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The violent winds howl, the huge waves rise to the sky, the world is in darkness.
The low-hanging dark clouds burn like azure flames above the ocean. The sea seizes the light of lightning bolts, extinguishing them in the bottomless abyss. The monstrous waves roar angrily in the spray, maliciously tossing the sailboat towards the wave crests, then crashing it heavily into the troughs.
Thunderclap, a sailor's ballad! Fierce wind, a sailor's passion! Our lives are amidst the waves and tempests, let us sail and break through the waves amidst the stormy seas!
Okay, I went a bit poetic there, but daring to raise the sails in the middle of a storm? That's just asking for death!
Just as Da Fei's sailing boat successfully escapes the shallows, it speeds through the waves like an F1 speedboat. Suddenly the wind changes direction, the boat tilts sharply, nearly capsizing. With only Da Fei on board, he doesn't have time to control the sails; he can only pull out the fire axe to chop the sail ropes and forcibly lower the sails, then he immediately runs up to the second floor's cockpit, frantically steering to dodge the giant waves. But the troubles aren't over yet.
— System Prompt: The third layer of the bottom cabin is leaking, please immediately use materials to repair the leak and use emergency buckets to drain water.
— System Prompt: The wood on the right-rear side of the boat has broken, Ship Durability -55, please immediately use materials to repair it.
— System Prompt: The sail on the no. 2 mast has been blown away by the storm, please replenish the sailcloth in time.
— System Prompt: The additional armor rivets on the left side of the ship have fallen off, and the armor steel plates have detached, ship's port Defense -48.
...
Crap! Are they trying to kill me, the bare-poled Captain? For a while, Da Fei runs up and down, stumbling and bumping around to handle the emergency. This ship is really not meant to be sailed alone.
At this moment, the talent icon for Storm Navigation on Da Fei's panel begins to shine brightly. This is what it looks like when a player's special talent is activated, and as the talent glows, Da Fei's experience keeps rising!
— System Prompt: You struggle against the storm, gaining +1000 Experience.
— System Prompt: You struggle against the storm, gaining +1000 Experience.
Rise! It must rise! What's the skill in fighting monsters? I am putting my entire fortune on the line to fight against the skies and the sea! It's on a different level; it would be unjust not to gain experience!
— System Prompt: You have repaired the ship's hull leak, gaining +600 Experience!
— System Prompt: You have reinforced the broken hull, gaining +500 Experience!
Not bad, even without killing monsters, experience can still be earned. Sailing is ultimately not so boring.
Just then, with a loud noise, another giant wave comes, and Da Fei's feet suddenly sink, then his body lightens - it's the feeling of flying!
— Boom! The ship lands heavily, the cabin's contents roll wildly, and Da Fei, unable to stand steadily, is thrown against the wall, "-25!"
Damn! I could die from this!
— System Prompt: Warning! The ship's steerage wheel has been destroyed by the giant wave, the ship is unable to steer, the ship's Durability cap -300 points.
— System Prompt: The wood on the front-left side of the ship has broken, Ship Durability -130, please immediately use materials to repair it.
Crap! The steerage wheel is broken, how can I repair it? It's underwater at the back of the ship!
No choice now, my talent only means the safety of the ship is enhanced in a storm, it doesn't guarantee I won't sink. In this situation, I can only pray the ship doesn't sink. Whatever else can be saved will be saved.
Time ticks by, second by second, Da Fei's ship is like a drifting duckweed amidst the waves, tossing and turning, fraught with danger. The sea is more terrifying than any BOSS; before the ocean, mortal power is tiny and insignificant.
A flash of gold light, and the exhausted Da Fei, with his Stamina turning red, levels up!
— System Prompt: Congratulations! You have leveled up to 16! You gain 1 free attribute point, 1 Skill Point, Life Value +2, Command Power +1.
Leveled up just in time! My health fully restored, Stamina fully replenished, I can fight for another half an hour!
...
Finally, the storm ceases, and the dark clouds disperse. The tempest has passed. The sky is clear and washed with blue, a rainbow bridges the sky and the ocean.
— System Prompt: The deck drainage has collected 1 unit of fresh water.
— System Prompt: The ship is severely damaged, cannot sail normally, and is drifting.
Da Fei takes a long breath and checks the status of the ship.
Original Name: Saint Anthony (can be renamed once)
Captain: Da Fei
Ship's special skill: Divine's Blessing (Sailor's Luck +2)
Ship cargo capacity: 1000 units
Ship's usage time: 10 years
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Minimum sailor capacity: 30
Ship Durability 857/1690
Ship speed: 10
Ship armor defense: port side 32, starboard 80.
Sea God Insurance Level: 0 (Ship not protected by Sea God, will sink permanently if wrecked)
Current status of the ship: Wheel damaged and uncontrollable, sails wrecked, additional port side armor detaching, cursed by Misfortune (crew luck -3).
Da Fei sighed deeply, it was already an aging ship, and now so much durability had been lost, it wouldn't be long before it's unusable. It seems the system wouldn't be so generous as to gift a new player such a big ship. But I wonder if this Sea God Insurance could extend the lifespan of the ship. Sea God Insurance must be expensive, right? Unless it's an exceptionally good ship, wouldn't it be better to just buy a new one rather than insure it? But let's not even talk about buying, right now I don't even have the money to repair it, what to do?
Forget it, don't think too much, I have somehow survived this ordeal. It's time to give the ship a new name, how about... Flying Brother Fei? Brother Fei's Flying? Brother Fei's Flight? Forget it, let's just go with Flying, it has a poetic touch.
—System Prompt: You have renamed Saint Anthony to Flying.
What now? First, get the sails back up. Then, where are the collected freshwater supplies? 1 unit equals 100 servings, enough for me to drink for 100 days, no problems as long as there's water. And then? Where am I right now? Da Fei pulled out his telescope, and nothing but the vast blue sea could be seen within view, coordinates (???, ???)!
Crap, no coordinates!
Right, navigation must have tools like a compass, sextant, and other measuring devices, otherwise, it's like being blind. Where's the compass? In the captain's cabin? Yes! I've been through all the rooms except for the captain's cabin, and now that I'm the captain, of course, I can enter.
Da Fei went to the 2nd-floor cockpit and the captain's cabin behind it, only to find another room next to the cabin with a long-broken door. Whose room could this be?
Upon entering, Da Fei saw clutter strewn about and parchments yellowed with age. Could this be Juan's room? With interest, he began to clear the debris on the floor, along with the yellowed papers. Yes, it's Juan, with handwriting matching that on his journal.
Speaking of which, they have already given me a strategic treasure, the telescope, there couldn't be anything left, right? But no, he has a 15-year-old daughter named Selvia! All these items belonged to her father, I must collect them and then show them to her, prompting her to reminisce and immediately accept me as her godfather! Hahaha, Uncle Hu, rest easy, I've got this.
Da Fei then packed various small items found on the floor, on the desk, and in drawers—huh? What's this? A flute with no attributes? This flute's design, this ancient pattern, so artistic and unique. Good, uniqueness is what we need, she'll surely recognize it at a glance. Alright, I choose this as the representative relic.
After finding nothing more in the Sailing Captain's room, Da Fei returned to the captain's cabin and touched the doorknob.
—System Prompt: Do you want to enter the captain's cabin?
Look at that, a system prompt marking the special status of the captain's cabin. Without further ado, I'm going in.
The scene changed, and Da Fei appeared in a small room. It seemed that the captain's cabin indeed exists in the form of an instance; with this setup, even the most badass thief couldn't get in.
The captain's cabin wasn't much more luxurious than the other officers' rooms. However, prominently placed on the desk were a large globe, a telescope, and a large compass. A crisp, captain's uniform with white and black trim also hung neatly in the wardrobe.
Haha! As expected of the captain, there are goods here. I've got two telescopes now! Though yeah, if a player were to normally undertake this trial, it's unlikely they would find the Sailing Captain's telescope, so an extra one is provided here. After all, a telescope is a necessity for sailing. Fine, at least it's a Rank C treasure, and selling it for a thousand Gold Coins or so could serve as start-up funds for ship repairs and trading; I'm really short on cash.
Da Fei checked the remaining two items.
—New World Star Chart: An instrument that records New World star formations for locating ship coordinates at sea. Prerequisite for use: Learn the sub-skill Measuring Skill in Navigation.
Oh! Fancy stuff, it's actually a New World coordinate measuring instrument, worthy of a captain!
—Compass: Can determine ship coordinates at sea. Prerequisite for use: Learn the sub-skill Measuring Skill in Navigation.
Found the compass, but Da Fei was getting frustrated.
Stuff like Measuring Skill should be delegated to NPC Deputy Officers. Basically, in every seaport's Sailor's Home or tavern, one can hire NPC sailors skilled in Measuring. I, as a dignified captain, just to learn this bothersome Measuring Skill, should spend a precious Skill Point? Although I've saved up 7 Skill Points after leveling up from 9 to 16, I can't afford to waste them! I could bet that Measuring Skill is absolutely one of the most rubbish sub-skills, I really don't want to learn it.
Besides, now with the ship in this condition, apart from drifting, what use is knowing the coordinates anyway?
In any case, Da Fei finally found an excuse not to learn it, so just drift. Drift to somewhere inhabited and then see what to do. It would be best to be discovered by the Bright Alliance navy and then signal for help – that would solve all problems.
As for now, of course, continue to explore the captain's room. Sure enough, there's a golden book on the shelf, Sailing Skill! Well, I already have one on me, can only sell it.
—System Prompt: You have acquired Renior's Navigation Skill Book!
—Renior's Navigation Skill Book: Spend 1 Skill Point to learn Basic Navigation Skill.
—System Prompt: You have already learned Sailing Skill and cannot use this Skill Book.
Da Fei was startled! Another special version of a Skill Book! It turns out that the biggest gain from this trial isn't this old and dilapidated ship, but rather the experiences of those once awesome people, huh? Anyway, I'm drifting anyway, so let's delve into the Divine Skill first.
...
And Da Fei did not know, at this moment, the largest hero forum in China is abuzz with the post, "Trash Player Da Fei Maliciously Attacks Divine-level Hero Player Blood Sea Wave Till Lv 0, Full Video, Death Log, and Truth Exposed," which goes viral. Blood Sea Wave, this already TV-famous Divine-level player has become a celebrity in the China Region once again, and due to his spotlight, Da Fei has gained fame as well.
(Note: Sailboats differ from modern cruise ships which have tall superstructures. Sailboat superstructures are typically located at the bow and stern, usually not surpassing three stories. Otherwise, the high center of gravity would make the sailboat prone to capsizing in the wind, and also hinder sailing against the wind)