Chapter 482: The Return Voyage! Somali Pirates Appear!

The pearl felt remarkably smooth to the touch.

Its entire body radiated an aura of pure nobility.

Hearing that Ning Fei had no intention of selling, the watching jewelers felt a pang of disappointment.

To them, money was merely a number; true jewels were the real treasure, symbolizing the profound heritage of their brands.

This industry ran on massive profit margins. With so many wealthy buyers out there, a top-tier jewel could easily fetch an astronomical price!

Bvlgari Official Flagship Store: "Is Temple Master Ning truly not planning to sell? If our appraisers verify its authenticity, we are willing to offer over 50 million."

A few jewelers were still unwilling to give up and threw out probing questions.

However, Ning Fei couldn't read the bullet screen underwater and paid these offers no mind.

He carefully tucked the pearl away and continued drifting through the deep sea.

The great white shark cruised casually by his side.

When the viewers saw the Bvlgari Official Flagship Store's message, a fresh wave of intense envy swept through the chat.

"Temple Master Ning is a true tycoon."

"This is already at the level of a god-tier billionaire!"

"You might not believe me, but when I first started watching his stream, he was just a little Daoist priest in a rundown Daoist temple. In just one short year, he's reached this kind of height."

"You can't help it. Nobody else in the world could pull off half the things Temple Master Ning does!"

"Even so, Temple Master Ning's Realm has always remained exactly the same. If I were as rich as him, I'd be showing off to no end by now."

Back at the Wenyan Deer Enclosure, Jiang Xue was busy handling Ning Fei's email and various business affairs.

Right now, both his inbox and phone line were being bombarded by frantic jewelers.

The value of this pearl had far surpassed anyone's estimates.

The Bermuda Triangle seabed, an ancient giant clam, a Blood-Veined Pearl—these elements combined meant this pearl could easily rank among the top ten most expensive pearls in the world.

Of course, to officially enter those ranks, it would need to be appraised by a specialized jewelry expert.

Ning Fei had no intention of doing so.

To him, it was merely a souvenir. Its monetary value was irrelevant.

"This underwater mountain range is simply too massive. There's no telling how many secrets it hides."

"My oxygen supply will only let me stay down here for about five or six hours."

"At this rate, I probably couldn't finish exploring this place even if I spent years on it."

Ning Fei murmured as he gazed at the dark, mysterious world of the seabed, gently patting the great white shark beside him.

However, going beyond is as bad as falling short.

Everything should follow its natural course; having too strong of a purpose would only ruin the joy of sightseeing.

Regardless, he had already found the divine beast at the bottom of the thousand-meter-deep trench.

Ning Fei figured that this Kunpeng would likely never be discovered by humanity.

According to the information he received, once this Kunpeng woke up, it would feed frantically before falling back into another century-long slumber. It would never venture up to the surface.

"The lighting down here is a bit too dim, so the viewing experience isn't the best."

"Otherwise, this would be a world rich with diverse species."

"A dark kingdom on the ocean floor, completely undisturbed by humans... perhaps that's for the best for the creatures living here."

Ning Fei swam forward. Suddenly, a cluster of seaweed emitting a faint blue glow appeared ahead of him. The magnificent sight left the viewers marveling in awe.

Afterward, he rode the great white shark and headed back in the direction of the Submarine.

Before leaving, Ning Fei gave the great white shark a few more strokes to bid it farewell.

He piloted the Submarine all the way up, finally breaching the surface of the Bermuda Triangle once again.

"Next, I plan to leave the Bermuda Triangle."

"The underwater world here is generally like this—dark, lightless, and home to many species that humanity has yet to discover."

Ning Fei told the viewers in the live stream after boarding the cruise ship.

"It's over just like that? I still wanted to watch Temple Master Ning uncover the secrets of the Bermuda Triangle!"

"Yeah, since you have the ability to go down there, why not contribute a little more to human scientific research?"

"Temple Master Ning, your live stream is currently a major focus for marine researchers in multiple countries. I really hope you can go back down and explore the Bermuda Triangle's seabed a few more times."

"Why are you stopping now!"

Quite a few viewers chimed in with similar comments.

People from various research institutes were especially eager for him to dive deeper and reveal more unknown marine species to the world.

Ning Fei also saw these messages.

He frowned slightly.

Venturing deep into the underwater world carried inherent risks. For instance, if an unexpected deep-sea fish bit through his oxygen tube, the diver would almost certainly die on the spot.

These researchers had realized the Bermuda Triangle's seabed was teeming with unknown species and wanted Ning Fei to risk his life doing their fieldwork for them. Their demands were truly crossing the line.

Ning Fei had never been fond of taking unnecessary risks; he simply wanted to travel the world at a leisurely pace.

Ning Fei didn't respond to their questions, nor did he want to.

"Little Bai, set sail toward the east!"

Ning Fei chose to cast his sails and journey far to his next destination.

The engines of the Qingfeng Cruise Ship roared to life.

The white vessel cleaved through the waves and pressed onward.

The Tai Chi emblem painted on the side of the bow gleamed, looking even sharper and brighter in the light.

Meanwhile, at an unknown location...

After some discussion, a group of fat-eared, wealthy magnates decided to make a move against Ning Fei in the Somali Waters.

"Judging by his return route, he'll be passing through those waters. When the time comes, we'll hire pirates to take him down."

"Pirates are unreliable; they might just swallow the loot for themselves. That bunch is completely lawless these days."

"Send mercenaries instead. It's safer."

"Fine. No matter what it takes, we must get our hands on that pearl."

"His ship also holds the White Jade Mammoth Ivory. That can fetch a fortune, too."

With their discussion concluded, the men made their final decision.

To them, as long as there was money to be made, it didn't matter if it required blood and slaughter.

Ning Fei was completely unaware that broadcasting his discovery of a rare pearl had put a target on his back, drawing the greedy eyes of ruthless capitalists.

Three days later.

Ning Fei was in the captain's cabin, observing the marine life beneath the cruise ship.

The ship's sonar system could detect marine life up to two hundred meters below the surface, displaying them as green silhouettes on the screen.

Occasionally, when Ning Fei spotted a strange or rare species down below, he would throw on some light scuba gear and dive down to take a look.

The live stream remained as peaceful as ever.

Ning Fei stepped out onto the deck to take in the ocean view.

The drone hovered nearby, capturing a close-up shot of him.

"We are about to enter the Somali Waters."

"The Somali Waters are actually the convergence point of the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean. It's a crucial artery for global maritime transport, which is why the pirates here are so rampant."

"Furthermore, the country itself is plagued by constant civil war. Many of the pirates are just ordinary fishermen—it's practically a nation of pirates. Even dispatching powerful warships couldn't fully eradicate the Somali Pirates; it would only stir up massive trouble."

"This place is very dangerous."

Ning Fei spoke at an unhurried pace, gazing out across the boundless ocean.

Hearing Ning Fei's explanation, the viewers in the live stream grew excited once again.

"Is this the terrifying Somali Waters? I've heard so many stories about Somali Pirates."

"You guys clearly haven't seen those videos on the dark web. Let's just say the reality is far more brutal than you could ever imagine."

"Stop talking about it. I've seen that video, and just thinking about it makes me want to throw up."

"The outside world is too scary. Huaxia is much better. You can sit by the side of the road at night, eat barbecue, drink beer, and just be happy without worrying about a thing."

"Is Temple Master Ning not worried about running into pirates?!"

"Yeah, the Qingfeng is a civilian cruise ship. It definitely isn't equipped with lethal weapons. If he runs into pirates, he'll have no choice but to surrender."

The mention of pirates sent the chat into a flurry of debate.

Out on the open ocean, humans were often far more terrifying than sea beasts.

Ning Fei, however, wasn't overly tense. He smiled and said:

"There's an unwritten rule in Somalia: they don't rob people from Huaxia."

"Part of it traces back to Zheng He's voyages to the Western Oceans. Back then, many people from Huaxia stayed behind on the western coast of Africa. There are still many villages populated by their descendants."

"On the other hand, it's because the Huaxia Government has provided substantial, unconditional aid to the Somali nation. They genuinely helped them build roads and water conservancy projects, and provided medical services. Because of this, the Somali people are deeply grateful to Huaxia."

"Therefore, the vast majority of Somalis hold a deep sense of gratitude toward Huaxia."

"Unless I have incredibly bad luck and run into that tiny minority of pirates who don't care."

A bright red Huaxia flag fluttered high atop the mast of the Qingfeng Cruise Ship. Anyone in these waters could easily see that Ning Fei hailed from Huaxia.

However, right at that moment, a sudden string of gunshots rang out from a few hundred meters away!

The drone quickly pivoted its camera, and the viewers stared in horror toward the source of the noise.

From the distant coastline, four speedboats suddenly charged out. Each boat carried four or five men, all brandishing AK-style machine guns. From the looks of it, they were heading straight for Ning Fei's cruise ship.

Somali Pirates! They had actually appeared!

This time, every single viewer watching the live stream couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.