CHAPTER 96: CHAPTER 96: MAP UPGRADE, REFUGE (PART 2)

"Buzz!"

The sea vessel gradually sailed into the Safe Sea Region, and the crew aboard began to transition from a vigilant state back to a relaxed state.

As long as they returned to the Safe Sea Region, there would be no threats like pirates or Transcendent beings, and everyone could resume their fishing activities.

Sitting in rows, they eagerly sat by the deck, smiling as they cast their rods to fish again.

With more people, the collective experience increased, and the speed of gaining experience also grew accordingly.

The spectacle on Salted Fish nearly blinded Lin Kemian; he stared dumbfounded at the rows of people sitting, muttering softly, "Is it really about loving fish so much..."

Just then, Wang Qing, having come down from the lookout, suddenly raised his head and looked off into the distance, then exclaimed, "Captain, look, toward Qiyun Port!"

"Hmm?"

Fang Yu was surprised, and his gaze followed the direction Wang Qing pointed to, soon noticing many ships sailing toward Qiyun Port.

The reason for not using the word "cargo ships" was that among these vessels, there were warships in addition to cargo ships!

Level 30 captains!

Level 10 is a medium-sized cargo ship, Level 20 a large cargo ship, and at Level 30, vessels undergo significant changes, evolving from mainly transporting goods to warships used primarily for naval warfare.

Though far from the final warship form.

Yet, warships can be modified and enchanted much more than cargo ships, unlocking many functions not available on cargo ships.

On one warship, several figures stood, each with a formidable presence as Transcendent beings.

They stood high and mighty, looking down toward Qiyun Port ahead.

In the sunlight, the surface of the warship shimmered with a cold metallic luster, radiating its strong combat capability, sensed even without engaging in battle.

Everyone was stunned, their eyes unconsciously drawn to the ships in the waters ahead.

"What’s going on? They’re all veteran captains!"

"Why are the Blue Star veterans returning to the newbie village?"

"So many ships, is it some kind of migration activity?"

Crew members gaped, staring blankly at the distant ships with eyes full of shock and envy.

Of course, among these vessels, warships were still the minority, with more being large cargo ships above Salted Fish’s current Level.

All these ships were exclusively Blue Star captains’ ships.

Their characteristics were just too evident.

Staring at so many ships lining up and heading toward Qiyun Port, everyone was astonished.

"It’s a war!"

At this moment, Fang Yu spoke softly, bringing everyone back to their senses.

"War erupted in the West Qinghai Sea Region, causing some to flee and choose to migrate to the relatively safe Qiyun Port."

Like Lin Kemian’s objective, turmoil occurred in the West Qinghai Sea Region, with warlords and aliens starting wars, dramatically increasing the danger level of that sea region.

Although the overall Level of the West Qinghai Sea Region is higher than a newbie village like Qiyun Port, essentially the next advanced map for captains from Qiyun Port.

But now, with war breaking out, even Level 30 captains find it dangerous to stay there, turning the area into something only Level 40 or 50 captains can withstand.

If Fang Yu guessed correctly, there might already be trending topics about the West Qinghai Sea Region on the forum.

...

Indeed...

As Fang Yu opened the forum and glanced over, he saw a prominently marked sticky post replacing the previous Ocean Court’s job opening post, glaringly visible in his view.

[War Explodes in West Qinghai Sea Region, Captains Below Level 40 Should Seek Refuge!]

Someone posted several images of naval forces confronting, attacking each other, one side clearly being warlords with alien soldiers.

The other side is the local occupying military forces, and the warfare is so intense that some captains inadvertently got involved, shredded to pieces on the spot.

It’s too spectacular, even for Level 40 or 50 captains in the heart of the war; survival is uncertain, and Level 30 captains aren’t even qualified to take a glance.

Then, the thread’s initiator quickly lists suggestions for captains below Level 40 taking refuge.

Among them is the suggestion to temporarily migrate to lower-Level marine maps for refuge.

And listed among the refuge places, undoubtedly, is Qiyun Port.

...

"Qiyun Port might undergo a map upgrade soon!"

Fang Yu muttered aloud.

This world is not static.

There is war, there are coups, and naturally, there are developments due to a flood of high-level talents leading to urban growth.

With masses of advanced captains flocking to Qiyun Port for refuge, soon enough, Qiyun Port will attract more advanced merchants who can sniff out the market’s demand for higher-grade items by captains, recognize the business opportunity for advanced markets here, and subsequently make their way to Qiyun Port.

And as the war intensifies further, if the West Qinghai Sea Region is thrown into chaos, the federation might focus developmental efforts on the non-warring Southern Island Sea Region.

By then, Qiyun Port will ride this wave quickly to develop.

Task Level, product Level, number of tasks, power Level, etc., will quietly undergo further upgrades.

This sort of event happened before, referred to as "map upgrade" in the forum.

Fang Yu silently mourned for two seconds for the future newbie captains arriving in Qiyun Port.

Once a map upgrade occurs, it means that newbie captains will have to compete with the Level 30 veterans for resources, further intensifying the already competitive environment.

Fang Yu shook his head, thankful he’s already established many connections in Qiyun Port, acquiring some resources.

These Level 30 newcomers won’t find it easy to secure their footing in Qiyun Port.

Competition?

They might not be able to outcompete Salted Fish.

...

While Salted Fish continued its journey toward Qiyun Port, more veteran captains from West Qinghai Sea Region gradually appeared around the sea vessel.

Some captains smiled, their eyes revealing goodwill toward Salted Fish.

Others were quite friendly, offering special fruit wine from West Qinghai Sea Region to Salted Fish, laughing and saying they wished to make friends.

But some captains...

Came with malicious intent!

"Tsk tsk, back to the familiar newbie village once again."

"Once upon a time, I was a top-tier presence in this newbie village, and now coming back, looking around at these rookies still feels very heartwarming."

"Seeking refuge is quite interesting too, I’ve already spotted two rookie sea vessels recently, I just love watching rookies gaze at us like they’ve never seen the world."

"They probably haven’t seen an electromagnetic cannon yet? Now, these sea vessels are outfitted with ... the most basic ship cannons, hahaha, like relics from the old industrial days."

Beside Salted Fish came carefree and mocking laughter.

A large cargo ship headed straight for them, domineeringly occupying Salted Fish’s original sea route, squeezing Salted Fish to the side.

The crew aboard the ship gazed with apparent superiority, grinning as they looked at Salted Fish.

Some crew members whistled at Salted Fish.

Utterly ... disrespectful!