asionally turning over. The skeleton stared at Yang Yi for a long time before its gaze was drawn to a barnacle-encrusted fishing rod nearby. It walked over and picked up said fishing rod. Without lingering, it exited the room and headed to the rtively spacious middle deck, where it began to fish. Several minutester, something bit the hook. A pale, swollen hand reached out from the sea and grabbed the fishing line¡­ Yang Yi was still having a nightmare. "Ah!" He suddenly woke up, clutching his abdomen. After confirming there was no injury, he let out a long sigh of relief. Just moments ago, he had dreamt of a bloated corpse silently pushing open the door and walking in. The dream was overly vivid, as if he had actually seen it with his own eyes. He remembered the sound of the corpse moving. Squish, squish! It was like a wet mop pping against the floor. By the time Yang Yi woke up, the corpse was right in front of him. Without hesitation, he grabbed the flintlock pistol by his bedside and fired at the corpse. Click! The gun misfired. In the next moment, the corpse pinned him down on the bed, leaving him utterly helpless as it disembowelled him, spilling his hot, red organs onto the floor. ¡¾You experienced death, ughtered and devoured, losing 15 points of sanity.¡¿ Phew! It was just a dream! Yang Yi let out a sigh of relief. But suddenly, he noticed the door to the captain¡¯s quarters was actually open. He quickly grabbed the flintlock pistol. "Was it the wind? No, it couldn''t be. There hasn''t been much wind at sea today!" Squish, squish! The familiar footsteps approached. A bloated corpse appeared at the doorway. It looked like it had been soaking in the sea for a long time, swollen and rotten, still wearing tattered sailor clothes covered in seaweed. At that moment, it fixed its pale, lifeless eyes on Yang Yi... "FxxK!" ¡¾Seeing an abomination, you lose 5 points of sanity.¡¿ Yang Yi cursed, immediately firing his gun. Click. The gun jammed. It seemed the corpse still retained some intelligence, for it grinned. A crab crawled out of its almost toothless mouth. This scene was eerily simr to the nightmare, so Yang Yi was somewhat prepared. As the gun misfired, he immediately hurled the flintlock pistol like a rock, striking the corpse''s head. Taking advantage of the moment the corpse was hit, Yang Yi grabbed a nearby spear and charged at it, driving it into the corpse''s neck. He wasn¡¯t trying to kill it; he was just desperate to escape the captain''s quarters. Only by getting out of this narrow space and onto the deck would he have a chance to fight the corpse! With considerable force and weight, Yang Yi barely squeezed past the bloated corpse. The stench of decay almost made him vomit. ¡¾The nauseating stench causes you to lose 5 points of sanity.¡¿ Yang Yi wasn¡¯t strong enough to knock the corpse down, so overpowering it in a direct fight was impossible. He bolted to the deck at the bow. Here, he had enough space to manoeuvre and evade the corpse! Yang Yi looked back. Sure enough, the bloated corpse was slow and clumsy, not at all a match for Yang Yi in terms of speed. "I can win!" Yang Yi grew excited. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, his breathing quickening. There was a raised tform at the bow with a ship''s wheel on it. All he had to do was imitate the ancient sages, using therge wheel as cover and running circles round it to dodge the corpse''s pursuit. In the meantime, he started counting down in his mind. "48." "47." The wooden spear had pierced through the corpse¡¯s neck, but it chased after Yang Yi as if nothing had happened. ¡­ "3." "2." Yang Yi stopped circling, broke away from the corpse, and dashed back to the captain''s quarters. He picked up the flintlock pistol at the door, aimed it at the corpse, and held his breath to steady his aim. The target was big and close; there was no way he could miss unless the gun misfired again! Bang! The gunshot was deafening, akin to a sharp wail that made one nauseous. ¡¾The eerie gunshot causes you to lose 2 points of sanity.¡¿ The shot was slightly off, but it still hit. The corpse''s head partially shattered, ck pus sttering on the floor, and it toppled forwards, struggling to stay upright. "I won¡­" Yang Yi¡¯s tense nerves slightly rxed. He walked towards the corpse, intending to retrieve the spear. However, at that moment, the corpse, which he thought to be dead, suddenly moved again! Even with most of its head shattered, it could move! A pale hand mped onto Yang Yi¡¯s ankle, the grip so strong it dug into his flesh. It left deep marks. ¡°Damn! It¡¯s not dead yet?¡± Yang Yi immediately reacted, his eyes shing with ferocity. He picked up the spear and stabbed it into the corpse again. This time, the spear went straight through the gaping wound in the corpse''s skull. After the strike, the corpse''s grip gradually weakened ¡ª it seemed effective. Yet for some reason, just before the corpse died, it turned its head to look at Yang Yi, its eyes filled with malice. Then, its abdomen began to swell rapidly. Self-destruction?! Yang Yi realised it immediately and instinctively threw himself backwards. With a dull thud, putrid flesh and shattered bones sprayed everywhere, like a rain of blood. The corpse had exploded, making quite a mess. Fortunately, the corpse was lying face down, so most of the explosion¡¯s force was directed at the deck. Yang Yi had dodged in time, mostly avoiding the flying bones and flesh. His foot was still unlucky enough to get injured. It throbbed in pain as two teeth had pierced through his shoe and stabbed right into it. His forearm was also grazed by a stray bone shard, although the wound was shallow. As for the falling chunks of flesh, they had lost their lethal force, merely sttering Yang Yi and making him nauseous. ¡¾The disgusting body parts make you nauseous, causing you to lose 2 points of sanity.¡¿ Yang Yi struggled to his feet, prying the corpse''s hand off his ankle and checking his status. Status: Injured (The human diagram shows yellow marks on the left foot and forearm.) Sanity: 55/100 Energy: 40/100 Health: 91/100 He removed his left shoe, grimacing as he pulled out the teeth embedded in his foot. Thankfully, the force hadn¡¯t been as strong as a bullet. After piercing his shoe, it only barely broke the skin. Otherwise, it could have been deadly! Yang Yi painfully stood up and looked at the corpse, then gasped. On the deck, only a broken skeleton remained. The entire spine was missing, likely sted into the sea. As for the ribs, they were lodged into the deck like arrows, buried deep in the wood. The explosion was powerful, but Yang Yi had been in the direction with the least force. If he had been hit by one of those rib-like arrows, he wouldn''t be alive! At the same time, new information about the corpse appeared in the log. ¡¾Name: Drowned Revenant¡¿ ¡¾Description: A person who drowned at sea, driven by resentment towards the living, rises again as a monster. Can be used in the Monster Vending Machine.¡¿ "Monster Vending Machine? What is that?" Yang Yi was confused. But as he calmed down, he realised another troubling detail. He had noticed the Drowned Revenant just before it entered the captain''s quarters. But what had opened the door to the captain¡¯s quarters? Before the Drowned Revenant appeared, the door to the captain''s quarters was already open! The thought sent chills down his spine as he heard footsteps approaching from behind. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder. Something had stabbed him¡­ Chapter 6 - Madness ¡°There¡¯s still something on the ship!¡± Although Yang Yi realised this, it was toote. A fishing rod stabbed his left shoulder, piercing deep into the flesh. He immediately started running forwards while ncing back, his right hand clutching the fresh wound. In front of him was a skeleton with half of its skull missing, and within it burned a ghastly green soul fire.1 It was the captain¡¯s skeleton. He was alive and was holding a fishing rod, its tip stained red with Yang Yi¡¯s blood. The skeleton looked at Yang Yi, its jaw moving up and down as if mocking him. ¡°You damned backstabber!¡± Yang Yi cursed, his eyes zing with fury. ¡¾Ambushed by the dead, your sanity decreases by 10.¡¿ ¡¾With sanity below 50, you enter a madness state, bing immune to most mental debuffs. Strength +2, Agility +1, Constitution +1, Spirit -2. You feel no pain, do not tire, and are fearless until your sanity recovers. Mental debuffs include charm, mind control, fear, despair, etc.¡¿ ¡¾Note: When energy is depleted, vitality will be consumed instead. The maximum attributes in a berserk state are capped at 10, not exceeding the mortal limit.¡¿ Yang Yi raised his gun and fired at the skeleton. Click! The gun misfired. The skeleton, holding the fishing rod like a spear, charged forwards. Even if Yang Yi felt no pain, his injured foot still affected his movement to some extent. Fighting the skeleton whilst hurt and circling around it was too risky. One careless move, and he could be impaled by the two-metre-long weapon! After a brief consideration, Yang Yi changed his tactics. Instead of retreating, he advanced directly towards the skeleton. He threw the spear in his hand, and as it hit the skeleton squarely and lodged in its bones, it momentarily stiffened its movements. Seizing the opportunity, he approached the skeleton and engaged in closebat. He still had a weapon in hand, a blunt one at that! As long as he gripped the flintlock¡¯s barrel, the gun would turn into a short hammer. Exceptionally effective against skeletons. He raised the flintlock high, aiming to smash the skeleton¡¯s cracked skull, targeting its soul fire. The skeleton reacted swiftly, immediately reaching out to block him. It seemed to fear the gun, abandoning the fishing rod to try and grab it. Naturally, Yang Yi wouldn¡¯t let that happen. The two began to grapple over the gun. The skeleton¡¯s strength was slightly lower than Yang Yi¡¯s in his madness state, probably around 4. But amidst the struggle, Yang Yi couldn¡¯t find the opportunity tounch an effective attack. If the gun identally fired and hit himself, he¡¯d die of shame instead! He needed a n. Even in the current state, Yang Yi remained clear-headed and quickly came up with an idea. The skeleton wanted the flintlock? Then let it have it! After wrestling for a while longer, he suddenly pulled the trigger. Click! The gun misfired again. He decisively abandoned it. Sure enough, most of the skeleton¡¯s attention was focused on the flintlock. Yang Yi sessfully broke free from the struggle and ran towards the cabin. By the time the skeleton caught up, it only saw a dim figure. It was Yang Yi, in the darkness, holding an unidentified mass of flesh and frantically devouring it. The skeleton pulled the trigger, but the gun didn¡¯t react; from the bow to the stern, it was just over ten metres. Both had run there, so the flintlock was still cooling. A gun that can¡¯t fire is no different from a hammer! Yang Yi charged forwards, his mouth covered in ck, sticky liquid, his eyes bloodshot. ¡¾You consumed a human-headed octopus. Strength +1, Constitution +1, Spirit -1, Sanity -20,sting 1 minute.¡¿ Thus, Yang Yi¡¯s strength increased from three to six points, doubling entirely! (Madness +2) He discovered that the strength in the stats wasn¡¯t linear but exponential. This meant that being two points stronger allowed him to crush his opponent with ease. Yang Yi closed in. The skeleton hadn¡¯t yet reacted, seemingly still puzzled as to why the gun wouldn¡¯t fire. In the next second, Yang Yi tackled the skeleton to the ground, violently ripping off two of its arm bones, flinging them aside. Yang Yi didn¡¯t relent, thrusting his right hand into the crack in the skeleton¡¯s skull, reaching for the soul fire within. At this point, the skeleton finally showed some fear, its jaw ttering as if begging for mercy. It was toote; it had no means to resist. Yang Yi grasped the soul fire. It wasn¡¯t hot, but rather warm. The skeleton¡¯s reaction was intense. Its whole body trembled and scattered, bing a pile of ordinary bones as the soul fire extinguished. Was the skeleton dead for sure? Not necessarily! After being tricked by the Drowned Revenant, Yang Yi became much more cautious! He grabbed the skeleton¡¯s skull and ced it on the ship¡¯s railing. He strongly suspected the skeleton wasn¡¯t dead, even though he could now view its information. ¡¾Name: The Captain¡¯s Remains¡¿ ¡¾Description: He was once a captain who loved fishing until he caught¡­ Can be used in the Monster Vending Machine.¡¿ Two minutester, as expected, the eerie green light reappeared inside the skull. Without hesitation, Yang Yi fired the gun. Bang! mes erupted, the gunshot shrill. The skull was sted into fragments by the flintlock. ¡¾The gunshot is strange, your sanity decreases by 1¡¿ ¡°Looks like subduing or killing monsters allows you to obtain their information.¡± But what exactly was this Monster Vending Machine? Yang Yi had never seen it, and there wasn¡¯t one on the ship! To be safe, it was best if he kept the monsters'' corpses. Yang Yi threw them into the cabin and took the skeleton¡¯s arm and thigh bones. After all, there might still be headless skeleton soldiers! Yang Yi had seen them in games before. It was better to separate some parts of the body! Having learnt his lesson, Yang Yi seemed to have grown a hundred times more vignt. After simply treating his wounds with some cloth, he returned to the captain¡¯s cabin. At the same time, he checked his own status: Name: Yang Yi Status: Injured. (On the humanoid diagram, both legs and the left shoulder are yellow.) Sanity: 24/100 Energy: 21/100 Vitality: 82/100 No wonder he was exhausted; his energy was so low... Yang Yi opened the world chat channel and typed a line casually. ¡°Remember to lock your doors when you sleep tonight!¡± Someone quickly responded. ¡°Boss, what happened? Did you encounter a siren?¡± ¡°Whoa, did you kill it?¡± ¡°Is it hard to fight? Does it drop loot?¡± Yang Yi replied in a bad mood. ¡°No, just pure torment!¡± He ignored the rest of the replies, closed the world channel, lied down on the bed, and ced the skeleton¡¯s thigh bone under the mattress as a pillow. At the same time, he kept the gun within arm''s reach. Last night was too dangerous! Any mistake could have led to his doom. Tomorrow, he nned to set up some sound traps to serve as an early warning. If he could detect things beforehand, many dangers could be avoided. As he pondered, he tried to fall asleep. But until dawn came, he didn¡¯t manage to rest. Notes
  1. Brook?-Simply?
Chapter 7 - Monster Vending Machine Yang Yi barely slept in thetter half of the night. When daylight broke, he decided to get up, tossing the rotten bones he''d been using as a makeshift pillow under the bed. After all this time, the captain¡¯s skeleton should be truly dead. Yang Yi seemed like a different person. His face was pale, with deep, dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. As soon as he stepped out of the captain''s cabin, he noticed something new on the deck ¡ª a statue? It was a cartoonish octopus monster with wings on its back, crouching on a stone. "What is this...?" he wondered aloud, and then a notification popped up in his log. ¡¾Last night, 13,000 people sessfully defeated monsters, with one person even achieving an impressive double kill!¡¿ ¡¾Based on your achievements, the system will reward you with a special talent.¡¿ ¡¾Additionally, the Monster Vending Machine is now avable. You can insert monster corpses or body parts into the machine to receive rewards. The bodies will be automatically collected. Be careful, don¡¯t throw in garbage or live creatures, or you¡¯ll anger the machine!¡¿ The world chat immediately exploded with excitement. ¡°There are monsters in this world? What do they look like? Has anyone seen one?¡± ¡°Free me, I¡¯ll give you anything you want!¡± ¡°There¡¯s a talent reward? I missed out! A skeleton monster knocked on my doorst night, but I didn¡¯t open it. If I had known, I would¡¯ve taken the risk.¡± ¡°If you had opened it, you might¡¯ve been dead.¡± ¡°Monster Vending Machine? Did anyone find this thing?¡± ¡°I found mine on the deck. It¡¯s a giant cat face, pretty cute, actually.¡± ¡°Mine¡¯s in the cabin, looks like a cartoon robot!¡± ¡°Mine¡¯s a clown...freaked me out. It¡¯s in the captain¡¯s room!¡± ¡°Are they all different for everyone?¡± Yang Yi turned to look at his own Vending Machine ¡ª a cartoonish octopus monster with a wide-open mouth and tentacles around its lips, seemingly begging to be fed... ¡¾Reward issued: You have obtained the talent: ???¡¿ ¡¾Unlock conditions: ???, Attempts: 0/3.¡¿ What is this? It needed to be unlocked? Yang Yi checked the world chat again. Others were also asking about the talents that required unlocking. Each person''s unlocking condition was different, with some requiring thousands and others a few dozen. He only needed 3 attempts, which was one of the lowest. Soon, someone figured out the unlocking conditions, which were usually simple tasks. ¡°My unlock condition is walking, I need to walk 100,000 steps. So frustrating!¡± ¡°That¡¯s nothing! Mine is to breathe 3 million times ¡ª totally random¡­¡± ¡°At least you have a goal. Mine is 0/100 with no clue what to do.¡± ¡°Maybe you just need to survive 100 days¡­¡± ¡°This system¡­ If you don¡¯t want to give us talents, just don¡¯t give them!¡± Yang Yi nced at his 0/3, shook his head, and decided to leave it to fate. He walked into the cabin, intending to trade the monster corpses for vending prizes. The captain¡¯s skeleton couldn¡¯t be used since it was unique, so he only took the severed hand of the Drowned Revenant and tossed it into the Octopus Vending Machine. 1 As soon as he did, the machine''s eyes lit up with a red glow, and the tentacles around its mouth started to change colours. Yang Yi turned the dial on its chest, hearing the sound of vending balls shing inside. The atmosphere was intense... ¡°Such dark humor!¡± Yang Yimented. Soon, a glowing orb rolled out. When Yang Yi picked it up, it transformed into a bottle of eerie blue liquid. ¡¾Name: Resentment of the Drowned¡¿ ¡¾Type: Consumable¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Good¡¿ ¡¾Description: Upon consumption, Sanity -20. For one minute, you will be perceived as a Drowned Revenant and will not be attacked by lower-level monsters.¡¿ Yang Yi¡¯s eyes lit up. This could be a useful tool for survival. In simr games, such items would be quite valuable. The world chat was also buzzing, with people showing off their vending rewards. ¡°I got a token!¡± ¡¾Name: Pale Bone Token¡¿ ¡¾Type: Relic¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Description: Summons a skeleton to fight for you for 15 minutes. After that, it will lose control and turn on the summoner. Upon death, its body will disappear. Cooldown: 24 hours. Make sure you can defeat the skeleton before using it.¡¿ ¡°That¡¯s strong! Sell it to me, I¡¯ll pay a billion!¡± ¡°A billion is useless here, we need Shell Coins, and there¡¯s no trading system unless we meet up in person.¡± ¡°How about my dagger?¡± ¡¾Name: Serrated Dagger¡¿ ¡¾Type: Treasure¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Description: A short, sharp dagger with afortable grip, capable of causing minor damage regardless of its length. Its only downside is that it¡¯s short!¡¿ ¡°Alright, we get it, your knife is short.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t buy that weapon, too embarrassing!¡± ¡°...¡± Many people showed off their vending prizes, most being good quality and not excellent. Overall, relics were more effective than treasures, but they often came with sanity loss risks and potential side effects. Yang Yi¡¯s rusty flintlock could deal moderate harm, whereas most excellent weapons could only cause minor damage. His weapon was far superior, despite its limitations ¡ª a single shot per minute, potential misfires, and sanity reduction. It seemed like a bncing mechanism. Yang Yi shifted his focus and gulped down half a long-legged sardine. He was starving, and afterst night¡¯s ordeal, his concerns had significantly diminished. To survive, these things didn¡¯t matter. ¡¾Eating the long-legged sardine has reduced your sanity by 2 points.¡¿ The fish had started to go bad but hadn¡¯t yet rotted. It provided some energy and a small amount of water. After finishing the sardine, Yang Yi felt somewhat satiated and checked his status. After resting overnight, his energy and sanity had gone up, but due to nightmares and insomnia, the recovery was minimal. The wounds hadn¡¯t healed well, and he wasn¡¯t sure if they were infected either... Name: Yang Yi Status: Injured (The human figure diagram shows the wounded areas in yellow) Sanity: 74/100 Energy: 52/100 Vitality: 83/100 He headed to the cabin. Today¡¯s top priority was to make noise traps. These monsters weren¡¯t very intelligent, so the traps didn¡¯t need to be too hidden. He just needed to use basic crafting skills to create some long ropes, drill big holes in thin wooden pieces, and string them together. The wooden pieces were easy to obtain and could be shaped into any cubic form, with one unit roughly equal to a cubic decimetre of wood. After stringing the wooden pieces together and tying knots to separate them, he hung them in the passageway in front of the captain¡¯s cabin and on the door. Yang Yi tested it; the sound difference between wind movement and a person bumping into it was quite noticeable, providing some level of early warning. By the time he finished, the morning had passed, and the wood and fabric he had previously salvaged were all used up. Yang Yi wasn¡¯t in a hurry to gather more resources. The immediate concern was freshwater. He needed to fish more and keep an eye out for floating supplies, hoping to find a treasure chest. As he was thinking this, Yang Yi suddenly felt something was wrong. His body felt hot, his face was burning, and his stomach ached. He immediately became alert and checked his status again. Name: Yang Yi Status: Injured/Infected with Corpse Poison (Mild)/Food Poisoning) (Mild, Diarrhea) (The entire body has turned yellow, with the wounded areas in a darker shade) ¡°Damn it!¡± The worst-case scenario had happened ¡ª he was infected with corpse poison from the Drowned Revenant! Out here on the open sea, he had no medicine¡­ Notes
  1. The name has changed as per the raw text (only for Yang Yi) -Simply?
Chapter 8 - Did I just catch some fruit? Today''s Weather: Sunny day, perfect for fishing and castings. Location: Sea of Origin Daylight remaining: 8 hours Temperature: 15~25¡ãC Wind strength: Level 1 Yang Yi was desperately fishing. He urgently needed not only freshwater but also medical supplies, both of which could be obtained through fishing. Yang Yi checked the world channel and found that someone had previously caught a bandage ofmon quality, which had rapid healing and anti-inmmatory effects. Although the bandage wouldn''t significantly help his current injuries, other medical supplies had to exist as well! He had to make the most of his time fishing. ¡¾You fished up a piece of rotten wood.¡¿ ¡¾You fished up a Long-Legged Sardine.¡¿ ¡¾You fished up a Long-Legged Sardine.¡¿ ¡¾You fished up a piece of rotten cloth.¡¿ ¡¾...¡¿ ¡°FxxK!¡± Yang Yi cursed as he grabbed a long-legged sardine, bit off its head, and swallowed it whole. He recalled that a survival expert once mentioned that everything except the head was edible. Yang Yi was starving, so he ate the fish as soon as he caught it. As for the fact that eating raw long-legged sardines would reduce his sanity, that was the least of his concerns at the moment. He was on the brink of starvation; how could he be fussy? When you''re desperate from hunger, anything goes! After eating a few, Yang Yi made a new discovery: sanity reduction from eating the same type of fish repeatedly seemed to decrease over time. Initially, eating a long-legged sardine would lower his sanity by 2 points, but now it mostly dropped by 1. It seemed that after eating enough of these fish, he''d eventually get used to it and stop losing any sanity. Moreover, his mental experience points were rapidly increasing. The growth of his mental state seemed to be rted to the stimuli that reduced his sanity. After two more hours of fishing, Yang Yi''s condition worsened. His wounds became unbearably itchy, but he resisted scratching to avoid further infection. Meanwhile, due to diarrhoea, he had lost a significant amount of water and electrolytes. Adding to that, his fever had caused his vision to blur, leaving him feeling increasingly dizzy and lightheaded. ¡¾Status: Injured/Infected with Corpse Poison (Moderate, Fever)/Food Poisoning (Mild, Diarrhoea)¡¿ "Just a little longer, I have to catch some life-saving medicine!" Yang Yi forced himself to continue fishing, finally pulling up something he hadn''t seen before. ¡¾You fished up an Eyeball Fish.¡¿ It was a fish with a single eye, about the size of a fist, which blinked asionally. ¡¾Name: Eyeball Fish¡¿ ¡¾Description: it is a type of fish thates from the Abyss. Despite its eerie appearance, it tastes sweet. It replenishes vitamins, electrolytes, and water.¡¿ Without hesitation, Yang Yi bit into it, causing ck fluid to squirt out. The Eyeball Fish trembled slightly in his hand. ¡¾Your sanity decreased by 2.¡¿ Creepiness aside, the fish tasted far better than the sardines. The flesh inside was slightly sweet, and Yang Yi devoured itpletely. After the delicious 1 meal, Yang Yi felt refreshed. His diarrhoea nearly stopped, but the corpse poison infection persisted. Could it be that fishing wouldn¡¯t yield any antidotes for the poison? Impossible! A fisherman can catch anything! But even after fishing all night, Yang Yi hadn¡¯t caught medical supplies. He did, however, catch a bottle of freshwater. His total haul was: ¡¾Eyeball Fish x2, Long-Legged Sardine x8, Wood x10, Cloth x9, Cystic Pufferfish x1, Freshwater 1.5 litre¡¿ Everything else Yang Yi caught had already been consumed. The 1.5L of freshwater, equivalent to one unit, could be stored in the cabin, but required a container when taken out. The cabin wasn¡¯t a physical concept; it stored resources like wood, cloth, freshwater, and steel as invisible data that could be retrieved when needed. Yang Yi, parched, had already downed one-third of a bottle of water. He had to conserve what remained, as it was a rare resource. During nightfall, Yang Yi didn¡¯t dare linger on the deck. He ended his fishing session and returned to the captain''s cabin. As usual, he simply ced the flintlock gun by his side andy down on the bed to sleep. The fever and infected wounds tormented him relentlessly. It was destined to be another sleepless night, especially with the gnarly nightmares... Unable to sleep, Yang Yi opened the chat channel, still bustling despite the time. However, those who paid close attention would notice the channel no longer disyed the same number of online users as before. The dead don¡¯t speak; they vanish without a trace... "I just made two spears. If a skeleton dares toe tonight, I''ll make it explode into coins!" "Bro, have you ever yed games before? Don''t you know skeletons have natural resistance to piercing? You''d be better off punching it!" "Taking orders for steel, I still need 982 units. DM me for details!" "Iron Heart, you¡¯re still alive?" "Hell yeah! Even if you all die, I won''t!" "How do you outrun the ck mist with a speed of only five knots?" "Give me steel, and I''ll tell you!" "Screw you! I don¡¯t want to know!" [...] At the rear of all the vessels, an irond warship was desperately fleeing. Not far behind it, the ck mist advanced at ten knots. The sea beneath was teeming with fish, all fleeing from the ck mist in terror. A chubby Chinese man stood on the bridge, unshaven, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth and his hand on the ship''s wheel. 2 Despite his arrogant and carefree attitude in chat, he truthfully was scared to death. Any slight misstep could cost him his life. Chattering nonsense was one of the few ways he could relieve his stress. His ship was well-supplied, with unlimited ammo and incredible durability. The only drawback was its slow speed, making it likely to be overtaken by the ck mist. Unfortunately, he had started the game close to it. He luckily had a giant whaling harpoon on board, a weapon designed to pierce and lodge into massive marine creatures, making it difficult to remove. He was now on the lookout for his next target ¡ª a fast-swimming,rge creature to hitch a ride with and boost his ship''s speed. "Damn it, can''t these stupid fishst a bit longer? They have such poor stamina!" He grumbled as he retracted the harpoon and aimed at his next target, trying to pick a fast and big one. This method had allowed him to survive this far, but left him with only three hours of sleep. The rest of the time was spent searching for targets. After all, these giant fish also bled, tired out, and eventually died... As for any creature foolish enough to attack his ship, he would teach them what "firepower suppression" and "civilised cannons" meant! The following day, Yang Yi woke up with difficulty, his head throbbing. He wasn¡¯t sure when he had fallen asleep, but he knew he had dreamt of ominous things that left him nauseous. This ship was in worse shape than he had anticipated. Without other means to restore his energy, his efficiency in the game would drop significantly with every passing second. Even if he had rested the entire night, his energy had only recovered by 30 points. Meanwhile, the corpse poison infection had worsened. His wounds were no longer itchy but had a faint stabbing pain, which was not a good sign... Moreover, they emitted a nauseating stench, like the odour of a long-dead fish, or the smell of the Drowned Revenant. Human immunity was no match for this type of poison! His attributes, including strength, agility, and constitution, had all decreased by 2, cing him in a weakened state. But Yang Yi did not despair. He had experienced worse ¡ª being bedridden for five years. He stepped out of the captain''s cabin, entered the ship''s hold, and ate two Eyeball Fish and several Long-Legged Sardines for breakfast before resuming his fishing. Luck was on his side that day 3, as his first catch was an Eyeball Fish. ¡¾You fished up an Eyeball Fish.¡¿ ¡¾You fished up a Long-legged Sardine.¡¿ ¡¾You fished up a piece of rotten wood.¡¿ ¡¾You fished up¡­¡¿ Suddenly, Yang Yi''s vision went ck, and he copsed onto the deck, falling unconscious. Notes
  1. You. Will. Never. Catch me eating one of those cyclops typa creatures. -Simply?
  2. Ooh l¨¤ l¨¤~ -Simply?
  3. ??? Luck? -Simply?
Chapter 9 - Unlocking Trade and a Sneak Attack ¡¾System Notification¡¿ ¡°Congrattions to all yers for surviving the fifth day. The trading system is now officially open. Please refer to the log for details¡­¡± A strange voice echoed in Yang Yi''s mind as he slowly regained consciousness. "Fifth?... Have I been unconscious for more than two days?" Yang Yi felt as if his limbs were filled with lead. His entire body was cold, his lips were cracked, and his throat was on fire. He immediately checked his status. Status: Severe Injury/Corpse Poison Infection (Severe) (His entire body has turned red) Sanity: 100/100 Energy: 23/100 Health: 14/100 (Below 100: Injured, Below 50: Moderately Injured, Below 30: Severely Injured, Below 10: Critical Condition, In Critical Condition, further attacks may lead to instant death) Yang Yi was already on the brink of death. Struggling to get up, he felt a dire need for water. He decided to eat something to replenish his fluids and then check the trading channel to see if he could buy any life-saving medicine. But just as he rose, he noticed a ship docked alongside him. It was a pirate ship, flying a skull g, over twenty metres long, with two grappling hooks securing it to his ship, the Nightmare. A narrow wooden nk had been ced between the two ships, forming a makeshift bridge. "Not good!" Yang Yi was instantly alert, but it was toote. An arrow flew towards him, striking his left arm with such force that it pierced straight through. That one hit reduced Yang Yi''s health by 9 points, pushing him into a critical state. He immediately copsed, hiding below the ship''s railing. Momentster, he heard movement on the wooden nk between the two ships. Someone was crossing it. They were likelying to confirm whether Yang Yi was dead or alive. The arrow hadn''t been fatal, as it missed all vital organs. But Yang Yi had fallen quickly, so the assant might not have seen clearly. Due to certain rules, the intruder couldn''t directly board the Nightmare. So, they had been waiting for Yang Yi, the ship''s owner, to show up so they could kill him and im the ship... Yang Yi quickly pieced together what had happened, his eyes gleaming with resolve. "If you want to kill me, then you must be prepared to be killed...without anyints!" He made up his mind. Although his left arm was injured, it wasn''t too painful. His right arm was still functional, allowing him to aim and pull the trigger. So, he gripped the flintlock pistol, secretly disabling thending restrictions. He was quite certain the assant didn''t have powerful cannons; otherwise, they would have already blown the ship to pieces. As the man boarded the ship, the first thing he noticed was a body lying on the deck. The body looked ghastly, with bloodshot eyes and pale skin, exuding a nauseating stench of decay (caused by the corpse poison). What was even more terrifying was that this "corpse" was holding arge-calibre flintlock pistol, its ck barrel aimed directly at him... "Don''t move! If you try to draw your bow or make any aggressive moves, I''ll blow your head off right now!" Yang Yi threatened, slowly sitting up from the ground. The intruder, now staring down the barrel of the gun, dared not make a move. In reality, Yang Yi was also hesitant to fire. After all, the gun was most threatening when it wasn''t fired. If he pulled the trigger, two things could happen: a misfire or a gunshot. If it misfired, Yang Yi would be as good as dead. If the gun fired, the intruder would likely be sted to pieces by the powerful flintlock. "Drop your weapons on the ground, and don''t make any sudden movements!" Yang Yi''s voice was low and hoarse, yet full of authority. The intruder hesitated, unsure whether toply. Yang Yi, seemingly unbothered, stood up, a strong stench of decay wafting from his body, making anyone around him nauseous. His left arm still had an arrow lodged in it, but he acted as if nothing were wrong. Without blinking, he reached into his clothes with his left hand and pulled out arge eyeball, taking a bite. The eyeball quivered, as if pleading for mercy. But Yang Yi was too thirsty to care, devouring it in three bites. ck, sticky liquid dripped from his mouth. The intruder was paralysed with fear. ¡¾Due to the shock, your Sanity has decreased by 10 points¡¿ Looking down, he noticed some rotten, long-legged sardines on the deck, along with a bloated, rotting pufferfish, and several decapitated sardine heads. ¡¾You have encountered some unidentified creatures with signs of consumption; your Sanity has decreased by 7 points¡¿ Realising this was a ghost ship, the intruder nearly lost his mind. With a scream, he threw down his weapon and fled. Yang Yi aimed carefully, waiting until the man had taken a few steps before pulling the trigger. Click! The gun misfired, making only a small sound. The intruder, with his back to Yang Yi, didn''t even notice. Yang Yi quickly picked up the bow and arrows the intruder had dropped. ¡¾Name: Pirate Longbow¡¿ ¡¾Type: Treasure¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Fine¡¿ ¡¾Description: Slightly increases archery uracy and reduces the strength needed to draw the string. A pirate''s goodpanion!¡¿ Without hesitation, Yang Yi dipped an arrowhead into the bloated pufferfish and then drew the bow. Whoosh! The arrow flew. Yang Yi was too weak to fully draw the bowstring, and his aim was poor. But the ships were only three or four metres apart, so he still managed to hit the target, striking the intruder in the thigh, though the wound was shallow. In truth, Yang Yi had aimed for his chest¡­ But hitting something was good enough! The intruder pulled out the arrow and continued to flee towards the ship''s bow, trying to escape. Yang Yi had no intention of giving chase; instead, hey back down. He was in terrible shape. If the intruder had counterattacked, things could have gone very badly. Fortunately, the intruder was too terrified, and he quickly boarded his ship and sailed away. Only when the sound of the departing ship faded did Yang Yi force himself to get up. He now looked like a zombie, and in fact, he was indeed at risk of turning into one. He didn''t feel any pain, his wounds weren''t bleeding, but he was dizzy, and his body felt sluggish. He entered the cabin, drank some water, and simply consumed all the eyeball fruit he had, regaining a bit of strength before looking out at the sea. The other ship was already a ck dot on the horizon. Yang Yi steered the Nightmare to follow from a distance. He was waiting for the poison to take effect. After all, the bloated puffer fish was highly toxic, likely contaminated by the Abyss. Pufferfish toxin was notoriously lethal. After about fifteen minutes, he caught up with the ship. Then, he used grappling hooks to secure the other ship, and after approaching, heid down the wooden nk again. It must be said that Yang Yi was in such poor condition that just moving the nk required several rests. Once aboard the pirate ship, Yang Yi, holding his flintlock pistol, cautiously approached the deck. The intruder appeared dead, lying motionless on the ground. However, it could¡¯ve been a trick, meant to lower Yang Yi''s guard! He might have had an antidote! Yang Yi remained vignt, keeping a safe distance of four or five metres before aiming at the man''s head and pulling the trigger. Click! Another misfire, the weapon was truly unreliable! But Yang Yi was patient. A minuteter, Bang! The intruder''s head exploded into a mess. Only then did Yang Yi cautiously approach. Once bitten, twice shy. After being deceived by the Drowned, Yang Yi had be much more cautious. He searched the intruder''s body and found a glowing orb. ¡¾You have obtained Sea Shell Coins 400¡¿ This was probably the intruder''s money. The pirate outfit he wore was also a valuable item. ¡¾Name: Bloodstained Luxurious Pirate Outfit¡¿ ¡¾Type: Relic¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Fine¡¿ ¡¾Description: This outfit belonged to a self-important fool. Agility +1, wearing it will cause a gradual decrease in Sanity, though those with a Spirit of 8 or higher can resist this effect.¡¿ The intruder likely had low Sanity, and may have even gone mad. Yang Yi kept the outfit, intending to loot the pirate ship. But then he noticed...the conditions to unlock his mysterious skill had changed from 0/3 to 1/3. "Could it be that killing people is the key to unlocking it?" He wasn''t sure, as he didn''t know exactly when the progress had changed. Chapter 10 - First Trade It was the first time he killed someone, yet he didn¡¯t feel much psychological burden. It might have been due to his high spirit and high tolerance. He changed into the pirate outfit and headed towards the pirate ship¡¯s cabin. ¡¾Your outfit feels chilly, your Sanity decreases by 5¡¿ As for the debuff of continuously losing Sanity, Yang Yi, with his high Spirit, could almost ignore it. He entered the cabin and immediately received information about the ship. It was special. ¡¾Pirate Ship, Level 1, Durability 1000/1000, Capacity 800 units, Speed 45 knots¡¿ ¡¾Ship Abilities: ¡¾Description: The skull g is the soul of this ship. Strive to be the Pirate King!¡¿1 Wanting to take advantage of this opportunity, Yang Yi tried to switch ships, but after searching the logs for a long time, he couldn¡¯t find the relevant function. It seemed that ships couldn¡¯t be switched. In truth, Yang Yi had no intention of switching. The ship was good, with four additional ws that, if used skilfully, could greatly improve the efficiency of resource acquisition, but it simply couldn¡¯tpare to the Nightmare. The premonition effect the Nightmare had was much rarer than ws! Yang Yi searched all the rooms in the cabin and unexpectedly found a female corpse. She waspletely naked and had likely suffered considerable abuse before her death. One of her plump thighs was missing, and clear strangtion bruises marked her neck. The bloodstains were also fresh, indicating she had died not long before. So, Yang Yi was probably intended to be the second victim. The first one was already dead! ¡¾You are thinking about the missing thigh; your Sanity decreases by 2¡¿ Yang Yi frowned. The Sanity level of the ship¡¯s previous owner was probably even lower than Yang Yi had imagined, and their mental state was quite worrying! He started to examine the supplies he found. This included two hard loaves of ck bread, enough to provide two days of calories, 5 litres of freshwater, 125 units of wood, and 98 units of cloth. ¡¾System Notice: You have sessfully upied an ownerless ship. You can choose to dismantle the ship, and the materials will be transferred to your cabin. Ensure your ship has enough capacity. Otherwise, the excess materials will sink into the sea. By dismantling, you will receive 100 units of wood, 50 units of cloth, and a blueprint for the Pirate Ship. Blueprints are only obtained by dismantling special ships. Each ship can only be modified once using a blueprint, so choose wisely! This prompt only appears when you first upy a ship.¡¿ No wonder this ship had so much wood; the previous owner must have dismantled an ordinary ship. He checked the Nightmare and saw its capacity was small, only 400 units. Capacity: 25/400 Wood 14, Cloth 10, Freshwater*1L (less than 1L is counted as 1L) Only materials took up ship capacity. Other items, like weapons, could be ced wherever, even on the deck. As for whether the ship would be overloaded with too many items, that was something to test further ahead. Yang Yi quickly calcted. After dismantling the ship, he would have just enough space for all the materials, which in turn would be enough to upgrade his ship to level 2. It was quite a find. He searched again and, after confirming nothing valuable remained, returned to the Nightmare, now holding a dozen simple arrows. Then, using the log, Yang Yi confirmed the dismantling of the Pirate Ship. Immediately, the ship broke down into pieces right before his eyes and was absorbed into the Nightmare¡¯s cabin. He now had enough resources to upgrade his ship to level 2. But before that, he had something more urgent to do ¡ª purchase medical supplies through the trading system. If he upgraded the ship and ended up without the right amount of resources to buy medicine, he¡¯d be in trouble. Yang Yi immediately opened the chat channel and started looking. ¡°Selling first aid bandages, 10 Shell Coins, 5 left!¡± ¡¾Name: First Aid Bandage¡¿ ¡¾Type: Consumable¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Common¡¿ ¡¾Description: Clean bandages that are good for stopping bleeding and preventing wound infection.¡¿ ¡°Rum can also be used as a disinfectant; 30 Shell Coins a bottle, only one left!¡± ¡°Selling balloons, you know what they¡¯re for...¡± Yang Yi quickly browsed. The trading system was just starting, and most people had limited Shell Coins, so prices were unstandardised, with everyone setting prices based on their own judgement. Bartering wasmon, and some people didn¡¯t even ept Shell Coins, preferring to trade goods directly for security. Few people were selling resources; currently, wood and cloth were considered the hard currency in trading, more popr than Shell Coins. ¡°Selling salt, 100 Shell Coins per pack!¡± ¡¾Name: Sacred Salt¡¿ ¡¾Type: Consumable¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Good¡¿ ¡¾Description: Can remove minor curses and, when sprinkled, ward off evil. Of course, you can also eat it.¡¿ This wasn¡¯t what he needed either. He continued to scroll and finally found what he had been looking for, a high-quality item. ¡°Limited-time sale of Holy Water; DM for details.¡± ¡¾Name: Holy Water¡¿ ¡¾Type: Consumable¡¿ ¡¾Quality: High¡¿ ¡¾Description: Blessed pure water, can be taken internally, used externally, or thrown as a weapon. When facing demonic entities, you can never have too much Holy Water! It can heal various poisons and curses, speed up wound healing, and slightly restore energy.¡¿ That was it! Yang Yi checked the items he could use for trade. These included the Wraith¡¯s Resentment, a Pirate Longbow, a Rusted Flintlock Pistol, a blood-stained Pirate Outfit, a barnacle-covered Fishing Rod, the Pirate Ship Blueprint, various resources, and 500 Shell Coins. If possible, he wanted to keep the weapons, pirate outfit, fishing rod, and enough resources to upgrade his ship to level 2. The Pirate Ship Blueprint could be traded, but it was likely very valuable and not suitable for sale right now. After some thought, Yang Yi sent a private message to the seller (before adding a friend, everyone was anonymous by default; yers could choose to disy their real name or ship name). Yang Yi: ¡°How much?¡± A minuteter, the other party replied, seemingly busy with many people contacting them. Anonymous: ¡°I need a lot of cloth, as well as survival items, equipment, freshwater, and food. Any of these will do.¡± Yang Yi frowned. Having the power to set the price actually put him in a passive position. If he offered too little, the seller might think he was messing around. If he offered too much, he would take a big loss. But with his life on the line, Yang Yi didn¡¯t have time to haggle and immediately offered the highest price he was willing to ept. Yang Yi: ¡°Wraith¡¯s Resentment, check the attributes yourself; it¡¯s a high-quality survival item. Plus 400 Shell Coins, 30 units of wood, 58 units of cloth, one loaf of ck bread, and 4 litres of freshwater.¡± He attached the attributes of Wraith¡¯s Resentment. After sending it, he waited for a response. This time, the reply came quickly, just ten secondster. ¡°Are you seriously injured?¡± Yang Yi frowned after reading the message. It seemed that the high price he offered had alerted the seller that he was in urgent need of medical supplies. If the seller tried to raise the price, Yang Yi wouldn¡¯t hesitate to find another one. After all, Holy Water wasn¡¯t unique! Fortunately, the situation didn¡¯t turn out that way; instead, a friend request arrived. ¡¾Captain of the Radiant Goddess, Zhou Dai, requests to add you as a friend.¡¿ Yang Yi immediately epted, and several messages followed. ¡°You¡¯ve offered a fair price; others were just messing around! I¡¯ll sell it to you! You seem quite injured, so one bottle might not be enough, so I¡¯ll give you two bottles as a wee gift! My ship can produce Holy Water, so we can work together long-term, hehe! May the Radiance bless you!¡± Yang Yi was stunned after reading the message. He hadn¡¯t expected the trade to go so smoothly! It seemed the seller also greatly needed survival items like Wraith¡¯s Resentment, which could save lives when facing demonic entities. Moreover, she wasn¡¯t a profiteering merchant; on the contrary, she seemed a bit kind-hearted? On the other side, aboard the Radiant Goddess. It was a pure white, three-masted ship made of sturdy white oak, looking incredibly sacred. Captain Zhou Dai had golden hair, blue eyes, and a tall, voluptuous figure. She had a delicate Asian face, so was probably of mixed race. She was in a special room on the ship called the Prayer Chamber, where a statue of the Radiant Goddess was located. Currently, the ship was only level 1, and the Prayer Chamber could only produce Holy Water. However, Zhou Dai had a significant problem: sea spirits frequently visited the Radiant Goddess, especially at night! As a result, she could only hide in the chamber... So, life-saving items like Wraith¡¯s Resentment were something she could never have too many of! As long as it gave her time, not much was needed, just enough to hide in the Prayer Chamber... Notes
  1. Can¡¯t be more of a One Piece reference than this -Simply?
Chapter 11 - Astrologer The trade was almostplete. All that was left was to confirm the details in the log and throw the traded items into the Monster Vending Machine. Next, they would get transported to the other party''s ship. There was no need to worry about the other party breaching the contract ¡ª the Vending Machine guaranteed the trade''spletion! Yang Yi threw in the agreed-upon trade items. As for the materials, the system directly deducted them from the ship''s hold. Before long, the Octopus Vending Machine spat out two bottles of holy water. These were pure, colourless liquids contained in reagent bottles. Yang Yi opened one bottle, sniffed it, and found no smell. He then drank it in one gulp. Immediately, he felt as if his body was on fire, a scorching pain searing through him, even emitting a burnt smell. At the same time, his mental state improved significantly, and he felt refreshed. ¡°It¡¯s effective!¡± Yang Yi was overflowing with joy and checked his status. The corpse poison infection had downgraded to moderate, and his health began to slowly recover. He drank the second bottle to consolidate the treatment. Afterwards, he spent 50 Shell Coins to buy five emergency bandages. These seemed to be made of cloth, and since Yang Yi didn¡¯t have the recipe, he had to buy them. He pulled out the arrow from his left arm, the intense pain making him grit his teeth. But the pain was a good sign, it indicated the corpse poison had lessened! After cleaning the wound with a small amount of freshwater, Yang Yi bandaged himself and then checked his status panel again. Name: Yang Yi Status: Injured/Corpse Poison Infection (Mild, Improving) (A human figure appears, coloured light yellow, with the wounded areas slightly darker) Sanity: 93/100 Energy: 35/100 Health: 19/100 (Slowly Recovering) He exhaled deeply. Finally, he was alive again. The remaining materials could be used to upgrade the Nightmare. ¡¾Materials are sufficient. Do you want to upgrade?¡¿ He decisively chose to upgrade and clicked to confirm. The Nightmare emitted a queer green light, as if ghosts were floating around the ship, and the hull began to expand. ¡¾Upgradeplete. The Nightmare has been upgraded to a Tier 3 ship. You can check the specific changes in the ship interface.¡¿ ¡¾Sailing Announcement: The number of Tier 3 ships has exceeded ten thousand. A new change will ur. In three days, an unprecedented storm will hit this sea area. Please prepare ordingly!¡¿ As soon as the announcement was made, the chat channel exploded. "Ten thousand Tier 3 ships... Damn! I''m still short of 8 pieces of wood. Anyone selling wood?" "Guys, can anyone exin? I''m in the game world now, but it''s still sopetitive!" "Buying wood and cloth at high prices; message me if you''re selling!" A wave of upgrading swept through the channel, and the prices of wood and cloth skyrocketed. However, those who suffered the most were those with special ships that required additional materials to upgrade... Iron Heart: "Trading fish meat for steel. Message me if you''re interested. Fresh fish is avable inrge quantities!" "Don''t buy from him; his fish has a gunpowder taste, it''s disgusting!" ¡°I only guarantee it''s freshly killed and sold!" "Anyone got a low-tier wind essence? Price is negotiable!" The speaker was from the Swift Wind, and Yang Yi had him as a friend, so the channel was no longer anonymous. "Organic cucumbers, organic cabbage, organic apples, and organic bananas ¡ª rich in vitamins and water. You know the deal. Also buying seeds at high prices." 1 "Where did you get vegetables and fruits? Can your ship grow crops?" "Smart guess, you got it!" He then attached his ship¡¯s information. ¡¾Farmer, Tier 1, Durability: 600/600, Capacity: 1000 units, Speed: 25 knots¡¿ ¡¾Ship Skill: Efficient nting: The ship has farnd. The harvest time varies depending on the seeds.¡¿ ¡¾Description: Farmer? No, now you''re called Dad!¡¿ Yang Yi was a bit surprised. He hadn¡¯t expected a ship that could grow crops. This really was.. incredible wealth! Every special ship had its own unique advantages! Yang Yi nced at the blueprint in his hand. This thing must be a treasure! ¡¾Name: Pirate Ship Blueprint¡¿ ¡¾Type: Blueprint¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Special¡¿ ¡¾Description: It can transform your ship into a Pirate Ship, giving it greater speed, more grappling hooks, and even...cannons!¡¿ Yang Yi hadn¡¯t seen any cannons on the Pirate Ship yet, so they were probably something that could only be added after upgrading. And as he suspected, using the blueprint didn¡¯t consume materials. This meant using the blueprint on a high-tier nk ship would result in significant savings. For example, a Tier 3 nk ship using the blueprint would turn into a Tier 3 special ship, saving a lot of upgrade materials. The higher the tier, the more you''d save! So this blueprint wouldn''t lose its value even in theter stages! He then checked his ship interface. ¡¾Nightmare, Tier 3, Durability: 600/600, Capacity: 1000 units, Speed: 50 knots¡¿ ¡¾Ship Skills: Nightmare: Sleep quality on the ship is extremely poor, causing nightmares, with energy recovery efficiency reduced by 75%. The Angler''s Curse: Normal fish are rare on this ship, but the chances of encountering abnormal things are increased.¡¿ ¡¾Description: The ship has grown bigger, but it can''t change its dpidated state!¡¿ The ship¡¯s durability had doubled, but it was still low and couldn''t withstand much damage! The ship¡¯s length had increased to around 30 metres, with a skull chained to the bow ¡ª likely the remains of the previous captain... There was also a new expandable room in the cabin with three upgrade options:
  1. Extra Cargo Hold: Increases ship capacity by 100%, requires 300 units of wood.
  2. Ancient War Room: Provides two waterlogged cannons for attack, requires 200 units of wood, 10 units of steel, and 10 units of sulphur.
  3. Great Statue: Can intimidate passing ships, causing panic, requires 300 units of wood, 300 units of cloth, and the corpse of an otherworldly creature.
After some thought, Yang Yi decided to aim for the Ancient War Room. Nothing made him feel safer than cannons! Navalbat was impossible without cannons! His current supplies were as follows: Capacity: 102/1000 Wood x39, Cloth x58, Fresh Water x5L Steel and sulphur were likely advanced resources that he hadn¡¯t encountered yet. The upgrade interface for Tier 3 ships wasn''t avable yet, probably because it requiredpleting the expansion first. After sorting everything out, Yang Yi started fishing. He still needed to prepare more food... Behind the Nightmare, several nautical miles away. There was a unique ship, about 20 metres long, with a massive crystal ball over three metres in diameter on it. ¡¾Astrologer, Tier 1, Durability: 500/500, Capacity: 800 units, Speed: 50 knots¡¿ ¡¾Ship Skills: Astrology: Disys the sea chart for one nautical mile around, showing ship names. Scrying: Disys an image of a selected ship on the sea chart, but cannot view inds. Limited to one target per day.¡¿ ¡¾Description: Just because you can see the map doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re cheating!¡¿ The captain was a beautiful woman with ck hair and brown skin, her eyes a rare red colour. She had noticed the Nightmare earlier. After all, it was unusual for two ships to be neck and neck. Later, there was a change ¡ª the Pirate Ship¡¯s icon suddenly disappeared from the sea chart... ¡°Was it taken down...?¡± The woman stared at the crystal ball, now the size of a palm, which disyed a sea chart of the surrounding area, including ship names. She manipted it and used the scrying skill to view the Nightmare¡¯s image. She saw Yang Yi on the ship, fishing. A long-legged sardine was caught, and before it could hit the deck, it went straight into Yang Yi¡¯s mouth. The woman¡¯s red eyes widened in shock, filled with disbelief. Not long after, he caught an eyeball, which was also eaten... Finally, a bloated puffer fish was caught, which Yang Yi discarded in disgust. But when the woman saw this highly toxic fish, her eyes lit up. ¡°How did he catch these treasures?¡± she wondered with envy. She didn¡¯t lose any sanity but became even more curious because she had a special talent. ¡¾Talent: Witch''s Bloodline: You crave knowledge. Your red eyes are your mark and your curse. Spirit +2. You have a much higher resistance to strange creatures and phenomena. But remember, those who touch the forbidden will be hunted by the Holy Light and burned by sacred fire...¡¿ Notes
  1. Literally what a market day sounds like -Simply?
Chapter 12 - The Island and Tree Harvesting Bang! Bang Bang. The gunshots continued, each sounding slightly different. Yang Yi was practising his shooting skills. Since the flintlock rifle was unreliable, he needed to improve his uracy to make up for its shorings. A piece of wood was hanging from the stern of the ship, and Yang Yi stood at the bow, taking shots at it. There was a minute between each shot, and even if the gun misfired, it didn¡¯t matter ¡ª it was just practice. Beside him, a fishing rod was set up, and he asionally nced at the sea to check if he¡¯d caught anything. By the end of the morning, he had only hit the target a dozen times. He was still far from being a sharpshooter! Yang Yi ate a long-legged sardine. By now, he had gotten used to it and found the sardine¡¯s taste to be quite good, especially its four long legs, which were crispy and tasted like chicken! One more day, and the storm the system warned about would arrive. Yang Yi had stored ten eyeball fish, one loaf of ck bread, 6 litres of fresh water, and a dozen long-legged sardines. During this time, he had even caught a big fish, half a metre long! ¡¾Name: Red-lipped Eel¡¿ ¡¾Type: Food¡¿ ¡¾Description: A top-quality fiery red lip, but unfortunately, it''s on a fish! Want to have a passionate kiss with it? Abyssal species, edible, non-toxic, with tender fish lips.¡¿ When this fish first appeared, it gave him quite a scare. Eating this fish raw would mean biting into those fiery red lips ¡ª something Yang Yi found a bit hard to stomach, unless he was really starving. Looking at the fish¡¯s stark cherry-coloured lips, Yang Yi remembered the nightmare he had the previous night. The memory was still freshly ingrained in his mind. In the dream, a red-eyed woman pointed a gun at his head. Those vibrant eyes filled him with dread... ¡¾You feel a chill in your heart. Sanity decreases by 8.¡¿ The gun in the woman¡¯s hand was one Yang Yi recognised ¡ª it was his own flintlock rifle, though how it ended up in her hands, he didn¡¯t know... Just thinking about it gave him chills. Because of this, Yang Yi hadn¡¯t slept well again, and now he was sporting thick, dark circles under his eyes. Fortunately, the corpse poison in his body had been cured, his wounds were nearly healed, and his health was at 76. However, his energy recovery was too slow. After a night¡¯s sleep, he only recovered about 30 energy points, which severely limited his daytime activities. This couldn''t go on. He needed to find a way to quickly recover his energy to offset this drawback. Holy water, for example, could restore energy, but it was too expensive and not that effective... As he pondered, he suddenly received an anonymous message. ¡°Look to the upper right; there¡¯s an ind there!¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± Yang Yi replied, but there was no further response. In this world, to contact someone privately, you at least need to know their ship¡¯s name. If it wasn¡¯t a special ship, you¡¯d also need to know the person¡¯s name. But Yang Yi had never revealed his information. How did this person know? Could it be a cheat? After thinking for a while, he came to two conclusions:
  1. The other person might have a special skill that allowed them to see him, learn his ship¡¯s name, and they were not far away!
  2. This was a special mission given by the system.
He didn¡¯t see any suspicious ships. To the upper right, there was indeed an ind. It wasn¡¯trge, with some green patches that likely indicated trees. These trees could probably be cut down for wood, and the ind might have other resources. If he had discovered the ind on his own, he would probably havended to check it out. But now that someone had tipped him off, he was more uncertain. In the end, Yang Yi decided to sail around it to observe. If there were no signs of other ships or yers, he would find a suitable spot tond. The weapon in his hand gave him confidence. At this stage, almost no yers had guns, at least none had mentioned it in the chat. As the ship approached, Yang Yi got a clear view. It was a tropical ind, about three kilometres in diametre, not veryrge. The edge was a golden beach, with some crabs and shells scattered around ¡ª good old protein sources in Yang Yi¡¯s eyes! But what attracted him the most were the coconut trees. The tallest tree had a bronze chest hanging from it. Moreover, there were no signs that any yers hadnded. The coconuts were untouched! After some hesitation, Yang Yi decided to go ashore. He chose a suitable spot to anchor the ship and then disembarked. The moment his feet touched the ground, Yang Yi felt as if he had been away from thend for ages, even though he had only been a few days at sea. He gathered some food from the beach, such as green crabs, ms, and scallops. ¡¾Name: Green Crab¡¿ ¡¾Type: Food¡¿ ¡¾Description: Amon crab, pure and natural, with tender meat.¡¿ ¡¾Name: m¡¿ ¡¾Type: Ingredient¡¿ ¡¾Description: Amon shellfish, edible, and can be made into delicious m soup.¡¿ ¡¾Name: Scallop¡¿ ¡¾Type: Food¡¿ ¡¾Description: If you had garlic and vermicelli, roasting a few would be unforgettable!¡¿ Yang Yi collected a bunch and tossed them into the ship''s hold, nning to eat themter. Then, for the main event ¡ª a bunch of lush, green coconut trees. These trees were generally seven or eight metres tall, with the tallest one being over ten metres, bearing heavy coconuts. They were a vital source of freshwater, easy to store, and the coconut meat provided dietary fibre. They tasted good, and were treasures he couldn''t pass up! But Yang Yi wasn¡¯t skilled at climbing trees. There was the danger of slipping and breaking a leg or even his spine. Without a way to heal, it was too risky. Using a gun to shoot down the coconuts was convenient but too noisy. If there were any monsters on the ind, that would be bad. As he walked around the trees, some stones of varying sizes caught his attention. ¡¾Name: Stone¡¿ ¡¾Type: Resource¡¿ ¡¾Description: Can be collected as stone material for crafting. If it''s arge stone, you¡¯d better prepare a pickaxe.¡¿ Yang Yi picked up a bunch of medium-sized stones and ced them on the shore. Then, he returned to the Nightmare, adjusted its position, and used the grappling hook to pull the stones onto the ship. After two trips, he had collected 25 units of stone. Crafting a simple stone axe required 5 units of stone and 5 units of wood. It was one of the basic crafting functions in the log, which could be used to make basic tools like fishing rods, spears, shovels, arrows, etc. The quality was probably poor, as the items didn¡¯t even disy attributes, making them inferior to ordinary equipment. He took a stone axe ashore and headed towards the tallest coconut tree. It had more than tenrge coconuts and a bronze chest hanging from it. It was the first tree he nned to tackle. Chapter 13 - Vitality Coconut Juice The ship''s log offered many convenient features. But outside of it, the world was practically indistinguishable from reality. For example, chopping down trees required both strength and skill, especially when using a stone axe that wasn''t very sharp and caused a jarring impact. After cutting down thergest coconut tree, Yang Yi''s energy dropped by 13 points, leaving him with just 30 points. With full energy, he could at most chop down about five trees. Any more, and it would be too much; when energy fell below 30, there would be the risk of fainting. Once the tree fell, Yang Yi immediately began collecting coconuts. As he picked one up, a smile spread across his face. ¡¾Name: Vitality Coconut¡¿ ¡¾Type: Food¡¿ ¡¾Description: A rare and special coconut rich in vitamins and minerals. The coconut water inside can speed up energy recovery.¡¿ Without hesitation, Yang Yi split one open and drank it, gaining an energy recovery buff. It was exactly what Yang Yi desperately needed, making the trip a great sess. He then opened the bronze chest, and several glowing orbs immediately fell out, transforming into three items upon contact. ¡¾Name: Vitality Coconut Juice Recipe¡¿ ¡¾Type: Recipe¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Good¡¿ ¡¾Description: After use, you¡¯ll obtain the recipe for Vitality Coconut Juice. Requires a reagent bottle, salt, and Vitality Coconut.¡¿ ..... ¡¾Name: Edible Sea Salt, 500g¡¿ ¡¾Type: Food¡¿ ¡¾Description: A seasoning that enhances vour and replenishes salt.¡¿ .... ¡¾Name: Reagent Stand¡¿ ¡¾Type: Tool¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Good¡¿ ¡¾Description: An essential tool for making various reagents. Can be fused with crystals. It provides reagent bottles, which disappear after the reagent is consumed.¡¿ The chest not only contained the recipe but also the other two materials needed to create it. Overjoyed, Yang Yi immediately learnt the recipe and began preparing Vitality Coconut Juice. Required materials: Vitality Coconut x1, Salt 10g. Essential tool: Reagent Stand Yang Yi made a bottle. ¡¾Name: Vitality Coconut Juice¡¿ ¡¾Type: Consumable¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Good¡¿ ¡¾Description: A drink that invigorates. Restores 10 energy and increases energy recovery speed by 50% for 8 hours. Effects can only ur once every 24 hours.¡¿ Yang Yi smiled and turned his gaze towards the coastline, eyeing the plentiful coconuts, while twirling the axe in his hand. Whenever his energy neared 30, he would lie on the beach to rest and continue chopping once he recovered. By dusk, he had chopped down four trees, collecting 38 Vitality Coconuts and 43 units of wood, all of which he transported back to the Nightmare. He didn''t n to leave yet, deciding instead to spend the night on the ship and continue chopping the next day. But before boarding, he made a new discovery. A luminous trail on the beach, about a hundred metres from Yang Yi, caught his attention. As the sky darkened, it emitted a faint glow, which was how he had noticed it. The trail led ind, the glowing substance appearing to be some kind of biological mucus, reeking of a foul stench. He took a few steps along the trail towards the ind¡¯s interior. Without the interference of waves, it was more distinct and easier to follow. From its shape, it resembled the trail left by a snake-like being slithering across the ground. Yang Yi estimated its size by measuring with his hand ¡ª it was at least half a metre thick, indicating a sizable creature! ¡°Not spending the night ashore was definitely the right decision!¡± Yang Yi changed his mind, deciding not to stay by the shore and instead moving further away, suspecting there was somerge creature on the ind. He gripped his flintlock gun tightly, scanning his surroundings with caution as he backed away.1 Only after boarding the Nightmare did he finally breathe a sigh of relief. Sitting in the captain''s cabin, Yang Yi contemted his next move and ultimately decided he needed to gather more Vitality Coconuts, despite the risks. These were rare items that could mitigate the Nightmare''s drawbacks, so he simply couldn''t let them slip away! Future inds might not have such coconuts! He steered the Nightmare away from the ind, anchoring about twenty nautical miles offshore. At this distance, the ind was no longer visible. Anynd-dwelling creature, even if it could swim, wouldn¡¯t bothering this far to eat his meagre flesh. Wouldn¡¯t the fish in the sea be more appealing? He drank a bottle of Vitality Coconut Juice, ate a few scallops and half a Red-lipped Eel. Before falling asleep, hey down holding his flintlock gun, resting it under the bed with his finger off the trigger. This was Yang Yi''stest tactic for the quickest possible reaction to shoot any monster entering through the door. He soon drifted into sleep, descending into a nightmare... In the middle of the night, the melodious singing of a woman echoed outside the ship, ethereal and haunting, like a heavenly voice. But this was the sea ¡ª where would a woman¡¯s singinge from? Groggily, Yang Yi sat up, his eyes unfocused, drawn in by the enchanting song, losing control. A dazed expression spread across his face as he looked towards the cabin door. Standing there was a humanoid creature, half-human, half-fish, eerily simr to the legendary mermaids, with golden hair and a seductive figure. She was soaking wet, as if she had just bathed, with her chest modestly covered by tworge shells. Her waist was slender, and from her navel downward, scales began to appear, with a fish tail in ce of legs. Such creatures were often called mermaids. But at sea, they went by another name ¡ª Siren, the nightmare and dream of sailors... The Siren sang, smiling seductively at Yang Yi, unting her charm. The sound trap at the door was also triggered, producing a jingling noise. But Yang Yi was already under her control, rendering the trap useless. With a look of infatuation, he walked towards the Siren, holding the flintlock gun in his hand... ¡¾The enchanting song has charmed you, causing you to lose control of your body. Sanity decreased by 10.¡¿ ¡¾You saw an incredibly beautiful woman, and your mind was captivated. Sanity decreased by 7.¡¿ About fifty nautical miles away, a ship was quietly following ¡ª the Astrologer. Captain Suna sat in the captain''s cabin, writing something in a small notebook. ¡°He can eat strange foods without showing any reaction, and even kiss a Red-lipped Eel without hesitation. More importantly, he doesn''t seem to be going mad at all! It''s unbelievable!¡± The notebook was titled Observational Diary of XX, as she didn''t know Yang Yi''s real name yet. It contained personal information about Yang Yi, including how long he slept, when he woke up, what he caught, and what he ate... Her actions were like those of a stalker; in a normal society, she would undoubtedly be ssified as a dangerous person and would be detained for reeducation. ¡°Isn¡¯t he afraid at all...?¡± Suna pondered, biting her pen cap. The information about the ind was something she provided, just to see how Yang Yi would react. But at that moment, the Nightmare suddenly started moving on the chart, heading full speed towards the ind. Something strange was definitely happening! Suna had been spying on Yang Yi for days, using the Astrologer¡¯s surveince skill, knowing him to be a cautious person who wouldn¡¯t take risks at night, let alonend on the ind at night. She immediately activated the surveince skill to track the ship. ¡°Is that...a Siren?¡± Suna gasped, her eyes filled with a mix of excitement and amazement. Notes
  1. He really said ¡°Nuh uh.¡± -Simply?
Chapter 14 - I have a gun in my hand Yang Yi had a nightmare. In his dream, he was enjoying an intimate moment with three alluring, seductive women, feeling utterly blissful. But suddenly, the scene changed dramatically. One of the women turned violent and bit down on his right arm, tearing off a piece of flesh and chewing it slowly, her mouth covered in blood. Yang Yi was stunned, looking at her in disbelief, only to realise she wasn¡¯t human but a mermaid...or perhaps a siren. She smiled sweetly, as if praising the taste of his flesh, her eyes filled with affection.1 Yang Yi woke up in excruciating pain, finding himselfpletely naked, lying on a slippery floor. The ce was dimly lit, like a cave, with glowing, foul-smelling mucus covering the walls and floor. His body was also coated in a thickyer of the substance. One whiff was enough to clear his head and make him forget about food for three days! He immediately looked at his right arm. Thankfully, it was intact. The pain came from a woman who was biting down on his arm with her sharp teeth, causing him to grimace in agony. "Let go! Are you a dog?! Why are you biting me??" Yang Yi shouted angrily. Hearing his voice, the woman finally let go, leaving two deep rows of teeth marks on his shoulder. "Awake now? I thought you¡¯d never wake up!" The womanined, her crimson eyes dripping with seductive allure. "I¡¯m sitting up, aren¡¯t I? What do you think?" Yang Yi retorted, rubbing his arm, clearly still in pain. He studied the woman. She had a typical Asian face, quite pretty, with a slender frame that seemed slightly malnourished, her skin a healthy tan. She was tied up in some weird seaweed, with marks on the floor showing the effort it took for her to crawl over. "Who are you?" Yang Yi asked, his head throbbing. "You were under a siren¡¯s spell. I saved your life!" She reminded him. Upon hearing this, Yang Yi quickly checked his activity log. It was filled with warnings of enchantment. His sanity was also at a precarious level (51/100). "Those sirens kept you alive for three days without eating you, even fattening you up! It¡¯s a miracle!" The woman continued, looking at Yang Yi. Yang Yi started to understand. "I was captured by sirens...and three days have passed?" "Exactly!" "More than one siren?" "Yes, there were three of them. They seem to bemunal creatures, using their songs to enchant men, who then be both their mates and their food!" Yang Yi nced down at his body, realising he was stark naked, and suddenly felt a chill! Not far away were his pirate clothes and a rusty flintlock pistol. "They are mythical creatures for us, but in this world, they exist, with behaviours simr to the legends..." the woman continued, apparently very interested in the creatures. Yang Yi, however, felt a surge of fear and quickly put on his pirate clothes, grabbing the flintlock pistol from the ground. ¡¾Wearing the bloodstained pirate clothes, a strange chill runs through your body, sanity decreases by 1.¡¿ His sanity was now exactly at 50, any lower, and he¡¯d enter a state of madness. "This mucus is disgusting! Any idea why sirens secrete it?" "In the sea, many soft-bodied or scaleless creatures secrete mucus to protect themselves, so it¡¯s normal for sirens to have mucus too! Also, this one glows in the dark, attracting prey, simr to thentern of an anglerfish, and helps them disy their alluring bodies toplete the hunting process..." The woman began exining the logic behind it, mixing in her personal views as she noticed Yang Yi¡¯s confusion. "You¡¯re a yer, right? Why are you here?" Yang Yi suddenly asked. There was something off about this woman; everything about her felt strange, especially those bright red eyes that sent chills down his spine, identical to the ones he saw in his nightmare. This made Yang Yi extremely cautious. Although she seemed to have no ill intentions and appeared to be trying to help him. "My name is Suna; I¡¯m a passing yer who was unfortunately captured by the sirens and kept as emergency food." "But didn¡¯t you say that sirens target men? How did you get caught?" Yang Yi asked. Suna had her exnation ready. She wasn¡¯t nning to tell the truth, instead pointing to a corner. "I wasn¡¯t alone. Mypanion was already eaten by the sirens. But for some reason, they didn¡¯t eat you," Suna exined. Yang Yi looked in the direction she indicated. Therey a half-eaten male corpse, already decaying, with an open abdomen and missing internal organs. The face was twisted in agony, the limbs iplete, clearly tortured before death... Near the corpse were scattered human bones, gnawed clean, a testament to the sirens¡¯ brutality. But did Suna really know that man? Not at all! She was just using the corpse to fabricate a lie, making her capture seem more reasonable. In reality, Suna hade alone, tailing Yang Yi and the sirens. She was so fascinated by them that she didn¡¯t notice two sneaking up behind her... She originally thought there was only one siren. As for the corpse, it was already there when Yang Yi arrived. After Yang Yi showed up, the man seemed to lose his value and was eaten by the sirens...so Suna had no idea who the poor guy was or where he hade from. After hearing Suna¡¯s story, Yang Yi partially believed her but remained on guard. "You said three days had passed, but why don¡¯t I feel hungry?" Yang Yi asked. He checked his status and found that, aside from low sanity, everything else was nearly full. Suna then pointed to another corner. There was arge sailfish, a fierce marine creature with an upper jaw as sharp as a spear. It was dead, with bite marks on its body. It seemed that during his unconsciousness, Yang Yi had survived by being fed the sailfish. But what about water? "Don¡¯t I need to drink water?" Yang Yi had no memory of the past three days, feeling dazed and unreal. Meanwhile, Suna was getting anxious. "Can you untie me first? In half an hour, the sirens will be back! I don¡¯t want to miss this chance!" Suna urged. So far, she was still bound, only able to move like a caterpir. She had observed the sirens for three days, figured out their habits, and then crawled over to try and wake Yang Yi. However, Yang Yi¡¯s gaze wasplicated. The woman was smart and seemed to have no ill intentions. But the more she appeared harmless, the more wary Yang Yi became, sensing something unusual about her! She was too calm! If someone else were tied up, with their life hanging by a thread, could they really speak so smoothly? And she had appeared in his nightmare! The nightmare foretold this woman would point a gun at his head, intending to kill him! For this reason, Yang Yi was conflicted, unsure whether to save her. But he couldn¡¯t bring himself to kill a woman who seemed to have some goodwill towards him... After thinking for a while, Yang Yi finally made a decision. He felt the woman was hiding something from him, so he decided to test her, regardless of the oue! Yang Yi¡¯s gaze turned cold as he pointed the dark muzzle of the gun at her, threatening her. "Woman, give me three reasons not to kill you!" Suna¡¯s pupils contracted sharply, as if she couldn¡¯t understand Yang Yi¡¯s thought process. "What are you talking about? Did the sirens eat your brain?" "I have a gun in my hand!" Yang Yi replied with a smile, waving the gun like a rogue. He raised a finger on his other hand, reminding her. "That¡¯s your first sentence. You have two more, so make them count!" The ck muzzle of the gun was silent, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense. After a dozen seconds, Suna¡¯s face showed some panic ¡ª a mix of regret and frustration. She spoke quickly, "I can give you all the resources and equipment I have, including the food on my ship!" Yang Yi shook his head, "Not enough. If I kill you, all of that will naturally be mine." Suna¡¯s breathing quickened, her eyes darting around. After a dozen more seconds, she revealed her secret. "I... I can give you my navigational chart, so you can sail more safely!" "Navigational chart?" "My ship is called the Astrologer; it can chart the nearby seas." "So that¡¯s it..." Yang Yi¡¯s smile was chilling. "You lured me here, didn¡¯t you?" He calmly reached into the inner pocket of his pirate shirt and pulled out a blueprint. "You probably haven¡¯t seen this before, right? This is a ship blueprint. You can get it by killing the owner of a special ship and dismantling it. So, tell me, why shouldn¡¯t I just kill you and take your ship¡¯s abilities for myself?" Suna¡¯s face turned pale. This was the first time she had heard of a ship blueprint. And she knew Yang Yi wasn¡¯t lying. That pirate ship...had indeed been taken down by him! Finally, she showed a look of resentment; her face was no longer calm, and she spat venomously at Yang Yi. "You¡¯re greedy, despicable, and shameless! Go ahead, shoot me! I¡¯ll curse you from the depths of hell!" With that, she closed her eyes, waiting for Yang Yi to pull the trigger. "You¡¯ve got some guts. Fine, I¡¯ll grant your wish," Yang Yi replied coldly. Suna trembled slightly. But after waiting for a long time, she neither felt pain nor heard a gunshot. She opened her eyes to see Yang Yi approaching with a sharp, broken bone he had found in the pile of skeletons. "Hand over half of your ship¡¯s supplies and provide a month¡¯s worth of sea charts, and I¡¯ll save you," Yang Yi said seriously. Suna¡¯s expression first showed surprise, then turned to anger. She realised Yang Yi was deliberately trying to deceive her! Furious and humiliated, she snapped, "What if I refuse?" "I have a gun; you don¡¯t have a choice!" Yang Yi shook the gun again, taking on the stance of a victor. Suna, powerless in the situation, had no choice but toply. Notes
  1. Aww ? -Simply?
Chapter 15 - These two people are a bit crazy Suna had no choice but to agree to Yang Yi''s conditions, but she didn''t mind at all. She only had 8 units of wood, 5 units of cloth, and 4 litres of fresh water on her ship. Giving half to Yang Yi was insignificant to her. Her ship, the Astrologer, was unique and didn''t require wood or cloth for upgrades. Instead, it needed 100 crystals and 50 units of steel. Since wood and cloth were of little use to her, she had already traded them for food and water. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t tell Yang Yi she was actually quite poor. In fact, she was curious to see what kind of expression he would have when he found out. Unaware of this, Yang Yi thought he had extorted a good deal from her and even felt a twinge of guilt. He used a broken bone to cut the seaweed binding Suna, setting her free. However, Suna had been tied up for too long and hadn¡¯t eaten for days, making her extremely weak. She couldn¡¯t stand up right away, but what she did next left Yang Yi speechless. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Yang Yi asked, bewildered. Suna was using her hands to gather the sticky slime on the ground into a small mound, then opened her mouth and swallowed it. The slime smelt foul, but Suna exined indifferently, "I¡¯m thirsty. This slime secreted by the sirens can provide me with water and salt, along with some nutrients..." Her face wrinkled in disgust, clearly not enjoying the taste, but she forced herself to keep it down. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid it might be poisonous?¡± Yang Yi asked. ¡°Nope! You''ve been eating it for three days and haven¡¯t been poisoned!¡± ¡°Uh...¡± Yang Yi had nothing to say, only thinking the woman before him might not be entirely normal. After replenishing her fluids, Suna looked much better. She took out a small knife from inside her clothing, crouched down next to the giant sailfish¡¯s corpse, and cut off a few slices of fresh fish meat, chewing and swallowing them. The knife she used was a piece of equipment: ¡¾Name: Witch¡¯s Dagger¡¿ ¡¾Type: Artefact¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Good¡¿ ¡¾Description: A dagger favoured by witches, with many functions, including gutting your enemies. It can deal slight damage to demonic creatures.¡¿ As Suna gradually recovered, Yang Yi began to survey the cave. It wasn¡¯trge, with only one passage leading outside. The sounds of rain and wind could be heard from that direction. Inside the cave was a water pool that seemed bottomless, likely connected to the sea. Yang Yi checked the male corpse lying nearby. It seemed to have been dead for some time, and a quick search revealed nothing valuable on it. ¡°Do the sirens usuallye back through the pool or the cave entrance?¡± Yang Yi asked Suna. ¡°Either is possible,¡± she replied. ¡°Do they act together?¡± ¡°No,¡± Suna said, having observed these sirens for three days. ¡°They usually move in two groups. Therger one acts alone, while the two smaller ones, about 1.4 metres long, usually stay together.¡± ¡°Is that so? And does the bigger one or the smaller ones usually return first?¡± ¡°It varies, but the time between their returns isn¡¯t long, around 15 minutes or so.¡± Yang Yi nodded, getting a good sense of the situation. If all three sirens acted together, the best n would be to run, as fighting all three head-on was too risky. But if there were only two, there might be a chance. ¡°Can you handle one?¡± Yang Yi asked. ¡°If it¡¯s one of the smaller ones, I should be able to. I¡¯ve fought them before,¡± Suna¡¯s voice came from behind him. Having replenished her salt and water and eaten some fish, she was gradually regaining her strength. It was clear her physical condition was quite good, perhaps even better than Yang Yi¡¯s. ¡°The main weapon of the sirens is their singing, but their songs don¡¯t affect women. Also, their upper body strength isn¡¯t very strong, about the same as the average woman¡¯s, probably around a strength level of 4, simr to mine. In and battle, you only need to avoid their ws and teeth.¡± Suna exined further. She had a few shallow cuts on her body, likely from the sirens. ¡°I didn¡¯t know there were three of them, otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have been captured! You have a gun, so it should be easy for you to deal with them. Just block your ears and shoot quickly!¡± Suna didn¡¯t know Yang Yi¡¯s gun could misfire, so she thought it would be simple. Yang Yi didn¡¯t n to exin this weakness, as exposing it would go against his nature. He began to check his attribute panel. Name : Yang Yi Status: Healthy (A human figure in arge shape, all green) Strength: 3 (49/50) Spirit: 7+1 (892/8000) [Talent Bonus] Agility: 4+1 (69/100) [Pirate Outfit Bonus] Constitution : 4 (4/100) Perception: 5 (32/200) Sanity: 50/100 Energy: 92/100 Vitality: 99/100 (Lost 1 point after being bitten by Suna) He had figured out how to increase each attribute. Physical exercise could improve strength, constitution, and agility. Healing from injuries could give an additional boost to constitution. Large fluctuations in sanity, especially if recovered, could significantly increase spirit experience. Activities like fishing, shooting, and grappling could raise the perception of experience. The growth methods were very realistic. Considering what Suna had said about sirens not being very strong onnd and not always moving together, Yang Yi figured that if he could quickly raise his strength to 4,bined with his Frenzy talent (+2), he could overpower them. The main thing to watch out for were their tails, which probably packed a powerful punch. He¡¯d have to be careful not to get hit in a vital spot. After figuring this out, Yang Yi immediately got to work. He thought it would be easy to gain thatst point of experience. ncing around, he searched the cave for something heavy to use for training. But at first nce, he didn¡¯t see anything suitable. The cave was mostly empty, with just stone walls and light bones scattered around. However, Yang Yi was resourceful and quickly came up with other options. For instance, he could use Suna for strength training by lifting her. Or the giant sailfish carcass, which looked like it had the right weight. Or even the male corpse on the ground. Considering all options, Yang Yi decided the male corpse was the best choice. The sailfish didn¡¯t offer good leverage, and lifting Suna might lead to a bite in retaliation. But the corpse wouldn¡¯t resist or take a chomp! Even though the corpse¡¯s arms were mostly gone, its weight was just right, and its head and neck were still intact, making it easy to grip. So, Yang Yi grabbed the male corpse by the neck and started doing overhead presses with it. ¡°Are you insane?¡± Suna asked, shocked by his bizarre behaviour. ¡°Tell me, how much sanity do you have left?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my sanity is a solid 50!¡± ¡°50?¡± Suna stared at Yang Yi in disbelief. Sanity drops usually affected mental state, even if it wasn¡¯t below 50. But Yang Yi seemed utterly unconcerned about his sanity, or perhaps...he was always in a slightly deranged state. Suna¡¯s gaze on Yang Yi became increasingly intense, as if she were observing a rare specimen. Unaware of this, Yang Yi continued his corpse lifts. Unfortunately, just as he waspleting his ninth rep, he heard the sound of something slithering from the passage outside the cave. It seemed like only one creature was approaching. ¡°It¡¯s back! Quickly, stuff these in your ears!¡± Suna handed Yang Yi two chunks of fish meat she had just cut from the tuna. But Yang Yi shook his head. ¡°No need; I have my own method.¡± He turned to face the iing sea monster. Chapter 16 - The storm is coming The siren was about two metres long, with most of her fish tail dragging on the ground, supporting her body. When the siren returned and saw the two people in front of her, she froze, particrly when she noticed Yang Yi holding a corpse by the neck. However, she reacted quickly, and a melodious song soon rang out. ¡¾You hear a beautiful and captivating melody. Enchanted by it, you fall into a state of charm, losing 5 points of sanity.¡¿ Yang Yi suddenly stopped moving, dropped the corpse, and let his hands hang limply by his sides. "It''s over, this fool got charmed again!" Suna gripped her dagger tightly, ready for a fight to the death. She figured this time, the siren wouldn''t spare her and would probably keep her as emergency rations. A drop of cold sweat rolled down her forehead. Yang Yi, seemingly deeply enchanted by the siren, began walking towards her in a daze, swaying as he went. The siren was incredibly beautiful, with golden wavy hair, delicate and captivating features, and a heavenly voice. Her skin glowed like white porcin, and she had a voluptuous and tall, sexy figure. In contrast, she also had a set of sharp teeth capable of crushing skulls, ws sharp enough to tear open a belly, and a fish tail strong enough to break human bones. Yang Yi was utterly mesmerised, approaching the siren as if seeking a hug, nestling into her arms... The siren, apparently fond of her prey, momentarily abandoned her attack. Her gaze softened, and though she opened her mouth several times, she couldn''t bring herself to bite Yang Yi. "Sorry, but...we''re not the same species," Yang Yi said softly while in her embrace. ¡¾Sanity below 50. You enter a state of madness: Strength +2, Agility +1, Constitution +1, Spirit -2, immune to most mental abnormalities...¡¿ Before the siren could realise something was wrong, Boom! The gunshot was deafening, reverberating through the entire cave. This time, the flintlock gun didn''t disappoint, firing sessfully on the first try. The sharp half of a broken bone that was tucked into his back waistband didn''t seem necessary anymore. "You can resist the charm? Then what was that earlier, when you followed her willingly?" Suna''s crimson eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment. "Your gun has a strange sound to it. How did it reduce my sanity by one point?" Only one point... Yang Yi immediately caught the key detail. The woman definitely wasn¡¯t normal! Even with a Spirit stat as high as 8, Yang Yi lost 3 sanity points the first time he heard the gunshot! Yang Yi didn''t bother exining. He stepped back, watching as the headless body of the siren slowly slumped to the ground, twitching continuously. Thick, dark red fluid and bits of flesh sttered all over Yang Yi. Suna immediately ran over and, after examining the siren''s body, showed a hint of regret in her eyes. "Your gun is too powerful. Could you avoid shooting the head next time? I''d like to have aplete siren''s head." She pulled out a bottle from somewhere and began collecting the siren''s blood, brain tissue, and surface mucus. "What are you doing? I killed this siren, so the spoils belong to me!" Yang Yi frowned and quickly picked up a piece of flesh, stuffing it into his pocket to remind Suna. After all, the vending machine only needed a small amount of tissue, and the system would recover the monster''s corpse afterwards, preventing the possibility of using the same corpse multiple times. Hearing this, Suna paused and looked up at Yang Yi, thinking for a moment. "How about this: you leave me oneplete body, and I''ll give you all the resources on my ship, plus an additional month of navigation guidance. Deal?" Yang Yi thought about it briefly and agreed. The siren wasn''t as strong as the Drowned Revenants. Without her song, most adult men with spears could kill her onnd. Her spoils were unlikely to be that valuable, so the navigation charts would be more useful. "You mentioned earlier that the time interval between the two groups of sirens returning to theirir was around 15 minutes, right?" Yang Yi asked. "Yes, the intervals were 20 minutes, 17 minutes, and 18 minutes," Suna replied, recalling clearly. "Then you''ll need to add a new piece of data ¡ª not more than two minutes!" Yang Yi grabbed Suna and pulled her in front of him. The next second, two sirens burst out of the pool behind Suna, lunging at where she had just been standing, but they missed. Just moments before, Yang Yi noticed ripples on the surface of the pool and became alert. When he saw a head emerging from the water, he immediately pulled Suna to help her avoid the attack. The two smaller sirens, seeing the body of their fallen kin, flew into a rage, emitting threatening hisses. Their pale skin began to flush red, and they bared their sharp teeth. The haunting melody resumed, this time a duet, the sound sharp and echoing in the cave. Even Suna was overwhelmed, her head spinning from the sound. ¡¾The song is both piercing and enchanting. Your sanity decreases by 5 points.¡¿ Although Yang Yi was immune to the charm, the sound still made his chest feel tight, his eardrums ache, and even caused him to start losing health. He immediately raised his gun and aimed. Click! The gun misfired! "Run! Let''s get outside. The space here is too small, and their song echoes in the cave, putting us at a disadvantage!" Yang Yi said decisively. Suna was in bad shape too, with blood trickling from one ear, seeming a bit disoriented. Yang Yi immediately grabbed her and began running out of the cave. Fortunately, the sirens weren''t fast. After all, they had no legs, and their fish tails weren''t well-suited for moving onnd, so their speed was rtively slow. The two of them managed to escape the cave. By this time, Suna had recovered enough that Yang Yi no longer needed to pull her along. "Your pistol may not need reloading, but it misfires from time to time, doesn''t it?" she asked. Yang Yi frowned, slightly annoyed. This woman had a knack for focusing on things she shouldn''t, which wasn''t doing her any good! They kept running. Yang Yi wanted to buy time until the flintlock gun''s cooldown ended, which would make the fight easier. But they hadn''t run far when they came to a stop, faced with a murky sea. The ind was mostly submerged by the sea, with no path in front. There was no sunlight overhead, just thick clouds and heavy rain pouring down. Only the asional sh of lightning illuminated the world, followed by deafening thunder. A storm at sea! Yang Yi immediately remembered that the system announcement had warned him of an impending storm. "I didn''t mention it before, but the storm has already been going on for two days. Now, all the yers are desperately trying to escape this sea area," Suna exined. "Why didn''t you say so earlier?" "Would it have helped? We still had to deal with the sirens," Suna replied calmly. She wasn''t wrong. If they didn''t take care of the sirens, they''d inevitably be chased down by them during the storm, which wouldn''t end well... Yang Yi looked back, timing it perfectly. The two sirens were still about 50 metres away. By the time they closed the distance to 5 metres, the flintlock gun''s cooldown would just about be over. Five metres was a distance Yang Yi felt confident in; there was a high chance he could hit his target. He raised his gun, aimed carefully, and held his breath. The moment they were within range, he fired. Bang! The shot rang out, and a severed arm flew into the air. The siren''s head remained intact ¡ª Yang Yi had missed. "Your aim is terrible!" Suna mocked. "As if you''re any better!" Yang Yi retorted nonchntly. "You keep the siren with the severed arm busy. I''ll take care of the other one and thene back to help you!" "Got it!" The two of them ran towards their respective targets. Chapter 17 - Turbid Sea Yang Yi charged at the siren on his left. He had no weapons in hand, and the broken bone he once had was long lost somewhere. But he was onnd, and while other options might¡¯ve been scarce, there was no shortage of stones! He grabbed one and rushed forwards. Midway, his strength suddenly upgraded; his base strength now reached 4 points, and with the bonus, it surged to 6! "Hsss!" The siren hissed in a threatening manner, her scales bristling. She was quite clever, seemingly realising the man before her wasn''t susceptible to enchantment. Instead of wasting energy on singing, she prepared to tear him apart with her sharp ws and fangs. But what she didn''t know was...when it came to physicalbat, humans were unrivalled rulers onnd. Even without firearms, this fact didn¡¯t change! Yang Yi was a prime example of this; he had no intention of fighting fairly. Seeing how close they were, he simply hurled the stone at her, striking her squarely in the face.1 With his strength at 6 points, exceeding the average of 5, the hit was brutal. The siren staggered, bleeding profusely from her head. Seizing the moment, he mounted her, grabbed anotherrge stone, and began pounding her face without a trace of mercy. It was clear this simply wasn¡¯t a beautiful woman, but a flesh-eating beast in disguise. No normal person would show sympathy, never mind Yang Yi in his frenzied state. One hit. Two hits. Three hits... It wasn''t until Yang Yi felt something break, and the siren beneath him stopped struggling, that he finally paused. He wasn''t unscathed. The siren''s tail had left several deep, dark bruises on his back, and her ws had torn through his skin, leaving gaping wounds. The power of that tail was terrifying, but as Suna had said, her upper body strength wasparable to that of a human. As long as the fight was settled on hard soil, humans had the upper hand. In the water, it was a different story. After finishing off the siren, Yang Yi casually picked up a piece of her flesh and put it in his pocket, then ran towards thest remaining siren. The fight happening there was stuck in a deadlock. Suna and the siren were entangled, rolling on the ground, covered in mud and water. The siren was injured, missing an arm, while Suna was weakened. The two were locked in a struggle, neither able to overpower the other. That was until Yang Yi intervened, tipping the scales. With two against one, Yang Yi quickly pinned the siren down with his foot, pulled out his flintlock, and prepared to blow her head off. "Don''t shoot! I need her intact, especially the head!" Remembering Suna''s earlier request, Yang Yi paused and asked, "Then what do you want me to do?" "I''ve noticed movements in her chest ¡ª she likely breathes through lungs. Try strangling her!" Suna pressed down on the siren with her full weight, signalling for Yang Yi to act. Nodding, he didn''t hesitate. He gripped the siren''s throat tightly with both hands. Before long, the siren''s resistance weakened. A few minutester, she stopped moving altogether, her eyes rolling back, seemingly dead. To ensure she wasn''t faking it, Yang Yi kept his grip for a full five minutes, only releasing when Suna tapped him on the shoulder. With that, the three sirens were finally dead. "Didn''t expect sirens to breathe through their mouths. I thought they had gills!" Yang Yi joked, eyeing the siren. At a nce, she looked like a crude fusion of a human and a fish. Suna, meanwhile, was roughly feeling behind the siren''s ear. "She does have gills, right behind her ears. How they function together is something we''d have to dissect to understand." Suna continued to probe the siren''s body like a child ying with a new toy, exploring every inch. Yang Yi, however, wasn''t as interested. He only needed to know the siren''s weak points and how to kill them. The specifics of their anatomy didn''t concern him. He opened his log to check the siren''s detailed information. ¡¾Name: Lesser Siren¡¿ ¡¾Description: Sirens are demonic creatures of the sea that use their voices and beauty to ensnare men. They are half-human, half-fish, and typically live in groups. They enjoy toying with their prey before gradually devouring them. This one is a lesser individual, with limited intelligence and strength.¡¿ "There''s a higher-level siren..." Yang Yi thought, feeling a deep sense of caution. If it had been a higher-level siren, he might have died in her embrace before even triggering his frenzy... And even if he had triggered the frenzy, he probably wouldn''t have won. What a terrifying creature! He could only hope that by the next time they met, he would have some resistance against enchantment. On the other side, Suna had already begun cutting up the siren''s corpse ¡ª a rather gruesome sight, causing Yang Yi to avert his eyes and check the weather forecast. He needed to quickly gather information and figure out what had happened in the past three days. Today''s Weather The storm is closing in on you. Escape the dark clouds overhead as soon as possible! Location : Sea of Origins (Storm Zone) Remaining Sunlight : Unknown Temperature : 12~20¡ãC. Wind Force: Level 8 Yang Yi then reviewed the previous day''s announcements. ¡¾An unprecedented storm is sweeping across the Origin Sea. You must hurry to escape the storm zone before it bes uncontroble. Friendly Reminder: The speed of the ck fog will increase to 15 knots. If you''re too slow, you might not make it!¡¿ After reading this, Yang Yi frowned. "We''ve wasted two days. We need to leave as soon as possible." He began searching for the Nightmare, his ship. By now, the ind was mostly submerged, with thendmass reduced to less than a kilometre in diametre. Only the tops of trees were still visible above the water, and the sea''s depth was likely around 10 metres. He spotted the shadow of the Nightmare to his left, thankfully not blown away by the wind ¡ª perhaps because its sails were in tatters. As for the distance, it was several hundred metres away, though probably less than a kilometre. On the sea, it was a significant distance, especially for someone more suited tond. Yang Yi wasn''t a strong swimmer, just someone who had learnt as a child. He could manage a few dozen metres, but several hundred was asking too much! Moreover, the water was turbulent, with potential undercurrents below. As he racked his brain for a solution, he noticed Suna stuffing a piece of the siren''s flesh into her stomach. "Huh?" Yang Yi took a closer look. He then realised Suna had a ck pouch attached to her belly under her clothes. "Is that...a space bag?" Yang Yi was surprised that she had such a rare item. ¡¾Name: Witch''s Personal Treasure Bag¡¿ ¡¾Type: Treasure¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Description : It can be attached to any part of your body, making it impossible to steal. It offers one cubic metre of space for storage but cannot hold living things. Every proper witch must first have her own treasure bag!¡¿ Yang Yi immediately had an idea and started walking towards Suna. Notes
  1. Such grace! -Simply?
Chapter 18 - The fighting style of a madman How should a low-level sea monster be folded to upy the least space in a one-cubic-metre area? Suna didn''t bother to think about this problem and chose a more straightforward method: chop it into more pieces! One piece for the tail, another for the torso, and the arms and head could also be detached. Once neatly arranged, it wouldn''t take up much space! That''s exactly what she was doing right then. Yang Yi walked over and asked, ¡°Do you have any rope on you?¡± ¡°I have 15 units,¡± Suna replied.1 ¡°Great!¡± Yang Yi eximed with delight. ¡°Give me all the rope, and I''ll make a raft so we can cross this sea area. It''s too far and dangerous to swim across!¡± Hearing this, Suna paused and looked at the sea surface. Her ship, the Astrologer, was anchored next to the Nightmare, about a kilometre from the shore. Indeed, it wouldn''t be an easy swim. ¡°Okay!¡± After a brief consideration, Suna agreed to Yang Yi''s proposal and handed him all the rope. At that point, cooperation was the best option. Moreover, the recent battle had established a basic level of trust between them. Yang Yi took the rope, first ran back to the cave, and turned the clothes on the male corpse into cloth. He also rummaged through the pile of bones, gathering a total of five units of cloth, which he used to make five units of simple rope. He now had 20 units of rope. What he needed next was some wood. Yang Yi had a flintlock gun in hand, powerful enough to break a small tree with a single shot. After spending some time and firing a few shots, they had enough logs. Using the witch¡¯s dagger, he carefully trimmed the logs and then bound them tightly with rope. A small raft, one metre wide, waspleted! It cost 13 units of rope and 8 logs. The extra rope could be tied around Suna and Yang Yi''s waists. If one of them identally fell into the water, the other could rescue them in time. With preparationsplete, it all depended on their execution. After all, they hadn''t known each other for long, and various uncertainties remained. ¡°Okay, get on. The raft is ready!¡± Yang Yi said to Suna. He checked the raft and found the buoyancy to be sufficient; it could carry two people without any problem. Suna had just finished dismembering the sea monster. She walked over and climbed onto the raft. Each of them held a makeshift paddle and worked their way towards the ship. Due to the presence of trees and the ind, the stretch of water was much calmer than the open sea. The process went smoothly, and they quickly approached the ship. Yang Yi even started thinking about the coconut trees. Although they were submerged, they still bore coconuts that could be pulled down with a w hook. Amidst his fantasising, a great force struck the bottom of the raft, nearly throwing them into the sea. ¡°There¡¯s something in the water, and it¡¯s big!¡± Yang Yi immediately became alert, pointing his flintlock at the water¡¯s surface. Suna, who had almost fallen, was now lying on the raft. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a dark shadow swimming by. ¡°There¡¯s a giant snake in the water, right here!¡± She pointed to a spot, warning him. Yang Yi was about to look when they were lifted again, snapping one of the ropes and loosening the structure of the raft. If this continued, the raft would definitely fall apart! Then, they would fall into the water and be directly attacked by the giant sea serpent. The consequences would be unimaginable! They were still two hundred metres from the ship, too far of a distance to swim. Realising this, Yang Yi''s eyes gleamed with fierce light. He was in a state of madness ¡ª brave, fearless, and eager for battle. If the sea serpent wanted to eat him, then it should have noints about being eaten! He grinned and tested firing the flintlock underwater. Boom! Water sshed everywhere. As expected, the flintlock was waterproof and could still fire even when wet or submerged! Suna heard themotion, turned her head, and asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Testing the gun.¡± Suna frowned, not understanding, and suggested her own idea. ¡°We could try luring it away with the sea monster¡¯s blood and flesh. I could throw it far...¡± ¡°No need, that won¡¯t work!¡± Yang Yi shook his head, staring at the shadow in the water. ¡°I can feel it ¡ª it¡¯s challenging me to a duel!¡± ¡°A feeling? Are you losing your mind? How much sanity do you have left?¡± Yang Yi didn''t answer her. Like a madman, he jumped into the water, leaving only one sentence behind in the air. ¡°When things get chaotic down there, just pull me up!''¡± ¡°You''re... You¡¯re nning to fight it in the water? That¡¯s suicide!¡± But in reality, Yang Yi had a good chance of winning ¡ª a very high one! He was extremely calm, counting the seconds. After 15 seconds, he could fire again. With the power of the flintlock, he only needed one hit to take out the serpent. And it would take the serpent at least a few minutes to kill him. Because the serpent didn¡¯t have tearing teeth, it typically killed its prey by constriction and suffocation. During that time, Yang Yi could fire at least three or four shots. As long as one shot hit, the serpent would be cut open in half on the spot! The sea serpent eagerly swam over as its prey offered itself. The serpent was as thick as an adult¡¯s thigh, agile as a fish, and extremely good in water. Were they to fight onnd, Yang Yi would stand a chance. However, in the water, without a suitable weapon, Yang Yi¡¯s odds were almost zero. The serpent tightly coiled around him, and he could only barely free his right hand, giving himself a chance to shoot. The rest of his body didn¡¯t matter. Quickly, Yang Yi pulled the trigger. Click! The gun misfired. But it wasn¡¯t an issue; he still had another chance! The serpent tightened its grip, and Yang Yi felt his ribs grinding against each other, unable to fight back. He counted the time and fired the second shot. Click! Another misfire. The air in Yang Yi¡¯s lungs was squeezed out, and his ribs were at risk of breaking. His body went numb. Yet he remained calm, waiting for his next chance to shoot. The sea serpent sensed something was wrong. Yang Yi was different from any prey it had ever encountered! And so, it prepared for the final strike, biting hard into Yang Yi¡¯s left shoulder. ¡°Daring to bite me?... Then don¡¯t be sorry if I bite back!¡± Yang Yi bit down on the serpent¡¯s body with all his might, piercing its scales. At that moment, his third shot came, aimed at the serpent¡¯s head on his left shoulder. Boom! Thunder exploded underwater. The shot blew off half of the sea serpent¡¯s head. But it didn¡¯t die instantly, letting out a horrific screech and quickly releasing the troublesome prey. Why did it bother struggling? Its death was certain; it was doomed. ¡°I won!¡± Yang Yi felt relieved and rxed after his final victory. Although it had been tough, he had won! His body began to sink slowly... ¡°Damn, I have to swim up!¡± Yang Yi tried to control his body, but to his surprise, he found that he couldn''t muster any strength. On the surface of the water, there was a loud explosion, and water sshed up into the air. Immediately after, arge amount of ck blood floated up. Suna had been closely watching the underwatermotion, and as soon as she heard the gunshot, she quickly pulled the rope tied around her waist. But the other end of the rope was severed. At some point during the struggle between Yang Yi and the sea serpent, the rope had snapped. Suna looked at the water, hesitated for a few seconds, and finally, jumped in. A few minutester, Yang Yi spat out a mouthful of water, along with a piece of snake skin that had been bitten off. After regaining his breath, his vitality quickly returned, and his consciousness cleared. Suna had saved him and performed CPR on him. "Thank you, I owe you my life," Yang Yi said, expressing his gratitude. Before he lost consciousness, he had noticed the broken rope and thought he was done for. But to his surprise, this woman had actually jumped in to save him. At that moment, he also noticed that the conditions for unlocking his mysterious skill had changed to 2/3. By now, Yang Yi had roughly guessed what the condition was ¡ª surviving three near-death experiences. On the other side, Suna was feeling quite conflicted. She looked at Yang Yi with a strange expression...almost as if she were observing some rare creature. "To risk one''s life in battle without hesitation goes against the very instincts of survival! How peculiar! I''ll have to record this in my observation diaryter..." After thinking it over, she noticed the wound on Yang Yi''s shoulder. "You''ve been bitten. That serpent might be venomous!" Suna leaned in, trying to suck out the venom from Yang Yi''s wound. She continued until the blood she spit out turned bright red, then she stopped. Yang Yi looked at her, feeling a bit moved. After all, what she did was risky. Though snake venom is mostly protein and would be digested by stomach acid, if there were any cuts or sores in her mouth or digestive tract, it could be dangerous and lead to poisoning. Once the treatment was done, Yang Yi caught his breath. The two of them steadily approached the ship and climbed aboard their respective vessels. ... Yang Yi''s Observation Diary: His madness is so captivating! He never backs down, has clear awareness, and formtes battle ns. He might not even realise just how strong his desire to fight is, how much he craves to kill his opponent. But what if the opponent is too strong... What choice would he make then? This warrants further observation. ¡ªWitch Suna Notes
  1. One unit equals one metre ??
Chapter 19 - Re-trading On the boat: Earlier, the fish and shellfish that were caught had already rotted and were no longer edible. Yang Yi left only a single pufferfish with a cyst and returned everything else to the sea. His remaining food consisted of 1 piece of ck bread, 3 eyeball fish, and 38 vitality coconuts. There was still 1 litre of fresh water. Yang Yi ate three eyeballs, then prepared a bottle of vitality coconut juice to regain his energy. ¡¾yer Suna Requests to Board the Ship¡¿ Yang Yi agreed without hesitation. She boarded the ship from the stern and soon arrived at the cabin of the Nightmare. At that moment, Yang Yi was mixing the drink. ¡°You can make potions?¡± Suna asked in surprise. ¡°Yes, I got a recipe on the ind. You can mix salt and vitality coconuts to make vitality coconut juice. Want to try some?¡± Yang Yi handed the freshly prepared vitality coconut juice to Suna. Since she had saved his life, giving her something in return was no problem. Suna took it, examined it carefully, but did not drink it. Instead, she put it into her treasure bag. ¡°I saved your life, so I won¡¯t take any supplies from your ship.¡± Yang Yi suggested, ¡°Drink the freshly made juice.¡± Suna seemed a bit regretful. She couldn¡¯t see Yang Yi¡¯s disappointed expression. The Astrologer¡¯s ship had very few supplies. ¡°Do you want to coborate again?¡± Yang Yi proposed. The storm at sea was severe. With their cooperation, they would have a much better chance of managing it. Additionally, the Astrologer¡¯s ship could provide navigation charts, so they wouldn¡¯t get lost in the storm. ¡°Sure!¡± Suna agreed, as she had the same idea. Yang Yi left the cabin, and outside, the sky was covered in dark clouds. The howling wind mixed with seawater, causing the ship to sway continuously. He didn¡¯t n to set off immediately as there were other urgent matters to attend to. He had been poisoned by a snake and urgently needed antidotes. Additionally, the spoils from the sea monster battle still needed to be collected! He approached the Octopus Vending Machine and threw in the two sea monster corpses and a piece of snake skin. ¡¾Name: Large Sea Serpent**¡¿** ¡¾Description: A cunning giant sea serpent,rger than ordinary pythons, enjoys torturing its prey. Can be put into the monster capsule machine.¡¿ ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to exchange that corpse for a capsule?¡± Yang Yi suddenly asked. Suna still had a sea monster corpse in her treasure bag! ¡°No exchange!¡± Suna shook her head repeatedly, as if it were a rattle drum. In her eyes, the corpse was very valuable ¨C more than the capsule! Studying its physiological structure could provide the knowledge she wanted! Knowledge was much more precious than mere items! Yang Yi shrugged and started spinning the machine¡¯s wheel, causing the capsules to collide against each other. Soon, three were ejected. Suna stood behind Yang Yi, observing his actions and taking out a small notebook to record details: ¡°Yang Yi lives on a ghost ship with questionable mental health! His Vending Machine is a fearsome octopus head, and Yang Yi seems to like it¡­¡± Yang Yi, unaware of being psychoanalysed, happily picked up the glowing items on the ground. The first item was a can with a mermaid image on it. ¡¾Name: Siren¡¯s Voice¡¿ ¡¾Type: Consumable¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Good¡¿ ¡¾Description: Contains a special gas that, when inhaled, emits a piercing shriek, causing surrounding creatures to enter a temporary state of paralysis and loss of reason. Inhaling it reduces sanity by 20. You¡¯ve obtained the siren¡¯s voice, but it seems you can¡¯t sing¡­¡¿ The second item was a blue crystal pendant. ¡¾Name: Siren¡¯s Tear¡¿ ¡¾Type: Relic¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Good¡¿ ¡¾Description: Immunity to charm when worn. However, you will asionally hear hallucinations, as if a siren is singing in your ear, causing a decrease in sanity.¡¿ The third item was a short sword. ¡¾Name: Sea Serpent¡¯s Tooth¡¿ ¡¾Type: Treasure¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Good¡¿ **¡¾Description: **A short sword made from the tooth of a giant sea serpent. It has a mild paralysing effect and deals minor damage to demonic creatures. ¡¿ Yang Yi had good luck getting two pieces of equipment and one weapon from the three capsules, which helped alleviate the awkward situation of having low output while the flintlock was cooling down. As for the other two items¡­ Yang Yi considered selling or trading them. The Siren¡¯s Tear was a powerful weapon against sirens, but since Yang Yi had a mad state that granted immunity, it was somewhat redundant. The charm effect would be quickly adapted to by someone with high sanity. The first time being charmed reduced sanity by 10, butter encounters would reduce it by only 5, making it less effective. The Siren¡¯s Voice was a good item, but Yang Yi urgently needed to recover from his injuries, so he reluctantly decided to trade it. He immediately messaged the captain of the Radiant Goddess, Zhou Dai. Yang Yi: ¡°I need two bottles of holy water. Do you have any?¡± There was a dy of several minutes before a reply came. Zhou Dai: ¡°To keep it short, I¡¯m busy sailing right now and don¡¯t have time to produce holy water. My current stock is limited!¡± Yang Yi understood her meaning. It implied that there was stock, but the price would be high. Yang Yi was prepared with enough bargaining chips, so he replied: ¡°Two bottles of vitality coconut juice, the Siren¡¯s Tear, and the Siren¡¯s Voice in exchange for two bottles of holy water.¡± The response from Zhou Dai came much faster this time. ¡°You¡¯re a male yer, right? Did you manage to kill a siren?¡± She sounded incredulous. After all, many male yers had fallen to sirens, as seen in chat. ¡°I won¡¯t shortchange you. At this price, I can give you three bottles of holy water. We can coborate again in the future!¡± The trade was quicklypleted. Yang Yi threw the items into the Octopus Vending Machine, and soon, three bottles of holy water appeared in his hands. Yang Yi immediately drank one bottle and then handed another to Suna. ¡°You were right; that sea serpent was poisonous. Just in case, you should drink one bottle too. It can detoxify and heal.¡± Suna took the holy water but did not drink it. Instead, she examined it carefully and then put it into her treasure bag. ¡°I told you to drink it, not to store it!¡± Yang Yi was annoyed. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to drink it, give it back to me!¡± He was puzzled. Whether it was vitality coconut juice or holy water, this woman seemed to like putting everything into her treasure bag. Suna was taken aback. Seeing Yang Yi¡¯s serious expression, she finally relented, opened the bottle, and drank the holy water. ¡°Spit it out if you¡¯re just holding it in your mouth!¡± Yang Yi noticed that Suna had not swallowed it and was only holding it in her mouth. Suna frowned, looking somewhat displeased. After Yang Yi¡¯s insistence, she reluctantly swallowed it. ¡°Open your mouth and let me see!¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Sunaplied and opened her mouth, seeming to have genuinely drunk it. Yang Yi nodded. In fact, Suna also had injuries, so this would help her recover faster. Secretly, Suna took out a small notebook and began recording: Yang Yi was very fierce and liked to force others! ¡°What are you writing?¡± Yang Yi asked,ing over. ¡°Nothing!¡± Suna kept her notebook hidden. Seeing this, Yang Yi didn¡¯t press further, respecting her privacy. ¡°Have you read the chat and announcements? Everyone is desperately fleeing this sea area. We need to escape too!¡± Yang Yi judged the situation and inquired about the Astrologer¡¯s ship details. Her ship was only level 1, 10 knots slower than the level 2 Nightmare. They simply decided to use grappling hooks to bind the two ships together. This way, neither ship would fall behind. ¡°Help me with one more thing first.¡± Yang Yi pointed to the coconut trees, which were barely visible, with coconuts floating almost on the water. ¡°Let¡¯s make a trip around the ind and collect as many coconuts as we can. No lingering!¡± Suna nodded in agreement. Yang Yi wanted to collect as many as possible, however, doing it this way would save time. The two ships circled the ind, gathering 92 coconuts in total. The number was quite substantial, and Yang Yi was satisfied. He generously gave Suna half, so they each got 46 coconuts. Including the 34 coconuts from his ship, the total was 126. With this, Yang Yi wouldn¡¯t have to worry about energy recovery for a while. Chapter 20 - Journey Through the Storm Today''s Weather: The storm has intensified; please be cautious of floating debris at sea. Location: Sea of Origin (Storm Zone) Remaining Sunlight: Unknown Temperature: 13-18¡ãC Wind Force: Level 9 Yang Yi and Suna had been travelling together at sea for two days. In those two days, they hadn¡¯t seen the sun at all; the sea was pitch dark, with limited visibility. The wind force had increased by one level, the sea turbulent. Maintaining even half of the original ship speed of several tens of knots was alreadymendable. At the start of the storm, the wind force was only level 4, which was the ideal time to speed up. During this period, Yang Yi was charmed by a siren and missed the golden window for speeding up, resulting in significant dys, and ending up at the rear of everyone else. From the chat channel, Yang Yi learnt that his friend, Captain Xu Da of the Swift Wind, had broken out of the stormy sea the night before. His ship''s speed reached 70 knots, making it the fastest in the game. If it were to be upgraded to level 2, it would likely be even faster. He told him that beyond the choppy sea, the weather was calm and sunny! It was expected that in the next two days, more fast ships would break out of the rough sea, except for the two unfortunate ones ¨C Yang Yi and Suna. ¡°Damn it!¡± Yang Yi hadn''t slept for days, with bloodshot eyes and a bad temper. He drank a bottle of coconut juice to replenish his energy and privately messaged Suna. ¡°Suna, are there any inds or reefs ahead?¡± He didn''t want to identally run aground on an ind or crash into a reef. ¡°No, don¡¯t disturb me; this is a critical moment!¡± Since taking over the Astrologer, Suna hadn''t shown her face again. ¡°What exactly are you doing?¡± Yang Yi asked. Suna did not reply. She was in the cabin of the Astrologer, which had a wooden long table. Nearby was a basketball-sized crystal ball disying the sea chart within a hundred nautical miles. However, her attention was not on the sea chart but on the siren''s corpse on the table. Suna used the witch¡¯s dagger as a surgical tool, cutting open the skin to observe theplex nerve and vascr structure inside, hypothesising about its organposition, and making detailed records. Several organs had beenpletely removed, including the brain and eyes, and were ced in ss jars. She spent some materials to exchange for several ss jars, just for this observation. ¡°This siren... Its body structure has many defects. It¡¯s more urate to call it a mermaid. Its body still has an immune rejection response, as if human and fish organs were brutally forced together. It needs to eat humans to alleviate this...¡± She muttered her findings while recording. ¡°There seems to be a trend of weakening in this rejection response. If itpletely disappears, the siren¡¯s body might undergo new changes...¡± Meanwhile, Yang Yi continued to steer the ship, circumventing floating debris caused by the sea current. If it weren¡¯t for the storm, many people would be eager to use grappling hooks to catch these floating objects. But now, everyone avoided them like the gue. The debris wasrge, fast-moving, and some were even fragments of ship hulls. It wasn¡¯t known which unfortunate yer they came from. So, Yang Yi kept vignt, avoiding the floating objects. His Nightmare had poor durability, with only 600 points, and the hull was made of rotten wood. It was far from sturdy. After just three collisions, durability dropped by over a hundred! A few more hits, and his ship would fall apart! In this urgent situation, Yang Yi considered using the pirate ship blueprints. However, the system stated that the environment was unsafe and did not allow the use of blueprints for modifications. With no other option, he could only continue pressing on. At the same time, Yang Yi kept an eye on the chat channel to stay updated on the sea¡¯s changes and movements. The messages were mostly bad news and yerints. ¡°It¡¯s over¡­ The wind was too strong just now; I seem to have gone off course. Can anyone tell me the direction!¡± ¡°How far is it still? I¡¯m in a hurry!¡± ¡°Looking to buy wood, paying a high price. I have millions on my bank card, just need 10 units of wood; I¡¯ll buy it all!¡± ¡°Idiot!¡± ¡°Damn it, my ship is taking on water! Who¡¯s selling wood? 30 Shell Coins per unit, buying indefinitely!¡± Wood could repair ships, making its value skyrocket and hard to obtain. Sometimes, a single unit of wood would be sold for the sky-high price of 50 Shell Coins... ¡°What¡¯s at the bottom of the sea attacking my ship?!¡± Suddenly, a message caught Yang Yi''s attention. It could¡¯ve been a new development in the sea zone ¨C a monster attack! His encounter drew attention from many other yers, who started asking questions. ¡°Bro, are you sure you heard clearly? Did you hit an obstacle?¡± ¡°Yes, and no, I¡¯m already in the cabin. The hull keeps making noise. Something must be hitting my ship!¡± ¡°My god!¡± ¡°Haha, starting to grind monsters! You guys enjoy yourselves; I can see the exit now! Goodbye!¡± ¡°Help me, it¡¯s a merman...¡± The message was cut off, and the person likely died, with the system issuing hisst unfinished message. Yang Yi became nervous. A ssh of seawater hit Yang Yi¡¯s face, chilling him to the bone. He immediately contacted Suna. ¡°Suna, there might be monsters in the sea. We need to prepare! What¡¯s going on over there?¡± Yang Yi asked. Suna had finished the dissection, her face flushed with excessive excitement. Her eyes were bloodshot as she looked at the message popping up on her journal. ¡¾Condition Met, Dissection of Demon Count 2/2, Your Talent Unlocked ¨C Forbidden Schr. Forbidden Schr: Permanent reduction of 20 to sanity limit, mysterious learning system unlocked. You can now build special rooms, develop your own unique forms, and create unique items. You couldn¡¯t resist your curiosity! Little did you know...this might be a one-way path.¡¿ ¡°Suna, I¡¯m asking you! What are you doing? Speak!¡± Yang Yi was a bit irritated. Only then did Suna take a deep breath, calm her mood, and respond. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°How¡¯s the ship¡¯s durability?¡± Yang Yi asked. ¡°Almost no damage.¡± ¡°Thene to the Nightmare! I¡¯ll grant you permission. Help me repair the ship and restore its durability!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Suna agreed. She stored the valuable organ specimens in her bag, grabbed the crystal ball, and headed towards the Nightmare. The two ships were connected by ropes and hooks, and they were close enough that usually, a nk would be enough to cross over. But now, with both ships swaying, it was safer to crawl across the nk. Suna did just that, and as soon as she boarded the Nightmare, Yang Yi called her into the cabin. ¡°I¡¯ve given you permission. Use the stone materials to make a stone hammer and then repair the Nightmare¡¯s durability. Stay on the Nightmare for now. We might encounter monsters ahead, and staying on the ship will be safer!¡± Chapter 21 - The bigger the storm, the bigger the fish... As the chat room buzzed with activity, reports of yers being attacked kept popping up. The monsters they encountered were all different. ¡°There are so many rednterns in the water, and they¡¯re all converging on me. Has anyone else seen this? What the heck are they?¡± ¡°Just fireflies, nothing to worry about!¡± ¡°Damn it! A dozen little fishmen have me trapped in the captain¡¯s cabin! Come at me one-on-one if you dare!¡± ¡°Why is there someone standing on the sea¡­right in my path?¡± ¡°One of the monsters got caught in my trap. It¡¯s called a Drowned Revenant, I think. I turned it into a pincushion¡­ Wait, what¡­?¡± Yang Yi offered a silent prayer for that yer. They were probably blown up by the monster. Every passing minute, someone got attacked and killed. However, there were also many who managed to escape the stormy sea unscathed. As for Yang Yi, perhaps because his ship, the Nightmare, set outte and was somewhat distant from the main fleet, he hadn¡¯t encountered any monsters. But there was something else that was troubling him. He had run out of food! Water wasn¡¯t an issue thanks to the vitality coconuts, but he desperately needed protein and energy! ¡°Suna, do you have any food on your ship?¡± Yang Yi sent a private message. ¡°Only 1L of water,¡± Suna¡¯s voice responded in his ear. She had just finished repairing her ship and was holding a crystal ball as she walked to the front deck. The crystal ball was actually a dynamic nautical map, capable of disying the sea conditions within a hundred nautical miles around them! At that moment, it only showed two ships, the Astrologer and the Nightmare, with the small ship markers positioned very close to each other. ¡°Can the map on your ship be dismantled?¡± Yang Yi asked in surprise. ¡°This crystal ball is just a receiver. As long as it¡¯s not too far away, it¡¯s fine,¡± Suna exined. The nautical map was actually quite simple. Apart from the ships, it only showedrge obstacles on the sea, like giant floating objects, which appeared as small ck dots. Inds, on the other hand, were represented asrge shadows. By avoiding these ck dots, they could effectively prevent the ship from getting caught in the whirlpools created by giant floating debris. At the same time, the existence of the nautical map ensured they wouldn¡¯t lose their way. Another day passed. Even a tough guy like Yang Yi needed to sleep and rest. They took turns steering the ship, sleeping in the captain¡¯s cabin when they were tired. It seemed the Nightmare¡¯s curse only targeted the captain, as Suna hadn¡¯t mentioned having any nightmares. Throughout this time, Yang Yi kept an eye on the chat room, hoping to buy some food. But it was a lost cause! Due to the storm, most yers were running out of food and had no intention of selling any. The few who did have food were simply the lucky ones who had escaped the stormy sea. The prices were astronomical, and even then, it was impossible to snatch anything! When Yang Yi sent private messages, it took the other party ten minutes to reply, and the response always remained the same: ¡°Sold out!¡± Some didn¡¯t even bother to reply. This was the ultimate form of scarcity marketing, where those who couldn¡¯t buy food would starve! ¡°This can¡¯t go on!¡± Yang Yi sat up in the captain¡¯s cabin, his stomach growling incessantly. Suna was steering the ship now, with the wind force at level 11. Standing on the deck required a slight crouch to maintain bnce. Yang Yi¡¯s clothes had never dried, constantly damp with the salty, fishy smell of the sea. ¡°I need to get some food, or we¡¯re done for once we lose our strength!¡± he thought to himself, eating a vitality coconut, draining the water, and even scraping the flesh clean. With no food left, coconuts were the only option. But they alone weren¡¯t filling; he needed something more substantial with higher energy! After thinking it over, the only way Yang Yi could think of to get food was fishing. And it just so happened he had a fishing rod. ¡°Suna, if this keeps up, we¡¯re going to starve! I¡¯m going to try fishing while you steer the ship for a bit longer!¡± Yang Yi sent a private message. ¡°Got it!¡± Suna replied crisply. Yang Yi grabbed the fishing rod and went to the ship¡¯s courtyard, finding a suitable spot to cast his line. As the saying went, the bigger the storm, the pricier the fish. But in this case, it probably meant the bigger the storm, the stranger the fish¡­or maybe the bigger the fish after all? He quickly realised he had underestimated the difficulty of fishing in a storm. The ship rocked wildly, waves crashing all around, making it impossible to see the float, let alone any sign of a catch. An hour passed, and Yang Yi was close to achieving nothing, other than nearly falling overboard himself. Two hours went by, still no catch, and he was starting to get frustrated. He opened the chat room and sent a message. ¡°Has anyone tried fishing?¡± He attached a photo of himself fishing in the storm. ¡°Are you crazy? You still have time to fish? Aren¡¯t you avoiding the floating debris?¡± Indeed, only Yang Yi had the time to fish; everyone else was busy avoiding the floating debris. ¡°Just wait until you catch a mermaid that eats you alive!¡± In reality, if he did catch a siren, it was unclear who would eat whom! After a series of banter, a helpful message finally came through, likely from an experienced fisherman. ¡°With the waves so big, the fish are deep down. Your float is useless! If you insist on fishing, remove the float, let the line out longer, and attach a weight to sink the bait deeper!¡± Yang Yi thanked the fisherman in his mind and immediately adjusted the line, removing the float and attaching a small piece of stone to the hook. In this world, fishing didn¡¯t require bait... After half an hour, there was finally some movement, and the reel on the rod spun wildly. Yang Yi pulled hard, nearly being yanked into the sea himself, but managed to keep his footing by bracing against the ship¡¯s edge. He kept pulling, but the other end of the line went ck. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Did the line break?¡± Yang Yi leaned over to check. Suddenly, a red glow appeared from the depths, growing closer, like a redntern, about the size of a fist. ¡°What is this?¡± He immediately became alert and pulled out his flintlock pistol. The next second, a shark burst out of the water, lunging straight at Yang Yi. It was a double-hammerhead shark, over a metre long, with a smooth, streamlined, entirely red body. Its head was unusual, t like a shovel, with two eyes dangling on either side, glowing with a sinister red light in the darkness. What was even stranger were its two strong hind legs, knobby like a frog¡¯s. ¡¾Something¡¯s not right with this fish; your sanity decreases by 5.¡¿ The shark broke the surface, its massive jaws wide open, aiming to bite Yang Yi. Luckily, Yang Yi was prepared. He immediately ducked and fired his flintlock. ¡°Boom!¡± The shot was powerful, sting the shark, which was as thick as an adult¡¯s waist, into two pieces. But it wasn¡¯t dead yet. The upper half kept thrashing, trying to bite Yang Yi. Yang Yi grabbed his Sea Serpent¡¯s Tooth dagger and, with two swift stabs, finally subdued the shark. ¡¾Name: Double-Hammerhead Demon Shark¡¿ ¡¾Type: Food¡¿ ¡¾Description: A double-hammerhead shark tainted by abyssal corruption, savage and bloodthirsty. Its meat is edible, and it can also be used for the vending machine (if eaten, it can no longer be used for vending; choose wisely). Note: This is a gregarious creature. If you¡¯ve found one¡­it means a whole group is nearby.¡¿ After reading the description, Yang Yi¡¯s pupils contracted, and he quickly scanned the sea. One by one, rednterns appeared, growing in number, all converging on the Nightmare. They didn¡¯t mourn their fallenrade even for a second, surfacing and exposing their fins as if they were ready to jump onto the Nightmare. There must have been nearly a hundred of them. ¡°Suna, we¡¯ve got trouble!¡± Yang Yi immediately ran to the front deck. Suna had also noticed something was wrong and abandoned the helm to join him. Another double-hammerhead demon shark jumped onto the deck. These sharks had some mobility onnd, hopping awkwardly on their hind legs like frogs, though only managing a metre or two with each jump. But with so many of them, they were impossible to fight off! As Yang Yi watched the sharks, an idea suddenly came to him. Chapter 22 - Refuse to Die "Suna, we need to climb up the mast if we want any chance of survival!" Yang Yi decided resolutely. He had observed the movements of the demon sharks and noticed they could only jump onto the deck and had only hind limbs. This meant theycked the ability to climb. As long as they could get to the mast, they would have a fighting chance! Without hesitation, Yang Yi held a flintlock pistol in his left hand and a sea serpent dagger in his right, ready for both long-range and closebat. However, Suna didn''t have a suitable weapon. Using a small dagger against a shark was too dangerous. "I''ve got a sabre in my room. Grab it when we pass by; it''ll be perfect for you," Yang Yi suggested. Suna nodded, her hair wildly tossed by the fierce wind. There was no fear on her face; instead, there was a hint of excitement as she asionally nced at the demon sharks. "I want aplete shark, especially the eyes ¨C they must be intact!" Suna suddenly dered. "Let''s survive first!" Yang Yi responded. The two immediately set off, running towards the starboard side of the ship. The sharks were all gathered on the port side, making the starboard side rtively safer. They kept low, advancing quickly against the strong wind. The captain''s cabin on the starboard side had no door, but Yang Yi could create an entrance with his flintlock pistol, which should be ready to fire after cooling down. Yang Yi fired a shot, sting arge hole just big enough to reach inside and grab what they needed. He found a pirate cuss and over twenty simple wooden arrows, all coated with poison. He handed the cuss and arrows to Suna, and they quickly made their way to the courtyard. Located between the captain''s cabin and the ship''s hold, it was sheltered from the wind, providing a calmer environment that was less likely to disrupt their aim. As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, a demon shark lunged at them from the shadows. Had Yang Yi not noticed it in time, he would have been knocked to the ground. He pulled out the sea serpent dagger, ready to attack, but an arrow suddenly flew past him, striking the shark right in its eye. The shark, clearly vulnerable at this point, thrashed around in agony, losing itsbat effectiveness. Yang Yi nced back at Suna. "Your archery is that good?" They continued running toward the mast. By now, seven or eight demon sharks had gathered on the deck. They were all on the port side, and as soon as they spotted the two, they leaped toward them like frogs. Suna showcased her skills, pulling back the bowstring and releasing arrows with precision, hitting each shark in the eye. Even if therge, glowing eyes of the sharks made them easy targets, her uracy was nheless impressive. "What did you do before this?" Yang Yi asked, swallowing nervously. "I studied medicine. But in high school, I was a provincial archery champion, good enough for the national team." "You should''ve mentioned that earlier!" Yang Yi said, exasperated. "Why didn''t you use the bow when we were fighting the sea monsters before?" "I was ambushed, and the bow fell into the sea." "Uh..." Had he known Suna was that skilled, he would have prepared more arrows, and they wouldn''t have to worry about these jumping sharks. But now, with limited arrows, they couldn''t afford to stay and fight. Some of the demon sharks even moved to the starboard side, preparing to attack from both sides. More and more sharks jumped onto the deck. Luckily, they had already reached the mast. With the sharks still at a distance, they needed to climb up quickly! "You go first! Once you''re up, cover me with your bow!" Yang Yi pressed his back against the mast, keeping a close eye on the approaching sharks. This was the most logical n: if Yang Yi climbed first, he''d only have the flintlock, which, while powerful, was no match for the bow in this situation. Understanding Yang Yi''s n, Suna didn''t waste time. She stuffed the bow and arrows into her bag and began climbing. Yang Yi stood ready, holding his dagger and pistol in a fighting stance. The sharks on the port side arrived first, leaping toward Yang Yi. He had observed their behaviour for some time and noticed they only jumped forwards. Before leaping, they would lock onto their target, aiming their heads in that direction. Using this knowledge, Yang Yi dodged the sharks'' attacks by sidestepping at thest moment. As a shark flew past him, he thrust his dagger into its gills, slicing it open. The shark''s momentum caused it to crash to the ground, spilling its guts, clearly dying. "Not bad!" Yang Yi thought as he dodged another shark''s attack and repeated the manoeuvre, stabbing it in the gills. He managed to kill three sharks that way. However, Yang Yi was not an experienced warrior. Not long before, he had been bedridden, unable even to stand. His makeshift swordsmanship was a result of his keen observation and calm demeanour, but it wasn''t foolproof. As such, on his fourth attempt, he made a mistake. He wasn''t quick enough to dodge and was bitten on the right shoulder by a shark. The searing pain nearly made him faint. Fortunately, Yang Yi''s will was as strong as steel, and he immediately pressed the flintlock against the shark''s t head. "This shot better not misfire!" he thought as he pulled the trigger. Click! The pistol misfired at the critical moment. "Damn it!" Yang Yi cursed but quickly adapted. He released the dagger from his right hand, switching it to his left, and aimed for the shark. Just then, an arrow whizzed past his head, piercing the shark''s eye. The shark let out a pained roar, loosening its grip, allowing Yang Yi to escape, though his right arm was now a bloody mess. "Hurry up!" Suna urged from above. She was perched on a crossbeam about five metres off the ground, safe from the sharks'' reach. She continued to unleash a barrage of arrows, covering Yang Yi as he climbed the mast. "I don''t have many arrows left, so you''d better hurry!" Suna warned. Yang Yi holstered the flintlock, gritting his teeth against the pain, and began to climb. The sharks were held at bay by Suna''s arrows, giving him some respite, yet he was climbing slowly. His legs strained, his left arm and face pressed against the mast, as he fought to ascend. "Hurry up! I only have three arrows left!" Suna''s warning came as grim news. Thest three arrows were soon spent. Suna clung tightly to the mast, trying to reach down to help Yang Yi, but the distance was too great. Just then, a shark lunged at Yang Yi, sinking its teeth into his calf. The sound of teeth grinding against bone was chilling. "Yang Yi!" Suna cried out. Yang Yi''s body convulsed, his muscles trembling violently from the excruciating pain. He felt nauseous, but he couldn''t let go; he knew that if he did, he would fall to his death. The shark clung to his leg, tearing at his flesh with its sharp teeth. Yang Yi''s vision blurred as tears welled up in his eyes. He nced down at the shark, seeing its two enormous, blood-red eyes. It seemed to be smiling...mocking Yang Yi''s desperate struggle as if to say that no matter how hard he fought, he couldn''t escape death. "Not a chance..." An inexplicable rage erupted within Yang Yi, burning hotly in his chest. At that moment, a message shed across his vision. ¡¾Condition met, Near-death 3/3, you have unlocked the talent¡ªRefuse to Die!¡¿ ¡¾Refuse to Die: Triggers when health falls below 10 or when a lethal blow is received. Health will not drop below 1, refusing death for 5 minutes. During this time, all attributes except Spirit are +2, Spirit is -2, and Sanity -50. Afterwards, enter a 24-hour weakened state where all attributes except Spirit are -2 (Refuse to Die does not activate during this period). PS: Refuse to Die can break the limits of mortal attributes.¡¿ ¡¾Your Sanity has dropped below 50, entering a state of madness. You are immune to most negative mental statuses, Strength +2, Agility +1, Constitution +1, Spirit -2, ignoring pain, fatigue, and fearlessness until Sanity recovers.¡¿ With these dual enhancements, Yang Yi''s strength surged to an astonishing 8 points, while his spirit dropped to 4 points. His eyes turned bloodshot, veins bulging, and despite his previous injuries, his right arm somehow regained its strength, gripping the mast tightly. Simultaneously, he reached down with his left hand, grabbing the shark''s eye, and with a simple squeeze, crushed it, sending fluids sttering everywhere. Chapter 23 - Great harvest and the Golden Legend Yang Yi crushed the eye of the shark beneath him with brute force. The shark, writhing in immense pain, loosened its grip, but Yang Yi didn''t let it go. He grabbed the ruptured eye and lifted the shark, smashing it into another one. With his strength now at 8, Yang Yi could easily turn a shark''s head into mush simply with his fists. However, Yang Yi wasn¡¯t reckless; he knew better than to engage in closebat if there were the possibility to avoid it! Yang Yi powered his arms, leapt up lightly with more agility than a monkey, andnded directly on the crossbeam. "And now¡­!!" Yang Yi dered with a cold expression, aiming the dark muzzle of his gun at the demon sharks below. Bang! One of the creatures was instantly blown into two pieces. "What just happened?" Suna looked at Yang Yi in disbelief. One moment, Yang Yi was on the brink of death, and the next, he had turned the tables, reversing the situation in an instant. Extraordinary... Suna''s gaze towards Yang Yi became intense, almost predatory, as if she wanted to devour him whole, to see through himpletely. Her look was so brazen it made Yang Yi a bit ufortable. He casually brushed it off, saying, "It''s nothing. I just unlocked a new talent." "Is that so?" Suna didn''t press further. Even if she had, Yang Yi wasn''t nning to exin. This was his trump card. It was incredibly powerful, and it could turn the tide in a critical moment! However, it had a nearly lethal drawback ¨C a 24-hour period of weakness after activation! So, the fewer people who knew about it, the better. On the other hand, Suna was also somewhat relieved. Her sanity had dropped by more than 20 points earlier, and she had barely resisted the urge to dissect Yang Yi with a knife. But in the end, Suna held back, keeping her sanity just above 50. "Suna, don''t rush; be patient. Yang Yi is special. You need to observe him slowly..." she reminded herself. Yang Yi had no idea what the crazy woman was thinking. He pulled out some holy water, drank two-thirds of it, and poured the remaining third on his wound. The effect was good; the bleeding quickly stopped. He continued aiming and shooting with his flintlock, asionally misfiring, but killing one shark each time it fired sessfully. The sharks, unable to reach them, became frenzied. Some began gnawing at the mast, while others started eating the already dead sharks. But the mast was the sturdiest wood on this ghost ship, very thick, and the sharks'' jaws weren¡¯t thatrge, so they couldn''t destroy it in a short time. However, the risk remained. It was a race to see whether it would be the mast that broke or the sharks to be killed first! There were only about thirty unharmed sharks left, and Yang Yi felt his chances of winning were high! "Wait, no need to shoot!" Suna suddenly called out to Yang Yi. "Why?" Yang Yi turned his head to look at her. "Look, the poison from the pufferfish is starting to take effect," she pointed to a shark that had been shot in the eye. It was likely the first one to be hit by an arrow, lying askew on the deck, no longer moving. Soon, its corpse was devoured by its kind. Yang Yi immediately understood. "Cannibalism is a phenomenon quitemon among insects. That''s why some insecticides dy death, allowing insects to return to their nests before dying. Otherwise, these cannibalistic urges would wipe out an entire colony." Suna exined. "I see," Yang Yi nodded, pulling the trigger, and killing another shark. "But wouldn''t shooting them speed up their deaths? The bullets are free anyway!" "Do as you please, just leave me one intact," Suna replied. After about ten minutes, all the sharks were finally dead, not a single one left. The deck was covered in shark corpses, the air thick with the smell of blood. Yang Yi, now in a weakened state, took forever to climb the mast. With only 15 health left, he had to be cautious, as a single fall could put him on the brink of death, and then it¡¯d be game over. Suna had alreadye down. She chose thergest, least mangled shark corpse and started cutting it into pieces, preparing to store it in the treasure chest. "We''ve struck gold! This should be worth about 70 vending pulls!" Yang Yi''s eyes gleamed. In the past, when he yed mobile games, his favourite part was the vending pulls. He often deleted games after experiencing the rush. "Shall we split it half and half?" Yang Yi looked at Suna. "You can do the pulls. I only need one shark," Suna replied indifferently, seemingly uninterested. "That''s a shame. I''ll¡­reluctantly do the pulls for you!" Yang Yi eagerly started harvesting the demon shark corpses on the ground. The corpses gradually disappeared. In total, he did 72 pulls. There were 74 demon sharks in total; one was dissected by Suna, and one was kept as emergency rations. To avoid idental poisoning, Yang Yi specifically chose the one that had been split in two early on. As that shark hadn¡¯t been eaten by its kind, it was reserved as food. After finishing the pulls, Yang Yi checked the course and map, ensuring there were no major issues before looking at the 72 light orbs under the vending machine. He hadn¡¯t opened any yet, nning to hoard them all together. What would be inside? Yang Yi was excited as he started opening the capsules¡­ ¡¾You have obtained 1 unit of steel.¡¿ ¡°What?¡± ¡¾You have obtained 200 shell coins.¡¿ ¡°.......¡± ¡¾You have obtained 5 units of wood.¡¿ ¡¾You have obtained 5 units of stone.¡¿ ¡°This is killing me!¡± Yang Yi mmed the piece of wood onto the deck in frustration. It soon disappeared, transferred to the warehouse. Did Yang Yi reallyck these basic resources? Where were the relics? Where were the treasures? At the very least, couldn¡¯t he get some essories? Eventually, Yang Yi became numb, no longer holding any expectations. The orbs mostly contained basic resources like freshwater, steel, wood, cloth, and even some crystals. There were also 12 loaves of ck bread, 5 sausages, and 3 watermelons... Maybe the demon sharks were too weakpared to sea monsters and drowned revenants. Or perhaps...it was just bad luck. After opening them all, Yang Yi only got three decent items. One excellent, one good, and one ordinary. ¡¾Name: Low-Grade Fire Element¡¿ ¡¾Type: Consumable/Material¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Description: Can imbue equipment with a special attribute, granting it the power of fire. PS: Equipment can be repeatedly imbued, with thest attribute applied being the one that sticks.¡¿ ....... ¡¾Name: Glowing Red Fishing Net¡¿ ¡¾Type: Tool¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Good¡¿ ¡¾Description: Can be ced on the side of the ship to catch unfortunate fish that pass by. However, this fishing emits an unsettling red glow, causing normal fish to avoid it. This red glow...you¡¯ve seen it somewhere before.¡¿ ...... ¡¾Name: Sharkskin Swimsuit¡¿ ¡¾Type: Treasure¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Ordinary¡¿ ¡¾Description: Increases swimming speed by 25% and reduces swimming stamina consumption while in the water. It¡¯ll easily help you win swimmingpetitions!¡¿ Yang Yi stored these three items away. The abysmally low drop rate reminded him of some unpleasant memories. But then, he thought of something else. Could it be that repeatedly submitting the same type of monster lowered the drop rate? The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. The system might be encouraging yers to hunt a variety of new monsters. It would be easy to test this theory ¨C have someone else do a vending pull. Without hesitation, Yang Yi pulled Suna over from the courtyard, handed her a fish fin, and asked her to try a pull. The demon shark fin was initially intended to be an emergency ration, but with plenty of ck bread, there was no need to risk eating raw fish anymore. ¡°Give it a try,¡± Yang Yi urged. If Suna got a good item, it would confirm Yang Yi¡¯s theory. If Suna didn¡¯t get a good item, then his pulling shitty items would be just luck, or rather, bad luck. Suna tossed the fish fin into the vending machine and turned the lever. The octopus head¡¯s eyes suddenly emitted a golden light, and even its tentacles turned golden. ¡°Wow! A golden legend!¡± Yang Yi seemed to hear it as if in a hallucination. A golden orb was spat out from the octopus head, which Suna picked up... ¡°This...could it be the difference between the luckiest and unluckiest person?¡± Yang Yi felt bitter for the first time, categorising this game as unfairly unfair and full of malice! Editor¡¯s note: I understand the frustration Chapter 24 - The shadow trembling in the storm Suna picked up the light orb, her eyes lighting up with excitement, and promptly ced it in her treasure bag. "What did you get?" Yang Yi curiously leaned in to ask. "Want to know? Beg me, and I''ll tell you!" Suna teased with a sly smile, her eyes narrowing into crescent moons. "Forget it!" Yang Yi wasn''t interested in indulging her or feeling envious. He had three treasures of his own! They might not be golden, but he had the advantage in quantity!1 Meanwhile, his mind started racing with various skewed thoughts... Could it be that since the shark was the first to die, it dropped something rare? He couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility! However, to be sure of the exact conditions, he''d have to test it out in the future. One thing was certain: repeatedly looting the same type of monster¡¯s corpse would drastically reduce the drop rate. Yang Yi let Suna continue steering the ship while he cleaned up the battlefield. He had to admit, the octopus vending machine was quite convenient; it automatically recycled the shark¡¯s corpse and blood. However, the damaged deck and mast, as well as therge hole in the captain¡¯s cabin, would need materials to repair. Additionally, they had collided with some floating debris during the battle, causing further damage to the ship. Just the repairs alone had consumed 40 units of wood. Fortunately, the vending machine provided plenty resources. At that point, they had: Food: Resources: Shell Coins: 2050 Items like steel, crystals, and sulphur seemed to be advanced resources, with a vending conversion rate of 5:1. They weren¡¯tcking food. Unless absolutely necessary, Yang Yi had no intention of fishing in the stormy seas again. He opened the world chat channel and began leaving a message. "Don¡¯t fish in the stormy seas, you¡¯ll catch monsters!" "Wow, you¡¯re brave and still alive!" "Incredible, and you can still talk about it!" "Do you have any pics? I don¡¯t believe you." Yang Yi didn¡¯t bother to argue. The reason he didn¡¯t share any pictures was to protect their sanity! Time quickly passed. It was the fourth day since the storm had hit. The chat channel was lively, with many yers leaving messages, indicating they had sessfully gotten through the stormy seas. It seemed most yers were close to the exit and would soon leave the treacherous area. Only Yang Yi and Suna were far behind ¨C two days behind schedule. When the storm first started, the wind wasn¡¯t too strong, and everyone¡¯s ships moved quickly. But as the storm intensified and floating debris and monsters appeared, they slowed down. Yang Yi checked the weather forecast. **Today¡¯s Weather: **? Location: Sea of Origins (Storm Zone) Remaining Sunlight: Unknown Temperature: 8-12¡ãC Wind Force: Level 10 The wind had picked up a bit, and the temperature had dropped. Although it made Yang Yi feel a bit cold, it was still bearable. In contrast, Suna continued wearing her initial outfit, seemingly unaffected by the cold. Yang Yi stepped out of the captain¡¯s cabin and headed to the front deck. "Suna, let¡¯s switch shifts!" Yang Yi called out. Suna nodded, handed over the crystal ball, then headed back to the captain¡¯s cabin of the Nightmare. "By the way, don¡¯t you feel cold wearing such light clothing?" Yang Yi curiously asked. "Not at all; this outfit keeps me warm," Suna replied with a private message. ¡¾**Name: **Witch''s Casual Wear¡¿ ¡¾**Type: **Treasure¡¿ ¡¾**Quality: **Premium¡¿ ¡¾Description: Keeps you warm and waterproof, and elerates sanity recovery. As a witch, the first thing you need is a casual outfit that doesn¡¯t reveal you¡¯re a witch!¡¿ It was a premium item that could boost sanity recovery! "Starting the game with a full witch set?" Yang Yi questioned the game¡¯s fairness once again but could only sigh in resignation. He, however, had a powerful flintlock pistol in his possession. Not long ago, he had used a low-grade fire essence to imbue the Sea Serpent¡¯s Fang with special properties. Originally, he wanted to enhance the flintlock pistol, but since it often misfired, it wasn¡¯t reliable. Enhancement only added attributes and increased power; it didn¡¯t fix the weapon¡¯s ws. Moreover, the flintlock pistol¡¯s grade was high, so the low-grade fire essence likely wouldn¡¯t bring any significant changes. Thus, he decided to enhance the Sea Serpent¡¯s Fang instead. The result was impressive, as the Sea Serpent¡¯s Fang advanced into a premium item. ¡¾Name: Sea Serpent¡¯s Fang (Enhanced)¡¿ ¡¾Type: Treasure¡¿ ¡¾**Quality: **Premium¡¿ ¡¾**Description: **A short sword made from the fang of a great sea serpent. After enhancement, it gained fire power, causing burns and fire poison.¡¿ The de of the Sea Serpent¡¯s Fang had turned red, and holding it for too long would make it hot to the touch. It was much sharper than before. Yang Yi continued steering the ship, alternating shifts with Suna. Another day passed. Yang Yi woke up in the captain¡¯s cabin, nced at the log, and realised he had only slept for about three hours. He had another nightmare, and this time, it was a recurring one. In the first dream, he saw Suna pointing a gun at his head, her eyes cold and sinister. But how could that be possible? If she wanted to kill him, she could have done it during the sea serpent battle when he fell into the water. Why wait until now? Yang Yi dismissed the dream as insignificant and shook his head, feeling a bit of a headache due to theck of sleep. In the second dream, he saw himself being swallowed by a massive, centipede-like creature! Where would such giant insectse from out at sea? Yang Yi began to doubt the uracy of the nightmares. Could the so-called premonitions just be his imagination? Was the nightmare just a debuff with no real significance? He drank a bottle of vitality coconut juice, got out of bed, and noticed his wounds were almost healed. The holy water¡¯s effect was impressive, and with at most two more days of rest, he would be fully recovered. "Why is it so dark?" Yang Yi pushed open the door and was startled by the scene before him. It was pitch ck outside. A few days ago, it wasn¡¯t this dark! Yang Yi immediately checked the weather forecast. Location: Sea of Origins Remaining Sunlight: None Temperature: 12-18¡ãC Wind Force: Level 10 Compared to the day before, the temperature had risen, but the sunlight duration had changed from "unknown" to "none". Suddenly, he felt a surge of unease, gripped the ship¡¯s railing, and walked towards the bow. "Suna, are you there?" Yang Yi shouted loudly, but there was no response. He took out the navigation log, which emitted a faint light, allowing him to see in the darkness. It was then that he realised the Nightmare had stopped moving. It wasn¡¯t sailing, and he hadn¡¯t noticed due to the turbulent waves. Yang Yi¡¯s heart tightened, and he immediately ran to the bow, only to find no one at the helm. "Where¡¯s Suna?" His pupils contracted sharply, his heart raced, and he quickly scanned the surroundings, searching for any sign of her. There was a faint light ahead, seemingly obscured by shadows. Yang Yi hurried over and found Suna standing there, holding the crystal ball,pletely still, her expression nk as she stared intently at the turbulent sea ahead, as if mesmerised by something. Seeing this, Yang Yi angrily asked, "I¡¯ve been calling you, why didn¡¯t you respond?" Suna barely reacted, only raising a finger to point forwards, and said in a low voice, "It seems like we¡¯re surrounded..." Yang Yi immediately followed Suna¡¯s gaze. It was pitch ck, just as expected. But perhaps because of Suna¡¯s words...Yang Yi began to feel like something was moving on the sea¡¯s surface. "What is that?" Yang Yi squinted, trying to see more clearly. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning shed, and Yang Yi finally saw the true appearance of the thing. They were enormous, worm-like creatures, resembling centipedes with segmented bodies. Their heads had four de-like mandibles that could open wide like scissors to slice through their prey. The creatures looked simr to bobbit worms2, but were muchrger. It was hard to judge their diametre from a distance. Their length was also difficult to estimate, as most of their bodies were submerged in the sea. There were many of them, visible even at the farthest edges of his vision, and the closest ones were about a kilometre away from the Nightmare. They swayed in the storm, shaking their heads as if performing some kind of ritual, or perhaps revelling in a celebration. ¡¾You have observed an unknown giant creature. Your sanity has decreased by 20.¡¿ Yang Yi was shaken to his core and quickly nced at the crystal ball. The sea chart showed they were surrounded by these giant worms, numbering no less than a hundred. On the sea chart, they were represented by tiny ck dots scattered around the Nightmare. Colossal creaturesy all around them... Notes
  1. Mmm¡­ isn¡¯t it usually ¡°quality, not quantity¡±? -Simply?
  2. Do not look it up, trust me, they are a nightmare fuel ;-; ~ Ashka Tbh, I was expecting worse. They look like bulls -Simply?
Chapter 25 - Desperation! Surrounded by Giant Worms! Yang Yi pulled Suna into the captain''s cabin of the Nightmare. ¡°What exactly happened?¡± He asked seriously, ¡°Where did these bugse from?¡± ¡°About fifteen minutes ago, the sky suddenly turned dark. I was still steering the ship when I noticed a lot of ck dots appearing in the crystal ball image. I stopped the ship and walked to the bow to get a clearer look,¡± Suna recalled. ¡°After that, you know what happened.¡± Yang Yi immediately took the crystal ball and examined it closely. Meanwhile, Suna began sharing her theories about the giant worms. ¡°These giant worms probably don''t have eyes or visual organs. Otherwise, they would have noticed the Nightmare a long time ago. They likely live in darkness, relying on hearing, smell, or other sensory organs to hunt. Because of the storm''s interference, their perception range has significantly decreased, making them unable to see the Nightmare.¡± Yang Yi frowned as he studied the map. At the same time, he opened the world chat channel to check on other yers'' situations. As soon as he entered, he found the channel in an uproar. ¡°Why is it so dark? I¡¯mpletely lost! Can someone tell me where the exit is?¡± ¡°There are so many giant worms in the sea! One of them is less than twenty meters from me, oh my god!¡± ¡°GOD, have you abandoned me?¡± yers who escaped the stormy seas mocked those still trapped inside, with a mixture of schadenfreude and sarcasm. ¡°More monsters? Great, serves you right for being slow!¡± ¡°Ever yed a battle royale? You¡¯re slow, so now the danger zone is closing in. Who¡¯s to me?¡± ¡°Idiot, just stay in there and wait for death!¡± ¡°Don''t you dare die on me! If you die, who will I sell my newly caught fish to, huh? Hahaha!¡± ¡°High prices for second-hand gear and items!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°I''d rather feed the bugs than leave you a single cent!¡± ¡°Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west.1 Don¡¯t get cocky too soon!¡± ¡­ Yang Yi shut off the chat, his expression grim. Most people had already escaped the stormy seas. With so many people fleeing, the game seemed to be trying to expel and eliminate the remaining yers. Yang Yi and Suna, having set out two dayster than others, were now trapped inside. As he paced around, Yang Yi suddenly recalled a key piece of information ¨C twenty metres! He reopened the chat and found the message from that yer, then sent him a private message. ¡°Are you still alive? Are you sure the giant worm was twenty metres away from you?¡± The other yer, extremely tense, replied quickly. ¡°Yes, it scared the life out of me. The bug seemed to be dozens of metres long and about three metres thick!¡± ¡°Calm down. Look again carefully ¨C are you certain it was twenty metres?¡± ¡°No need to look again. I work in surveying. I can gauge that distance at a nce!¡± Yang Yi rxed slightly and immediately had an idea. He examined the map and used the scaling function to set the scale at 1cm to 200m, so one centimetre on the map would represent a distance of twenty metres. After measuring twice on the map, he eximed, ¡°Got it!¡± Yang Yi regained hisposure and, with renewed determination, told Suna, ¡°You were right. These bugs can¡¯t see, and their senses are heavily impacted by the storm. We can try to navigate through the gaps between them. Although the route is tricky, there¡¯s enough space between the giant worms to make it possible!¡± Suna¡¯s eyes lit up at his words. She was so fascinated by these strange creatures she hadn¡¯t even considered fleeing. But Yang Yi was different ¨C he wanted to survive, no matter the cost. ¡°But do you know what the safe distance is? And there might be individual differences among them.¡± ¡°A yer gave me a hint,¡± Yang Yi exined. He set the lower distance limit at twenty metres, with no upper limit ¨C the further, the better ¨C and prepared to head towards the exit ording to this standard. ¡°I¡¯ll take the helm next. Just in case, don¡¯t stay inside the cabin. It¡¯s better if you stand on the deck. If the bugs attack, you¡¯ll be able to notice it immediately. If you jump into the sea, you might still have a chance to survive¡­¡± Yang Yi, decisive as always, acted immediately upon making up his mind. Holding the crystal ball map in one hand and steering with the other, he adjusted the ship¡¯s speed as needed, slowing down when passing between two of the closer giant worms. As he approached them, he realised under the asional lightning strikes exactly how massive the creatures were. They ranged in diametre from two to five metres, and the parts of their bodies above the water were tens of metres long, some even up to a hundred. One bite could potentially tear the Nightmare apart. Yang Yi navigated carefully, having changed into a sharkskin swimsuit. If the ship were to break apart and he fell into the water, it could be a lifesaver. After slowly manoeuvring for two hours, Yang Yi felt somewhat relieved. He had finally found a way out. Despite the nerve-wracking experience, it was better than certain death! Yang Yi shared his discovery in the world chat. Doing so wouldn¡¯t cost him anything, and in fact, he might gain goodwill or even unexpected rewards. So, he sent out the following message: ¡°I¡¯ve discovered these bugs have a very limited sensory range. As long as you keep a distance of at least twenty metres, they won¡¯t notice or attack you! We can pass through the gaps between them.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Wow, you¡¯re brave to have figured that out!¡± ¡°But how do you gauge the distance? It¡¯s too dark!¡± ¡°Wait for the lightning. You can see briefly when it strikes!¡± Yes, it was more difficult for those without a map. But staying put was certain death. In the face of hope, humans were never short on courage! ¡°Thank you! I made it through safely. This method works!¡± ¡°You¡¯re my lifesaver!¡± Yang Yi instantly received a flood of friend requests, with some even offering gifts. Although the gifts weren¡¯t much, mostly materials he didn¡¯t need immediately, he selectively epted some. The materials he received included: 3 units of wood, 227 units of cloth, 12 units of stone, 7 units of steel, 13 crystals, and 4 units of sulphur. The captain of the Fisherman, He Qi, even sent him a rare item. Yang Yi epted his friend request. His ship was slow, blocked by the giant worms, and he hesitated to move forwards. In reality, he was not far from the exit. ¡°Thank you. If it weren¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t have had the courage to move. This item is my gift to you. You can always catch more treasures, but you only have one life. Good luck.¡± When the item was spat out by the octopus head, Yang Yi''s eyes widened in shock. The Fisherman really lived up to its name as a ship for veteran anglers ¨C the things it caught were different! ¡¾Name: Low-Grade Abyssal Soul Stone¡¿ ¡¾Type: Consumable¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Rare¡¿ ¡¾Description: Can upgrade the quality of relics, enhancing any relic of excellent or lower quality by one level. Hold this stone close to your ear, and you will hear the voice from the deep sea...¡¿ It was a magical stone, encased in a semi-transparent ck crystal with glowing liquid flowing inside. ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought my first rare item would be a gift...¡± Yang Yiughed. He immediately used the soul stone to enhance his Rusted Flintlock. The soul stone shattered, and the glowing liquid flowed into the flintlock, altering its properties. ¡¾Name: Faintly Glowing Rusted Flintlock¡¿ ¡¾Type: Relic¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Rare¡¿ ¡¾Description: This was once a masterpiece, now gradually regaining its edge! Unlocks Dual Mode. Cannon Mode: Fires a powerful shot, dealing massive damage. The recoil is significant, so aim carefully. After firing, enters a 12-hour cooldown during which the gun is 100% likely to misfire. Standard Mode: No reloading needed, with a firing rate of one shot every ten seconds. Deals minimal damage, but be warned...due to sea rust, there is a 5% chance of a misfire.¡¿ Looking at the revived flintlock, Yang Yi was thrilled. One shot every ten seconds, though weak, was still a solid improvement. And there was the cannon mode. His eyes gleamed as he looked at the swaying worms. ¡°Maybe...¡± Yang Yi stared at the giant bugs, his sanity dropping to 48 as he slipped into madness, eager to try out his gun. But he restrained himself, remaining rational and resisting the urge to fire. ¡°Not yet¡­ Not unless it¡¯s absolutely necessary!¡± Notes
  1. ¡°ÈýÊ®ÄêºÓ¶«£¬ÈýÊ®ÄêºÓÎ÷ ¡± : idiom that says situations can change dramatically, and what was once dominant or prosperous can be weak or decline, while the opposite can also ur. It serves as a reminder that nothing remains constant and that one should be prepared for unexpected changes. -Simply?
Chapter 26 - The storm has stopped... Navigating between two giant worms was no easy task. Especially when the two were only five or six hundred metres apart, it was like dancing on the edge of a de ¨C one slight misstep could lead to eternal damnation! Constant vignce was required, keeping an eye on both one''s position and the impact of the storm on the vessel. Yang Yi was on high alert, skillfully weaving and manoeuvring for a full eight hours. A pile of Vitality Coconuts was scattered at his feet. The refreshing effect of coconut juice only activated once every 24 hours, but there was no such limit on Vitality Coconuts ¨C though drinking too many would reduce the effect and leave you feeling bloated. Thanks to this, Yang Yi looked like an iron man, still maintaining over 70% of his energy. Only he knew how ufortable he really felt. ¡°How much farther to the exit?¡± Yang Yi''s resolve began to waver. But his will was as tough as steel. He quickly shook his head, pushing the thought aside and pressed on, gritting his teeth. His private messages kept pinging, with messages popping up nonstop, mostly other yers expressing their thanks. During this time, many had escaped the stormy seas. Their ships, generally slower, were blocked by giant worms near the exit. It was only after Yang Yi¡¯s warning that they mustered the courage to dash through when the gap was just right. So, they were grateful to Yang Yi and sent him private messages of thanks. Of course, there were also those who failed and got eaten by the worms. But dead men send no messages, and Yang Yi would never know about them. At the same time, Yang Yi gleaned some information. The area near the exit was a buffer zone, about fifty nautical miles long, where there were no giant worms, and the waves were much calmer. So, as soon as you saw arge, open sea without giant worms, it meant the exit was near! Yang Yi stared intently at the crystal ball. There was no such open sea within a hundred nautical miles. Instead, there were always more or fewer giant worms... The Nightmare was rtively fast, and with the help of the map, it should have been close to getting out... Three more hours passed. Finally, he saw a stretch of sea on the crystal ball without any ck dots. ¡°Suna, we''re almost out!¡± Yang Yi eximed excitedly. But Suna didn¡¯t show any sign of relief or joy. Instead, she reached out her hand, feeling something, then suddenly turned back. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel like the storm has gotten weaker?¡± Yang Yi immediately became alert. By now, the storm had been a protective umbre for the stranded ships. If the storm weakened...it meant the giant worms¡¯ sensory range would gradually increase until it fully recovered! Yang Yi quickly checked the weather forecast. Today¡¯s Weather: The storm is calming down¡­ Surprised? Location: Sea of Origin (Storm Zone) Remaining Sunlight: Unknown Temperature: 12-18¡æ Wind Speed: Level 9 The storm had indeed weakened; Yang Yi recalled it was level 10 when he woke up! And the sky wasn¡¯t as dark as before, with some faint light beginning to show. Yang Yi, focused on steering the ship, had ignored these subtle changes, but now it felt like a sudden awakening. Cold sweat began breaking out all over him! If this continued, the wind speed would soon drop to level 8, or even to level 4 or level 1. By that time...the giant worms would reveal their sharp fangs and tear apart every ship in their path! ¡°Full speed ahead!¡± Yang Yi almost shouted, immediately abandoning his original cautious route. He was now only about 80 nautical miles from the buffer zone. Rather than prudently manoeuvring around, it was better to choose the shortest possible route, even if it meant taking on some risks! Because no one knew when the storm would stop! But Yang Yi felt...it woulde much faster than expected, making it inevitable to face attacks from giant worms! In short, he had to hurry! After another hour of sailing, the Nightmare finally reached the edge of the buffer zone, less than 40 nautical miles away. There were far fewer giant worms here. But the wind had already dropped to level 4, barely hindering the worms'' senses. Cursing filled the world channel. Though it was just a small number of yers, their foulnguage was relentless, cursing the system wildly. ¡°Damn system!¡± ¡°I''m screwed!¡± ¡°The bug found me; I¡¯m done for¡­¡± ¡°Ahhhhh!!!!¡± The same was true for Yang Yi. Two giant worms were following closely behind, closing the distance steadily. It was unbelievable how these long-bodied worms could swim so fast in the sea! Suna noticed the danger too and immediately ran to the stern of the ship. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Yang Yi shouted at her. ¡°I¡¯m going to detach the w hook from the Astrologer. It could buy us some time!¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Yang Yi was surprised but didn¡¯t try to stop her. Because it was indeed a good idea. The giant worms had no visual organs and would most likely attack the unmanned Astrologer, dying them. But this meant Suna would be left without a ship... There was no time to worry about that now. Surviving was the top priority! Suna made a decisive move, detaching the w hook from the Astrologer. The Astrologer was already slower than the Nightmare, and without the hook, it fell behind, bing the prey of the two giant worms as expected. The two weren¡¯t allies; they even started fighting over the prey. Taking advantage of this, the Nightmare quickly put some distance between them. But Yang Yi didn¡¯t rx. With the Astrologer gone, the crystal ball wouldn¡¯t disy the map anymore. Yang Yi could only rely on his memory to navigate. He remembered there was another giant worm ahead that he had to face head-on! This route was the best one Yang Yi had chosen! If he had taken another route, there would have been not two, but a dozen giant worms chasing him! Rather than facing a dozen, it was better to desperately fight against one! ¡°Suna, you¡¯re steering next. Just keep the course steady!¡± Yang Yi said seriously. ¡°When I tell you to jump into the sea, don¡¯t hesitate ¨C jump immediately. Don¡¯t stand there frozen at the bow!¡± Suna nodded and took over the helm. Yang Yi took a few steps forward, standing at the bow. The Nightmare had no weapons, powerless against the giant worm, like fish on a chopping block. And Yang Yi wasn¡¯t counting on any miracles to evade the giant worm¡¯s attack. So, he had to take a gamble, testing whether the giant worm¡¯s head was harder or if the calibre of his prized flintlock was bigger! He switched into his sharkskin swimming suit, ready for action. Soon, a ck shadow appeared. Once past that shadow, the rtively safe buffer zone wouldn¡¯t be far. Yang Yi switched his flintlock to cannon mode, smirking coldly. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s make a bet!¡± With the storm no longer interfering, the giant worm''s sensory range was astonishinglyrge. It quickly locked onto the Nightmare and swam towards it. Yang Yi was highly tense, his grip on the gun so tight that his fingertips turned white. He was far from being a sharpshooter. So, the distance had to be close enough to guarantee a hit. There would be only one shot! Failure would mean death! As it approached within 300 metres, Yang Yi could judge the size of the giant worm. It was about three metres in diameter, not thergest among the giant worms, and about forty metres long above the surface. It lowered its body, charging straight ahead, opening its razor-sharp jaws that gleamed like a guillotine, ready to slice the Nightmare in half with a single blow. ¡°Suna, jump into the sea!¡± Yang Yi shouted in amanding tone while aiming the gun at the giant worm¡¯s head. He could see its mouthparts clearly ¨C two rows of hairy, jointed limbs, like the appendages of an arthropod, curled up like a spider. These limbs could grab prey and deliver it to the mouth, where rows upon rows of sharp teeth would crush it. And its prey was the Nightmare. Faced with this life-and-death situation, Yang Yi became calm and focused, taking deep breaths. He looked at the giant worm so intently that he could almost smell the salty, fishy odour emanating from its body... It also meant that Yang Yi and the giant worm were now close enough! Less than ten metres! Now! Yang Yi pulled the trigger. Boom! The powerful recoil sent Yang Yi flying backward, his right arm, holding the gun, numb with pain as he crashed into the captain¡¯s cabin behind him. The gunshot was deafening, like the roar of thunder, challenging the power of nature. Its power was astonishing, no less than that of a cannon. The shot hit the giant worm''s head directly, blowing it apart. The mouthparts and skull fragments flew off, scattering over the sea. But the giant worm¡¯s momentum didn¡¯t stop ¨C it crashed into the Nightmare. ¡¾The Nightmare was hit directly, Durability -600, Hull Breached...¡¿ The flimsy Nightmare was split in two by the worm¡¯s impact¡­ Chapter 27 - I want to merge with you! The wind force in the stormy seas had dropped by one level. The number of survivors had sharply decreased. It was just like the shrinking safe zone in a battle royale game, where yers trapped in the toxic zone would eventually be killed as time passed. Unlike the danger zones, the buffer area here was different. There were no giant worms, the sea was calm, and there was a deserted ind with a diametre of several hundred metres. A man wearing a sharkskin swimsuit struggled to make it ashore. It was Yang Yi. He had managed to swim there using a piece of broken driftwood for nearly two nautical miles! A woman clung to the driftwood. "Suna... You''re heavier than I thought!" Yang Yi gasped, jokinglyining. Yang Yi underestimated the two-nautical-mile distance. Halfway through the swim, his energy waspletely drained. If it weren''t for the frenzied state, which allowed him to substitute blood energy for stamina, he might have drowned like many others. He was utterly exhausted, and copsed on the beach, lying spread-eagle like a dead fish. Next to him, another "dead fish"y unconscious ¨C Suna, who had passed out from exhaustion. Although she was a good swimmer, her stamina was limited, and Yang Yi had to drag her for thetter half of the journey. Thanks to that, Yang Yi''s blood energy was nearly depleted, with only 17 points left. He checked his status: Sanity: 42/100 Stamina: 0/100 Energy: 17/100 He was truly hanging by a thread! Although the Nightmare had sunk, Yang Yi wasn''t entirely hopeless. Back when the Astrologer sank, Suna had shared information about shipwrecks with him. A ship could be rebuilt after it was destroyed. Yang Yi opened the ship interface, and the top message disyed: ¡¾Materials required for ship reconstruction: Wood 500, Fabric 250. Materials from the ship''s hold can be used. Each reconstruction requires a one-month interval, during which items on the ship will be frozen.¡¿ He checked his resources. He had almost enough fabric, thanks to therge quantity gifted to him earlier. However, there was still a significant shortage of wood, and he''d need to chop down more trees... Thinking about it, he drifted off to sleep, this time without nightmares. It was the most restful sleep he''d had in a long time. Who knew how long he slept, but Yang Yi was eventually awakened by the system notification. "Only 3 yers remain in the stormy seas. Please leave the area quickly, or you will be consumed by the ck mist..." Yang Yi opened his eyes and found himself lying not at the shore. Suna was beside him, staring at him with a pair of blood-red eyes. The scene seemed familiar, but Yang Yi, still groggy from sleep, didn''t immediately realise what was happening. "Do you know how long you slept?" Suna asked. "No idea." "Over 12 hours. I woke up, dragged you here, and it''s already been 12 hours!" Suna said. "I see, no wonder I''m a bit hungry." Yang Yi didn''t think much of it, rubbing his empty stomach. The much-needed sleep had left him feeling refreshed, with his status restored by 70%, though he was famished. "When you were asleep, you were dead weight. I could barely drag you!" Sunained. "The feeling''s mutual! You were as heavy as a dead pig when you passed out," Yang Yi quickly retorted. "Really?" Suna wasn''t angry; a mysterious smile appeared on her face. "But I''m d you''re awake. Now you can answer my questions!" Suddenly, her gaze turned cold as she raised a flintlock gun and pointed it at Yang Yi''s forehead. Yang Yi recognised this gun well. It was his prized possession. But how did it end up in Suna''s hands? Before Yang Yi could think it through, Suna began her questioning, her words eerily familiar. "Man, three sentences. Give me a reason not to kill you!" Her blood-red eyes looked dangerously intense, and her half-smile sent a chill down his spine. At that moment, Yang Yi remembered a past nightmare. In that dream, a red-eyed woman pointed a gun at his head ¨C just like this. He instantly became alert and serious. "Suna, this joke has gone too far!" "Do I look like I''m joking?" Suna retorted, keeping the gun firmly aimed at Yang Yi. "By the way, that was your first sentence. You have two left, so choose your words wisely!"1 Yang Yi fell silent. The dark gun barrel weighed heavily on him. He nced around and noticed the sea level had risen again. The ind''s diametre had shrunk to just over fifty metres. The surrounding trees had all been chopped down, apparently sted by the flintlock, and turned into wood, piled together. Judging by the amount, it was around 300, far from enough to build two ships. So, Suna nned to hoard the wood and only rebuild the Astrologer? Yang Yi pieced together the situation, narrowing his eyes. In times of crisis, it was natural for people to act in their own self-interest. Yang Yi''s voice grew cold as he said, "I can give you all my equipment, and the wood on the ind will be yours. Just let me go!" "NO, NO, NO, that''s not enough!" Suna shook her head, "Have you considered that if I shoot you, all of this will be mine anyway?!" "You..." Yang Yi immediately held his tongue, careful not to use up his third sentence. He hadn''t expected Suna to be so ruthless! After trusting her so much, Yang Yi felt a surge of anger, but he couldn''t think of any leverage he had left. In the end, he could only say angrily, "Then go ahead and shoot!" Yang Yi stood up, ready to counterattack. His talent, "Refusal to Die," would prevent him from being killed instantly. It was hisst card to y. "Hahaha... See? Even you get nervous when a gun''s pointed at you!" Suna suddenly burst outughing, shaking with mirth, tears streaming down her face. "You..." Yang Yi''s expression grew stern, showing his displeasure. Then Suna added, "How about this: I''ll take half of everything you own, and in return, I''ll spare your life!" "What?" Yang Yi frowned. "Don''t you get it? I mean, I want to merge with you!" "What? Merge?!" Yang Yi looked surprised. "Yes, that''s right, merge!" Suna confirmed. Yang Yi was speechless. But he also breathed a sigh of relief. Suna didn''t actually want to kill him. She was just getting back at him... After all, he had done something simr not too long ago! He sat back down, torn betweenughing and crying, and said, "What if I refuse?" "The gun''s in my hand; you don''t have a choice!" Suna waved the gun triumphantly, then began rummaging through her bag. Yang Yi finally rxed, thinking, "This woman must be crazy! Out here in the wilderness, suddenly asking to merge with me. I''m not some kind of transforming mech that canbine to form a head. How are we supposed to merge? And judging by how seriously she''s digging through her bag, could it be...she''s looking for a balloon?" As Yang Yi''s thoughts wandered, he nced at Suna. When he saw what she pulled out, all hopes were dashed. The items were the tongue, eyeballs, brain, nds, vocal cords, and heart of a sea monster, all stored in jars. ¡¾A bunch of bizarre internal organs. Your sanity decreases by 5¡¿ "Sorry, there''s too much stuff; it''s hard to find things..." Finally, Suna found what she was looking for. It wasn''t a balloon, but a golden card. Yang Yi took it and looked at it, feeling faint. ¡¾Name: Ship Fusion Card¡¿ ¡¾Type: Consumable¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Special¡¿ ¡¾Description: With mutual consent, two ships can be fused together. The fused ship will berger, have more rooms, and inherit the skills of both ships. A ship can only have the skills of two ships. After that, the materials required for upgrading will increase ordingly.¡¿ "So, this is the fusion you were talking about..." Yang Yi turned and asked awkwardly. "Of course. What did you think I meant?" Sunaughed so hard she nearly fell over. "Uh..." Yang Yi was at a loss for words. The girl must have said it that way on purpose! And this tool was probably the legendary golden item she had drawn earlier¡­ Notes
  1. Reminds you of something? Ig she¡¯s that petty -Simply?
Chapter 28 - Fusion! Nightmare Star! ¡¾Captain Suna of the Astrologer used a rare item ¨C Ship Fusion Card, applying to merge her ship with yours. The resources in both ships'' cabins will bebined.¡¿ ¡¾ept/Reject¡¿ ¡¾ept!¡¿ ¡¾Please vote for the new captain. If the votes are tied, the fusion will fail, and the Fusion Card will be returned. Note: The captain has absolute authority, and a new election will only ur if the captain dies.¡¿ Yang Yi immediately voted for himself, knowing that Suna would also vote for him, as they had agreed upon this beforehand. Yang Yi had to be the captain! He didn''t feel safe with Suna inmand ¨C she might steer the ship into some abyss just to see if a sea monster''s appetite was big enough¡­ After the fusion, Both of their ship interfaces became identical, but the primary permissions were in Yang Yi¡¯s hands. He could allocate certain permissions to Suna, including resource distribution, ship expansion, steering, and restricting ess to specific rooms. The ship was also given the option to rename itself. Its default name was abination of the two ships'' previous names, "Nightmare Astrology." Finding the name untasteful, Yang Yi shortened it to "Nightmare Star." If all went as expected, "Nightmare Star" would be the first merged ship among the yers. Typically, merging required paying a certain amount of resources to modify the ship''s structure, but in this case, those resources were already ounted for in the reconstruction. Reconstructing "Nightmare Star" would require: Seeing steel and stone among the requirements, Yang Yi was pleased. The new ship would be sturdier. The shortage was mainly in wood, with some missing stone and cloth. Yang Yi had hoped that after the fusion, Suna could contribute some resources, but her cabin was nearly empty! It was worse than a beggar''s stash. Was she even trying to survive? The current stock in the ship''s cabin was: On the ind, stone was easy to find. The ind itself and the nearby shorelines had plenty of rocks. Cloth could only be obtained by fishing and hoping for luck, though they didn¡¯t need much. As for wood...it was uncertain if the trees on the ind would be enough. "How much wood have you gathered, Suna?" Yang Yi asked. Before he woke up, Suna had used her flintlock gun to st down a lot of trees, likely causing quite amotion, yet he had slept through it all. No wonder Suna hadpared him to a dead pig... "I''ve gathered 292 units of wood so far. If we dig up the roots of those trees, we could get a bit more," she replied. "With the cabin stock, we have 351 units of wood. The shortage isn¡¯t low..." Yang Yi frowned. They couldn''t trade, so gathering was the only option. He looked around and saw that even the trees submerged in the sea and the ones closest to them had been chopped down by Suna. The only ones left were those farther out, their crowns still poking above the water, about a hundred metres away. To gather more wood, they would have to swim out there, shoot the trees down, and then haul them back. Fortunately, the storm had subsided, and the sea was calm, so the water level shouldn''t rise any further. "Give me back the gun!" Yang Yi reimed his precious flintlock. "You gather some stones near the ind and the shore. We need 56 units. Don''t bother digging up the tree roots ¨C you''re better off making a fishing rod and catching some fish! I''ll swim further out and bring back some wood." Yang Yi instructed. "Sure!" Suna agreed readily. With his sharkskin swimsuit reducing his stamina consumption, Yang Yi was the best choice for the task. But before setting out, they both needed to eat. Catching fish was the quickest and most convenient option, and with Yang Yi¡¯s gun capable of firing underwater, it was easy for him to catch some. Within ten minutes, he had caught two plump groupers. Though the fish were torn apart by the gunshots, they managed to eat their fill. Then, Yang Yi swam out into the sea, while Suna stayed behind to collect stones and fish. Thanks to the buffer zone, there were no monsters in the sea, making the process smooth and uneventful. After swimming a hundred metres, Yang Yi reached the first tree. Bang! The sound of gunfire and an explosion echoed underwater, scattering the nearby fish. After another shot, a log about thirty centimetres in diametre floated to the surface. It was the thickest tree in the area. Yang Yi could haul two logs back at most, so he chose the thicker ones for more wood. Half an hourter, he returned with two thick logs, which the system identified as 18 units of wood. Swimming, diving, and pushing logs ashore was like a triathlon, exhausting Yang Yi by over 30 stamina points. He could only manage two trips before needing to lie down on the ind to recover. Without any vitality coconut juice, his stamina recovery was slow. By the end of the day, he had only made five trips, collecting 93 units of wood. Suna, meanwhile, had more than enough stones, gathering 74 units. Gathering stone on an ind was the simplest and easiest task ¨C as long as you found the ind. As for fishing, Suna had exceptional luck, possibly due to some hidden blessing. She even caught two 2-litre bottles of Farmer''s Three Punch. All the fish she caught went into their bellies. She also gathered 5 units of wood and 8 units of cloth. At this rate, they would be able to rebuild the ship within four to five days. At night, for safety, they avoided risky activities like fishing or logging and instead stayed in the centre of the ind, waiting for daylight. They also took turns keeping watch, with Suna covering the first half of the night and Yang Yi the second half. Though there was no bed, Yang Yi slept soundly. It was far morefortable than sleeping on the Nightmare, with no nightmares! In the chat channel, people were specting about the three remaining yers in the storm zone and why they hadn¡¯t emerged yet. "I bet they''re inside some giant bug''s stomach, not fully digested yet!" "Good that they haven''te out; it gives us more time to upgrade our ships and gather resources!" "Maybe they found a hidden dungeon at sea and are on some secret mission?" Everyone had their theories. They had no idea Yang Yi and Suna''s ship had sunk, and they were gathering resources to build a new one. As for the third person, Yang Yi had no idea what they were up to ¨C they might also be repairing their ship. A few friends Yang Yi had added earlier were asking if he was safe and if he had made it out. (These were people who had gifted items during the storm zone.) Before going to sleep, Yang Yi sent out a unified response of just seven words: "The ship blew up. I''m building a new one!" "Wow, even after your ship blew up, you survived! Impressive!" "Awesome, man. Need a leg attachment?" Chapter 29 - The black fog is approaching On a deserted ind, there were only a man and a woman. The man was responsible for swimming and collecting wood. The woman was responsible for fishing, gathering cloth, fresh water, and food. Although a bit tiring,pared to the nerve-wracking sea journey they had faced before, it was pure bliss! If possible, finding an ind to settle down and farming a bit wouldn¡¯t be a bad choice. But Yang Yi knew it was impossible! He looked back at the direction from which he sailed. In the distance, at the edge of his vision, he could see a thick, dark patch ¡ª the ck fog. That day, it had grown even darker in colour. What it indicated was that the ck fog was getting closer, and they needed to escape the sea area as soon as possible! They still needed 72 units of wood, but they had gathered enough cloth and stone. Yang Yi even had Suna collect some extra stone to take on the ship, just in case. While rocks were easy to gather on the ind, they were hard toe by at sea and could only be acquired by fishing, which was extremely inefficient. After all, stones, like iron, didn¡¯t float on water unless you happened toe across a resource crate. If nothing went wrong, they would be able to gather all the materials needed to rebuild the Nightmare Star by the end of the day. After breakfast, Yang Yi set out early to start the day¡¯s logging work. Over the past few days of training, he wouldn¡¯t call himself a swimming champion, however, being an expert swimmer wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. With the added benefit of his sharkskin swimsuit, he even felt confident enough to challenge an Olympic swimmer! On the first three trips, Yang Yi managed to collect 57 units of wood without any trouble. Two trips tops, and they¡¯d have enough wood! But on the fourth trip, something abruptly changed ¡ª the sea became turbulent. Yang Yi was about to use his gun to shoot down a tree. Suddenly, a massive school of fish rushed past him. These fish, big and small, many of which Yang Yi had never seen before, swam desperately forwards as if they were being chased by a demon or fleeing for their lives. Even the usually ferocious carnivorous sharks had not thought of hunting and sped past Yang Yi like a gust of wind. The current they created was like a shockwave, tossing Yang Yi around underwater. With great effort, he finally surfaced. Yang Yi wasn¡¯t hurt, but he did swallow a few mouthfuls of seawater. The fish only brushed past him, as if deliberately avoiding him, unwilling to pause even for a second. Yang Yi had never seen anything like this before. Thanks to this, the logs he had prepared were nowhere to be seen, swept away by the current. Even Yang Yi himself was pushed forwards by the water caused by the fish. ¡°Yang Yi, are you okay? Something seems wrong with the sea!¡± Suna sent a private message. She was fishing on the shore and had also noticed the anomaly. However, Yang Yi had discovered it earlier and had already experienced it firsthand. ¡°I¡¯m okay, just swallowed some water! The fish in the sea have gone crazy, all swimming like their lives depend on it. I think the ck fog ising! I¡¯m swimming back to shore, could you help me out?¡± Yang Yi replied. He wasn¡¯t too confident about his stamina, so he asked Suna for assistance. Thankfully, Suna helped him just in time. Aftering ashore, Yang Yi had only 23 stamina left, and they still needed 15 units of wood ¡ª a little more. He struggled to stand and looked back. A swarm of giant bugs had also swum over. Strangely, these giant bugs disappeared as soon as they entered the buffer zone, which was a safe area. It was as if they had passed through a thin film into another world. ¡°Thank goodness the bugs can¡¯t get through!¡± Yang Yi breathed a sigh of relief. If those things had gotten in, he might have really given up! ¡°Suna, we¡¯re still short of 15 units of wood. It¡¯s impossible to go back into the water to get them! Fishing isn¡¯t reliable either, so let¡¯s try digging up some tree roots!¡± Yang Yi suggested. The 15 units of wood they were missing didn¡¯t seem like much, but fishing for them wouldn¡¯t always yield results even after a whole day¡¯s effort. And the ck fog didn¡¯t seem so friendly to give them that time. After regaining some energy, Yang Yi joined Suna in digging up tree roots. But digging for wood was an incredibly slow process! By evening, they had only managed to gather 7 units, still short of the 15 they needed. Yang Yi was growing anxious. They could already see the shadow of the ck fog behind them. Three massive bugs had also swum over. Each one, seemingly carefully selected, had a diametre of seven or eight metres. They moved forward side by side, collided with the buffer zone, and then disappeared. Where the three giant bugs disappeared, three huge harpoons fell. Following this were cries and howls of despair. ¡°Ah God! Ah Boy! Dog Balls!1 Where did you three disappear to?¡± Behind the three giant bugs was a massive steel battleship. The voice came from the captain of the vessel, Yu Dawei. Yang Yi immediately recognised the ship. Even though several parts were smoking and charred, the iron hull and the colossal 200-metre length made it unmistakably the Iron Heart. He didn¡¯t know how Yu Dawei managed it, but somehow, he had gathered 1,000 units of iron, upgraded his ship by two levels, and fought his way out of a swarm of giant bugs! The ship was covered with the scars and bloodstains of a fierce battle, and even a huge, sharp jawbone from an unfortunate giant bug was embedded in the deck. After upgrading, the ship¡¯s firepower became even more impressive. Besides the enormous cannon at the front with a diameter of nearly five metre, there were over forty gun barrels extending from the sides, though many were bent or broken. Captain Yu Dawei, standing alone on the bridge with a cigarette in his mouth, cursed and asionally nced nervously at the ck fog not far behind. Not long ago, he was just an overweight middle-aged man. But now... After a period of intense, high-stress sailing, he had slimmed down to an enviable figure, with dark circles under his eyes, looking like apletely different person. As for the speed of the Iron Heart... It wasn¡¯t slow, just very slow. To Yang Yi, who was used to travelling at tens of knots, this ship was pitifully slow. Suna stood beside him, watching the enormous ship with Yang Yi. Further behind them was the ck fog, moving at 15 knots but still quite a distance away from the Iron Heart. Without the giant bugs towing it, the Iron Heart couldn¡¯t outrun the ck fog, and the captain was now frantic, like an ant on a hot pan, running around in a panic. Finally, he spotted the man and woman on the ind ahead; his eyes lit up, and he waved, calling out for help. ¡°Hey, you two! I¡¯m in urgent need of help! Can you lend me a hand?¡± However, they were too far away, and his voice couldn¡¯t reach them. With no other options, Yu Dawei steered the ship toward the ind. After the upgrade, the Iron Heart¡¯s speed had doubled! ¡¾Iron Heart, Level 2, Durability 5829/10000, Capacity 20000 units, Speed 10 knots¡¿ ¡¾Ship Skill: Full Firepower: Increases cannon firing speed by 200% for 15 minutes. Triple Whale Harpoon: Can pierce andtch onto an object, cooldown time 1 hour. Sea Monster yer: A super cannon with tremendous power that can send sea monsters packing. Cooldown time 4 hours per shot.¡¿ ¡¾Description: It¡¯s bigger, stronger, and tougher! Speed increased by 200%!¡¿ Yu Dawei was initially surprised when he saw Yang Yi and Suna, but he quickly realised they must¡¯ve been the other two survivors in the stormy sea. If they were willing to help, perhaps he could hope to survive. In the buffer zone...he couldn¡¯t find any giant creatures to help tow his ship. Seeing that shouting wasn¡¯t working, Yu Dawei had a bright idea and tried using the regional chat in his log. Notes
  1. In the raws it literally trantes to ¡°dog egg¡± but after a quick google search, I was made aware that it can be used as a phrase describing dog testicles or dog kidneys :3 ~ Ashka?
Chapter 30 - Nightmare Star, set sail! ¡°I am Yu Dawei, the captain of the Iron Heart. Can you two see my message?¡± Yu Dawei sent a message through the regional channel. Given the current situation, with only three yers left in the buffer zone, he wasn''t worried about contacting the wrong people. ¡°Hello! I¡¯m Yang Yi, the captain of The Nightmare Star,¡± Yang Yi replied. ¡°Captain Yang, where is your ship? I don''t see it.¡± ¡°It sank.¡± ¡°What?¡± Yu Dawei was dumbfounded on the spot. He didn¡¯t know that a sunken ship could be rebuilt, so he thought he was doomed. It wasn¡¯t until Yang Yi exined the situation that he understood. ¡°You¡¯re short of 7 units of wood? No problem, I¡¯ll send you 100 units right away,¡± Yu Dawei immediately replied, ¡°But once your ship is repaired, could you help tow mine?¡± After a brief moment of consideration, Yang Yi agreed. Time was of the essence, with the ck fog closing in. The two of them had to work together if they wanted to escape alive. Seeing Yang Yi agree, Yu Dawei finally rxed and responded, ¡°I¡¯ll move closer now. Don¡¯t attack me ¡ª you¡¯ve got a pistol at your waist, right?¡± Yang Yi was a bit surprised. The Iron Heart was at least several kilometres away from him, so how could Yu Dawei see such details? Did he have binocrs? In reality, this was due to one of Yu Dawei¡¯s talents. He had two talents: ¡¾Eagle Eye: Perception +2, excellent vision, proficient in tracking and aiming¡¿ The second talent was unlocked after he killed arge number of giant sea beasts. ¡¾Firepower Supremacy: As long as you have sufficient firepower, you dare to face any enemy. Sanity won¡¯t drop below 50. Truth lies only within the range of a cannon!¡¿ As the Iron Heart gradually approached the ind, the ck fog had already covered half the sky, remaining only 15 nautical miles away from it. At that distance, they didn¡¯t need to chat through the log anymore; they could hear each other by shouting just fine. Yu Dawei shouted, ¡°I¡¯ll use the whaling gun to send the wood over. Don¡¯t be scared!¡± With that, the Iron Heart fired the whaling gun, sending arge bundle of wood thatnded just over ten metres away from Yang Yi. The bundle contained exactly 100 units of wood ¡ª no more, no less. With enough materials, Yang Yi didn¡¯t hesitate. He immediately selected an appropriate location and operated through the log to start rebuilding the ship. After confirming, the materials floated into the air, scattered into tiny fragments, and then assembled like building blocks into a ship. The ship was about 30 metres long, still retaining the ghost ship appearance, but muchrger than before. The hull was still worn, covered with barnacles, and the bow was adorned with the skeleton of a captain, with some seaweed hanging from it, as if it had just emerged from the ocean. Compared to the previous Nightmare, the biggest difference was in the midsection, where a huge crystal ball had appeared in front of the mast. Some parts of the hull were now covered with rusty iron tes, making it look sturdier than before. ¡¾Nightmare Star, Level 2, Durability 1000/1000, Capacity 3000 units, Speed 60 knots] ¡¾Ship Skills: Nightmare Star: The quality of sleep on board is extremely poor, causing nightmares. Stamina recovery efficiency -75%, effective only for the captain. Fisherman¡¯s Curse: Significantly reduces the chance of catching normal fish, greatly increases the probability of catching unusual items. Astrology: Reveals the surrounding sea map within a radius of 150 nautical miles, viewable through the crystal ball. Warnings can be set to alert of other yers'' presence via vibrations. Scrying: Can scan for ship names and yer names, providing the coordinates of the target ship and viewing its image. Limited to one target per day.¡¿ ¡¾Description: You chose to merge with the ghost ship... Hope you won¡¯t regret it!¡¿ After reviewing the ship''s information, Yang Yi was generally satisfied. The merged ship was sturdier, and its speed had increased. Additionally, the Astrology skill had evolved, expanding the map range and the Scrying skill to cover the entire map. ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯re boarding the ship!¡± Yang Yi called Suna. Once aboard The Nightmare Star, Yang Yi noticed some interior changes as well. Next to the captain¡¯s quarters was an additional bedroom, which belonged to Suna. The ship¡¯s hold was alsorger, with two expansion spaces avable for building additional structures. It was almost as if the potential of two ships had beenbined. All the previous items were still on board, including pirate clothes, fishings, fishing rods, coconuts, and some food and fresh water. Even part of the giant insect¡¯s corpse that Yang Yi had previously blown up was still there, which was a pleasant surprise! On the other side, Yu Dawei was feeling a bit anxious. He was worried that Yang Yi would leave him behind and sail away. Even though Yu Dawei was confident he could stop The Nightmare Star, if it really dide to that, he would be doomed. Fortunately, Yang Yi wasn¡¯t foolish. ¡¾Nightmare Star¡¯s Captain Yang Yi requests to add you as a friend¡¿ Yu Dawei immediately epted. Yang Yi then sent a private message: ¡°I¡¯m heading to the stern now; throw the grapple over.¡± Seeing the message, Yu Dawei breathed a sigh of relief, walked out of the bridge, and headed to the deck, where he saw Yang Yi face-to-face. But since the Iron Heart wasrger than The Nightmare Star, Yang Yi could only see half of Yu Dawei¡¯s body. Though Yu Dawei was a bit cautious, he still approached. ¡°Captain Yu, your ship is too big! So let me be clear: if my ship¡¯s speed drops below 15 knots while towing your Iron Heart, don¡¯t me me for cutting you loose. And you mustn¡¯t attack me either, agreed?¡± Yu Dawei pondered for a moment, his expression shifting several times. After a while, he replied, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, how about Ie aboard your ship to take shelter?¡± ¡°No problem!¡± Yang Yi agreed decisively. After all, a ship can be rebuilt, but lives are irreceable. If you lose your life, it¡¯s all over! Yu Dawei threw the Iron Heart¡¯s grappling hook over. Yang Yi caught it and secured it in multiple ces to distribute the load and prevent any single spot from failing. As for the durability of the grappling rope, there was no need to worry ¡ª the log stated it had it could tow anything! Once secured, Yang Yi sent a message to Suna, instructing her to move at full speed. The Iron Heart also powered up to its maximum. Both captains held their breath as they watched the speed gradually increase. 11 knots! 12 knots! When the speed finally exceeded 15 knots, reaching 16 knots, both of them started to rx. If it had dropped below 15 knots, it would have been troublesome. Luckily, The Nightmare Star''s power wasn¡¯t just for show. Ultimately, the ship¡¯s speed reached 17 knots, just 2 knots faster than the ck fog behind them. Chapter 31 - The Grand Sea Map and the Approaching Extreme Cold The Nightmare Star towed Iron Heart out of the buffer zone. As soon as they broke through the boundary of the stormy seas, the sky suddenly brightened, and the three of them were greeted by the long-lost sunlight. Then, the system broadcast an announcement: ¡¾Congrattions on escaping the Stormy Sea¡¿ ¡¾Navigation Announcement: All yers have now exited the Stormy Sea. The speed of the ck mist has slowed to 10 knots. The Grand Sea Map is now avable, and you can check your coordinates on it. ¡¿ ¡¾The number of Level 3 ships has exceeded 10,000. The Extreme Winter Sea is starting to spread. Everyone, please take note and keep warm!¡¿ Yang Yi immediately checked the log and found a new page. It was a rudimentary sea map, only recording the routes yers had travelled and the surrounding sea areas they had encountered. Unexplored regions were shrouded in a yellow-brown fog of war. Thanks to The Nightmare Star''s built-in small map, the recorded area was broader, covering 150 nautical miles around them. The Grand Sea Map had three main features:
  1. yers could now know their exact coordinates. This made it easier for yers to arrange meetings by agreeing on a specific coordinate. However, what would happen during these meetings was up to them. Yang Yi figured...it was best to avoid them when possible! Withoutws to bind them at sea, one could never be sure of another yer''s intentions.
  2. yers could see the names of sea regions and their boundaries. Although the map was shrouded in fog of war, the names of major sea regions were visible. For example, the region they had just left was the Stormy Sea, while the area ahead was the Extreme Winter Sea. These boundaries weren¡¯t straight lines but jagged, resembling the irregr edges ofndmasses.
  3. The boundary of the ck mist was also visible on the Grand Sea Map, allowing yers to keep track of its distance from them, preventing sudden, unexpected engulfment by the mist.
Yang Yi quickly opened the chat channel to see other yers'' reactions and gather first-hand information. ¡°I knew it! I was wondering why it¡¯s so cold, it turns out I¡¯m near the Extreme Winter Sea!¡± The speaker was from Swift Wind, and since Yang Yi had them as a friend, he could see their name. ¡°Whoa, what''s your ship¡¯s speed?¡± ¡°How cold is it? Give me a heads-up, so I¡¯m mentally prepared!¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing 100 knots, currently on the outskirts of the Extreme Winter Sea. Temperature¡¯s around 0-2 degrees, definitely below freezing further in!¡± ¡°100 knots? That¡¯s twice my speed! Must be a special ship, huh?¡± ¡°Better stock up on enough cold-weather gear.¡± ¡°Stock up on food, too. Longsting stuff, message me if you¡¯re selling!¡± ¡°Anyone need winter coats? 100 units of cloth each, you can even pick the colour! Just making a bit of extra effort here!¡± ¡¾Name: Warm Winter Coat¡¿ ¡¾Type: Treasure¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Common¡¿ ¡¾Description: Provides excellent warmth, but be careful not to get it wet!¡¿ ¡°100 cloth? You might as well rob us!¡± ¡°80 cloth, that¡¯s as low as I¡¯ll go!¡± ¡°Get lost! You¡¯re not the only one selling!¡± ¡°Selling down jackets, better than winter coats. Superior quality, 120 units of cloth!¡± ¡¾Name: Insted Down Jacket¡¿ ¡¾Type: Treasure¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Superior¡¿ ¡¾Description: In winter, who could resist the warmth of a down jacket?¡¿ After browsing, Yang Yi realised cold-weather gear was essential. Once temperatures dropped to the tens or even dozens of degrees below freezing, his pirate outfit might as well be nonexistent! Only byyering a winter coat or down jacket over it could he avoid freezing to death. Suna¡¯s witch outfit had some warmth, but it still looked a bit thin, likely simr in effect to thermal underwear. So, Yang Yi made up his mind. Once the market prices stabilised, he had to get a few winter coats or down jackets ¡ª at least four, with a spare set just in case. He headed to the stern of the ship. Iron Heart was right behind them. But now that they were safe and out of reach of the ck mist, there was no need to keep towing it. Captain Yu Dawei had the same idea, and the two met at the same time. "Yang, my friend, I¡¯ve got a proposition for you. How about joining my Iron Brotherhood?" "Iron Brotherhood?" Yang Yi repeated, not entirely understanding. "Heh, I¡¯ve already got a few underlings, and now I¡¯m nning to meet up with them." Yang Yi suddenly understood. The Iron Brotherhood was the organisation Yu Dawei intended to create. Although the system didn¡¯t have a guild feature, yers could still gather and form their own organisations. They could now meet up using coordinates! However, Yang Yi wasn¡¯t interested in joining any factions and politely declined. "Sorry, I¡¯m used to my freedom and prefer to stay solo for now," Yang Yi replied. "No problem! If you ever need help, just reach out ¡ª I¡¯ve got your back!" Yu Dawei said heartily. After escaping certain death, he felt an unprecedented sense of relief. And when Yu Dawei said he¡¯d back Yang Yi up, it wasn¡¯t just empty words. His Iron Heart had the power to do so! No wonder so many yers sought his protection. But Iron Heart¡¯s speed was a bit..cking. Yang Yi could already picture a bunch of small ships towing the steel behemoth across the seas. It wouldn¡¯t be strange, just very peculiar.1 "Catch!" Yu Dawei tossed over a small piece of flesh. "What¡¯s this?" Yang Yi caught it, and after reading the information, he was overjoyed. ¡¾Name: Giant Bobbit Worm¡¿ ¡¾Description: A Bobbit worm mutated by the Abyss, growing to enormous sizes. Thergest specimens exceed 100 metres in length, capable of swift movement in the sea, with highly developed hearing ¡¿ "Pleasure working with you. Consider this a gift from me! This stuff doesn¡¯t mean much to me anymore ¡ª the more I draw, the crappier the rewards!" Yu Dawei chuckled. If his guess was right, those 1,000 units of steel were collected by hunting monsters and using a vending machine. If he had relied on fishing alone, even with help from his underlings, there¡¯s no way he could have amassed that amount! "Thanks!" Yang Yi didn¡¯t hesitate, thanked him, and epted the gift. The two shared a smile and parted ways. The Nightmare Star was much faster than Iron Heart, reaching 60 knots, and it quickly left Iron Heart far behind. Yu Dawei stood on the deck, watching The Nightmare Star disappear into the horizon. "Nightmare¡­ Nightmare Star. Did those two ships merge?" Yu Dawei murmured. He had figured out Yang Yi¡¯s identity ¡ª it was him who found a way out the moment the giant worm appeared. One of Yu Dawei¡¯s underlings had sessfully escaped death thanks to Yang Yi¡¯s tip, and the two had added each other as friends. So, Yu Dawei had recognised Yang Yi¡¯s identity and decided to change his approach. He gave Yang Yi a piece of the worm¡¯s flesh, intending to build a stronger bond with him. On the other side, Yang Yi stood in front of the octopus vending machine, feeling a little excited. He now had two pieces of giant Bobbit worm flesh, one from Iron Heart and one from The Nightmare Star¡¯s deck. That meant he could spin the machine twice!2 He washed his face with freshwater to ensure his face was clean, then tossed in the flesh and started the vending. The octopus tentacles shed but didn¡¯t emit a golden light. After a while, two seemingly ordinary capsules were spit out from the octopus¡¯s head. Yang Yi was a bit disappointed at first ¡ª not having drawn a golden legend. But when he picked up one of the capsules, his mood changed instantly. ¡°Yes! Nailed it on the first try!¡± In his hand rested a rare item, ship equipment! ¡¾Name: Giant Bobbit Worm Head¡¿ ¡¾Type: Ship Equipment (Relic)¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Rare¡¿ ¡¾Description: Can be installed on the bow, increasing the ship¡¯s durability and ramming power. Its sharp jaws can slice through attacking enemies. It also has a strong deterrent effect, reducing the likelihood of sea creatures attacking the ship¡­ But beware, it might also provoke more terrifying monsters¡­¡¿ After reading the description, Yang Yi was a bit conflicted. The ship equipment was powerful; however, it came with a drawback ¡ª it could attract dangerous monsters. Despite this, Yang Yi didn¡¯t hesitate for long and decided to install it. If he was too scared to use this, then any other equipment he acquiredter would just gather dust. After all, the benefits outweighed the risks. Otherwise, what would the point of having a relic be? He then reached for the other capsule. Notes
  1. Sooooo strange -Simply?
  2. A true slot slut -Simply?
Chapter 32 - Witchs Laboratory and Potions ¡¾Name: ck Iron Supply Chest¡¿ ¡¾Type: Chest¡¿ ¡¾Description: Open to receive a moderate amount of supplies.¡¿ Yang Yi felt a bit disappointed when the second pull wasn''t equipment. But supplies were also something he urgently needed. Refurbishing the ship had almost drained all their resources. Yang Yi opened the chest. ¡¾You received: Wood x200, Cloth x200, Stone x200, Steel x50, Crystal x50, Sulphur x50¡¿ "So much?" Yang Yi was in disbelief. The wood and cloth were expected, but he didn''t anticipate getting that many high-grade materials. The ck Iron Supply Chest was indeed terrifyingly generous! No wonder the Iron Heart handed over 100 wood without batting an eye ¡ª they really didn''tck any. Suddenly, a private message arrived from Xu Da, captain of the Swift Wind. "Brother Yang, I''m nning to form a fleet. Are you interested in joining?" Yang Yi was surprised by how popr he was but still declined. "Sorry, I don''t have any ns to form a group for now." "Alright, if you change your mind, feel free to message me. My Swift Wind Brigade will always have a spot for you!" "Thanks!" After politely refusing, Yang Yi couldn''t help but marvel at how quickly these people were moving. The Grand Sea Map had just opened, and these guys were already eager to start forming their fleets. "Should I start a fleet too?" Yang Yi suddenly thought. He didn''t want to rely on others, but forming a fleet was also bothersome to manage ¡ª it could easily spiral out of control. Just as he was pondering this, Suna ran over excitedly, her face flushed with excitement. "Did you just get a lot of supplies?" "That''s right, I just opened a ck Iron Supply Chest." "Is this...?" Suna''s attention was immediately drawn to the giant Bobbit worm head on the ground. Before it was installed, the worm head was only the size of a palm and could be easily picked up. Its craftsmanship was exquisite and lifelike. Suna picked it up, examining it closely, touching here and there, and even took out a knife to record details. Seeing her pull out the dagger, Yang Yi couldn''t help but speak up and snatched the worm head back. "Stop! This is a rare piece of equipment; what if you break it?" Suna was speechless. After Yang Yi stopped her, she gave up on the idea of cutting it and stated her purpose. "I want to make an expansion building." "Which one?" Suna operated on her log for a while, and soon Yang Yi received a request. ¡¾Crew member Suna has requested to build a Witch''s Laboratory. Construction requirements: Expansion Space x2, Wood x200, Cloth x200, Stone x100, Steel x50, Crystal x50, Sulphur x20. Once built, this structure cannot be dismantled, so please consider carefully.¡¿ "Witch''s Laboratory?" Yang Yi was puzzled. He remembered that there was no such option in the list of expansion buildings. And it required so many materials, plus it took up two expansion spaces... Yang Yi immediately checked the list of expansion buildings. Besides the extra cargo hold, ancient war room, and great statue already on the Nightmare, there were two expansions from the Astrologer. ¡¾Lookout Tower: Can scan up to 1,000 nautical miles around. If there is an ind, it will be disyed on the sea map, once every three days. Construction requirements: Expansion Space x1, Wood x200, Cloth x100, Stone x100, Crystal x30¡¿ ¡¾ss Cannon: A powerful yet fragile cannon prone to breaking. Construction requirements: Expansion Space x1, Crystal x100, Sulphur x20¡¿ "Where did you see the Witch''s Laboratory? It''s not on my list," Yang Yi asked with a puzzled look. "It''s an extra expansion from my talent! It won''t be a loss to build it," Suna said confidently. "Well..." Yang Yi was hesitant. He originally nned to build the cannon. That way, if they encountered a giant bobbit worm or anotherrge creature at sea, they would have the strength to fight back. Next, he nned to build the lookout tower. Ind resources were richer than those at sea, and there was the possibility of unearthing chests. If they could frequently obtain resources from inds, it would give them a significant advantage. But the Witch''s Laboratory... Its function was unknown, and it required two expansion spaces. This meant that until the Nightmare reached level 3, there would be no extra space for building the cannon. If they ran into a ship with a cannon, they would be at a stark disadvantage. "Not possible!" Yang Yi firmly refused. "The cannon takes priority. Everything else can wait!" "Please build it!" Suna wouldn''t give up, tugging on his sleeve. "This is my only request. I won''t question anything you build after this, okay?" "Uh...okay but stop tugging on my sleeve!" Yang Yi said sternly, interrupting her. The woman was no simpleton ¡ª her sweet talk was just a disguise! At the same time, Yang Yi realised another issue. He needed to manage the rtionships between his crew well. If conflicts arose, it could lead to serious problems...like being stabbed in the back! So, he began to inquire about the building''s function. "What exactly does this Witch''s Laboratory do?" Yang Yi asked. Suna''s eyes lit up, sensing a chance! She had been ready to give up earlier. Now, she exined in detail. "Thisboratory can provide various research tools. It will allow me to study the structure of demonic creatures and develop new forms!" "You can develop forms?" Yang Yi''s interest was piqued. Seizing the opportunity, Suna took out a bottle of liquid. "For example, do you think the form for this Vitality Coconut drink is the best possible ratio? What if we add something else?" She handed Yang Yi a vial. The system didn''t show specific information, but rather... ¡¾Name: Unknown Potion¡¿ ¡¾Type: Consumable/Potion/Unique¡¿ ¡¾Quality: ?? ¡¿ ¡¾Description: You''ll only know what it is after you drink it...¡¿ "Try it! If I had theb, I could make even better ones," Suna urged. "Are you sure there''s no poison in this?" "I swear this one is safe!" "So, the others might be poisonous?" "All medicine has some toxicity ¡ª simply drink it!" Suna got annoyed, snatching the potion back and drinking half of it on the spot. Seeing this, Yang Yi didn''t want to appear overly cautious. With a bit of apprehension, he downed the potion in one gulp. It was silky and thick, with a familiar fishy smell that shot straight to his head. Just as Yang Yi was about to curse, he paused. The potion''s name appeared. ¡¾Stamina recovered by 10, stamina recovery speed increased by 50%¡¿(Only half consumed) ¡¾Name: Vitality Siren Juice¡¿ ¡¾Type: Consumable/Potion/Unique¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Premium¡¿ ¡¾Description: A potion crafted by Witch Suna using the mucus secreted from a siren¡¯s skin, mixed with salt and vitality coconut. Restores 15 stamina, increases stamina recovery speed by 75% for 8 hours. Overconsumption may cause poisoning.¡¿ "This...you made this?" Yang Yi asked in surprise. "Yes, and if I had theb, I could make even better potions!" Yang Yi was astonished! Being able to develop her own forms ¡ª he didn''t need to think twice to realise how valuable that was. Suna was a walking goldmine! With her, he wouldn''t need to worry about running out of vitality coconut or how to restore stamina afterwards. Why not just ask her to develop a new potion? As the captain, it was only natural to make requests. Crew members had to obey! "Let''s build thatboratory, then!" Yang Yi agreed, approving Suna''s request in the log. Little did he know, in the future¡­ ¡­he would regret drinking the witch¡¯s potion. Chapter 33 - The New World Fleet is established The Nightmare Star weed its first expansion structure: the Witch''s Laboratory. Once construction was confirmed, a blue light radiated from the ship''s hull, followed by a system notification announcing thepletion of the build: ¡¾Witch''s Laboratory constructionplete. Please proceed to the ship''s interior to inspect.¡¿ The two of them entered the ship''s cabin from the stern, where they discovered a new room. The room was quiterge, upying nearly half of the cabin. The floor was pristine ¨C not the usual rotting, mouldy wood, but rather a dark, smooth stone that felt solid underfoot. It was, however, mostly empty, furnished only with tworge metal tables, seemingly equipped with their own lighting, though Yang Yi couldn¡¯t see anymps. Along the walls were rows of metal racks, cold to the touch, holding many empty ss containers. ¡°There¡¯s nothing in here¡­¡± Yang Yi felt the materials used in construction weren¡¯t worth the cost. However, Suna was thrilled, fully aware of the room¡¯s functions and how to use them. Her log had an extra pagepared to regr yers ¡ª a Mysticism Interface. Through this interface, she could use Shell Coins to purchaseb equipment and conduct ult research. The information about the Witch''s Laboratory was as follows: ¡¾Witch''s Laboratory: A special structure that can only be built by witches who covet forbidden knowledge. Within theb, research consumes 50% less energy, sanity loss is reduced by 25%, and aberrant samples won¡¯t decay. Disyed aberrant samples will enhance the witch''s inspiration. Current sample count: 0, inspiration rate increase: 0%. Note: Mysticism research involves risks, including but not limited to sanity loss¡¿ After reading the information, Suna immediately took out aberrant body parts from her magic bag and ced them in the ss containers on the shelves. They were on the verge of decaying, but after being ced in the containers, they gradually regained their vitality, as if freshly harvested. The scene was somewhat sanity-draining. ¡¾Sanity decreased by 2¡¿ Yang Yi frowned. He felt it was better to avoid theb as much as possible! At that moment, the bisected corpse of the twin-horned demon shark, which should have been discarded, was also brought out, cut into threerge pieces, awaiting dissection. Additionally, a dried, thirty-centimetre-long merman specimen was taken out. It was Yang Yi¡¯s first time seeing such a creature, but it wasn¡¯t unfamiliar. Before Suna met him, she had probably killed a merman. With these three itemsbined, the number of samples in theb reached 3, increasing the inspiration rate by 3%. ¡°I still need arge amount of Shell Coins. I don¡¯t have any money on me!¡± Suna reached out to Yang Yi, resembling a researcher asking for funding. Yang Yi, on the other hand, was the unfortunate soul providing the money. ¡°Why do you need so many Shell Coins?¡± ¡°Theb equipment needs to be bought with Shell Coins,¡± Suna exined. ¡°What? Theb¡¯s equipment has to be bought separately?¡± Yang Yi suddenly realised thisb might be a massive money pit, one that could never be filled. But since the materials had already been used, he couldn¡¯t back out ¡ª the sunk cost was too great. He reluctantly transferred 1,000 Shell Coins to Suna. This was already a ¡°huge sum¡±! After giving it to her, Yang Yi only had 1,050 Shell Coins left! Suna seemed slightly dissatisfied with the amount, however, she didn¡¯t say anything and began dissecting the demon shark, wielding a new handy scalpel. Yang Yi quickly slipped away to the deck, to avoid being asked for more money. Besides, he didn¡¯t want to stay in theb; he always felt he might end up as another sample. ¡°Prioritise researching stamina recovery potions and healing potions and try to avoid using Vitality Coconuts as an ingredient ¡ª they¡¯re hard to find,¡± he messaged Suna, then started nning his next steps. To enter the Extreme Winter Sea, he needed to prepare enough winter supplies. Besides winter clothing, Yang Yi felt that fire was essential. It not only meant hot water and cooked food, but also warmth and light in the freezing cold; it could be potentially life-saving. Additionally, he needed to stockpile enough supplies, particrly longsting food, and freshwater. In the icy wilderness, food and supplies would undoubtedly be scarce. Finally¡­he needed to upgrade his ship to Level 3 and install the cannon. The upgrade required a massive amount of materials, so Yang Yi ced this task at the bottom of his priority list. Through the world channel, he learnt that a regr ship upgrade to Level 3 needed x500 wood, x300 cloth, x100 stone, and x20 steel. However, the Nightmare Star required x1,200 wood, x500 cloth, x300 stone, x50 steel, x100 crystals, and ten aberrant corpses. Setting aside the vast amount of materials, the ten aberrant corpses alone left Yang Yi clueless ¡ª he could only rely on luck. Sticking to the n, Yang Yi opened the chat channel and started searching to see if anyone was selling fire-starting tools. To his surprise, there was indeed something avable. ¡°Selling a lighter; message me if interested.¡± ¡¾Name: Longevity Brand Lighter¡¿ ¡¾Type: Tool¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Fine¡¿ ¡¾Description: An ultra-durable lighter, the best choice for arson. You¡¯ll never have to worry about it running out of fuel in your lifetime!¡¿ Yang Yi immediately messaged the seller. ¡°How much for the lighter?¡± ¡°You¡¯re toote ¡ª it¡¯s already sold. The one I have left, I¡¯m keeping for myself.¡± Yang Yi felt a bit disappointed. At the same time, he realised something: if he was thinking about these things, other yers likely were as well¡­ Everyone was scrambling for fire-starting tools, leading to a market shortage! As he was fretting, Yang Yi noticed the world channel suddenly bing lively, with new messages popping up constantly. He quickly scrolled to thetest messages and saw that someone was recruiting yers. ¡°I¡¯m Captain Shen Guanquan of the Hope and also the leader of the New World Fleet. We already have over a dozen like-minded captains, including those from the Farmer and Ironhead, among other special ships.¡± ¡°Our New World Fleet has no entry barriers; anyone can join. However, yers who join must open their ship¡¯s boarding permissions, disarm,ply with orders, and turn in all equipment and supplies. These will be redistributed by the fleet!¡± ¡°In return, your safety will be guaranteed! We have guards responsible forbat, fishermen for fishing, farmers for farming¡­ As time goes on, the roles will diversify, and together we¡¯ll rebuild human civilisation!¡± ¡°I, Shen Guanquan, promise that as long as I have something to eat, you won¡¯t starve or freeze to death!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re willing to join, pleasee to the following coordinates: X: 38201, Y: 53182.¡± ¡°Make sure to disarm and open boarding permissions; otherwise, you will face lethal consequences!¡± ¡°Our New World Fleet will be stationed here for half a month.¡± These statements were likely prepared in advance, then posted all at once. The response was significant, with the majority of people thinking it was a trap. ¡°Disarm and give you all our supplies? Won¡¯t we just be fish on the chopping block?¡± ¡°Why should we trust you?¡± ¡°Only a fool would go!¡± The scepticism was relentless, but Shen Guanquan didn¡¯t respond. There would always be some who woulde; those were his targets. With such arge yer base, even if only 100 people showed up, his New World Fleet would grow stronger than ever. The name Hope was rather impressive, though it was unclear whether it was a special ship. But Yang Yi had a way to find out. He ran to the Nightmare Star¡¯s atrium and picked up a small crystal ball ced nearby. After the ship''s fusion, the number of small crystal balls had increased to two, ced beside therge crystal ball, allowing both Yang Yi and Suna to check the sea map at any time. ¡¾Activate Scrying, searching¡­ Hope, Shen Guanquan.¡¿ Soon, the small crystal ball disyed the image of the Hope. Shen Guanquan would never have guessed that a yer could use a skill to spy on him. Chapter 34 - A Big Deal The captain of the Hope didn''t lie; he did stop at said coordinates. However, his ship wasn''t anything special ¡ª it was simply an ordinaryrge sailing vessel with no distinguishing features. The word Hope on the sails was likely something he painted himself. The name of the ship was also probably something he changed on his own, as ordinary ships were typically allowed one name change. Special ships, however, couldn¡¯t have their names changed unless they underwent a fusion... Around the Hope, several other ships were connected by ropes. The crystal ball''s image couldn''t fully disy the appearance of these ships, but Yang Yi could still guess a few of them. One had arge hull with fields on it where people were farming; it was likely the Farmer. Another had a massive, sharp ram at its bow. Its hull was dark and covered in iron armour ¡ª probably the Ironhead. There was also a ship that had just surfaced from the sea, with a sealed hull that seemed capable of submerging... Yang Yi didn¡¯t know what this ship was, so he temporarily named it the Submarine. Yang Yi also saw the captain of the Hope ¡ª a stern man dressed in a blue captain''s uniform, looking impably authoritative. He had no idea how this man had managed to unite these people... Yang Yi couldn¡¯t see Shen Guanquan¡¯s talents, but if he could, he wouldn¡¯t have been so puzzled. Shen Guanquan had two talents: ¡¾Psychological Suggestion: Through verbal stimtion, you can increase or decrease your or others'' attributes and sanity. The range of attribute change is ¡À1, and the range of sanity change is ¡À20, except for the mental attribute, which can be exempt from suggestion if the person has a high enough mental attribute. This can be used once every 24 hours, and each usests for 24 hours. (Cannot exceed the limits of ordinary beings) Great Leadership: You are a natural leader, easily earning others'' goodwill and trust, making them lower their guard. Your followers'' growth rate, except for mental attributes, increases by 25%. Those with high mental attributes may resist this effect.¡¿ How long had the Grand Sea Map been open? Less than a day! It was impossible for Shen Guanquan to have gathered so many yers in such a short time. The only possibility was that these people had already united before the Grand Sea Map was even unveiled. Maybe they ran into each other, or perhaps they were dragged into some event; Yang Yi had no way of knowing. At present, he wasn¡¯t interested in forming alliances. Without cannons, he didn¡¯t want to interact with other yers ¡ª it was too passive! Not to mention the need to hand over equipment and supplies. That would literally be cing your life in someone else''s hands. Yang Yi had a detailed sea map that allowed him to effectively avoid other yers, which was one of the reasons he agreed to build the Witch''s Laboratory first. But as time passed, various organisations began emerging from the time channel, all trying to recruit people. This put a lot of pressure on Yang Yi''s survival. It wasn¡¯t too bad, but as the organisations grew, lone wolves would find their survival space and resources increasingly threatened. ¡°I need to be strong enough¡­or join a fleet, but I must have absolute freedom.¡± Yang Yi was used to keeping his fate in his own hands. He found the message Shen Guanquan had left and sent him a private message. He likely had a lot of resources, making him a good trading partner. Yang Yi had a blueprint that he could sell to him. ¡°Your ship is an ordinary one, right? I have a blueprint for a special ship. Do you want to buy it?¡± Yang Yi included the information about the Pirate Ship blueprint. ¡°Who are you, and how do you know this?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not your concern. I just want to make a trade,¡± Yang Yi replied anonymously. After a few minutes of silence, there was finally a response. ¡°If you have a blueprint, you should already know: ordinary ships upgrade faster than special ships. I¡¯m not in a hurry to use a blueprint, and besides, the Pirate Ship blueprint isn¡¯t what I¡¯m looking for.¡± This simple statement held multipleyers of meaning. Firstly, it wasn¡¯t his first time seeing a ship blueprint... This meant he had killed someone, and that person had a special ship. Yang Yi suddenly felt a chill. The special ships around the Hope...might not belong to their original owners anymore. Secondly, the Pirate Ship blueprint wasn¡¯t what he wanted, so he wouldn''t offer a high price for it. Blueprints like this hadn¡¯t been publicly sold in the world channel yet, so the price wasn¡¯t easy to determine. Yang Yi thought for a moment and tentatively offered an exorbitant price. The other party had the Farmer, so he likely had plenty of resources. ¡°I need two months'' worth of food that can be preserved long-term, 200 litres of fresh water, 1,200 units of wood, 800 units of cloth, 400 units of stone, 100 units of crystal, 100 units of steel, 5,000 Shell Coins, and some fire-making tools for my ship, like a lighter.¡± After a minute, Shen Guanquan replied. ¡°You¡¯re really asking for a lot! I don¡¯t want it; the blueprint isn¡¯t worth as much as you think!¡± ¡°Alright, farewell then!¡± Yang Yi cut off the conversation. The blueprint wasn¡¯t worth it. Who was he trying to fool? Special ships were limited, and the higher the level, the greater the difference between them and ordinary ships. Later on, the value of the blueprint would only increase! He wouldn¡¯t have trouble finding a buyer! Sure enough, it wasn¡¯t long before Shen Guanquan sent a friend request. ¡¾Captain Shen Guanquan of the Hope requests to add you as a friend¡¿ Yang Yi immediately declined; he didn¡¯t want to expose his identity. Once they became friends, the other party would know his name and the name of his ship. ¡°You¡¯re really overly cautious! Are you interested in joining my New World Fleet? I can give you a very high starting point.¡± ¡°You want to rip me off for my blueprint? No way!¡± ¡°Haha...¡± Shen Guanquan sent aughing emoji. ¡°You¡¯re asking for too much, and I can¡¯t offer that high a price right now. How about this...¡± ¡°I¡¯m also stockpiling non-perishable dry food, so I can only give you one month¡¯s worth; the other month¡¯s supply will be fresh food like vegetables, fruit, and fish. As for materials, I can only give you half of what you asked for; I have a lot of ships that need upgrading. 5,000 Shell Coins are no problem, but as for fire-making tools, I can¡¯t produce them, and I have a limited supply, so I have to prioritise my crew''s safety. I can''t sell them to you! But I can give you a rare space item that''s definitely worth it!¡± He attached the item¡¯s information. ¡¾Name: Greedy Stomach¡¿ ¡¾Type: Relic¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Rare¡¿ ¡¾Description: The stomach of an unknown beast that remains active even after being separated. It contains 10 cubic metres of space for storing items, but each time it is opened, it must be fed, or it will bite. PS: It cannot store food, and demon corpses will bepletely consumed, leaving only bones and shells. This does not affect the vending machine.¡¿ After reading the item''s information, Yang Yi took a deep breath. Shen Guanquan really was a rich guy! Especially this stomach ¡ª it was a pleasant surprise! Yang Yi really wanted it. But this thing definitely had some serious side effects; it wasn¡¯t just about being bitten. Using it would likely reduce sanity, which was why Shen Guanquan was willing to sell it. So, Yang Yi hesitated and said, ¡°This stomach is a relic. Does using it decrease sanity?¡± ¡°Uh...I won¡¯t hide it from you; it does decrease sanity by 20. If you don''t want it, I have other things, but they aren¡¯t of this high quality.¡± ¡°Forget it!¡± Yang Yi quickly shouted, ¡°I want high-quality stuff; I¡¯ll just control how often I use it!¡± The deal was smoothly negotiated. ¡°Pleasure doing business. If you have other things to sell in the future, contact me first. I¡¯ll offer a good price!¡± ¡°If I have anything, I¡¯ll reach out.¡± Yang Yi exited the chat channel. The blueprint was finally sold. Considering its potential value, Yang Yi might have taken a small loss. But given the current situation, getting this price for the blueprint was already quite good! He threw the blueprint into the octopus-head vending machine, and before long, arge number of resources were credited to his ount. The octopus head kept spitting out food: 20 loaves of ck bread, 10 sausages, and a pile of dried fish. There were also some fresh vegetables and fish, including five cabbages, five cucumbers, one apple, one pear, and arge fresh tuna. These food items were enough to feed one person for sixty days. Finally, it spat out a ck, palm-sized bag that felt smooth, almost like a century egg ¡ª it was the Greedy Stomach. As Yang Yi tried to open the bag, using all his strength to pry open a small gap, it let out a howl, startling him. ¡¾Strange noise, your sanity decreases by 5¡¿ ¡°How do you even use this thing?¡± He tried offering it a piece of dried fish, which the bag quickly absorbed before obediently opening its mouth. Yang Yi tentatively put his hand inside. It was like a hole without a bottom, and his hand seemed to enter another dimension. ¡°Wow! It really can store items!¡± Yang Yi was both amazed and a bit scared of this strange thing. ¡°But I must control its usage!¡± After finishing the transaction, he finally had enough resources. Yang Yi focused on the Witch¡¯s Laboratory. Finally, it was time to build it! Chapter 35 - Waterlogged Bronze Chest New World Fleet Aboard the Hope, Captain Shen Guanquan had spent arge amount of supplies, food, and even a precious relic just to acquire the blueprints for the Pirate Ship. "Boss, why didn¡¯t you just arrange a meeting with that guy and then rob him directly?" asked a burly bald man with a scar on his face. "Rob! Rob! Rob! All you ever think about is robbing!" Shen Guanquan irritably knocked on the bald man¡¯s head and continued, "If I hear you say ''rob'' again, I¡¯ll throw you into the sea to feed the fish!" "Boss is right, I won¡¯t say rob again!" "But you just said it! Someone, throw him into the sea to feed the fish!" Without being forced, the bald man jumped into the sea on his own. He was Captain Zhao Tie, also known as Zhao the Iron Head ¡ª a man as stubborn as his name suggests, and also Shen Guanquan¡¯s trusted subordinate. "Alright, once you¡¯ve sobered up, get back to your ship!" Shen Guanquan scolded helplessly. Actually, Shen Guanquan had considered meeting with Yang Yi, but Yang Yi was very cautious. He didn¡¯t even add friends, let alone agree to a face-to-face meeting. Shen Guanquan looked at the Pirate Ship blueprints in his hand. "How should I use this?" he pondered. He didn¡¯t n to use it himself, as the image of a pirate captain didn¡¯t fit the leader persona he wanted to establish. A more ordinary ship would make him appear more approachable. He intended to create a maritime empire, and the first step was to establish a noble and righteous image to facilitate recruitment¡­ A dayter, the Nightmare Star was sailing on the sea. Yang Yi was fishing. ¡¾You caught a long-legged sardine¡¿ ¡¾You caught a long-legged sardine¡¿ ¡¾You caught a rotten piece of wood¡¿ ¡¾You caught an eyeball fruit¡¿ ¡¾You caught...¡¿ ¡¾¡­¡¿ Yang Yi tossed the fishing rod aside andy down on the deck in frustration, surrounded by a pile of long-legged sardines and a few eyeball fruits. Why was he only catching junk fish? He began to doubt his life choices but quickly pulled himself together. After fishing for so long, Yang Yi had figured out that in this sea, you were most likely to catch long-legged sardines, with a smaller chance of catching eyeball fruits and bloated pufferfish, and an even smaller chance of catching red-lipped eels. "Maybe I should try deep-sea fishing?" Yang Yi thought. He quickly acted on the idea, baiting his hook with a long-legged sardine, removing the float, and starting to fish in deeper waters. He had caught a twin-finned devil shark before, and if he could catch another one, it would be a guaranteed profit. It was like a gacha game! Now, with an upgraded ship and Suna''s archery skills, dealing with such a fish would be no problem. While waiting for a bite, he browsed the world channel to see if he could buy some tools for starting a fire. They were in high demand. He had seen them twice but failed to buy them. During this time, many organisations were recruiting new members. For example, the Cherry Blossom Ship had formed a group called "New People," recruiting only people from Japan. Then there were groups like New Rome and Eden, which clearly were mostly for foreigners... Yang Yi noticed that the coordinates given by Eden were far from his location. It seemed that people from different regions were also far apart in this world, so it would probably be a long time before they could meet. Failing to secure any fire-starting tools, Yang Yi posted a purchase request: "Looking to buy fire-starting tools at a high price. Also buying down jackets or other warm clothing." Soon, he received private messages, but they were all from people selling clothes. "Down jackets, 150 fabric per piece, 5% off for 4 pieces!" Yang Yi ignored the message. More private messages trickled in. After reading through them, he found that the lowest price for a down jacket was 120 fabric, meaning 4 pieces would cost him 480 fabric. Cotton coats were cheaper, but Yang Yi wanted the best quality. Since it was still early, Yang Yi decided to wait a few days to see if prices would drop. Suddenly, the reel on his fishing rod started spinning rapidly ¡ª something had taken the bait! Yang Yi immediately tightened the line and pulled hard on the rod. It wasn¡¯t arge creature, as it didn¡¯t seem to have much strength. In less than eight minutes, Yang Yi had pulled the catch onto the boat. It was a human head; more urately, an octopus with a human-like head, with tentacles below and a head that was actually a form of mimicry. "Excuse me, could I trouble you for a few minutes..." The creature began to speak, but Yang Yi stomped it to death immediately. "Disgusting!" Yang Yi cursed, rebaiting his hook with a long-legged sardine, and resuming his fishing. Fishing in the deep sea was much slower. By the end of the day, Yang Yi had caught only three things: a human-head octopus, a red-lipped eel, and a bronze treasure chest. Normally, catching a bronze treasure chest would be cause for celebration ¡ª a major haul. But Yang Yi was on high alert. He had caught dead things before, like the farmer woman¡¯s three punches. When dead things were reeled in, they wouldn¡¯t struggle against the line. But the bronze chest was different; it struggled and pulled with considerable force. Yang Yi thought he was reeling in a big fish and had spent nearly half an hour pulling it up. The chest was about half a metre wide, covered in thick verdigris, and marked by signs of seawater erosion. One corner was even encrusted with red coral. Yang Yi examined the chest''s information: ¡¾Name: Waterlogged Bronze Chest¡¿ ¡¾Type: Treasure Chest¡¿ ¡¾Description: There could be treasure inside...but it might also be...¡¿ This reminded him of the waterlogged, rotten wood chest he had opened before. At that time, a human-head octopus had jumped out, scaring Yang Yi half to death. So, this waterlogged bronze chest might also contain a monster. Yang Yi remained cautious and didn¡¯t rush to open it. He noticed that the fishing line was still attached to something inside the chest ¡ª it seemed the chest had swallowed the bait! He stepped back, holding a flintlock pistol in his left hand, and used a wooden spear in his right to try and pry open the chest. "It¡¯s really tight!" The chest didn¡¯t open, and the spearhead broke off. Yang Yi then tied a sea serpent tooth to the spear and used a short sword to pry it open, inserting the de into a crevice. Suddenly, it felt like he had struck something, and the chest let out a strange cry, popping open. A jet of ck water shot out from the chest, but Yang Yi, prepared, dodged it. "What the hell is this, a mimic?" ¡¾You¡¯ve been startled, Sanity -5¡¿ Inside the chest was soft, white flesh. Yang Yi had apparently cut something vital, causing the chest to thrash violently. After shooting the water jet, the chest no longer closed, as if it had died. To be safe, Yang Yi stabbed it a few more times, and clear liquid seeped out of the wounds. Finally, the thing, probably a mimic, stopped moving. The water jet seemed to be its only form of attack, with some corrosive properties, as it left a whiff of smoke where it struck the ground. ¡¾Name: Treasure Chest m¡¿ ¡¾Type: Food¡¿ ¡¾Description: A type of mollusc that likes to use treasure chests as its shell in adulthood, capable of spitting corrosive acid to catch small fish. It enjoys collecting shiny objects from the sea floor, and you can find Shell Coins and some sparkling treasures inside it. Non-toxic, edible after removing the internal organs.¡¿ "So, it¡¯s a sea m..." Yang Yi cut open the m''s flesh with the sea serpent tooth and began to search inside. The m meat was actually just a thinyer, beneath which were all the shiny objects the Treasure Chest m had collected, including a fist-sized pearl. ¡¾You¡¯ve obtained 600 Shell Coins¡¿ ¡¾You¡¯ve obtained a Healing Pearl¡¿ ¡¾You¡¯ve obtained 50 Crystals¡¿ ¡¾You¡¯ve obtained 20 Stones¡¿ Chapter 36 - Three Bottles of Magic Potion ¡¾Name: Healing Pearl¡¿ ¡¾Type: Treasure¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Rare¡¿ ¡¾Description: Soak the pearl in 1L of water for 12 hours to grant the water healing properties, elerating wound recovery.¡¿ Yang Yi''s eyes lit up! It was a great treasure! The chest m was probably a rare creature capable of producing rare items! As the day was drawing to a close, Yang Yi collected the fishings and decided to end his day. The fishings yielded two items. ¡¾Name: One-Armed Crab¡¿ ¡¾Type: Food¡¿ ¡¾Description: It has always favoured its right w since it was young, with the right w making up half its body weight! Edible and non-toxic, with plenty of meat in the w.¡¿ The other ugly item lowered sanity. ¡¾Name: Strange Starfish¡¿ ¡¾Description: This starfish resembles a human hand with fingers of varying lengths and crawls on the ground like a spider...¡¿ "Quite unique, looking like something from another world!" Yang Yi stomped it to death, picked it up, and after checking the details, suddenly found it less unattractive. ¡¾Name: Palm Star¡¿ ¡¾Type: Food¡¿ ¡¾Description: A starfish twisted by abyssal corruption. Mildly toxic, increases agility by +1 for a short time, reduces sanity by 20,sts for one minute. This item, simr to the head octopus, can enhance attributes when consumed and might be used to create magic potions.¡¿ With this thought, Yang Yi carried the strange fish back to the cabin. "Suna, take a look at these." In theb, Suna was still dissecting a two-horned demon shark. Two bright, fist-sized eyeballs were removed and floating in a ss tank, emitting a faint red glow. She noticed Yang Yi, the strange fish, and therge pearl in his hand. "Look at these fish and the pearl." Suna took the items and examined them closely. "Did you catch all these?" "Yes!" Suddenly, Suna had an inspiration. She looked at the fish, then at the demon shark¡¯s eyeballs, and had an idea. "Two...no, three! In three days, I''ll give you some prototypes!" Suna said excitedly. "Don¡¯t rush it. It¡¯s already night. Go back to your room and rest. We can discuss it tomorrow." Suna hesitated for a moment but ultimately agreed and returned to her room. Her room was next to the captain''s quarters, so if there were any disturbances at night, they could easily notify each other. Yang Yi took the crystal ball and headed to the captain¡¯s room. The crystal ball had a vibration alert function, warning them in case another yer¡¯s ship appeared nearby. cing it by the pillow allowed him to anticipate danger in advance. Otherwise, he could be sleeping whilst surrounded by other yers at night! After preparing everything, Yang Yi took off his coat, drank a bottle of coconut juice, andy on the ship. He usually checked the chat channel before sleeping, mainly to monitor the price trends of warm clothing and to see if anyone was selling fire tools. As he was doing this, he fell asleep, frowning and having nightmares. In the dead of night, there was movement next door to the captain¡¯s quarters. Suna''s door opened. A sneaky figure quietly emerged and headed towards the stern¡¯s cabin, targeting theb. Suna nned to workte into the night researching magic potions... Three days passed without any major events. Yang Yi continued fishing as usual, collected the fishings in the evening, and asionally practised shooting. He didn¡¯t like using w hooks, even though they provided stable catches; they were not as interesting as fishing. He gave all the fish he caught to Suna for her to evaluate their usefulness. Since food was plentiful, it was better to consume items with shorter shelf lives first, and there was no need to eat the strange fish. During this period, the haul was average, aside from the strange fish, with the resources collected being: Wood x28, Cloth x25, Shell Coins 650, Freshwater 9L. He noticed there was a difference between the fishing and fishing rod yields. Fishings provided more shrimp, crabs, and shellfish. He also caught two resource chests. The wooden resource chest gave Wood x20, Cloth x20, which was better than nothing. The bronze resource chest provided Wood x100, Cloth x100, Iron x20, still a significant gain. He caught two new fish species. ¡¾Name: Eyeball Octopus¡¿ ¡¾Type: Food¡¿ ¡¾Description: An abyssal-corrupted octopus with eyeballs at the tips of its tentacles. Mildly toxic, increases perception by +1 for a short time,sts for 1 minute.¡¿ ¡¾Name: Big, Muscly Lobster¡¿ ¡¾Type: Food¡¿ ¡¾Description: An abyssal-corrupted lobster with six abdominal muscles. Mildly toxic, increases constitution by +1 for a short time,sts for 1 minute.¡¿ Along with the head octopus and palm star, he had just the right mix of attributes besides sanity. He gave all the special fish to Suna. In the evening, seeing no fish for a long time, Yang Yi began checking the chat information. As expected, the price of down jackets had been steadily declining over time, as more people were able to craft them. The current market price was only 105 cloth per piece. It seemed the cost to produce a down jacket was around 100 cloth, so the price had likely bottomed out. He checked his current resource totals. Wood x841, Cloth x560, Stone x408, Shell Coins x5700, Freshwater x208, Iron x77, Crystal x51, Sulphur x40. It looked like a lot, but buying winter clothing would cost over 400 cloth. Moreover, upgrading to a level 3 ship required arge amount of resources... The road ahead was long! If using Shell Coins to buy down jackets, the price would be around 600 Shell Coins, but yers preferred trading with cloth because shell coin exchange rates were too unstable. Currently, the exchange rate for basic resources to Shell Coins was about 5:1, meaning 5 Shell Coins equalled 1 unit of basic resources, though actual trades could be slightly higher. High-level resources were more expensive, around 25 Shell Coins per unit. In summary, Yang Yi seemed rich, but he was actually struggling financially and couldn¡¯t afford to spend resources recklessly. He still didn¡¯t know how much he would need to buy fire tools! He routinely posted in the chat channel: ¡°High price for fire tools, private message if you¡¯re selling cheap winter clothing!¡± Just after sending the message, Yang Yi noticed a private message from Suna, sent a few minutes ago. Suna: ¡°The magic potions are ready as you requested, ced on theb table. Come and get them yourself. There are three types in total. The red one is for attribute enhancement, with possible minor side effects. The clear one is for restoring energy, try it yourself. The pink one is for healing injuries...¡± After reading the message, Yang Yi immediately ran to the witch''sb. With such a high investment, it was finally yielding results! In theb, Suna was lying on the table, seemingly resting. On the table were various instruments, including a microscope, a test tube rack and test tubes, a sk, and even an alcoholmp. ¡°Can this thing even light up?¡± Yang Yi picked up the alcoholmp and found it surprisingly light. Upon closer inspection, it was empty... ¡¾Lab Equipment, removing it from theb will result in damage. Requires self-supplied fuel.¡¿ Yang Yi: ¡°¡­¡± He really didn¡¯t understand why Suna bought that instrument! Did she not know it was empty until after she bought it? Yang Yi put down the alcoholmp and was drawn to the three vials of different-coloured magic potions on the table. Although they werebelled as unknown, Yang Yi, with his experience, knew that drinking them would reveal their specific effects and information¡­ Chapter 37 - Yang Yis Observation Diary The red and pink potions were fine; they were simply pure liquids. However, the colourless potion was a different story. It contained several long, slimy legs that needed to be chewed along with the drinking. It was extremely thick and sticky. "Suna, what did you make these potions with?" Yang Yi asked. She did not respond. "Suna?" Yang Yi called out again. Still, there was no response. Noticing something amiss, Yang Yi reached out and touched her. He found that her body was slightly warm. "This woman!" He immediately opened the navigation log to check Suna''s information on the crew page. It only included health status, not attributes nor talents. Name: Suna Status: Injured/Fever/Copsed (Arge ''X'' symbol the human diagram, with a slight yellow tint over the body) Sanity: 35/80 (Madness¡ªObsessive) Health: 82/100 Energy: 12/100 "Her Sanity caps only at 80?" Yang Yi frowned. It was his first time actively checking Suna''s status. After reading it, Yang Yi understood the situation. Suna must have been working non-stop in theb for days, neglecting rest and food, which eventually caused her body to break down! With energy below 30, she could have fainted at any moment! "Obsessive¡­¡± This was Yang Yi''s first encounter with a madness state, and it seemed there were many types. His special talent prevented him from going mad, so he had no such prompts even if his sanity dropped to 1. "Such a troublesome woman, can''t even take care of herself!" Yang Yi frowned. As the captain, he had the highest authority, including control over room ess. So, Yang Yi immediately restricted Suna''s ess to theboratory, revoking her entry rights. Then he took some salt, a vitality coconut, and prepared a bottle of coconut juice. He lifted Suna''s chin and fed it to her, though he spilled quite a bit. He had originally nned to give her the colourless potion, but its thick consistency and unknown effects made it too risky for a sick person, so he abandoned the idea. "This woman is really heavy!" Yang Yiined. His strength usually danced around 4, below the average for an adult, making it very hard to carry Suna. After a lot of effort and gaining 1 point in strength experience, he managed to carry her back to her room, panting heavily. "She must be made of cement. She doesn''t have a big chest or look overweight; why is she so heavy?" Fortunately, the Nightmare Star was not arge ship; otherwise, if it were something like the Iron Heart, Yang Yi would have needed a crane. Suna''s room was next to the captain''s quarters, and it was Yang Yi''s first time entering. It waspletely different from his own captain''s quarters. There was no musty smell, and the floor was solid wood. There were even a few glowing crystal balls embedded in the ceiling, providing illumination. The room seemed to have been adapted from the original Astrologer¡¯s captain''s quarters, making it quite different from the Ghost Ship. Yang Yi ced Suna on the bed, covered her with a nket, and left a note in the log. "I have restricted your ess to theboratory! Check the activity log after you wake up! You didn¡¯t even realise you were going mad!" But would someone who was mad actually check the activity log and be aware of their sanity level? Yang Yi had never been genuinely mad, so he wasn''t sure. After sending the message, he prepared to leave. Suddenly, he noticed a small booklet on the table with the words "Yang Yi Observation Diary" written on it. "What¡¯s this?" Yang Yi wondered, opening it. After reading a few pages, he felt a chill. It recorded various details about him, including what he ate, what time he went to bed, how long he slept, when he relieved himself, and how long it took, etc., with meticulous detail![^1] Suna: "He doesn¡¯t go mad with sanity below 50, does he have some unique talent? I want to see his brain structure!" Reading this, Yang Yi felt a surge of cold anger and cast a stern look at the unconscious Suna. This woman...had been treating him like ab animal? Yang Yi couldn¡¯t help but feel a murderous intent. The diary took a bizarre turn. ¡°He actually looks flustered too! His expression when I pointed a gun at him was so funny, I captured it in my diary!¡± ¡°He thought ¡®merging¡¯ meant that, and clearly misunderstood! Haha! He¡¯s also a lecher!¡± ... ¡°He promised to build me a witch¡¯sboratory! I need to produce results as soon as possible...¡± After reading this, Yang Yi''s anger subsided. He ced the diary back as if it had never been touched and carefully exited the room. Suna wasn¡¯t injured; her fever was due tock of rest. She would recover after a day of sleep. With a few hours left before dark, Yang Yi resumed fishing. ¡°Looking to buy fire-starting tools at a high price! Also buying cold-resistant clothing!¡± As usual, he sent out a message seeking the tools and prepared to buy four pieces of down jackets, waiting for sellers to contact him. Before long, he received numerous private messages. However, just as he was about to purchase the four down jackets at 105 fabric each, he received a unique private message. ¡°Want a Fire Velvet Sweater? Lighter and warmer than down jackets, just 100 Shell Coins as handling fee!¡± ¡¾Name: Fire Velvet Sweater¡¿ ¡¾Type: Treasure¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Fine¡¿ ¡¾Description: Exceptional warmth, made from fire velvet. Wearing it feels like having a warm pack stuck to you. Lightweight and easy to move in. However, be cautious of water, as the warmth effect decreases significantly. Avoid snow and rain!¡¿ Yang Yi¡¯s eyes lit up. The clothing was clearly better than the down jackets! It was thin enough to be worn inside and then covered with pirate clothing outside, which would prevent the down clothing from getting wet by the snow. But it was still important to avoid freezing rain! Yang Yi immediately messaged the seller to buy the Fire Velvet Sweater. ¡°What do you mean by handling fee?¡± The seller quickly responded. ¡°Just the literal meaning! This clothing requires special materials called fire velvet. I¡¯ve run out of materials, so you need to provide them yourself. 10 units of fire velvet will make one piece of clothing. I can also make fire velvet pants if you want. I¡¯m only charging 100 Shell Coins for the handling fee; you provide the materials!¡± The price was not high, but where would Yang Yi get the fire velvet? While he was wondering, the seller sent another message. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a coordinate. There¡¯s an ind with a nt called fire velvet grass. Collect ten of them, and you¡¯ll have enough to make one piece of clothing.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you collect them yourself and sell the finished product?¡± ¡°Sold out! I only have two pieces left and need to keep them as backups! Plus, I¡¯m not in that sea area anymore. If you want them, get the materials, and contact me. Otherwise, forget it!¡± Yang Yi was deep in thought. He wanted the Fire Velvet Sweater. However, the seller asking him to gather the materials seemed suspicious. Perhaps sensing Yang Yi¡¯s scepticism, the seller sent another message. ¡°Believe it or not! You¡¯re the third person to know this coordinate. The previous ones had smooth transactions, and I don¡¯t know how much fire velvet grass is left on the ind. If you want it, act quickly!¡± Yang Yi didn¡¯t believe the seller¡¯s words, so he asked, ¡°How much for the two pieces you have?¡± ¡°Sorry, those two are not for sale. I¡¯m keeping them for myself!¡± Yang Yi frowned, nced at the coordinates the seller provided, and saw that it was not far away. At full speed, it would only take two days to reach. ¡°Well, add me as a friend then!¡± Yang Yi proposed. ¡°Sure!¡± ¡¾Captain Hu Wei of the Galleon[^2] has sent you a friend request¡¿ Yang Yi epted immediately. Names like XX Ship aremon for basic whiteboard ships, but ship owners can change them. ¡°Nightmare Star, is it a special ship?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Then when you get the materials, message me.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯m quite far away, so it might take a while. I¡¯ll contact you when I¡¯m closer!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Yang Yi ended the conversation. He was sure there was something fishy about this person, but the Fire Velvet Sweater was the best cold-resistant gear he had seen so far, and he really wanted it. If he was going to get it, he should get the best! Yang Yi took out the crystal ball and activated the Nightmare Star¡¯s skill, Gaze. ¡¾Searching¡­ Galleon¡­ Hu Wei...¡¿ Three results appeared. Yang Yi was stunned. It made sense formon ship names to ovep, but Yang Yi didn¡¯t expect yers to have the same name, and there were three of them. It seemed there were still quite a few yers around. To differentiate, each result was numbered from #1 to #3. Yang Yi picked one at random, and an image appeared on the crystal ball. It showed a level 2 ship, far from the ind, and it didn¡¯t look like the person Yang Yi was looking for. After watching for a few minutes, he turned off the image. ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll check another person!¡± Yang Yi set a course for the ind. He nned to head that way first. With the sea charts in hand, he had the initiative. Even if there was an ambush, he could avoid it in advance. Notes [^1]: This is worse than I imagined -Simply [^2]: A sailing ship in use (especially by Spain) from the 15th through 17th centuries, originally as a warship,ter for trade. Galleons were mainly square-rigged and mostmonly had three or more decks and masts. Chapter 38 - Excitement Potion In the evening, Yang Yiy in bed. As usual, he would drink a bottle of Vitality Coconut before going to sleep. But that day, he had an extra choice: a colourless potion. It was supposed to restore energy, and Suna probably wasn¡¯t lying to him... Yang Yi carefully examined the bottle. The potion seemed to be transparent, and thick, with a few long legs floating inside. When ced in a dark environment, it emitted a faint glow. After thinking for a few minutes, Yang Yi decided to try a little. With so much effort invested, it was worth a try! He could drink half first! Pinching his nose, trying not to think about what the thick liquid was actually made of, he opened the cap and tried to suck out a bit of the potion. Who would have guessed the liquid was so viscous even biting through it was impossible! And it stank, like something that lived in a sewer ¡ª it was a Slime. Suppressing his nausea, Yang Yi chewed the long legs inside and swallowed them in one gulp. ¡¾You drank an unknown potion.¡¿ As soon as the potion slid down Yang Yi''s oesophagus, a wave of warmth spread from his stomach to his entire body, instantly sweeping away his fatigue! ¡°Is the effect this good?¡± Immediately after, a notification popped up. ¡¾Energy restored: +30. Energy recovery speed increased by 125% for 8 hours¡¿ ¡°Amazing!¡± But suddenly, he felt something was wrong. Various parts of his body started to feel engorged, like his eyes, and¡­ ¡¾You have entered an Excited State,sting for 1 hour.¡¿ ¡°Damn! I knew there was something wrong with this stuff!¡± Yang Yi¡¯s eyes turned red as he sat up, and the potion¡¯s information was disyed. ¡¾Name: Excitement Potion¡¿ ¡¾Type: Consumable/Potion/Unique¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Premium¡¿ ¡¾Description: A potion brewed by Witch Suna, containing secretions from a siren¡¯s pituitary nd, siren saliva, siren nd mucus, and the legs of long-legged sardines. Upon consumption, +30 energy, -20 sanity, energy recovery speed +125% for 8 hours, with a 24-hour cooldown. Induces an Excited State for 1 hour. Multiple uses extend the Excited State, with the risk of poisoning!¡¿ The side effect¡­Yang Yi didn¡¯t know how to describe it. If he sold this potion, it would surely be popr! However, he wasn¡¯t nning to any time soon because the potion¡¯s description included the creator¡¯s name! He felt it wasn¡¯t a good thing and could bring unnecessary trouble. An hourter, Yang Yiy back down. ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask Suna to improve it, remove these damn side effects first!¡± He left her a message. ¡°Your potion¡¯s side effects are too severe. It needs improvement! Next time, drink it yourself to see the effects before giving it to me!¡± After sending the message, he fell asleep. The nightmares persisted, and Yang Yi''s sleep quality was poor, but with the potion¡¯s boost, he wasn¡¯t worried about recovering his energy, though he would still wake up with dark circles around his eyes. The following morning, Yang Yi was awakened by a knock on the door right in the middle of a nightmare. Jolting awake in shock, he immediately grabbed his gun, and aimed at the door. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me!¡± Suna¡¯s voice came through. Yang Yi rxed. He had just dreamt of spiders crawling out of his body, devouring his flesh. His back was drenched in sweat. Afterposing himself, Yang Yi snapped, ¡°Why are you knocking so early in the morning?¡± Suna was also upset, replying, ¡°Why did you lock me out of theb?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you read the message I sent you?¡± Only then did Suna check the message in her log. Meanwhile, Yang Yi took the opportunity to nce at Suna¡¯s sanity level. Thankfully, it had mostly recovered. Sanity: 76/80 Since her recovery speed was quite fast, her mental attributes must have been high, and her clothes probably had bonuses as well. ¡°You went insane yesterday. Did you know that?¡± It was only now that Suna realised, like waking from a dream. It seemed that people who went mad wouldn¡¯t understand they were behaving crazily, nor did they monitor their sanity. ¡°How was the potion¡¯s effect?¡± Suna quickly shifted her focus back to the potion, no longer angry. ¡°The recovery aspect of it was good, the side effects however¡­ Well, you can see for yourself!¡± Yang Yi sent the potion¡¯s properties to Suna. ¡°I see. But all potions have some side effects!¡± Suna exined. ¡°These ones in particr are uneptable. You need to fix them!¡± ¡°If I do that, I can¡¯t guarantee the same potency!¡± ¡°No problem!¡± ¡°What about the other two potions? Did you drink them?¡± At this point, Yang Yi felt a bit annoyed. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try drinking them yourself? Why do I have to be the one? I¡¯m not a guinea pig!¡± ¡°Potions might reduce sanity, so it¡¯s not safe for me to drink! Plus, they taste awful!¡± Suna replied confidently. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± So, Suna knew they tasted bad! ¡°Your sanity won¡¯t drop enough to make you go insane, so it¡¯s fine for you to drink!¡± Suna added. Yang Yi was speechless. He knew there was no escaping his fate as a potion tester. One Excitement Potion deducted 20 sanity points. If Suna identally drank a stronger one, she would immediately go mad. ¡°How many more can you make?¡± Yang Yi suddenly asked. After all, potions required materials, mostly from magical creatures or undefinable beings. ¡°I can make three more Excitement Potions. If you don¡¯t like it, I can try a different form¡­ For the red potion, I need a devil shark¡¯s eye, so I can only make two bottles. As for the pink potion, its main ingredient is the water from Healing Pearlweed, so I can make more of those.¡± Suna exined. ¡°For the energy-boosting potion, try a different form. It can be less potent, but the materials need to be more essible. Creatures like sirens aren¡¯t easy toe by.¡± Suna nodded in agreement. ¡°Also, you need to limit your time in theb. Eight hours a day, max. Once the time is up, I¡¯ll shut off your ess!¡± Although Suna wasn¡¯t entirely happy, she didn¡¯t argue because Yang Yi was right. After regaining ess, she quickly ran to theb. ¡°That woman really loves messing with weird things.¡± Yang Yi left the captain¡¯s cabin, grabbed his fishing rod, and was about to cast a line when he suddenly remembered something. The Fire Velvet Sweater! He had forgotten to mention it to Suna. He nned to get close to the ind and take a look. Yang Yi immediately activated the Nightmare Star¡¯s irvoyance skill, searching for Hu Wei¡¯s true form. ¡¾Scanning¡­ Galleon¡­ Hu Wei¡­¡¿ This time, he chose another person. Soon, the crystal ball disyed an image. It was arge sailboat, seemingly upgraded to level three, with two cannons on each side. A dark-skinned youth appeared to be looking through a telescope. His position was very close to the ind coordinates, less than ten nautical miles away. In short, the person¡¯s identity was clear ¡ª he was the right captain Hu Wei! ¡°What is he looking at?¡± Casting a nce at the map, Yang Yi realised Hu Wei seemed to be looking towards the ind. To be safe, he sent a private message. ¡°How many fire velvet grass do I need for a full set of armour?¡± The person in the image reacted immediately. It looked like it was him! ¡°The trousers require 10 stalks, just like the shirt. For a full set, prepare 20 stalks and 200 Shell Coins forbour!¡± ¡°Deal!¡± Yang Yi smiled and continued watching him. The person was odd. After observing for a while, he sailed away. However, he didn¡¯t go far, maintaining a distance of 100 nautical miles from the ind. Then, every 3 to 4 hours, he would sail back to take another look. ¡°What is he up to?¡± Yang Yi narrowed his eyes. Chapter 39 - Ambush Yang Yi told Suna about the whole Fire Velvet Sweater and ind affair. She also agreed to check it out, as ind resources were typically more abundant. If they encountered something worthwhile, they couldn¡¯t miss the opportunity unless it were too risky. The dangers included unknown creatures on the ind, as well as other ill-intentioned yers. "Any unique life forms there are, I want a few samples!" Suna requested. That was likely her true motivation for wanting to go to the ind. Two dayster, Yang Yi arrived near the ind. He could go ashore whenever he so willed, however, before he set foot on the ind, he needed to handle any potential dangers! Through observing Hu Wei for two days, he understood what the captain had been up to. He was fishing, using bait to lure other yers onto the ind, where there seemed to be some terribly dangerous creatures or traps. It caused yers whonded to quickly meet their demise. After they died, Hu Wei would go and take over their abandoned ships, gaining considerable supplies in the process. It was a devious yet profitable tactic, though not without risks. No one could predict what kind of yer mighte. If he ran into someone tough, like Yang Yi, who had irvoyant skills, Hu Wei could easily misjudge the situation, losing more than he gained. The captain had no idea someone was watching his every move, unaffected by distance or the fog of war. Through observation, Yang Yi gathered plenty of intel. Before approaching a yer''s ship, Hu Wei would use binocrs to observe it. Once he confirmed no one was on board, he would slowly approach, fire a symbolic shot, and, after further confirming there was no one aboard, attempt to board the ship. He wouldn¡¯t fire directly at the ship¡¯s hull, possibly to avoid damaging it and affecting the loot. Over three days, Hu Wei dismantled two ships using that method. Yang Yi watched the entire process and shared his n with Suna. "I¡¯m sure there¡¯s some dangerous creature on the ind!" Suna asserted confidently. "Is that what I was talking about? Were you even listening?" Yang Yi scratched his head. "I meant we should turn the tables and ambush him instead!" "He wouldn¡¯t expect someone to be lying in wait for him! We¡¯ll remove the boarding restrictions, and when he sees he can board, he¡¯ll assume we¡¯re dead. We¡¯ll hide in the cabin, and the moment he steps in, we¡¯ll take him out!" "But what if he doesn¡¯t enter?" "That¡¯s not going to happen! If it were me, I¡¯d definitely go in. And even if he¡¯s on the ship, do you think he could outrun a bullet?" Yang Yi was confident. He had dismantled ships before and knew how to upy one. It required not only the owner''s death but also staying on the ship for about 10 minutes before the system would notify him, saying he could dismantle it. However, dismantling a ship wouldn¡¯t automatically recover all the items on board. Equipment and tools would need to be manually collected. Yang Yi believed Hu Wei wouldn¡¯t leave any corner of the ship unchecked, especially the cabin. If it were Yang Yi in his ce, he would have scavenged everything quickly. Suna agreed, withoutints. Thus, the n was set. In case things went awry, Yang Yi had Suna make three more bottles of the pink recovery potion, giving them each two bottles. The following morning, Yang Yi steered the ship towards the ind. The journey was smooth, with no danger in sight. It was his first time observing the ind up close. It looked ordinary on the surface ¡ª solid dark brown rocks along the coast, smoothed by the ocean waves. Barnacles clung to the rock surfaces, and many crabs lived in the crevices of the rocks. The ind itself was covered in a dense forest; its interior shrouded in mystery. There were no signs of struggle on the shore, not even bloodstains, indicating the danger likely wasn¡¯t there. Whatever had killed the yers must have been deeper ind. In either case, Yang Yi had no intention of going ashore. He checked the crystal ball, which showed that Hu Wei was approaching, still several dozen nautical miles away. Though there was still time, Yang Yi called Suna, and they both hid in the cabin, leaving the boarding permissions open. The Nightmare Star¡¯s cabin was a long, narrow hallway that turned left as you entered. At the end of the hallway started a staircase leading to the lower deck. The lighting was dim, with only a few small windows providing some natural light. The air was damp and musty. The witch¡¯sboratory was also there as a separate room. The two of them took their positions ording to the n. Suna hid in the shadows of the lower deck, armed with a pirate¡¯s longbow, eyes fixed on the door. She had a simple quiver on her back with more than 30 arrows, all with iron tips ¨C far sharper than her earlier wooden ones. After she had demonstrated her impressive archery skills, Yang Yi had upgraded her weapon. Each arrowhead was coated with fluid from a venomous blowfish, ensuring that lethal hits. Yang Yi stood at the end of the hallway, just four metres from the door. He would strike first, and if his flintlock didn¡¯t fire, Suna would follow up with her arrows. They would ensure the target had no time to react. Meanwhile, Hu Wei was finally nearing the ind. He pulled out his binocrs to observe and, sure enough, he spotted the Nightmare Star! "A special ship!" Hu Wei was so excited he nearly jumped for joy. Little did he know someone was creepily analysing his every move. Hu Wei waited an entire hour, ensuring no one was on board, before cautiously edging neat and firing a symbolic shot. His aim was poor, and the cannonball sshed harmlessly into the water in front of the Nightmare Star. He wasn¡¯t aiming to hit; it was just part of his routine, something Yang Yi had already witnessed in the crystal ball. After waiting another 15 minutes, Hu Wei, seeing no movement on the ship, finally sped up his approach. "He¡¯ll be on board in less than 10 minutes!" Yang Yi alerted Suna, putting the crystal ball back into his bottomless bag and holding his breath, eyes fixed on the cabin door, ready for the prey to step into the trap. Suna, who had never ambushed anyone before, was slightly nervous. However, her strong mental fortitude kept her calm and fearless. Soon, they heard the sound of a grappling hook hitting the side of the ship, followed by the tter of a wooden nk being set in ce. The prey had taken the bait. Yang Yi raised his flintlock and aimed at the door. The lighting in the cabin was dim. By the time Hu Wei saw him, he¡¯d already be shot. Time ticked by slowly. To sell the ruse, Yang Yi had left his fishing rod and discarded on the deck. The target was probably picking through them right now,pletely unaware someone had voluntarily granted him permission to loot the ship... The giant insect head had been stowed in the cabin to prevent Hu Wei from lingering on the deck for too long. Yang Yi¡¯s ultimate goal was to lure him into the cabin ¡ª the safest strategy. If Hu Wei didn¡¯t enter after 9 minutes, they would have to attack him directly. Fortunately, less than 5 minutester, the cabin door creaked open. Hu Wei, beaming with pride, strode in, fishing rod and red slung over his shoulder,pletely unaware. He was still gloating over his massive haul when, in the next moment, a gunshot rang out from his left. Bang! Hu Wei was shot in the abdomen and copsed, clutching the wound. It was only then that he noticed the figure standing to his left, holding a smoking flintlock. "You... How...?" Hu Wei couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. "I¡¯ve been waiting for you," Yang Yi said with a smile. He hadn¡¯t aimed for the head ¡ª not because he feared missing, but because he had some questions to ask. Chapter 40 - A Spiders Kiss "What¡¯s on this ind?" Yang Yi asked coldly. The reason he shot Hu Wei on the spot was because he wanted to ask him this question. "If I tell you...will you let me go?" Hu Wei, slumped on the ground, raised his head with difficulty and looked at Yang Yi. "You can trust me!" Yang Yi lowered his gun. "You''re lying! That''s a killer''s look in your eyes!" Hu Wei coughed, speaking with great effort. Yang Yi frowned. He indeed never intended to let Hu Wei live. "You''re tough, I admit defeat. No need for you to bother with me! As for what¡¯s on the ind...you''ll have to see for yourself!" Hu Wei sneered darkly, his mouth full of blood, a crimson mess. "What do you mean?" Hu Wei didn¡¯t respond. Instead, he pulled out a kitchen knife from behind his waist. Yang Yi immediately raised his gun, ready to fire, but held back. Hu Wei had already killed himself. With swift decisiveness, he plunged the knife into his own throat. Turns out¡­the guy was ruthless too! Though Yang Yi couldn''t see it, Hu Wei''s journal had updated with new information. ¡¾You have died. Oath Precondition Mission failed,pletion 6/10¡­¡¿ Two light orbs fell beside Hu Wei¡¯s body, likely the drops left behind by his death. Just as Yang Yi was about to pick them up, he sensed something wrong. He heard a soft, rustling noise, like many things crawling. And the source of the sound was Hu Wei¡¯s corpse! In the next second, Hu Wei¡¯s body twitched and convulsed, as if shaking uncontrobly. At the same time, countless spiders, each about the size of a fingernail, crawled out of his wounds and orifices. What the hell?! ¡¾You are frightened. Sanity -5¡¿ Yang Yi pulled the trigger, just in case, using the powerful cannon mode. Boom! The shot was devastating! Hu Wei¡¯s body, along with the cabin door, was sted apart, leaving a huge hole in the ship¡¯s hull that let sunlight pour in. The recoil knocked Yang Yi back, mming him into the wall. "What are you doing? He¡¯s already dead!" Suna rushed over, her face showing slight displeasure. If that shot had been a bit lower, it would have blown a hole in her beloved witchboratory. "He had spiders inside him, lots of spiders!" Yang Yi exined, still shaken by what he had just witnessed. In his nightmare, he met the same fate as Hu Wei! But how could there be spiders inside a person? Suna nced at the wreckage. "Spiders? I don¡¯t see any spiders. Where are they?" She scanned the area. "Aren¡¯t they right there?" Yang Yi pointed to the debris, but then froze. He could swear there were spiders on the ground just moments ago, small but clearly visible. Now, there was nothing but chunks of flesh, broken wood, and sttered blood! "I definitely saw spiders just now..." Yang Yi insisted. "Alright, your arm''s dislocated, you know that?" Yang Yi¡¯s left arm was hanging limp at his side. Luckily, Suna was a medical student. Though she hadn¡¯t specialised in orthopaedics, she was talented and quickly popped Yang Yi¡¯s dislocated shoulder back into ce. But Yang Yi was still looking for the spiders. "It¡¯s impossible. I saw spiders, I¡¯m sure of it!" Suddenly, he felt an itch in his nose and noticed a small nosebleed, likely from the recoil of the flintlock rifle. The itch persisted, as if something was crawling inside. Yang Yi couldn¡¯t help but pick at it, and out came a tiny ck spider, about the size of a grain of rice. ¡¾A spider crawled out of your body. Sanity -10¡¿ Yang Yi was startled and immediately crushed the spider. He checked his nose again, but luckily, no more spiders came out. "There really was a spider. When did you inhale it?" Suna bent down and picked up the spider¡¯s corpse. "Inhale?" Yang Yi felt uneasy. The spider had definitely crawled out of him! He quickly checked his status. Status: Injured (The human diagram shows faint yellow on the back and left arm) Sanity: 85/100 Stamina: 94/100 Health: 93/100 Everything seemed normal, but there was a new status under his talents. ¡¾Kiss of the Spider: A gift from the Spider Mother. Spiders will asionally crawl out of your wounds, but you¡¯ll soon get used to it! Precondition mission for an Oath can be unlocked. Enemy hostility from spider-type demons -100%¡¿ "When did this status appear?" He quickly checked his activity log. ¡¾You have gained the Kiss of the Spider¡¿ Judging by the time, it must have been right when Hu Wei died! "When he died, the status transferred to me?" Yang Yi narrowed his eyes. Suna, not afraid of spiders, moved into the sunlight to inspect the corpse closely. As soon as the spider touched the sunlight, it evaporated and vanished. Yang Yi noticed this too and walked over to grab Suna¡¯s hand. "It actually disappeared?" He couldn¡¯t believe it. "Let go! You¡¯re hurting me!" Sunained, pulling her hand free. But Yang Yi ignored her, deep in thought. The status must have been tied to Hu Wei¡¯s death. After he died, a new sessor was chosen... "Suna, check your status. Is there any negative effect called ¡®Kiss of the Spider¡¯?" Yang Yi warned. Suna immediately checked and then shook her head, "I don¡¯t have anything like that." It seemed the curse only targeted one person! And when you considered Hu Wei¡¯s recent behaviour¡­the answer became obvious! The Kiss of the Spider had an unmistakable connection to the ind. "Let¡¯s get out of here! My flintlock is in cannon mode, and it has a 12-hour cooldown! Plus, the Nightmare Star has a hole in it that needs repair!" Yang Yi instructed. Suna nodded, and together they began gathering the spoils of war. The spider situation would have to wait. The battlefield needed to be dealt with first. Hu Wei had dropped two light orbs, one of which fell into the sea. The other contained 1250 shell coins and a recipe for Fire Velvet Armour. ¡¾Fire Velvet Armour: Requires Fire Silk Spider threads x100. (One medium-sized Fire Silk Spider can produce 8-12 units of thread.)¡¿ That fire velvet grass was clearly a lie Hu Wei made up. Fire Silk Spiders definitely proliferated on the ind! What was even more surprising was a yer¡¯s death could result in a recipe drop! Yang Yi turned to look at Suna. She had a unique talent that allowed her to create special recipes. If she died, would those recipes drop too? That could be dangerous. It would make her a target! Yang Yi immediately warned her, "Suna, don¡¯t sell or give away any of the potions you make!" "So, you¡¯re saying I should give them all to you, huh?" Suna teased. "Uh¡­we¡¯ll discuss thatter!" Yang Yi suddenly remembered the unbreakable Excitement Potion and felt a bit nauseous. After cleaning up the battlefield, they found three equipment items! ¡¾Name: Webbed Gloves¡¿ ¡¾Type: Treasure¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Fine¡¿ ¡¾Description: Enhances grip and allows you to climb walls. You won¡¯t get stuck on webs. Yes, with these, you can scale walls like a superhero!¡¿ ¡­¡­¡­. ¡¾Name: Delicious Chef¡¯s Knife¡¿ ¡¾Type: Relic¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Description: A sharp kitchen knife. Anything cut by this knife will be extraordinarily delicious, and highly addictive! Perfect for people with appetite disorders! The delicious effectsts for 5 days. It only works on objects smaller than 3 cubic metres.¡¿ ¡­¡­¡­. ¡¾Name: Healing Spray¡¿ ¡¾Type: Consumable¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Description: Speeds up wound healing when sprayed. Usable 3/10 times¡¿ Yang Yi picked up the chef¡¯s knife, which was no more than thirty centimetres long. "If you get cut by this knife, will you taste delicious?" He made a strange face, detecting a faint sweetness in the air. Chapter 41 - Tiny spider Hu Wei''s ship was a third-tier vessel. Both expansion spaces on the ship had been used to build cannons. ¡¾Name: Standard Cannon**¡¿** ¡¾Type: Ship Equipment**¡¿** ¡¾Quality: Ordinary**¡¿** ¡¾Description: A standard cannon with a range of 200 meters.****Cannon is fixed in thebat room, cannot be removed.¡¿ Yang Yi had thought about whether he could move the cannon to his own ship, but after reading the information, he gave up on the idea. Hu Wei really was wealthy. He carried arge amount of supplies, all of which were now conveniently Yang Yi''s! The supplies on the ship included: Wood x832, Cloth x742, Stone x935, Steel x83, Crystal x63, Sulphur x35, Freshwater x50L, Sausages, bread, and other food items ¡ª enough for Yang Yi and Suna to eat for half a month. Equipment included an ordinary-quality telescope, a simple fishing rod, and two pieces of flintlock clothing. Yang Yi calcted these supplies were enough to upgrade his ship, the Nightmare Star, to third tier. Though as for the exotic monster corpse needed for the upgrade, he still had no clue where to find it. By dismantling the third-tier sailing ship, he could gain an additional 600 units of wood, 300 units of cloth, 300 units of stone, and 20 units of steel. However, the total supplies would exceed the capacity limit of the Nightmare Star. For now, the most cost-effective n was to hold off the dismantlement. Once he obtained an exotic monster corpse and upgraded the Nightmare Star to third tier, then he could go ahead. For the time being, he could use the ship as a floating warehouse, dragging it behind. After moving the food, freshwater, and high-value resources to the Nightmare Star, Yang Yi and Suna set sail and left the ind. When the ship had sailed 200 nautical miles, Yang Yi¡¯s expression suddenly changed. His entire body began to itch, as if countless bugs were crawling and biting him. He immediately stopped the ship and turned it around. As soon as he did, the itching disappeared. Yang Yi now understood why Hu Wei had stayed on this ind ¡ª he couldn¡¯t leave. ¡°What happened?¡± Suna noticed the movement and emerged from the cabin. ¡°The spiders inside me won¡¯t allow me to leave this ind,¡± Yang Yi said with a grim face. Suna frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, ¡°Stop the ship ande with me!¡± She pulled Yang Yi along and led him to theboratory. There were tworge metal tables inside. One of the tables was filled with various instruments, as well as pieces of meat ¡ª remnants of Hu Wei¡¯s corpse, which Suna had collected. ¡°I just finished checking, and I can confirm: this body is hollow!¡± Suna''s expression was more serious than ever. ¡°Hollow?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! There are no organs, no bones, just a thinyer of skin!¡± Suna picked up a piece of meat with tweezers and exined, ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice how little flesh there was on his body, and how little blood came out? At first, I thought maybe it was lost in the ocean, but after carefully inspecting each piece, I found there were no bones or internal organs! It¡¯s all just skin and superficial muscle.¡± Yang Yi suddenly understood. ¡°This corpse ispletely hollow ¡ª no brain, no intestines, no heart! This must have happened the moment Hu Wei died. All of his internal organs and bones were eaten by the spiders!¡± Suna concluded. After hearing her exnation, cold sweat dripped from Yang Yi¡¯s forehead. He realised these spiders likely existed within him as well. His life was no longer in his control; at any moment, they could devour him and leave him to be but a hollow shell! Suddenly, Yang Yi noticed a fragrance. Once aware of it, he couldn¡¯t ignore it. It made his mouth water, and he swallowed involuntarily. It was the power of the gourmet chef, making Hu Wei¡¯s corpse smell delicious. ¡°Suna, you didn¡¯t sneak a bite, did you?¡± Yang Yi asked in horror. Knowing her personality, Yang Yi wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if she had tasted a piece just to see what it was like. ¡°What are you talking about! This is a precious specimen. How could I possibly waste it?¡± Suna said, slightly annoyed. ¡°That¡¯s a relief!¡± Yang Yi sighed in relief. He had a feeling that eating something prepared by the gourmet chef would have terrible consequences. It could even lead to addiction! ¡°Alright, now it''s your turn!¡± Suna packed Hu Wei¡¯s remains into a ss container, cleared the table, and gestured for Yang Yi to lie down. ¡°What¡¯s this...?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to examine your body and see how those spiders got inside you,¡± Suna exined. Yang Yi felt a bit anxious but eventuallyy down on the metal table. He wanted to know what was happening to him, too. Suna began examining his body, checking him all over. ¡°Your body surface looks normal. Open your mouth.¡± Yang Yiplied. Suna peered inside with a magnifying ss, scraped some tissue from his mucous membrane, and prepared a simple slide to examine under a microscope. Watching her furrowed brow made Yang Yi increasingly uneasy. He felt like a patient waiting for the doctor¡¯s diagnosis, growing more anxious the longer the doctor hesitated. A few minutester, Suna approached, holding a sharp knife. ¡°What are you doing!¡± Yang Yi immediately sat up, retreating to maintain distance. ¡°Why are you so tense! If you¡¯re afraid of pain, then give me some money ¡ª I¡¯m out of shell coins!¡± Suna¡¯s sharp gaze and steady grip on the knife made her seem formidable. Yang Yi, feeling numb, transferred 2,000 shell coins to her. Suna then operated her journal, and soon, a modern blood collection kit appeared in her hand. ¡°You''re just going to take blood?¡± Yang Yi asked. ¡°Of course! I was nning to cut you, but since you seem afraid of pain, I¡¯ll use this instead!¡± Suna approached with the blood collection kit. Damn it! Yang Yi suspected she had yed this trick just to get more shell coins out of him! Though he had no evidence, he felt it was highly likely. While Suna drew 300 units of blood from him, Yang Yi asked her about theboratory¡¯s capabilities. ¡°Can theb provide any kind of equipment?¡± ¡°There are many limitations. It mainly provides experimental and medical tools. The moreplex andrger the equipment, the more expensive it is.¡± ¡°What about a lighter?¡± ¡°You can get a lighter, but it won¡¯t have any fuel. Currently, theb can produce items like ss, metal, ceramics, and stic, but not fuels like alcohol. Also, any equipment purchased here can¡¯t be taken outside theb,¡± Suna replied. ¡°I see,¡± Yang Yi nodded. No wonder the alcoholmps he saw earlier were empty. ¡°Can you make flint or some other fire-starting tools?¡± Yang Yi asked again. ¡°No, but you can try starting a fire by rubbing sticks together.¡± ¡°Forget it!¡± Yang Yi didn¡¯t believe he could start a fire on the damp ocean by rubbing sticks together. Even if he could, it wasn¡¯t a long-term solution. In the freezing regions, he wouldn¡¯t stand a chance at starting a fire this way! After drawing 30 of blood, Suna made a blood smear and continued her observations. ¡°As expected. Come take a look for yourself,¡± she called Yang Yi over. Though Yang Yi didn¡¯t know much about biology, he could still look through the microscope. In the field of view, aside from red blood cells, there were numerous tiny particles. ¡°Do you see those ck particles? Brace yourself!¡± Suna adjusted the microscope to a higher magnification, and Yang Yi immediately broke out in cold sweat. What he saw were tiny, clustered spiders curled up together. They were so small that only under significant magnification could their outlines be seen clearly. By normal standards, spiders shouldn¡¯t be smaller than cells. Yet Yang Yi was seeing them right there under the microscope. His body was likely filled with these tiny spiders, lying dormant. Once awakened, Yang Yi would face unimaginable torment and be eaten alive, leaving nothing but an empty shell. It seemed there was no choice but to return to the ind. There had to be a way to resolve his impending doom there! ¡°Don¡¯t worry, give me some time,¡± Suna said,forting him as she approached. ¡°I¡¯ll try to kill the spiders inside your body.¡± Chapter 42 - Maritime Weekly The Nightmare Star had a big hole, and the repairs were quite expensive. It cost 332 wood, 125 cloth, 108 stone, and 20 steel, taking half a day to fix. The system really understood resource management! Dismantling ships yielded significantly fewer materials, while ship repairs required double the resources... However, Yang Yi had no regrets about firing the shot. If he had the chance to, he would still pull the trigger without hesitation again. Who knew what could happen if those spiders burst out? Maybe they''d bite, or perhaps they''d merge into a big, scary monster. It was best to be cautious ¡ª couldn¡¯t go wrong with that. The rewards were so great, a little lost material was no big deal! Three dayster, the Nightmare Star was still roaming around the ind. Yang Yi had a nautical map, giving him an advantage. He could monitor the ind''s surroundings through it. But for three days straight, no ship had appeared nearby. Perhaps because Hu Wei was dead, the other deceived yers, after privately messaging each other, found no trace of him and became wary of the location. Of course, it was also possible that Hu Wei didn''t deceive many people, and Yang Yi was thest one. During the three days, Suna had locked herself in theb. Aside from drawing a few more tubes of Yang Yi''s blood, she rarely showed herself, focused on her research. As evening approached and darkness began to fall, Yang Yi walked into the cabin and loudly reminded her. "Suna, it''s time to rest!" The eight-hour work rule was a strict policy Yang Yi had set for Suna. That way, she could avoid losing too much sanity and falling into madness. "Suna!" Yang Yi called again, a bit impatient. "Five more minutes!" "Are you bargaining with me? Five more minutes? Come out now, or I''ll kick you out!" Yang Yi said viciously. He had the captain''s authority, meaning he could literally kick Suna out of theb using the system. "Please don¡¯t! I¡¯lle out myself!" After some noise, Suna finally rushed out. "Any progress?" Yang Yi asked. "Still a bit more..." Suna looked dazed, seemingly absent-minded. Yang Yi, used to her being lost in her own world, just urged her, "Fine, rest now. We¡¯ll talk tomorrow!" Suna, unresponsive, walked to her room like a zombie. Yang Yi returned to the deck and controlled the ship to stop, keeping a distance of over 100 nautical miles from the ind. The fish he was catching were still the same as before, except for a strange one he had reeled in from the deep sea. It was about half a metre long, covered in coral, and looked like a bamboo basket. In reality, the fish itself was palm-sized, located in the centre of the "basket", while the rest was all coral. ¡¾Name: Coral Cage Fish¡¿ ¡¾Type: Food¡¿ ¡¾Description: A species from the abyss, its body is covered in poisonous coral that forms a cage to protect itself. The fish meat is also highly poisonous and not rmended for consumption.¡¿ Seeing the word "poisonous", Yang Yi didn¡¯t want to touch it at all. He used a wooden spear to kill the fish and sent it to theb. His luck was pretty bad ¡ª he hadn''t seen a single treasure chest. Aside from fish, he only managed to catch 12 wood and 15 cloth. The weakness of fishing was evident: the rewards were very unstable, depending on luck and skill. But even the best anglers would sometimes catch nothing, which would lead to them making up superstitions after failing one too many times. Like casting the line exactly at the right time for a better chance of treasure... Or just repeatedly pulling the line whether there''s a fish or not... Or marking where they caught a big fish or treasure and trying the same spot again next time. Some even bowed to their fishing rods, hoping for a stroke of luck. Yang Yi dismissed all of this as fake ¡ª just superstition. After all, he had tried it himself, and it didn¡¯t work at all! Now, lying on his bed like a salted fish, he browsed the world channel. "Looking for a lighter!" Yang Yi routinely left a message, hoping someone would contact him. He scrolled a few pages, and an organisation called the Great Press Special Fleet caught his attention. The group had appeared a few days ago and was recruiting members at the time. The leader seemed to be the owner of a special ship, possibly capable of printing newspapers. They were nning to start a news agency, gathering thetest sea information, and selling it in weekly newspapers. After preparing for so long, their first weekly edition was finally ready for release. ¡°The first issue isplete! Trading sections, maritime events, monster reports¡­you name it!! With more content in the works, be sure not to miss this hard-toe-by bargain: 100 Shell Coins per issue, or a four-issue monthly subscription for only 300 Shell Coins. Everyone is encouraged to submit news tips ¡ª we¡¯ll reward valuable information with Shell Coins! If you provide fake news, you¡¯ll be cklisted permanently. Also, ad space is avable for rent...¡± The newspaper¡¯s leader was a business genius. The paper wasn¡¯t expensive, but it could sell in high volumes. If they got thousands of customers, the money would roll in fast! That was, as long as they established a good reputation. Yang Yi was interested in the paper and sent a private message, expressing his desire to buy an issue. He soon got a reply. "Pay first, then leave a note with thenguage you want. The newspaper will be delivered via the trading system for free. You can also add me as a friend and subscribe for 300 Shell Coins a month, which includes at least four issues. There¡¯s currently a promotion ¡ª subscribe for three months and get one extra month free!¡± ¡°No need for a subscription, just send me one issue!¡± Yang Yi quickly transferred 100 Shell Coins. He wasn¡¯t keen on adding a friend just for a subscription, no matter the cost. He anonymously bought an issue, nning to see what it was like first. If it had valuable content, he would consider buying more in the future. The newspaper''s efficiency was high. Even at night, they delivered quickly, and within minutes, the paper arrived via the trading system. It was a crude, ink-printed paper ¡ª you rubbed it too hard, and it would smudge. But right now, no one cared about that. What mattered was whether the content was valuable! The Nightmare Star had no lights or fire, except for the witch''sb and Suna''s room, which were illuminated. Yang Yi didn¡¯t intend to barge into Suna¡¯s room just to read the newspaper, so he slipped into the witch''sb. It was eerily quiet inside, like he had stepped into another world. The air was filled with an indescribable smell ¡ª aplex mix of stench and the distinctive scent of otherworldly organs. The walls were lined with jars filled with various organs. Yang Yi didn¡¯t bother to look closely, as seeing too much would lower his sanity, and that wasn¡¯t necessary, was it? He opened the paper and began reading. It had two sides. The front was the trading section, with both wanted and clearly priced for-sale items, along with yer names, ship names, and IDs for direct contact. Most items were self-produced and self-sold. Yang Yi quickly spotted an old acquaintance, Zhou Dai, captain of the Radiant Goddess. She was selling holy water for the hefty price of 2,000 Shell Coins per bottle, or bartering for equipment. The price she gave him was indeed a friendly, internal one. It also reflected the chaotic early-game market, with basic materials still scarce. Yang Yi skimmed through and noticed a troublesome relic. ¡¾Name: Cannibal Cult Introductory Guide¡¿ ¡¾Type: Relic¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Rare¡¿ ¡¾Description: This book records eighteen ways to consume corpses, allowing you to "eat what you need" with real results! Except it can¡¯t help your brain.¡¿ Yang Yi felt dizzy after reading that. The newspaper would definitely need to be destroyed, Suna couldn¡¯t find out about this. Otherwise, the crazy woman would go to any lengths to buy it and try out its contents. Just the thought of Suna eating corpses gave him goosebumps, so he immediately disabled her trading permissions, cutting off this possibility. Other things weren¡¯t as disturbing. Yang Yi browsed through, noting that many items were either overpriced or ineffective. If something was a good deal, it would¡¯ve already been sold in the chat channel. However, Yang Yi still found an interesting piece of ship equipment. ¡¾Name: Barbarian Catapult¡¿ ¡¾Type: Ship Equipment¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Good¡¿ ¡¾Description: Canunch objects for long-range attacks. Effective range: 0-500 metres (If the object is too heavy, the range will be 0). Requires one square metre of space on the deck for instation.¡¿ What the Nightmare Star wascking most were long-range attack capabilities. The catapult could be bought as a temporary fix, provided it wasn¡¯t too expensive. When Yang Yi saw the price ¡ª 2,000 Shell Coins ¡ª he thought it was daylight robbery! Once the ship was upgraded, it could install cannons, which would be far more useful than hard-to-aim catapults. Cannons would also have greater firepower! The only advantage the catapult had was its slightly longer than the average cannon range, but the stone¡¯s speed was much slower and easily dodged. So, Yang Yi concluded it simply wasn¡¯t worth 2,000 Shell Coins at all! If it were 500, that would be eptable. He sent a private message to the seller. "500 for one catapult. Interested? Message me!" The other party didn¡¯t reply, probably asleep. He¡¯d check again in the morning. Yang Yi then looked at the ¡°Wanted¡± section, where familiar organisations like New World, New Humans, and the Iron Brotherhood were buying up materials, equipment, and fire-making tools. The prices were generally slightly below market value, aiming for quick sales and fast cash. "These groups are all buying fire-making tools. No wonder I couldn¡¯t get any..." Yang Yi clicked his tongue. Personally, he couldn¡¯t financiallypete with ship fleets; his warehouse was only so big... After reading, Yang Yi flipped the newspaper to the other side. The page was divided into two sections: Maritime Events and Monster Reports. Chapter 43 - The sudden onset The two sections didn¡¯t have much content. Even though the editor had erged the font, it didn¡¯t hide the fact that there was little substance. The newspaper provided some information and insights, including introductions to a few fleets, coordinates of several isted inds, and spection on the internal environment of the Extreme Winter Sea. As for the uracy of the information, it was up to each person to judge. What was certain was that the inds with discovered coordinates weren¡¯t valuable ¡ª either the trees had already been cut down or venturing there would cost one''s life. Yang Yi noticed an old acquaintance, Zhou Dai. She was recruiting teammates to raid a dangerous ind. It had been confirmed that a powerful werewolf resided on the ind. She was recruiting people to join her, and those who passed the test would get the ind''s exact coordinates. "Werewolves¡­" Yang Yi stroked his chin. In his memory, werewolves were terrifying creatures ¡ª fast, sharp senses, ws and fangs capable of easily tearing through human flesh. When facing such a creature, the more teammates, the better. That way, during the escape, you only needed to outrun the others. Yang Yi chuckled and quickly moved on. He didn¡¯t believe ordinary people could contend with werewolves unless they had arge-calibre machine gun and could shoot urately. As he scrolled further, he saw another valuable tip from the captain of the Fisherman, who went by Anonymous. But Yang Yi knew him as his old friend, He Qi, an experienced fishing enthusiast. ¡¾On Night Fishing¡¿ ¡¾First off, I don¡¯t rmend any yer try night fishing. I¡¯m writing this report to warn everyone! You will very likely catch strange creatures. I¡¯ve caught a Drowned Revenant which almost killed me! There¡¯s a 30% chance the fish you catch will be an abyssal species, like a sardine with four legs, an eel with human lips, or even an octopus with a human-like head. To spare your sanity, I won¡¯t include pictures; they¡¯re incredibly disgusting! Catching these strange fish reduces your sanity, and eating them does too. I don¡¯t think they¡¯re worth much! If, after reading this, you still want to try night fishing, I rmend you prepare well beforehand. Danger and opportunity coexist ¡ª I once caught a rare fishing rod, but when I sobered up, I felt a deep sense of dread! At that moment¡­I might have gone mad from fishing. In short, night fishing is dangerous. Don¡¯t attempt it lightly. I probably won¡¯t try it again for a long time. ¡°ssic He Qi, living up to his reputation as a fishing enthusiast and easily doing things I wouldn¡¯t dare to!¡± Yang Yi mused. But the abyssal fish He Qi mentioned were all familiar to Yang Yi. When Yang Yi ate them, exceptions aside, he didn¡¯t lose sanity anymore. ¡°Unless it¡¯s absolutely necessary, I won¡¯t attempt night fishing again,¡± Yang Yi decided. The Nightmare Star was cursed by the Angler¡¯s Curse, and if he tried night fishing again, he might get drowned without warning! Yang Yi continued to scroll through the monster intel. It focused onmon sea creatures, including their weaknesses, many of which Yang Yi had encountered before. The Drowned Revenant was fat, clumsy, yet self-destructive with a powerful explosion. Sirens were highly dangerous to men. Once you heard their song, you had to block your ears within two seconds, or you¡¯d be charmed. They usually hunted at night, so wearing earplugs while sleeping was advised. "But if you wear earplugs and the Drowned Revenant shows up, you¡¯re doomed¡­" Yang Yi shook his head in disagreement. Skeleton monsters were fairly average across the board. Destroying the skull would kill them. Blunt weapons were rmended. Bobbit worms were massive, blind, and had sharp jaws. Cannons were the way to go about killing them. ... There were undoubtedly more monsters out there, especially the really dangerous ones. However, because few had survived, there was little information avable. After finishing his reading, Yang Yi noticed there was nothing on the two-headed demon shark, so he contacted the Press Fleet. ¡°I have monster intel to offer. How much do you usually pay?¡± Press Fleet: "At least 200 Shell Coins. The more detailed, the higher the reward ¡ª no upper limit! You¡¯ll need to provide rted spoils or proof of the corpse.¡± That was no problem; theb still had the skull of the two-headed demon shark. ¡°The two-headed demon shark can be caught. It¡¯s a social creature, and its tworge eyes look like rednterns underwater. They have two hind legs and are strong jumpers, but they can''t climb. Their weak spot is their eyes...¡± Yang Yi sent the information to the Press Fleet, and about half an hourter, he received 800 Shell Coins. Others had likely encountered these sharks, but not many survived to tell the tale. The next day, before dawn... Yang Yi suddenly woke up, feeling as if his body was being gnawed on by thousands of ants, the pain and itch unbearable. He knew what was happening and immediately ran to the helm, steering the Nightmare Star at full speed towards an ind. After sailing more than ten nautical miles, the excruciating pain began to subside. The urgency of the situation had woken up Suna as well. She stepped out of her cabin to see Yang Yi gripping the helm, barely able to stand, veins bulging, and his eyes bloodshot. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Suna asked. ¡°I¡­¡± Yang Yi started to speak but immediately coughed up arge mouthful of blood, with small spiders crawling in it. He then copsed into the pool of blood and passed out. ... Yang Yi had a nightmare, dreaming he was lying on a metal table. Suna, wearing a gue doctor¡¯s mask from the Middle Ages, approached with a surgical scalpel. "What...what are you doing?!" Yang Yi shouted in terror, trying to resist, but he was paralysed, unable to move. "You¡¯re sick. I¡¯m treating you," Suna replied calmly. She used the scalpel to cut through Yang Yi¡¯s skin, slicing into veins and muscles, searching for spiders inside, and then pulling them out. The scene was drenched in blood. ¡°You still have many left inside. I¡¯ll remove them one by one!¡± Suna continued her work... "No! No! You¡¯ll kill me!" Yang Yi screamed in terror. Suna''s red eyes were bing more dangerous. Yang Yi suddenly woke up from the nightmare, opening his eyes to a scalpel hovering above him. He quickly pushed it away. "Awake?" Suna asked. "What are you doing?!" Yang Yi, still shaken from the nightmare, was emotionally unstable, his body curled up and on the verge of attacking. "Calm down. I¡¯m saving you." Suna replied calmly, pointing to a graduated cylinder on the metal table. It was filled with dead spiders, nearly full, with bloodstains still clinging to them. ¡°If these parasites aren¡¯t removed, there will be serious trouble!¡± Suna continued. Recognising the situation, Yang Yi gradually calmed down. He checked his condition ¡ª his vitality had dropped below 50, and his sanity was only at 37. His left eyelid seemed to be cut, with blood seeping into his eye that turned his vision crimson. As he touched it, two small spiders fell from his eyelid... "Sorry, I had a nightmare," Yang Yi apologised once fully awake. ¡°Good, then don¡¯t sleep!¡± Suna smiled indifferently, not minding. But her left hand, hidden behind her back, tightly gripped a witch''s dagger, her fingers slightly trembling with excitement. Chapter 44 - Spiderbane Potion Yang Yi checked his body and found it covered in stitched-up scars, so numerous he didn¡¯t even want to count them. Night had already fallen, and theb remained brightly lit. "How long was I unconscious for?" Yang Yi asked. "Thirty-six hours and seventeen minutes. It¡¯s already the third day," Suna replied. Yang Yi nodded solemnly and began reviewing the activity logs. While he was out, the captain¡¯s authority had been temporarily handed over to the first officer. With only two people aboard the Nightmare Star, the first officer was naturally Suna, which gave her full authority to perform surgery on him. Yang Yi jumped off the metal table, put on the pirate suit that had been set aside, and retrieved a healing spray from the clothes. Hu Wei''s legacy now finally came in handy. He sprayed therger wounds with it, feeling a cool and refreshing sensation. The healing effect was good, but since there wasn¡¯t much of it, it was all used up after three sprays. After some thought, he pulled out a pink magic potion, gritted his teeth, and swallowed it. The taste was unbearably spicy, as if he had drunk a bottle of chilli oil. ¡¾You have consumed an unknown magic potion.¡¿ ¡¾Health restored by 20. Wounds are healing rapidly. Health will continue to regenerate.¡¿ ¡¾Your wounds itch intensely. Sanity -20.¡¿ Yang Yi¡¯s sanity plummeted to 17, and he began wiggling on the ground like a worm as his wounds quickly healed with each movement. Suna watched him intently, taking detailed notes before asking, "How do you feel? Your wounds are already scabbing. The effect seems impressive, doesn¡¯t it? On a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rate this potion?" Sweating profusely, Yang Yi red at her angrily. He wanted to curse, yet he couldn¡¯t open his mouth. If he did, he''d likely scream uncontrobly, which would be anything but dignified. He also didn''t dare to scratch himself for fear of worsening his wounds. After about ten minutes, Yang Yi finally stopped writhing and stood up as if nothing had happened. His health had recovered from just over 40 to nearly 70. In terms of effectiveness, the potion was even stronger than holy water! ¡¾Name: Regeneration Potion¡¿ ¡¾Type: Consumable/Magic Potion/Unique¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Description: A potion created by Witch Suna, spicy in taste, made with pearls soaked in healing water, powdered merman scales, and the secret essence of the eel. Upon consumption, health is restored by 20, sanity decreases by 20, health continues to regenerate, and wounds heal quickly. The wounds will itch intensely, but if you resist scratching, the healing effect will be even stronger.¡¿ After reading the information, Yang Yi¡¯s face turned grim, and he emotionlessly responded, "I give it 0 points!" "0 points? That¡¯s impossible! The effect was clearly great. Your wounds have already scabbed over!" Suna protested, clearly displeased. "You can¡¯t just ignore the effectiveness because of the taste!" "Uh¡­" Yang Yi had no retort. To be fair, the potion¡¯s effect was outstanding. Still, the side effects were truly unbearable. "I¡¯ll send you the details; you can see for yourself," Yang Yi said, forwarding the information on the Regeneration Potion to Suna. "By the way, I¡¯m nning to go ashore soon. Time is running out, and I can¡¯t afford to dy any longer!" Yang Yi added. Thetest re-up served as a warning. The Spider''s Kiss was urging Yang Yi tond on the ind, shrinking the original 200-mile safety radius down to 100 miles. If he had another re-up, it could mean immediate death... "Actually, I¡¯ve already developed a potion that can kill the spider inside you," Suna said, pulling out a ck vial. "What¡¯s this?" "My specially made poison! The ingredientse from the cyst-spiked pufferfish and the coral-caged fish you recently caught. The toxins are very mild for humans but highly toxic to spiders!" Suna exined. Hearing this, Yang Yi immediately took the vial and examined it. ¡¾Name: Spiderbane Potion¡¿ ¡¾Type: Consumable/Magic Potion/Unique¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Good¡¿ ¡¾Description: A potion created by Witch Suna, designed specifically to be lethal to spiders. It is mildly toxic to humans and should not be consumed inrge quantities.¡¿ "Will this potion cure me?" Yang Yi asked excitedly. "Unfortunately, no," Suna shook her head. "It will only kill the spiders inside you temporarily. Once the toxins are metabolised, new spiders will reappear. Topletely solve the problem, you need to find the source of the spiders and eliminate it. That¡¯s the only way to cure your condition." "Condition?" "Yes! Doesn¡¯t it feel like a disease?" Suna asked. Yang Yi thought about it and realised it did indeed resemble some kind of strange illness, albeit with a fantastical twist. He left theb, grabbed some food, and ate while sipping from a vitality coconut to rehydrate. He hadn¡¯t eaten in nearly two days. After having his fill, he suddenly remembered something and rushed back to theb. "Suna, you said the poison works well on spiders, right?" Yang Yi asked urgently. "Yes, that¡¯s correct." "How much of it can you make? Would it be effective against a giant spider¡­like the ones in urban legends?" "It would! As long as the creature¡¯s biological structure is recognised as a spider, this potion will work. The main ingredients are the cyst-spiked pufferfish and the coral-caged fish. While the former is abundant, we only have one of thetter, so I can make at most 10 bottles, which would be about 1 litre in total." "So, as long as we have more coral-caged fish, you can make more of this potion, right?" Yang Yi had an idea. He nned to poison the spiders on the ind beforending. Based on the information from the fire-spun wool garment, it was clear there were creatures on the ind known as fire-silk spiders! The following day, thanks to a good night¡¯s sleep, Yang Yi woke up fully refreshed, with his health back to 90. He checked the weather forecast. Today¡¯s weather: sunny with a gentle sea breeze; perfect for fishing. Location: Sea of Origins Remaining sunlight: 9 hours Temperature: 15¨C25¡ãC Wind speed: Level 3. Without a second thought, he grabbed his fishing rod and headed out. He set up his fishing and retrieved several eyeball fruits from the ship''s hold ¡ª leftovers from a previous catch that he hadn¡¯t eaten. They tasted terrible and were only being used as bait for coral-caged fish. Using the deep-sea method, with eyeball fruit as bait, Yang Yi began fishing. ¡¾You caught a red-lipped eel¡¿ ¡¾You caught a human-headed octopus¡¿ ¡¾You caught a long-legged sardine¡¿ "Holy Shit!" "How did I catch a long-legged sardine in the deep waters?" Finally, on the fourth attempt, he hit the jackpot. ¡¾You caught a coral-caged fish¡¿ Yang Yi¡¯s eyes lit up, and he immediately skewered the fresh coral-caged fish with a wooden spear and sent it to theb. It wouldn¡¯t take long for him to catch enough coral-caged fish to make 100 bottles of Spiderbane Potion. As he continued fishing, he suddenly received a private message from the catapult guy. The first line of the message read: "Are you still interested in buying?" "Of course!" Yang Yi responded quickly. "I won¡¯t lie to you; I have the form to make these catapults. Selling them at 500 Shell Coins each gives me no profit at all!" "600 Shell Coins per catapult, and I¡¯ll buy four in one go! If you¡¯re up for it, let¡¯s deal; if not, there¡¯s no point in continuing this conversation!" Yang Yi replied immediately. He had previously offered 500 Shell Coins per unit, and now the seller was responding. It meant 500 wasn¡¯t too far off the mark, likely just around the cost price. So, Yang Yi added another hundred, which would leave enough of a profit margin. Besides, there likely weren¡¯t many yers willing to buy catapults, as they weren¡¯t as effective as cannons. Soon, the seller messaged back. "700 Shell Coins per catapult. That¡¯s the lowest price I can offer, considering the time it takes to make them." "650 Shell Coins, not a penny more! You know very well that in two weeks, no one will want these things, even for 200!" Yang Yi shot back. The seller hesitated for a few minutes before finally agreeing to the deal. Chapter 45 - Delicious Offensive The morning passed, and Yang Yi had already caught four coral cage fish. If he worked hard in the afternoon, he could get another 10 ¡ª his goal for the day, as it would be enough to make 100 bottles of Spiderbane Potion. Not long after, he received a private message. The fifth catapult had beenpleted and was ready for trade. The seller made and sold them one by one, messaging Yang Yi when each was ready. One cost 650 Shell Coins, and since there were four, he had to fork out 2,600 Shell Coins in total. Yang Yi¡¯s previousrge savings had dwindled to just 1,600, but luckily, he had plenty of food and water, so he had no worries about sustenance. In the afternoon, he sessfully caught five more coral cage fish, and just as he thought he wouldn¡¯t be able to finish his task, he packed up his fishing to find a surprise ¡ª a bonus coral cage fish! Yang Yi handed all the fish to Suna, then headed to the courtyard of the Nightmare Star, nning to find a spot to install the catapults. When not installed, they were like miniature figurines, only a few centimetres in size, making them easy to move around. After circling the area, Yang Yi installed the catapults symmetrically on both sides of the courtyard of the Nightmare Star, giving the ship long-range attack capabilities. However, Yang Yi had another clever use for the weapons! He opened the chat channel and sent out his usual message: "Buying fire-starting tools at a high price!" Then he quickly followed up with, "Buying rotten fish, bad shrimp, decayed meat, rotten vegetables, spoiled water, and mouldy bread! I don''t want anything that¡¯s not rotten. Message me if interested!" "Whoa; do you want fish that''s gone mouldy?" "Of course, I need it!" "Dude, your taste is pretty extreme, huh?" "Are youposting? nning to farm on your ship?" Yang Yi couldn¡¯t be bothered to exin. He simply bought at shockingly low prices. People selling rotten food didn¡¯t care about the price anyway, as they were just going to throw it into the ocean. Even for a single Shell Coin, they¡¯d make the trade. In the end, Yang Yi spent 100 Shell Coins to buy a few hundred pounds of rotten fish and shrimp, an uneaten, rotten sheep, and a pile of decayed vegetable leaves. Suddenly, a private message came in from Captain Yu Dawei. "Do you want some stinky whale meat? I¡¯ll deliver it directly to you!" "Sure, but not too much ¡ª my ship is small!" "These three chunks were about to be thrown out. I¡¯ll send them your way!" In no time, three pieces of whale meat, each about a metre in size, were ejected from the vending machine. It was hard to imagine how its fist-sized tentacle mouth managed to spit out huge objects. It had its own strange logic, so there was no point in thinking about such details. Yang Yi looked at the deck, now piled high with stinky fish and shrimp, andughed. "That should be enough!" He wanted to turn the spoiled food into delicious meals, then coat them with Spiderbane Potion andunch them into the ind using the catapults. He called the trick Delicious Poison. "Ew, what¡¯s that awful smell? What are you doing?" Yang Yi dragged the stinky fish and rotten meat into the cabin, much to Suna¡¯s displeasure as she pinched her nose and walked out. After all, her witchb was connected to the cabin. "Don¡¯t worry, soon you¡¯ll think it smells amazing! Don¡¯t sneak a bite, and don¡¯t me me for not warning you!" Yang Yi grinned mischievously. Suna seemed to catch on to what Yang Yi was up to, wrinkling her nose and putting on the gue doctor mask she had bought from herb. The two of them worked as a team. Suna was in charge of making the poison, and Yang Yi was responsible for "re-cooking" the spoiled food, turning it into something tasty. He divided the food into one-pound portions and wrapped them in cloth, turning them into ammunition. Altogether, the spoiled food weighed over a thousand pounds, and once wrapped up, it made 1,100 portions. It was alreadyte at night. The cabin was packed full, but there wasn¡¯t even a hint of the original stench. Instead, the air was filled with a tantalising aroma that made one¡¯s mouth water. It was the effect of the Chef¡¯s Cauldron. The cauldron wasn¡¯t powerful on the surface; it seemed ordinary but was actually incredibly dangerous. Yang Yi even felt...the cauldron was more dangerous than all of his other relicsbined! Even he, wielding the cauldron, had to stay highly alert, fearing that if he wasn¡¯t careful, he might end up eating the "delicacy" himself. "The poison is ready!" Suna handed over 104 bottles of Spiderbane Potion. "Great, you can go rest now. I¡¯ll work a bit longer," Yang Yi replied. "Need me to help?" Suna offered. "No, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m worried you might overeat!" Yang Yi joked, declining her offer. He hadn¡¯t told Suna the full truth, though. The strange, fragrant smell from the rotten food would lower one''s sanity if inhaled for too long. Yang Yi was fine, as he had high mental resilience and sanity resistance. Even if his sanity dropped, he wouldn¡¯t go mad. But Suna, with less than 50 sanity...if she went mad, she might really grab the pile and gorge herself on it. After Suna left, Yang Yi spent 10 pieces of wood to make a simple wooden barrel and poured the Spiderbane Potion into it. The poison, totaling just over 10 litres, filled only half the barrel. Yang Yi then dunked the cloth-wrapped rotten meat and vegetable bundles into the poison and let them soak. After leaving them overnight, they would be well marinated. In total, he managed to make 462 rotten meat bombs using the 10 litres of Spiderbane Potion. The barrel waspletely dry by the end, with even thest drop of poison soaked up. The remaining rotten meat could be saved for the next day. After all, he could still fish for more coral cage fish, and the poison could always be brewed again. Checking the weather forecast, he saw that there were only two hours left before dawn. Time had flown by. "I¡¯ll have to remind Suna to hurry up with making the stamina-recovery potion. The side effects of the Excitement Potion are just too awful!" He fell asleep and woke up at dawn. Despite only sleeping for two hours, Yang Yi had a vivid nightmare, yet while the dream left a deep impression, he couldn¡¯t quite remember what it was about, only that it had a strong presence. It seemed to involve a giant spider, sorge it was impossible to measure¡­ Every time he tried to recall the details, his head ached, and he felt nauseous. "Is there really something that powerful on the ind?" A wave of fear washed over Yang Yi, reinforcing his resolve to poison these spiders. His energy was still below 70, but since he wasn¡¯t nning to go ashore that day, it would be enough. He was less than 50 nautical miles from the ind. The Nightmare Star, towing the still-intactrge sailboat, sailed for less than two hours before nearing the ind. Along the way, Yang Yi continued fishing. He took the three coral cage fish he had caught in the morning to theb, and then, using arge cloth, began transporting the 462 rotten meat bombs to the courtyard in batches. "Time to give you a little treat," Yang Yi chuckled mischievously as he catapulted a package of "delicacies" onto the forest. The catapult worked well,unching the one-pound bundle of rotten meat about 40 metres. Though this was still the outer edge of the ind, given the forest spanned five miles, Yang Yi was confident the spiders would follow the scent and go looking for it. The cloth wrapping the food wasn¡¯t very strong, so it would undoubtedly break open uponnding, spreading the rotten meat and vegetables for the spiders to feast on. Afterunching a dozen packages, Yang Yi noticed movement in the forest ¡ª somerge creatures were on the move. "It¡¯s working!" Yang Yi adjusted the Nightmare Star''s position and continued firing from different angles. Before long, the 400-plus bundles were almost gone, with not many left. By then, Yang Yi had reached the other side of the ind. For some reason, the spiders had discovered the Nightmare Star and began pouring out of the forest. They varied in size, with the smallest being only the size of a palm, and thergest reaching a metre, with long, slender legs that made Yang Yi¡¯s skin crawl. Among them was a particrlyrge spider, around three metres in size, with a dried human torso, devoid of limbs and a head, resting on its back. [Seeing an anomalous creature, your sanity decreases by 5.] "What¡¯s the deal with this spider?" Chapter 46 - Uninvited guests Before the spiders could get closer, Yang Yi had already rushed to the bow of the ship, preparing to control the Nightmare Star and make a quick escape. If all the spiders jumped onto the ship, the consequences would be unimaginable! Fortunately, they were afraid of water and stopped at the shoreline, making no further movements. What was even more astonishing was that the spiders could talk! Spider A: "It smells so good!" Spider B (special entity): "There''s something delicious here!" Spider C: "It smells amazing!" Yang Yi froze for a few seconds, hardly able to believe his ears. "Am I going crazy? Am I hearing things?" He immediately notified Suna. "Suna,e to the deck quickly. These spiders seem to be able to talk!" Receiving the private message, Suna rushed out in an instant. Her eyes were quickly drawn to the special entity with part of a human body on its head. "Did you hear that? These spiders are speaking humannguage, and it''s in perfect Mandarin!" Yang Yi asked Suna. Suna frowned, looked at Yang Yi strangely, and said she didn''t hear anything. Yang Yi was startled and quickly realised the problem was with him. His sanity level was still over 80, which meant he wasn''t going insane. That could only mean the "Spider¡¯s Kiss¡± must have a hidden effect, allowing the yer to understand the spiders'' speech, and possibly¡­evenmunicate with them! Yang Yi immediately tried, putting on a warm, friendly smile, and called out to the spiders. "Come! Come! I have plenty of food here! When you eat, don''t forget to take some back to share with everyone!" As he spoke, he tossed thest bit of spoilt food to the spiders. Spider A: "Great!" Spider B: "I''ll bring some back for Mom to try!" Spider C: "Thank you!" Yang Yi grinned and tossed several more packs of "delicacies" to Spider B. Even though he couldmunicate with the spiders, he didn¡¯t sympathise with them. After all, they were monsters who killed without blinking, especially the one with part of a human body attached to it. Before Yang Yi arrived, they had already killed several yers. He threw all the remaining "delicacies" to the spiders, receiving many words of gratitude in return. Waving kindly, he watched the giant spider with a human body part on its head leave. As it departed, its tail dragged arge bundle of food wrapped in spider silk. "Eat as much as you like; I''ll be back tomorrow!" Yang Yi shouted, not caring if the spiders understood him. After tossing this batch of rotten food, Yang Yi sailed the Nightmare Star away from the ind. With some time to spare, he caught three coral cage fish and asked Suna to make over 60 bottles of Spiderbane Potion. One dose of poison wouldn''t be enough to kill all the spiders. Yang Yi nned to poison them a few more times before returning to the ind, ensuring it would be much safer. For the next three days, Yang Yi repeated his actions. Due to hisrge purchases of spoilt food, he earned the nickname "Garbage Collector" in the chat channels. Fortunately, Yang Yi preferred to do business anonymously, and only a few friends knew his real identity. "What exactly are you doing?" The captain of the Radiant Goddess, Zhou Dai, sent him a private message. Since they were old friends, Yang Yi had no intention of hiding anything. "I''m trying to poison the monsters and see if I can kill them with it," Yang Yi replied. "So, you''re pretty good at dealing with monsters?" On the fourth day, Yang Yi continued with his n, and no more spiders came asking for food. What it meant was most of the spiders on the ind were likely dead, and he could go ashore the day after. That evening, Yang Yi was in the cabin packing his gear to make sure he had everything he needed in his stomach pouch. Suna went over too. "What? You want toe as well?" Yang Yi frowned, looking at Suna. "Yes, I want to go too!" "But if youe, there''ll be no one left to guard the Nightmare Star! What if we run into other yers?" Yang Yi was reluctant to bring Suna along. "Just take the crystal ball with you! The ind is only so big, it won''t be out of range!" Suna replied. Yang Yi thought it over and eventually agreed. Even if he refused, knowing Suna, she would probably follow secretly anyway. It was better to let here along. The two of them made all the preparations, including weapons, potions, rations, and freshwater. Yang Yi''s weapons included a flintlock pistol, a spoilt sea serpent''s fang, a spare chef''s knife, one bottle of red unknown potion, two bottles of regeneration potion, two bottles of coconut juice refreshment, and two bottles of Spiderbane Potion. (Yang Yi had also asked Suna to make a few more regeneration potions.) Suna''s weapons were a pirate longbow, over forty poison-coated iron arrows, two bottles of regeneration potion, two bottles of coconut juice refreshment, two bottles of Spiderbane Potion, a witch''s dagger, and a treasure bag containing two loaves of ck bread and some sausages. As for water, they each carried 2 litres. Once everything was ready, they returned to their rooms to rest and recover their energy, ensuring they would be in good condition. Yang Yi was a light sleeper, troubled by nightmares, so he relied on coconut juice refreshment to restore his energy. However, he had only just fallen asleep when he was awakened by a sudden vibration and sat up. The crystal ball by the bed was shaking violently, indicating that a yer had appeared nearby! Alert, Yang Yi immediately checked the sea chart. The name of the ship was also disyed on the sea chart: "Good Fortune." He quickly searched for the name and activated the "Scrying" skill. [Searching... Good Fortune...] There were more than a dozen results. The Good Fortune was an ordinary ship, and the name had been chosen by the yer. (Ordinary ships can be renamed once, as long as they don''t share the same name as a special ship.) Yang Yi randomly picked one, but it turned out to be the wrong target. He had no choice but to close the image and check the sea chart, specting on the purpose of the Good Fortune. "Speed: about 40 knots, though it might not be at full speed... This route...looks like they''re heading straight for the ind!" The Good Fortune was 100 nautical miles from the ind, but its course was dead on, heading directly toward the ind. It was likely no coincidence. The yer probably had the coordinates of the ind! After some thought, Yang Yi decided to follow and observe. He had prepared extensively for this ind, and with the "Spider¡¯s Kiss" status to deal with, he couldn''t let someone beat him to it! "Five hours until dawn. I doubt they''d darend on the ind at night." Yang Yi controlled the Nightmare Star, approaching the Good Fortune from the side, keeping a safe distance. He decided to wait until dawn to assess the situation before taking further action. If the ship had cannons, Yang Yi could find a ce to sneak ashore and have a little "conversation" with the yer onnd. If it didn''t have cannons, it would be easy ¡ª he''d just charge in. And don''t forget, Yang Yi¡¯s ship had a catapult! Plus, the Nightmare Star had a rare ship attachment: the head of a giant bobbit worm! It could tear a huge hole in their ship with one bite! "Other yers?" Suna had woken up, noticing Yang Yi at the helm, his eyes fixed on the crystal ball. "Yes, we''ll follow them at dawn. I doubt they''d darend on the ind at night, so no rush!" A few hourster, the sky quickly brightened. Yang Yi leaned against the ship''s wheel, keeping an eye on the crystal ball all night. As the Good Fortune approached the ind, it stopped moving, leaving Yang Yi waiting for nothing. He woke Suna, telling her to take the helm and move closer to the Good Fortune. Meanwhile, he pulled out his telescope and climbed up the mast. [Name: Ordinary Telescope] [Type: Treasure] [Quality: Common] [Description: A simple, ordinary telescope. In good lighting conditions, it can clearly see ships up to 10 nautical miles away.] As the distance closed, Yang Yi finally got a good look at the other ship. "They don''t even have cannons?" "And it''s just a second-level ordinary ship?" Yang Yi was stunned, realising he had been overly cautious. The ship was simr to Hu Wei''srge sailboat design but slightly smaller, clearly only a second-level ship. He told Suna to go full speed ahead as they approached, preparing to see who was on board. Thank you for reading, I hope you¡¯re enjoying the story :> We now have a Feel free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance! :D Please give the novel a rating and a review on . It will help the website and also help people find this novel! Chapter 47 - Foodie The Nightmare Star dragged therge sailboat closer and stopped about 300 metres away. At such distance, ordinary arrows wouldn''t reach. Yang Yi jumped down from the mast, frowning. "Strange, why is it so quiet? Did that personnd on the ind? Or...is he hiding, trying to ambush me?" Yang Yi observed. It was a sailboat less than twenty metres long. At first nce, it looked ordinary, and upon closer inspection, it was even more so. "Suna, take the helm. Let me try a few shots at him!" Yang Yi took some units of stone from the cabin, each unit about a cubic decimetre in volume and weighing around six kilograms, just right for use in the stoneuncher. He was ready to fire a few shots at the sailboat to see if anyone was on board. After aiming, Yang Yi fired directly. He had been using theuncher for a few days now and had plenty of experience. The first shotnded urately on the Good Fortune¡¯s deck, causing a loud noise, but it didn¡¯t break the deck. "Pretty sturdy." Yang Yi fired six or seven more shots. One shot directly made a hole in the deck, yet there was no response from the other side. "Suna, move closer and open a hole in the hull for me. I want to see if anyone is hiding in the cabin!" Yang Yi ordered. He had ambushed others like this before, so he was being especially cautious, determined not to fall for a simr trick. However, he was overthinking it. The bobbit worm, with its four sharp mandibles, easily sliced off a section of the Good Fortune¡¯s stern, revealing the cabin inside. There was nothing in there! Yang Yi stood frozen in ce, a hint of embarrassment shing across his face. After all the fuss, it turned out he had been outwitting thin air. Without further hesitation, he instructed Suna to move the ship closer, set up a nk bridge, and, holding his flintlock, prepared to board the Good Fortune. And then...he boarded the ship without any resistance. Ten minutester, Yang Yi received a log notification allowing him to dismantle the Good Fortune. The ship''s owner waspletely done for. "How did he manage it? How could he die so quickly? I came over just as dawn broke, and it''s been less than an hour! Even if you left a pig on the ind, it wouldn''t die so fast![^1] I¡¯ve already poisoned most of the spiders on the ind!" Yang Yiined to Suna. "How should I know? Do you want to throw in some more poison?" "No, I don¡¯t think the spiders are the issue. Let¡¯s just stay cautious." In the end, Yang Yi dismantled the Good Fortune and decided to head to the ind to avenge him![^2] He found the following supplies: ck bread x2, Freshwater x2L, Wood x23, Cloth x15, and a Fishing Rod. ¡¾You dismantled the Good Fortune and received: Wood x143, Cloth x95¡¿ It turned out damage to the ship reduced the loot from dismantling it. Rewind a few hours. It was still dark when Good Fortune hadnded. Captain Li Rong tossed aside his fishing rod and waded ashore. Yang Yi couldn¡¯t have imagined that Li Rong would be so bold, daring tond on the ind in the dead of night. ¡°Hehe, sneaking ashore in the dark ¡ª totally unexpected! There won¡¯t be any ambush!¡± Li Rong thought smugly, his eyes bloodshot. Had he checked his own status, he would have noticed... Li Rong Spirit: 67/100 Sanity: 42/100 (Madness ¨C Arrogance) Health: 100/100 Aftering ashore, Li Rong pulled out his machete and confidently walked into the ind. He nned to search for some fire grass in the dark. Maybe he¡¯d even find a treasure chest. If he found the blueprint for a tinder coat, he¡¯d be rich! But Li Rong had barely taken two steps when he suddenly stopped. He smelt something very fragrant, utterly irresistible. ¡°This smell¡­ It¡¯s amazing!¡± ¡¾You smell a sweet aroma, Sanity -10¡¿ Following the scent, Li Rong found a sticky puddle of ¡°chocte¡± on the ground. It was crawling with maggots, but Li Rong didn¡¯t care. Maybe it was because of the poor visibility at night, or for some other reason. Li Rong scooped up the ¡°chocte¡± with both hands and took a deep sniff. ¡°So fragrant!¡± ¡¾The fragrance overwhelms you, Sanity -10¡¿ ¡¾Sanity falls below 30, you are consumed by extreme hunger¡¿ Li Rong stuffed the ¡°chocte¡± into his mouth, showing a look of unprecedented satisfaction.[^3] ¡°So delicious!¡± In his ravenous state, he devoured all the ¡°chocte¡± on the ground, even scraping away ayer of dirt. His belly swelled, and his nails began to peel back. As for his machete, it had long since been thrown away. "Thank you, Mother Nature, for your gift!" Li Rong''s face contorted with delight from the deliciousness. His nostrils red... ¡°There¡¯s more?¡± Li Rong quickly ran to the next spot, picking up some rotten leaves and eating them with a look of bliss. ¡¾You have eaten an unprecedented delicacy. You feel deeply satisfied. Sanity -20¡¿ ¡¾Sanity falls below 10...¡¿ Before going ashore, Yang Yi checked his own status. Status: Healthy (A human-shaped diagram, entirely green) Energy: 4 (97/100) Spirit: 7+1 (2388/8000) ¡¾Talent Bonus¡¿ Agility: 5+1 (23/200) ¡¾Pirate Outfit Bonus¡¿ Constitution: 4 (99/100) Perception: 5 (172/200) Sanity: 72/100 Vitality: 100/100 Health: 100/100 Talent: Iron Will, Defies Death Special Condition: Kiss of a Spider His agility had increased a bit, reaching the human average of 5 points. He was now faster and more nimble than before. Energy and constitution were also about to improve, with perception not far behind. Only his spirit was proving difficult to raise. High-level attributes were much harder to grow than lower ones. After getting ready, Yang Yi and Suna exchanged nces and nodded at each other, signalling that they were prepared. They headed ashore and started walking into the woods. Yang Yi was constantly looking for signs of the Good Fortune''s captain¡¯s tracks. It wasn¡¯t hard to spot. Peopleing ashore always waded through the water, leaving clear footprints in the mud. ¡°Hended on the ind and died shortly after. Stay alert!¡± Yang Yi said seriously to Suna as he took the lead. He still didn¡¯t know that the other guy had lost his mind and chose to adventure into the ind at night. Yang Yi followed the tracks closely and soon found a discarded machete nearby. ¡¾Name: Ordinary Machete¡¿ ¡¾Type: Treasure¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Common¡¿ ¡¾Description: An ordinary machete.¡¿ The quality of the weapon was very low. Bringing such a basic weapon onto the ind ¡ª either this person was extremely stupid, or he really had some skills! Soon, the two of them noticed unusual signs. Ayer of dirt had been scraped off by someone, but it wasn¡¯t deep, and nothing seemed to be buried. Yang Yi was momentarily puzzled. Standing behind him, Suna sniffed the air, her sense of smell sharper than his, and looked up. ¡°Is that¡­¡± She noticed a piece of torn cloth hanging from a tree branch above the disturbed area and immediately understood. ¡°Yang Yi, I think that guy ate the rotting meat youunched over here.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°No way! That meat was crawling with maggots. No matter how good it smelt, no one would actually eat it, right?¡± Following Suna''s pointing finger, Yang Yi saw the piece of cloth. ¡°He really ate it?¡± Yang Yi felt a bit horrified. ¡°He didn¡¯t even check what it was before eating it.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s not on me!¡± Notes [^1]: Now that¡¯s a harsh insult -simply [^2]: Hahahahahah avenge him -simply [^3]: I was having breakfast. -simply Thank you for reading, I hope you¡¯re enjoying the story :> We now have a Feel free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance! :D Please give the novel a rating and a review on . It will help the website and also help people find this novel! Chapter 48 - Giant The two followed the tracks and gradually found more signs of the "delicacies" being eaten. However, there were no spiders or otherrge creatures in sight, only some spider shells that had beenpletely cleaned out. It was as if someone had eaten the spiders like crabs, with their bodies and innards hollowed out, leaving behind the light, empty shells, which still carried a foul, decaying smell. It suggested that the spiders had been dead for some time, and their bodies had been consumed by something. Yang Yi picked up arger shell and received some information. ¡¾Name: Tinder Spider Beast (fully grown)¡¿ **¡¾Description:**Arge carnivorous spider species that disys considerable social behaviour, often huntingrge prey in groups. Its fur has excellent thermal instion properties. ¡¾Can be inserted into the Octopus Vending Machine. Note: monster corpses used as food or material by yers cannot be used for pulls.¡¿ On one piece of the abdomen¡¯s carapace, clusters of fur were still attached. ¡¾Name: Tinder Spider Fur¡¿ ¡¾Type: Material¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Fine¡¿ ¡¾Description: A material with better instion properties than wool or down, useful for making fur coats**.¡¿** Yang Yi gathered the carapace and fur, cing them into his storage pouch. Whether he would exchange it or make a fur coat depended on the pull rate. Suna didn¡¯t pay attention to the carapace but instead focused on a footprint, gesturing with her hand. ¡°What is it?¡± Yang Yi walked over and asked. ¡°Don¡¯t you think this footprint looks bigger and deeper than the one before? And it seems like he wasn¡¯t wearing shoes,¡± Suna said as she ced her hand into it, carefully feeling it. Yang Yi observed it for a moment, furrowing his brows. ¡°It does seem like that¡­¡± He looked back at the way they hade from. They had been following the same tracks the whole time, so it had to be the captain of the Good Fortune. But it seemed like something beyond the ordinary had happened to his body. Under normal circumstances, a human being wouldn¡¯t undergo such drastic changes in such a short period. Rapid transformations were usually reserved for insects with abnormal growth patterns, like caterpirs turning into butterflies. And even then, it wouldn¡¯t happen so fast! Could the owner of these footprints still be considered human? Yang Yi stared at the footprint in deep thought before finally speaking, ¡°Let¡¯s go; we need to see this for ourselves!¡± He also wanted to figure out what had happened to the yer. It would help him be prepared for the future. Besides, there was no turning back. The two of them pressed on, with Yang Yi leading the way and Suna close behind. Her eyes remained fixed on the chef¡¯s knife hanging from Yang Yi¡¯s waist, as if lost in thought. As they ventured deeper, they approached the heart of the ind. There, the density of spiders was much higher, with carapaces scattered everywhere, all picked clean. And the yer¡¯s footprints had be utterly bizarre ¡ª swollen, misshapen, and almost circr, nearly as thick as an elephant''s leg. His weight had clearly reached a staggering level, given how much he had eaten. Yet, there wasn¡¯t a single sign of excrement along the way! ¡°He¡¯s eating but not passing anything, and he¡¯s consumed so much. Is his digestive system some kind of superpower?¡± Yang Yi marvelled. After walking another few hundred metres, Yang Yi suddenly stopped in his tracks and raised a hand to stop Suna from advancing. ¡°Shh!¡± He motioned for silence. Soon, Suna also heard the heavy panting and gulping sounds. Yang Yi made a hand gesture ¡ª a signal he and Suna had previously agreed upon, indicating that he would go ahead and take a look. After advancing a few metres, Yang Yi climbed over a bush and finally saw the source of the noise. ¡¾You have discovered a disgusting monster, your sanity has decreased by 5¡¿ It was a grotesque, bloated giant, over three meters tall. Its body had swelled so much from rapid growth that its skin had burst open, making it look as if it had been yed, with fresh blood dripping everywhere. The creature''s belly was only covered by a thin, translucent membrane, filled with a yellowish fluid, which might have been fat or some other liquid. From five metres away, Yang Yi could smell the rancid odouring off it, like spoilt grease. What was worse, the monster could speak. ¡°Meat... Where did you hide the delicious meat?!¡± As it spoke, the giant tore into a nearby Tinder Spider¡¯s body, gnawing at it. After some effort, the giant found the spider¡¯s intestines, squeezed out the food residue that hadn¡¯t been expelled yet, and then stuffed it into its mouth. The residue contained ¡°delicacies¡± that were highly poisonous to spiders, yet the giant didn''t care at all, devouring everything without hesitation. After finishing the leftovers, it seemed unsatisfied and quickly consumed the rest of the spider¡¯s body. "This person has mutated!" Suna messaged privately. Seeing no movement from Yang Yi, she carefully crept up to him, crouching behind, half a body length away. "How did he turn into this kind of monster?" Yang Yi replied in the log. They bothmunicated silently through the log, making no noise. "I''m not sure... We¡¯ll need to dissect him to find out, but it probably has to do with eating the rotten flesh you tossed in earlier." "So, it''s my fault then," Yang Yi smirked. At the same time, he realised something important. In that world, yer deaths could ur in two ways: One was physical death, like being directly killed. The other was mental death. A yer could mutate into a monster for some reason, and when they reached that point, the system would also recognise them as dead. "This giant is huge. It¡¯s going to be tough to kill! Let me hit him with something big; that should blow him apart!" Yang Yi was ready to act. "Wait, try to keep him intact if you can! I want to understand why he mutated." Yang Yi thought for a moment and agreed to Suna¡¯s request. He also wanted to know the cause of the mutation. Understanding would help him ovee the fear of the unknown. After finishing the spider, the giant suddenly lifted its head and began sniffing the air. "Damn! He might have detected us!" Suna sent a private message. Without replying, Yang Yi acted swiftly, taking the initiative. At a distance of just over five metres, Yang Yi was confident he wouldn¡¯t miss such arge, pig-like head. Bang! The gunshot rang out, and mes burst forth. The bullet struck the giant in the cheek, blowing off half its face. However, the giant¡¯s pig-sized head had a thick skull. The shot didn¡¯t reach its brain, only disfiguring it. Its two eyeballs flew out, and its cheek ripped apart, exposing the gums. In standard mode, a single bullet wasn¡¯t enough to kill the monster. Moreover, Yang Yi and Suna¡¯s position had been revealed! "Fresh meat~~~!" The giant let out a howl through its torn mouth and began lumbering towards them. Losing its eyes didn¡¯t seem to hinder it much. Both of them immediately retreated, using the trees for cover and keeping their distance from the giant. Two iron arrows coated in poison struck the giant¡¯s belly, but they had little effect. The giant, crazed and furious, crashed through the trees, breaking them as it charged forwards. If it hit a person, the result would be catastrophic! Bang! Another gunshot rang out, and Yang Yi hit the giant¡¯s knee, causing it to copse on the spot. The giant seemed enraged, spitting out arge glob of pus at Yang Yi, who quickly dodged it. The tree behind him wasn¡¯t so lucky ¡ª it sizzled as though it had been hit with acid, white smoke rising as the bark melted away. "Watch out for the yellow liquid in his body!" Suna warned. "It might be his digestive fluid. Even the arrows were dissolved!" Yang Yi raised an eyebrow and noticed that the arrows previously lodged in the giant¡¯s belly were gone, the broken ends on the ground emitting smoke. The arrowheads hadpletely disappeared. "Fresh meat!" the giant bellowed, charging again. It seemed to have a healing ability, as the wounds on its face were slowly recovering. Yang Yi didn¡¯t dare waste any time, quickly running as he contemted a strategy. But as he ran, the sounds behind him suddenly ceased. Looking back, Yang Yi saw the giant had bent down and started eating the dirt. It was the "delicious poison" Yang Yi had nted on the ind earlier. The giant, driven mad by its craving for ¡°delicacies,¡± was eating whatever it could ¡ª even dirt! Yang Yi¡¯s eyes lit up with an idea. He quickly pulled out the Chef¡¯s Knife and shed at a tree beside him. The tree immediately began to emit a sweet aroma. As soon as the giant caught a whiff of the scent, it went berserk and rushed to the tree, gnawing at it frantically. Editor¡¯s note: no need to watch AoT, read this novel instead Thank you for reading, I hope you¡¯re enjoying the story :> We now have a Feel free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance! :D Please give the novel a rating and a review on . It will help the website and also help people find this novel! Chapter 49 - Gluttonous Guest The giant seemed to elerate its regeneration by devouring things. After consuming a tree, new flesh began to sprout on its face, seemingly restructuring its features, but the shape was alreadypletely different from before. Yang Yi scratched the ground with a chef''s knife. The giant immediately ran over to eat the dirt, digging arge hole. ¡°Can it eat anything?¡± Unconvinced, Yang Yi scratched arge boulder protruding from the ground, applying some force, and leaving a white mark. The giant instantly lunged at the stone, hugging it and gnawing on it, not caring if he broke a few teeth in the process. Strangely enough, the hard rock began to soften under the influence of its saliva, and eventually, it could be chewed. Yang Yi frowned. Its digestive abilities were strong beyond belief. However, it didn¡¯t seem to have much discernment. As long as something emitted a sweet aroma, it would desperately try to eat and gnaw at it! So...if the giant discovered that it was the most delicious thing around, what would it do? Yang Yi¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, cold light shing from them. The chef''s knife in his hand flew out and plunged into the giant''s flesh. Immediately, the giant stopped gnawing on the stone and began sniffing around like a dog, finally locking onto itself. It bit down on its left hand with such force that it severed it. Then it devoured its left arm, followed by its right hand. ¡¾Scene is horrifying; your sanity drops by 10.¡¿ The giant consumed its own arms, then gnawed off its feet and half of its lower legs. Its neck began to stretch, and it attempted to bite into its own torso. Yang Yi couldn¡¯t bear to watch any longer. Standing several metres away, he fired a shot. After a misfire, his flintlock gun sparked again, hitting the giant right in the forehead. Every ten seconds, he fired another shot. Eight shotster, with three or four misfires, the giant¡¯s brain was finally reduced to a pulp by Yang Yi, and it ceased all movement. Suna, on the other hand, was recording the entire process. As soon as Yang Yi began using the chef''s knife against the giant, she knew it was no longer a threat. She had initially wanted to stop Yang Yi from destroying the giant''s brain. After all, an intact brain would be more beneficial for dissection and research. However, after the brain was shattered, she was curious about how Yang Yi had managed to kill the giant, so she remained silent, simply observing. Following the giant''s death, arge amount of corrosive liquid flowed out of its body, causing the ground to smoke. ¡°Probably its stomach acid,¡± Suna spected, collecting some of the liquid in a ss vial. But the stomach acid appeared to be digesting the ss. After wandering around nearby for a while, once most of the liquid had drained away, Yang Yi used a stick he found on the side of the road to pull out the chef''s knife. After cleaning it with some fresh water, the attributes of the knife had changed; it seemed to be heavily corroded. ¡¾Name: Corroded Delicious Chef''s Knife¡¿ ¡¾Type: Relic¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Common¡¿ ¡¾Description: Soaked in acid for too long, this knife has been severely corroded and is no longer sharp. It has a certain probability of making anything it cuts taste delicious.¡¿ ¡°The weapon is practically ruined...¡± Yang Yi felt a little heartbroken. Although the knife was dangerous, it could be a very powerful piece of equipment if used correctly. It had withstood the st from Yang Yi''s flintlock gun, but it couldn¡¯t stand up to the acid. Of course, it could also be because in battles between yers, weapons and equipment wouldn¡¯t get damaged. To transport the body, Yang Yi and Suna began to shovel dirt and spread it over the giant''s body to reduce the corrosive effects. They then tied it up with simple ropes, preparing to drag it back to the boat together. During the process, Yang Yi also gathered information about the giant. ¡¾Name: Gluttonous Guest (Li Rong)¡¿ ¡¾Description: A human who has been profoundly corrupted by the Abyss and has obtained unparalleled digestive abilities, but is also trapped in an insatiable hunger. Can be inserted into the Octopus Vending Machine.¡¿ Yang Yi noticed the key phrase ¡ª ¡°sanity too low.¡± It meant that when sanity dropped too much, the human body underwent distortion, turning into a non-human creature! How terrifying! Yang Yi often overlooked his sanity value, feeling that a low score didn''t matter since he could still increase his attributes. But if it could lead to distortion, the situation would be vastly different! He certainly didn''t want to give up being human! Fortunately, up to this point, Yang Yi¡¯s sanity had not fallen below 10. A sanity level of 10 seemed to be a boundary ¡ª a dividing line between humans and non-humans. A sanity level below 50 indicated madness, below 30 could lead to suicidal tendencies, and below 10 resulted in distortion! Those who had a sanity level below 30 and chose tomit suicide...perhaps weren¡¯t wrong! At least they would retain their humanity in death, rather than transforming into monsters. Yang Yi shared his thoughts with Suna, and she acknowledged his concerns. They should never let their sanity drop below 10! After spending some time and losing three simple ropes, the two finally dragged the Gluttonous Guest¡¯s corpse to the shore. Once aboard the ship, a w hook could grab it, allowing the corpse to be stowed in the cabin. Yang Yi nced at the time; only 5 hours of daylight remained. He decided to pause his exploration and not delve deeper into the ind, turning instead to collect the corpses of the dead silk spiders on the ind. Suna went to theboratory, eager to dissect the corpse; she would likely follow Yang Yi if he called her. Yang Yi could only return to the ind alone, focusing on collecting the spider corpses. They could be ssified into three categories: juvenile, adult, and giant. Juvenile spiders couldn¡¯t be used for vending, while adults could. ¡¾Name: Giant Silk Spider Monster (In Evolution)¡¿ ¡¾Description: A rare special individual of the silk spider monster with the potential for evolution. It can achieve a leap in life levels through human body transntation.¡¿ Yang Yi found one giant silk spider monster and 20 adult silk spider monsters. The rest were arge number of juvenile spider monsters, particrly abundant, and fortunately, they all had some silk on them, making them valuable for collecting to create sweaters. In total, he obtained 327 units of silk spider hair (including the adult spider monsters). Yang Yi returned to the Nightmare Star. He first tried to use the adult spider monster corpses to upgrade the Nightmare Star, but it indicated failure. ¡¾This is a beast and cannot be used for upgrades.¡¿ It seemed monsters had ssification distinctions; only the more sinister ones were referred to as "otherworldly demons." Monsters like therge spider were only ssified as beasts. The giant silk spider monster, however, was ssified as an otherworldly demon because it could graft onto human bodies. Yang Yi rubbed his hands together, preparing to use the 20 adult silk spider monster corpses for vending. At the same time, he sent a private message to Suna. ¡°Suna, are you sure you want to do it? Your luck seems better than mine!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother me!¡± Suna was busy dissecting the Gluttonous Guest and didn¡¯t want to be disturbed. Yang Yi shrugged. Her loss! He wouldn¡¯t stockpile; he would open one as soon as it was drawn. ¡¾You have obtained a Spider Shell Heart Mirror¡¿ ¡¾You have obtained a Silk Sac¡¿ ¡¾You have obtained Wood 3¡¿ The subsequent items were mostly basic resources and a small amount of Shell Coins, only yielding one bronze resource chest. In total, he gathered Wood x138, Fabric x112, Stone x10, Steel x1, Sulphur x21, Crystal x1, and Shell Coins x100. If a treasure chest was drawn, then the following ten draws would be quite a loss. Or he could turn the adult silk spiders into velvet sweaters instead! He thoroughly understood the rules of the vending machine. For a specific type of monster, the first two pulls were almost guaranteed to yield an item, but it became much harder afterwards. As for golden legends, it seemed that only the European king could obtain them, and it should have nothing to do with how many times one drew. ¡¾Name: Spider Shell Heart Mirror¡¿ ¡¾Type: Treasure¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Exclusive¡¿ ¡¾Description: A heart mirror made from the hardest head armour of the silk spider, which can provide excellent protective uses. ¡¿ ¡¾Name: Silk Sac¡¿ ¡¾Type: Consumable¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Good¡¿ ¡¾Description: A silk sac that can squeeze and spray spider silk. Its strength exceeds that of ordinary ropes, with a weight capacity of 500 KG. It''s lightweight, has strong adhesion, and can bind enemies. Capacity: 100/100, but afraid of being wet. ¡¿ Chapter 50 - Return to the island, again During the day, Yang Yi only explored about one-third of the ind, harvesting 20 adult spider corpses and 327 units of spider silk. If he explored the whole thing, the numbers could have easily multiplied several times since there had to be a spider nest somewhere. If all the spider silk could be collected and made into sweaters to sell, he could make a fortune! When night began to fall, Yang Yi steered the ship away from the ind because he nned to return the following day. It wasn''t safe to stay too close at night, as there probably were some creatures lurking. He nned to wake up early and arrive before dawn to ensure there would be enough daylight. "Suna, go rest in your room!" Yang Yi said as he walked into the cabin. The woman had no sense of moderation and would easily lose track of time when researching. He nced at her, noting her sanity level had dropped to 53. After urging her several times, Suna finally emerged from theb, looking somewhat incredulous and muttering to herself. "He only has a single organ in his abdomen, an enormous stomach. The other organs seem to have degenerated, and all his body fluids are stomach acid. Even the brain is directly connected to the stomach. If this continues, he might not even need a brain..." "Alright, enough. Check your sanity!" Yang Yi pushed her out onto the deck. "There are two more vending attempts left. Try it out!" Suna had no enthusiasm for the vending machine and half heartedly gave it a few spins, not even bothering to pick up the capsules that dropped. Yang Yi reluctantly collected them himself. ¡¾You have obtained Woodx5¡¿ ¡¾You have obtained Crystalx1¡¿ All basic materials. It suggested that the vending attempts on the same ship were shared among the crew. Two spins and then the quality of the items continuously declined. There was one more task toplete: turning the 300+ units of spider silk into clothing. Even if Yang Yi didn¡¯t really know how to knit sweaters, the system would force him to understand. In only 15 minutes, he managed to hand-spin a pair of wool trousers. The entire process felt magical, and Yang Yi had no idea how he did it ¡ª he just somehow managed to make them! In 45 minutes, with a 9-point reduction in energy, he spun two pairs of trousers and one sweater. Yang Yiid aside the three pieces of clothing with two sweaters left behind by Hu Wei to keep them for personal use. Afterwards, he returned to the captain''s cabin and, routinely, opened the world chat channel. People asking for tools were still as numerous as ever. At that moment, no one had yet discovered a way to mass-produce them. Yang Yi left a message: "Willing to pay a high price for tools." It took less than a second for someone to behave like a parrot and repeat exactly what Yang Yi said. It looked like it would be hard to get his hands on any. Yang Yi wasn¡¯t in a rush, though. After all, there was still some time before the frozen sea zone would spread to them. He drank a bottle of Coconut Juice, locked the door, andy down to sleep. Yang Yi woke up before dawn. He checked his status. Aside from his energy, which was only at 93, all other stats were full. A long breakfast after, he gathered the supplies he needed: 2 litres of fresh water, several long-legged sardines (used to activate the stomach pouch), two sausages, a crystal ball, a magic potion, a bottle of Coconut Juice, weapons, equipment, and a newly acquired Shell Heart Mirror. A few backup supplies, such as silk sacs and spare regenerative potions, were stored in his stomach pouch. Once ready, Yang Yi checked his attributes again and found that both his strength and constitution had increased to 5, reaching the average level for an adult human. He steered the Nightmare Star towards the ind. Suna wasn''ting along ¡ª she was fully engrossed in her research on the corpse. Ten minutes before sunrise, Yang Yi arrived at the destination. His goal was to locate the spider nest, eliminate any potential threats on the ind, and create a safer environment for future endeavours. Moreover, the answer to his ¡°Spider¡¯s Kiss¡± status was likely hidden within it. As soon as the sun rose, Yang Yi set foot on the ind and began heading to its centre since he remembered there was a higher density of spider corpses near there, making it a likely location for the nest. Yang Yi picked up some silk spider corpses along the way. His greedy stomach pouch epted them without hesitation, automatically opening up and swallowing the bodies, consuming all the flesh and leaving only the shells and silk. It would even eat rotting corpses! As he continued walking, Yang Yi started to feel puzzled. "What exactly are these spiders eating to survive? I haven''t seen a single small animal on the ind, only spiders..." "And they can''t exactly go fishing." Yang Yi found it rather strange. After circling around the ind''s centre, Yang Yi finally found a cave entrance. It was a vertical opening in the ground, about two metres deep, with a passage nting downwards into darkness. The entrance was wide, suggesting that whatever creatures came in and out were quiterge, and theck of any vegetation nearby indicated frequent activity. Yang Yi approached the entrance, noticing a few small dead spiders lying at his feet, about the size of a palm, their bodies already dry and hardened. He was at the right ce. He sniffed the air from the cave, detecting a rotting stench. Many spiders had likely perished ¡ª perhaps all of them. Good news! Yang Yi picked up one of the spider corpses at his feet and fed it to his stomach pouch, then took out the crystal ball stored inside it. Apart from disying sea charts, the crystal ball also emitted a faint glow. Though it was no brighter than a candle, it was better than nothing. Holding his gun in one hand and the crystal ball in the other, he jumped into the cave. There was no immediate danger; the ground was littered with spider corpses. As Yang Yi ventured deeper, the passage widened to about six metres across and over three metres high, allowing therge spiders to move freely without needing to squeeze against each other. He proceeded cautiously, staying alert, until he made a discovery. Clusters of mushrooms grew on the cave ceiling, glowing red and packed closely together, all about the same size. ¡¾Name: Luminous Mushroom¡¿ ¡¾Description: A special type of mushroom that emits red light in the dark and grows rapidly. Its juice is mildly toxic and not rmended for consumption. Some ants and spiders use this mushroom as a primary food source. After reading the information, Yang Yi immediately understood. The mushrooms were likely cultivated by the silk spiders ¡ª they knew how to farm! With the red glow illuminating the cave, the light from the crystal ball became unnecessary. He stored the crystal ball back in his stomach pouch and switched to holding the Sea Serpent''s Fang, then continued forwards. The more he walked, the wider the cave became. Additionally, he noticed a faint breeze blowing through, its source a mystery. He didn¡¯t rush to collect the corpses, prioritising safety for the moment. As he ventured deeper, the density of corpses increased. He came across tworge silk spiders, each with human body parts grafted onto them ¡ª one even had a human arm attached, no longer just a bare, spider-like form. They were all dead, their bodies dposing and posing no threat. Yang Yi collected samples from their bodies. Unlike regr adult silk spiders, they could be used to upgrade the Nightmare Star, so it was worth taking them along. Passing by another cave entrance, Yang Yi witnessed a horrific sight. Dissected human body parts were suspended from the cave ceiling, hanging like cured meats, drying in the air. Some of the bodies were rtively fresh, likely hung up only recently. ¡°Drying human bodies and then grafting them onto themselves?¡± Yang Yi couldn¡¯t understand these spiders'' behaviour, nor how they managed to do it. If Suna were here, she would probably be excited to investigate further, but Yang Yi...all he wanted was to kill these disgusting spiders. Editor¡¯s note: I couldn¡¯t even fathom witnessing what he just came across. Sort of reminds me of Rudy Cooper¡¯s whole affair in Dexter Chapter 51 - Mysterious Stone Statue The cave had a big main road and many side paths that stemmed from it ¡ª one of which Yang Yi was prepared to venture into. The paths were usually narrower, only one or two metres wide, and some went high up. If danger arose inside, it was best to retreat. He proceeded along the main road, walking about a kilometre, when the terrain began to change. The ground was covered with ayer of cobwebs, dry and not sticky, like a carpet. The space around him was surprisinglyrge, with a width of several metres, and he understood why the spiders had dug such big holes. It was very dark, so he had to rely on the faint glow emitted by the mushrooms up above him, which made it difficult to see far. Yang Yi continued to move onwards. What he was in the dark about was that right when his right foot stepped on the ground covered with spider silk, the movements travelled along the silk deep into the cave. Therey a great big spider, twice the size of a giant one, with its head connected to its body. But unlike other giant spiders, its shrivelled head was tilted to a side and filled with blood and flesh, its skin a sheen reddish-grey. Its limbs connected to the sides of the torso, not quite symmetrical to each other; the hands and feet were of varying lengths and didn''t match the body, adding to the eerieness. After sensing the movements transmitted through the web, the eyelids of its head trembled ever so slightly... With no living spiders in sight, the more Yang Yi walked, the more his vignce lessened. While he hadn''t found a single living creature within the cave, he did manage to collect eight samples of giant spider tissue, bringing the total to 9. The Nightmare Star could reach level 3. Suddenly, Yang Yi became tense, reaching for his gun and aiming it ahead. A great spider appeared before him,rger than any other spider he had seen. Its body was covered in a mass of red fur, with thorns like barbs on its exoskeleton and legs! It started exerting great pressure on Yang Yi. ¡¾Seeing this living creature, your sanity decreases by 10¡¿ If his intuition served him right, the spider was the "mother" of all other spiders. It wasn''t rotting, and perhaps it hadn''t been dead for long, but the possibility of it merely pretending to be so rang clearly in Yang Yi¡¯s mind. He decided to shoot her. He initially wanted to shoot its head; however, he changed his mind. The research value of the carcass was high; if he were to damage it too much, Suna wouldn''t let him hear the end of it. He reckoned it would be enough to verify its state by breaking its legs. Even if it were alive, so what! With its legs broken, it wouldn''t pose much of a threat to him anyway. One powerful shot and it would be dead for real. Yang Yi aimed at the spider¡¯s leg. Bang! The gunshot echoed in the cave. The leg of the great spider snapped clean off at the root, oozing thick, dark red fluid. ¡°Is it really dead?¡± Yang Yi stood still for a moment before firing another shot, breaking two of its legs. The spider still didn''t move. At that point, Yang Yi cautiously approached, bringing the gun close to the spider and kicking away its severed limbs before daring to inspect its attributes. ¡¾Name: Silk Spider Queen (Evolved)¡¿ ¡¾Description: The queen of the silk spiders, responsible forying eggs and continuing the lineage, possesses considerable intelligence, and is the leader of the group.¡¿ ¡°Evolved...¡± Yang Yi looked at the body of the spider queen. The trantion of this novel has been originally posted on iNovelTrantiondo If you¡¯re reading it somewhere else, please be aware it was copied without our consent. He took a photo for his journal and sent it to Suna. ¡°Do you want this creepy spider? If you do, I¡¯ll take it to the vending machine!¡± Yang Yi asked. Momentster, he received a reply from Suna. ¡°I want it! I¡¯ve already dissected the Gluttonous Giant; the only valuable part was its stomach. I¡¯ll be using its stomach fluid to make a potion for you to try; I guarantee it will whet your appetite!¡± ¡°Uh...no need to worry. Do you want to try making something else?¡± Yang Yi swallowed. ¡°I¡¯lle over now; send me your coordinates!¡± Yang Yi nced at the crystal ball, confirming there were no other yers nearby before replying, ¡°I¡¯m in the nest right now. I¡¯ll send you the entrance coordinates, and you cane in along the main road. All the spiders are dead, but you still need to be careful. If you find a living one, notify me immediately!¡± After giving his instructions, Yang Yi sent the coordinates. Out of the blue, he felt an unusual sensation by his feet: something was crawling towards him. Yang Yi immediately became alert and looked down. There was a fist-sized silk spider, its body still glistening with slime, as if it had just hatched from its shell. Yang Yi flicked it away and stepped on it without mercy. He hated having spiders crawl on him, with all those eyes and legs...he just couldn¡¯t stand it. More little spiders crawled to him from the front, each of the same size, and met with the same fate of being crushed. The eyelids of the spider queen moved again; the light was dim, and the movement was subtle so Yang Yi didn¡¯t notice. Yang Yi continued walking forwards until he came out from a hole, and most of his vision was suddenly taken over by a row of glowing red eggs, illuminating the entire space. The little spiders had probably hatched and crawled out of there. However, Yang Yi¡¯s attention wasn¡¯t on the spider eggs; instead, it was attracted by a pile of stones in front of him. Each stone was enormous, with thergest boulder being over a hundred metres long. They were all seemingly piled up naturally, but upon closer inspection, new discoveries were made. Eight long stones propped against an oval boulder, resembling a spider¡¯s body and its eight legs, were all covered with dry vines and weeds, like the hairs on a spider¡¯s body. Once the idea took hold, the resemnce became uncanny. Yang Yi couldn¡¯t help but be drawn in by the sight, observing closely and making new discoveries. At the front of the oval boulder stood a stone formation. It bore no signs of being carved; it seemed to have been shaped by natural erosion, and the more he looked at it, the more it resembled a female figure,plete with arms and legs, sitting on the stone. Yang Yi immediately lowered his head, his cheeks tingling and cold sweat forming; he didn¡¯t dare to look again. ¡¾You have discovered a mysterious statue, sanity -20¡¿ At the same time, whispering began to fill his ears, like a soft murmur, vague yet understandable. That... ¡°Offer... your...¡± Yang Yi¡¯s brain felt as if it had been pierced by silver needles, the pain prating deep into his marrow. Tears started swelling up uncontrobly. At that moment, an activity log notification popped up, projecting onto Yang Yi¡¯s retina. ¡¾Oath Pre-Mission Triggered: Please offer your loyalty to the Mother of Ten-Limbed Spiders¡¿ ¡¾1. Offer one-third of your flesh; the Spider¡¯s Kiss will stitch your wounds and reconstruct your body...¡¿ ¡¾2. Offer the flesh of your kindred; lure them to the ind, and the Spider¡¯s Kiss will grant you power...¡¿ ¡¾3. ...¡¿ ¡¾This is a pre-mission. Uponpletion, you will be a follower of the Mother of Ten-Limbed Spiders. You may formally establish an oath at a specific sea and undergo metamorphosis, gaining extraordinary power...¡¿ ¡°Extraordinary power...metamorphosis...Mother of Ten-Limbed Spiders.¡± Yang Yi repeated this information to himself, realising everything. The silk spiders were followers or kin of the Mother of Ten-Limbed Spiders, and they were also the guardians of this temple. The Mother of Ten-Limbed Spiders was a great being, a goddess! She bestowed her favour at times, imnting her offspring within the bodies of the fortunate, guiding their destinies... More whispers flooded into Yang Yi¡¯s mind, persuading him. ¡°Offer...your...,¡± ¡°Offer...your...,¡± ¡°Offer...your...¡± Editor¡¯s note: see, if had conqueror¡¯s haki this wouldn¡¯t happen Chapter 52 - I have never believed in gods Oath Prerequisite Quest, Metamorphosis, Transcendence! Any one of those terms alone would be enough to make yers flock in droves, and such an opportunity was right in front of Yang Yi. All he had to do was offer up his own flesh, or the lives of ten of his kindred, toplete the Oath Prerequisite Quest and be a follower of the Mother of Ten-Limbed Spiders! What was there to hesitate about? All it took was cutting off two legs! The Mother of Ten-Limbed Spiders might even reward you with four legs in return, doubling the prize! So why hesitate? Thoughts like this were spinning wildly in Yang Yi''s mind. At the same time, his sanity was slipping away. ¡¾Strange whispers, your sanity drops by 10¡¿ ¡¾Strange whispers, your sanity drops by 10¡¿ ... Yang Yi lifted his head and realised the statue hade to life. It had transformed into a gigantic, indescribablyrge ck spider with eight legs. Its body and limbs were covered in hair, but upon closer inspection, the hairs were actually the limbs of various creatures. From reptiles to mammals, from fish to birds, from insects to nts, and even grotesque limbs made of fungi. Yang Yi saw human hands and feet, eagle wings, lobster ws, octopus tentacles, tiger paws, elephant trunks, fish fins¡­ In short, any limb Yang Yi could think of was present in the apparition, and as long as he looked for it, he could immediately locate its position. It seemed like a living biological encyclopaedia, bearing the limbs of all creatures... Yang Yi felt dizzy and nauseous, but his gaze was drawn to the human figure atop the spider¡¯s head. It was a dignified young girl with four arms and four legs. The first pair of arms was slightly longer, while the other two pairs were located at her waist and the sides of her abdomen. Her hands were crossed, her posture holy. Her face had no mouth or nose, reced instead by a chaotic cluster of eyeballs that roamed restlessly over her gtinous face... ¡¾Looking directly at the apparition of the Great Being, your sanity drops by 100¡¿ ¡¾Warning, your sanity is below 10... ¡¿ Yang Yi¡¯s eyes stung, as if he were staring directly at the sun ¡ª no, something even more dazzling. His tears gradually turned light red, yet he didn¡¯t look away. Instead, he slowly raised the gun in his hand, trying to aim. Among the three choices of the quest, he chose the third. ¡¾Option Three: Destroy the statue. The Mother of Ten-Limbed Spiders will withdraw her favour. The ¡°Kiss of the Spider¡± status will be lifted. All spiders and spider-like creatures will be 100% hostile towards you.¡¿ ¡°Sorry...but I, Yang Yi, have never believed in gods since I was a kid! And besides...you¡¯re just too ugly!¡± Yang Yi¡¯s eyes widened as he stared directly at the apparition. His trembling hand holding the gun gradually steadied. ¡¾Looking directly at the apparition of the Great Being, your sanity drops by 100¡¿ ¡¾Looking directly at the apparition of the Great Being, your sanity drops by 100¡¿ He ignored these warnings, focusing solely on his aim, and then pulled the trigger! Bang! Yang Yi had aimed at the spider¡¯s head. He wasn¡¯t confident about hitting the figure, but hitting that massive head was well within his ability! The apparition vanished, and the shot had actually struck the front end of the oval-shaped statue, shattering a small part of it. The humanoid figure on top of the giant statue fell, breaking into several pieces, no longer resembling the woman with four arms and four legs. As the dust settled, Yang Yi struggled to get up. ¡°Pah!¡± He spat out a mouthful of blood-stained saliva. The trantion of this novel has been originally posted on iNovelTrantiondo If you¡¯re reading it somewhere else, please be aware it was copied without our consent. Just now, he had been sted back by the recoil, rolling several times on the ground beforeing to a stop. Fortunately, he had experience, and by rolling, he was able to disperse the force. His arm didn¡¯t dislocate again, though he did scrape some skin. Suddenly, Yang Yi realised he had lost vision on his left side ¡ª it was pitch ck. At that same time, the entire cave began to shake, as if an earthquake had urred. The statue copsed as well, crumbling into pieces, like it had lost some kind of power, no longer able to maintain its previous form. Yang Yi sensed something was wrong. He hadn¡¯t injured his eye, so how could he be blind? He reached towards it. The feeling was strange, like soft jelly ¡ª three balls stuck together, sticky, and they seemed to be moving... ¡°What is this? Why is it on my face?¡± Yang Yi felt a chill run down his spine, an overwhelming terror rising from deep inside, paralysing his limbs. That thing...there was no way it was his left eye! He immediately checked his activity log and saw the message. ¡¾Warning: Sanity below 10. You may be contaminated by the Abyss.¡¿ ¡¾You have unlocked the Transcendence Pathway - Contamination. The Contamination interface is now unlocked, allowing you to view your status.¡¿ Yang Yi quickly opened the Contamination interface. Yang Yi: Contamination Level: 4% (Arge human figure diagram, with the left eye marked in ck) Contaminated Area: Left eyeMutated Organ: Three-Eyed: Grants three perspectives, allowing you to see most invisible entities. +2 Perception. ¡°Three-Eyed...?¡± Yang Yi didn¡¯t have a mirror, and even if he did, he wouldn¡¯t dare look at himself. At that moment, Suna sent him a private message. ¡°Yang Yi, are you dead yet? There was an earthquake on the ind ¡ª did you get buried alive?¡± After reading the message, Yang Yi nearly choked. The woman really didn¡¯t know how to talk! If she were sent to rescue someone, they¡¯d probably die of anger before being saved. Who asks someone if they¡¯re dead? If he were dead, would he have to reply: ¡°Oh, sorry, I¡¯m dead.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not dead!¡± Yang Yi replied irritably. ¡°Good. I saw your sanity dropped to 1 point, thought you might¡¯ve turned into a monster! If you¡¯re okay, I¡¯m heading over now!¡± With Suna interrupting, Yang Yi¡¯s tense nerves rxed a little. Suddenly, his left eye began to itch, like tiny needles pricking it, and then his left-side vision returned, as if his eyeball and optic nerves had reconnected. But what he saw wasn¡¯t right...there was no colour. The entire world had be dull and monochromatic, yet with incredible rity. His left eye had three perspectives, like three eyeballs working together and sharing information. The first perspective seemed like thermal imaging, giving Yang Yi night vision and allowing him to see clearly even in the dim cave. The second perspective could zoom in and out, as if his eye had a built-in magnifying ss and telescope. He could zoom in to see the hairs on a spider a hundred metres away and urately judge the distance. The third perspective provided exceptional dynamic vision... Yang Yi tilted his head, dodging a web shot diagonally from behind. His left eye¡¯s field of view had be extremely wide. The three eyeballs protruded from the socket, rotating independently, allowing him to see attacks even from behind. But having such different visions between his two eyes made Yang Yi ufortable. It was like cing a colourlessrge world inside a small colourful world, with the two constantly interfering with each other, messing with his perception and making him dizzy. He could try to close his right eye and only use his left! That made Yang Yi feel a bit morefortable. His left eye seemed unable to close, probably because it had no eyelid. However, there was no time to worry about that! Yang Yi turned to face the Spider Queen behind him. She had lost two of her front legs and was limping out of the passage. Chapter 53 - Blindness - part 1 Yang Yi cleared his mind of distractions and focused on the enemy in front of him. It was the Spider Queen, who had just recovered. Although she had lost two of her front legs, it didn''t seem to affect her mobility; she could still crawl with the rest. ¡°I should have just ripped all her legs off. Let¡¯s see how she¡¯d crawl over now¡­¡± Yang Yi regretted not doing so. He made his mind to cripple or killpletely whichever creature he encountered that might be ying dead. They stood about 20 metres apart, staring each other down. The situation was very unfavourable for Yang Yi. His flintlock gun was in cooldown, leaving him with only the Sea Serpent¡¯s Fang as a weapon! Suddenly, the Spider Queen let out a screech from her crooked, withered head and charged at him like a tank. Perhaps due to the missing legs, her bnce seemed a bit off. Yang Yi turned and fled, downing the red potion that enhanced his attributes while he ran. As soon as he drank it, his mouth felt like it was filled with moltenva. ¡¾You have consumed an unknown potion¡¿ ¡¾Your body feels hot, sweating heavily. Strength +1, Agility +1, Constitution +1, Perception +1, Sanity -20, effectsts for 15 minutes.¡¿ The potion¡¯s details became visible. ¡¾Name: Crimson Potion¡¿ ¡¾Type: Consumable/Potion/Unique¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Premium¡¿ ¡¾Description: A potion created by the witch Suna. Tastes fiery, and drinking water during its effect is not advised. Increases all attributes except Spirit by +1, causes excessive sweating and reddening of the skin,sting 15 minutes. PS: Attributes cannot exceed biological limits. ¡¿ The potion was effective, though unpleasant to drink. Yang Yi¡¯s sanity dropped to 1, putting him in a state of madness, andbined with the potion''s effects, his attributes (except Spirit) were all boosted by +1, making his overall stats as follows: Strength: 5 + 2 + 1Spirit: 8 + 1 - 2 (Steel Will +1)Agility: 5 + 1 + 1 + 1Constitution: 5 + 1 + 1Perception: 5 + 1 + 2 (Madness: Strength +2, Agility +1, Constitution +1. ) With his Perception, Strength, and Agility all reaching 8, Yang Yi felt as light as air, almost like he could fly. His Spirit had also levelled up to 8, thanks to the vast amount of experience gained from his recent sanity losses. Yang Yi sprinted towards the shattered statue and hid among the debris. Rubble of various sizes was scattered everywhere, with some pieces towering over ten metres high. While he managed to weave through the mess, the Spider Queen, due to herrge size, found it difficult to get to him immediately. ¡°I need to kill the Spider Queen before the potion¡¯s effects wear off!¡± Yang Yi''s gaze was cold as he picked up a perfectly intact spider egg, fed it to his stomach pouch, and retrieved the silk nd and the dead spider¡¯s venom. It enraged the Spider Queen. Spider eggs were already in short supply in the egg chamber, with most of them having been crushed by the falling rubble. Seeing Yang Yi deliberately run towards areas with more eggs, crushing them one by one, drove the Queen into a frenzy. She let out a piercing shriek and charged recklessly at him, no longer avoiding the smaller rubble in her path, smashing through it with brute force. Yang Yi remained calm. He had intentionally provoked her. He now stood beneath a massive chunk of debris, waiting for the Spider Queen¡¯s inevitable collision. Boom! A violent crash sent dust flying and gravel scattering everywhere. The Spider Queen didn¡¯t hit Yang Yi directly. Instead, a nimble shadow descended from the sky, catching hold of a web andnding on the Queen¡¯s back. At thest second, Yang Yi had used the silk nd to shoot webs to the top of the giant debris, pulling himself up. As the Queen reeled from the impact, her head momentarily dazed, Yang Yi leapt onto her back. The sequence of moves was smooth, like a perfectly choreographed performance. Even professional gymnasts would be left speechless. But it wasn¡¯t purely skill ¡ª it was thanks to the "Third Eye." The unique perspective granted by the Third Eye gave Yang Yi an extraordinary sense of distance and bnce, allowing him to perform difficult manoeuvres. It was almost like...he had be Spider-Man! Thebination of web-spinning and the silk nd gave Yang Yi the ability to move in three dimensions! He climbed onto the Spider Queen¡¯s back, quickly making his way to her head. With the Sea Serpent¡¯s Fang in hand, he firmly grasped the humanoid torso¡¯s head and sliced it off in one swift motion. The cut was clean, severing the spine with ease. The trantion of this novel has been originally posted on iNovelTrantiondo If you¡¯re reading it somewhere else, please be aware it was copied without our consent. Dark red blood gushed out from the wound. Bubbles formed on the exposed skin, resembling burns ¡ª a side effect of the Sea Serpent¡¯s Fang¡¯s fire poison, further intensified by the venom coating the de. The shrivelled head fell into Yang Yi¡¯s hand. The Spider Queen, now grievously wounded, let out a sharp, high-pitched scream from below. She still had a spider head! Losing only one wouldn¡¯t kill her outright. Yang Yi crouched low, but the enraged Spider Queen violently threw him off, preventing him from maintaining his bnce. He was flung through the air, mming into a pile of rubble, coughing up blood as the impact sent a sharp pain through his chest. Despite the pain, he kept his eyes on the Spider Queen, pushing off the ground just in time to dodge a mass of sticky webbing. If he had been caught, it would have been over for him. ¡°This monster is tough to kill...¡± Yang Yi muttered, his frustration mounting. He had tried attacking her, but the Queen¡¯s head was covered in an extremely hard exoskeleton, imprable even to the Sea Serpent¡¯s Fang. He needed to strike at her weak spot! Yang Yi shifted his focus to the Spider Queen¡¯s eyes. She had six of them, arranged in two rows on her head, and Yang Yi could see them clearly. The first row had tworge eyes, and the second row had four smallerpound eyes. Even though they werepound eyes, each one was the size of a fist, and Yang Yi was confident he could hit them! As he ran, he checked the silk nd¡¯s capacity and found he still had 86 units left ¡ª enough to use! He picked up some small stones at his feet, using the spider silk to bind them together with the Sea Serpent''s Fang, crafting a makeshift il. Once finished, Yang Yi revealed himself and hurled the il toward the Spider Queen¡¯s eyes. Thanks to the Third Eye, Yang Yi had be a sharpshooter, whether using guns, bows, or even this metre-long silk il ¡ª it would hit its mark! The first strikended squarely on one of the Spider Queen¡¯srge eyes, causing her to pause. Seeing his sess, Yang Yi quickly retrieved the il and continued to move, not staying in one spot. ¡°Arrgghh!!!¡± The Spider Queen was on the verge of being driven mad by Yang Yi. The battle between man and spider continued. Yang Yi, using his small size and elusive movements, struck multiple times, eventually blinding three of the Spider Queen¡¯spound eyes. With her eyes repeatedly damaged, the Spider Queen grew sluggish, frequently crashing into the massive pieces of rubble in her path. Despite her tough exoskeleton, she began to suffer injuries, especially on her abdomen, where the shell was thinner, leaving a deep gash. Yang Yi wasn¡¯t in great shape either. The intense running had drained his stamina, leaving him with only 12 points left. If this continued, he would have to start using his vitality topensate for his energy. Then, with another sudden strike from the il, he shattered the Spider Queen¡¯sstpound eye. Now, she had only onerge eye left. Although she was protecting it well, her blindness was inevitable! Just at that moment, it seemed like the Queen was pushed to her limit and had a breakthrough. Her tail curled upward, shooting a thick strand of web towards the ceiling of the cavern, and she quickly climbed up, using the web to ascend. Not only that, but she began crawling upside down along the ceiling...seemingly defying gravity! Yang Yi couldn¡¯t understand how such a heavy spider could move like that. And the ceiling was almost metres high, far out of his reach. He only had about ten units of silk left in his nd, barely enough for one final attack. Editor¡¯s note: Spider-Man, Spider-Man~ Chapter 54 - Blindness – Part 2 The Spider Queen moved across the rocky peak as if walking on t ground. Yang Yi could only stare helplessly, unable toe up with a feasible n ¡ª his attack range wasn''t wide enough. The Queen¡¯s abdomen lifted towards the ground, aimed at Yang Yi, and sprayed a mist of webbing in his direction, akin to rain. The web strands were sticky and clingy ¡ª if they touched him, escaping would be nearly impossible. The Spider Queen intended to limit Yang Yi¡¯s movements. Yet Yang Yi...epted it dly! He acted ferally, stomping heavily on the web with both feet. Even though it was hard to lift his legs, he raised his head to look at the Spider Queen and pointed a finger at e over here!" Yang Yi taunted. In reality, he had no other choice. The effects of the Crimson Potion wouldst only two more minutes. If things continued the way they were headed, once time ran out, Yang Yi would fall into a state of extreme dehydration. At that point, even without the Spider Queen¡¯s webbing, he would lose the ability to move! Rather than let that happen, he decided to fight with all the strength he had left. "You''re noting down? I''m clearly stuck on your web!" Yang Yi taunted again. His behaviour baffled the Spider Queen, temporarily throwing her into confusion. But she quickly regained her senses and, with a roar, pushed off with great force, diving straight at him! ¡°Graaaah!!!!!¡± ¡°Good timing!¡± Yang Yi rejoiced. The Spider Queen¡¯s massive body loomedrger andrger in his view. Yang Yi could even see her mandibles, dripping with saliva, as she opened her maw to bite him. In Yang Yi''s eyes, however, her descent seemed to slow down. Seizing the moment, Yang Yi threw his meteor hammer directly at her remaining eye. His prediction of her uing trajectory was so urate it looked like the Spider Queen was charging right into the path of the meteor hammer! Due to the power of his enhanced dynamic vision from the "Three-Eyed" ability, he could predict the enemy''s attacks and movements to a certain extent! Yang Yi even felt his thoughts being forcibly sped up by the Three-Eyed power, just to keep up with this heightened vision! Thud! Thebined forces resulted in the meteor hammerpletely destroying the Spider Queen''s eye. Her body convulsed violently in midair, her actions distorted. What was initially a bite aimed at Yang Yi turned into a collision. Boom! The Spider Queen crashed into Yang Yi, sending him flying like a broken kite, smashing into a boulder and leaving a trail of blood in his wake. The impact was severe ¡ª it depleted over 50 points of his health. His ribs were likely broken in four or five ces, and his left arm fractured in three. If not for the heart-guarding mirror protecting his chest, the one blow might have emptied Yang Yi''s health barpletely. But luckily, it didn¡¯t! He still had 16 health remaining, not even enough to warrant the triggering of his death-prevention skill! ¡°You should be blind by now. ¡± Yang Yi struggled as he reached for his waist, only to find that his regeneration potion had shattered, spilling all over the ground. Fortunately, he hadn''te unprepared. Yang Yi pulled a long-legged sardine out of his coat pocket, fed it to his stomach pouch, and retrieved a backup regeneration potion from inside, gulping it down in one go. Gulp, gulp... ¡¾You drink the regeneration potion. Health restored by 20. Wounds begin to heal. The itching is unbearable. Sanity -20.¡¿ A maddening itch spread across his body as his injuries rapidly healed. Enduring the grating feeling, Yang Yi¡¯s health recovered to 40 points. The trantion of this novel has been originally posted on iNovelTrantiondo If you¡¯re reading it somewhere else, please be aware it was copied without our consent. He stood up with difficulty, looking towards the Spider Queen. She was iling about like a headless fly, blindly attacking the rubble around her. Yang Yi, with bad intentions, wanted to walk in her direction, but before he could take a single step, his nose suddenly itched, and two streams of blood flowed out. His vision immediately went dark. It seemed Yang Yi...had gone blind. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He quickly opened his right eye, only to find that he couldn¡¯t see at all ¡ª both eyes were affected. A notification then appeared, informing him that the Crimson Potion¡¯s effects had worn off. Yang Yi felt his throat burning, as if it had been scraped by knives, and he desperately needed water. He immediately crouched low to reduce his movements, then fumbled in his coat pocket and pulled out a rotting long-legged sardine, feeding it to his stomach pouch. From inside, he retrieved a water bottle and started drinking small sips. Two minutester, after finishing the two litres of water, Yang Yi slowly began to recover from his dehydration, though he still couldn¡¯t perform any strenuous activity. He listened closely and realised that the egg chamber was eerily quiet ¡ª he could hear a pin drop! ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Unable to see anything, Yang Yi didn¡¯t dare move recklessly. After an unknown amount of time passed, Yang Yi finally remembered to contact Suna. ¡°Suna,e in quickly; I think I¡¯ve gone blind!¡± ¡°Blind?¡± ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t see!¡± Yang Yi typed fast.. Without sight, all he could do was check logs and chat. The system log was soul-bound, so he could still operate it without vision. ¡°How did you go blind?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really sure¡­¡± Yang Yi recounted what had happened to Suna, but he didn¡¯t go into detail about the Mother of Ten-Limbed Spiders. He simply mentioned the strange things along the way, like how he drank the elixir, lost all his sanity, and then his left eye mutated, making his vision go strange... ¡°That huge spider was pretending to be dead. Be careful even if I''ve rendered her just as blind as myself.¡± ¡°Oh, that? She¡¯s already dead. I was just looking for a ce to cut into her, but her exoskeleton is too tough ¡ª my dagger can¡¯t slice through. Where are you? Lend me your short sword to try.¡± Suna had already arrived a while ago, meaning Yang Yi had been hiding for no reason. He stood up and shouted a few words. Not long after, he heard footsteps approaching, and Suna ran over. The first thing she said when she opened her mouth was, ¡°Your left eye...is beautiful!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Though Yang Yi couldn¡¯t see, he had felt it ¡ª it was a bulging mass of three balls squeezed together, sticking out of his eye socket. No matter how he thought about it, ¡°beautiful¡± was thest word that came to mind! He couldn¡¯t help but think that Suna¡¯s sense of beauty was a bit unique, to say the least! ¡°Your eye is still moving. It should be functioning normally. Can you really not see?¡± Suna waved her hand in front of Yang Yi¡¯s face and then tried to touch his left eye. ¡°Don¡¯t touch it!¡± Yang Yi backed away, feeling goosebumps rise. But Suna followed closely, sticking so near that Yang Yi could even feel her breath. ¡°Your left eye has no eyelid, so it can¡¯t close by itself. If it¡¯s really like you said, transmitting three different fields of vision simultaneously, your brain probably can¡¯t handle the load,¡± Suna exined as she observed. Yang Yi started to understand. ¡°You mean...¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, you¡¯re not blind! Your brain triggered a defence mechanism, cutting off your vision so you wouldn¡¯t overload your brain and end up brain-damaged or turned into an idiot.¡± ¡°So when will I recover?¡± Yang Yi asked excitedly. ¡°No idea. Could be the next second, could be a year, could be never.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°The brain is a veryplicated organ.¡± Suna didn¡¯t dwell on the topic but handed Yang Yi something. ¡°Take this.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°A piece of insect shell. Cover your left eye with it ¡ª it should block the visual information transmission from your left eye and help with your vision recovery.¡± Bonus chapter for reaching the goal! :D The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 55 - Extraordinary Path Yang Yi was blind and didn¡¯t know when he would recover. Under Suna¡¯s guidance, he approached the side of the Spider Queen. ¡°Lend me your dagger and gloves for a bit; these spider webs are too sticky!¡± ¡°You can take the gloves yourself. As for the dagger, it¡¯s probably still inside the Spider Queen¡¯s head.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Suna took the gloves and did something he couldn¡¯t see. If Yang Yi hadn¡¯t been blind, he would have noticed Suna prying at the Spider Queen¡¯s eye socket, lowering her head to look inside, then pulling out a spiked mace entangled in spider silk. ¡°It¡¯s not entirely clear, but your strike seems to have shattered her brain tissue, ultimately causing her death.¡± Using the gloves, Suna retrieved the Sea Serpent¡¯s Fang from the webbing, then used it like a pick, pounding it with a stone into the Spider Queen¡¯s head joint to pry it loose. About half an hourter, the Spider Queen¡¯s head was dislodged. It had dark red fluid oozing from the severed end. Suna then picked up another head, shaped like a sphere. With two heads in total, she nned to bring them both back. ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the ship; we cane back for the rest next time,¡± Suna suggested. Yang Yi didn¡¯t object. Now that he was blind, everything was inconvenient, and resting to recover his sight was his top priority. The two of them rolled the spider heads along, exiting the cave and heading towards the shore. ¡°You stay here and don¡¯t move. I¡¯ll get on the ship first and use the grappling hook to pull you up.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Yang Yi had no response to that. Blind as he was, getting into the water and boarding the ship wasn¡¯t easy; he couldn¡¯t even see the ship, let alone grab onto thedder on its side. So, using the grappling hook was the quickest and simplest method. About ten minutester, a mp fastened around Yang Yi¡¯s waist, pulling him up. The next moment, he found himself in the hold of the Nightmare Star. Although the boarding method was unusual, it didn¡¯t harm his body in any way. ¡°Wait here for a bit,¡± Suna¡¯s voice came from beside his ear. She had juste down from the deck, picked up something from the hold, and headed to theb. She returned with a crude eye mask in hand; it was simply arge piece of insect shell with holes punched into it and cloth threaded through. ¡°Put this on. It probably won¡¯t help much, but¡­¡± She helped Yang Yi put it on, then ran back into theb to get to work. Based on his memory and sense of touch, Yang Yi climbed up to the deck, felt his way along the ship''s edge, and returned to the captain¡¯s cabin. He took off his captain¡¯s coat,y down on the bed, and checked his status. After facing the illusion of the Spider Queen, he had unlocked an extraordinary pathway ¡ª Corruption. His journal now had an additional interface. Corruption Interface Yang Yi: Corruption Level: 6% (within the human diagram, the left eye is ck) Corrupted Area: Left Eye Distorted Organ: Third Eye Warning: If sanity falls below 10, the yer will be corrupted. yers with high mental attributes can resist and slow down the deepening of corruption. When sanity reaches zero, the yer willpletely lose control and be a twisted monster. Unlike the other pale blue interfaces, the Corruption Interface was dark red, symbolising danger. By harnessing corruption, yers could break through the limits of ordinary beings and ascend to the extraordinary. However, the extraordinary path was like walking a tightrope ¡ª one careless step, and you would fall into an abyss, facing a mental death and transforming into a mindless monster! The trantion of this novel has been originally posted on iNovelTrantiondo If you¡¯re reading it somewhere else, please be aware it was copied without our consent. Even if they managed to survive and retain some sanity, their bodies would undergo distortions. Yang Yi reached towards his left eye beneath the eye mask, which was slowly rotating. For a moment, he felt the urge to gouge it out, but suppressed the feeling. The left eye could make him stronger, and only by bing stronger could he keep corruption at bay. The weak had no choice and could only ept their fate! Yang Yi continued to examine his attribute panel, discovering that the "Spider¡¯s Kiss" status had disappeared. His personal panel had also undergone some new changes. Yang Yi Extraordinary Path: Corruption [Level: 6%] (The extraordinary path is unique. yers can discover it on their own, but a yer can only have one path at a time.) Status: Injured (in the human diagram, dark yellow near left side of waist) Strength: 5+2 (12/200) [Madness boost: Strength +2, Agility +1, Constitution +1, Spirit -2] Spirit: 8+1-2 (119/16000) [Iron Will boost] Agility: 5+1 (23/200) Constitution: 5+1 (21/200) Perception: 5+2 (192/200) [Third Eye boost] Sanity: 3/100 Energy: 17/100 Vitality: 51/100 Mana: 9/7 (When Spirit is below 10, each point provides one point of mana. Mana depletion results in intense headaches and loss of mobility. Full mana recovery takes 24 hours; spirit reduction lowers the mana cap but doesn¡¯t affect the current mana level.) Talent: Iron Will, Refusal to Die Spells: None (Spells require mana, and may involve chanting, runes, rituals, or sacrifices.) Abilities: Third Eye (Abilities are physical capacities, some of which consume mana.) Facing the illusion of the Spider Queen had rapidly increased his mental experience, pushing it up to 8 points. Extraordinary Path, Mana, Spells, and Abilities ¡ª all these entries had appeared since unlocking the extraordinary path. But Yang Yi didn¡¯t know any spells and couldn¡¯t use mana. His only ability was a distorted left eye. After deliberating for more than ten minutes, Yang Yi decided not to tell Suna about these details. Who knows what crazy things the woman would do if she learnt that lowering sanity below 10 unlocked such abilities? ¡°Suna, keep an eye on the sea chart to prevent other yers from getting close!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Suna replied quickly. Yang Yi had wanted to ask Suna to go ashore to find the corpse of a spider. Because with just one more corpse, the Nightmare Star could be upgraded. But as soon as she returned to the Nightmare Star, she locked herself in theb, dissecting the Spider Queen¡¯s head. Yang Yi didn¡¯t disturb her, because after all, the corpse wasn¡¯t going to resurrect or run away. ¡°High price offered for fire velvet tools; serious inquiries only!¡± Yang Yi left his usual message on the world channel. He quickly received a response. ¡°Do you need flint?¡± ¡¾Name: Flint That Sparks with a Strike¡¿ ¡¾Type: Tool¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Fine¡¿ ¡¾Description: Flint that, when struck with a metal de, releases abundant sparks capable of igniting cloth or wood fragments. Be sure to keep it dry; otherwise, it¡¯s just an ordinary rock with a faint smell of gunpowder. ¡¿ Yang Yi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°How much?¡± ¡°300 units of stone.¡± Yang Yi immediately checked the chat logs. He noticed two or three yers selling the same kind of flint, meaning it wasn¡¯t limited in quantity. It suggested they had obtained the form to make it. But currently, the price was inted, with each piece selling for around 200 units of stone or over a thousand Shell Coins. The seller was offering quite a high price at 300. Yang Yi ignored him and wasn¡¯t too worried. Fire velvet tools would drop in price just like winter clothing, so there was no rush. Plus, better tools existed, like lighters. Flint required dry conditions; an infinite-gas lighter would be much more convenient! Yang Yi checked therge sea chart. The extreme winter sea was expanding southward at a slow pace, and it would still take ten days or half a month for it to meet the ck fog. Thinking about all this, Yang Yi drifted off to sleep. He¡¯d been tense for so long and needed some time to rx. Bonus chapter for reaching the goal! :D The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 56 - Cannon After some time, Yang Yi slowly woke up. As he opened his eyes, he saw a faint light. "My vision is back!" Yang Yi''s spirit lifted. Because he now had only one eye, his field of vision was narrower, but it didn''t hinder his daily life. He tried closing his eye, removed the eyepatch, and switched to his left eye. Suddenly, the entire world became devoid of colour, yet incredibly sharp. With just a thought, he could count all the hairs in his eyebrows without a mirror! He walked to the captain''s cabin. It was still daytime, and there were only two hours of sunlight remaining. However, whether or not it was dark didn¡¯t affect the vision of his left eye. The three eyes didn''t seem to see by receiving light in the usual way. When using his left eye, sunlight wasn¡¯t blinding but appeared simply as a ball hanging in the air. Yang Yi took out a crystal ball from his pouch and used the reflection to inspect his odd eye. It was made of three gel-like eyeballs clustered together, each with an almond-sized yellow spot in the centre ¡ª probably some sort of pupils. They would slowly rotate and adjust their position as needed. Yang Yi only tested it briefly before switching back to his right one and putting on the eyepatch. The colourful world was far more pleasing. Using his left eye always made him feel reality was bleak and lifeless. "Are these monstrous eyes really beautiful...?" Yang Yi recalled Suna¡¯s reaction upon seeing them. Her sense of aesthetics was twisted. Under normal circumstances, no creature would have eyes like these! Only Suna would find them beautiful.[^1] He, instead, thought they were inexplicably grotesque and repulsive. "The maximum time limit should be around 10 minutes. To be safe, I should limit each use of the third eye to under 10 minutes..." Yang Yi sent a message to Suna. "Suna, I''m awake, and my vision has recovered. I''m heading to the ind to look for the corpse of the giant silk spider. I need to hurry and upgrade the Nightmare Star; dragging thisrge sailboat around is severely slowing it down." He didn''t hear back from her ¡ª she was probably still busy dissecting. He checked Suna¡¯s sanity level, which was still within a safe range. Whenever she had free time, she would read his message. With two hours until nightfall, Yang Yi wanted to use the time to search and try to upgrade the Nightmare Star to level 3. He wasn¡¯t nning on going to the spider nest; he had already taken parts from the giant silk spider corpses there. Even if there were some he missed, they were likely in side paths, making them hard to find. The nest was also far away, so it wasn¡¯t practical to go at that time of the day. He decided to search for the corpse of a giant silk spider in the nearby woods to gather some fur as material for making a sweaterter on. After searching for over an hour, he still hadn¡¯t found any. But just as he was about to give up and head back, he spotted a giant silk spider. "Haha! Taking a different route back was the right choice!" Yang Yi grinned, immediately running back to the Nightmare Star. By the time he boarded, it still wasn¡¯t dark. Yang Yi began moving supplies from therge sailboat (Hu Wei''s boat, which hadn¡¯t yet been dismantled). Once he had enough materials to reach level three, he immediately made the upgrades in his notebook, pressing the confirm button. Then, a ghastly green spirit emerged from the Nightmare Star, countless skeletal arms intecing to form a skeleton that climbed onto the ship¡¯s body, covering the deck like ayer of armour. The trantion of this novel has been originally posted on iNovelTrantiondo If you¡¯re reading it somewhere else, please be aware it was copied without our consent. The evolution didn''t change the size of the ship, but its appearance had undergone aplete transformation. The captain''s skull at the bow ignited with a soul me, sped tightly by numerous skeletal arms, fixed in ce, unable to move. ¡¾Upgradeplete. The Nightmare Star is now a level-three vessel. You can view specific changes in the ship interface.¡¿ Yang Yi immediately opened the ship interface. ¡¾Nightmare Star, Level 3, Durability: 4500/4500, Capacity: 12,000 units, Speed: 65 knots Note: 500 durabilityes from the Bobbit worm¡¯s head ¡¿ ¡¾Ship Skills: ¡¾Description: This ship is starting to grow bones ¡ª are you sure you want to keep upgrading it?¡¿ Yang Yi¡¯s face broke into a wide grin as he read the attributes. The ship¡¯s most criticised weakness had finally been resolved! A durability of 4500! Though it looked a bit strange, it was a ghost ship after all. Having some moving skeletons on board was perfectly normal and nothing to be surprised by! After seeing it for some time, you would naturally get used to it. Yang Yi dismantled Hu Wei¡¯srge sailboat, gaining a substantial amount of resources. Then, feeling exhrated, he headed down into the ship¡¯s cabin. With two additional expansion slots, he could install the cannons he¡¯d been longing for. It was time to fully embrace the way of the warrior![^2] He immediately chose to build an offensive structure ¡ª an ancientbat room. Resources used: Wood x200, Iron x10, Sulphur x10 The glow faded, leaving a new room in its wake, with two cannons equipped. Suchbat rooms could be built in pairs, one for the left and one for the right broadside. Yang Yi thought it over and built another to avoid having to adjust the ship''s direction if an enemy appeared on the left side. He entered the ancientbat room to check the cannons'' attributes. ¡¾Name: Soaked Cannon¡¿ ¡¾Type: Ship Equipment (Relic)¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Good¡¿ ¡¾Description: This cannon is waterlogged; its shells won¡¯t explode but have a longer range and a low probability of firing out mysterious objects. Range: 300 metres.¡¿ ¡¾The cannon is fixed in thebat room and cannot be removed¡¿ After reading it, Yang Yi couldn¡¯t help butugh, "Figures that nothing soaked in water would be normal!" But these ¡°mysterious objects¡±¡ªwhat could they be? Yang Yi tried firing a dozen or so shots, but nothing unusual happened ¡ª only the coastal rocks shattered. "So, this thing is basically a ballista with better ballistics!"[^3] Yang Yi realised. After all, a cannonball that didn''t explode was pretty much just arge stone. He discovered that the expansion buildings could be upgraded as well. To upgrade the ship to level four, all expansion buildings needed to reach level two, except for special ones like the Witch¡¯s Laboratory. It was unknown whether the Witch¡¯s Laboratory could be levelled up, as there was no upgrade option in the interface. Without hesitation, Yang Yi upgraded the ancientbat room to level two, consuming Wood x100, Cloth x400, Stone x100, Iron x40, Sulphur x20 ¡ª just enough resources. A glow shed, and the ancientbat room became covered with a mouldy carpet, which squished and released bubbles when stepped on, as if it had been pulled from the water. The cannon¡¯s surface was adorned with rusted metal ornaments, upgraded to a level two Soaked Cannon. ¡¾Name: Level Two Soaked Cannon¡¿ ¡¾Type: Ship Equipment (Relic)¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Premium¡¿ ¡¾Description: This cannon is waterlogged; its shells won¡¯t explode but have a longer range and a certain probability of firing mysterious objects. Range: 350 metres.¡¿ ¡¾The cannon is fixed to thebat room and cannot be removed¡¿ With a range like that, it was significantly longer than a standard cannon ¡ª a major advantage. Yang Yi had also considered building a ss cannon, but it required 100 crystals and was prone to breaking. He¡¯d save that for ater upgrade. After construction, his remaining resources were: Wood x535, Cloth x285, Stone x945, Iron x47, Crystal x14, Sulphur x25, Shell Coins x1400 Hu Wei¡¯s legacy was nearly exhausted. The resources needed for a level-four ship were also disyed: Required: Wood x4000, Cloth x2000, Stone x1000, Iron x500, Crystal x1000, Sulphur x500, Ever-growing Flesh x1 Seeing the skyrocketing resource demand, Yang Yi decided to pretend he hadn¡¯t seen it! ## Notes [^1]: He''s tantly calling her crazy, and I have to agree - Simply [^2]: Some days, some nights, some live, some die in the way of the samurai~ -Simply [^3]: Sounds like a sick bar -Simply Shoutout to our new Patreon Bonnie Swihart! Thank you so much for joining the team! :D Chapter 57 - A sudden realization Yang Yi fired a dozen more shots, devastating arge part of the coast. Then he finally spotted something strange: a long-legged sardine. When it had just left the cannon¡¯s barrel, it might still have been alive, but after smashing into the reef, it was now impossible to pry it out. The shot didn¡¯t do much damage, yet it made one feel insulted, leaving Yang Yi speechless. ¡°What the heck is this good for!? Trying to make the enemy die ofughter?¡± Of course, it was probably due to Yang Yi¡¯s poor fortune. If it were someone lucky, what came hurling out of the cannon might have been a two-headed devil shark, a creature several levels more destructive ¡ª scarier. ¡°But why isn¡¯t Suna reacting at all?¡± Yang Yi suddenly noticed something was wrong. The noise made after he upgraded the ship was very loud, but Suna didn¡¯t even pop her head out to take a look. His heart tightened, and he checked on Suna¡¯s condition, only to find her sanity was down to 49. Yang Yi immediately entered the witch¡¯sboratory. At that moment, Suna had just finished dissecting the queen spider¡¯s head, her cheeks flushed from excitement. On the table were two ss jars, each containing a brain, onerge and one small. Therger brain was iplete; however, both looked distinctly human. Seeing Yang Yi, Suna eagerly said, ¡°You¡¯re finally here! I was just about to call you!¡± Yang Yi frowned, watching Suna in her maddened state. ¡°I have made a groundbreaking discovery, akin to finding a whole new continent!¡± Suna spoke quickly, sharing her astonishing findings with Yang Yi. ¡°I found apletely new, controble, selective evolution form in the spider queen! It¡¯s different from the slow gic mutations that umte over time! These spiders can consciously modify their bodies, almost as if they were editing their own lives!¡± She continued, ¡°I¡¯d call this evolutionary model Evolution 2.0...¡± Yang Yi held up his hand, cutting off her monologue, and asked about the final oue. ¡°Suna, what exactly do you want to do?¡± ¡°Yang Yi! Do you want to evolve?¡± Suna pulled out a syringe. ¡°This is brain marrow extract I obtained from the spider queen. With further purification, it should work on humans!¡± ¡°Inject this into the spine, and we could attach extra limbs, just like spiders! Any limb would do. We would be achieving life evolution step by step!¡± Yang Yi suddenly thought of the Mother of Ten-Limbed Spiders. Although his memory was hazy, he vaguely remembered her having six legs, four arms, and a massive spider body covered with various limbs. She might have evolved to her peak that way, bing an awe-inspiring entity, perhaps even a god. **¡¾Recalling the image of a divine entity, your sanity drops by 30.¡¿** Yang Yi¡¯s eyes grew cold as he sternly warned, ¡°Suna, stop your insane thoughts. Don¡¯t pursue this path any further!¡± ¡°Why?¡± Suna looked puzzled. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to evolve, I can try it myself!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± Yang Yi¡¯s voice thundered like a bell, startling Suna, who shrank back. ¡°If you dare attach any weird things to yourself, I promise I¡¯ll tear each one of them off you, one by one!¡± Yang Yi¡¯s gaze was resolute, leaving no room for negotiation. A few secondster. Suna pouted and replied, ¡°Why so fierce?¡± However, after Yang Yi¡¯s scolding, Suna seemed to abandon her n to evolve and, right in front of him, destroyed the unfinished mysterious potion. It took Yang Yi by surprise. He checked her sanity value and found it had risen to 51, which pulled her out of her madness. ¡°So, scolding actually works?¡±[^1] Yang Yi was astonished, but he kept his expression neutral and asked, ¡°Have youpleted the restorative potion?¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting close. I only need a few more days!¡± ¡°Alright. It¡¯ste; go rest!¡± Suna nodded and left theb, finally noticing that the Nightmare Star had beenpletely revamped. ¡°Levelled up to tier three?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Suna began inspecting the ship¡¯s interface, adapting to its new upgrades. Night fell. The Nightmare Star, previously bathed by a pitch ck curtain, finally had some lighting. However¡­ Clusters of ghastly green ghost lights appeared across the ship¡¯s deck. They would only emerge at night, drifting back and forth on the deck. They were harmless to people and animals, devoid of warmth, and even touchable, like clusters of special gas. Their sole purpose seemed to be illuminating the Nightmare Star, while adding a sinister, ghostly aura to it. Yang Yi took control of the ship, testing the enhanced eleration performance of the Nightmare Star. The top speed only increased by 5 knots, but the eleration was significantly quicker. The powerful thrust was enough to make an unprepared person lose their bnce. He hadn¡¯t sailed far before a disturbance arose behind him. Another earthquake ¡ª it was strong enough to churn the seawater, with the whole eventsting over ten seconds. Yang Yi looked back, switching to his left eye. After the tremor subsided, he noticed that the ind¡¯s area had shrunk by several hundred square metres. ¡°This is¡­¡± Back when Yang Yi destroyed the statue, the ind had experienced an earthquake. The trantion of this novel has been originally posted on iNovelTrantiondo If you¡¯re reading it somewhere else, please be aware it was copied without our consent. At the time, Yang Yi didn¡¯t pay much attention, as he was blind. By seeing it from a distance, he noticed the ind seemed to be sinking. He had a feeling the earthquakes would be more frequent, and eventually, the ind would submerge.[^2] But it didn¡¯t really matter, as he wouldn¡¯t stay there long anyway. Once he gathered the corpses and some supplies, he would leave. You couldn''t forget, the ck mist was restless¡­ When in a suitable spot, Yang Yi dropped anchor, stabilising the ship. Then he returned to the captain¡¯s cabin. It had undergone some changes: a red velvet carpet, although old, now covered the floor, providing afortable surface. There was also a new light source in the room ¡ª a skull with a ghastly green me inside. It would glow when opened and go dark when closed. Although the brightness was low, it was better than nothing. Hey down on the bed and noticed that it had be softer. The upgrade was definitely worth it! He began checking the chat logs, noticing that more yers were selling hitting stones, causing prices to keep dropping. The Maritime Daily had also published thetest weekly report. Yang Yi spent 100 Shell Coins to buy a copy and sold some information on the silk spiders. However, he didn¡¯t disclose any details on the Gluttonous Guest or the Spider Queen. They were critical pieces of intelligence rted to advanced knowledge, and honestly, the Maritime Daily¡¯s fees for information...were a bit low! Soon enough, Yang Yi received a deposit of 400 Shell Coins, enough to cover the cost of the newspaper and even earn him 300 coins. He skimmed through the paper; there wasn¡¯t much of interest in the trading section. But it did seem that the *Beginners'' Guide to Corpse-Eating* had been sold. Good luck to whoever bought it! The *Sea Chronicle* recorded a few events Yang Yi had missed. A few days before, someone on the chat channel sold a gun for an astronomical 120,000 Shell Coins. **[Name: **White Rose**]** **[Type: **Treasure**]** **[Quality: **Rare] [**Description**: A finely crafted, white-gilded revolver capable of firing silver bullets. It causes minor damage to demons and can suppress regeneration. It can harm intangible entities, like ghosts. Ammo capacity: 5. Automatic reloading takes 3 minutes.] ¡°Rich folks¡­¡± Yang Yi muttered. He certainly couldn¡¯t afford such a fortune. At the same time, he was also curious as to why the seller was letting go of the gun. If it were up to Yang Yi, he¡¯d never sell it ¡ª unless he had spares! What this news indicated was that guns were bing moremon, so he¡¯d have to stay cautious. He couldn¡¯t normally dodge bullets, but with the help of his third eye, he might stand a chance¡­ Meanwhile, the *Sea Chronicle* also revealed the coordinates of a new ind. The volcanic ind was home to a unique creature called theva slug, capable of crawling through magma. While they didn¡¯t attack humans, their secretions were scorching hot and fatal upon contact ¡ª a highly dangerous species. They weren¡¯t very intelligent creatures, however, and yers quickly figured out how to kill them. They only needed to cool them down withrge amounts of seawater. Once cooled, the slugs would die, turning into hardened stones. Their corpses could be used in vending machines, with a high chance of yielding a hitting stone. ¡°That exins why more yers are suddenly selling hitting stones!¡± Yang Yi checked the sea map and found that this ind was quite far, to the left and rear, requiring seven or eight days of sailing. By the time he arrived, the ck mist would likely have swallowed the ind. So, he abandoned the idea of joining the excitement; if necessary, he could simply buy a hitting stone. ------ Notes [^1]: Parents, take notes! - Simply [^2]: Basically a Water 7 in the making - Simply We have a new goal to reach 50 ratings on NovelBin! :D Once its done, we will release 3 bonus chapters! Current progress: 27/50 Thank you for reading, I hope you¡¯re enjoying the story :> We now have aPatreon! Feel free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance! :D Please give the novel a rating and a review on NovelBin. It will help the website and also help people find this novel! The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 58 - The Book of the Spider Body The following day, Yang Yi got up early and knocked on Suna''s door. After a while, there was finally some movement inside. Suna opened the door, looking a bit displeased. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± she asked. ¡°The ind is sinking. Let¡¯s hurry and retrieve the bodies on the ind; we only need the red velvet fur from the spider¡¯s abdomen. If we have time, we can also gather some wood,¡± Yang Yi instructed. Suna nodded. Yang Yi took the helm, steering the Nightmare Star towards the ind. By the time they reached the shore, the sky was lightening. Suna quickly freshened up, slung her pirate longbow over her shoulder, and got ready to go ashore with Yang Yi. However, while wading to the shore, Yang Yi suddenly realised something. If they discovered an ind in the extreme winter sea, wouldn¡¯t they have to wade through icy water? That freezing seawater would be deadly! ¡°It seems we¡¯ll need to make a raft. I can put one togetherter,¡± Yang Yi decided. After retrieving the bodies, they nned to use raw wood and spider silk to make a simple raft. The remaining spider silk in their sack ¡ª about a dozen units¡ª was sufficient. Once ashore, the two followed their n and headed to the nest first. The area had the highest concentration of spider corpses, and they needed to bring back the body of the Spider Queen from the innermost part as well. If one person did it alone, it would likely be too much to handle. Suna would be responsible for collecting the Silk Spider fur in areas closer to the ship, while Yang Yi would cover the farther areas, including the other end of the ind. They decided toplete the collection of Silk Spider fur within the day. Being their second time on the ind, they navigated with ease and quickly arrived at the entrance of the nest. The smell had grown even worse. Moreover, a new kind of insect had appeared in the cave ¡ª tiny ants the size of rice grains. The source of these ants was unclear, but they were numerous, feeding on the glow mushrooms overhead and the Silk Spider corpses. Suna caught a few ants, examined them, and found them rather ordinary with nothing special. She made a guess. ¡°These ants might be enemies of the spiders. Now that the spiders are dead, this cave has be a paradise for them,¡± Suna exined. The two didn¡¯t linger, each gathering Silk Spider fur along the way with great efficiency. Collecting the fur was straightforward, as it could be scraped off with a dagger or short sword. They also attempted to explore side passages but avoided the narrow ones, which were filled with spider silk, making movement difficult. Soon, they made an unexpected discovery. In a side passage about two metres wide, Yang Yi found a curled-up, deceased giant Silk Spider. He decided to take it back to use it on the vending machine. The two ventured deeper and soon arrived at a cave. Yang Yi had been there before, its walls were covered with dried human limbs. Suna had paused briefly thest time they were there but hadn¡¯t explored further, as a massive Spider Queen awaited her ahead. The trantion of this novel has been originally posted on iNovelTrantiondo If you¡¯re reading it somewhere else, please be aware it was copied without our consent. Yang Yi entered the cave to collect spider fur from the dead spiders. They noticed a tform inside, covered with ck stains. Suna leaned in, sniffed it, and frowned. ¡°Blood stains. These spiders probably dismembered people here. Some blood spurted several metres away, suggesting that the people were likely still alive when dismembered,¡± Suna spected. Yang Yi remained silent, discovering a broken bow and a dozen simple arrows on the ground. They didn¡¯t find any other equipment or items; it seemed Hu Wei might have already retrieved them. There were no light orbs left behind by yers who had died there. Without stopping, the two collected all the Silk Spider fur in the area and continued deeper. They soon reached the egg chamber, the end of the spider¡¯s nest. Originally standing tall, the majestic stone statue had now turned into a pile of rubble. Even if a god were to arrive, they would probably be unable to guess what it once looked like. Yang Yi noticed that there were still many newly hatched Silk Spiders here. However, they had just emerged and were immediately attacked by ants, quickly getting killed. At that moment,rge numbers of spider eggs were being destroyed by the ants. Even the Spider Queen''s corpse was covered with ants, crawling densely over it. Suna didn¡¯t rush to recover the Spider Queen''s corpse but hurriedly collected some intact Silk Spider eggs. They were the size of goose eggs and were considered living creatures, so they couldn¡¯t be stored in a magic bag. Suna could only carry a limited number, cing them in a simple backpack. Meanwhile, Yang Yi kept his gaze fixed on the Spider Queen''s body, contemting how to move it. After all, the ten-metrerge spider, even after removing its long legs, was stillrger than an ordinary cow. It was impossible to stuff it into a stomach bag ¡ª it would be devoured, leaving only the shell behind. Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet started to tremble, signalling another earthquake on the ind. Yang Yi quickly grabbed Suna and took cover under arge boulder. The earthquakested for a full minute, even more violently than the previous ones. Arge number of glow mushrooms fell from above. But strangely, no stones. It had happened during the first earthquake as well, but Yang Yi hadn¡¯t paid much attention at the time. However, with his mind clear, he sensed something was wrong. Wasn¡¯t the rock ceiling a bit too solid? He looked up and saw strange patterns on the vast stone wall at the top of the egg chamber, however the light was dim. In addition, many glow mushrooms had withered and fallen to the ground, making it even harder to see the ceiling clearly. Suna also looked up. ¡°That looks like some kind of writing...?¡± she squinted her eyes, trying to make out more details. Without the use of the third eye, her vision was better than Yang Yi¡¯s. Yang Yi removed the eye patch from his left eye and used his third eye to examine the ceiling. Then¡­he saw it. ¡°This... This is...¡± Yang Yi froze, his body tensing, unable to tear his gaze away. At that moment, a flood of knowledge rushed into his mind ¡ª wild and brutal, nearly bursting his brain. Suna was right; the patterns were indeed writing. The fact that she could recognise them as writing meant her perception attribute was very high, but limited by her normal vision, she could only see vague outlines. That had protected her sanity. She wouldn¡¯t be forced to read and understand the text like Yang Yi! It was an ancientnguage, one that was far older than any known writing in human history. It had no connection to any recorded human script. It didn¡¯t require learning ¡ª it was enough to simply see its form to instantly understand its meaning! Pictographs could only be considered a crude imitation of it. The difference in the information capacity of the two was as vast as pure sand versusplex crystals ¡ª there was noparison! The characters didn¡¯t follow a fixed structure; each one was unique. The amount of information was so great that it caused Yang Yi¡¯s brain to swell, with veins bulging on his forehead, almost about to burst. His head seemed to be erging. ¡¾Confronting the ancient text, your sanity decreases by 50¡¿ ¡¾You have read the Book of the Spider Body, your sanity decreases by 100¡¿ ¡¾You have learned the Spider Body Magic, you can view it on the panel¡¿ ¡°Hoo¡­ Hoo¡­¡± Yang Yi gasped for air, sweating profusely, as though he had just walked through the gates of hell and barely escaped. At that moment, it felt like a hundred worms had drilled into his brain, causing a mental overload that severed his perception of the outside world. A few minutester, he regained his senses and regained control of his body. At the same time, his nose felt hot, and a spray of fresh blood erupted, with some tissue fragments even mixed in. "Yang Yi, what''s wrong with you?" Suna also looked at the top of the cave, but found nothing. She only snapped back to reality after hearing the noise beside her. Yang Yi, still shaken, quickly grabbed Suna, warning, "Don''t look up!" "What did you see?" Suna asked. Yang Yi couldn''t answer. He was unable to describe to Suna what he had seen with words. The meaning contained in those symbols was far too heavy, far beyond what humannguage could carry. So Yang Yi couldn¡¯t find the right words to exin what he had witnessed. He only replied, "You should open the crew interface and check my sanity level." Suna understood immediately and quickly opened it, only to find that Yang Yi''s sanity level was only 1 point! She became excited and hurriedly asked, "What exactly did you see?!" "A hideous, evil, disgusting, and nauseating spider!" Yang Yi replied. If the text above was viewed with a wide-angle lens, one would see that the symbols were interconnected, forming the shape of a spider. The trantion of this novel has been originally posted on iNovelTrantiondo If you¡¯re reading it somewhere else, please be aware it was copied without our consent. "Don¡¯t look up, just dismember the Spider Queen¡¯s body and let¡¯s leave!" Yang Yi said, sounding tired and not wanting to continue the conversation. Suna''s expression wasplicated, and she paused, seemingly still wanting to figure out what was at the top of the cave. Yang Yi didn¡¯t give her the chance. He took out the Sea Serpent''s Fang, and with the precision of a butcher, easily sliced through the joints of the Spider Queen''s body, quickly dismembering it into its abdomen, chest, and legs, dividing the body into several sections. His method was precise, indicating that Yang Yi was very familiar with the Spider Queen¡¯s anatomy. "Let¡¯s go, if we don¡¯t leave now, the ants will eat the whole body!" Yang Yi urged. Suna reluctantly gave up her thoughts, focusing instead on carrying the Spider Queen¡¯s body. The two of them discussed and decided to roll the abdomen back to the coast. Most of the vital organs were in the abdomen. The chest and legs, being smaller, could barely fit into the storage bag. They rolled the Spider Queen¡¯s abdomen all the way to the cave entrance. It was difficult, as even with theirbined effort, they couldn¡¯t get the abdomen out of the cave. The vertical tunnel was inconvenient, after all, it wasn¡¯t designed for humans. The spider''s head was fine; after all, the Queen¡¯s head was mostly empty, and without the body fluids, it weighed only a few dozen kilograms. But the abdomen was a whole different matter. Yang Yi then took out his flintlock rifle and fired a shot at the cave entrance at an angle, creating a slope. The two of them finally managed to push the enormous spider abdomen out of the nest. They made their way back to the coast. As expected, the ind was sinking again, with the area shrinking by over a thousand square metres. Fortunately, both of them could swim, especially Yang Yi, who, with his frenzy enhancement, moved through the water like a fish, quickly making his way to the Nightmare Star and then boarded the ship. Yang Yi manoeuvred the Nightmare Star closer and used the w to pull Suna and the Spider Queen''s abdomen into the ship''s hold. After a brief rest, the two unloaded the silk they had collected and immediately set out again to the ind. There were still plenty of corpses in the forest waiting to be collected. Following their n, Suna handled the areas closer to the ship, while Yang Yi was responsible for the farthest zones. When alone, Yang Yi began checking his panel and noticed that it had changed again. Yang Yi (Mortal) Extraordinary Pathways: Corruption [Level 7%] / Book of Limb Spiders ¡¾Book of Limb Spiders: After reading the Book of Limb Spiderspletely, you have learned Limb Spider Magic. When casting Limb Spider Magic, no incantation is needed. If in Spider''s Kiss state, mana consumption will be reduced by 2 points. ¡¿ Attributes: 5+2 (22/200) [Frenzy bonus, Strength +2, Agility +1, Constitution +1, Mental -2] Spirit: 8+1-2 (1320/16000) (Iron Will bonus) Agility: 5+1 (29/200) Constitution: 5+1 (42/200) Perception: 6+2 (22/4000) [Wide-eye bonus] Sanity: 5/100 Energy: 87/100 Vitality: 91/100 Mana: 9/7 Talents: Iron Will, Refuse to Die Spells: Body Enhancement: Stimtes and enhances a specific limb, increasing its power by 0-3 points. The stronger the limb, the lesser the effect. Consumes 5 mana,sts 15 minutes, after which the limb will be paralysed. Body Restoration: Restores a limb. Can repair damaged or severed limbs, requires sufficient blood and flesh, consumes 3 mana, and can also enhance your own limbs. Body Explosion: Explodes a limb. Requires a severed limb, or can be applied to your own. The fresher and stronger the limb, the greater the explosion. Consumes 8 mana. Ten-Limbed Spider Summoning: Sacrifices your limbs to summon the Spider Queen. The more limbs sacrificed, the higher the sess rate. If sessful, it will summon the phantom of the Spider Queen. Status: Wide-eye "Reading something also leads to bing extraordinary..." Yang Yi reviewed the four new spells he had learned. If in Spider''s Kiss state, the mana consumption for these spells would decrease by 2 points, which would greatly enhance their effectiveness. However, these spells didn¡¯t feel quite right. "Shouldn¡¯t I have started with the Silk Ball spell?" Yang Yi scratched his head. Though the effects weren¡¯t explicitly mentioned, he felt using these spells would certainly consume Sanity. And there could be other unspecified side effects as well. Unless absolutely necessary, he didn¡¯t want to rely on using these spells. Especially thest summoning spell, which required sacrificing one¡¯s own limbs to summon the Spider Queen. Putting aside the sess rate, even if he summoned it, it didn¡¯t seem to offer any benefit. Did he want to bring mutual destruction with the enemy? Unlesspletely insane, Yang Yi couldn¡¯t think of anyone who would use such a spell. Shaking off the thought, he focused his attention back on the task of collecting the spider corpses. With the Wide-eye enhancement, his collection efficiency greatly increased. However, switching between two types of vision still put a considerable strain on Yang Yi¡¯s brain. So, every now and then, he would sit down to rest for a while. Even so, his speed was still much faster than Suna¡¯s. Four hourster, Yang Yi hadpleted his collection first, and he also found a giant silk spider, which could be used for vending. Suna was probably still an hour away from finishing. There was still plenty of time, with about two more hours before nightfall. After returning, Yang Yi didn¡¯t take a break. Instead, he chopped up some logs and used the remaining spider silk from his pouch to make a simple raft. He then hauled the raft onto the Nightmare Star. In a few days, after the silk dried, it could be used in the water. In the future, they could use the raft to travel to the ind, preparing for the extreme winter seas. Suna happened to return as well. The time had already reached dusk when the ind experienced another earthquake. Under their watchful eyes, the ind sank by a quarter. We have a new goal to reach 50 ratings on NovelBin! :D Once its done, we will release 3 bonus chapters! Current progress: 27/50 Thank you for reading, I hope you¡¯re enjoying the story :> We now have aPatreon! Feel free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance! :D Please give the novel a rating and a review on NovelBin. It will help the website and also help people find this novel! Chapter 59 - Selling Sweaters The speed at which the ind was sinking was faster than Yang Yi expected. By the following day, the ind would havepletely disappeared. Fortunately, the collection of spider corpses has already beenpleted. The two of them gathered the spider silk into a pile, forming a small mountain. Suna collected 517 units. Yang Yi collected much more, as all the spider silk in their was stored in his stomach pouch, and when emptied, it amounted to more than seven times Suna''s, totaling 3,695 units. Combined, the silk could make 42 sweaters or trousers. If he made one more sweater and two more pairs of trousers, they would have fourplete sets ¡ª two for each of them. The remaining 39 could be sold for a profit. However, before knitting, they could first try their luck with the vending machine, using the bodies of the two giant spiders. Yang Yi was about to go to the deck for a spin when he noticed a pair of eyes staring intently at him. "What¡¯s up?" he asked Suna. She hesitated, organising her thoughts, and after a few seconds, finally said, ¡°In the cave, you saw something, right? Could you possibly draw it? It doesn''t have to be the whole thing ¡ª just a part or a rough outline¡­.¡± She handed Yang Yi a pen and paper, her eyes filled with hope. She was bound to be disappointed. Yang Yi¡¯s drawing skills were still at an elementary school level, and he had little artistic ability. Asking him to draw those ancient symbols was akin to asking a newborn baby to recreate a QR code from memory. It was simply impossible! ¡°I can¡¯t draw it.¡± Yang Yi firmly refused and turned to leave, but Suna grabbed his arm. ¡°Tell me! I¡¯ll reward you!¡± Suna tried to tempt him, tugging at her cor. ¡°Hah!¡± Yang Yi sneered, his gaze filled with disdain. What did this woman take him for? Livestock? Utterlyughable! He, Yang Yi, had a will as strong as steel; he wouldn¡¯t be swayed by beauty! He nced over, feeling indifferent. With a resigned sigh, Yang Yi took the pen and scribbled randomly on the paper, creating a mess of lines, very abstract. At a nce, it could resemble a spider. He handed the drawing to Suna and quickly slipped out of the cabin to avoid further entanglement. Suna held the crude drawing and looked at it. Yang Yi wasted no time, heading straight for the vending machine. He used a smelly, dried-up sardine as a payment, opened his stomach pouch, and took out a bottle of freshwater and the body parts of the giant spiders. The water wasn¡¯t for drinking, it was for washing his face. He hadn¡¯t washed in days, and his face was a bit grimy, which he reckoned would bring bad luck to the vending machine. After cleaning his face, Yang Yi officially started his turns, inserting the body parts one by one and spinning the dial on the octopus-shaped vending machine¡¯s chest. Two unremarkable capsules popped out. Yang Yi picked one up and checked it, overjoyed. He had won something good! ¡¾Name: Low-Level Craftsman Engraved Stone¡¿ ¡¾Type: Consumable¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Rare¡¿ ¡¾Description: Can enhance the quality of treasures, upgrading any items of fine quality or below by one level. Your treasures will be renewed.¡¿ The other reward wasn¡¯t as impressive; it was an Armour Heart Protector, identical to the one Yang Yi had obtained before, so he could give it to Suna. The trantion of this novel has been originally posted on iNovelTrantiondo If you¡¯re reading it somewhere else, please be aware it was copied without our consent. After finishing with the capsules, he returned to the cabin, and Suna had already gone back to the witch¡¯sb. Since her sanity level was 72, he didn¡¯t feel the need to rush her out. He mixed himself a bottle of Vitality Coconut Smoothie and downed it in one go. ¡°Running low on salt?¡± He noticed there was only 30g of salt and two bottles of the coconut smoothie left in stock. Fortunately, he still had 54 vitality coconuts. ¡°Might as well buy some salt and make the rest of the vitality coconuts into smoothies.¡± He left the cabin, moved the Nightmare Star to a rtively safe spot, and docked. If the ind didn¡¯t sink, he nned to cut some wood before leaving. If it sank, then so be it. He browsed the chat channel, trading his machete for two bags of salt, totaling 1000g. He actually liked the weapon, but its quality was too low ¡ª it was fine for chopping branches or people but wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against a spider''s carapace without breaking. Yang Yi checked his stamina; it was down to 55, worn out from the day¡¯s activities. Each sweater or pair of trousers required 3 stamina points, so he could make a maximum of eight items. If he pushed himself further, his stamina would drop below 30, risking unconsciousness ¡ª not worth it. Two hoursters, he crafted more sets of clothes. He put the price at 4,000 per set, which was roughly seven times the price of a down jacket (a down jacket costs about 600 Shell Coins, so two would be 1,200). He started advertising in the chat. ¡°Fire Velvet sweaters and trousers sets! Check them out for yourself; two pieces per set, selling for 4,000 Shell Coins each, only four sets avable!¡± He attached the stats of the outfits. Just after he posted, a flood of private messages poured in. ¡°4,000 ¡ª did you add an extra zero? I¡¯ll take it for 400 Shell Coins!¡± ¡°How about 2,000? A down jacket is only 600 each right now.¡± ¡°Just cold-resistant clothing, not a weapon. Sell it cheaper¡­¡± Yang Yi skimmed a few messages, mostly lowballers, so he ignored them. These people weren¡¯t his target customers anyway. He wanted to sell to yers doing well in the game. These yers needed higher-grade equipment and would be willing to pay more. Soon, his first customer appeared: Shen Guanquan, leader of the New World Fleet. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? Message me privately for good stuff. I¡¯ll take all four sets!¡± Yang Yi took a deep breath. The guy had to be doing well ¡ª buying with the air of a wealthy spender. Money was money, and Yang Yi wasn¡¯t about to turn it down. The transaction was quicklypleted, with 16,000 Shell Coins credited to his ount. Just after he sold out, more private messages from friends starteding in, including Captain Yu Zhiwei of the Iron Will and Captain Xu Da of the Swift Wind. ¡°Sold out. I¡¯ll message you when I make more.¡± After replying to each, Yang Yi called Suna back to the cabin and prepared to sleep, resting up for tomorrow¡¯s ns. Meanwhile, at the New World Fleet. Shen Guanquan received the four sets of sweaters and trousers, keeping one for himself and nning to distribute the rest to his top crew. ¡°Old Shen, didn¡¯t you overpay for these sweaters?¡± asked Captain Zhao Tietou of the Ironhead, a little distressed. ¡°You don¡¯t understand! When the temperature drops and only these sweaters can keep you warm, then you¡¯ll see their worth!¡± ¡°But if I just wear two padded coats, won¡¯t it be the same? If it¡¯s still cold, I¡¯ll wear three.¡± Shen Guanquan went silent, turning to Zhao Tietou with difficulty. ¡°Tietou, sometimes I think you¡¯re actually pretty smart!¡± ¡°Of course! All thanks to your guidance!¡± Zhao Tietou scratched his head shyly. ¡°Fine, then we¡¯ll do it your way! You won¡¯t get the sweater and trousers ¡ª just wear two padded coats!¡± With that, Shen Guanquan took the sweater to give to someone else, leaving Zhao Tietou chasing after him. ¡°No, Old Shen! I was wrong! I¡¯d rather wear the sweater!¡± We have a new goal to reach 50 ratings on NovelBin! :D Once its done, we will release 3 bonus chapters! Current progress: 28/50 Shoutout to our new Patreon Bonnie Swihart! Thank you so much for joining the team! :D Thank you for reading, I hope you¡¯re enjoying the story :> We now have aPatreon! Feel free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance! :D Please give the novel a rating and a review on NovelBin. It will help the website and also help people find this novel! The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 60 - Yellow Potion The following day, just as dawn broke, Yang Yi set off for the ind, driving the Nightmare Star. The scheduled tasks were heavy ¡ª not only did he have to cut down trees, but he also needed to rush to finish making the sweater, which would be quite energy-draining. He nced at his energy level and saw it was only at 92. ¡°Should I ask Suna toe help with the logging?¡± As he thought this, he caught sight of the ind ahead and dismissed the idea. It was now barely over 200 square metres, and it looked like severalrge earthquakes had struck it yet again. There were only about 70 trees left on the ind for easy gathering, and many were half-submerged in the sea, showing just the upper parts of their trunks. Yang Yi observed this and felt it was a good thing. It meant that the grappling hook could easilytch onto these trees, making resource collection extremely convenient. All he needed to do was shoot to break the trunks, then pull the logs onto the ship, where they¡¯d be automatically converted into lumber, sparing him the trouble of manual collection. Yang Yi checked the weather forecast. The wind today was only at level 1, and the sea was calm, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about driftwood floating too far away. He put on his sharkskin swimsuit, prepared a bite to eat, and warmed up before starting work. Meanwhile, Suna had just woken up, finding herself slumped over her desk. She hadn''t slept well, having been studying the drawings Yang Yi had left behind. She had tried to replicate them several times, but none felt quite right ¡ª something always seemed missing. So, she decided to change things, adding some of her own unique interpretations. As she kept drawing, she lost consciousness. When she woke up, she noticed a special drawing on the desk, surrounded by discarded sketches all over the desk and floor ¡ª a huge waste. Luckily, her room had no shortage of paper. As long as she was willing to pay, she could ess an endless supply from the shelves and drawers in her room. She looked at her drawing, and then nced at her sanity level, noticing it was only at 51. It suggested she¡¯d entered a state of madness, probably because she had drawn a particr piece. The drawing wasposed of nine lines, converging in the centre, twisting around one another into aplex spiral pattern that made her dizzy if she stared too long. Suna gazed at the drawing for several seconds, then watched as it curled up right before her eyes, transforming into a tightlypacted paper ball. ¡¾You have created a spell, unlocking the path to Transcendence ¡ª Truth¡¿ (Truth: By attempting to understand and master the true nature of this world, you can create unique spells that don¡¯t consume sanity.) ¡¾You have learned Curling Touch¡¿ (Curling Touch: Curl an object within your field of vision. Power is based on your mental strength and requires 7 mana essence.) After casting the spell, Suna felt an intense headache, so severe that she could do nothing else and copsed directly to the floor... "Suna, how much longer until the energy-restoring potion is ready?" Yang Yi sent her a message. Several minutester, he received a reply. ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea; I can get you a sample tonight!¡± "OK!" Yang Yi didn¡¯t mind; her replies were always slow unless some peculiar artifact happened to catch her attention. After sending the message, he dove into the sea and began his logging operation for the day. The Nightmare Star was actually quite close to the ind, with the risk of its hull touching the seabed trees. But Yang Yi didn¡¯t mind; as long as the ship didn¡¯t get stranded, it was fine ¡ª its durability would automatically recover anyway. The arm-bone armor covering the hull was no joke; even if the trees were sharpened to a point and used for ramming, it was unlikely to damage the Nightmare Star. About three hourster, Suna finally recovered from her headache, with her mana essence restored by 1 point. With her current mental attributes, she wasn¡¯t yet able to sustain the spell; any use would render her incapable of action. Fortunately, once the mana essence recovered, her body returned to normal. She walked out of her room and hurried towards the witch''sboratory, eager to finish the new energy-restoring potion, since only the dilution step remained. Another hour passed, and Yang Yi had cut down all the trees on the ind. The trantion of this novel has been originally posted on iNovelTrantiondo If you¡¯re reading it somewhere else, please be aware it was copied without our consent. He swam back to the ship and found his energy was at 52. It seemed like he wouldn¡¯t be able to finish making all the sweaters in time. But it didn¡¯t matter ¡ª he¡¯d collect the logs first. He piloted the Nightmare Star and started using the grappling hook to collect the logs. A total of 73 logs were retrieved, though some might have drifted away. He managed to get 635 units of wood, which was far more efficient than fishing for floating debris at sea (except for the ultimate fishing expert, of course). After finishing, he went back to his room to rest his eyes for a while. When he woke up, his energy had recovered to 82. It was evening, and Suna had left him a message asking him toe to theboratory. If all went well, the energy-restoring potion was ready! Yang Yi quickly headed to the witch''sboratory and was handed two bottles of yellow potion by Suna. One was light yellow, the other more orangey. ¡°Why are there two bottles¡­?¡± Yang Yi was confused. ¡°This potion is made from the stomach acid of a Gluttonous Guest,¡± Suna exined. ¡°The darker one is more concentrated, the lighter one is less so. But both will restore energy.¡± ¡°Stomach acid¡­?¡± ¡°Exactly! After drinking it, you might feel like eating, so it¡¯s best to have plenty of food ready,¡± Suna added. Yang Yi was speechless. He hadn¡¯t expected Suna to actually use stomach acid to make the potion, and now his face showed a bit of hesitation. Would this burn through his esophagus¡­? Seeing his troubled expression, Suna thought he was worried about the yield and exined again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! The stomach acid can be mass-produced. Just put food into the stomach, and it¡¯ll keep producing stomach acid!¡± She pointed to a ss jar on the shelf. Yang Yi looked over. The jar was about four centimeters in diametre and contained a light yellow solution. It had half a stomach submerged in it, likely cut from a Gluttonous Guest. It still had some vitality, twitching asionally. ¡¾You see the strange stomach and your sanity decreases by 3.¡¿ ¡°This¡­¡± Yang Yi looked away, not wanting to keep looking at it. Suna, however, was staring at him intently, as if saying, "Go on, drink it. Why aren¡¯t you drinking it?" With a determined heart, Yang Yi thought, "Well, there¡¯s more potion, it won¡¯t kill me from corrosion!" He went to the cabin, nced at the ck bread on the table, and then downed the potion. It felt like drinking sulfuric acid ¡ª burning hot. ¡¾You drank the Energy Potion.¡¿ ¡¾You feel hungry, your stomach growls, sanity -10.¡¿ Yang Yi¡¯s eyes widened as he felt an intense hunger, his stomach growling nonstop. He felt like he could eat a whole cow, if one were to appear. After eating a few dried fish, three pieces of ck bread, and a sausage, the hunger subsided. Normally, this amount of food couldst a person three days (the ck bread was quite long). ¡¾You are full, gaining the ''Full and Satisfied'' state. Energy recovery speed +100%, sanity recovery speed +25%, health recovery speed +25%.¡¿ Seeing the system message, Yang Yi was overjoyed! It was exactly the state he wanted! ¡°Suna, you¡¯re a genius!¡± Yang Yi couldn¡¯t help but praise her, giving her a thumbs up. ¡¾Name: Appetiser Potion¡¿ ¡¾Type: Consumable/Potion/Unique¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Description: A potion created by the witch Suna, made from the stomach acid of a Gluttonous Guest, diluted and processed through a special technique. After consumption, it greatly increases appetite and digestive absorption. Once enough food is eaten, the ''Full and Satisfied'' state will be activated,sting for 8 hours, elerating recovery. If sufficient food isn¡¯t consumed within a short time, it will cause massive stomach and digestive tract bleeding. Effectsts for 24 hours and only works once. Drinking more than once will lead to stomach bleeding.¡¿ Suna, receiving her firstpliment, was also very excited. Normally, Yang Yi would onlyin about the side effects, but this time he didn¡¯t. After all, the side effects seemed manageable as long as enough food was prepared. But what wasn¡¯t noticed was¡­Yang Yi discreetly hid the other bottle of yellow potion and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. The light yellow version already made him ravenous ¡ª if he drank the orange one, the ship might end up being eaten too! The yellow potion could be extremely dangerous. We have a new goal to reach 50 ratings on NovelBin! :D Once its done, we will release 3 bonus chapters! Current progress: 29/50 Thank you for reading, I hope you¡¯re enjoying the story :> We now have aPatreon! Feel free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance! :D Please give the novel a rating and a review on NovelBin. It will help the website and also help people find this novel! Chapter 61 - Trading Yang Yi had just returned to the deck when another earthquake struck. The Nightmare Star was also rocked by the waves, swaying relentlessly. Two minutester, the indpletely disappeared, submerged in the sea. Along with it, the nest ¡ª or what could be called a temple, which was inscribed with the "Book of Spider Body" ¡ª vanished as well. Yang Yi didn¡¯t feel any regret. He believed that such divine relics, beyond theprehension of humans, should not exist in the mortal world! Only the dark, deep sea could be their rightful home! Yang Yi manoeuvred the Nightmare Star, turned the ship around, and headed straight towards the Extreme Winter Sea. He had stayed there too long, and the ck fog behind him had never stopped. Back in his room, Yang Yi nned to make the remaining sweaters. There were 31 left, and he needed 93 energy points to finish them. Yang Yi had the energy to weave sweaters butcked the energy to rest or sleep. He even drank another Appetiser Potion during this time. By noon the following day, he finally finished. He immediately contacted a few of his friends who had purchased items from him. First, he sold a set to Yu Dawei for 2000 Shell Coins. Yu Dawei was the captain of the Iron Will and had been very generous, even giving Yang Yi some giant Bobbit worm meat, making him someone worth building a close rtionship with. However, Yu Dawei didn¡¯t buy just for himself. He bought 4 more sets for 4000 Shell Coins, nning to distribute them among his subordinates. Next was Xu Da, captain of the Swift Wind. Although they hadn¡¯t met in person, they were friends online, and Yang Yi offered him a friendly price of 3000 Shell Coins. Xu Da quickly paid and provided high-value information about the Extreme Winter Sea. At the time, most yers hadn¡¯t entered the Extreme Winter Sea yet, and most were still preparing in the surrounding areas. However, Xu Da and a few others had explored the area. ording to him, the Extreme Winter Sea was full ofrge floating icebergs, and if encountered, it was best to avoid them, as what appeared above the water was only the tip! Also, the temperature in the Extreme Winter Sea could reach minus ten degrees Celsius, making resupply very difficult, and fishing there was often a waste of time. Lastly, after traveling a certain distance in the Extreme Winter Sea, they would encounter white mist, but since Xu Da had never entered it, he didn¡¯t know what was inside. Perhaps the temperature would drop even more. Yang Yi thanked Xu Da for the information and continued chatting with him. His Swift Wind guild was different from most other fleets, as it was a loose alliance made up of young, fast ships and adventurous yers. They shared information, did internal trading, and asionally met up. Yang Yi then privately messaged several yers who had leftments saying they wanted to buy sweaters, selling 3 more sets. He then tried contacting other friends to speed up the selling process, so he wouldn¡¯t have to use up his chat messages in the world channel. It was also a good way to boost his presence. Once the remaining sets were sold, Yang Yi nned to sell them all to Shen Guanquan! He had arge appetite, so he would probably buy them all. The first person Yang Yi contacted was Zhou Dai. She was probably someone who didn¡¯tck money. Plus, her holy water had helped Yang Yi several times, so he could offer her a friendly price. But after waiting for more than ten minutes, Yang Yi still hadn¡¯t received a reply from Zhou Dai, which likely meant she wasn¡¯t interested. So, Yang Yi tried contacting the experienced fisherman He Qi, asking if he wanted the fuzzy sweaters. This time, he received a response almost immediately. He Qi: "Sorry, I just caught a big fish."(Attached was a picture of a nearly five-metre-long fish.) Yang Yi: "Who asked you about fishing?" He Qi: "Haha, the sweater¡¯s stats are okay, but I don¡¯t need it, because I have something better!"He sent over information about a piece of equipment. ¡¾Name: Fuzzy Seal Fur Coat¡¿ ¡¾Type: Treasure¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Rare¡¿ ¡¾Description: A fuzzy coat made from seal fur, covering the entire body. Not only is it warm, but it''s also waterproof. Even if you unfortunately fall into icy waters, you won¡¯t need to worry about freezing to death. It has one w, though ¡ª once worn, it tends to smell.¡¿ The trantion of this novel has been originally posted on iNovelTrantiondo If you¡¯re reading it somewhere else, please be aware it was copied without our consent. Yang Yi stared at the information for a while, unable to respond. The fisherman really knew his stuff! He decided to ask "He Brother, are you selling this outfit? I just earned a big sum." He Qi: "Not selling! If I give you mine, what would I wear?" Yang Yi: "Actually, the sweater is pretty nice. It entuates your figure." He Qi: "Go away! Want to show off your body in the ocean? Are you trying to attract passing sea monsters?" "If you want this outfit, you cane to the Extreme Winter Sea to fish." "Only by fishing fuzzy seals and killing them can you possibly get one through a vending machine." He Qi then sent a coordinate, showing where he caught it. Yang Yi fell silent. He couldn''t even catch normal fish; if he tried to catch a fuzzy seal, it would probably turn into a skeleton seal. But He Qi really was obsessed with fishing. While most yers were still preparing, he had already gone ahead and fished in the Extreme Winter Sea. No wonder he became the captain of the Fisherman ship. Moreover, his ship was also special, but its skills only appeared after levelling up. With a level 3 ship, there were two skills avable. ¡¾Blessing of the Angler: In any sea area, you can catch normal fish, and the chances of catching rare items are increased.¡¿ ¡¾Angler''s Persistence: You will never get an empty catch; as long as you''re willing to fish all day, you''ll catch something at least once.¡¿ After reading the skills, Yang Yi was stunned. So, all his fishing luck had been taken away by this guy! Later, the remaining 6 sets of fuzzy sweaters and misceneous pieces were all sold to Shen Guanquan. The guy took everything. With that, Yang Yi''s ount bnce reached 76,800 Shell Coins ¡ª quite a hefty sum. Aside from ship crews, yers who could pull out this kind of money were probably less than 1%. Yang Yi nned to use the money to upgrade his equipment and restock on ship supplies. As for medicines, there was no need ¡ª Suna¡¯s original potions were far better than anything else on the market in terms of effectiveness. Of course, they were much harder to drink. He started browsing through equipment on the chat channel and asked Suna if she wanted anything. Suna replied quickly and directly. "If you have extra money, just transfer it to me. I''mpletely out of cash!" Yang Yi read the message and shook his head. The girl didn¡¯t even need equipment, she seemed eager to pour all her money into herb. If she had a re gun, it¡¯d probably be sold within a few minutes. Yang Yi didn¡¯t ask her any further and transferred her 6,800 Shell Coins. He hoped she would use it wisely, know when to stop, and try to make some potions with better effects and fewer side effects! "By the way, can you make me another bottle of the Scarlet Potion, just in case?" Yang Yi sent another message. After receiving the money, Suna¡¯s attitude noticeably improved. "I¡¯ll make it for you now!" Yang Yi didn¡¯t bother with her further and continued nning his supplies. He had considered selling the Vitality Coconut Juice, as the Appetiser Potion could rece it and even had better effects. But after thinking about it, he decided to keep the coconut juice. It would be better for Suna, as her sanity cap was low, and the risk of drinking potions was too high for her. Coconut juice was a safer choice for her. He had 54 bottles, enough for her for quite a while. Yang Yi continued browsing weapon equipment and checking food prices, preparing for arge shopping spree. We have a new goal to reach 50 ratings on NovelBin! :D Once its done, we will release 3 bonus chapters! Current progress: 30/50 Thank you for reading, I hope you¡¯re enjoying the story :> We now have aPatreon, free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance! :D Please give the novel a rating and a review onNovelBin. It will help the website and also help people find this novel! Chapter 62 - The Big Shopping Spree Yang Yi checked the ship''s hold for food and freshwater. The inventory included: The supply of freshwater was barely sufficient. With a fire, freshwater could be distilled indefinitely. He only needed to purchase a flintstone to make this possible. The decision boiled down to whether to buy fish or dry food. Yang Yi''s daily intake had increased drastically ¡ª triple the usual amount ¡ª due to consuming an appetite-enhancing potion regrly. Hence, he calcted food preparation based on the needs of four people. (An adult''s daily diet is typically one ck bread and half a sausage.) After some thought, he decided to buy 200 ck bread and 100 sausages. Adding it to the existing stockpile, it would be enough for him and Suna tost one or two months at sea. It was all in preparation for the Extreme Winter Sea. They could have enough to survive for a long time even without catching fish. Additionally, he needed to buy some vegetables and fruits to replenish vitamins, especially vitamin C. Fruit, for example, could be unavable in the Extreme Winter Seas. He checked the market prices. ck bread was priced at 5 units of timber, approximately 25 Shell Coins. Its texture was rough and unappealing, but it had the advantage of long-term storage. Yang Yi strongly suspected that the bread recipe might include wood as an ingredient! Sausages, on the other hand, were much more expensive. They provided protein and essential salts for the human body, costing 50 Shell Coins each. Both food items weremon and could be produced in the Food Processing Workshop, an extension of ordinary ships. However, Yang Yi wasn''t familiar with the recipe for these items, and the workshop wasn''t avable in the expansion list for his Nightmare Star. In his view, buying food was more practical than wasting expansion space on food production, especially when fishing and making dried fish were viable alternatives. He would rather build a cannon or some other functional structure. With this decision made, Yang Yi purchased arge quantity of ck bread and sausages, spending a total of 10,000 Shell Coins. Next came the vegetables and fruits, which were monopolised by the Farmer Ship. Only the Farmer Ship could producerge quantities of vegetables and fruits; other ships couldn''t manage it. Although some yers tried growing crops onboard, the results were less than satisfactory. Growth was slow, unlike the Farmer Ship, which had skills to elerate harvests. Market prices showed that a single apple cost 100 Shell Coins and wasn''t suitable for long-term storage. Yang Yi contacted Shen Guanquan directly ¡ª the Farmer Ship was under his management ¡ª to see if he could get a discount. Yang Yi: "Do you have any longsting vegetables or fruits?" Shen Guanquan: "You''re in luck! We just made some fruit preserves. They''re rich in vitamin C and made from top-quality apples. 800 Shell Coins per pound." Yang Yi: "That''s too expensive!" Shen Guanquan: "You think it''s expensive? Even I think it''s expensive! It takes ten apples to make a pound. Take it or leave it ¡ª this is the lowest price. The market price is 1,000 Shell Coins per pound." Yang Yi checked the chat channels and found this to be true. The Farmer Ship currently held a monopoly, and Shen Guanquan had the final say on pricing. "Alright, give me five pounds!" "Got it!" Yang Yi gritted his teeth and purchased five pounds, costing him 4,000 Shell Coins. The trantion of this novel has been originally posted on iNovelTrantiondo If you¡¯re reading it somewhere else, please be aware it was copied without our consent. It was primarily for replenishing vitamins, so consuming it in moderation was enough. There were also some Eyeball Fruits in the warehouse, which Yang Yi nned to experiment with drying into Eyeball Fruit jerky. After handling these matters, Yang Yi had only 56,000 Shell Coins left, which he intended to use for upgrading his equipment. It was a process that couldn¡¯t be rushed; he needed to browse carefully,pare options, and find a powerful weapon suited to him, ideally at the lowest possible price. While fishing, Yang Yi browsed the chat channels for weapon listings, asionally leaving a message: "Looking for melee weapons, long ones preferred ¡ª the longer and thicker, the better! Only looking for premium-quality or above, relics preferred. DM me with offers!" He repeated this message every hour, intending to acquire arge, cold weapon. After his battles with the Spider Queen and Gluttonous Guest, Yang Yi realised a critical weakness: his weapons were too short, making it difficult to effectively harmrge creatures. Weapons like the Sea Serpent Fang, a short sword, were excellent against small targets butcked the reach and impact to deal with massive creatures. Thus, Yang Yi urgently needed a long weapon topensate for this shoring ¡ª something capable of inflicting serious damage onrge opponents. He browsed for hours, receiving private messages, but none of the offers caught his eye. Good items were rare, as most yers preferred to keep them unless they had superior recements. After several hours, Yang Yi shortlisted three suitable long weapons, each of premium quality and reasonably priced. He nned to choose one: ¡¾Name: Great Horse-Cleaving de¡¿ ¡¾Type: Relic¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Premium¡¿ ¡¾Description: A long, sharp de capable of easily cutting through cattle bones. With mastery, it can decapitate a bull in one stroke.¡¿ ¡¾Price: 15,000 Shell Coins¡¿ ¡¾Details: The de has a slight curve, measures nearly 1.5 meters in length (including the handle), and is visually striking.¡¿ ¡¾Name: Two-Handed Greatsword¡¿ ¡¾Type: Relic¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Premium¡¿ ¡¾Description: A heavy greatsword that is not particrly sharp but incredibly durable. Requires Strength 7 to wield and Strength 8 to fully master. While it may not slice through foes, it can crush bones effectively.¡¿ ¡¾Seller: A female yer with Strength 5, unable to wield the sword, decided to sell it. However, due to the scarcity of yers with Strength 7, it had been listed for a long time without any buyers.¡¿ ¡¾Price: 20,000 Shell Coins (non-negotiable).¡¿ ¡¾Name: Steel-Tipped Spear¡¿ ¡¾Type: Relic¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Premium¡¿ ¡¾Description: Crafted with bull tendon wood soaked in tung oil and tipped with steel, this spear has excellent pration and flexibility. With proper technique, it can deliver devastating piercing damage.¡¿ ¡¾Price: 12,000 Shell Coins.¡¿ Each weapon had its advantages and disadvantages: After some thought, Yang Yi leaned towards the Two-Handed Greatsword. Its high Strength requirement matched his +2 Strength boost during frenzy, making it an ideal weapon. If he had possessed this sword during his fight with the Spider Queen,bined with his Three Eyes, Yang Yi was confident he could have smashed the Spider Queen¡¯s head! Even if not fatal, it would have given her a severe concussion. He tried negotiating the price, but the seller wouldn¡¯t budge, firmly demanding 20,000 Shell Coins. Reluctantly, Yang Yi decided to browse a bit longer. If nothing better came along, he would settle for the greatsword. Just then, a private message popped up: "Hey, bro, interested in a giant sword? Big and impressive, just what you''re looking for ¡ª and it''s a relic!" We have a new goal to reach 50 ratings on NovelBin! :D Once its done, we will release 3 bonus chapters! Current progress: 33/50 Shoutout to our new Patreon Bonnie Swihart! Thank you so much for joining the team! :D Thank you for reading, I hope you¡¯re enjoying the story :> We now have aPatreon! Feel free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance! :D Please give the novel a rating and a review on NovelBin. It will help the website and also help people find this novel! The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 63 - Ironbreaker "Broken Sword?" Yang Yi immediately lost interest. "Send it over for me to take a look." ¡°Hehe! I just dragged this sword back, and it took a lot of effort...¡± The other party seemed like a chatterbox, giving a full ount of the backstory while selling the weapon. ording to him, the broken sword was discovered on a barren ind.No vegetation, grey-white soul ¡ª lifeless.There was only one scorched cksmith''s shop on the ind, and inside ity the broken sword. ¡°If I weren¡¯t in such desperate need of supplies and pressed for time, I would never sell it!¡± The man went into meticulous detail, and within just a few minutes, he managed to imbue the weapon with a cultural and emotional value. Yang Yi, growing impatient from the long-winded story, urged him:¡°So, are you selling the sword or selling the story?¡± ¡°Selling the sword! Of course, the sword!¡± ¡°Show me the stats!¡± ¡°Right away!¡± He sent over the weapon¡¯s attributes: ¡¾Name: Ironbreaker¡¿¡¾Type: Relic¡¿¡¾Quality: Rare Item¡¿¡¾Description: A cksmith forged this broken sword in a fit of rage. Crafted from an unknown, extremely hard metal, its rigidity made it difficult to shape, resulting in a crude and unwieldy design. Requires Strength 9 to barely wield and Strength 10 (human limit) to handle properly. Human strength alone is insufficient to utilise such an extraordinary weapon ¡ª it¡¯s made to y...¡¿ A weapon image was attached. After viewing it, Yang Yi couldn¡¯t help but let out a string of exmations. Calling it a sword felt a bit far-fetched ¡ª it was more like a massive b of iron.It was hard to imagine what kind of person, in what mental state, would forge such a monstrous weapon. The de was approximately 35 cm wide, 220 cm long, and the tip appeared to be broken off, leaving a nted edge.Its overall appearance was extremely rough, resembling an unfinished product.The surface was riddled with dents and uneven hammer marks, including the de¡¯s edge, whichcked uniform thickness and would cause tearing rather than clean cuts. The trantion of this novel has been originally posted on iNovelTrantiondo If you¡¯re reading it somewhere else, please be aware it was copied without our consent. If someone were struck by this thing, it wouldn¡¯t leave a smooth wound. Instead, it would create a gory, jagged mess, as if torn apart by a beast ¡ª there would be no way of stitching it back up. Yang Yi was immediately drawn to the weapon¡¯s savage and rugged appearance. He asked about its price. ¡°How much are you asking?¡± ¡°50,000 Shell Coins, no haggling!If the strength requirement wasn¡¯t so high, I¡¯d keep it for myself!¡± He had a point. Requiring Strength 9 to even swing it was quite demanding. For reference, an average adult¡¯s Strength was only 5, and attribute growth wasn¡¯t linear. From Yang Yi¡¯s experience, Strength 8 was roughly double Strength 5, and the gap widened exponentially as the number increased. Strength 9 was a rare feat. Few yers could achieve it, and those who could were exceptional. Even Yang Yi needed to activate both his madness bonus and Refuse to Die states simultaneously to barely reach that level. Of course, he could also drink potions or use body-enhancing spells to meet the requirement. Ordinary yers, though, would just stare at it in frustration. ¡°No discount?¡± ¡°Nope! If the attribute requirement weren¡¯t so high, I¡¯d sell it for 100,000.¡± Yang Yi shook his head after reading the information. The weapon wasn¡¯t bad, but asking for 50,000 was absurd! Thest rare-grade revolver only sold for 120,000! Guns were clearly better than this sword. At present, ranged weapons were superior to melee weapons, and firearms outperformed cold weapons ¡ª this was an undeniable truth! Moreover, the broken sword was ssified as a relic, which usually came with drawbacks.Many yers avoided relics for such a reason, having been burned too many times. Only someone like Yang Yi, who wasn¡¯t afraid of sanity penalties, preferred them.After all,pared to treasures, relics often excelled in specific areas. ¡°Buddy, could you at least hint at the weapon¡¯s drawbacks so I know what I¡¯m dealing with?¡± Yang Yi messaged. ¡°What else could it be? Sanity drain, obviously!¡± ¡°How much?¡± ¡°Why so many questions? Buy it or not! The lowest I¡¯ll go is 40,000!¡± Sensing Yang Yi¡¯s probing, the seller dropped the price by 10,000.The eagerness to sell indicated the weapon had serious ws, and the seller was desperate to offload it. So, Yang Yi continued bargaining: ¡°35,000, and we¡¯ll seal the deal ¡ª no more nonsense!¡± ¡°38,000!¡± ¡°Deal!¡± After bargaining down 12,000, Yang Yi promptly paid and acquired the broken sword. As for its drawbacks, Yang Yi wasn¡¯t too concerned. If it was just a sanity drain, it wouldn¡¯t matter unless it was extreme. The transaction waspleted quickly. A heavy, rugged broken sword was spat out by the octopus-head vending machine, crashing into the deck, and leaving a deep dent. Fortunately, the deck could repair itself. Otherwise, Yang Yi would¡¯ve had to spend materials to fix the ship! ¡°It¡¯s really heavy!¡± Yang Yi tried lifting it. Even with both hands, he couldn¡¯t raise the sword, only managed to drag it by the hilt, leaving a deep scratch across the deck. Before long, a private message popped up ¡ª it was from the seller. He seemed to be in a great mood and sent Yang Yi a reminder: ¡°Hey, buddy, just a heads-up. If you¡¯re not using that weapon, you¡¯d better wrap it up tight and toss it in a corner. I won¡¯t say more than that!¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± Yang Yi immediately replied but discovered that the message failed to send. The system notified him that he¡¯d been blocked by the other party. ¡°Is the drawback really that bad?¡± Yang Yi turned his gaze to Ironbreaker, yet it didn¡¯t seem all that special. Wait! He noticed the uneven, reflective surface of the de, and within it appeared the fleeting image of a white skull phantom rushing towards him. ¡¾The Spirit of Dread passes through you. You feel a chill of terror. Sanity -5.¡¿ Yang Yi felt a cold sweat break out, goosebumps covering his skin. Worse yet, the attack persisted as the Spirit of Dread repeatedly rammed into him. ¡¾The Spirit of Dread passes through you. You feel a chill of terror. Sanity -5.¡¿¡¾The Spirit of Dread passes through you. You feel a chill of terror. Sanity -5.¡¿ It was an invisible ghost, imperceptible to the average person. Yang Yi furrowed his brow, realising he¡¯d been duped! No wonder the seller had blocked him so quickly. This weapon...would be nearly unusable for the time being. It would take extensive training and adaptation to this terror to minimise the sanity drain, allowing him to wield the sword properly. But that process could take a long time... As Yang Yi contemted this, he prepared to wrap the weapon tightly and stash it in some secluded corner, to prevent the phantom from harming anyone. However... ¡¾Your sanity is below 50. You¡¯ve entered a Madness state... Fearless.¡¿¡¾The Spirit of Dread passes through you. You remain unaffected.¡¿¡¾The Spirit of Dread passes through you. You remain unaffected.¡¿ A few minutester: ¡¾The Spirit of Dread has ceased its harassment and returned to the sword.¡¿ ¡°Uh...¡± Yang Yi was speechless. Even with three eyes, he still couldn¡¯t fully perceive the invisible entity. In his enhanced vision, the skeletal phantom appeared with drooping eye sockets, looking deeply aggrieved as it slowly floated back into Ironbreaker. It almost seemed...a little pitiful? Yang Yi suddenly found his own thoughts amusing. Feeling sorry for something like this ¡ª maybe his own mind wasn¡¯t in great shape either. We have a new goal to reach 50 ratings on NovelBin! :D Once its done, we will release 3 bonus chapters! Current progress: 33/50 Thank you for reading, I hope you¡¯re enjoying the story :> We now have aPatreon! Feel free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance! :D Please give the novel a rating and a review on NovelBin. It will help the website and also help people find this novel! Chapter 64 - Enhanced Weapon Yang Yi took a piece of leather and wrapped the Broken Iron Sword in it before stuffing it into his greedy stomach pouch. Unless he faced arge creature, it was better not to use it. The drawback was its demanding requirement: Strength 9. If he could boost his base strength by 6 points, it would be much more convenient. After triggering Madness, he¡¯d only be 1 point short, which could be supplemented with a potion. Next, he needed to seize the time to enhance his strength! After purchasing the Broken Iron Sword, Yang Yi was left with a bnce of only 18,000. He nned to use the remaining funds to buy some misceneous items and check out bows. If the funds fell short, he could trade some resources to make up the difference. He checked the world channel but didn¡¯t find anything worthwhile. Ranged weapons were more in demand than melee ones, with an overall trend of highpetition, especially for guns. He privately messaged several people, only to find that the weapons were already sold. Finding a suitable bow wasn¡¯t going to be easy. However, Yang Yi wasn¡¯t in a rush ¡ª he nned to spend the next few days fishing in the pr sea. Unable to find the right ranged weapon, he turned to other necessities, all reasonably priced. He spent 120 stone to buy a piece of flint, 1,200 Shell Coins for two down jackets, 800 Shell Coins for two woolen hats, and 2,000 Shell Coins for four pairs of long fleece-lined boots. The reason for buying down jackets instead of just woolen sweaters was the extreme cold. If sweaters and trousers couldn¡¯t keep him warm, he couldyer the down jackets on top ¡ª it was worth the extra expense. After finishing his shopping, it was alreadyte at night. He drank a bottle of appetite potion, ate three loaves of ck bread and a sausage, drank a litre of freshwater, and then drifted off to sleep. ¡¾Name: Woolen Hat¡¿¡¾Type: Treasure¡¿¡¾Quality: Common¡¿¡¾Description: Soft andfortable, it wraps the head well and prevents frostbite on the ears.¡¿ ¡¾Name: Long Fleece-Lined Boots¡¿¡¾Type: Treasure¡¿¡¾Quality: Fine¡¿¡¾Description: The soles are patterned for anti-slip purposes. Thick and lined with fleece, these boots are ideal for snow walking, offering warmth and grip. However, they¡¯re not very breathable ¡ª don¡¯t try sniffing the inside.¡¿ The following day, the Nightmare Star sailed as usual. If all went as expected, they would reach the pr sea in two days. Yang Yi stood at the bow of the ship, fishing. ¡°Hey, buddy, do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡± He attempted to converse with the skeletal captain at the ship¡¯s bow. The captain didn¡¯t respond and simply kept moving his jaw open and shut. ¡°Here, try this long-legged sardine I just caught!¡± Yang Yi stuffed a long-legged sardine into the skeletal captain¡¯s mouth. Although it could bite, it had no digestive tract. The fish ended up slipping out between the bones. Yang Yi¡¯s enthusiasm waned. The trantion of this novel has been originally posted on iNovelTrantiondo If you¡¯re reading it somewhere else, please be aware it was copied without our consent. He realised the skeletal captain was nothing more than a decoration. He wondered if upgrading the ship in the future would bring some new functionality to it. He continued fishing. Before entering the pr sea, he wanted to catch as many eyeball fruits as possible and try drying them into eyeball fruit jerky. Since he had no fire, he nned to make a simple stove, hang the eyeball fruits nearby, and speed up the drying process. As he thought about this, he caught another eyeball fruit. While fishing, Yang Yi also checked the chat channel, looking for equipment to enhance Suna¡¯s attack power. Her bow and arrows were quite limited in effectiveness. Against tough-skinned or armored monsters, it was difficult to inflict substantial damage. Thus, Yang Yi had been searching for a more powerful bow or a crossbow-like weapon. However, after browsing for an entire afternoon, he still couldn¡¯t find anything suitable. Either the prices were exorbitant, or the quality was too low. Ultimately, it all boiled down to one problem: Yang Yi didn¡¯t have enough money! Ranged weapons were significantly more expensive than melee ones, sometimes costing twice as much ¡ª especially firearms! He had just seen a high-quality double-barrel shotgun sell for a hefty 40,000 coins. ¡¾Name: Double-Barrel Shotgun¡¿¡¾Type: Treasure¡¿¡¾Quality: Premium¡¿¡¾Description: A hunter''s favored double-barrel shotgun. Effective range: 50 metres. Ammo capacity: 2. Automatic reload time: 3 minutes. Suitable for hunting boars.¡¿ Yang Yi¡¯s ount had only 14,000 Shell Coins left. If he converted his resources into cash, he could add another 20,000 coins. But with such amount, buying a rare-grade bow was just a pipe dream. Purchasing a premium-grade bow would only provide a slight improvement ¡ª no fundamental change. ¡°What if I buy a premium bow and then enhance it using a low-tier artisan inscription stone?¡± As Yang Yi mulled over this, a new idea struck him. He couldn¡¯t afford a bow, but he could afford arrows! Searching with specific keywords, he finally found something worthwhile. Although there were no explosive or ice arrows for sale, armor-piercing arrows were avable. ¡¾Name: Tri-edged Armour-Piercing Arrow¡¿¡¾Type: Consumable¡¿¡¾Quality: Fine¡¿¡¾Description: These arrows have excellent pration capabilities. The arrowheads include blood grooves that cause wounds to bleed continuously and heal poorly.¡¿ After reading the description, Yang Yi decided to buy these arrows. They were far superior to the iron arrows produced by the simple synthesis system! However, the price was steep ¡ª 300 Shell Coins per arrow. Still, considering the arrows could be reused, the price was reasonable. He immediately contacted the seller. ¡°250 Shell Coins for 30 tri-edged armour-piercing arrows ¡ª deal?¡± ¡°Not selling!¡± The seller was quite firm. After some haggling, Yang Yi finally bought 40 arrows for 280 Shell Coins each, spending a total of 11,200 coins. His ount now had only 2,800 Shell Coins remaining. Yang Yi decided to save the rest for emergencies. ¡°Suna, I bought some armour-piercing arrows and left them in your room,¡± Yang Yi messaged her. Suna was mostly holed up in theb, and Yang Yi didn¡¯t bother asking what she was working on. A few minutester, she replied: ¡°Got it!¡± After finishing these errands, Yang Yi took out the low-tier artisan inscription stone he had obtained earlier. The item could only be used to enhance treasures, and Yang Yi had been holding onto it. Initially, he nned to buy a suitable premium-grade polearm to enhance. But unexpectedly, he ended up buying a rare-grade weapon instead. Yang Yi didn¡¯t like hoarding items. For enhancement tools like this, it was better to use them when needed. Dying with unused resources would beughable. He immediately enhanced the Sea Serpent¡¯s Fang. A dazzling golden light shed, and the weapon''s properties changed. ¡¾Name: zing Sea Serpent¡¯s Fang (Transformed)¡¿¡¾Type: Treasure¡¿¡¾Quality: Rare¡¿¡¾Description: A serpent fang dagger infused with fiery power and enhanced. Extremely sharp, it inflicts burns on wounds. Can release stored fiery energy in a single burst, spraying a fan-shaped me to ignite items within the area. Cooldown: 48 hours. After using the me burst, the dagger dims and loses its burning effect. ¡¿ After reviewing the updated stats, Yang Yi was very pleased. To his surprise, the enhanced Sea Serpent¡¯s Fang had gained an active skill ¡ª this was a true transformation! It seemed that upgrading weapons to rare-grade significantly boosted their attributes. The me burst skill could even serve as a makeshift ignition tool, although it might identally burn unnecessary things. However, with its long cooldown, it was best used sparingly unless absolutely necessary. We have a new goal to reach 50 ratings on NovelBin! :D Once its done, we will release 3 bonus chapters! Current progress: 33/50 Thank you for reading, I hope you¡¯re enjoying the story :> We now have aPatreon! Feel free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance! :D Please give the novel a rating and a review on NovelBin. It will help the website and also help people find this novel! Chapter 65 - The marvellous use of the bony arm December website update As evening approached, Yang Yi began to tally up his catch for the day. 15 eyeball fruits, 9 long-legged sardines, 1 red-lipped eel, and 3 cyst-spike pufferfish. The fishings were also covered in 3 starfish and 1 one-armed crab. "Not bad!" Yang Yi nodded in approval. His goal for the day was to gather more eyeball fruits in preparation for the harsh winter sea regions ahead. He sent some of the fish he nned to eat to theboratory, then grabbed a few stones and a bit of wood from the cabin, intending to try making fire. He found an open spot on the deck and used the stones to form a simple circle, cing some spider hairs inside. They were no longer useful for making clothes, as they were too few in number. So, Yang Yi decided to use them to start a fire instead. After all, hair ¡ª especially the thicker kind ¡ª was highly mmable when dry, making it ideal for starting a fire. He prepared the wood and, using the Sea Serpent¡¯s Fang, scraped it against the flint. Sparks flew, and the spider hairs quickly caught fire. Seeing the mes, Yang Yi¡¯s face lit up with excitement. "Survival really does depend on being able to start a fire!" he thought. He took advantage of the mes and ced the prepared wood inside, cutting it into smaller pieces to make it easier to catch fire. Once the fire was stable, he addedrger pieces of wood. It was very safe to start a campfire on the Nightmare Star as long as no other debris was nearby. The ship¡¯s deck was protected by ayer of bone armor, making it almost impossible for fire to spread. "Now I need something to hang the eyeball fruits nearby with..." Yang Yi nced around, thinking of a solution. At that moment, several bony arms reached out from the deck, each opening its hand, seemingly wanting to help him. "What''s this?" Yang Yi was a bit confused. It seemed like the arms wanted him to hand over the eyeball fruits. Yang Yiplied. He watched as the bony arms carefully lifted the eyeball fruits, holding them in the air around the campfire. "Is this okay?" It was like Yang Yi had discovered a new continent. He began experimenting, trying to figure out how the arms worked. He quickly concluded it was all about demand! When he focused his thoughts on a need, the arms would instinctively gather and try to help. Soon, nine bony arms grabbed the long-legged sardines and started grilling them, with no need for Yang Yi to do anything himself. However, he still had to keep an eye on the process. The arms didn¡¯t know how to cook properly and would just blindly follow orders. If left unattended, they would continue to cook the fish until it turned into charcoal, and then into ash... "This is pretty useful!" Yang Yi nodded in satisfaction, eating one of the grilled sardines and leaving a message for Suna. "Suna, the bony arms on the Nightmare Star can be controlled. When you focus on a need, they wille to help. You should try it!" "I knew that already!" came the reply. "Huh? Why didn¡¯t you tell me?" "I thought you were giving me permission." "Uh..." Yang Yi was speechless. He stopped grilling the fish and grabbed the two cooked sardines, heading to theboratory, where he happened to find Suna busy with something. A few bony arms acted like assistants, fetching various tools for her, greatly increasing her efficiency. Some of the arms were even spinning test tubes rapidly, shaking the liquids inside... "A centrifuge...?" Yang Yi¡¯s eyes widened. He couldn''t help but admire Suna''s creativity. He handed her the two grilled sardines. "Try this, I seasoned it with salt. Should be good!" Suna took a bite, chewed, and after confirming the taste was good, finished the fish with a satisfied look. "Is it good?" she asked. "Yeah, I bought a flint and left it in the cabin. Also made a temporary campfire on the deck." "Alright! If I can start a fire, then I can try concentrating the magic potions..." Suna rubbed her chin, seeming to be lost in thought. The trantion of this novel has been originally posted on iNovelTrantiondo If you¡¯re reading it somewhere else, please be aware it was copied without our consent. But time was alreadyte. Yang Yi came here to call her back to sleep. However, just before leaving, Yang Yi noticed arge ss tank in theboratory, filled with more than a dozen baby spiders, some dead fish were ced in the tank to feed them. "Are you raising spiders?" Yang Yi asked. "Yeah, the survival rate is very low, out of dozens of eggs, only about a dozen hatched." "Why are you raising spiders?" Yang Yi frowned. Because these spiders weren''t exactly pleasant, neither edible nor particrly pleasant to look at ¡ªthere seemed to be little point in raising them. "Don''t you think theboratory could use some small test subjects?" Suna casually replied. "Alright then." Yang Yi gave a few seconds of silent mourning for the newborn spiders, then left theboratory. The Nightmare Star continued its usual course, sailing at 40 knots. Unless something unexpected happened, the ship would be entering the extreme winter sea region in no time. Early the following morning, Yang Yi was woken up by the chill of the air. The first thing he did was to reach for his left shoulder, then exhale in relief. He had had a nightmare. In the dream, a second head had appeared on his left shoulder, and it even had his own face! It was terrifying! When he woke up, he found himself drenched in sweat, the cold sea wind outside making him feel even colder. His room had a draft. Yang Yi hurriedly put on a sweater, and only then did he begin to regain hisposure. He began to think back, trying to remember exactly what the face in the dream looked like. After a few seconds, Yang Yi finally had an answer, but it only made him feel even more afraid. The face was that of a woman, blurry but unmistakably feminine, and quite beautiful! Then there were... pair of blood-red eyes. Thinking of this, goosebumps appeared all over Yang Yi¡¯s body. ¡¾A chill runs through you, your sanity decreases by 10.¡¿ Did he merge with Suna? Had he turned into a two-headed demon? How terrifying! Yang Yi pped himself on the face to calm down. By now, he had graduallye to understand this nightmare. It wasn¡¯t a prophetic vision, but more of a warning dream ¡ª a premonition of danger. Yang Yi ssified these kinds of premonitions into three categories. First, if he didn''t die in the nightmare, it meant the danger wasn''t deadly. For example, a dream where sea monsters and Suna pointed guns at him. Second, if he died in the nightmare, it meant the danger could indeed be fatal, like being attacked by a drowning creature. The third, and the one Yang Yi feared the most, was the kind of dream where the details were too difficult to remember. Attempting to recall it would cause a headache. So far, he had had such a dream once, where he saw a massive spider, likely representing the Spider Queen. As per his most recent dream, Yang Yi didn''t die, and it seemed more curious than terrifying, so it was safe. His life was not in danger. He made a mental note to stay near the witch¡¯sboratory in the near future. He sat on the bed for a moment,pletely calming down, then put on his pirate outfit and stepped out. The sea breeze outside carried a chilly bite. Today''s Weather: The temperature has dropped; you¡¯ll need to wear an extrayer. Location: Sea of Origins Remaining Daylight: 7 hours Temperature: 2-7¡ãC Wind Strength: Level 4 "Has it really dropped to two degrees? We haven''t even entered the extreme winter sea region yet." Yang Yi frowned. We have a new goal to reach 50 ratings on NovelBin! :D Once its done, we will release 3 bonus chapters! Current progress: 33/50 Thank you for reading, I hope you¡¯re enjoying the story :> We now have aPatreon! Feel free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance! :D Please give the novel a rating and a review on NovelBin. It will help the website and also help people find this novel! Reach 50 votes on NovelBin. Once the goal is reached, three bonus chapters will be rsed! :D The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 66 - A person with facial hair Yang Yi had just left the house when Suna woke up as well. She opened her door, and the cold sea breeze swept across her body, but then...she decisively shut it tight back. Ten minutester, the door opened again. This time, Suna was fully equipped, wearing a sweater and woolen trousers, a cotton hat on her head, and long woolen boots on her feet. Although her witch¡¯s attire was somewhat warm, it still wasn¡¯t as effective as clothing specifically designed for cold weather. Yang Yi¡¯s sharp eyes quickly caught a detail ¡ª Suna had obviously ¡°gained a bit of weight.¡± He teased her, saying: "Is it that cold? We haven''t even entered the extreme winter sea yet." Suna didn¡¯t respond, silently epting the fact that she was cold. Meanwhile, Yang Yi was in the courtyard doing his morning exercises. Ever since he obtained the Broken Iron sword, he had developed a habit of trying to lift the massive sword every day, using it to train his strength. He also noticed that since using the appetite-enhancing potion, his physical constitution had improved significantly, and he was getting stronger.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Thus, he needed to keep exercising to ensure he didn''t end up too heavy. After finishing his morning training, Yang Yi went to the courtyard to check on the dried fish. It would probably take another day or two before they were fully hardened. Ever since discovering the usefulness of the skeletal arms, Yang Yi had be a ruthless capitalist, ordering the skeletal arms to roast fish and dry Eyeball Fruits day and night, with no breaks. They worked full-time, 24 hours a day, because the undead couldn¡¯tin about being tired. Even if they wanted to, they didn¡¯t have mouths to speak. After inspecting the fish, Yang Yi prepared to go fishing. He had tried getting the skeletal arms to fish for him, but they were too stupid and didn¡¯t know when to pull the rod, so the attempt had failed. Fishing was something he had to do himself. The whole morning passed, and he hadn¡¯t caught a single fish. It might have been the effect of the extreme winter sea. It wasn¡¯t until the afternoon that he finally hooked something, immediately pulling the rod. "Whoa, that¡¯s pretty big!" Yang Yi pulled hard, but nearly got yanked into the sea. So, he changed tactics, loosening the line to let the fish tire itself out before reeling it in, entering a long draw battle. Twenty minutester, he finally saw the true appearance of the fish. "What is this?" Arge, greyish-white circr disc emerged, covered in semi-transparent jelly-like tentacles. Yang Yi gave a strong tug and lifted the disc, which was about a metre in diametre. It was only then that he realised what it truly was: an enormous jellyfish, semi-transparent, with its underside facing up as Yang Yi hauled it out. The jellyfish¡¯s head was arge circr disc, seemingly made of bone-like material ¡ª very hard. Yang Yi prodded it with a spear several times, and after a while, it stopped moving entirely. ¡¾Name: Iron Crown Jellyfish¡¿ ¡¾Description: A giant jellyfish polluted by the Abyss, with a hardened head. Being stung by its tentacles causes a pain thatsts for several days. It is edible, and when heated, it bes non-toxic.¡¿ The jellyfish''s head shell was tough, with high calcium and iron content, making it extremely solid and heat-resistant. "Heat-resistant? Isn''t this just a pot?" Yang Yimented not having a pot, but now he had unwittingly caught one from the sea. He picked up the Iron Crown Jellyfish, moved his arm out of the way, and then ced it on the campfire with its head facing down. Soon, the jellyfish''s body began to melt, turning into a gooey mess that boiled and bubbled. Yang Yi tried a sip of it but couldn¡¯t taste anything, as his tongue went numb and lost sensation. "Did this jellyfish grow up eating Sichuan peppercorns?" He almost threw it away but suddenly realised that it could be used as Sichuan pepper oil! He then took out a bottle to collect the melted jellyfish. As for the remaining Iron Crown head, pot. By evening, Yang Yi hadn¡¯t caught anything else, so he decided to stop fishing and focused on physical training instead. Suddenly, he noticed the sea chart had changed. The trantion of this novel has been originally posted on iNovelTrantiondo If you¡¯re reading it somewhere else, please be aware it was copied without our consent. A small ind appeared in the top right corner. Although only part of it was visible, it seemed to be quiterge. Yang Yi picked up the crystal ball and examined it closely. They were already near the Extreme Winter Sea, so how did they happen toe across an ind? After thinking for a moment, he decided to head over and check it out. Ignoring the ind seemed like an unreliable choice. As he changed course and sailed towards the ind, the sea chart began disying it''s full image. Yang Yi misjudged the size of the ind; it wasn¡¯t asrge as he imagined. Rather, it was long and narrow, like a spindle, with the widest part in the middle. Stretching about 10 kilometres, with the widest part around 2, it was bigger than the previous Spider Ind, but not by much. There were no other yers¡¯ ships nearby, so it was unlikely there would be an ambush. Yang Yi continued approaching. Before nightfall, the Nightmare Star stopped about two nautical miles from the ind. He pulled out a telescope, then gasped. "Huh! How is there a ship on this ind? Was it blown here by the sea wind?" "Wait a minute!" Yang Yi became nervous. He spotted a pair of green, glistening eyes on the shoreline! Because of the dim lighting, he couldn¡¯t clearly make out what it was, however it was probably some kind of wild beast. So, he switched to his left eye with night vision. "A id shirt...is that a yer?" Yang Yi was a little surprised. "Why are they crawling on the ground?" He felt something was off and decided to call Suna over to take a look. "Suna,e to the bow of the ship," he sent a message. "What''s going on?" "I found an ind. There¡¯s a yer with a furry face crawling on the ground!" "I¡¯ll be right there!" Suna hurried over and snatched the telescope from Yang Yi to have a look. Yang Yi, meanwhile, stared at the crystal ball, puzzled. If the strange creature had once been a yer, then where was their ship? It couldn¡¯t have swum there, right? Suna continued watching with great interest, taking her time before finally putting down the telescope. "His body must have undergone some kind of transformation. No normal person¡¯s arms are that long!" "We¡¯ll have to capture one and dissect it to find out..." "Let¡¯s leave it for tomorrow. It¡¯s toote today!" Yang Yi steered the Nightmare Star away. By nightfall, he was back in the captain¡¯s quarters, lying on his bed, thinking about the strange person on the ind. Unlike Suna, he wasn¡¯t interested in the creature¡¯s bodily transformation, but was more curious as to why he hadn¡¯t noticed its ship. After thinking for a long time, he came up with three possible scenarios. First, the ship was dismantled by other yers. Second, the ship was invisible. Third, the ship disappeared after the yer died. All three possibilities seemed usible. As for thest one, Yang Yi spected it could be part of the system¡¯s recovery mechanism. After a yer died, their ship didn¡¯t drift mindlessly, instead disappearing after some time. "System recovery? If it¡¯s a special ship, doesn¡¯t that mean it¡¯s a one-off? It would be gone for good, since there¡¯s only one of them!" "Or maybe after recovery, the blueprints appear in another form?" Yang Yi wasn¡¯t sure, but he hoped to find out the answer in the future. Bonus chapter for reaching the goal! :D We have a new goal to reach 50 ratings on NovelBin! :D Once its done, we will release 3 bonus chapters! Current progress: 34/50 Thank you for reading, I hope you¡¯re enjoying the story :> We now have aPatreon! Feel free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance! :D Please give the novel a rating and a review on NovelBin. It will help the website and also help people find this novel! Reach 50 votes on NovelBin. Once the goal is reached, three bonus chapters will be rsed! :D Chapter 67 - On the island The following day, at dawn. Yang Yi steered the Nightmare Star towards the spindle-shaped ind and stopped at its southern side. A broken, half-sunken massive shipy at the centre of the ind, seemingly having been there for a long time, its surface covered in some kind of vegetation. If the ship were intact, its length would have exceeded several hundred metres, making it a giant ship. Yang Yi did not rush to the ind but checked the crystal ball again to make sure no other yers'' ships were nearby. Only then did he begin his next move. He raised his gun over his head and fired a shot into the air. Bang! The sound of the gunshot was loud and clear. If all went well, the gunshot would attract the monsters on the ind. The previous night, he had seen one of them wandering around the southern coast. Two minutes after, two hairy-faced monsters came running towards him. One was the man in the id shirt he had already seent, the other a woman with hair on her face, long arms, and ck, reflective fingertips. They swiftly moved on all fours, stopping at the coastline, lifting their grey-haired faces, and looking towards the Nightmare Star. Yang Yi naturally wouldn¡¯t let them run for nothing. He adjusted the ship¡¯s position, aimed the thick, rusted cannon at them, and fired two cannonballs the size of fists. Boom! The cannon shot was not sharp and loud, more like the sound of water balloons bursting. At a distance of less than three hundred metres, the two cannonballs hit their mark, the powerful force splitting the monsters in half, dropping a pile of parts and leaving two deep craters in the sand. ¡°What did you do that for?!¡± Sunained. The two monsters, whole seconds ago, were reduced to pieces in front of her. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure how strong they were, so I tried using the cannon first. If the cannon can¡¯t kill them, then we better not go ashore; it¡¯s too dangerous!¡± Yang Yi replied. His words left Suna with no room to argue. ¡°Fine! ording to my experience in gaming, if there¡¯s a second one, there will definitely be a third. When that happens, you handle it yourself; I won¡¯t interfere.¡± Yang Yi continued, then steered the ship and prepared to anchor at a suitable spot. The monsters weren¡¯t strong, nowhere near as tough as the Gluttonous Guests. If it had been one of those hungry creatures, taking a cannonball would likely not have killed it, unless it hit the head. After waiting a bit and confirming there was no further movement on the ind, he finally released the raft and prepared to go ashore with Suna. ¡°This is?¡± Suna handed Yang Yi a makeshift mask. It was simple, made of severalyers of cloth with a bit of fire moss inside. ¡°It¡¯s a makeshift mask. It doesn¡¯t provide much protection, but it¡¯s better than nothing. These people might have contracted some kind of disease, so we need to be cautious.¡± She then put it on and climbed down the ship¡¯sdder, jumping onto the raft. Yang Yi followed closely behind. The two of them rowed the raft to the shore smoothly. Suna immediately ran to the bodies. Yang Yi, meanwhile, stayed alert, pulling the raft onto the sand. Once he confirmed the area was safe, he too walked over to check the bodies on the ground. ¡¾Name: Half-Werewolf¡¿ ¡¾Description: Infected with Frenzied Wolf Disease, lost their self-awareness; in the process of transforming into a wolf. At night, their abilities increase¡¿ ¡°Half-Werewolf... Frenzied Wolf Disease. No wonder they walk on all fours, and their eyes turn green at night.¡± Yang Yi muttered, then, like he was discarding something dirty, he threw away the half-ear he was holding and washed his hands in the seawater. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Suna¡¯s theory to it the mark. It really is a disease. I hope it¡¯s not airborne...otherwise, that would be trouble!¡± Yang Yi thought to himself. The trantion of this novel has been originally posted on iNovelTrantiondo If you¡¯re reading it somewhere else, please be aware it was copied without our consent. On the other side, Suna was squatting in front of the half-body, holding a witch¡¯s dagger. She used the dagger to cut through the id shirt, examining the body. The injury was severe: the body was split in half, and internal organs were spilled everywhere. She then examined the damage to the man¡¯s clothes and the healed scars on his skin and made a judgment. ¡°This person was probably scratched by something before, and the wound had already healed. The Frenzied Wolf Disease is likely transmitted through the wounds.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, his ws or teeth might also carry the pathogen¡­¡± Suna said, while she collected the body and ced it in her bag for further research in theb. ¡°Do you know about rabies?¡± Suna suddenly asked. ¡°It¡¯s a disease that can be contracted through bites or scratches from animals. After it breaks out, it has a 100% fatality rate,¡± Yang Yi casually replied. ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°Rabies has an unpredictable incubation period and can break out quickly. The patient experiences extreme hydrophobia, heightened emotions, tension, and aggressiveness.¡± Suna picked up a piece of skin tissue and carefully examined it ¡°Did you notice? Even after they die, their muscles are still tense, their hair stands up longer, and they sweat profusely¡­¡± She then examined the half-werewolf¡¯s eyeball, fangs, the abnormally elongated arms, and ws. ¡°The pupils are constricted into pinholes, the fangs have be sharper, the arm bones have lengthened, and the fingertips have pierced to form ws¡­¡± Suna continued, recording her observations. Yang Yi sensed a hint of danger and kept his eyes on the forest on the ind, noticing the leaves were shaking. Soon, three half-werewolves emerged from the woods. One of them was covered in grey fur, with a pointed nose, and was in the process of transforming into a wolf. Their constantly twitching noses seemed to indicate they were drawn in by the scent of blood. ¡°Which one do you want?¡± Yang Yi asked nonchntly, his flintlock gun already silently aimed. ¡°The one with the most fur; leave that one for me!¡± Suna said, pulling out her longbow and nocking a trident-shaped armour-piercing arrow. ¡°Alright!¡± The three half-werewolves charged, but before they had even run two metres, one of them had its head burst on the spot. The fur-covered half-werewolf took an arrow to the knee and instantly lost bnce, crashing to the ground. A follow-up armour-piercing arrow struck its throat, flipping it onto its back. By the time thest half-werewolf had run a metre, it was left all alone. Still, it wasn¡¯t afraid and lunged towards them. It saw Yang Yi remove the eye patch from his left eye, and before it knew it, everything went dark ¡ª the Sea Serpent''s Fang had urately pierced its eye socket. Yang Yi quickly put the eye patch back on and shot the werewolf in the other eye to ensure it wouldn¡¯t fake death. Only then did he pull the Sea Serpent''s Fang out. On the other side, the furrier half-werewolfhad managed to stand up. Despite having arrows lodged in its knee and throat, it was still able to rise! Blood poured from the wounds since the armour-piercing arrows had a bleeding effect. The internal structure of the arrows had pores, making the wounds hard to heal and causing continuous bleeding. Suna frowned and aimed a few more arrows at its neck. If she hadn¡¯t wanted to preserve a whole brain, she would have already shot at the eyes.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Eventually, the half-werewolf received a few more arrows to its neck, blood spilling everywhere, and it copsed, unable to stand again. ¡°You drag this furrier werewolf closer. I¡¯ll head back to the ship and use the grappling hook to pull it up,¡± Suna instructed, then quickly turned to run towards the raft. Yang Yi approached the fur-covered half-werewolf, noticing it hadn¡¯t diedpletely yet, though its breathing was growing weaker. Given the amount of blood it had lost, there was no way it could survive. Under Yang Yi¡¯s watch, the half-werewolf finally stopped breathing. He then dragged the body to a suitable spot on the shore and gave the Nightmare Star a thumbs-up. The grappling hook flew in, precisely grabbing the half-werewolf¡¯s corpse. Bonus chapter for reaching the goal! :D We have a new goal to reach 50 ratings on NovelBin! :D Once its done, we will release 3 bonus chapters! Current progress: 35/50 Thank you for reading, I hope you¡¯re enjoying the story :> We now have aPatreon! Feel free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance! :D Please give the novel a rating and a review on NovelBin. It will help the website and also help people find this novel! Reach 50 votes on NovelBin. Once the goal is reached, three bonus chapters will be rsed! :D Chapter 68 - Radiant Goddess After boarding the ship, Suna had no intention of leaving, focusing instead on dissecting the nearly-werewolf corpse in theb. Yang Yi stayed alone on the coast. Surveying the bodies around him, he noticed their clothing was light, indicating that when theynded on the ind, the temperature wasn¡¯t low, and the extreme northern seas were still far away. It seemed these people had been killed a few days ago, infected with frenzied wolf disease, and wandered this ind ever since. Searching the semi-werewolf corpses, Yang Yi found some gear and items. ¡¾Name: Outdoor Survival Knife¡¿¡¾Type: Treasure¡¿¡¾Quality: Premium¡¿¡¾Description: A durable, portable survival knife favored by survival experts. Suitable for skinning, cutting meat, carving, hammering, with an anti-slip, corrosion-resistant handle.¡¿ ¡¾Name: Throwing Axe¡¿¡¾Type: Treasure¡¿¡¾Quality: Common¡¿¡¾Description: Apact axe with good bnce, designed for throwing.¡¿ ¡¾Name: re¡¿¡¾Type: Consumable¡¿¡¾Quality: Fine¡¿¡¾Description: A glowing orb that emits strong light when smashed, repelling creatures that prefer darkness.¡¿ ¡¾Name: Quick-Heal Bandage¡¿¡¾Type: Consumable¡¿¡¾Quality: Fine¡¿¡¾Description: A strange bandage that absorbs blood around the wound, elerating healing.¡¿ Yang Yiid out the collected items, frowning deeply. These people were well-equipped. Not only did they have secondary weapons, but also useful tools and healing items. And this wasn¡¯t everything ¡ª they had definitely used some of their gear. Somewhere on the ind, their primary weapons might still be scattered. But Yang Yi wasn¡¯t frowning because of this. His concerny with two bottles of clear liquid among the items. He recognized this liquid immediately ¡ª he¡¯d drunk it several times before. ¡¾Name: Holy Water¡¿¡¾Type: Consumable¡¿¡¾Quality: Premium¡¿¡¾Description: Blessed pure water that can be ingested, applied externally, or used as a throwable item. When facing demonic creatures, you can never have too much holy water! It cures various poisons and curses, elerates healing, and slightly restores energy.¡¿ "Can''t this holy water cure the frenzied wolf disease?" Yang Yi picked up one of the bottles. At the same time, he recalled a piece of information he had read in the first issue of the weekly magazine. At that time, Zhou Dai was recruiting teammates to prepare for an expedition to an ind with werewolves. The ind was likely the one beneath Yang Yi¡¯s feet. There were just too many coincidences! "Were they wiped out by the werewolves?" Yang Yi spected. But soon, he realised something didn¡¯t add up.N?v(el)B\\jnn If they had been attacked by werewolves, how could so many of them have remained intact? They would have been torn to shreds! Moreover¡­why hadn¡¯t the scent of blood attracted the werewolves? Were they on the other side of the ind? Yang Yi looked towards the forest on the ind, feeling a sense of lurking danger. The trantion of this novel has been originally posted on iNovelTrantiondo If you¡¯re reading it somewhere else, please be aware it was copied without our consent. He decided to pause his exploration and try using his "Peeping" skill to check on the situation of the Radiant Goddess. "Suna, pull me aboard!" Yang Yi sent a message. A few minutester, a wed hand grabbed him and pulled him into the cabin of the Nightmare Star. Yang Yi first handed the survival knife to Suna, as it was of a higher grade than his witch''s dagger and was sharper. Then, he went up to the deck, took out a crystal ball, and activated the "Peeping" skill. Before using the skill, however, he also sent a few messages to Zhou Dai to confirm her status. The fact that he could still send messages meant she was alive and hadn''t been deactivated from the system. "She''s still alive." The message was sent. Yang Yi recalled the incident from a few days ago when he had contacted Zhou Dai about selling sweaters. At that time, she hadn¡¯t replied, and it was likely she had already run into trouble. ¡¾Searching... Radiant Goddess...¡¿ The crystal ball quickly disyed coordinates and an image. Yang Yi cross-checked the coordinates with the sea chart and confirmed they matched the ind. However, the image did not show a ship; it disyed the waters near the ind. "Did the ship sink?" He noted down the coordinates, then steered the Nightmare Star towards them. It wasn¡¯t far ¡ª located on the middle side of the spindle-shaped ind. As he reached the area near the coordinates, he stood on the left side of the deck and scanned the surroundings, but saw no ship and no abnormality on the sea surface. However, the crystal ball confirmed that the coordinates were exactly where the Radiant Goddess should have been. An idea struck him, and he removed his eye mask to try using his "Third Eye." Finally, before him appeared a nearly 40-metre-long three-masted sailing ship, with exquisite decorations along the edges and a grand statue of a goddess at the bow. Ayer of transparent silk hung from above the mast, covering the entire ship. Yang Yi observed the ship and noticed it also had a chapel, not small in size, located in the ship''s center. Through the windows, he saw intricate decorations inside, including a statue of a goddess without arms, dignified and holy. Looking at it for a long time brought a sense of peace, as if one had been redeemed. Yang Yi quickly shifted his gaze away ¡ª he wasn¡¯t interested in deities. He rubbed his chin and pondered, "Invisible ship, or invisibility device?" Without his third eye, he wouldn''t have seen it, even if it was ced right in front of him. The Nightmare Star''s skill could only show the ship¡¯s coordinates. He brought over a piece of wood to try boarding, but failed, as a transparent force field blocked him. It meant Zhou Dai was indeed alive and most likely on this ind! He scanned the surroundings again using his third eye but didn¡¯t detect any other invisible ships. "What should I do...?" Yang Yi was a bit troubled. Due to the rules, he couldn¡¯t plunder this unmanned ship, not even by sinking the Radiant Goddess. It seemed the system was focusing the conflict on the ship''s captain. Only by killing the captain could he steal the victory. After thinking for a moment, he decided to ignore the ship. He didn¡¯t have any ill will towards Zhou Dai. Likewise, there was no deep affection either. The idea of risking his life to rescue someone on the ind waspletely out of the question. He was simply curious. "What is it about this ind that made her recruit so many people to tackle it?" The position was very close to the ship on the ind. Yang Yi had a reason to believe they came here for that ship. However, the forest blocked his view, and the distance was too far. Even with his third eye, he could only discern that the ship was ancient, older than Yang Yi himself. But what exactly was inside, he couldn¡¯t tell. What he could confirm was that the ship was quiterge when it was intact. "Should I go or not?" Yang Yi hesitated. From the perspective of avoiding risk, he could leave and call it a day. But constantly avoiding risks wouldn¡¯t get him far in these seas. If he abandoned the ind, he¡¯d have to abandon the next one too. If he continued that way, Yang Yi¡¯s career as a sailor would effectively be over, and he might as well join some organisation and seek protection! Aftering to this conclusion, Yang Yi made a decision. From then on, unless he was certain there was an overwhelming danger, he shouldn¡¯t give up on exploring any ind. Even if this ind had werewolves, Yang Yi wasn¡¯t afraid. He wasn¡¯t the same person he used to be. With his third eye, he was confident he could take down a werewolf with a single shot. And he still had the Sea Serpent¡¯s Fang! Determined tond on the ind, Yang Yi manoeuvred the Nightmare Star and returned to the spot where he had firste ashore. The coast remained calm, with the same few bodies lying there and no new half-werewolves appearing. Yang Yi felt the concentration of the half-werewolves in the area had to have a reason. As for the ship on the ind, it was likely in a ce simr to a spider''s nest, and he had to proceed with caution. It would be better to first understand what had happened to the yers before venturing further. We have a new goal to reach 50 ratings on NovelBin! :D Once its done, we will release 3 bonus chapters! Current progress: 35/50 Shoutout to our new Patreon Bonnie Swihart! Thank you so much for joining the team! :D Thank you for reading, I hope you¡¯re enjoying the story :> We now have aPatreon! Feel free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance! :D Please give the novel a rating and a review on NovelBin. It will help the website and also help people find this novel! Reach 50 votes on NovelBin. Once the goal is reached, three bonus chapters will be rsed! :D Chapter 69 - Wolf’s Den ¡°Suna, have you discovered anything new?¡± Yang Yi stood outside the witch¡¯sboratory door and asked, without stepping inside. Since the fire, theboratory had undergone some changes, including the addition of fire. Inside, there was also arge ck cauldron in the corner. It was the stereotypical kind of object witches are said to have in their homes,rge enough to fit an adult for a bath. The cauldron was boiling some strange liquid, bubbling, with asional unknown objects swirling inside... Suna heard the noise and looked up at Yang Yi, then continued to focus on her dissection. She was wearing a mask and stic gloves, holding what seemed to be the stomach of a half-werewolf, examining its contents. A few secondster, Suna spoke up, ¡°This half-werewolf¡¯s skeletal structure is deformed in many ces; it¡¯s better at running, but its brain shows signs of degeneration...¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for this,¡± Yang Yi immediately interrupted her long exnation. ¡°What I want to know is whether you can make poison, like a Wolfbane Elixir, to kill the werewolves on this ind in one fell swoop.¡± Suna stopped her work, looked at Yang Yi, and replied, ¡°No! The cells of these half-werewolves are highly active, and their metabolism is fast. If they were fully transformed, they might be even tougher, and toxins would be ineffective.¡± Yang Yi frowned and shook his head. It seemed poison wouldn¡¯t work here. Not getting what he wanted, he was about to turn and leave, but then Suna called out, ¡°You¡¯d better not get scratched or bitten by a werewolf. If you get infected with Lycanthropy, I can¡¯t guarantee I¡¯ll be able to turn you back.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can handle it!¡± Yang Yi waved his hand and returned to the deck, heading towards the captain¡¯s cabin. When he emerged, he had changed into a new outfit, wearing a sweater, woolen trousers, spiderweb gloves, and tall velvet boots. It wasn¡¯t because he was afraid of the cold, but to protect himself from scratches. Wearing something thicker still provided some protection. And besides, Yang Yi had no intention of engaging in hand-to-handbat with the creatures ¡ª there was no need for that! Next, he checked the supplies he needed to bring, including weapons, potions, water, and dry food. The potions included a Crimson Elixir, two bottles of Regeneration Elixir, and an unknown orange-yellow potion. After making sure everything was ready, he assessed his status, confirming that everything was set. Then, heunched the raft and made his way back to the shore. The coast was still calm, with the same few bodies lying around, and no new half-werewolves appeared. Yang Yi felt the concentration of the half-werewolves there had to have a reason. As for the ship on the ind, it seemed like it was located in a ce simr to a spider¡¯s nest, so he decided to approach with caution. First, he needed to figure out what had happened to these yers before continuing his exploration. On the way, Yang Yi found many scattered and disorderly footprints on the ground, most likely left by the half-werewolves. There were also many w marks on nearby trees, indicating that they frequently passed through the area. As he went deeper, he found remnants of shells and scales on the ground, likely from fish and shellfish. ¡°It seems like theye to the coast to forage...¡± Yang Yi followed the trail of food remnants and soon caught a strong, foul smell. It was the stench of wild beasts, a mix of excrement, rot, and body odor, hard to describe. He followed the source of the smell and, unsurprisingly, discovered the half-werewolves'' den. Arge pile of soft branches had been collected and spread out on the ground, with tattered clothing scraps hanging on top, resembling bedding. Scattered around were numerous white human bones,pletely stripped of any flesh. Yang Yi casually picked up a bone and received some information. ¡¾You picked up a bone¡¿ Yang Yi picked up several bones and discovered that they were from different yers. After a quick count, he estimated that eight yers had been killed and consumed by the group of half-werewolves. He took a photo and sent it to Suna. ¡°Suna, I found the half-werewolves¡¯ den. There are a lot of human bones here, indicating at least eight victims.¡± Soon, Suna responded with a message. ¡°These half-werewolves have strong digestive abilities and are not picky eaters. I found rotten meat and bone fragments in their stomachs. This suggests they are scavengers, and their digestive abilities are quite powerful. The bones on the ground are likely too hard to chew, which is why they were left behind. Once they fully transform into wolves, their biting force will increase, and by then, they won¡¯t leave any bones behind...¡± ¡°Scavengers?¡± Yang Yi read through the message and picked up a thigh bone that had many tooth marks on it. It meant that the half-werewolves had bitten it, but didn¡¯t break it. Yang Yi even suspected that the bones were kept by the half-werewolves to sharpen their teeth. ¡°But this shouldn¡¯t be from biting...¡± He picked up a section of a neck vertebra, its cross-section t, as if cut by a sharp tool like a knife or sword. In Yang Yi¡¯s experience, the creatures that most often used tools were humans. ¡°So, was it infighting? Or maybe there are other special creatures on the ind?¡± Yang Yi furrowed his brows, confused. Just as he was about to leave, a sh of light caught his attention. The reflection came from beneath some soft branches. The trantion of this novel has been originally posted on iNovelTrantiondo If you¡¯re reading it somewhere else, please be aware it was copied without our consent. Yang Yi picked up a thigh bone and used it to move the branches aside. ¡°This is...¡± What appeared before him was a pile of weapons and equipment: armour, longswords, shields, battle axes, and even a morning star, crossbows, and bows. It seemed like these had been collected by the werewolves. They might have forgotten how to use them, but subconsciously, they still remembered that these items were important, so they hid them beneath the branches. ¡¾Name: Steel te Armor (Damaged)¡¿ ¡¾Type: Artifact¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Ordinary¡¿ ¡¾Description: Sturdy full-body te armor, although it offers strong protection, it also affects mobility and vision, increasing energy consumption. It is severely deformed and cannot be worn normally.¡¿ Note: Armour with more than 30% damage will be marked as damaged. Armour with less than 30% damage will recover after 24 hours. ¡¾Name: Chainmail¡¿ ¡¾Type: Artifact¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Fine¡¿ ¡¾Description: Made of small iron rings, this chainmail protects the upper body and legs. It¡¯s lightweight and flexible, effective against shing and piercing attacks.¡¿ ¡¾Name: Fine Steel Longsword¡¿ ¡¾Type: Artifact¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Fine¡¿ ¡¾Description: A sturdy and sharp longsword, a standard weapon for knights. ¡¿ ¡¾Name: Iron Shield (Damaged)¡¿ ¡¾Type: Artifact¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Ordinary¡¿ ¡¾Description: A wooden shield covered with ayer of iron, but it is severely damaged, reducing its protective ability.¡¿ ¡¾Name: Poleaxe¡¿ ¡¾Type: Artifact¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Good¡¿¡¿ ¡¾Description: A durable and powerful poleaxe that can be used for chopping trees or self-defense.¡¿N?v(el)B\\jnn ¡¾Name: Spiked Morning Star¡¿ ¡¾Type: Artifact¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Fine¡¿ ¡¾Description: A morning star covered in spikes, with a hammerhead weighing 10 pounds, capable of crushing skulls easily. ¡¿ ¡¾Name: Hunting Bow (Corroded)¡¿ ¡¾Type: Artifact¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Fine¡¿ ¡¾Description: A hunting bow infused with wind power, increasing its range and prating ability, making arrows more likely to cause bleeding and tearing.¡¿ ¡¾Name: Rough Crossbow¡¿ ¡¾Type: Artifact¡¿ ¡¾Quality: Good¡¿ ¡¾Description: A small, easy-to-use crossbow that shoots small bolts, capable of holding 10 bolts at a time.¡¿ There was one of each weapon, but the crossbow had seven, suggesting they had been mass-purchased. ¡°This group has some decent equipment ¡ª armour and weapons. This hunting bow would be perfect for Suna.¡± Yang Yi sent the details of the bow to Suna, then picked up the ironwood shield. It had clear w marks on it, not only ripping through the iron but almost prating the wooden shield as well. ¡°Are fully transformed werewolves this strong?¡± Yang Yi frowned. He put on the chainmail and then stored the equipment in his storage bag, counting it as an extra gain. Whoosh! Yang Yi tested the crossbow ¡ª it fired, and there were bolts inside. He opened the quiver to check and found it could hold 10 bolts, but they were custom-made, short and weak. The mechanism was simr to a bolt-action rifle; after each shot, the quiver had to be pressed again to reload. Though not as powerful as firearms, it was simpler than a bow, and the rate of fire was eptable. After collecting everything, Yang Yi left the werewolf den. If all went as expected, the ind should have seen a fierce battle, leaving traces of a battlefield. That should provide more clues. We have a new goal to reach 50 ratings on NovelBin! :D Once its done, we will release 3 bonus chapters! Current progress: 36/50 Thank you for reading, I hope you¡¯re enjoying the story :> We now have aPatreon! Feel free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance! :D Please give the novel a rating and a review on NovelBin. It will help the website and also help people find this novel! Reach 50 votes on NovelBin. Once the goal is reached, three bonus chapters will be rsed! :D Chapter 70 - Sacred Box After a while, Yang Yi approached the spindle-shaped ind''s edge. The damaged giant ship on the ind was still about a kilometre away. There, he discovered arge number of battle traces. The ground was covered with overturned soil, fallen weeds, and even a few broken trees! Although the trees were only about the thickness of a wrist, it wasn¡¯t easy to break them. He also found two broken swords, a shield with a hole, and a broken scythe, but they had no salvage value. Not far away in an open area, arge number of damaged arrows were piled up, likely collected after the battle. "Did someone clean up the battlefield?" Yang Yi frowned. It seemed to him that only yers would do something like this. Moreover, only if the yers had defeated the werewolves could they have the chance to do this. The three pits on the outskirts further confirmed this view. They were about half a metre deep, just enough to bury a person. It appeared that they had been buried, then dug up by something, and the bodies had been stolen. Yang Yi carefully examined the traces, and it seemed that they had been dug out with hands or ws. So, the perpetrator must have been a half-werewolf. Their sense of smell was keen, and they were scavengers, not even letting shallowly buried corpses escape. ¡­ After reviewing the battle remains, Yang Yi was sure the yers had defeated the werewolves. They had likely cleaned up the battlefield and buried theirpanions'' bodies. Later, because of the infection with the rabid wolf disease, some of the yers had turned into half-werewolves. "But where are the werewolf bodies?" He pondered. "They couldn¡¯t have done the same as Suna and taken the bodies with them, could they?" Yang Yi was confused. He then rechecked the battlefield. Although he didn¡¯t find any werewolf bodies, he did find a thick and powerful finger, covered in grey fur and with sharp ws that were ck and gleaming like metal. ¡¾Name: Grey Werewolf¡¯s w¡¿ ¡¾Description: A w left behind by a patient infected with the rabid wolf disease, fully transformed into a werewolf. ¡¿ Yang Yi froze after reading the information. Because it only showed information about the w, not the individual werewolf. It was only if the grey werewolf was still alive and had left behind a finger that such information would appear. Yang Yi put the finger in his inventory, feeling that things had be even more mysterious. He looked towards the distant giant ship. Inside, there should be more information and clues. However, Yang Yi still felt that the yers had won, or at least had driven back the werewolves! He checked the time and realised there were still six hours before nightfall, so he had plenty of time. His stamina was at 88, and his other stats were all full, so he could continue exploring. With that, he headed towards the giant ship. From there, Yang Yi had to be extremely alert, prepared to deal with potential enemies at any time, and ready to use his Third Eye, magic potions, and even spells. At 500 metres away from the giant ship, the trees could no longer obscure the sight. The vessel was only half intact, with its hull mottled and covered in moss, vines, and other vegetation. Its edge had rusted metal patterns, exuding an ancient and distant aura. Beside it, there was arge cannon that had been toppled, about the height of a person, its surface covered in dust and weeds ¡ª clearly no longer usable. Yang Yi stopped in his tracks and used his Third Eye to scan the giant ship. However, he couldn¡¯t use X-ray vision, so he wasn¡¯t sure what was inside. The trantion of this novel has been originally posted on iNovelTrantiondo If you¡¯re reading it somewhere else, please be aware it was copied without our consent. What he was certain of, though, was that the ship had been there for a long time ¡ª at least several decades, and maybe even a hundred years! Within his Third Eye''s view, Yang Yi noticed an unusual area. It was a patch of trees that had been felled. But when it came to logging, it didn¡¯t make sense to start cutting from the centre of the ind. Moreover, the logs hadn¡¯t been taken! Yang Yi cautiously walked over. He noticed the tree stumps had clean cuts, all chopped in one go, indicating that the tools used for felling the trees were extremely sharp. Additionally, the air was thick with a pungent odor. Yang Yi had smelled this before. Back in the spider¡¯sir, where human bodies had been dismembered, the ce had been filled with a simr smell, almost like the stench left behind in a ughterhouse. The smell could only be caused byrge amounts of fresh blood being spilled. So, not long before, there had likely been a massacre. Yang Yi scanned his surroundings but didn¡¯t find any bodies. Instead, he noticed traces of something having been dragged away, probably taken by some kind of creature. Based on the direction of the drag marks, it was highly likely that half-werewolves were involved ¡ª they seemed to have a strong inclination towards consuming corpses. However, one drag mark was different from the others! It was a set of dark brown shoeprints, stained with blood, leading to the giant ship. Yang Yi stepped forwards andpared the size of his own foot with the prints. ¡°The footprint is small, like a pair of sneakers. It¡¯s likely a woman¡¯s,¡± he spected. He studied the mark further and noticed more details. The bodies that had been dragged away appeared to be five, which matched the bones found at the half-werewolf camp. The half-werewolves were probably survivors of the massacre. Coincidentally, they had all been infected with the rabid wolf disease, quickly transformed, and then returned to drag away the bodies... ¡°Could it be that the monster responsible for this massacre had someone infected with Lycanthropy, who intentionally let them go?¡± Yang Yi spected. He searched the area but found no other traces, except for a finely crafted wooden box that had fallen to the ground, its lid slightly detached. ¡¾Name: Sacred Box¡¿ ¡¾Description: A blessed wooden box, only the holy army responsible for it knows what it contains. Very sturdy, nearly impossible to open from the inside.¡¿ ¡°No grade or type?¡± Yang Yi was surprised as he picked it up and examined it closely. The box was entirely white, with intricate golden metallic patterns on its edges that resembled thorns, making it look both beautiful and delicate. Both the inside and outside of the box¡¯s lid were decorated with a picture of a man in a robe. He had a handsome face, his expression one of sorrow, his eyes covered by a cloth, with tears seeping from beneath, forming two tear streaks. He extended his right hand from his robe, holding a scale, while his left hand was hidden beneath the robe. Yang Yi didn¡¯t recognise the man, but he was certain it wasn''t a human.The left arm hidden under the robe seemed unusuallyrge, causing the robe to bulge out! Of course, it could also be some kind of mutated person. Who cares about that? Yang Yi didn¡¯t dwell on the box¡¯s design and turned his attention to its interior. It was a small, perfect cubic space, with equal length, width, and height, about 25 cm, too small to hold anythingrge. On an impulse, Yang Yi leaned in and sniffed, detecting a faint fragrance. It smelled like a high-end perfume. It meant the box hadn¡¯t been empty; it had contained something before.N?v(el)B\\jnn Given all the clues, Yang Yi spected the Sacred Box was no ordinary item ¡ª it likely contained some sort of living creature! The group of yers on this ind must have found the Sacred Box, and someone, driven by curiosity, opened it, releasing the creature inside and leading to the massacre. It was Yang Yi¡¯s theory! He ced the Sacred Box into his inventory, but as soon as it entered, his greedy bag spat it out. Yang Yi tried three more times, and each time the bag rejected the box. On the fourth attempt, even when he offered food, the bag refused to open. ¡°Strange¡­is the bag being picky?¡± Yang Yi muttered, confused, before just holding the box in his arms and heading towards the giant ship. At this point, things were bing clearer. The remaining clues could be found on the ship! We have a new goal to reach 50 ratings on NovelBin! :D Once its done, we will release 3 bonus chapters! Current progress: 36/50 Thank you for reading, I hope you¡¯re enjoying the story :> We now have aPatreon! Feel free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance! :D Please give the novel a rating and a review on NovelBin. It will help the website and also help people find this novel! Reach 50 votes on NovelBin. Once the goal is reached, three bonus chapters will be rsed! :D Chapter 71 - Provocation Yang Yi followed the bloody footprints, eventually arriving in front of the giant ship, where they disappeared. There was no broken open cabin or deck ahead, but rather the nted bottom of the ship''s hull. ¡°Did it climb up...?¡± Yang Yi spected.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om He took a few steps back, removed his eye patch, and tried to use his Third Eye to get a clearer view of the inside of the ship. There was a peculiar window ¡ª unlike the others, it was not covered with weeds or vines, and it seemed to have been deliberately cleaned... Just then, Yang Yi noticed a shadow rapidly approaching him out of the corner of his left eye. It moved very quietly, its steps soundless on the grass. By the time the prey heard the noise, it would already be toote to escape. But Yang Yi was special ¡ª his Third Eye captured the shadow, and thus he quickly turned, aimed, and pulled the trigger of his flintlock pistol. Click! The gun misfired. Yang Yi wasted no time and immediately threw an axe. It was a throwing weapon he had picked up earlier. Although the quality was low, it was easy to carry and quick to use. The axe flew with precision, hitting the shadow''s knee with a sharp sound. But the damage was limited ¡ª it bounced off its body, deflected by its spiky fur, unable to cut in. The shadow didn¡¯t even stop for a moment. It ran faster, reaching Yang Yi in no time. Its appearance was pitiful, with a body covered with scars, lodged arrows, gunshot wounds andcerations. Its skin was peeling, and there was even a broken spear stuck in its back. Moreover, its ck-grey fur was unmistakable¡ªthis was a missing werewolf. The reason it could still move despite its injuries wasn¡¯t because of its vitality ¡ª it had already lost any sign of life. The wounds were rotting and crawling with maggots, emitting a strong stench of decay. It¡­was likely a moving corpse. ¡¾You have encountered an abnormal creature. Your sanity decreases by 5.¡¿ Yang Yi immediately reacted. After realising the axe was ineffective, he switched to his Sea Serpent¡¯s Fang and the ironwood shield. With such a fast-moving creature, there was no chance of escaping. So he braced for a direct confrontation and activated the Sea Serpent¡¯s Fang skill: me Jet! He didn¡¯t use the cannon mode of his flintlock because he wanted to save it for another potential monster. Calcting the distance, Yang Yi unleashed the skill, sending a fan-shaped jet of mes from his short sword. The mes were like a Molotov cocktail, igniting everything in a 3-metre wide, 110-degree arc in front of him. This included the werewolf. Its spiky fur, while resistant to sharp weapons, couldn¡¯t withstand the high heat. In an instant, it caught fire and turned into a fireball. However, the creature didn¡¯t seem to feel pain and wasn¡¯t afraid of the fire. It swiped at Yang Yi, and the ironwood shield he hastily raised blocked the strike. Bang! Wood splintered, and the ironwood shield could no longer hold up ¡ª it shatteredpletely. Yang Yi was knocked backwards by the force, crashing into the ship¡¯s hull. His left arm went numb, losing all sensation, and his sleeve was torn, exposing the chainmail underneath. Had he not been wearing the chainmail, Yang Yi would have been badly injured. Not far away, the werewolf had already been reduced to a ming ball. Though it wasn¡¯t afraid of fire, the mes had caused real damage. Its flesh was charred, releasing a foul burnt smell. Taking advantage of the moment, Yang Yi swapped back to his flintlock pistol and fired another shot, which urately hit the werewolf¡¯s knee. Without the protection of its fur, its knee shattered, causing it to stumble and fall to the ground. Yang Yi didn¡¯t stop there. He threw the Sea Serpent¡¯s Fang, stabbing it into the werewolf¡¯s left eye, the sword hilt embedding deep inside. The heat from the sword quickly spread through, damaging the werewolf''s brain. Its body stiffened, and it stopped moving altogether. But Yang Yi didn¡¯t rejoice in his victory. He remained vignt with his Third Eye, scanning his surroundings, and quickly hid in a nearby bush. After several tense seconds, with no sign of movement from the ship, he put the eye patch back on. By then, the werewolf hadpletely burned. Its body was turning into charcoal and emittedrge amounts of thick ck smoke. The earlier me Jet had also ignited much of the surrounding vegetation. Fortunately, as there were no trees around the ship and the ground was damp, the fire didn¡¯t spread. If not for that, the entire ind could have been set aze, and Yang Yi himself wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape. He approached the scorched werewolf and, taking a long-handled axe from his pouch, swung it at its head. ng! The first swing made a metallic sound, and he didn''t manage to sever the werewolf''s neck. Its bones must have been seriously hard. He pulled the axe back and struck three more times, finally chopping off the ckened wolf head. After putting out the fire with dirt and letting it cool down, Yang Yi retrieved his prized short sword and, upon examining the wolf¡¯s mouth, found a silver bullet lodged between its lower teeth. "White Rose?" Upon getting sight of the silver bullet, Yang Yi immediately thought of the white revolver he had seen before, which seemed to shoot silver bullets that were capable of hindering regeneration and breaking curses. Yang Yi also gained information about the werewolf. ¡¾Name: Grey Werewolf (Undead)¡¿ ¡¾Description: A grey werewolf corpse revived through necromancy, with tough ck-grey fur. It will attack any living creature except the caster.¡¿ Can be used in the monster gacha machine. "Undead...Caster." Yang Yi noticed the key words. It meant that some kind of creature had used necromancy to bring the grey werewolf''s corpse back to life. Another enemy existed! Yang Yi stuffed the scorched, still-smoking, ferocious wolf head into his pouch, nning to take it back to the vending machine. Since it was already burnt, it didn¡¯t seem worth dissecting, meaning he didn¡¯t n on telling Suna to avoid herining about him not leaving a single whole corpse behind. As for the werewolf''s body...it was nearly reduced to ash. Yang Yi didn¡¯t rush into the ship, but insteady in wait, drinking a bottle of holy water to restore his condition. After the mes diminished, he got up again. At this point, there was still no sign of movement from the ship. This suggested that the enemy was probably not on board. He checked the time, noticing how there were still four hours until nightfall. With two hours to explore and two hours to return, there was plenty of time left. His condition was also good; after drinking the holy water, his energy had recovered a bit, and his health was above 85. Aside from the Sea Serpent¡¯s Fang skill being depleted, none of his other abilities had been used. After making up his mind, Yang Yi approached the ship and used his spider-web gloves to climb up. (1) He was looking for a suitable entry point, such as the window that had been deliberately cleaned. A few minutester, he reached the window and tossed a long-legged sandfish inside. After confirming there was no movement, he peeked inside. "Something¡¯s wrong!" The ship had clearly been through a shipwreck and unluckily drifted there. The interior should have been chaotic. Why did the room have neatly arranged tables, chairs, and shelves? Even the positions had been changed because the original floor had be the wall. However, there was still a thickyer of dust. What this suggested was that when the ship washed up on the deserted ind, there had probably been survivors aboard. He didn¡¯t rush to jump in but instead observed for a while as the interior was dim, and only with the Third Eye could clearly see things. He quickly spotted a row of unusual objects ¡ª ss jars ¡ª which Yang Yi was very familiar with, having seen many like them in Suna¡¯sb. Inside, there were five human heads, neither more nor less, carefully ced on a shelf that had clearly been cleaned. (1) Wannabe Spiderman - Simply We have a new goal to reach 50 ratings on NovelBin! :D Once its done, we will release 3 bonus chapters! Current progress: 35/50 Thank you for reading, I hope you¡¯re enjoying the story :> We now have aPatreon! Feel free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance! :D Please give the novel a rating and a review on NovelBin. It will help the website and also help people find this novel! Reach 50 votes on NovelBin. Once the goal is reached, three bonus chapters will be rsed! :D Chapter 72 - Evil Witch Yang Yi''s gaze swept over the five human heads and noticed they all had one thing inmon: their necks were cut very cleanly, as if severed by some sharp weapon in a single stroke. He stared for a few seconds and quickly recalled the remains he found in the half-werewolf camp. At the time, he had found many human bones, but the number of skulls was surprisingly low. Initially, he thought the half-werewolves had lost the skulls, but now it seemed the bodies didn¡¯t have heads at all ¡ª they had been deliberately collected by some creature. He scanned the room with his Third Eye, not detecting any immediate danger. He only noticed some scattered footprints, not yet covered by the dust. The yers had probably entered the ship, and the Sacred Box was likely found there. Using his spider-web gloves, Yang Yi quietly climbed into the room without causing much noise. Once on the ground, he immediately adopted a defensive posture, holding his gun in one hand and the Sea Serpent¡¯s Fang in the other, his body tensed and ready for any potential ambush. But he had overthought it ¡ª there was no movement in the room, not even a single bug. He began exploring immediately, as the effect of his Third Eye was limited. He needed to understand the situation on the ship in the following eight minutes. ¡¾Name: Head Jar¡¿ ¡¾Description: Human heads preserved by some technique, kept for long periods. Particrly their brains, which are frozen at the moment of preservation.¡¿ "Head jars?" Yang Yi felt a chill run down his spine. (1) Aside from the head jars, there was nothing else suspicious in the room. He didn¡¯t linger but immediately moved to the next room. Due to the ship''s tilt, the room couldn¡¯t be essed normally, so he had to climb in. After confirming that the adjacent room was safe, Yang Yi entered. It was unlike the previous one. The floor was covered in broken ss and stains, and even after so long, the traces were still visible. There were still a few ss jars intact, containing unknown objects, but it seemed that due to the passage of time, the liquid inside had be murky. Yang Yi tried checking a few of them. ¡¾Name: Melted and Rotten Human Heart¡¿ ¡¾Description: Contaminated by being stored too long. This heart is now useless.¡¿ ¡¾Name: Melted and Rotten Human Eyeball¡¿ ¡¾Description: Contaminated by being stored too long. This eyeball is now useless.¡¿ ¡¾Name: Melted and Rotten Human Brain¡¿ ¡¾Description: Contaminated by being stored too long, this brain is now useless. ¡¿ ¡¾Name: Rotten Human Right Foot¡¿ ¡¾Description: Contaminated by being stored too long. This right foot has begun to rot.¡¿ The jars were full of human body parts. The more Yang Yi looked, the more familiar they seemed, because there were simr jars in the witch¡¯sboratory, but those contained the organs of otherworldly demons. He suddenly realised. "A witch is on this ship? And she particrly likes to research human bodies?" Frowning, he didn¡¯t stay long, as time was limited. He crawled through the room and reached the ship¡¯s cabin. Although it was only half a cabin, it was even more spacious than the Nightmare Star. On the other side, there were parallel rooms. The middle one had arger door, while the rooms on either side were smaller. Following the cabin floor, Yang Yi climbed up. Halfway there, he discovered a fixed white tform. Even though a lot of time had passed, the tform showed no signs of fading or rotting. It only had a thickyer of dust on top. Yang Yi reached out and touched it; the material felt very simr to the Sacred Box, so it was likely that the Sacred Box had once been ced there. He continued climbing and reached the bottom rooms, first entering thergest one. It was somewhat damp, with two rows of weapon racks. There wererge amounts of severely rusted armour and weapons scattered across the floor. They appeared to be part of a set. Each piece of armour had a spherical raised pattern in the centre. ¡¾Name: Holy Knight Armour (Damaged)¡¿ ¡¾Description: Standard armour worn by the radiant Holy Knights, glowing faintly in the dark. This piece has be rusted and damaged from neglect, and is now of no value.¡¿ ¡¾Name: Holy Knight Sword (Damaged)¡¿ ¡¾Description: Standard longsword wielded by the radiant Holy Knights, glowing faintly in the dark. This piece has be rusted and damaged from neglect, and is now of no value.¡¿ ¡¾Name: Holy Knight Shield (Damaged)¡¿ ¡¾Description: Standard shield used by the radiant Holy Knights, glowing faintly in the dark. This piece has be rusted and damaged from neglect, and is now of no value.¡¿ Yang Yi nced over them briefly and saw that they were all of no value, so he left the room and moved to the next. The next room was very different; it had a bed and furniture, as though someone had lived here. A thickyer of dust had umted on the floor, and the furniture was decaying, so the person who had lived here hadn¡¯t returned in a long time. The fresher footprints were all left by yers, including a bloodstained set of footprints that stopped in front of the bed, as though someone hadin there for a while. Yang Yi carefully examined the bed, then looked under it and found a severely damaged parchment. The writing on it was unclear, in a special script that Yang Yi didn¡¯t recognise. ¡¾You have discovered a Human Tongue, costing 500 Shell Coins to learn.¡¿ The system immediately popped up with a message. Without hesitation, Yang Yi spent the coins to learn thenguage, and then he could understand the writing. "Thank the Radiant One for the guidance!" "A few days ago, we received a report that...a massacre urred! A crazed one-eyed man killed his adulterous wife and her lover, as well as everyone around them." "His strength was extraordinary, and even his single eye took up half his face..." "We purified him with the Holy Fire!" "Afterwards, we followed the trail and found a lurking witch!" "To capture her, we sacrificed one knight and two knights'' attendants. They were true heroes, and we buried them... Only this ugly, evil, and feared witch remains! We will escort her back to the Holy City, where she will understand the depth of her sins, but the gods will not forgive her..." There wererge stains in the middle of the text that Yang Yi couldn¡¯t read. "...Unfortunately, we encountered a sea tornado, which followed our ship! Damn it! This must be a curse the witch summoned!" "...The ship was torn apart and fell from the sky. Most of us died, and we buried them, hoping they would return to the embrace of the Radiant Goddess..." "Damn, the witch¡¯s evil vessel contained a disease! Some of us began to have fever, hair started growing on our faces, and the holy water couldn¡¯t cure this evil illness..." "They went mad, biting everything in sight! Sir Knight Will and I killed these crazed people, leaving only the two of us..." (2) "...That damn witch should have been tied to the pyre! In front of all the citizens of the Holy City, we would have used the harshest holy instruments to redeem her soul and body with the Holy Fire!" "...Seven days have passed, this ind is too barren, and with only Will and I, we can''t repair the ship." "Sir Knight Will has decided to prepare a small boat and seek rescue from the sea. I agree with this decision, for the Radiant One will guide him, and he will surelyplete the task!" "My task is to guard the Sacred Box and ensure that the evil within cannot escape. I have all the time in the world!" "...My face is starting to grow hair, my teeth are bing sharp, and I even want to dig up the corpses of myrades to feast on... Maybe I¡¯ve already started doing this!" "My waking hours are getting shorter, but I will not forget my mission. I will ensure the ship remains undisturbed and the Sacred Box stays closed. The Holy Knights wille, and when they do, I will rest in eternal peace!" "Radiance forever! Order forever!" As the writing continued, it became increasingly scrawled, showing the deteriorating mental state of the writer. Yang Yi finished reading and his brows furrowed deeply. He had made a mistake in his judgment. The ship wasn¡¯t owned by the witch, but by the Holy Knights. The purpose of the Holy Knights was likely to exterminate heretics. They had only encountered the witch during their journey back, and that was when the shipwreck happened. However, the Sacred Box...could it hold a living person? Yang Yi didn¡¯t think so. It would be very inconvenient to carry, and he hadn¡¯t brought it with him. Instead, he had hidden it in a bush outside the giant ship. Just then, a woman¡¯s voice suddenly came from behind Yang Yi¡¯s head. "It only took you a little while to have lunch, and I didn¡¯t expect a thief to sneak in and kill my watchdog..." Yang Yi''s scalp tingled.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Though he was facing away from her, he could still see clearly. From the corner of the door, a head appeared ¡ª probably a woman ¡ª with her eyes tightly shut. Yang Yi didn¡¯t have time to turn around. He aimed at her while still facing away, pulling the trigger of his flintlock pistol. (1) As if that''s not something Suna would keep -Simply (2) One thing after the other without any signs of stopping ¡ª she''s merciless¡­ Or is she? -Simply We have a new goal to reach 50 ratings on NovelBin! :D Once its done, we will release 3 bonus chapters! Current progress: 36/50 Thank you for reading, I hope you¡¯re enjoying the story :> We now have aPatreon! Feel free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance! :D Please give the novel a rating and a review on NovelBin. It will help the website and also help people find this novel! Reach 50 votes on NovelBin. Once the goal is reached, three bonus chapters will be rsed! :D Chapter 73 - Invasion The shot didn''t misfire. The bullet hit the edge of the doorframe with precision, shattering it and sending splinters flying. "You''re shooting with your back turned and still hitting the mark? Do you have eyes on the back of your head or something?" A puzzled voice came from above Yang Yi''s head. The previous shot missed because this creature seemed to predict the gun''s direction and dodge preemptively. Just before he pulled the trigger, it darted in, crawling swiftly along the wooden nks overhead. "You started the fire outside too, didn''t you? Impressive!" The unknown entity above praised him, its tone audacious and unconcerned. Yang Yi felt a shiver run down his spine, goosebumps rising all over his skin. Because he saw a human head crawling. Yes, just a head! Judging by the features, it appeared to belong to a beautiful woman ¡ª well-defined features and a head of lustrous, curly hair. Although her eyes were shut, she could still somehow see clearly in the dark ¡ª a mystery he couldn¡¯tprehend. What¡¯s more, her movements were unnervingly quick, as she was propelled by slender tendrils extending from beneath her neck, which supported her head as it moved rapidly. At the ends of these tendrils were scythe-like des. Yang Yi had no doubts about their sharpness ¡ª five other yers had already tested that for him, at the cost of their heads! ¡¾Seeing an abnormal entity causes your sanity to drop by 10.¡¿ A cold glint shed, and one of the scythes shed towards Yang Yi''s neck at lightning speed. An ordinary person wouldn¡¯t stand a chance of dodging ¡ª human eyes couldn¡¯t even track such speed, let alone react to it. But was Yang Yi an ordinary person? At the veryst moment, he turned around, narrowly blocking the attack with the de of Sea Serpent''s Fang. ng! The sh of metal rang out, sparks flying from the impact. The force nearly knocked the weapon out of Yang Yi''s hand, and the deflected scythe left a gash across his cheek, causing blood to pour down his face. "Oh!" The woman let out a surprised exmation. She hadn¡¯t expected Yang Yi to block the attack. But soon, she discovered the reason. Because Yang Yi possessed a special left eye, itsposite pupil slowly rotating. "What a beautiful eye!" she suddenly eximed excitedly. "What''s the deal with your left eye? Let me borrow it for a look!" With that, she lunged at Yang Yi, moving even faster than a grey werewolf! Though Yang Yi could see her movements clearly, there was no way to evade them. The space was far too cramped ¡ª barely seven metres from one end to the other! And one of her tendrils alone was three metres long. Half the room was within her attack range, not to mention her rapid mobility. Faced with the crisis, Yang Yi dared not hold back and immediately switched to cannon mode. Even if it meant risking the copse of the entire ship, he couldn¡¯t hesitate! Bang! The trigger was pulled, and the flintlock¡¯s deafening roar filled the space. The shot was aimed directly at the creature, piercing through the wooden ceiling and out of the hull. The already-decayed ship couldn''t withstand the impact, copsing by a third on the spot and kicking up a massive cloud of dust. He was propelled by the intense recoil, crashing through a wall andnding outside the ship. Even Yang Yi himself hadn''t anticipated escaping the shipwreck in such a manner. It seemed the ship was even more fragile than he''d thought. But... "Give me your body!" The cursed woman''s voice rang in Yang Yi''s ears. The previous shot, though powerful, missed its mark. The close distance and her intelligence ¡ª recognising firearms and dodging based on their aim ¡ª allowed her to evade. However, the shot''s sheer power exceeded her expectations, destroying most of her tendrils. The woman''s head had crawled onto Yang Yi''s left shoulder, with only six tendrils left, trying to wrap around him. "Damn it!" Yang Yi cursed aloud. It was worse than a spider crawling on him! ¡¾Abnormal entity contact causes your sanity to drop by 10.¡¿ Yang Yi wrestled with the head perched on his shoulder. He grabbed her hair with his left hand and thrust Sea Serpent''s Fang with his right. But she bit down on the de with sharp teeth, halting his attack. The fight reached a stalemate, neither able to gain the upper hand. In truth, the creature''s physical abilities far surpassed Yang Yi''s. With a single tendril anchoring herself, she clung tightly to his left shoulder. The remaining five tendrils burrowed into Yang Yi''s neck, crawling beneath his skin, causing immense pain ¡ª until, suddenly, he felt nothing at all. ¡¾You are being invaded by a Brain Eater. Sanity drops by 20. ¡¿ ¡¾You will lose control of your body...¡¿ Yang Yi was shocked by the notification. Finally, he learned the creature''s name ¡ª Brain Eater! The Brain Eater was attempting to invade and take control of his body. He could feel the tendrils moving inside him, heading towards his spine, seemingly trying to infiltrate and rece his central nervous system tomand his limbs. It couldn¡¯t be allowed! "You damned parasite!" Yang Yi roared furiously. He released the short sword, clenching his fist and swinging it towards the head on his shoulder. But the punch nevernded. Somehow, his left arm had already lost control, twisting around to restrain his right wrist. Another stalemate. Without the head on his shoulder, Yang Yi looked like a lunatic, his arms wrestling with each other, neither gaining the advantage. Taking the opportunity, the Brain Eater spat out Sea Serpent''s Fang, a trickle of viscous purple blood oozing from her mouth. Clearly, she wasn¡¯t unscathed by his earlier strike. However, she was confident of her victory,ughing wildly. Her expressive face twisted into a smirk, eyes brimming with mockery. "Ha! Stop resisting ¡ª it¡¯ll only bring you more pain! Why not submit to me? I promise not to kill you and let you forever revel in blissful dreams!" "Go to hell!" Yang Yi refused to yield, fighting back with all his might.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om If his hands couldn¡¯t move, then he¡¯d use his head! Bang! Caught off guard, the Brain Eater was headbutted, her vision spinning. Although she was agile, being anchored to Yang Yi¡¯s shoulder left her unable to dodge. Yang Yi, sensing a brief lull inside his body, was overjoyed and rammed her again with even greater force. Judging by his resolve, he¡¯d bash his own head bloody if it meant taking her down! Bang! Bang! Bang! "Are you out of your mind?!" the Brain Eater yelled in frustration. It was her first time encountering such a troublesome opponent. Unable to endure his headbutts any longer, she retracted a tendril, coiling it like a spring to brace against Yang Yi''s forehead and stop his relentless attacks. To her, this man was a lunatic, as if his head didn¡¯t feel pain. Ultimately, Yang Yi¡¯s headbutting spree was halted, but not without results. Though his head now sported several lumps, the Brain Eater¡¯s nose was crooked, deep purple blood dripping from her nostrils. Tears glistened in the corners of her eyes, as if the pain had made her cry. But Yang Yi had no pity ¡ª he was fighting for his life! Seeing that headbutts no longer worked, he immediately sought another method. Testing control over his limbs, he found his right leg fully responsive, with partial control regained over his right hand and left leg. Struggling to his feet, he locked eyes on a nearby tree and pushed off with all his strength, mming himself against it. The target? The back of the Brain Eater¡¯s head. With immense force, he aimed to crack her skull. The Brain Eater was startled by Yang Yi¡¯s reckless behavior. She hurriedly manipted his left hand to cushion the impact, but her head still took a hit, leaving a swollen lump. Taking advantage of the moment, Yang Yi¡¯s right hand broke free from his left hand¡¯s restraint, regaining freedom. "You''re insane! This is your own body! My tendrils are inside you now ¡ª if something goes wrong, you¡¯ll end up crippled!" the Brain Eater warned. But she was warning the wrong person. Without hesitation, Yang Yi clenched his fist and punched her, giving her a ck eye. Then he retorted coldly: "Better crippled than letting you take over!" Fearless, he continued throwing punches! Editor¡¯s note: headbutts will never not be amusing We have a new goal to reach 50 ratings on NovelBin! :D Once its done, we will release 3 bonus chapters! Current progress: 36/50 Thank you for reading, I hope you¡¯re enjoying the story :> We now have aPatreon! Feel free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance! :D Please give the novel a rating and a review on NovelBin. It will help the website and also help people find this novel! Reach 50 votes on NovelBin. Once the goal is reached, three bonus chapters will be rsed! :D Chapter 74 - Clash of the Nervous System Near the giant ship. The battle between Yang Yi and the Brain Eater continued, though themotion gradually subsided, giving way to an eerie calm. Initially, Yang Yi¡¯s reckless "injury-for-injury" tactics caused significant trouble for the Brain Eater. But as he lost control of his body bit by bit, he could no longer resist. Only his right leg remained under his control. Lying on the ground, he was utterly helpless. He deeply regretted not practicing high kicks earlier ¡ª otherwise, he might¡¯ve blown the monster¡¯s head off his shoulder! (1) On the other hand, the Brain Eater wasn¡¯t in great shape either. After taking a severe beating from Yang Yi, her face was swollen like a pig¡¯s. "If you¡¯d behaved earlier, you wouldn¡¯t be in this mess!" she spat, though her words slurred due to several missing teeth ¡ª courtesy of Yang Yi¡¯s punches. Both her eyes were swollen, resembling ripe peaches, making it impossible for her to open them. Yet, she was the undeniable victor. Though she looked worse than Yang Yi, the fact remained ¡ª she had won. "What¡¯s with that look?" the Brain Eater sneered, annoyed by Yang Yi¡¯s defiant re. Yang Yi turned his head slightly, staring at her with his two vastly different eyes which brimmed with malice. In truth, Yang Yi was bluffing. He couldn¡¯t see a thing because his vision had gone dark. The time limit on his three-eyed mode had expired, and his brain had shut off visual signal transmission again. Yet, he didn¡¯t want the Brain Eater to know he was blind. So, he red fiercely, feigning sight while fresh blood trickled from his nostrils, making him appear even more menacing. Seconds ticked by. Yang Yi could feel a tendril sliding along the back of his neck, creeping down his spine, aiming to burrow into his brain. Oddly, it didn¡¯t hurt ¡ª in fact, it felt strangely pleasant, almost as if he weed it. It was likely the effect of the Brain Eater¡¯s secretions, designed to erode the host¡¯s resistance. In less than a minute ¡ª maybe even sooner ¡ª that tendril would pierce his brain. At that point, whether it seized control, destroyed, or consumed his brain, the oue would be irreversible. And from what the Brain Eater hinted, she didn¡¯t n to kill Yang Yi. Instead, she intended to imprison him in a meticulously crafted dream, trapping him in eternal bliss cut off from reality. "You¡¯re surprisingly resilient," she mused smugly. "That other womansted barely ten seconds!" It was unclear whether she was praising or mocking him, but her tone was condescending. "You think you¡¯ve won?" Yang Yi retorted coldly. "Of course! What, you think you can still turn the tables?" Yang Yi didn¡¯t bother exining. Deep within, a daring n began to take shape ¡ª he would use magic. First up: Limb Restoration Spell! The target? The Brain Eater herself. Anyone well-versed would understand that every creature isposed of three parts: the core, the vessel, and the limbs. The core is the seat of consciousness, typically the brain for humans. The vessel refers to the body, which connects and houses the core and limbs. The limbs epass everything else ¡ª organs, appendages, and yes, even another¡¯s head. So, Yang Yi could use the Limb Restoration Spell to attach the Brain Eater directly to his shoulder! Just like in the nightmare! It seemed that not all nightmares were bad omens. Sometimes, they could reveal a way out. Resolute, Yang Yi¡¯s expression turned maniacal as he grinned and sneered: "You want my body, right? Then let¡¯s make our bond even plete!" "What?" The crazed look on Yang Yi¡¯s face filled the Brain Eater with dread. In the next moment, the Limb Restoration Spell activated. Since Yang Yi had fully studied the Book of Spider Limbs, he didn¡¯t need any incantation to cast it. Strange symbols began to glow on Yang Yi¡¯s right shoulder ¡ª markings he had seen in the book. The symbols quickly spread, crawling onto the Brain Eater¡¯s cheeks. "W-what is this?" The Brain Eater was terrified and tried to flee, but she couldn¡¯t! In trapping Yang Yi, she had also inadvertently trapped herself. Her tendrils were already deeply embedded in Yang Yi¡¯s body, making escape impossible in such a short time. Besides, she didn¡¯t want to ruin her precious "experiment." Helpless, the Brain Eater could only watch as the spell took effect. The glowing symbols began to transform, sprouting tiny legs and turning into small spiders. They worked together, spinning silk like tailors, slowly stitching the Brain Eater¡¯s head onto Yang Yi¡¯s shoulder. Even the chainmail between them was dismantled by the spiders. Secondster, the symbols disappeared.N?v(el)B\\jnn The Brain Eater¡¯s head became fully fused with Yang Yi¡¯s shoulder ¡ª blood and flesh intertwined, making separation impossible. At the same time, Yang Yi gained control over the Brain Eater¡¯s body, including her tendrils. A new battle began! To her shock, the Brain Eater realised her tendrils were no longer under her control. It was as if they had developed a will of their own! In reality, Yang Yi was the one manipting them. The two started vying for control over the tendrils, each gaining and losing ground. "What did you do?!" For the first time, panic appeared on the Brain Eater¡¯s face as she experienced what it felt like to be controlled. The tendrils left outside her body had gone rogue,shing back, and leaving deep purple whip marks on the Brain Eater herself. The silent battle between the two continued, though to an outsider, it might look iprehensible. Only they knew the true danger within. Minutester, Yang Yi began to fall behind again ¡ª fatigue setting in. He realised his nerve reflexes, or perhaps his thought speed, couldn¡¯t keep up with the Brain Eater. As she regained herposure, Yang Yi found himself losing more ground, his control dwindling. The tendril at the back of his neck resumed its advance. ¡°Damn it! If I had more magic essence, I¡¯d use Limb Explosion and blow us both up!¡± Yang Yi cursed inwardly. His thoughts, carried through neural signals, reached the Brain Eater. "Limb Explosion? Are you a cultist of the Limb Spider Sect?!" she snapped. The Limb Spider Sect was an infamous secret cult that worshipped the deity known as the Mother of Spiders. Its followers were obsessed with limbs, grafting all sorts of grotesque appendages onto themselves, turning into unrecognisable monstrosities. They imed it was "evolution" or "transcendence." The Brain Eater had heard of the cult but never expected to encounter one of its members here. Fortunately, she was confident in her superior skills. She would win. He was out of magic essence ¡ª there was no way he could use Limb Explosion. But Yang Yi¡¯s next thought chilled her to the core. ¡°Damn it! I really can¡¯t hold on! If worsees to worst¡­¡± "Worsees to worst?" "If worsees to worst, I¡¯ll have no choice but to invoke the Summoning Ritual of the Mother...and offer this monster to her!" ¡°You¡¯re insane!!!!¡± That thought struck terror into the Brain Eater¡¯s very soul. (1) It''s confirmed ¡ª we''re getting a knockoff Sanji! -Simply Editor''s note: dude is actually letting his mum fight for him We have a new goal to reach 50 ratings on NovelBin! :D Once its done, we will release 3 bonus chapters! Current progress: 37/50 Thank you for reading, I hope you¡¯re enjoying the story :> We now have aPatreon! Feel free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance! :D Please give the novel a rating and a review on NovelBin. It will help the website and also help people find this novel! Reach 50 votes on NovelBin. Once the goal is reached, three bonus chapters will be rsed! :D Chapter 75 - The light of truth "Stop!" Urgent neural signals surged into Yang Yi''s brain. "Do you know what summoning a deity means? It''s far worse than death... Humans, unprepared, appearing before a god, would spiral into endless madness, unable even to maintain their form!" warned the Brain Eater. The exchange, though lengthy in words, was instant through neural signals, transmitted and understood in a sh. But to the Brain Eater''s surprise...Yang Yi ignored the warning, resolutely determined to use the Mother of Spiders'' deity-summoning ritual. It wasn''t a bluff. Neural signals, being a deep-level exchange of consciousness, left no room for deception. Yang Yi''s intentions, clear and unwavering, were fully exposed to the Brain Eater. He was serious. The Brain Eater was horrified, regretting its decision to inhabit this lunatic''s body. It began bombarding Yang Yi with signals, trying to disrupt the ritual. "You''re insane! A heretic! A lunatic! You dare call me a monster? You''re worse than a monster! Even monsters wouldn¡¯t summon gods!" Floods of signals ¡ª confusion, fear, shock, despair ¡ª assaulted Yang Yi¡¯s mind, giving him a splitting headache. It was like ten voices screaming in his head. He¡¯d had enough! "Shut up!" Yang Yi severed the signal transmission. "I''m perfectly calm! This is the only way to destroy you, you red-eyed freak!" "Red-eyed... How do you know that? Did I ever tell you?" a puzzled signal came through. Yang Yi retorted, "Does that need saying?" Unwittingly, his thoughts transmitted along with the response, exposing everything to the Brain Eater. The Brain Eater glimpsed a nightmare Yang Yi had experienced. "You dreamed of this?" "I didn¡¯t say that!" "You¡¯ve seen other red-eyed beings?" "No, I haven¡¯t!" "Suna...? Where is she now?" "You piece of¡ª!" Yang Yi exploded with rage. Not being able to hide a single thought, with every secretid bare, felt like he was being stripped naked in public. But Yang Yi quickly devised a countermeasure: stop thinking and ignore the iing signals. "Tell me where she is!" "........." "What¡¯s your rtionship with her?" "........." Yang Yi stayed silent, focusing on activating the ritual to summon the Mother of Spiders and eliminate the menace. The Brain Eater detected his intent immediately. "Stop! Let¡¯s talk! I have no hostility now ¡ª you can feel it, can¡¯t you?" Indeed, Yang Yi felt no malice, only excitement, anticipation, and relief. Emotions rarely lie unless one could deceive themselves. The Brain Eater''s actions further proved its sincerity: The tendrils retreated from his body, and Yang Yi regained control almost instantly. "What are you up to?" Yang Yi was confused but stayed cautious, groping for a weapon hidden in his stomach pouch. Yet his intention was immediately detected. Two tendrils restrained his hands tightly. "Stop your aggressive behavior! I just want to talk!" "But I can''t see!" "I¡¯ll share my vision with you." A strange visual signal came through ¡ª lines and contours without color, like radar-detected imagery processed into a coherent picture. The tendrils released Yang Yi''s hands, allowing him to stand. "Where are you...?" "Find somewhere to sit. My face hurts a lot right now, and I don''t want to say anything." Yang Yi frowned, his left shoulder pressed against a head, looking like a two-headed demon as he slowly walked towards the ruins and found a piece of wood to sit on. On the other hand, the Brain Eater seemed to be capable of using magic.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Yang Yi couldn¡¯t understand theplicated incantations, but he could feel that after a warm, water-like energy brush across the Brain Eater''s cheek, her injuries quickly healed. "I feel much better now." The Brain Eater looked at Yang Yi. Yet to his senses, it was like looking at himself, a very strange feeling. After all, he, and the Brain Eater shared vision. Yang Yi took the opportunity to put on an eye mask and asked the Brain Eater what she wanted to say. The exchange between the two heads officially began, and the Brain Eater¡¯s words became more refined. "Hello, Mr. Yang Yi! You may call me Miss Rte. As you might have guessed, I am indeed a witch, blessed with both beauty and intelligence..." She began to exin her identity. Not long before, she was just an ordinary witch, exceptionally beautiful and intelligent. She kept a low profile, enjoying her research in quiet corners. But her good days didn''tst. She was discovered by the Holy Knights,belled as a heretic, and captured to be taken to the Holy City for judgment by the Holy Light. "I definitely know who betrayed me, it must be that Peter! He begged me to heal his blindness so he could see his new bride. I agreed and reced his corrupted eyeballs with those of a healthy Cyclops! The surgery was a sess, and before he left, he even thanked me!" Miss Rte spoke with indignation. "Not even half a monthter, the Holy Knights arrived! Luckily, I was prepared and turned myself into the Brain Eater. This way, even if I only had a head left, I could still move! Otherwise, once I leave the Holy Chest, I would immediately die..." "The Holy Chest?" "Yes! The Holy Chest is a prison tool used by the Radiant Holy Church to store the heads of heretics. Each chest is uniquely numbered and marked with a sacred seal. Whenever the Holy Knights capture a heretic, they use a divine spell called the Holy Severance to decapitate them. This Holy Severance is an extremely evil spell that doesn¡¯t kill immediately after decapitation! Then they store the head of the heretic in the Holy Chest and send it to the Holy City. As long as the sinner doesn¡¯t leave the Holy Chest, they won¡¯t truly die... This cruel method is unheard of!" Miss Rte recounted the brutality of the Holy Knights. But Yang Yi remained unmoved. He thought that witches weren''t much better...both were equally vile. His thoughts were quickly understood by Miss Rte. "You have a deep misunderstanding of witches! In fact,pared to witches, I prefer to be called a schr!" Miss Rte revealed a wealth of hidden information to Yang Yi. "People always say we are forbidden beings, using us of desecrating the dead and ying with life. But those are misunderstandings and prejudices! In reality, we are the true guardians of this world, its only hope! The taboo research that vites human morals is just the growing pains of exploring the truth! As long as we persist, we will eventually ignite the light of truth again! We will make all hidden existences retreat into the shadows, never daring to reveal themselves in the light of truth! We will do it! We will seed!" "Because the light of truth has always existed and will always exist!" Miss Rte''s face became fervent; it was a kind of faith. Unlike the faith in deities, what they believed in...was the truth, the principle of all things! In her excitement, her eyes had opened, but there were no eyeballs inside, only burn marks where mes had seared them. It looked like someone had used hot tongs to tear her eyes out. "What exactly are you trying to express?" Yang Yi asked. "It can''t just be that you''re bored from being locked up and want someone to talk to, right?" "No," Rte shook her head. "I originally nned to infiltrate the Radiant Holy Church, to see if I could find and save another witch or warlock. But now...it seems unnecessary." She looked at Yang Yi with her hollow eye sockets. "In front of me, there is a witch who can inherit everything of mine." She used her tendrils to rummage through her mouth, pulling out a red gem covered in purple mucus, handing it to Yang Yi. "This is the Stone of Truth; it contains the knowledge of countless generations of our efforts! Though I¡¯m very intelligent, it still wasn¡¯t enough, and I could only inherit a portion of it! If someone with higher talent were to inherit it, they would directly ess the truth and understand the reality of this world! I am no longer capable for I will soon die, but the inheritance of truth must not be severed..." Yang Yi took the Stone of Truth and received its information. ¡¾Name: Stone of Truth¡¿ ¡¾Type: Relic¡¿ ¡¾Quality: ??¡¿ ¡¾Description: Swallowing this stone grants vast forbidden knowledge, but if one cannot bear it, it will lead to brain death. Not rmended for anyone outside of witches or warlocks. If given to the Radiant Holy Church, you will gain immense honour! After reading it, he understood what she meant: she wanted him to give this stone to Suna. "Why do you think I would do as you say?" Yang Yi asked, confused. "You will!" Miss Rte replied firmly, but Yang Yi could not agree. "How do you view the abyss monsters?" Rte suddenly asked a strange question. "I believe that only the dead abyss monsters are good abyss monsters!" Yang Yi responded. "Very good, I hope you remember that!" Rte was satisfied with his reply and smiled. She somehow pulled out a wine bottle, used her tendrils to remove the cap, then poured two sses of wine with a dusty measuring cylinder. "Here, have a drink with me." She handed one of the sses to Yang Yi. "I don¡¯t drink!" Yang Yi refused. Before the crossover, Yang Yi had a weak body and had never drunk alcohol. "Make an exception, it¡¯s just this one ss!" Rte was insistent, pressing the measuring cylinder to his lips with her tendrils. "After you finish, I¡¯d like you to fulfill your promise...kill me!" We have a new goal to reach 50 ratings on NovelBin! :D Once its done, we will release 3 bonus chapters! Current progress: 37/50 Thank you for reading, I hope you¡¯re enjoying the story :> We now have aPatreon! Feel free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance! :D Please give the novel a rating and a review on NovelBin. It will help the website and also help people find this novel! Reach 50 votes on NovelBin. Once the goal is reached, three bonus chapters will be rsed! :D Chapter 76 - Death "You want me to kill you?" Yang Yi asked, somewhat surprised. He hadn''t expected that after all the things the witch had said, she was actually seeking an end. "Yes!" Rte confirmed once again. "From the moment I became a Brain Eater, I set a time limit for my life. Before I consume the fifth brain, I must end my life." Rte drank from the measuring cylinder. The wine had obviously been stored for quite some time and had be cloudy, but the fragrance was still rich. She continued exining. "In truth...not all living creatures have the courage tomit suicide, especially those that are intelligent and long-lived. They are usually very afraid of death. Take the Brain Eaters for example: they are a powerful and cunning species, and the concept of ageing hardly exists for them. They generally prefer to inhabit the skulls of hosts, using their exterior to get close to prey, and then taking the opportunity to devour their brains, or reproduce..." Rte spoke in an objective tone, as though describing a speciespletely unrted to herself. But Yang Yi understood her meaning. She was extremely afraid of death, and as she couldn''t directly express it, she wished Yang Yi would help her. "I am a schr, I still consider myself human!... Even though I really want to eat your brain. In a year, or maybe ten years, as I consume more and more brains, my thoughts and views will change. I will start to believe that I am a noble Brain Eater. And humans will be nothing more than lowly livestock. This is an inevitable, subtle process, and by then, I will be standing against the light of truth. This is something I absolutely cannot tolerate! So, I set a time limit for my life..." Rte''s thoughts entered Yang Yi''s mind. After hesitating for a moment, Yang Yi finally took the measuring cylinder, drank the wine, and downed it in one go. Then, he stood up. The sudden movement caused Rte''s tendrils to tense up. The sickle-like des waved erratically in front of Yang Yi, and even the straw-like tendril seemed ready to stab into his temple and suck his brain out. "Sorry, this is a physiological stress reaction of the Brain Eater that I can''t control," Rte apologised. Due to the neural connection, Yang Yi could feel Rte''s emotions, including tension, panic, fear, hesitation...and the rationality underlying it all. Yang Yi ignored the iling tendrils and began searching the ground, quickly retrieving his flintlock and the Sea Serpent''s Tooth that had fallen in the forest. During the process of picking up his weapons, he was scratched by several of the sickle-like tendrils. The wounds were shallow, but blood droplets were still hanging from them. "Where do you want to be buried?" Yang Yi suddenly asked.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "The Holy Chest, I suppose. There''s no higher ss of coffin than that. Then, I¡¯ll have it delivered to the Radiant Holy Church. Let those religious fanatics quiet down a bit." Rte said calmly. "Are you ready?" Yang Yi looked at Rte, holding a weapon in each hand, very close to her head. "There are two ways to die here. Which one would you choose?" "Use the gun...that one...!" Suddenly, the nerve signals became chaotic and turned into a mass of illogical gibberish. Rte widened her empty eye sockets, seeming somewhat surprised. Because Yang Yi had made his move. With lightning speed, his right hand wielded the Sea Serpent''s Tooth, piercing her temple and driving the de into the hilt. The strike was too sudden, urring in the brief moment between their conversation, and Rte didn¡¯t even have time to feel fear. Dark purple mucus flowed from her nostrils, and several tendrils twisted wildly like a drowning person, desperately entangling Yang Yi¡¯s head and leaving bloody scratches on his face. After a few seconds, the tendrils lost their strength and hung limply. Yang Yi pulled out the Sea Serpent''s Fang. From the moment he picked up his weapons, he had deliberately stopped thinking, clearing his mind and remaining calm. In just a few short minutes, Yang Yi had mastered how to hide his true thoughts on a conscious level ¡ª he didn''t need to think! So, by the time Rte realised Yang Yi was about to strike, it was already toote for her to be afraid. With the dust settling, Yang Yi obtained Rte''s information. ¡¾Name: Rte (Brain Eater)¡¿ ¡¾Description: The witch Rte transformed into a Brain Eater, a heretic fleeing from the Radiant Holy Church. She can be thrown into the octopus vending machine or handed over to the Radiant Holy Church in exchange for a high reward. She bears a holy mark, which can be sensed by nearby Holy Church troops. Brain Eater: An extremely dangerous creature which enjoys consuming brains, parasitising, and reproducing. After consuming brains for a period of time, it bes weak and thirsty, and is especially skilled in mental magic. Yang Yi remained expressionless as he began the dissection. Following Rte''s death, he turned blind again. Relying on her memory, he roughly severed the brain from his own shoulder. After about one or two minutes of cutting, Yang Yi managed to separate Rte from his shoulder. The effect of the body restoration spell...was hard to describe. The entire spell took nearly a minute to activate, costing 10 sanity points, and was not suitable for use inbat. Strictly speaking, it could only be considered a logistical spell. Yang Yi took out a regeneration potion and drank it. The intense itching made him feel an impulse to rub himself against the wall. Fortunately, he resisted, but the noise caused was noticeable. He checked his status panel, especially his sanity points, and found he had 32 left. "Good, no further contamination!" Yang Yi breathed a sigh of relief. The earlier invasion had altered his body, costing him some sanity. But as long as it didn''t drop below 10, he was still within safe limits. Just as Yang Yi was relieved and ready to inform Suna toe get him, there was another sound from the shipwreck. "Who''s there?" A soft voice echoed. Someone else? Yang Yi''s heart skipped a beat. He then quickly thought of the missing Zhou Dai. If there were any survivors, it had to be her. Despite the copse of the ship, she hadn''t died ¡ª she was extremely lucky. Yet, her appearance wasn''t necessarily a good thing. Because Yang Yi was blind, he couldn''t see anything. If Zhou Dai saw him as an enemy, things could...get ugly. In a moment of urgency, Yang Yi carefully considered the situation and decided to minimise the potential for conflict, trying to defuse the tense atmosphere. So, he boldly admitted his true identity. "I''m Yang Yi, captain of the Nightmare Star!" he replied. "Yang Yi?!" Zhou Dai repeated. "That''s right, who are you?" Yang Yi asked. Zhou Dai furrowed her brow. She did recognise that name, after all, they had done two deals and even added each other as friends. In her mind, Yang Yi was a tough person ¡ª often injured, liked killing otherworldly creatures, and sold useful items... But Zhou Dai didn''t immediately believe it. Instead, she opened the chat interface to try sending a private message to Yang Yi and saw his previous messages. There were two in total. One was from a few days ago, where Yang Yi had asked if she wanted to buy fire wool clothing. The other was from today, where he asked if she needed stone and wood materials. After reading them, Zhou Dai sent a reply. "Are you on the ind?" "I''ve just met someone who ims to be Yang Yi, captain of the Nightmare Star. Is that really you?" "Of course, it''s me!" Yang Yi''s voice came through. From this point on, both of them confirmed each other''s identities, and the tension between them decreased by half. We have a new goal to reach 50 ratings on NovelBin! :D Once its done, we will release 3 bonus chapters! Current progress: 37/50 Thank you for reading, I hope you¡¯re enjoying the story :> We now have aPatreon! Feel free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance! :D Please give the novel a rating and a review on NovelBin. It will help the website and also help people find this novel! Reach 50 votes on NovelBin. Once the goal is reached, three bonus chapters will be rsed! :D The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!