Today's Weather
The storm has intensified. Beware of floating debris at sea.
Location: Origin Sea (Stormy Waters)
Sunlight Duration: Unknown
Temperature: 13–18°C
Wind Force: Level 9
Yang Yi and Su Na have been sailing in formation for two days. For these two days, they haven't seen the sun at all; the sea is pitch-black, with limited visibility. The wind force has increased by one level, and the waves are turbulent. The ship's speed, originally dozens of knots, is now at most half of that.
At the start of the storm, the wind was only Level 4—prime time for traveling quickly. During this period, Yang Yi was charmed by a sea demon, missing the golden opportunity to advance. Now, their progress has fallen far behind, and they're at the tail end of the main fleet. From the chat channel, he learned that his friend Xu Da, captain of the Windrunner, broke through the stormy waters last night. With a speed of 70 knots, his ship is currently the fastest in the game. If it were Level 2, it would probably be even faster. Xu Da sent intelligence—the waters outside the storm are calm and sunny! It's expected that many fast ships will break through the storm in the next two days. Except for the two unlucky ones who started late—Yang Yi and Su Na.
"Damn it!" Yang Yi hasn't slept for days, his eyes bloodshot, his temper frayed. He drinks a bottle of Coconut Refresher to regain energy and privately messages Su Na in the log.
"Su Na, are there any islands or reefs ahead?" He doesn't want to run aground on an island or hit a reef unknowingly.
"No. Don't disturb me; this is a critical moment!" Since returning to the Astrologer two days ago, she hasn't shown her face.
"What the hell are you doing?" Yang Yi asks, but Su Na doesn't reply.
In the cabin of the Astrologer, there's a wooden long table. Not far away, a basketball-sized crystal ball displays a nautical chart of the surrounding hundred nautical miles. But her attention isn't on the chart—it's on the sea demon's corpse on the table. Using a witch's dagger as a scalpel, Su Na cuts open the demon's skin, observes its complex neurovascular structure, deduces its organ composition, and records details meticulously. Some organs, including the brain and eyeballs, have been completely removed and preserved in glass jars—she spent much material to obtain these jars for this very purpose.
"This sea demon… has multiple structural defects in its body. It's more like a semi-mermaid. There's immune rejection in its body, as if human and fish organs were crudely pieced together, repelling each other. It needs to eat humans to alleviate this rejection…" She mutters her findings while documenting them. "But the rejection seems to be weakening. If it disappears completely, the sea demon's body might undergo new changes…"
Meanwhile, Yang Yi continues to steer, avoiding floating debris carried by the currents. In non-storm conditions, many would happily use grappling hooks to catch such debris, but now everyone avoids it like the plague. These fragments are large and fast—some are even ship wreckage from unfortunate players. Yang Yi dare not relax, tensing his nerves to dodge them. His ship, the Nightmare, is shabby, with a mere 600 durability; its hull is made of rotten wood, far from sturdy. Just three collisions have already reduced its durability by over 100! A few more hits, and the ship will fall apart!
In an emergency, Yang Yi considered using the Pirate Ship Blueprint, but the system warned that the environment was unsafe for ship modification. He has no choice but to keep sailing. He also monitors the world channel for changes in the waters, which are mostly bad news and player complaints:
"I'm done… The wind was too strong, and I think I'm going the wrong way. Can someone tell me the direction?!"
"How much longer is this?! So urgent!"
"Buying wood! High prices! I have millions in my bank—just 10 units of wood, and it's all yours!"
"Idiot!"
"Damn, my ship is taking in water! Who's selling wood? 30 Conch Coins per unit, unlimited purchase!"
Wood can repair ships, so its value has skyrocketed, and it's hard to come by. Sometimes a single unit of wood sells for a sky-high 50 Conch Coins…
"Something under the sea is attacking my ship!" A sudden message catches Yang Yi's attention. This might be a new development in the waters—monster attacks! The player's plight sparks concern, with others asking:
"Bro, are you sure? Could it be a collision with an obstacle?"
"No, I'm already in the cabin. The hull keeps shaking—something's definitely ramming it!"
"Oh my god!"
"Haha, monster spawns have started! You guys have fun. I can already see the boundary! Bye!"
"Help me, it's a merrow…" The message cuts off. The player is likely dead, with the system broadcasting their incomplete final words.
Yang Yi tenses up. A wave splashes over his face, bone-chillingly cold. He immediately contacts Su Na: "Su Na, there might be monsters in the sea. We need to prepare! What the hell is going on with you?"
Su Na has just finished the dissection, her face flushed with excitement, her eyes scarlet. Gasping slightly, she reads a message popped up in the log:
[????? Condition met: Dissected and studied 2/2 heteromorphic demons. Your talent Forbidden Scholar is unlocked.
Forbidden Scholar: Permanent -20 Sanity cap. Mysticism system unlocked. You can now build special structures, research unique formulas, and craft exclusive items.
You couldn't resist curiosity after all… Little do you know, this might be a path of no return.]
"Su Na, I'm asking you something! What are you doing? Reply!" Yang Yi snaps. Only then does Su Na take a deep breath, compose herself, and respond: "What is it?"
"How's your ship's durability?" Yang Yi asks.
"Almost undamaged."
"Good. Come to the Nightmare. I'll grant you permissions. Help me repair the ship and max out its durability."
"Okay."
Su Na stores the precious organ specimens in her Treasure Pouch, grabs the crystal ball, and heads for the Nightmare. The two ships are connected by ropes and grappling hooks, close enough that a plank would normally allow easy crossing. But now, with both ships rocking, it's safer to crawl across.
As soon as Su Na climbs onto the Nightmare and boards it, Yang Yi calls her into the cabin. "Permissions granted. Use stone to craft a stone hammer, repair the Nightmare's durability to full, and stay here. We might encounter monsters next—too dangerous to split up."