Chapter 12: The Road of Trials

Returning empty-handed is the disgrace of pirates.

To some extreme pirates, this is even more unbearable than a wife's infidelity!

"Are we going to return empty-handed?"

The Black-eyed Captain asked again, his voice stern.

Little Crow took a deep breath and answered:

"This is not returning empty-handed!

We have found out that the treasure exists.

We could turn back now and share the intelligence with the Deputy Leader and others.

With their strength, even this Blood-eyed Wall could be overcome!

By then, the treasure of the Deep Sea Hunter will still belong to us, the Black Whale Pirate Group!"

"After returning... the treasure will still belong to us!"

The corner of the Black-eyed Captain's eye twitched, then he chuckled and said:

"How is that possible?

You don't think that we are the only ones who have the intelligence on the Deep Sea Hunter's treasure, do you?

We are merely a little ahead of them in time.

The other three major pirate groups, even Shell Country's official navy, are all searching for the Deep Sea Hunter's treasure with all their might!

By the time we return and reach headquarters, who knows how many ships will have come to this Sea Beast's Lair.

Then, we might not even catch a glimpse of this crack.

The great age of voyaging has already arrived!

The ship's doctor, you and I will make a name for ourselves amidst the waves!

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in front of us, how can we give up now!"

"..."

Little Crow was rendered speechless for a moment; although she wanted to protect this capable new recruit, she could not win the argument against him.

More so, his identity was that of the captain of the Sawshark.

Little Crow bit her lip and said again:

"He can't make it, after the fight with the Black Bull, he cried a lot, like a rat in a filthy gutter. Such trash and cowards who can only scream for their mommies and flee in complete disarray, then run into a woman's arms, will never be able to cross the line of the crack.

There are only three precious parasitic Sea Beasts left, they should be given to..."

After crying a lot, trash, coward... Chen Qi was baffled.

Although grateful to Little Crow for speaking up for him, it still sounded rather strange.

At that moment, the Black-eyed Captain placed his hand on Chen Qi's shoulder:

"So young, yet brave enough to overcome the Black Bull! That alone proves he is a warrior!

That's right, young man!

Moreover, I remember, you killed a Blood-eyed Bat with a pistol, all by yourself, didn't you?

With such courage, I believe you can step onto that trial stage and help us claim the Deep Sea Hunter's treasure!"

"He can't..."

Little Crow clenched her fist and spoke again, but her tone had become somewhat feeble.

This guy's performance, both on the ship and inside the crack, was just too good!

Why did he have to perform so well... Chen Qi seemed to sense a resentful expression beneath Little Crow's mask.

Despite their brief acquaintance, Chen Qi had made quite a good impression on her.

He was a rare find for her, with both talent and eloquence, a normal person.

She had not expected that this new recruit would be dying after just one day...

She knew better than anyone that being parasitized by a Sea Beast required not only resistance against deep-sea creatures but also exceptional physical strength.

Even with the Yellow Needle, Chen Qi's physical constitution was far inferior to a salvage worker's.

If even a Second-order Transcendent salvage worker couldn't manage it, how could Chen Qi?

Not to mention his psychological fortitude.

The Black-eyed Captain was simply sending him to his death for an almost non-existent chance!

Bang! Bang!

Sounds of Sea Beasts ramming echoed from above the stone door once again.

New cracks began to appear on the stone door.

"No..."

Little Crow clenched her fist, a rage hidden behind her mask so intense she even considered punching the captain to buy some time.

The Black-eyed Captain spoke once more:

"Stop being unreasonable, Little Crow. If it really comes to it, we can simply hold a vote to decide!"

A choice through voting...

Undoubtedly, the result would not change.

Chen Qi's eyes gleamed; let him see just what the Deep Sea Hunter was hiding.

You two don't need to argue over me anymore... Chen Qi stepped forward, interrupting them, and said:

"Let me try."

His ordinary voice rippled like waves, reverberating through everyone's minds!

The pirates were all taken aback.

They never expected that this youngster, who had just experienced the terrifying Blood-eyed Wall, would dare to step forward!

"That's a man!"

A pirate, with genuine admiration, tossed him a bottle of rum.

Chen Qi caught the slightly sweet rum, drank half, and then threw the bottle onto the ground.

This is courting death... Little Crow furrowed her brow, she was merely a small ship's doctor, unable to stop what was happening.

All she could do now was lament her own impotence and weakness.

The Black-eyed Captain's heart burst with joy; he patted Chen Qi's shoulder:

"Well done, lad!

If you truly get the treasure, a box of gold, no, two boxes!

And an Occupation Card that leads to the Transcendent path! Even a ship of your own! All yours!

From now on, you'll be the pride of the Sawshark!"

Oh, and if you have a particular type of woman in mind, you can tell me that too!

"Even if you don't get the treasure, just for your courage, I'm willing to give you fifty gold coins in the name of the captain!"

The Black-eyed Captain's eyes were pitch black with a weirdness about them, yet at this moment, he managed to squeeze out the smile of a kind-hearted uncle.

This reward is really something... Chen Qi didn't believe in such empty promises.

The Black-eyed Captain's kindness was merely lip service.

In the captain's eyes, he was nothing more than a temporary tool, as well as a live commodity.

For pirates, interests always came first.

Compared to the lip service of the Black-eyed Captain, he was more concerned about what treasures the Deep Sea Hunter actually had.

Chen Qi could feel that the Black Whale Pirate Group was indeed not suitable for him.

It was time to prepare an escape plan.

But before escaping, he must figure out a way to get his hands on something good.

The Black-eyed Captain leaned forward, already eager to place the parasitic sea creature on Chen Qi's shoulder.

"Captain, let me do it myself," Chen Qi said.

He conveniently grabbed a tentacle at the bottom of the parasitic sea creature, lifting it, and slowly moved toward the crack.

Although he possessed Deep Sea Affinity, this was not without difficulty for him.

This was a true test of his acting skills.

The parasitic sea creature was large enough that if placed on the shoulder at the right angle, it wouldn't be apparent that he wasn't actually parasitized.

The real key was in the acting; he needed to show the pain and struggle of being parasitized.

"Good—" Chen Qi said in his heart, then placed the parasitic sea creature on his shoulder and pressed down hard.

In an instant, the parasitic sea creature began to wriggle, its slimy tentacles started to approach his arms, his armpits!

"Huff—" Chen Qi panicked inside.

Things were not as simple as he had imagined!

The parasitic sea creature was truly a forbidden being, acting beyond his expectations in an instant.

The slimy tentacles kept squirming, stimulating his body's senses.

The parasitic tentacles were like a clingy kitten, constantly rubbing against his body.

This feeling...

It was so itchy, so slimy, and somewhat comforting—

To show a face of pain under such comfortable circumstances was indeed a test.

"This thing feels like it could be used in the massage industry..."

Chen Qi forcibly showed a pained expression, encouraging himself.

Then, he slowly stepped over the forbidden line drawn by the Deep Sea Hunter.

Thud, thud—

One step, two steps, three steps, four steps!

With each step he took, he could hear the excited cheers of the crowd behind him.

Maybe I should run and tease them... Chen Qi estimated the timing, taking one step after another forward.

In just a moment, he had already surpassed the salvage worker's record!

"Ah..."

The little crow was flustered for a moment.

Something wasn't quite right!

With his physical condition, he shouldn't have lasted this long!

Was it because of the Yellow Needle? Or because of the sea beast lurking inside him?

When he comes back, I'll have to do a full-body check-up on him, from top to bottom, inside and out.

However, I'm afraid I'll never have that chance again... the little crow sighed internally.

Suddenly, Chen Qi stopped moving.

Oh no! He can't hold on anymore! The Black-eyed Captain was shocked and immediately encouraged him:

"Don't be afraid, hold on!"

"Don't give up! Think of your family, think of your unfinished ventures!"

"Get through this, and everything will get better! There's no hurdle you can't overcome!"

"You can always find another woman, you can always earn more money!"

"You're still young, still a youth, with endless possibilities!"

Under the captain's lead, at this moment, these rough and tough pirates all turned into positive energy mentors, starting to offer encouragement.

Having walked so many steps, without a doubt, Chen Qi was their biggest hope this time!

Acting in pain was truly difficult, but thankfully what he left for the crowd was only a dashing back view... Chen Qi was somewhat speechless; he had already tried to walk as slowly as possible.

That should be enough... Then, Chen Qi firmly held the sea beast on his shoulder and suddenly accelerated, stepping over the threshold!

Accelerate!

This instant sent all the pirates into a frenzy of excitement.

The treasure chest of the Deep Sea Hunter, situated upon the steps, was now just a quick shake away from him.

"I've made it!"

Chen Qi stepped over the last step, crouched down, and first winked at the wall of bloodshot eyes.

After all, this was something from beneath the lair of that old monster.

I'm taking it, okay?—

The wall of bloodshot eyes did not respond; it was a creation of the deep sea and did not care for the treasures left behind by the Deep Sea Hunter.

Under the baptism of time, the turquoise chest had become somewhat mottled, covered in dust, but one could still tell that the chest was exquisite and magnificent.

In the tense atmosphere, Chen Qi slowly wiped the dust off the turquoise chest with his hand and then lifted it up.

This chest was welded to the ground—

There were no traps around, and it wasn't a mimic... Chen Qi observed again, noting a prominent latch on the chest.

After repeatedly confirming, he gently pressed the latch.

With a "click," the lid of the chest slowly opened to reveal the treasures inside.