The Astrologer Ship
The trade was quickly completed.
All that was needed was to confirm the transaction on the log and lock it in.
Next, the trade goods were tossed into the Monster Gacha Machine, and they would be delivered to the opponent's ship.
There was no need to worry about the other party breaching the contract—the Gacha Machine would ensure the trade was completed!
Normally, things like the Gacha Machine, which had a completely different art style, were considered external bosses, and it was best not to test its power...
Lucas Hall tossed the agreed-upon trade items in, and the system directly deducted the resources from the ship's hold.
Before long, two bottles of Holy Water were spit out by the Gacha Machine.
These were clear, colorless liquids sealed in reagent bottles.
Lucas opened one, smelled it, and found there was no scent. He then drank it in one gulp.
Immediately, he felt his body start to burn up; a searing pain spread through him, and a foul odor even emanated from his skin.
But his mental state improved significantly, and he felt incredibly refreshed.
"It's working!"
Lucas exclaimed, checking his status.
The corpse poison infection had reduced to moderate, and his health began to slowly recover.
He drank the second bottle to solidify the effect.
Then, he spent 50 Sea Conch Coins to purchase five emergency bandages.
These were likely made from cloth, but Lucas didn't have the recipe, so he had to buy them.
He pulled the arrow from his left arm, wincing in pain.
But pain was good—it meant the poison was weakening!
After cleaning the wound with a little fresh water, Lucas bandaged it himself and checked his status again.
Lucas Hall
Status: Injured / Corpse Poison Infection (Mild, Improving)
Illustration: A human figure with light yellow coloring, slightly darker at the wounds
Rationality: 93/100
Energy: 35/100
Health: 19/100 (Slowly recovering)
He sighed in relief.
He had finally survived.
The remaining materials could be used to upgrade the Nightmare Ship, so he made the decision to upgrade.
Materials are sufficient, are you sure you want to upgrade?
Lucas clicked "Yes."
The Nightmare Ship glowed a sickly green, like a group of ghosts floating around the ship, and the ship's body began to extend outward.
Upgrade complete. The Nightmare Ship is now Level 2. You can view the specific changes in the ship interface.
Navigation Announcement: The number of Level 2 ships has exceeded 10,000, and the Origin Sea will face new changes.
A massive storm will arrive in this sea area in three days, so players are advised to prepare accordingly!
As soon as the announcement went out, the chat channel exploded.
"10,000 Level 2 ships... damn! I'm still missing 8 pieces of wood. Anyone selling wood?"
"Guys, who gets it? I'm in the game world, and I'm still stuck in this grind!"
"High prices for wood and cloth, DM me for deals!"
The channel became a frenzy of people rushing to upgrade, and the price of wood and cloth skyrocketed.
The most unfortunate were those with special ships that required additional materials for upgrading...
Steel Heart Ship: "Fish for steel, private message for fresh fish, long-term supply!"
"Don't buy from him, his fish have a gunpowder smell, they taste horrible!"
"Just say if they're fresh or not, I'll kill them right here!"
"Who has low-level Wind Essence? Price is negotiable!"
The speaker was Windstorm Ship, and Lucas recognized them as a friend, so their name was no longer anonymous in the channel.
"Got organic cucumbers, organic cabbage, organic apples, organic bananas—rich in vitamins and water. You know what's up. Also paying top prices for seeds."
"Where the hell did you get fruits and veggies? Does your ship farm?"
"You clever bastard, you guessed it!"
They attached their ship details afterward.
Farmer Ship, Level 1, Durability 600/600, Capacity 1000 units, Speed 25 knots
Ship Skill: Efficient Planting – The ship has soil, and the time required to harvest depends on the type of seeds used.
Description: Farmer? No, you're now called Dad!
Lucas was somewhat taken aback.
He didn't expect to see a farming ship like this. It truly seemed like a gold mine!
Every special ship had its unique advantages!
Lucas glanced at the blueprint in his hands, which was undoubtedly a treasure!
Name: Pirate Ship Blueprint
Type: Blueprint
Quality: Special
Description: This blueprint can transform your ship into a Pirate Ship, which will have faster speed, more grappling hooks, and even... cannons!
Lucas didn't see any cannons on the Pirate Ship yet, so he guessed they would be unlocked after upgrading.
As expected, the blueprint didn't consume materials upon use.
This meant that upgrading a high-level basic ship with this blueprint would provide huge benefits.
For example, a Level 3 basic ship would become a Level 3 special ship upon using this blueprint, saving tons of resources.
The higher the level, the more materials would be saved!
So, this blueprint's price wouldn't crash in the later stages!
He checked his ship interface again.
Nightmare Ship, Level 2, Durability 600/600, Capacity 1000 units, Speed 50 knots
Ship Skills:
Nightmare: The ship's sleep quality is extremely poor, causing nightmares, and energy recovery efficiency is reduced by 75%.
Fisher's Curse: Normal fish are not compatible with this ship, but the chances of encountering abnormal creatures are increased.
Description: The ship has grown bigger, but that doesn't change the fact that it's still a wreck!
The ship's durability had doubled, but it was still low and couldn't withstand much damage.
Its length had increased to 20 meters, and the ship's bow was tied with a rusted iron chain, holding the skeleton of the former captain as a grim trophy...
The hold had also added a room that could be expanded, with three branching upgrade options.
Additional Cargo Hold – Increases ship capacity by 100%, requires 300 units of wood.
Ancient Combat Room – Provides two waterlogged cannons for combat, requires 200 units of wood, 10 units of steel, and 10 units of sulfur.
Great Statue – Deters passing ships, causing panic, requires 300 units of wood, 300 units of cloth, and a corpse of an aberrant creature.
Lucas thought for a moment and decided on the Ancient Combat Room.
Nothing provided more security than cannons!
In naval combat, cannons were a must!
His current resources were as follows:
Capacity: 11/1000
Wood9, Cloth0, Fresh Water*2L (any shortage is considered as 2L)
Steel and Sulfur were high-level resources he hadn't encountered yet.
The Level 3 ship upgrade interface had not yet been unlocked, and it should open only after completing an expansion.
After sorting everything out, Lucas began fishing, as he still needed to prepare more food...
Meanwhile, many miles behind the Nightmare Ship, there was a special ship about ten meters long, with an enormous crystal ball over 3 meters in diameter mounted on it.
Astrologer Ship, Level 1, Durability 500/500, Capacity 800 units, Speed 50 knots
Ship Skills:
Astrology: Displays the sea chart within 100 nautical miles, showing ship names.
Peeping: Displays an image of any ship on the sea chart, one target per day. Cannot view islands.
Description: Just showing the map, not cheating!
The captain was a beautiful woman with black hair and brown skin, her eyes a rare shade of red.
She had been watching the Nightmare Ship for some time.
After all, having two ships moving in parallel was very rare.
Later, however, the icon for the Pirate Ship disappeared from the sea chart...
"Was it destroyed?"
The woman gazed at the crystal ball before her, which was small but displayed the sea map, including ship names.
She reached out, using the Peeping skill to check the image of the Nightmare Ship.
She saw Lucas on the ship, fishing.
He reeled up a long-legged sardine, which went straight into his mouth before hitting the deck.
The woman's red eyes widened in shock, disbelieving.
Soon after, another eyeball was hooked up, and Lucas ate that too...
Finally, a toxic pufferfish was discarded by Lucas with distaste.
But the woman's eyes lit up when she saw the toxic fish.
"How did he catch these treasures?" the woman exclaimed.
She felt no loss of rationality, only curiosity, as she possessed a special talent.
Talent:
Witch's Blood: You crave knowledge, and your red eyes are both your proof and your curse. Mental capacity +2.
You have high resistance to strange creatures and phenomena.
But be warned, anyone who touches the forbidden will be ...