CHAPTER 69: CHAPTER 50: PICKING UP BARGAINS

Leaving the brightly lit street, Chun returned to the entrance of the mine tunnel.

This time there was no toxic gas coming at him. It seems the toxic gas was mostly related to that Slime Monster, and once it was weakened, the gas disappeared.

Then the radar was activated, following the route where it was discovered in daylight, heading downward.

Aileen suddenly warned: "Behind you!"

Something vague appeared on the radar!

Chun’s whole body tingled: "Monster?"

Aileen said in a deep voice: "Looks familiar, it’s probably that Treasure Hunting Captain’s magical pet!"

Holy Shit, he really has been monitoring the island all along!

Chun hurriedly asked: "When I’m not here, are you always on guard?"

"Yes, I can make sure it’s not within 20 meters on the radar. Within this range, if you dance and get surrounded, it’s hard for him to see anything. But if the blacksmith talks loudly, he might hear something."

It’s precisely the blacksmith who reveals so much information!

Chun felt a bit troubled: "What to do?"

Aileen said: "Anyway, our Sailing Technique can’t improve now, why not take this opportunity to discuss sailing practice with him? And ask about his relationship with the Great Evil Spirit?"

Alright, let’s lay it all out.

Chun then turned around and shouted: "Is it Captain Villapico?"

The blurry object clearly flinched, and immediately compressed its size, showing up as just a small dot on the radar.

Holy Shit, that’s impressive! Maybe he thinks I’m bluffing? Or trying to figure out how I discovered him?

But this also means he has a profound respect for my abilities! This is beneficial for negotiations.

Chun picked up a dirt clod from the ground and threw it at the small radar dot: "Captain Villapico!"

The small dot quietly moved a few steps backward.

Chun suddenly wanted to laugh, is he trying to see my Advanced Throwing accuracy?

So he threw another dirt clod.

The other finally stopped pretending and responded: "Impressive! How did you discover me this time?"

Ha!

Previously, Chun was always led by him, but this time he wouldn’t follow his pace: "Captain has been on the island all along?"

The captain quickly said: "No, when the master left, I did too, but suddenly found a bright light on the island, and in astonishment, I came back to check."

I don’t believe you!

The other continued: "This also means there will be other passing ships noticing this Plague Island anomaly, soon you’ll be famous all over the world."

Holy Shit!? Is this good or bad?

Chun asked again: "What do you mean by master?"

The captain solemnly said: "I don’t know more about the master than you! You will slowly come to understand. Your current skill level and ability to discover my magical pet twice already prove you’re far more excellent than me. It is indeed reasonable for the master to choose you. But I do want to see how you deal with that Slime Monster. Even if it’s weakened by the master, I still don’t have a way to handle it."

Chun was stunned: "Actually I have no certainty, could you not watch?"

The captain laughed: "Okay, I won’t watch."

Too agreeable, I feel uneasy!

Chun asked: "So, are we colleagues and friends now?"

The captain laughed: "What an honor! Need any help?"

Chun went straight to the point: "After I finish here, I want to borrow your big ship to practice Sailing Technique."

The captain laughed: "No problem, I’ll arrange for the whole ship to cooperate, even the captain’s position can let you experience."

Holy Shit! Is he really treating me as a Young Master aide?

Chun was surprised: "But I have the plague!"

The captain said in a deep voice: "We’ll just exile ourselves on this island."

Chun asked again: "But did you see the situation on the island?"

The captain laughed: "They probably appear at night, right? We’ll go out to sea at night to avoid them. Anyway, you go take care of your business first, I’ll let the ship near the shore, and you can come over when you see the lights on the ship."

After saying that, the magical pet retreated from the tunnel.

Chun kept moving forward but felt anxious: "Aileen, do you think he might trick me onto the ship and kill me for my Sacred Artifact? After all, he fooled me into finding the Great Evil Spirit for a job change before, and now he’s following me..."

Aileen was stunned: "Although there’s a possibility! But we’re colleagues under the Great Evil Spirit now, is it necessary?"

Colleague backstabbing, isn’t it normal? Chun sighed: "He might not act personally, but could stage it, making a few subordinates dissatisfied with my plague on board, rebel and kill me, then take my Sacred Artifact ring and escape in a small boat. He can then clear himself of connection, apologize with various guarantees, leaving me speechless, and still not needing him to continue ship practice?"

Aileen was surprised: "I’ve learned it!"

Chun was amused: "I’m asking you to think of a solution!"

Aileen was amazed: "If you’re really worried, just have the blacksmith keep the Sacred Artifact."

Alright, the solution is just that simple! Must find someone reliable. But the difficulty lies in this being a game, what if NPC doesn’t have a "custody" setting?

Chun was still annoyed: "However, they want to exile themselves on the island, obviously targeting our Magic Gold, want to use this island as a base, right?"

Aileen laughed, "You can find a way to make them your minions. Even if they can’t become your minions, that’s okay. It’s much easier than trying to win Fafnir’s heart, isn’t it?"

Chun was dumbfounded, "How is it easier?"

Aileen chuckled, "Think about it. If they all become your loyal minions, you’d have to worry about their health, afraid they’d die from the plague. How troublesome! If they’re not minions, it’s much more convenient. You can toss them around carelessly, life or death doesn’t matter. How straightforward!"

Holy shit! This is exactly like temp workers in a company! No need to pay social insurance or housing fund, just use them up...

Aileen laughed again, "Besides, if he can use his magical pet to morph into the Sea Queen’s bitch form, it means he’s not only seen that bitch, but also can get very close. You can use this connection to seize the opportunity!"

Oh? That’s true. Previously it was a beauty trap, but now I can totally consider it!

Chun got excited, "He’s clearly a subordinate of the Great Evil Spirit, yet he can approach the Sea Queen. This means the Great Evil Spirit sent him to infiltrate the pirates!"

Aileen said, "Even within the pirates, there are many factions that we outsiders don’t know about. It’s said that some nobles started off as pirates themselves."

Chun was stunned, "Who?"

"I don’t know either. I can only catch bits of conversation from the patrons beneath the stage. Actually, the color and style of your Black Flag Order don’t look so noble or elegant, and the Black Banner Island Lord isn’t respected by the citizens. Who knows, maybe the Black Flag Order stems from piracy?"

Holy shit! Chun was dumbfounded, "Isn’t the Black Flag Order clearly related to Black Iron City?"

Aileen snickered, "Who knows what the earliest ancestors of Black Iron City were up to?"

Well, if you reflect on real history, it seems plausible. Moreover, if there were no pirates, how would the navy collect protection fees or request budgets? Things the navy can’t conveniently do could be handled by pirates. If the game follows this logic, then the Sea Queen really is a high-end route that must be pursued!

As they spoke, Chun was getting closer to the bottom, already hearing the sound of dripping water ahead.

Chun began to focus intently, advancing step by step. Even on the radar, he could detect a misty aura ahead, clearly getting closer to the Boss.

Chun took another step, and the sound of splashing water echoed from the ground.

At that moment, the radar blazed red, and Chun’s leg was suddenly gripped by a glue-like substance and dragged, while something like a torrential downpour fell from above:

——System Alert: Warning! You have been ambushed by the "Plague Devourer"...

Chun didn’t even have time to react, swept away like in a flash flood into the depths of the mine pit!

Holy shit! Why didn’t the Cleaner Fish’s Purification skill sound the alarm? Or is their side clean without a trace of filth? How will the Cleaner Fish fight then?

Aileen urgently said, "Start the Tuna Sea Soul first!"

Activate!

Chun was once again enveloped in a bubble, just managing to stabilize his body.

The radar detected a large pool ahead, likely similar to a prison water cell formed by seawater seepage.

With a splashing thud, Chun fell into the pool, landing in an extremely sticky mass of sludge. Finally, the Cleaner Fish sounded the alarm: —— Warning! Purification Technique detects a massive amount of filthy toxic gas. You can use Purification Technique to cleanse!

Aileen immediately reminded, "Below, there’s a particularly concentrated mass! Detection range 100 meters!"

Holy shit! They think I can’t dive 100 meters into the sludge? Actually, I should have worn that Steel Diving Suit, but I can’t move in it unless someone carries me over. But that would undermine my ability to establish authority...

Aileen said, "Use all Four Sea Souls!"

That is the intention!

As the Four Sea Souls activated, Chun felt like a fish flying in the water, a loach swimming through the sludge! A long list of system prompts began to scroll:

——System Alert: Your muscle memory has recovered Intermediate Swimming Technique level 1, gaining an additional achievement: Life +6, Spirit +1.

——System Alert: Your muscle memory has recovered Advanced Swimming Technique level 1... Spirit +1.

...

Chun got excited. Had he known the Four Sea Souls were this awesome, he should have practiced swimming before returning to the island!

Alright then, my clone practiced to expert-level swimming in hell lava!

Perhaps realizing Chun’s approach, the large mass began to escape!

Holy shit, it can escape. Indeed, wearing the Steel Diving Suit wouldn’t help!

Then it can only be to activate the Tuna Sea Soul to its maximum!

But watching his Physical Strength drop rapidly, Chun was conflicted. Even if he caught up, could a full-force purification strike with a ring bonus take it down in one hit?

Caught up!

Chun gathered all his Physical Strength to form a force vortex, while the Slime Monster didn’t just stand idle, instantly forming a pocket to devour him, and an immense water pressure pushed Chun in!

At this moment, a light appeared before Chun’s eyes——System Alert: Your "Treasure Perception" skill has detected treasure.

This is? As a magical pet, did I find treasure?

Aileen was excited, "This must be its core! When weakened, it gets exposed!"

Then hit it!

Chun threw a punch, a radiant vortex burst forth, blasting all the mud and glue blocking his way into nothingness...

—— System Alert: Congratulations! You hit the "Plague Devourer’s" fatal weak point and successfully killed the Super Boss Plague Devourer. Your level has increased to level 13. You obtained the item "Absorption Core" and received a kill achievement reward "Weakness Strike."

Absorption Core: Gemstone, Divine Artifact-level material. When used, can activate a gravitational force field, consuming Physical Strength or Mana. If Physical Strength and Mana are exhausted, it can temporarily consume other comprehensive attributes. The higher your comprehensive attributes, the stronger the gravitational force field. Weight: 100.

Weakness Strike: Passive Skill. When attacking an enemy’s area with the lowest defense or wound, there’s a chance to deal additional multiplier damage. Can be stacked with Warrior Skill’s Deadly Strike, Mage Skill’s Critical Strike, etc.

—— Plague Island Area Announcement: Player Chun has successfully killed the Super Boss Slime Monster Plague Devourer.

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