After watching the King of the Near Sea disappear into the distance, Xia Nuo continued climbing the rope ladder.
Before long, he reached the very top. He grabbed the railing, but before he could climb over it, more than a dozen arms suddenly reached out.
Some hooked around his armpits, while others lifted him by the backs of his knees. The boy was rendered completely immobile, like a freshly caught fish in a barrel, as everyone carried him steadily through the cheering, whistling crowd.
"Eh? Wait, what are you doing?" he cried in panic.
Unfortunately, no one answered him. From the corner of his eye, he only saw Gart cheerfully pull out his pipe again, tap it a few times, and light it. The scent of tobacco drifted over.
The next moment, Xia Nuo felt his body go light before he was suddenly tossed into the air.
"Ho—hey!"
"Don't do this! Put me down!"
"Ho—hey!"
"I'm afraid of heights... Er, no, I just ate a full meal. If you keep this up, I'm going to throw up!"
"Ho—hey!"
"That's enough already! Is this how you repay someone for saving you? If I'd known, I should've let the Sea King eat every last one of you!"
"Ho—hey!"
"You might as well let it eat me too!"
After who knew how long, Xia Nuo was finally put down. The world spun around him, and he nearly stumbled to the floor.
The old sailors had spent years doing heavy manual labor, and the strength in their arms was no joke. They had tossed him back and forth through the air until he felt like he had spent an entire day riding a roller coaster.
He had clearly overcome his seasickness in no time, yet now he felt an urge to lean over the railing and vomit his guts out.
"Impressive, Brother Xia Nuo!"
Gart gave him a thumbs-up and blew out a smoke ring, his face filled with emotion.
"You really kept your talents hidden. I even doubted you earlier and treated you like a child. I must be getting senile—I was completely blind. Now I don't even know whether I should apologize to you first or thank you."
In that desperate, oppressive situation, even an old captain like him, who had sailed the seas for decades, had given up hope and prepared to throw his life away for nothing.
Yet the other boy had managed to remain calm despite his young age. He had judged the situation accurately and acted decisively without the slightest hesitation when action was needed.
He genuinely admired the boy before him. Without even realizing it, he had changed the way he addressed him from "kid" to "brother."
"An apology will do. There's no need to thank me."
Xia Nuo rubbed his still-dizzy forehead. "You're making me sound like some uninvolved passerby. I'm on this ship too. I was only protecting myself."
"How can you put it that way, Brother?"
"Exactly! You saved everyone on this ship!"
"We'll never forget you for the rest of our lives!"
The crowd grew noisy again, all talking over one another. Someone muttered, "Shouldn't we keep the banquet going?" That was followed by comments like, "Idiot, weren't we already having a banquet?" "That one was too small. Escaping death deserves more than that," and "Exactly. We need to hold an even livelier and grander one."
After that, their voices merged into a single cry that rang across the entire deck—
"Banquet! Banquet! Banquet!"
"Good!" Gart grew excited as well, immediately laughing heartily and making the decision. "Then everyone, get to work! We're holding the banquet again right now. No one's leaving tonight—we drink until we drop!"
"Until we drop!"
The sailors scattered and busied themselves. Some cleaned up the banquet site, some hauled alcohol, some prepared vegetables and cut meat, and others pieced the tables back together. Judging by the scene, they intended to get the banquet going within half an hour.
Leaving Xia Nuo alone in the wind, utterly bewildered.
No, wait. Wasn't this wrong?
After being used as a cup and slammed around dozens of times by the King of the Near Sea, shouldn't the first thing they did be checking whether the hull was leaking and whether the keel had come apart?
The next day.
When Xia Nuo woke up, his head felt like it was splitting apart. Was this a hangover? Blinding sunlight streamed through the porthole. It seemed to be noon already.
He patted his head and finally recalled, vaguely, that he had been the guest of honor at the banquet the previous night. The enthusiastic sailors had forced who knew how much alcohol down his throat.
At first, he had drunk rather stiffly, but later he had gone wild too, his face flushed as he threw his arms around the sailors, danced wildly around the bonfire, and sang crazed songs.
Most outrageous of all, he had actually used a coconut shell as a megaphone, climbed up the watchtower, and led the entire ship in singing the East Blue classic "Sailor Picks Up the Mermaid" eight notes off-key. Just thinking about it now made his ears burn.
What was wrong with these people?
He was still a minor. How could they let him drink?
As Xia Nuo hurriedly pulled on his wrinkled coat, he suddenly froze. This cabin, with its velvet curtains, was absurdly spacious. It could have fit his old bed as a footstool. Even the private bathroom carried the scent of lemon air freshener.
Wow, he had been upgraded. With conditions like these, this had to be the best room on the ship, right?
Compared with the shabby cabin he had stayed in before, this was like going from a cheap single room straight to a presidential suite.
He opened the refrigerator and took out a can of cola. When he cracked it open, the hiss of escaping carbonation, followed by the refreshing sensation of cold, sweet soda flowing down his throat, finally woke him up considerably.
"Huh? Brother Xia Nuo, are you awake already?"
A passing sailor had heard the noise. His enthusiastic voice came from outside the door. "How are you feeling? Are you hungry? What do you like to eat? I can go get it for you."
"No need to trouble yourself, thanks," Xia Nuo hurriedly replied. "Go on with your work. If I get hungry, I'll go to the dining room myself."
"Okay, whatever you say! Just tell us if you need anything!"
Only after the other person's footsteps faded did Xia Nuo fall backward into the sofa and eagerly open the system.
Eat? He had just gotten a huge fortune yesterday, and the trading market was due to refresh in the next few days. At a time like this, who cared about eating? Nothing was more important than shopping!
A dark-blue panel appeared before him. Xia Nuo skipped past the earlier sections and looked straight at the final two lines.
[Remaining Points: 10025]
He finally understood those people who liked to stare foolishly at their treasures.
Once one's savings grew large enough, sometimes merely staring at one's bank balance without doing anything could bring satisfaction and security rushing out all at once, making one feel as if they were floating in the clouds.
Only after a long while did he move his gaze away from the balance.
He looked to the right, and a new page immediately appeared. It displayed pictures of merchandise, with detailed descriptions and prices beneath them.
If something caught his interest, he could add it to his shopping cart. If he did not want it, he could simply swipe down with his mind and browse the next item.
This was the trading market.
Every month, ten new items would refresh at random. As long as he had enough points, he could purchase them freely before the next refresh.
At first, Xia Nuo had thought they were all sold directly by the system, but he soon realized the truth.
It was more like a Taobao connected to countless worlds. Aside from a small number of items provided by the system, most seemed to come from individual sellers in other worlds.
The items for sale were a complete hodgepodge. There was all kinds of bizarre junk, as if every world had been assigned a transmigrator to dig for treasures everywhere.
Every time he swiped down, it felt like opening a blind box.
He quite enjoyed this part.
Whenever the market refreshed each month, he would browse through it immediately.
Unfortunately, he had been so poor in the past that he could barely afford anything and could only stare longingly.
Even when something cheap appeared, he had to weigh the pros and cons from every angle. Most of the time, he could only grit his teeth and give up. Over the past three years, he had only bought Breathing Fist and basic swordsmanship.
But now he was rich.
This time, he would shop to his heart's content. Anything he liked went straight into the cart!
Adults were the ones who agonized over making choices. He was still a child, so of course he wanted everything!
He quickly entered a focused state and began browsing the first item.
[Statue of Hercules]
[Type: Enhancement Item]
[Price: 2000 Points]
[Description: The greatest hero in Greek mythology. After his death, he ascended to Mount Olympus and became synonymous with strength. This exquisitely carved statue stands approximately 20 centimeters tall. When placed within ten meters while you temper your body, it will provide a threefold efficiency enhancement. This effect can be stacked with other items.]
[Seller's Note: There is precedent, so beware of theft! Some people seem to have auto-loot enabled and will steal any damn thing.]
"Threefold efficiency while tempering the body?"
Xia Nuo paused slightly, delight flashing through his eyes as he added it to his cart without hesitation.
There was no need to think about it.
His talent in physical training was indeed quite good, but who would ever complain about having too much talent?
Actually, based on his past experience, most of the items refreshed in the market cost less than three digits. Two thousand points was somewhat expensive, but enhancement items were practically all treasures and could not be missed. What was more, this one had no time limit. Once placed, it would work permanently!
"Good stuff!"
Xia Nuo was filled with anticipation for what it could accomplish in the future.
With his efficiency tripled, would his physical training finally be able to rival that of the truly top-tier geniuses on this sea?
He swiped down and began browsing the next item.
[Shadowheart's Camp Clothes]
[Type: Equipment]
[Price: 200 Points]
[Description: A black, close-fitting casual outfit with no attribute bonuses, more suitable for relaxing in your spare time. When you lie down and fall asleep while wearing it, you may hear the stirrings of darkness beside your ear. That is Lady Shar whispering to you.]
[Seller's Note: I really want to lick White Shadowheart's feet.]
"..." Xia Nuo remained expressionless.
He swiped straight past it.
If a Transmigration Management Bureau really existed, he hoped they would issue a regulation banning filthy old otaku from transmigrating!
[Sulawesi No. 3 Turning Engine]
[Type: Wonder]
[Price: 10000 Points]
[Description: One of the largest turning engines built for the Wandering Earth Project, located in the equatorial region. It stands over 15 kilometers tall, with a base more than 60 kilometers in diameter. With sufficient fuel, a single engine can produce a thrust of 200 trillion tons.]
[Seller's Note: Just dug it up. Still warm.]
Wait, bro.
Who the hell are you?
Even if you transmigrated as an Ultraman, you couldn't possibly dig this thing up, could you?
The price was even more outrageous. It was basically the highest he had seen in three years. But Wonders were like that—no matter the setting, they were never something to consider in the early or middle stages.
It was truly tempting. If he had a million-point balance, he would definitely buy it.
When he died someday with points left unspent, he would absolutely summon this thing and let everyone broaden their horizons together.
[Ren Amamiya's Black Canvas Bag]
[Type: Miscellaneous]
[Price: 600 Points]
[Description: A schoolbag suitable for middle school students, filled with second-year high school textbooks from Shujin Academy. You may occasionally hear a cat meowing inside, but until you open the zipper, you cannot be sure whether the cat is alive or dead.]
[Seller's Note: Picked up beside a subway ticket gate.]
"Hmm..."
After briefly considering it, Xia Nuo shook his head and gave up.
He searched through all his memories from his previous life, but unfortunately, he had not explored much anime and could not remember which setting this item came from.
But based on his past experience, items categorized as miscellaneous were basically not very useful. The hair clips and forehead ornaments he had sacrificed had also belonged to this category.
Unless he was especially interested and wanted to collect it, spending 600 points here would simply be a waste.
[Six Powers Secret Manuals ×2]
[Type: Cultivation Manual]
[Price: 800 Points]
[Description: Secret manuals recording the detailed cultivation methods of the Six Powers. Shave, Paper Arts, Geppo, Tempest Kick, Iron Body, and Finger Pistol comprise the Six Powers. When each manual is opened, one of the six will be obtained at random.]
[Seller's Note: None. Sold directly by the system.]
"The Six Powers?"
Xia Nuo's spirits lifted.
Although items sold directly by the system made up only a small portion, they were usually extremely practical. Unlike those individual sellers, they never spent every day thinking of new ways to cause trouble.
This time was no exception.
These were the physical techniques the CP Department trained from childhood. Within the Navy, usually only those who came from the headquarters' elite camp were qualified to cultivate them.
Anyone who mastered these techniques was strong enough to dominate outside the Grand Line.
For the first two years, he had been extremely envious of this set of techniques and had always hoped to see it appear in the trading market. Now, his wish had finally come true.
"Can I randomly get two out of the six...?"
Xia Nuo decisively added them to his cart.
These were two manuals for only 800 points. No matter which two of the Six Powers he randomly received, they would definitely be worth far more than he paid!
[Sephiroth's Masamune]
[Type: Weapon]
[Price: 500 Points]
[Description: The weapon wielded by Sephiroth, the ultimate villain from the Final Fantasy VII world. It resembles a tachi and is called "Masamune." Its total length exceeds two meters, with a hilt approximately fifty centimeters long. The blade is only three centimeters wide and a few millimeters thick.]
[Seller's Note: "What you're seeing now is reality. What you remember is the illusion."]
This made him hesitate.
Xia Nuo stroked his chin and pondered. His talent for swordsmanship was not very good, and he had no plans to practice with a sword in the short term.
But in the Pirate World, swords and blades were inseparable, and they stood above all other weapons. Having a handy weapon at his side seemed only natural.
A blade forged by Shinra technology for a 1st-class SOLDIER was guaranteed to be high quality. In the Pirate World, it would at least be no worse than a Skillful Grade Blade, and might even reach the Great Grade.
"Buy!"
Xia Nuo made his decision, and another item immediately appeared in his shopping cart.
If the price had been any higher, he might have given up directly.
He continued scrolling down. For the next several items, he was either completely uninterested or found their cost-performance too low. Before long, he reached the end of the list.
At the final checkout, he had bought three items in total, spending 3,300 points.
[Remaining Points: 6725]
An item that could accelerate his cultivation was one of the things he needed most at the moment. Being able to find one this time was a stroke of luck. If he came back for some cultivation manuals next month, the timing should be just right for him to finish returning to the village. By then, he could begin cultivating like mad.
Satisfied, Xia Nuo opened another can of cola, closed the marketplace, and eagerly opened his inventory while drinking his happy water.