The sea breeze carrying the scent of gunpowder gently blew past.

Chen Qi looked up at the lighthouse keeper with his deeply wrinkled face.

The first person he had met when he first came ashore was this lighthouse keeper, already past fifty.

As a Lamp Keeper, he had no idea how many years he had been guarding this place.

With that seniority, even after Damarro Town underwent complete changes, he remained the town's guardian, responsible for warning against pirate and sea beast invasions.

An's apprentice, that poor child... The lighthouse keeper placed his hand on the alarm bell, utterly astonished.

In his memory, Chen Qi had once run a food boat business, but soon after, he vanished without a trace!

Therefore, he had assumed Chen Qi had long been devoured by some unknown sea creature.

That wasn't strange;

driven by treasure, countless young people perished in the turbulent seas every day.

If anything, the fact that Chen Qi could now stand on the deck of a ship burning with green flames was truly unbelievable!

A miracle!

That razor-sharp fourth-tier spiritual energy made the old lighthouse keeper's skin prickle with pain.

Simultaneously, based on his experience, that sturdy hull could probably withstand heavy cannon bombardment.

The old lighthouse keeper asked in as steady, aged, and calm a voice as he could muster:

"Qi, you're back? Is this an illusion?"

As he asked, the lighthouse keeper kept his hand on the alarm bell.

Without a doubt, that ship and Qi were extremely threatening and full of unknowns. As the lighthouse keeper, he had to sound the alarm and immediately organize a full defense!

Yet, he merely watched.

What kept him from immediately performing his duty wasn't sympathy for a child he knew, but instinctual fear!

That poor child with Sea Beast Disease now showed no fear facing thousands of magic bullet cannons, only unprecedented curiosity.

Chen Qi stroked his chin, scanning the current Damarro Town with great interest:

"Yes, I'm back. I need to go to Moonstone City and also purchase some fresh food in Damarro Town."

Behind the lighthouse, Damarro Town was protected by a high city wall constructed from numerous anti-magic runes.

Additionally, it was equipped with thousands of magic bullet cannons.

A single shot could pierce through the steel-like bones of sea beasts;

simultaneous volleys from multiple cannons could instantly penetrate even a Black Sea Shark.

On the city wall, one could see seabirds pecking at the corpses of giant sea beasts.

At the lowest level, a steel hand emblem and a runic magic bullet symbol were visible.

This indicated the wall was jointly built by the Steam Hand Workshop and the Magic Bullet Company.

It seemed Beiguo's super military industry, 'Steam Hand,' had already set foot on this land.

Once Steam Hand appeared, it meant many of Beiguo's Hammer-affinity workshops and companies had already arrived in Moonstone City.

Now, Moonstone City should have quite a few good things... Chen Qi analyzed for a moment.

The old lighthouse keeper pressed further:

"Qi, what are your ship's intentions?"

Chen Qi replied calmly:

"To purchase daily supplies."

Because of the Ice Witch, and since the Ice Demon Pirates might also come ashore sometimes, he needed to prepare new bedding and food.

Additionally, due to the long voyage, the ship's refrigerator and lighting had suffered serious damage.

In short, he needed to spend a large sum of money to renovate the ship.

Of course, there was another important reason.

That was the result of his discussion with the Ice Witch:

Before they landed at Moonstone City, they needed to first "notify" the old folks in Moonstone City.

Pelu had already relayed their intention to land to the Moonstone City council via the large white pigeon.

Even so, if a ship made from A-tier rift materials directly approached Moonstone City, it would likely face unimaginable annihilation attacks and cause massive panic!

Therefore, Chen Qi and the Ice Witch decided to rest in Damarro Town for a while, giving the Moonstone City council members some time to react.

Chen Qi raised his hand and said:

"Don't worry, we're just buying some food."

The old lighthouse keeper hesitated.

Even though he knew Chen Qi, if Chen Qi's ship was hiding a crew of pirates, the consequences would be unthinkable!

Moreover, Chen Qi's current spiritual energy field was clearly that of a fourth-tier legendary!

Recently, due to several large B-tier rifts being conquered and support from Steam Hand, quite a few new fourth-tier Transcendents had appeared near Moonstone City.

However, ones as powerful as Chen Qi were still extremely rare!

His intuition told him that although Chen Qi was a recently advanced fourth-tier Transcendent, his danger level might rival that of an experienced fourth-tier Transcendent, or even one of the Blackfin Crew's famous Seven Sea Pirate Generals!

At that moment, a portly middle-aged man wearing a black gentleman's hat on the city wall interrupted the lighthouse keeper:

"Let him in. He's the pride of our Damarro Town."

"I knew he wasn't dead! And that he would become a renowned Transcendent!"

Hmm? Chen Qi looked up.

The person on the city wall was none other than Damarro Town's mayor, Big Damarro.

The mayor... Chen Qi was momentarily stunned, then guided the Nether Sea Ghost Ship into Damarro Town's docking harbor.

The moment he crossed the wall and entered the docking harbor, Chen Qi smelled the overwhelming scent of kerosene.

This once-poor small island had become a prosperous island with a giant shipyard, a weather detection tower, and a blood-mechanic medical center.

Additionally, there was a bustling commercial street and abundant entertainment venues.

Chen Qi looked over;

next to his shaky old home was now a luxurious Transcendent resource store.

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, the Nether Sea Ghost Ship docked.

Chen Qi looked back;

Fen was resting, Little Crow was holding Water Spirit No.5 and muttering to herself.

Burry was writing a love letter to his half-dragon crush.

Chen Qi turned to look at the Ice Witch, who was disguised and wearing a white hood.

The Ice Witch sat in the sunlight and said coldly:

"Little Black Hair, I'm reading.

Also, don't buy too many sweets for food. You don't need to take special care of me. I only need a little black tea and don't require much eating."

So that means buy more sweets. These master and disciple really have tough mouths... Chen Qi complained internally.

It seems I have to go ashore alone...

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, Chen Qi flipped over and leaped from the ship onto the docking harbor.

The moment he landed, the big-bellied Mayor Damarro rushed over and hugged Chen Qi tightly.

"Qi, long time no see!"

Mayor Damarro hugged Chen Qi and took a deep breath:

"Ah! This rich spiritual energy aura! You've advanced to the fourth tier!"

"I knew An must have gone looking for you, otherwise, why would she be gone for so long!"

"Just as An and I expected!"

Mayor Damarro released his grip, his eyes full of admiration.

Ah... Chen Qi opened his hands, startled by this enthusiasm.

As expected of the mayor, meeting him caused no surprise at all.

He hadn't realized that in Mayor Damarro's eyes, he was considered a genius capable of advancing to the fourth tier.

Then, Mayor Damarro asked:

"By the way, is that hooded person on the ship your girlfriend? I wonder if you've seen An?

Oh, Qi, the scar on your arm is really deep. Are you injured, back here to recuperate?

Is your Sea Beast Disease cured? There's a black wriggling blood potion on the black market that can cure any mutation disease, but it feels rather dangerous to me.

Oh, and! I heard that on the front lines, an A-tier rift collapsed, directly causing the Rift Sea monsters to go berserk! Many people were injured!

Lots of merchant ships were terrified by this power and immediately turned back!"

Mayor Damarro spoke endlessly.

Chen Qi was momentarily at a loss how to answer the barrage of questions and could only change the subject:

"Sort of. By the way, Mayor Damarro, Damarro Town is really luxurious now. It seems you've made quite a bit of money."

Hearing about money, this mayor who dreamed of establishing his own Transcendent family immediately looked gloomy:

"I sold all my land to the Magic Bullet Family, so I did get quite a bit of money.

But it's far from enough. My son, Little Damarro, spent a lot of money to marry a foreign third-tier Goblet-affinity half-dragon.

Plus, after he advanced to the third tier, he also needed to buy lots of skill cards..."

Mayor Damarro showed an embarrassed expression.

Transcendent resources were like a bottomless pit for money;

no amount was ever enough.

Then, he forced a bitter smile:

"Right now, the thousand Shell Coins in my pocket are all the cash I have."

A thousand Shell Coins... Chen Qi stroked his chin. He had just given Burry an expensive ship repair fee, so he didn't have much Shell Coins on hand either, but still had around a hundred thousand.

Mayor Damarro said with a bitter laugh:

"But, no regrets. In this Tide, money isn't important. Exerting every effort to climb the Transcendent path is what truly matters.

However, my son Little Damarro can't go to the dangerous Rift Sea like you did, risking his life to climb this path."

"And precisely because of that, you were able to reach the fourth tier! I wonder how you managed it!"

Mayor Damarro grew more and more excited as he spoke, his voice growing louder.

Seeing one of Damarro Town's many young people return as a fourth-tier, he wished he could spread the news across the entire island!

This fourth-tier before him belonged to their Damarro Town!

You should know, even though fourth-tiers had increased, he had only seen them under the command of those great families.

Chen Qi scratched his head and steered the conversation back on track:

"Alright, Mayor Damarro, my main purpose for returning is to purchase some daily supplies and food."

"No problem! Come with me. Although I'm just a nominal mayor now, I know all the good things in this town!"

Without further ado, the enthusiastic Mayor Damarro led Chen Qi to Damarro Town's giant shipyard.

At this point, Damarro Town's entire giant shipyard reached a staggering height of fifty meters alone!

And that once small and narrow grocery store was now a huge machinery shop, filled with various extremely complex Hammer-affinity creations.

Chen Qi scanned the goods, his eyes lighting up.

A sea lamp from the Bonfire Company, priced at 300,000 Shell Coins, had super strong impact resistance and could maintain extremely high brightness even in seawater.

A seal submarine from Seal Logistics Company, priced at 5 million Shell Coins, could submerge and move at depths of a hundred meters underwater.

A shadow mechanical claw, priced at 3 million Shell Coins, the latest weapon model, made from shadows of the No.8 Train rift combined with mechanical technology. When equipped, it could extend shadowy hands up to fifty meters.

Mechanical Armor - Steam Hand, a full-body armor set. When equipped, it greatly enhances overall strength. Priced at 10 million Shell Coins. Only a sample was on display;

purchasing required negotiation with the Merchant Consortium's head.

Chen Qi couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

The near-shore area, as a trade hub, presented a completely different scene compared to the danger-filled Rift Sea.

However, the truly good stuff wasn't here yet...

Then, Mayor Damarro looked at Chen Qi and said:

"Qi, are you short on money?

At the Beiguo Bank on the east side of the island, there's a Transcendent Growth Fund. I heard a fourth-tier can get a loan of up to 500 million Shell Coins..."

You should know, advancing to the fourth tier required massive amounts of Transcendent potions, skill cards, and other resources.

Even with help from a Transcendent organization, this was a huge expense.

Most Transcendents didn't have much money on hand.

Growth Fund? Damarro Town has this kind of thing? Chen Qi was momentarily stunned and declined:

"I still have some things I can exchange for money."

Chen Qi sold the remaining items from the Great Sea Coffin and useless Transcendent materials, obtaining 30 million Shell Coins.

Besides purchasing daily necessities, he also bought a new set of bonfire facilities and a full set of shipboard planting systems specifically for Fen.

Plus large quantities of Transcendent vegetables, food, and feed specifically for raising large pet beasts.

The total cost was 5 million, with the feed being the most expensive at over 3 million.

Whether it was the lamp-moon sea dragon or the Coastal Apex Predators, their food was measured in terrifying tons.

By the time Chen Qi finished purchasing supplies and emerged from the commercial street, the entire sky was tinged with red hues.

"Qi, where on earth did you get so many good things?"

This is the foundation of a legend... Mayor Damarro swallowed hard, marveling at Chen Qi's financial power.

He followed Chen Qi back to the docking harbor.

In an instant, Chen Qi's expression turned serious.

He saw that around the Nether Sea Ghost Ship in the docking harbor, ten warships engraved with the Magic Bullet emblem had appeared at some point!

And all the merchant ships had evacuated the docking harbor.

On the island, five hundred gun barrels were aimed at his head.

It's the defense fleet of the Moonstone Archipelago... Chen Qi clapped his hands:

"Pretty fast."

For this trip to the White Pigeon Press in Moonstone City, the Ice Witch and Chen Qi never intended to act discreetly from the start.

He and the Ice Witch had absolutely no need to sneak around!

Attracting an escort fleet was also expected.

However...

Chen Qi placed his hand on the backpack card at his waist.

At the far end of the docking harbor, a noblewoman with white-blue hair was sitting on a stool, drinking black tea.

As she drank her tea, she gave Chen Qi a fox-like smile, emanating an aura like a furnace!

The imposing manner of a top-tier fourth-tier powerhouse!

She was none other than the leader of the Magic Bullet Family, Madame Magic Bullet Oli—

The clueless Mayor Damarro immediately grew tense.

Chen Qi might be a great pirate! A super pirate! Mayor Damarro had long suspected this.

After all, without engaging in piracy, how could one advance to the fourth tier so easily?

However, out of concern, Mayor Damarro had never asked, and didn't dare to ask!

Most crucially, even if he asked, given Damarro Town's current defenses, he couldn't change anything.

He also instinctively believed Chen Qi wasn't some evil, notorious great pirate!

But he never expected that Chen Qi could attract the attention of the Moonstone City council's chairperson—Madame Oli!

Instantly, everyone on the docking harbor froze in place.

When that lady traveled, she was accompanied by the Magic Bullet Hunter Corps!

That was a powerful hunter corps that had historically sniped and killed three legendaries from over ten thousand meters away!

Mayor Damarro's instincts immediately sensed the countless gun barrels hidden in the shadows!

The entire Damarro Town could be completely wiped out because of today's events!

In the distance, more and more warships began to appear.

Their numbers far exceeded ten, possibly reaching a staggering one hundred!

That was the total number of Moonstone City's defense fleet!

Moonstone City had mobilized its entire fleet!

The fleet, the wall-mounted cannons, the Magic Bullet Hunter Corps, and Madame Oli.

Mayor Damarro stammered:

"Qi, Qi, what on earth have you been doing out there... You, you're surrounded... by the Magic Bullet Hunter Corps..."

Surrounded? Chen Qi put his hands in his pockets and walked towards Madame Oli.

The closer he got, the more gun barrels from the shadows aimed at his head.

Soon, over five hundred Magic Bullet Guns were trained on his head.

Chen Qi looked at the stern-faced Madame Oli, lowered his head, and said leisurely:

"No, they are the ones who are surrounded."

"Right, Madame Oli?"