Ch. 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 — it was simply an ordinary large 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 display the appearance of these ships, but Yang Yi could still guess a few of them. One had a large 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 — 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 stern man dressed in a blue captain's uniform, looking impeccably 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: 【Psychological Suggestion: Through verbal stimulation, you can increase or decrease your or others' attributes and sanity. The range of attribute change is ±1, and the range of sanity change is ±20, 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 use lasts 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 players 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 players — it was too passive! Not to mention the need to hand over equipment and supplies. That would literally be placing your life in someone else's hands. Yang Yi had a detailed sea map that allowed him to effectively avoid other players, 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 become 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 multiple layers 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. 【Captain 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 a laughing 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. 【Name: Greedy Stomach】 【Type: Relic】 【Quality: Rare】 【Description: 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 be completely 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 — 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, a large number of resources were credited to his account. The octopus head kept spitting out food: 20 loaves of black 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 a large fresh tuna. These food items were enough to feed one person for sixty days. Finally, it spat out a black, palm-sized bag that felt smooth, almost like a century egg — 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. 【Strange 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. Sёarch* The NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yang Yi focused on the Witch’s Laboratory. Finally, it was time to build it!