Two days later.
"No? You're really planning to run off to the Dark Sea?!" Beidou looked at Yu Jin, a hint of disbelief in his eyes.
Is committing suicide so elaborate these days? Instead of finding a good place to jump, he's traveling thousands of miles to the Dark Sea?
"Really, I'm entrusted by someone, so I have no choice but to go." Yu Jin nodded, not joking in the slightest.
"Take it, take it. This money is your Reward for those materials. It's enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life!" Beidou, however, stopped listening. He pulled out a stack of banknotes and stuffed them into Yu Jin's arms.
These were vouchers from a Liyue bank, exchangeable for Mora.
Yu Jin looked down at them; it was a lot, but for him, their use was minimal.
He pulled out a few and handed the rest of the vouchers back.
"Hire you all to take me to the edge of the Dark Sea."
Beidou didn't even drink his wine now. He looked at the vouchers in Yu Jin's hand, then let out a sigh and said helplessly, "Fine, I won't stop you from seeking death."
Then he snatched the vouchers from Yu Jin's hand and hurried back into the depths of the Alcor.
He was not joking; to acquire the monster materials from Yu Jin, he had borrowed money from Ningguang.
If it weren't for the fact that the overall quality of these monster materials from Yu Jin was much higher than what was available on the market, he wouldn't have gritted his teeth and taken such a large batch of monster materials.
For a while, the Alcor's element cannons could be directly overloaded.
And the only cost was taking Yu Jin to the edge of the Dark Sea. With the Alcor's abundant firepower, this was achievable.
Because of Yu Jin, the Alcor's departure time was extended to the afternoon. However, the crew had no objections, as Beidou had earned everyone's trust through his actions during their long seafaring lives.
With a loud shout from Beidou, the two paddle wheels at the stern of the Alcor began to turn, and its two massive side paddles also started to move.
After warming up, there was a clatter of chains. The anchor, deeply embedded in the seabed, was raised, the sea breeze filled the sails, and the Alcor set sail!
Standing on the deck, Yu Jin was somewhat excited; this was his first time on a boat.
The previously calm sea churned with whitecaps due to the Alcor's arrival. Yu Jin only watched for a while before feeling a yawn coming on.
The Alcor was stable, but its speed was much slower than his swimming. Even these large waves weren't as high as the splashes he made when swimming.
However, this sense of stability changed after the Alcor passed through the Sea of Clouds and reached the waters beyond Guyun Stone Forest.
With Guyun Stone Forest as the boundary, the two sea areas became distinctly different. The Sea of Clouds inside Guyun Stone Forest was clear and calm; the outer sea beyond Guyun Stone Forest was overcast, with turbulent waves, as if a thunderstorm could descend at any moment.
And there were very few ships here. Generally, Teyvat's international merchant ships preferred to travel along the continental coast, which made resupply easier and increased safety.
However, there were always exceptions, like the Alcor and other ships in this area. But one thing was constant: all ships that ventured into the outer sea were equipped with a considerable number of weapons.
This was very necessary. Not to mention potential pirates in the outer sea, even some gigantic sea monsters were beyond human capability.
As for the more distant Dark Sea, it seemed no one in Teyvat's history had ever returned alive.
Because the things that roamed the outer sea had transformed from sea monsters into evil Gods! Tempered by the Dark Sea, their sanity might be questionable, but their danger level was certainly more terrifying than when they were Gods.
"Boom!" A bolt of lightning struck from the gloomy Sky, and the massive flash illuminated the heavens and earth, but soon this light was swallowed by the endless sea and Sky.
All light could not last long over this sea area.
"Brothers! Keep your spirits up!" Beidou looked at the seemingly endless dark clouds and took a big gulp of wine. He had to concentrate now.
Even after countless storms, Beidou dared not relax in the outer sea; the terrifying things in these waters were always more numerous than he imagined.
It's possible that your so-called relaxation is just an illusion cast by them. When you truly let go of your weariness, that will be the day you perish.
"Understood!" The sailors roared, and their loud unison echoed on the Alcor, making the gloom seem less frightening.
"Splash!" This time, the surging giant wave finally surpassed Yu Jin. The rolling sea, like a swaying curtain, touched the Alcor's hull, and huge splashes instantly rushed over, drenching Yu Jin completely.
Large amounts of seawater poured into the Alcor's hull, but someone immediately reacted, collecting the water into specialized storage tanks.
In the outer sea, it was impossible to simply dump seawater overboard as usual. Doing so would lead to only one outcome: the person dumping the water would become part of the sea, just like the water he dumped.
Therefore, a large portion of the space on ships sailing in the outer sea was reserved for holding water—water brought by giant waves.
When enough water had accumulated, air compressors imported from Fontaine could be used to compress gas and force the seawater out of the hold.
"Good foundation." Beidou jumped down from the dragon head at the bow and came to Yu Jin's side, saying.
The recent giant wave struck Yu Jin like a reef, not shaking him in the slightest.
"Haha, I've trained for a long time." Yu Jin stared intently at the sea below, chuckling a few times.
"We're lucky this time; we haven't encountered anything, so the journey is much faster." Beidou stood beside Yu Jin, looking at the undulating sea, saying with a hint of secret delight.
This experience was a first. The fastest-replaced items on the Alcor were not fresh water or crew members, but the ship's element cannons and ballista parts.
Every time they entered and exited the outer sea, combat was the main theme. But the Rewards were also excellent; sea monsters that grew in the outer sea were treasures from head to toe, and in Liyue, where wealthy merchants gathered, there was no shortage of buyers.
"Is that so? It seems good luck can also descend upon the Alcor, which symbolizes doom." Yu Jin looked at the deck railing, then up at the overcast Sky.
"Hahaha, I didn't expect you, an iron can, to be quite articulate!" Beidou laughed upon hearing Yu Jin's words, never imagining that he, once considered a harbinger of ill fortune, would have a day where he was praised for good luck.
"My words have always been sweet." Yu Jin immediately responded. He was best at saying pretty things.
"Seriously, it's not too late if you change your mind now." Beidou smiled, then became serious. Yu Jin was very strong, and he hadn't fought him yet. As a martial artist, he naturally felt some regret.
"Why did you dare to challenge the Sea Mountain when you didn't have a Vision?" Yu Jin asked Beidou instead.
"Why... when I was little, I heard adults talk about how powerful it was and I became fixated on it. Later, I felt I could do it, so I went for it," Beidou said casually, as if slaying the Sea Mountain was no big deal.
"It seems we are the same." Just as Beidou felt a bit puzzled, Yu Jin continued, "I also feel I can. I can swim back and forth in the Dark Sea."
As Yu Jin said this, his hands rested on the deck railing, his gaze fixed on the unknown distance. It was a very ordinary posture.
But Beidou clearly felt an incomparable sense of confidence emanating from Yu Jin.
Beidou had never seen that kind of feeling before. Even Ningguang, the most powerful man in Liyue, his confidence didn't come close to a fraction of the man before him.
It was as if... as if everything before him was a slideshow. It was good enough to just watch it quietly, but if he wasn't satisfied, he could rewind it, add a few strokes himself, and then continue playing it.
[Why did I have such a thought?!] Beidou shook his head, finding it somewhat unbelievable. He usually wouldn't be like this when sailing.
"Can you tell me who you are?" Unconsciously, Beidou suddenly found his voice a little hoarse.
"Haha, me?" Yu Jin stroked his chin, then said with a smile:
"Adventurers' Guild, Yu Jin."
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