Shipbuilding Workshop

He breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing it was only these Nature Spirits.

These things were far less intimidating than the "Holy Tree" the Barbarians had threatened him with before they died.

Moreover, if they were truly that terrifying, the Barbarians wouldn't have survived to this day.

It was simple logic.

"There's nothing to be afraid of. It's sunrise now, and we'll be back long before nightfall," Chen Shouyi reassured Shell Girl.

Shell Girl nodded vigorously, whispering nervously, "I'm not scared."

"If you behave well, you'll get a reward later."

Shell Girl nodded vigorously again, managing a weak smile.

Clearly, even her favorite gems couldn't dispel her unease this time.

Chen Shouyi ignored her and checked his equipment before they set off.

Then, he listened carefully to the sounds around them.

He found the surroundings to be unusually quiet. Apart from the rhythmic sound of the tide from the sea, even the usual chirping of insects and birds from the island's woods was hard to hear.

No, not hard to hear, but completely absent!

The entire island was so quiet, so serene, that it exuded an ominous aura, making his heart pound.

He glanced at the forest not far away and immediately abandoned the thought of entering it.

Chen Shouyi suppressed his racing heart, let out a soft breath, and then crouched low, cautiously moving forward along the coastline.

Most terrestrial plants feared high salinity. The complete lack of plant growth on the beach here indicated that this was also true in this world.

"As long as I stay on the beach, no matter how powerful the 'Holy Tree' the Barbarians spoke of is, it shouldn't be able to do anything to me. At worst, I can always run into the sea."

He proceeded cautiously, constantly vigilant of his surroundings.

Shell Girl remained remarkably quiet, making no sound at all.

Chen Shouyi could feel her nervousness; the body perched on his shoulder was trembling slightly.

He muttered inwardly: This little thing says she's not scared, but she's actually shaking like a leaf.

After walking for about ten minutes, a winding river flowing from the distant forest into the sea appeared ahead.

The river was about a meter wide and clear to the bottom. Of course, at this width, calling it a river wasn't accurate; it was at best a stream.

He reached out and felt the water; it was warm.

Clearly, this stream originated from a geothermal hot spring. He surveyed the surroundings and secretly noted its location.

Given the size of this island, this was likely the only freshwater source. Following this stream might lead them to the Barbarians.

He continued forward.

After a few minutes, he suddenly dropped to the ground.

Shell Girl, startled, clutched his hair tightly, almost falling off.

However, Chen Shouyi couldn't afford to worry about that now.

His eyes quickly scanned the area and spotted a large rock not far ahead. A thought struck him, and he slowly crawled towards it.

After crawling for nearly two minutes, he finally reached the boulder. He let out a breath.

Then, using the boulder for cover, he crouched and cautiously peered into the distance.

Ahead was a massive construction site.

More than a dozen Barbarians were working busily.

This was likely a Barbarian shipyard.

Chen Shouyi could see three large logs, already cut, laid out in a row and drying on the beach.

One of the logs was already being hollowed out.

Clearly, with the Barbarians having lost a large number of their dugout canoes, they were immediately stepping up production.

In the early morning sun, the Barbarians sweated profusely, their skin glistening.

Just as Chen Shouyi had suspected.

The productivity level of these Barbarians was still in the Stone Age. The tools they used for hollowing were simply hard stones sharpened at the edges, which they wielded incessantly against the logs.

Chen Shouyi noticed a large road extending deep into the forest near the shipyard. It was obvious that these massive logs were transported to the seaside from there using rollers.

His gaze lowered, and he carefully observed the situation, not missing a single detail.

There were a total of sixteen Barbarians there.

Their only personal weapons were spears for self-defense and the stone tools for hollowing; they carried no short spears.

He didn't see any particularly strong Barbarians among them. Most were lean and small, even smaller than the ordinary Barbarians who had come to the island before.

But it made sense. In such a primitive tribe, strong warriors would hold high status and would clearly not be assigned to hollowing dugout canoes.

These individuals were likely just ordinary Barbarians.

Chen Shouyi didn't act rashly.

The Barbarians were more than two hundred meters away, far beyond his optimal attack range. The area ahead was flat and open, with no large rocks to conceal his body.

Attacking by surprise in this terrain was impossible; it would have to be a direct confrontation.

He had to admit, Barbarians were intelligent beings. Despite their backward productivity, they weren't lacking in intelligence. Moreover, their hunting-based lifestyle made them more sensitive to their surroundings than humans living in peace.

The shipyard was clearly built here with safety in mind.

Chen Shouyi drew an arrow from his quiver, idly toying with its sharp arrowhead, unable to make up his mind.

Facing sixteen Barbarians at once was undoubtedly a risk.

If only there were fewer of them!

Fortunately, a turning point soon arrived.

After waiting for about ten minutes, one Barbarian seemed to get lazy. After saying something to his companions, he put down the stone he was holding. Soon, three more Barbarians followed him, laughing.

The four of them walked over, chatting and laughing.

Chen Shouyi turned and leaned against a rock, his breathing becoming steadier. He slowly nocked an arrow onto the bowstring and glanced at the Shell Girl, only to find she had already covered her eyes like an ostrich.

Gradually, the Barbarians' voices grew louder.

"This sun is too hot. Let's go for a swim later and soak ourselves."

"Sure, I know a fruit tree there that's ripe. We can pick some then."

When the Barbarians entered his peripheral vision, Chen Shouyi instantly stood up and fired an arrow.

The sharp arrow let out a whistling sound and instantly pierced the head of one Barbarian.

Before the others could react, he quickly fired another arrow, and another Barbarian's head exploded.

At this point, the remaining two Barbarians finally took action, brandishing their spears and charging towards him.

This group of Barbarians had been heading towards the large rocks, and the distance between them was very short.

Only a few meters separated them.

For both Chen Shouyi and the Barbarians, this distance could be covered in the blink of an eye.

Chen Shouyi dropped his War Bow, drew his longsword, and in a flash of lightning, his body swayed slightly, easily dodging the spear tip, blackened by blood, of one Barbarian. At the same time, he stepped forward, his longsword slashing out like lightning.

A cold glint flashed!

The sharp blade quickly sliced through the Barbarian's neck, and blood spurted out.

Feeling the sensation of the sword entering flesh, Chen Shouyi's expression was calm. After successfully landing the blow, his movements didn't stop. Using the still-standing corpse as cover, his footsteps flickered like a ghost, and he appeared behind the last Barbarian.

At this moment, the Barbarian was sweating profusely, frantic about the enemy who had suddenly disappeared.

The next moment, he felt a chill on his neck, and all his strength rapidly drained away like a popped balloon.

Chen Shouyi drew his longsword and flicked it lightly, shaking off the bloodstains from the tip.

Only then did the two corpses fall, one after the other.

"It's... it's that Evil One!"

The great commotion here finally alerted the distant Barbarians. Instantly, all of them showed fear, and a few timid Barbarians even began to flee.

Chen Shouyi smirked, his expression bloodthirsty and cold.

This close-quarters combat with short weapons against two opponents had greatly boosted his confidence.

At the same time, the low morale of the Barbarian group quickly dispelled his initial tension.

He moved instantly.

He stomped his foot, kicking up a cloud of sand, and then shot towards the group of Barbarians like an arrow released from a bowstring.

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