Afternoon.

The Nightmare Star had resumed its voyage, slicing through the sea at 65 knots, heading straight ahead.

The lookout post had been restored, though no crystals were used in the process, so it was patched together entirely from white bones. The crystal orbs that once adorned the railings were now replaced by skulls, each one lit with a flickering soul-flame.

It had all been repaired last night.

Each of those skulls looked exactly the same, and oddly familiar. They came from the former captain’s head, the one mounted at the ship’s prow. It must’ve been snatched away by a skeletal arm during the night and installed at the top of the lookout. Through repeated regeneration, multiple copies of his head were created and used in place of the crystal balls as decorations.

Yang Yi didn’t mind the eerie appearance of the lookout. As long as it functioned, that was good enough.

The Astrologer’s features were gradually being swallowed up by the Nightmare’s design.

He used the lookout to scan the surrounding waters, but no islands appeared in view.

That wasn’t surprising, after all, a tsunami had just passed through, and any nearby islands were probably long submerged.

In truth, Yang Yi was scanning not for land, but for signs of rot whales.

These massive sea creatures were often mistaken for islands and could be picked up by the scanner. Spotting one in advance would give him time to prepare.

He was also hoping to find a smaller one, perhaps even a miniature rot whale. Those would be much easier to deal with than the small ones.

If he could manage to harvest a Fruit of Bounty, it would allow the Nightmare Star to level up.

As for how to harvest the fruit, Suna had already found a solution: they could use a large amount of stomach acid from gluttonous guests to make a container. The acid’s digestive properties would suppress the fruit’s vitality, allowing it to be safely collected while still alive.

Of course, the fruit couldn’t be too big, or it wouldn’t fit into the container.

Yang Yi walked into the captain’s cabin to check on the repairs.

The walls and ceiling had been completely replaced with white bone, making them tougher than before.

Stepping inside, he could feel a faint chill in the air. In the heat of summer, it was like someone had turned on the air conditioning, a nice, unexpected bonus.

Yang Yi had initially planned to place white shards in the room to help with the temperature, but now it seemed unnecessary.

The passageway connecting his room to Suna’s had also been preserved, even though Yang Yi had never instructed the skeletal arms to do so.

Could the ship actually remember things?

The more he stayed aboard, the stranger this ship felt. Even as its captain, there were parts of it he didn’t fully understand.

He returned the fireplace to its original spot and left the captain’s quarters.

By nightfall, the furniture should be fully restored, then the cabin would be livable again. The source of thɪs content is N0veI.Fiɾe.net

Everything was progressing smoothly, step by step.

Since things were settling down, Yang Yi tried fishing in the Bountiful Sea.

As expected, he reeled in a Delicious Meat Chunk (Small), which he immediately tossed back into the sea.

Three more bites came soon after, all within ten minutes, almost like a combo streak. Each time it was the same thing, and Yang Yi didn’t even bother pulling them in.

On the fourth try, he caught an eel, an abyssal species.

Though it had been tainted by the white sea water, it hadn’t bloated or mutated into a Delicious Eel. That meant it should still be edible, as long as it was salted properly for safety.

Yang Yi threw it into the salt barrel he had prepared. Once it was heated, it could be turned into grilled salted fish.

As he’d suspected, abyssal fish could be caught in the Bountiful Sea, it was just a lower probability.

After processing, these fish could be sold, and players wouldn’t complain about their strange appearance. In the Bountiful Sea, weird-looking things were nothing out of the ordinary.

Two days later.

Yang Yi had caught Bounty of abyssal fish, many of them edible. The most common among them was still the Long-Legged Sardine.

Though the odds of catching edible fish were low, the frequent bites gave him a slightly better yield compared to fishing in regular waters.

Over those two days, he had produced ten pounds of dried fish, with several more still roasting in salt.

During that time, he also managed to hook a Delicious Meat Chunk (Medium).

Unlike the smaller ones, this chunk jumped out of the water as it neared the ship. It was far more energetic.

But with the deck covered in salt, it only flopped a few times before dying, completely preserved in salt, without Yang Yi having to lift a finger.

After Yang Yi killed it, he received a bag of fertiliser.

【Name: Delicious Essence Fertiliser】

【Type: Consumable】

【Quality: Fine】

【Description: Can be used to fertilise crops, causing them to grow rapidly while becoming tastier and more nutritious.】

“This is basically the same effect as the Bountiful Sea’s passive bonus,” Yang Yi muttered after reading the info.

Still, since it was a usable item, its effect was probably stronger.

That afternoon, Yang Yi stopped fishing, not because he was bored of it, but because Suna needed him for something. She had asked him to come to the lab.

After extensive research, and with an endless supply of delicious materials, Suna had finally used gluttonous guest digestive fluids to develop a new magical potion, and urgently needed Yang Yi to test it.

“You’re sure it’s not addictive?” Yang Yi asked.

“Absolutely not. It tastes way too awful!” Suna replied.

Yang Yi believed her and made his way to the witch’s lab.

Suna handed him the potion, removed the lid, and motioned for him to smell it.

He did and nearly threw up.

“Why does it smell so horrible?” Yang Yi grimaced.

“You don’t get it. The stink is what keeps it from being addictive! The worse it smells and tastes, the safer it is!” Suna said with confidence.

She had repeatedly tweaked the formula, adjusting digestion time, purifying the nutrients, and neutralising any sweetness with sea salt, until the potion became utterly unpalatable. Its color was an unappetizing yellow-brown sludge.

“Did you over-digest it or something…” Yang Yi hesitated.

“Why don’t you drink it first?”

“You’re a werewolf. Even if you eat something rotten, your stomach can handle it,” Suna retorted.

So, she didn’t quite trust it either, afraid it might cause an upset stomach.

Yang Yi hesitated a while, but knowing that Suna’s potions had always worked well, he finally closed his eyes, held his breath, and drank it.

It felt like muddy water in his mouth, bitter and salty, and only at the very end was there a faint hint of sweetness.

To sum it up: it made you want to vomit immediately, and your mouth reeked afterward.

【You drank an Unknown Potion】

【You feel nauseated. Sanity -10. Your body is absorbing rich nutrients. Constitution EXP growth rate +200%, Strength, and Agility EXP growth rate +100%. Duration: 8 hours. Effect can trigger once every 24 hours. Overuse may cause obesity, bloating, and indigestion.】

Yang Yi’s eyes widened after reading the notification.

“Well? How was it?”

Suna’s face was beaded with sweat, she’d worked on this for a long time.

“The effect… is amazing!” Yang Yi praised, fully satisfied with the results and deliberately ignoring the potion’s awful taste.

He then sent the potion’s info back to Suna:

【Name: Growth Potion】

【Type: Consumable / Potion / Unique】

【Quality: Rare】

【Description: A magic potion newly created by Witch Suna, using gluttonous guest stomach acid to digest delicious substances, enhanced with sea salt and refined through several stages. Overwhelmingly foul-smelling and nearly undrinkable, but extremely nutritious. Increases attribute growth rate. After drinking: Sanity -10. Constitution EXP growth rate +200%, Strength, and Agility EXP growth rate +100%. Duration: 8 hours. Effect activates once every 24 hours. Overuse may lead to obesity, bloating, and indigestion.】

Thank you for reading! We hope you’re enjoying the story at: i novel translation(dot)com :)

There’s now a Patreon, so feel free to check it out! You can read up to 12 chapters in advance!! :D

Please give the novel a rating and a review on NovelBin (( novel updates(dot)com )). It will help the website and also help people find this novel!