Chapter 260 - 259: Setting Sail

Chapter 260: Chapter 259: Setting Sail

Jiang Xu looked at Master Fatty, who was still chattering away.

"The General Manager is the Captain’s left hand, and the Crew Leader is his right. The Crew Leader is responsible for technical work like setting the course, observing the celestial phenomena, and navigation. He’s also at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage."

Jiang Xu grew curious after hearing about the Crew Leader’s duties.

"Why does a Tier Three Magical Artifact still need course plotting?"

"What do you think?" Master Fatty laughed. "You have to understand, the Youxian Sea isn’t some lake or river. It’s the largest ocean in our Great Qi, even bigger than a State Domain!"

"Out on the Youxian Sea, if you don’t have a nautical chart and can’t get your bearings, you’re in grave danger. You could very well just end up going in circles in the same area of the sea until you die."

"Moreover, normal methods don’t work well on the Youxian Sea. Even tracking and positioning Magic might not be effective. Only certain special kinds of Magic can successfully find the right direction."

Finally, Master Fatty added:

"The Dharma Ship isn’t slow, but half the reason every voyage takes so long is because of dangers like these along the way."

"What about the other half?" Jiang Xu asked.

"The other half is the Seven Stars Association. They control seven main islands, and our Dharma Ship has to land on each of them and dock for a while before they’ll let us leave."

Jiang Xu didn’t quite understand:

"Why’s that?"

"Why else? They want Cultivators from other places to come and spend money, giving the Seven Stars Association Spirit Stones, of course."

’So damn crafty!’

Jiang Xu cursed inwardly.

RUMBLE—!

A tremendous sound echoed from within the ship’s hull.

With a deafening roar, the majestic Tier Three Magical Artifact ship abruptly awoke, like a great whale leaping from the water after a long slumber. The entire hull seemed to burst with vibrant life in that moment.

Accompanied by a rumble that shook the heavens, the Array nodes on the bottom of the ship lit up one by one. A dazzling radiance, like a river of stars cascading down, illuminated the entire coast.

The Array matrix beneath the hull began to operate. Streams of brilliant light, imbued with immense Spiritual Power, flowed without end, surging through the ship’s interior like blood rushing through veins.

In an instant, an immense and vigorous force erupted from the Array, pushing the colossal vessel as it slowly rose, breaking free from the solid ground to hover above the sea’s surface.

Driven by Magical Power, the huge anchor retracted automatically, as if pulled into the hull by an invisible arm. Then, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the great vessel moved forward, steady and powerful, churning up waves that rolled like white silk in a tumultuous surge.

The mighty dragon sculpture on the prow seemed to come alive, its eyes glittering with a soul-stirring light, displaying to the world a formidable aura that looked down upon the four seas.

At the same time, the Dharma Ship relied on the immense Spiritual Power generated by the Array as its source of propulsion.

The invisible Spiritual Power materialized like two nimble, gigantic dragons, circling the stern. Their unseen tail fins sliced through the water, stirring up dazzling ripples of Spiritual Power and instantly plowing two deep furrows into the sea’s surface.

The furrows looked as if they had been cleaved by an invisible giant axe. The seawater, pushed far apart by the immense Spiritual Power, left behind a lasting, indelible wake.

Driven by Spiritual Power, the ship cut through the waves, its forward momentum like a sharp arrow piercing the sky, aimed straight for the distant horizon.

The Array Runes on both sides of the hull also lit up, interacting with the Spiritual Power in the seawater to form an invisible Defense barrier, protecting the vessel and allowing it to sail unimpeded through the great sea.

As the ship set sail, passengers flocked to the deck, gazing up at the blue sky and white clouds of the receding mainland. They felt the refreshing sea breeze, silently taking in the breathtaking scene.

"We’re finally on our way."

Jiang Xu was also very excited as he watched the scene.

Watching the seawater rush past, now that they were officially journeying on the Demon Passage, Jiang Xu couldn’t help but think of the friends he had made back in Dinghai State.

’I wonder how they’re doing now.’

’If the war between the righteous and demonic factions escalates, I’m afraid they won’t have any peace either.’

"Our current destination is the first of the Seven Islands—Greed Wolf Island!"

Hearing a slightly familiar voice, Jiang Xu turned his head and saw it was Master Fatty, whom he had met less than a day ago.

But Master Fatty wasn’t talking to Jiang Xu. He was holding forth for a young Female Cultivator, who only had a Qi Cultivation and looked rather naive.

"I’ve traveled this Demon Passage at least a dozen times. You don’t need to panic. As long as I’m here, no danger is a big deal!"

"You’re amazing, Master Fatty!" The young Female Cultivator’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at him with adoration.

"Hahaha, let me tell you, and I’m not just bragging! Back in the day, when we were attacked by pirates, I single-handedly fought seven vicious bandits. We battled fiercely for three days and three nights before I finally killed them all and successfully escaped their evil clutches!"

Master Fatty was bragging so hard that spit flew from his mouth. He gestured grandly, his fat jiggling with excitement.

Jiang Xu was dumbfounded.

’Wasn’t this guy terrified just a moment ago when he was talking about the dangers at sea?’

’How did he completely change his tune the second he saw a young Female Cultivator?’

Jiang Xu had no intention of interrupting Master Fatty’s attempts to pick up the girl. He decided to return to his cabin and continue practicing his Magic.

Jiang Xu still hadn’t had the chance to refine the Magical Artifact or practice the Magic that Xiong Liangsheng had given him.