Ch. 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°C 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 already commendable. 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 delays, 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 – 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 islands or reefs ahead?” He didn't want to accidentally run aground on an island 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 displaying 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 the complex nerve and vascular structure inside, hypothesising about its organ composition, and making detailed records. Several organs had been completely removed, including the brain and eyes, and were placed in glass jars. She spent some materials to exchange for several glass jars, just for this observation. “This siren... Its body structure has many defects. It’s more accurate 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 it completely 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 plague. The debris was large, fast-moving, and some were even fragments of ship hulls. It wasn’t known which unfortunate player they came from. So, Yang Yi kept vigilant, 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. Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ n0vᴇl(ꜰ)ire.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality. 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 player complaints. “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 – a monster attack! His encounter drew attention from many other players, 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 his last unfinished message. Yang Yi became nervous. A splash 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. 【Condition Met, Dissection of Demon Count 2/2, Your Talent Unlocked – Forbidden Scholar. Forbidden Scholar: Permanent reduction of 20 to sanity limit, mysterious learning system unlocked. You can now build special rooms, develop your own unique formulas, 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.” “Then come 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 plank would be enough to cross over. But now, with both ships swaying, it was safer to crawl across the plank. 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!”