Chapter 259 - 258: Boarding the Ship

Chapter 259: Chapter 258: Boarding the Ship

Apparently, after getting a definite answer from Jiang Xu, the other party was quite pleased with himself.

"Hehe, no need to be so surprised. The first time I boarded this ship, I was a nervous wreck too! Hah, the first time on such a huge ship, my legs were shaking so hard I could barely stand!"

The fatty rambled on for a while before finally getting to the point:

"I, Master Fatty, just saw you looked like you had some questions for that sailor, but you didn’t end up asking. What was it you wanted to know?"

"I, Master Fatty, am not new to this Demon Passage. I can’t say I know everything, but I know most of what’s what."

"Our meeting is fate! And as it happens, I, Master Fatty, am bored out of my mind. So go ahead and ask. I’ll tell you everything I know, holding nothing back!"

Jiang Xu finally understood. The man had come over with good intentions, just to help.

Overjoyed, he first thanked the man.

"Then many thanks, Fellow Daoist! Might I ask for your name?"

"I’m Master Fatty. The name’s Ying Shuo."

"Fellow Daoist Ying, do you know how many people this ship can hold? And is the owner of the ship sailing with us?"

Ying Shuo thought for a moment:

"It can probably hold over eight hundred Cultivators, but that’s not including the crew. As for the Captain, of course he’s sailing with us. I heard there are one or two Golden Core Cultivators assigned to the ship, and one of them is the Captain!"

"And I’ve also heard that some Golden Core Cultivators disguise themselves as Low Tier Cultivators to hide on board and cross domains in secret!"

Hearing there were Golden Core Cultivators on the ship, Jiang Xu immediately felt much more at ease.

This sea was extremely dangerous. If there wasn’t a Golden Core Zhenren on board, Jiang Xu would have been truly worried.

"There are Golden Core Cultivators sneaking on board? Why’s that?"

"Isn’t that a stupid question!"

The fatty set up a Sound Insulation Shield, then whispered to Jiang Xu:

"Either they don’t want to get involved in the war, or they have other business in the Demon Spirit State. You have to understand, some dangers in the Youxian Sea are too much for even a Golden Core Cultivator to handle, so of course they have to take a Dharma Ship. Besides, traveling by ship is so much more comfortable. If they flew themselves, they’d have to endure the wind and sun. What a pain!"

Jiang Xu was speechless.

’For a Golden Core Cultivator, what good is your flimsy little shield? With a sweep of their Divine Sense, they could listen in on you without you ever noticing.’

"Also, let me tell you, once the ship sets sail, don’t go wandering around. The journey is genuinely dangerous."

Ying Shuo, the self-proclaimed Master Fatty, lost his smile. As he recalled past events, his expression grew grim, tinged with a hint of fear.

"You probably don’t know this, but I’m not from Dinghai State. I’m a Cultivator from Wenqu Island in the Youxian Sea. I only go to Dinghai State to be a middleman, making a bit of profit on the price difference."

"I’ve spent almost half my life either on a ship or on my way to one. So I’ve experienced a thing or two of the dangers on board. There have been a few times I’ve had some very close shaves."

"But if you’re lucky, the journey could be smooth sailing with no incidents at all. That’s entirely possible." At the end, Master Fatty seemed to be afraid he had scared Jiang Xu, so he offered a bit of reassurance.

"Alright, it looks like most people are here. The ship should be leaving soon. We should both head to our cabins and wait. Before we set sail, they’ll come around to collect the fare. A thousand Spirit Stones is a lot, but a Dharma Ship this big consumes a huge amount of Spirit Stones every day, so the price is very fair."

"I’m in Cabin Upper-A Fifty-Seven. What’s your number?" Master Fatty asked, holding up his Array Token.

Jiang Xu looked at his own token, somewhat stunned.

"I’m... Upper-A Fifty-Six."

"We’re neighbors?" Master Fatty was also dumbfounded.

Jiang Xu truly hadn’t expected such a coincidence.

And from the look on the other man’s face, he had clearly just found out as well. It didn’t seem like an elaborate setup or a deliberate attempt to get close.

"The ship has two decks, upper and lower, with hundreds of cabins. How can it be such a coincidence?"

Master Fatty looked at the token in his hand, then gave Jiang Xu a suspicious look.

Jiang Xu cursed inwardly.

’You’re suspecting me now? You’re the one who approached me first. If anyone’s suspicious, it should be you!’

Jiang Xu didn’t dwell on it. He offered his thanks for the information and turned to head towards the cabins.

A refreshing scent of sandalwood washed over him. Before him was a spacious, brightly-lit corridor lined with closed cabin doors. Each door was inlaid with an exquisite Copper Plate, engraved with a number and symbol.

Gripping his Array Token, Jiang Xu followed its directions through the winding passageways toward the upper deck.

After a spiral staircase, he finally reached the upper deck level. The air was fresher here, and the view more expansive. Through the windows, he could see the churning sea in the distance and the busy crew members on the ship’s rail nearby.

Following the number on his token, Jiang Xu arrived before the door to Cabin Upper-A Fifty-Six.

After using the token to open the array, Jiang Xu gently pushed the door open. The cabin was neat and comfortable, with elegant furnishings. A wide bed and a set of exquisite tables and chairs came into view.

The cabin was filled with the faint scent of seawater and fresh wood, creating a tranquil atmosphere. Jiang Xu tidied up his personal belongings slightly, then stood by the window, gazing out at the boundless sea, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.

Meanwhile, in the adjacent Cabin Upper-A Fifty-Seven, Master Fatty was also surveying his own quarters.

Jiang Xu recalled their earlier conversation. Though he had his doubts, he knew the most important thing now was to prepare for the voyage, which could very well last for more than a year.

He took a deep breath of the sea air and began setting up Defense and Alarm Arrays in the small room.

From what Jiang Xu understood, only some of the Grand Array’s functions would be active during the voyage—essential ones like the radar-like warning function and the speed-boosting navigation function.

But features that consumed a lot of Spirit Stones, such as the extra defensive shield that protected the entire ship, or the Illusion Array’s Concealing Ability, would not be activated at all.

Only when faced with a danger that couldn’t be easily overcome would they activate these energy hogs.

In other words, if they encountered any "minor dangers" on the ship, they would basically have to tough it out.

These "minor dangers" included, but were not limited to, attacks from Demon Beasts in the sea or sky, natural disasters like tsunamis and hurricanes, and other sudden incidents at sea.

So, it wasn’t actually all that safe on the ship. One had to set up their own protective measures.

Of course, with several hundred Cultivators on board, the chances of being the unlucky one were slim. However, the upper deck cabins were more likely to encounter danger than the lower deck ones.

Jiang Xu still felt it was best to prepare early.

...

After a day of preparations in his cabin.

The next day, Jiang Xu felt a stir from the Alarm Array in his room.

’Someone’s here?’

Jiang Xu scanned the doorway with his Divine Sense and saw a person standing there, waiting quietly.

He got up and opened the cabin door. The person spoke immediately:

"The fare is one thousand Spirit Stones. No delays."

Jiang Xu swept his Divine Sense over the person and was immediately filled with respect, as he couldn’t determine their specific Cultivation level.

With his Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Divine Sense, he was actually unable to discern the other person’s specific Cultivation.

This meant the other person’s Cultivation was at least at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage!

’Probably not a Golden Core,’ Jiang Xu thought. ’I don’t feel that intense pressure one gets when facing a superior being.’

"One moment, I’ll get the Spirit Stones."

Jiang Xu took out ten Middle Grade Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag and asked the person before him:

"Excuse me, are we about to set sail now?"

"Yes, the Dharma Ship will be moving soon. There will be a bit of a commotion, but there’s no need to panic."

After this brief exchange, the person left to collect Spirit Stones from the other cabins.

The door to the neighboring cabin opened, and Master Fatty, who had already paid his fee, walked out.

"That’s the ship’s General Manager, a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator. He’s responsible for coordinating and managing all the affairs on board. You can basically go to him for anything. Whether or not he’ll pay you any mind, though, is another matter entirely."