Chapter 431: Setting Sail
It had to be said that the Feng Clan Convoy's manager in Yubin City, Feng Yu, was truly a remarkable person. In a very short time, he had completely grasped Qi Han's requirements and intentions. Every arrangement and preparation he made was impeccably thorough, yet none of it made Qi Han feel uncomfortable or constrained.
With everything settled, Qi Han led Zhui Yun and held Pururu as he checked into a hotel that provided stables, spending the night there. Early the next morning, he got up at dawn and, following the directions on the map, headed for the so-called Port Twelve.
Even in the early morning, the port was still crowded with fishermen setting out before daybreak to fish in the nearshore waters, as well as merchants departing for other regions. All kinds of noise and chatter mingled with the salty sea breeze and drifted into Qi Han's ears.
Standing there, he felt a moment of bewilderment.
What should I do next?
However, his awkwardness did not last long. Soon, a lean man with weathered cheeks—marked by long exposure to sea winds—squeezed out from the dense crowd.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Qi?"
"That's right." Qi Han glanced at the man's attire, clearly bearing the insignia of the Feng Clan Convoy, and quickly realized his identity. "You're the boatman arranged by the Feng Clan Convoy?"
"Yes. My name is Xu Hai." Xu Hai forced a smile onto his face. "Please come this way. The ship is already prepared—we can set out at any time."
"Alright."
Following Xu Hai through the crowded port, Qi Han soon saw the ship the Feng Clan Convoy had rented out to him.
Although Feng Yu had called it a small vessel, since it was meant for going out to sea, it was naturally not shabby.
The ship before him was over ten meters long, equipped with two sails. Its outer hull was sheathed in a thin layer of refined steel plating. Accommodating seven or eight people would pose no problem at all.
After taking a few looks, Qi Han nodded in satisfaction.
Not bad—this ship looked quite reassuring in terms of safety.
Spirit power gathered beneath his feet. With a single step, Qi Han crossed a distance of seven or eight meters and lightly landed on the deck.
Feeling the faintly salty sea breeze brushing against him, he narrowed his eyes slightly and gazed toward the distant horizon.
It's been quite a while since I last saw the sea.
The waters of the Douluo Continent looked just as blue as the seas of Earth. The endless stretch at the edge of his vision was especially refreshing to the spirit. Faintly, he could see many small islands scattered across the sapphire-like surface of the sea—an archipelago in the nearshore region.
This time, he was here to complete an Ingredient Acquisition quest, so he didn't have much time to appreciate the scenery.
But if there were a chance in the future, coming to the seaside for a bit of sightseeing would actually be a pretty good idea.
Qi Han thought to himself.
"Mr. Qi, these are some areas in the nearby waters where Azure-Scaled Dragon Eels appear relatively frequently." Xu Hai, who had also boarded the ship, calmly took out a simple nautical chart from his chest. "Which one would you like to go to?"
Qi Han took the chart Xu Hai handed him and smiled slightly. "Give me a moment to think."
"Ru Yi, show me the distribution map of the nearby sea areas where Azure-Scaled Dragon Eels appear," he said silently in his mind at the same time.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Xu Hai's chart—it was just that compared to what Ru Yi could provide, this one was far too crude.
Ru Yi responded in his mind, and very quickly, a map far more detailed than the one in his hands appeared before his eyes. It was so precise that it even clearly marked the maximum age of Azure-Scaled Dragon Eels in each sea area, as well as the number of ten-thousand-year-tier individuals present.
The areas indicated on the two nautical charts were largely similar. The only difference was that the map provided by Ru Yi marked more regions—clearly, there were several sea areas where Azure-Scaled Dragon Eels had appeared but had not been discovered by people.
After studying them for a while, Qi Han's gaze suddenly shifted to Xu Hai at the side.
"May I ask—after you take me there, will you stay with me the whole time? Can we move to other sea areas midway?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Qi. That might not be possible." Xu Hai smiled apologetically. "I can only deliver you to the island clusters around the target sea area. In these waters, there are one or two small islands every so often, so you don't need to worry about having nowhere to land. However, staying out at sea for long periods is too dangerous. Once I've delivered you, I'll leave. You can arrange in advance for when I should come back to pick you up."
So that's how it is?
Qi Han understood.
If that was the case, then he could only choose a single sea area, and for the next few days, he would be searching exclusively within that region.
"Then take me here." Qi Han pointed to the largest sea area on the chart—the one farthest from the coastline.
According to Ru Yi's map, this area had the highest number of ten-thousand-year Azure-Scaled Dragon Eels.
As for the other sea areas where ten-thousand-year Azure-Scaled Dragon Eels appeared, each entire region only had a handful of ten-thousand-year individuals. Finding and killing one there would be extremely difficult.
"This…" After just one glance, Xu Hai's expression changed slightly. "This region does have ten-thousand-year Azure-Scaled Dragon Eels appearing from time to time. Although Azure-Scaled Dragon Eels aren't considered particularly powerful spirit beasts, in the ocean their strength is enhanced. You might need at least a Spirit Emperor to handle them properly. It's far more dangerous than the other areas. If you need an Azure-Scaled Dragon Eel, perhaps the other regions would be more suitable?"
A Spirit Emperor just to deal with them?
That was surely referring to an average Spirit Emperor. After all, top-tier Spirit Masters were capable of handling spirit beasts of the same tier.
And Qi Han—who possessed one ten-thousand-year spirit ring and three thousand-year spirit rings, with his spirit power already at level fifty—was in no way weaker than a Spirit King. Dealing with a ten-thousand-year Azure-Scaled Dragon Eel wouldn't be much of a problem for him.
Switching to another area was out of the question. After all, the goal of this trip was precisely a ten-thousand-year Azure-Scaled Dragon Eel.
However, Qi Han didn't bother to explain anything. He simply spoke again, "This is the place. Please take me there."
"Th-then… how about I wait a bit and you go hire a couple of strong fighters from the nearby Mercenary Guild?"
"No need."
"Ah… this… alright."
Seeing that further persuasion was useless, Xu Hai took a deep look at this bold young man. Then he raised the sails, lifted the anchor, and took control of the ship as it set off.
When an expert makes a move, you can immediately tell the difference.
As Xu Hai used a spirit skill to accelerate the ship, Qi Han quickly understood why the Feng Clan Convoy had assigned a four-ring Spirit Ancestor to serve as the boatman.
The second spirit ring behind Xu Hai—yellow in color—lit up. The sails, which had been gently billowing in the sea breeze, instantly bulged into a crescent shape, as if driven by a powerful gale. The ship's speed suddenly increased severalfold, cutting through the waves across the sea's surface.
Yet the most amazing part was that Qi Han, seated beneath the sails, felt no change in wind pressure at all. The sea breeze brushing against his face remained just as gentle as before.
This is…
"Just a small display," Xu Hai said with a modest smile, explaining politely. "This is my second spirit skill—Airflow Manipulation. It allows me to control the movement of air currents within a certain range around my body. It's not a particularly powerful skill, but it does have some advantages when it comes to propelling ships."
"You're being too modest, Senior Xu." A hint of amazement appeared on Qi Han's face. "For sailing, this spirit skill is practically unbeatable."
With airflow manipulation, wouldn't one be able to sail however they pleased at sea?
Receiving Qi Han's praise, Xu Hai's expression grew a bit more proud. "That's exactly why I came to the Feng Clan Convoy and became a boatman. Mr. Qi, let me tell you—back before I became a boatman—"
Before long, the two of them struck up a conversation—mostly Xu Hai recounting his past glorious exploits, while Qi Han cooperated enthusiastically by throwing out plenty of "nice" and "impressive."
After about half an hour of sailing, the outline of an island gradually grew larger before them. On the map marked by Ru Yi, Qi Han had already entered the sea area he had selected earlier.
"Mr. Qi, this is the largest island in the sea area you chose. Shall I leave you here?" Xu Hai's expression became noticeably more vigilant as he carefully surveyed the surroundings.
They had already entered waters where sea spirit beasts appeared, and he dared not be careless.
"Right here will do." Looking at the island ahead, where trees could be seen growing, a satisfied expression appeared on Qi Han's face.
It's much better than those bare rock islands with nothing on them.
<+>
if you want to see more chapters of this story and don't mind playing $5 per month to see my latest update, please go to my Patreon[1]
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/collection/67255?view=condensed[2]
Latest Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 474: A Terrifying Truth[3]
Link to the latest chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/becoming-food-in-152113444[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/67255?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/collection/67255?view=condensed
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/becoming-food-in-152113444
[4] https://www.patreon.com/posts/becoming-food-in-152113444