Chapter 307

Chapter 307: Chapter 304: "Shall We Give it a Try?Facing the flashing cold light of a sword’s edge and the body of the first mate lying dead on the ground, Eilina nodded again, not daring to let out a breath.

Su Ming’an sheathed his sword and walked towards the ship’s rail.

The crew members watched this scene in shock.

They never imagined that the roles of hunter and prey could be reversed.

The young man appeared inexplicably harmless, not even wearing a Soul Hunter Medal, and even lay in a lifeboat, leading anyone to think that this was a highly profitable raid without the slightest danger.

...Little did they know they had allowed a ferocious tiger to board.

Su Ming’an saw a chair next to the ship’s rail and sat down, closing his eyes to rest.

The sunlight shone on him, drying his slightly damp clothes.

After the self-destruction of the Yate Vessel, he truly found no chance for salvation.

The ship’s auto-destruction protocol was activated when Austin discovered he was from the Soul Clan, meaning his last save point was already past the start of the protocol.

The Yate Vessel was doomed to sink, inevitably.

Fortunately, he had already scavenged all the benefits of the ship, with no more clues left, and the only useful thing, the Yate Stones, had all been taken by him.

It was a bit of a pity that the special-class crew members died. However, after reaching Maritime City, he would not be able to command them anyway, so it wasn`t much of a loss.

...Just a group of players left on the ship cursing.

Until their deaths, they never understood how this ship, touted as unsinkable, had managed to go against all expectations.

In the final moments of the ship’s sinking, Su Ming’an got a good look at human nature.

Because the location of the last hidden lifeboat was known only to him, who had mastered the entire map of the Yate Vessel. Those who thought they had no chance of survival screamed, howled, and cried. They ran onto the deck, climbed to the rooftop, thinking they could avoid death, but instead, they sunk with the ship into the sea.

Although the lifeboats were gone, there were still life rings.

Even if the chances of survival with a life ring were slim, people still fought over them like mad dogs, pulling out knives and stabbing each other. There were conflicts between fathers and sons, moral blackmail... all sorts of facets of the human condition appeared extremely cruel at the moment.

But he couldn’t save them all by himself.

He didn’t even have time to save Ming’an.

The moment he boarded the lifeboat, a huge wave capsized it, and it was the straps still tied to the lifeboat that prevented him from being carried away by the waves, allowing him to wait until the lifeboat resurfaced.

In the face of nature, people seem insignificant, even the Number One Player is no exception.

He didn’t know if, after experiencing the subsequent instances, he would be strong enough to have a chance to face a natural disaster head-on.

But one thing was indeed certain.

That is,

this instance.

...Really belonged to the Underworld.

Even if a player conquered the Yate Vessel, it wouldn’t give them the opportunity to control the ship, but rather insisted on self-destructing just to make the players disgusted.

Fortunately, it did not seem intent on pushing people to desperation.

After Su Ming’an boarded the lifeboat, it pointed the way to Maritime City, enabling him to arrive safely.

And with a body full of Yate Stones and a Soul Hunter Certification Letter, he already possessed an unparalleled advantage.

Regardless of whether it was the Soul Hunter Medal or the Heart of the Soul Clan, both could be exchanged for Faction Contribution Points.

According to what Lv Shu and the others said, the Soul Hunt and Soul Clan’s strength in Maritime City isn’t strong, with no S-level presence seen so far.

The number of Contribution Points he currently holds will not be less than any other player’s.

Now, the key lies in his identity...

He was sitting in the chair deep in thought when suddenly; he saw a stack of fruit being brought over.

Eilina smiled brilliantly as she carefully presented him with a stack of fruit, seemingly trying to butter him up.

This female pirate could bend or stand firm; even though her own first mate had just been cut down with a single sword strike, she appeared as if nothing had happened, even offering to him the only fruit resources on board.

"Fresh fruit," Eilina said with a fawning smile. "You mustn’t have eaten much on the lifeboat, have a bit of fruit, we also have fine Lent wine..."

Su Ming’an glanced at the fruit plate. Inside were slices of fruit similar to apples and pears, their juicy flesh glistening in the sunlight, looking very tempting.

On the side, silent crew members were cleaning the bloody deck, picking up the head of the first mate, Caro.

The scene looked incredibly absurd.

"You eat," Su Ming’an said indifferently.

Eilina’s smile stiffened.

"How could I? This is fine fruit, prepared for our most honored guest..." she forced a smile.

With a "whoosh," the blade rested against her neck.

Cold sweat slid down Eilina’s forehead.

She still hadn’t seen how he had drawn the sword.

The speed was too fast.

"Either eat this fruit," Su Ming’an said, "or I’ll cut off your head and stuff it in for you."

As he spoke, the viewers were frightened.

Eilina showed a somewhat despairing expression.

Under Su Ming’an’s gaze, she ate the fruit from the plate one bite at a time.

A moment later, she collapsed directly onto the ground like a puddle of mud. Clearly, the enticing fruit plate was laced with a sleeping drug.

Su Ming’an couldn’t be bothered with these people’s petty tricks.

He couldn’t pilot this kind of small ship, even Ming’an, who had grasped the Yate vessel’s navigational skills, couldn’t do it; the Yate’s piloting method was way simpler than this small ship’s, which required the crew to navigate.

Although staying in the lifeboat wasn’t impossible, the lifeboat’s speed was just too slow. If he leisurely traveled that way, the Perfect Pass would long be claimed by others.

This was a pirate’s fast ship, faster than ordinary merchant ships, suitable for quick travel.

He gazed out at the sea, faintly seeing the shadow in the sky drawing ever closer.

If the first time he saw the Cloud City it was at a thirty-degree angle on the horizon, now it was nearly above his head, he must be very close to the Maritime City already.

Su Ming’an looked up and asked a lowly and obedient-looking young man who was clearing the bodies.

"How much longer until we arrive?"

"About two hours," the young man replied, not daring to meet his gaze.

Two hours.

Su Ming’an glanced at the system time; it was nine in the morning. They would arrive at Maritime City around noon. The third day’s noon since the instance activation.

He had drifted in a lifeboat for a night before finding this ship.

Previously, Eilina and the others had been searching the sea’s horizon, attempting to find a ship with loot aboard. Little did they know, Su Ming’an was also searching for them. It could be said it was fate—unfortunately for Eilina, her pirate ship had encountered Su Ming’an.

Recalling the initial look Eilina and her party gave him, Su Ming’an also became aware of the terrifying synergy of his Charm S+ attribute and his Ruler status.

His charm was not very apparent when it was at A level, but on reaching S+, it virtually became a sort of constant passive skill. He often saw NPCs staring at him somewhat blankly, their manner of speaking becoming extremely friendly.

Even a pirate like Eilina only thought of taking him to Maritime City to sell at a high price or to keep him around as a male concubine, rather than killing him or enslaving him right away.

He had no doubts that if Su Rin were ugly, or if the player inhabiting his body had an E in Charm, Eilina would’ve tossed him straight into the slave hold.

In certain situations, the effect of Charm S+ should become increasingly useful.

It would aid him in negotiating with some troublesome NPCs.

He drank the free tap water he brought with him, gazing at the sea view and feeling somewhat relaxed.

The crew members steered well clear of him, not even daring to breathe heavily.

They ignored the captain lying on the ground as if fearing to provoke his anger.

After a while, perhaps because the effects of the anesthetic were wearing off, Eilina on the ground began to speak:

"Hey, I say..."

Su Ming’an glanced at her and continued to drink his water.

"Kid, are all the nobles from other empires as handsome as you?" Eilina blurted out.

Su Ming’an ignored her.

"...Your eyes look so clear, like you’re still a kid, but you’re so ruthless in your actions," Eilina grumbled, "Such a waste of a good face."

Su Ming’an still ignored her.

If his earlier actions were considered ruthless, then Eilina, who slapped a crew member’s head off with one strike, was simply devilish.

Perhaps their harsh and vicious natures were related to their life experiences, but they indeed were no good.

"Hey, you’re a noble, right?"

Eilina, who had been paralyzed on the ground for a moment, spoke up again.

"Aren’t nobles all idle and given to frivolous pursuits like flower arranging and bird teasing?" she said. "How come there’s someone like you who can sword fight, and quite well at that. You seem like an oddity among nobles."

"What’s the story with your ship? Why resort to a lifeboat? Did your ship capsize?" Seeing Su Ming’an remain silent, Eilina didn’t stop talking; she indeed seemed very interested in him.

"If it capsized... then you probably won’t be able to make it back either," she continued. "I guess you’ll just have to make a living in Maritime City, like me. But with your skills... it might not be bad to sign up for Soul Hunt. I’ve heard they’re not picky with recruiting over there, and someone of my strength can go."

"Meh, but I don’t want to go. I’ve finally regained my freedom, so naturally, I plan to conquer the seas. Who wants to strain and struggle to fight to the death against those scary races?"

"...Your family must have been well-off before, judging by your clothes," she said. "It’s all high-level goods, like a fat sheep."

"By the way, do you know how to arrange flowers and make tea? I’ve heard noble families teach that stuff, although I don’t see the use. These skills are less useful than my ship handling—if we had that in our place, we couldn’t survive..."

"Hey, talk to me."

"It took me forever to find someone that caught my eye, and it turns out to be a freak who’s taken over my ship... What terrible luck."

Su Ming’an was drinking the water in his hand.

As he drank, he suddenly heard this clamorous woman blurt out such a statement.

"Hey, kid."

"Be my man," Eilina suddenly said. "I quite like you, why don’t we give it a try?"

Su Ming’an choked a little.

He set the water cup aside.

"I’ve heard that Pulaya has an open culture," he said.

Earlier in the team chat channel, he had seen Lv Shu and the others harassed by locals more than once.

Some tried to lure them into flower shops, some came up and proposed on the spot, and some even reached out to pull them away. Various bold courtship behaviors caught them off guard. These locals seemed like creatures that live fast and die young, desperately courting during the day as if they wouldn’t see the sun after nightfall.

"What is there to be ashamed of passionately pursuing the one you like in such uncertain times?" snorted Eilina. "This is my ship, the crew are all people I’ve bought, I’ll do whatever I like. You’re on my ship, so you’re one of mine, what’s wrong with me pursuing you a bit?"

"Keep yakking and I’ll chop off your mouth," Su Ming’an said.

The pirate seemed to have not fully respected her status, her tongue remaining just as sharp even at such a moment.

"That’s the spirit," Eilina grinned and gave a reluctant thumbs-up. "I like your type."

Su Ming’an ignored her.

He stood up from the chair and looked out to sea.

It seemed that there were numerous shadows, large and small, moving across the sea’s surface.

After a while, he confirmed that they, too, were ships like theirs.

Medium-sized merchant ships, large cargo ships, small passenger ships, and even airships and jet skis...

All sorts of watercraft were moving along the sea, forming lines as they entered the harbor.

He saw a stretch of land.

The Cloud City that had been nearly overhead was now fully enveloping the sky above.

Sunlight streamed down through the shadows of Cloud City, making the sea’s surface sparkle.

Su Ming’an ordered the grey flag to be lowered to avoid being mistaken for a pirate ship.

Amidst the muffled cheers of the crew, the small fast ship slowly entered the harbor.

Pulaya’s water transport did not seem to be strictly regulated, and there was no one to check identities. Eilina, who had barely escaped the control of the anesthetics, showed a ship certification to the uniformed personnel at the water pavilion and was allowed to pass without even a search of the ship.

The fast ship navigated through the large waterway, passing between variously shaped ships moored on both sides.

Breathing in the fresh air of Pulaya, Su Ming’an saw brightly dressed people carrying clay pots, fruit, and various kinds of salted fish, shuttling through the extensive network of alleys on land.

Water splashed by the sides of the ship, as industrious people washed clothes by the water’s edge.

Blood flowed out with the fluttering clothes, while bodies draped in white cloth were dragged away amid laughter and chatter.

Pulaya is a city of water.

Water is the soul of Pulaya.

At noon on the third day of the instance activation, Su Ming’an arrived at this beautifully clean and refreshing city during the day.