Return to Vast Sea City (Part 2)

When Zhou Qing and the others boarded the ship, they were all soaked in seawater.

The Zi Zhenzhu didn't turn around!

"The main problem is that the parking space is too narrow, and turning back would be too much trouble." Zi Zhenzhu gave a half-smile, her reason completely unconvincing.

From her undisguised amused gaze, Zhou Qing knew that this girl was definitely retaliating for the time he had knocked her into the sea.

Hey!

How petty!

"Is there a shower room on the ship?" Xiao Wu knew that if she didn't rinse off, the seawater on her clothes would dry and make her feel very uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, but because we set sail in such a hurry, the fresh water on board is only enough for drinking, not for washing. Please bear with us, Boss Zhou and your friends." Zi Zhenzhu coughed twice, stating the reason in a serious tone, and raised her right arm, asking the other crew members, "Is that right?"

"Yes!"

The crew members all said in unison.

What else could Zhou Qing do?

We can only endure it.

"However, if you need anything, Boss Zhou, I can help you clean the seawater off your body in another way. This is a very special service."

Seeing the Zi Zhenzhu's nimble tongue lick its lips, Zhou Qing immediately understood what the woman meant by "special service" and refused.

Tang San was slightly stunned, then quickly realized what was happening.

Xiao Wu, who was quite knowledgeable in the Nuoding Guild, felt that this woman was too "open".

What about Ariel?

His expression was calm.

In the past 20,000 years, what storms haven't we seen?

He understood immediately.

"Damn! You're even more of a pervert than me!"

Romantina realized for the first time that there were women in the world who were even more adept at these things than she was... No! She herself only talked about it and made some physical moves; she was still a pure and innocent girl! Judging from the attitude that Zi Zhenzhu was showing, she probably really would do that kind of thing!

Before this Zi Zhenzhu, Romantina previous actions were nothing but empty talk!

Faced with Romantina's "praise," Zi Zhenzhu's eyes twitched, not understanding why Zhou Qing would bring such an oddball into the team.

Huh? Am I an oddball myself?

That's all!

"The new world we're building can tolerate perversion... as long as it doesn't affect other people's actual interests," Zhou Qing replied.

"... I really can't imagine what the country you will establish will be like in the future." Zi Zhenzhu's expression was complicated.

She was both doubting that everything she had experienced before was an illusion, which led her to act impulsively and accept Zhou Qing as her boss, and also looking forward to seeing what a world that could tolerate all kinds of "abnormalities" would be like.

Vast Sea City.

Southwest port.

The pirate flag on the Zi Zhenzhu has been replaced with another one, still featuring a purple Sea Viper pattern, but the original black background has been changed to a red one.

There's an unwritten rule on the Great Sea: any flag with a black background, regardless of the design on it, belongs to a pirate group.

Conversely, if the black flag is replaced with another color, it will no longer be a pirate ship. Even in the waters near Vast Sea City, it must be disguised as one, otherwise it will alert the city's guards, and other fleets can attack it indiscriminately without bearing any responsibility.

This is a kind of tacit understanding that has formed in the long-term struggle between Vast Sea City and other Sea City against pirates.

The pirates tacitly accepted this—they could destroy villages and hamlets, and they could disguise themselves as other fleets to achieve their goals, but most of the time, they preferred to openly display their own pirate flags.

Zhou Qing and his group disembarked and bid farewell to Zi Zhenzhu.

Take care!

Zi Zhenzhu also waved to Zhou Qing and the others, glanced at the scenery in Vast Sea City, and lingered on the Spirit Hall building in the distance for a few seconds before finally turning back.

Who was I before?

That's not important.

The important thing is that she now knows who she is: Zi Zhenzhu.

After watching the Zi Zhenzhu depart, Ariel said to the crew of the Mermaid beside her, "It's best not to tell anyone about this experience."

"Don't worry, Captain, we're tight-lipped!"

"No one would believe it if I told them."

"Moreover, we were dizzy the whole time, and when we woke up, we found ourselves on the Zi Zhenzhu..."

"It seems we met a kind person who saved our lives."

"The Mermaid is gone..."

The crew of the Mermaid were all unharmed, but they were mostly unconscious throughout the ordeal and had no idea what had happened or that their captain Ariel, was a mermaid.

"Captain, what should we do next?" a crew member asked. "The ship is gone, and so is our money."

"It's good that you're alive. Money can be earned back, it's not a big deal." Ariel smiled slightly and said to Zhou Qing, "You've already reached an agreement with Zi Zhenzhu, so I'll open a Seafood Manor in Vast Sea City to prepare for transporting seafood to the inland in the future."

"Are you serious?"

Really!

Once the road is repaired, the issue of preserving seafood must be considered when transporting it to other areas, and the locals of Vast Sea City need to be responsible for managing this.

But Ariel must come—

A mermaid sells seafood...

That joke is really lame.

"My ship is called the Mermaid, but that doesn't mean I'm a mermaid." Ariel, both concealing her identity from the original crew and emphasizing that she was not a true Mermaid Clan, but Spirit born of the Great Sea, Daughter of the Sea.

Even if she has a duty, it is not to protect ordinary marine life or Sea Soul Beast, but to maintain the ecological cycle system of the Great Sea.

Not to mention, the Will of the Ocean did not assign her any responsibility at all.

She is a free agent!

Therefore, as long as it does not affect the ecological cycle of the Great Sea, occasionally catching some sea fish and shrimp is not a big deal.

After all, before this, wasn't she piloting the Mermaid and leading her crew to make a living on the Great Sea?

"Too."

Realizing he was being paranoid, Zhou Qing felt reassured and entrusted the matters in Vast Sea City to Ariel.

On the way back to Nuoding City, Tang San brought up the matter of the Zi Zhenzhu: "Is that Zi Zhenzhu really credible? After learning that I might be a disciple of the current Pope of the Spirit Hall, will I go to the local Spirit Hall to verify it?"

"Won't."

Zhou Qing said, "I can sense that she is a person who longs for freedom and cares about ordinary people. Moreover, having lived on Purple Pearl Island for six years, she can't bear to leave the villagers on Purple Pearl Island —if she leaves, who will protect them?"

"Let's not talk about that guy with the abnormal sexual orientation." Xiao Wu interrupted the two and asked Tang San, "On the ship, you seemed to have taught Jixiang and Ruyi some basic knowledge about acupoints. Why?"

"Consider it repayment for them saving us."

Tang San's eyes flickered slightly. "They have already figured out a little bit of the medical technique of treating diseases by stimulating acupoints, but they don't have the concept of 'acupoints'. Teaching them the corresponding basic theory will also help them avoid many detours in their future medical careers."