Taking a Ship

Navel Port.

The three-person team squeezed through the cracks in the city wall, which smelled of minced meat, and headed toward the port without stopping.

Through conversation, I learned about Karlien's strange encounters in the Hell Merchants Guild.

His special status was discovered during the initial screening at the Chamber of Commerce. The golden symbol branded on the back of his hand sent him directly to the most mysterious location of the Chamber's Guild Leader.

No information about the Guild Leader can be revealed.

All that is known is that the Chamber of Commerce valued Karlien's unique tumor-bearing constitution and signed a rare "Pre-order Contract" with him.

The Chamber of Commerce will provide Karlien with a set of the most suitable equipment free of charge.

There's no need to go to the Merchandise Area; you can choose directly from the menu projected by the Guild Leader, with no quantity limit.

Karlien did not take anything recklessly and did not show any greed throughout the process.

He only chose two things: two things that would allow him to create crystals faster, radiate efficiently, and emit light quickly.

"Sulfurignis (Sulfurignis)"

"Emporaxiarch Vestments"

The merchant guild's requirements are simple: they only hope that Karlien can successfully ascend to magic. Once he ascends, he only needs to provide the merchant guild with the required amount of crystals periodically; his freedom of movement will not be restricted.

The fact that the Chamber of Commerce values and specially appoints Karlien speaks volumes about his special status.

Moreover, the Emporaxiarch Vestments he wore featured Golden Skull, clearly indicating his guild affiliation. Any being active in Hell would feel a sense of dread, an effect almost equivalent to that of a monk.

[Port and Wharf]

It was very different from the Pluto City docks that Luo Di had visited before.

The docks here were not built with materials, but rather are an extension of the city itself. A huge, honeycomb-like, swollen, proliferating structure exists in the dock area, most of it submerged in the sea.

Each pore of the honeycomb proliferator can produce a thick, open umbilical cord with a sucker-like end.

Regardless of the material of the ship, it will be attracted and fixed in the port once it gets close.

Another point to note is the issue of cross-sea vessels.

Because it requires traversing both the light and dark sides, and the conditions in the Death Ash Sea are extremely poor, all ships setting sail must undergo port inspections, and only high-class cruise ships that meet the quality standards are allowed to depart.

Moreover, even for vessels that meet quality standards, relevant risk values will be assessed.

There are currently four ships docked at Navel Port.

Two of the ships are awaiting repairs and will not be able to set sail for at least a week.

The other two were supplied by different manufacturers.

One is the "Golden Ark" manufactured by the Chamber of Commerce*

It can carry 800 people, takes two days and six hours to cross the sea, has a passenger mortality rate of 5.1%, and a sinking probability of 0.8%. This is a non-public ship, and passengers need to spend Hell Points to purchase the right to ride it.

One is the "Ulcerated Mother Palace" created by the Navel Port *

It can carry 2,000 people, takes one day to cross the sea, has a passenger mortality rate of 25.1%, and a sinking probability of 11.9%. Each person pays for the journey according to their weight, and any form of currency or raw materials can be used as payment.

The two cruise ships have completely different styles.

The Chamber of Commerce's cruise ship is shaped like a giant Golden Skull, and all passengers move around inside the skull, enjoying not only high-class and private accommodations but also various services.

The cruise ships provided by Original Pus were manufactured in Navel Port. The raw materials were the uterine bodies proliferated from a large number of female tumor cells, which were eventually stitched together to form a huge fleshy uterus.

Passengers move around inside the flesh palace. There are no entertainment facilities or guest rooms. Everyone is crammed into the thick, rotting flesh walls.

A large amount of umbilical cord swayed outside the uterus, propelling it forward.

Moreover, the Original Pus cruise ship's energy reserves were insufficient to cross the sea, requiring passengers to voluntarily contribute some of their energy, and manual operation was necessary at times.

Luo Di used up most of his contribution points to buy the knife handle.

Although this Original Pus cruise ship, resembling a mother's nest, emits a strong odor and is highly dangerous, and requires living in close proximity to a large number of tumor-infested individuals, it is estimated that even excrement is digested internally.

But at least one thing is good.

Fast enough

Just be patient for one more day and you'll get there.

Even though Luo Di had carried out large-scale massacres and moved countless corpses, he still felt somewhat physically uncomfortable when he stood on the dock, even though he was mentally prepared.

Staring at the organ-like cruise ship,

Listening to the strange noises coming from inside,

As all sorts of people with tumors boarded the ship, even the crows cawed loudly in protest.

"Never mind... I still have some contributions to make, let's see if it's enough for the three of us to buy tickets."

Agatha was prepared to spend all her remaining savings. She didn't want to be crammed into such an organ; the thought of being surrounded by tumor patients and having excrement fall on her at any moment made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

When they arrived at the merchant guild's boarding gate, the skeleton in charge of selling tickets immediately glanced at the three-person team, or rather, at the merchant guild attire worn by Karlien.

"Dear Chamber of Commerce member! You will be entitled to a free ride on the Golden Ark."

"Can I bring my two friends along?"

"Free for members only. If you bring a companion, I can apply for a 50% discount."

A 50% discount is already quite good; Agatha didn't spend much contribution points to get the ticket.

Following the skeleton crew's instructions, everyone jumped into the golden skull's maw, similar to how they went to the merchant guild.

A spatial fluctuation,

The rotten smell of the ocean and the fertile smell of the Navel Port have all disappeared.

In return, they were greeted by the pleasant fragrance of the cruise ship's interior. They were then transported directly to the cabin area and quickly found their luxury suite on the middle deck based on their tickets.

This Golden Skull cruise ship also uses the same spatial technology as the Chamber of Commerce, completely separating the inside from the outside. Passengers inside will not smell the stench of the sea, and will not even feel the swaying caused by the voyage.

Luo Di went straight to the suite window as soon as he entered the room.

Although the interior and exterior spaces are separated, the ocean can still be seen through the windows, or perhaps the Chamber of Commerce designed it this way intentionally.

In the event of a maritime disaster, tourists can also observe from the windows in advance and make relevant preparations.

The so-called "Death Ash Sea" outside the window had nothing to do with the ocean in Luo Di's mind.

It's less like an ocean and more like a giant swamp, a hellish garbage dump, a gathering place for all filth, only able to maintain its flow thanks to the purification projects of the coastal inhabitants.

Otherwise, the entire ocean would have hardened long ago, and even accumulated into garbage mountains exceeding a thousand meters or even ten thousand meters in height.

Looking at the ocean outside the window, Luo Di felt a sense of doubt:

"The essence of the Death Ash Sea is a garbage dumping zone formed by the metabolism of the True Hell, like a quagmire. What dangers are there in crossing such a quagmire zone?"

Why is the shipwreck rate so high?

Even with the Chamber of Commerce's golden skull protected by a powerful spatial array, there's still a chance of something going wrong. What dangerous creatures lurk in the ocean, or will the True Hell accidentally swallow the ship?

"Because we have... ancestors."

Although Agatha and Karlien were in different parts of the suite, they responded in unison.

Luo Di looked puzzled. "Ancestors? What are those?"

Just as he raised this question,

The view out the window seemed to include something unusual.

In the distance, where the lighthouse's light shines, deep within the miasma and darkness, one can vaguely glimpse what appears to be a gigantic hand, or perhaps a distorted face.

A sense of dread, so different from what was in the corner, suddenly washed over Luo Di, forcing him to look away.

When the emotions subsided and I looked out the window again, there was nothing left of the undulating sea in the distance.