Adolf nodded.
“Yes, this thing is useless to humans, but it greatly benefits the sea demon clan. After all, it’s the crystallization of another sea demon’s energy. Consuming it can extend one’s lifespan and enhance cultivation.”
This sounded somewhat like Eastern cultivation lore, and for a moment, Sules was a little confused about the setting of this world.
Adolf continued, “And if you take it to the sea demon clan, you will be regarded as a friend of the sea demons.”
“Why? I’m holding a treasure that only sea demons can extract from their dead. Shouldn’t they hate me to the core?” Sules asked, puzzled.
Adolf glanced at her and sneered.
“The sea demon clan isn’t that simple. They can identify the killer by the aura on this sea pearl. If what you just said is true, then you helped the sea demons avenge their revenge. Naturally, they will be grateful to you.”
“I see.”
Sules nodded, then asked, “So how do I find the sea demon clan? Is there a fixed channel?”
Adolf shrugged.
“That, I don’t know. The sea demon clan has always been elusive. Apart from those they already consider friends, no one can find their gathering place. And those who do know won’t tell others. After all, they gain huge benefits from their friendship with the sea demons; no one wants to give that up.”
That was true.
If she managed to get the sea demons’ location, she certainly wouldn’t spread it around.
This was an important piece of business information—having a renewable source of treasures in the deep sea that have survived so many years was invaluable.
It seemed the sea pearl couldn’t be used in the short term.
Sules wouldn’t give up its hidden value just to sell it off to solve immediate problems.
She wasn’t someone who sought quick gains.
“What about this?”
Sules took out a talisman.
“What’s this for?”
Adolf gave her a half-smile.
“Looks like you got quite a few treasures on this trip.”
Sules shrugged.
“I almost didn’t make it back. I deserve some gains.”
Adolf nodded.
“This is a delay talisman. It only works on the user and can delay the activation of the captain’s talent for up to three days. Generally, it’s of little use and is relatively cheap.”
The system said it would randomly give an item from the ship that she hadn’t discovered yet.
Sules knew about her bad luck attribute, so she wasn’t too disappointed that the value of the item wasn’t high.
Instead, she asked, “How does the delay work?”
Adolf thought for a moment and explained, “For example, your talent as the captain—after using this talisman, when you use your ability to upgrade the ship, you can control it so the upgrade activates three days later, even if you’re not near the ship at that time.”
Sules understood and nodded thoughtfully.
Her true ability was the Heart of the Sea God.
Would this talisman combined with the Heart of the Sea God produce unexpected effects?
Having learned the uses of these two items, Sules didn’t bother Adolf further and took the initiative to leave.
He had said enough today, exceeding even her expectations.
She glanced at her attribute panel and noticed his loyalty had already reached 40.
No wonder he was like this.
***
At five in the early morning the next day, Sules arrived at the dock to make final preparations.
They were to depart at six.
While she was checking her items, a voice came from below the ship.
“Hey! Sulice, you forgot something! I’ll bring it to you!”
Sules raised an eyebrow and quickly ran down to stand in front of Aiden.
“What is it?”
Aiden pulled out a neatly folded fishing net from behind him.
“This.”
Sulice frowned.
“This isn’t mine.”
She wasn’t the forgetful type and clearly remembered coming to the Alvis family almost empty-handed, with all her belongings in her bag.
How could she have a fishing net?
Besides, although the net wasn’t unfolded, from the material alone—even Sules, who wasn’t knowledgeable about such things, knew it was of high quality.
Good fishing nets weren’t cheap, and she definitely couldn’t afford one.
Aiden stubbornly shoved the net into Sules’s hands, acting proud.
“I said it’s yours, so it is. I already brought it over. Do you want me to take it back? That’s impossible.”
Now Sulice couldn’t misunderstand his meaning—he clearly wanted to give her a better fishing net but was too shy to say it outright, using this excuse instead.
Her heart softened, and she smiled.
“Alright then, thank you, Young Master Aiden, for going through all this trouble to bring me a fishing net.”
To Aiden, this was just a simple matter of a few words, but she shouldn’t refuse such goodwill.
Seeing that she accepted it, Aiden’s previously tense expression relaxed.
Suddenly, a spark lit his eyes, and with restrained anticipation, he asked, “I think your ship is missing an experienced person. Since I happen to want to go on an adventure, why don’t you secretly take me with you to the Sicilian Sea?”
“That won’t do.”
Sulice refused firmly.
“I can’t help you with this.”
“Why?”
Aiden looked puzzled.
“Are you afraid of being discovered? It’s okay—I’ve already arranged everything. As long as you take me on board, I definitely won’t cause you any trouble.”
Sulice still didn’t hesitate.
“No.”
Now Aiden was completely flustered, shouting, “Why? This really won’t affect you. I won’t ever drag down a friend.”
Then he suddenly froze, his voice dropping, lowering his head to mutter, “Or… do you actually not consider me a friend at all?”
Seeing the usually arrogant boy suddenly this insecure, Sules felt a headache coming and interrupted him.
“No, it’s precisely because I consider you a friend that I’m refusing you.”
Seeing the disbelief on Aiden’s face, Sules explained, “Think about it. If I didn’t consider you a friend, why wouldn’t I agree? If I did, not only would it not affect me, but I could also gain favor with the young master of the Alvis family. Why wouldn’t I do it then?”
Using this counter example to prove the truth of her words, Aiden’s rationality returned, and his expression improved.
To make up for his earlier outburst, he once again acted arrogant.
“That’s true. Someone like me—how could anyone not want to be friends with me?”
Sules smiled and nodded.
“Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right.”
With a light touch, she got rid of the troublesome young master.
As she turned, she bumped into Cardy, who was smiling.
“I knew the captain wouldn’t agree!”
Sules raised an eyebrow.
“You heard our conversation just now?”
Cardy nodded vigorously, then suddenly seemed flustered.
“I wasn’t eavesdropping! I was already here. Then your conversation went so fast, I couldn’t get out.”
Sules could understand that.
Aiden’s tsundere nature was maxed out.
If he knew a third person had seen him lose his composure, he’d surely be embarrassed and angry.
She tilted her head.
“You don’t want me to take Aiden with us either? Why?”
Cardy nodded foolishly and reasoned, “Aiden doesn’t have enough experience. Going out to sea recklessly could get him into trouble. Captain, you’re just trying to protect him, right?”
Sules patted his shoulder with a detached expression.
“If I took him away, do you really think the Alvis family wouldn’t find out? Aiden disappeared right as I was leaving. Even if all the evidence points to someone else, they’d still suspect me.”
With that, she smiled faintly and turned toward the captain’s cabin.
“Then why are you telling me this?”
Cardy suddenly shouted from behind.
“What are you trying to prove?”
Sules paused for a moment, then quickly resumed walking away.
At exactly six, Sules set sail on her ship, following the Alvis family’s merchant vessel on schedule.
The voyage was long and dull.
Ahead was an endless sea; she only needed to follow the merchant ship’s path without thinking.
Thanks to her previous experience sailing with Zhan, Sules had some understanding of such voyages and knew what problems might arise.
She had already felt this boredom back then.
Facing the endless blue sea for a long time caused psychological issues—depression.
This was real.
After seven or eight days of continuous sailing, the initial freshness was completely worn away.
All she saw was the sea, and being confined to the cramped captain’s cabin, she felt numb and inexplicably heavy inside.
Sulice was self-aware and quickly recognized the problem, immediately seeking solutions.
It turned out the remedy was advice from that young captain: in such situations, one must talk more.
Use every break to chat with the crew to dispel loneliness.
As a large family, the Alvis family was considerate of their crew.
Every day at noon, they had a two-hour rest.
The ship stopped at nine at night and set off again at six in the morning.
So at lunch, Sules went straight to find Claire.
They hadn’t had much chance to talk lately because of all the affairs, but now that they had the opportunity, they started chatting immediately.
“I’m telling you! I should become a fourth-level martial artist within a month!”
Claire said excitedly.
“I’ve been staying at the martial arts hall all this time, not asking for wages, only room and board, and letting stronger martial artists train me. It really shortened my upgrade progress.”
Sules already knew this since she had the system panel and could check member info anytime.
To be honest, she was quite pleasantly surprised.
A fourth-level martial artist was more than enough to protect her.
Now her ship had Annabella, a third-level martial artist; Claire was nearly fourth-level; and Lauren was a full fourth-level martial artist.
This lineup was definitely top-tier for a fourth-level ship’s combat strength.
“That’s great!”
Sules genuinely rejoiced for her and herself.
“Claire, you’re amazing! With that, our ship’s combat power won’t be lacking at all. We’ll be much safer from now on.”
Claire wasn’t overly happy and sighed.
“I’ve been training my martial artist abilities since I was little, and I’m only at fourth level now. I can feel that fifth level is completely out of reach for me. It might take ten or twenty years.”
Upon hearing this, Sules became quiet.
She had already anticipated this.
Claire’s potential ceiling was just that.
Reaching fourth level at such a young age meant a solid foundation.
In this world, almost everything that levels up has a barrier at fifth level.
Before fifth level, advancement depends on experience, but from fifth level onward, talent is required.
In other words, without much talent, Claire’s chances of reaching fifth level in martial arts were almost zero.
Sules comforted her, “It’s okay. This level is already enough. You’re our ship’s first mate—you shouldn’t belittle yourself.”
Claire forced a smile and changed the subject.
“Sules, you have to tell me about your experiences lately. It must have been so thrilling!”
Sules nodded and carefully recounted her story.
Even though she deliberately left out some particularly dangerous parts, Claire still exclaimed repeatedly in amazement.