Setting Sail

Summer of Douluo Calendar 2626.

The sky was azure, the sun shone brightly, and a gentle breeze carried the rich scent of the ocean.

Nanhu City is the southernmost point of the Star Luo Empire, and also the southernmost point of the Douluo Continent.

Just like the "Vast Sea City" on the western border of the "Heaven Dou Empire", standing on the city wall of "Nanhu City" and looking at the vast blue waves under the clear sky, one's mind will be infinitely open, as if there are no more troubles in the world.

"When I first saw the sea, I felt the same way you did, filled with boundless pride."

Zi Yaoshi's eyes reflected the distant horizon where the water met the sky, and he spoke softly.

Mo Yuxiong withdrew his gaze from the distant sea, looked at the Zi Yaoshi beside him, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "So, what about now?"

"Now?" Zi Yaoshi narrowed his eyes, glanced back at Mo Yuxiong, then looked at the boundless sea, and said in a complicated tone, "If I had a choice, I would still prefer to stay on land."

Upon hearing this, Mo Yuxiong became interested. "Oh? Tell me about it?"

"Master Ling once said something that I think is particularly fitting for the ocean." Zi Yaoshi looked at the sea and said Youyou, "Human power has its limits. In the face of the vastness of heaven and earth, humankind is as insignificant as a speck of dust."

"Sailing on the vast blue sea looks wonderful, but the Storm Riders is unpredictable. Not to mention losing your way, there are storms, tsunamis, and undercurrents at sea... each of which is enough to swallow a ship over a hundred meters long."

"Besides these great powers of heaven and earth, there are also Sea Soul Beast lurking in the deep sea. The near-shore areas are alright, but once you enter the deep sea, Sea Soul Beast with tens of thousands of years of cultivation are commonplace. Even Titled Douluo might get trapped there..."

Mo Yuxiong was about to say something after hearing Zi Yaoshi's words, he suddenly caught sight of a group of people out of the corner of his eye. He immediately perked up and quickly turned his gaze over.

"It's the City Lord! The City Lord and the others have arrived—!"

Zi Yaoshi followed Mo Yuxiong's gaze and saw Ling Yi riding a jet-black steed with snow-white hooves, galloping towards Nanhu City.

Behind Ling Yi, more than ten riders followed closely, some spirited and others with extraordinary bearing, leaving a deep impression on everyone who saw them.

About half an hour later, at the City Lord’s Mansion Nanhu City.

City Lord Yun Buyu personally led the group into a spacious and bright hall, and said respectfully to Ling Yi, who was at the head of the group, "Master Ling, what do you think of this place?"

"This place is very nice~" Ling Yi nodded to Yun Buyu with a friendly smile and said, "Thank you for your trouble, City Lord Yun."

"Not at all, not at all~" Yun Buyu quickly waved his hand, then pointed to the table and chairs in front of him, and said politely again, "Master Ling, His Excellency Chen Xin, and all the seniors and friends, please sit down and let's talk..."

Yun Buyu gestured for Ling Yi and the others to take their seats, then loudly ordered the servants waiting outside the hall, "Hey you, hurry up and prepare tea and refreshments!"

Soon, everyone took their seats. At Yun Buyu's insistence, Ling Yi took the main seat. "Sword Douluo" Chen Xin sat in the first seat to Ling Yi's right, followed by Dugu Bo, Gu Rong, Mo Yuxiong Gu Ying, Guying, Mo Yuan, and Yun Lan. Yun Buyu, as the city lord of "Nanhu City," sat to Ling Yi's left, opposite Chen Xin. Behind him was only one person, Zi Yaoshi.

Ling Yi first glanced around, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. Finally, his eyes lingered on Gu Rong's withered, skeletal face, noticing the unconscious pursing of his lips. Knowing Gu Rong's anxiety, he didn't delay and asked Zi Yaoshi, "Commander Zi, thank you for your help these past few days. Could you tell me how the progress is?"

"Master Ling, you're too kind." Zi Yaoshi stood up and respectfully said to Ling Yi, "It is my honor to serve Master Ling and to Zi Yaoshi Lingyun City!"

After a pause, Zi Yaoshi mentally organized his thoughts and continued, "Master Ling, everyone, thanks to the hard work of the masters in the ' Heavenly Craft Corps ' over the past year, the ' Lingyun ' was completed last month. After its launch, I led the brothers of the ' Viper Corps ' on a trial voyage in the coastal waters around ' Nanhu City.' We reported any minor issues we encountered during the voyage to Master Zhang Youyou, and they have all been resolved. Now we are ready to set sail at any time!"

"Furthermore, I have thoroughly explored the route to the ' Star Moon Archipelago ' over the past year. It is not a deep-sea area, and apart from seven gathering places of thousand-year-old Sea Soul Beast, there is basically no danger along the way. I can guarantee the safety of the voyage to and from the island!"

"Good!" Ling Yi clapped his hands and laughed, looking at Zi Yaoshi with admiration in his eyes, and asked, "Then, in Commander Zi's opinion, when would be a good time for us to set off?"

"Anytime is fine!"

Upon hearing Ling Yi's question, Zi Yaoshi replied without hesitation, "Based on records from previous years and observations over the past year, barring any unforeseen circumstances, there shouldn't be any extreme weather events in this sea area within the next month, making it relatively safe."

"Then it will be in two days," Ling Yi nodded and made the decision. "Let's rest a bit today and prepare the necessary supplies. Commander Zi, you have more experience in this area, so I'll have to put in more effort from now on."

"Yes!" Zi Yaoshi instinctively straightened up and answered loudly.

Two days later, the sun rose.

Accompanied by Yun Buyu, the city lord of Nanhu City, Ling Yi and his entourage from Lingyun City left the city through the south gate and arrived at the Nanhu City dock along the specially constructed rocky path outside the city.

Compared to the "Vast Sea City" of the "Heaven Dou Empire", the original docks of "Nanhu City" were much smaller. However, in recent years, with the support of the "Green Wood Merchant Association", the number of docks has been expanded from seven to eighteen, and new docks are still under construction.

As the southernmost port city in the Douluo Continent, Nanhu City has now become the second most important maritime trading port after Vast Sea City, and its financial benefits are enough to make the royal family of the Star Luo Empire envious.

Unlike the ' Vast Sea City ' sea area, which has been developed for hundreds or thousands of years, the sea area of ' Nanhu City ' is like an undeveloped virgin land. Not only are the marine resources richer, but it also has many special products of the South China Sea that are different from those on the West Sea.

The group arrived at Pier 8 and, guided by Zi Yaoshi, boarded a brand-new large ship. The ship was nearly two hundred meters long from bow to stern, its hull painted entirely iron-colored, giving it an incredibly sturdy appearance. According to Zi Yaoshi, the iron-colored hull would minimize the risk of attacks from Sea Soul Beast.

"Master Ling," Zi Yaoshi said as he led the way, introducing the "Lingyun" to Ling Yi and the others, "The outer layer of the ' Lingyun ' is covered with a new type of alloy, which is not only as strong as an ironclad warship, but also very lightweight. Its basic speed far exceeds that of large sailing ships of the same size. In addition, with the various Soul Guidance Array inscribed on it, I dare say that even if we were to face a ten-thousand-year-old Sea Soul Beast, we could escape unscathed..."

Upon boarding the spacious deck of the "Lingyun," over a hundred robust sailors dressed in fish-skin slings and short jackets stood in formation awaiting inspection.

A small portion of these people came from the Viper Pirate Crew in Vast Sea City, who were Zi Yaoshi's former subordinates. They all had relatively clean records. The rest were recruited in Vast Sea City and locals from Nanhu City. Together, they formed the Viper Corps, a maritime Guard Team belonging to the Green Wood Merchant Association.

After a brief introduction to the first mate, second mate, boatswain, and other crew members, everyone returned to their posts and performed their duties.

"Raise anchor, set sail!"

At Zi Yaoshi's command, the enormous vessel docked at the pier slowly began to move, heading towards the sea.

At the bow of the ship, Ling Yi stood against the wind, while Chen Xin, Gu Rong, Dugu Bo behind him gazed at the boundless sea ahead.

This voyage is headed for the "Star Moon Archipelago," and the target is the 80,000-year-old Sea Soul Beast, the "Space-Escaping Whale," which is about to appear there.

"Old Bones, the entire Lingyun City went to great lengths for you this time," Chen Xin said, a strand of black hair fluttering at his temple. He turned to look at Gu Rong beside him, raising an eyebrow as he asked, "So? Were you moved?"

Gu Rong, Martial Soul Bone Dragon, Level 90, Eight-Ring Soul Douluo!

"What? Are you envious?" Although Gu Rong was excited, he didn't indulge Chen Xin and glanced at him sideways. "I heard that when Uncle Jun was hunting for your Ninth Soul Ring, you not only held me back but also suffered a lot?"

"Tsk!" Chen Xin was reminded of the unpleasant memories from the Lost Track Grand Canyon, pursed his lips, and said nothing more.

Dugu Bo watched Chen Xin and Gu Rong, who were locked in a fierce argument, with an expression of someone who loved watching a good show. However, after the two of them exchanged a few words, they backed down, which left him feeling rather bored.

Shaking his head, Dugu Bo seemed to remember something and asked Ling Yi, "Ah Yi, this time the target has spatial attributes and such a high cultivation level. What are the chances of success?"

Hearing the voice, Ling Yi turned around, looked at Dugu Bo, and also glanced at Gu Rong and Chen Xin, who were both staring at him. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Fifty percent."

"Fifty percent?!" Dugu Bo looked surprised; he really hadn't expected such a success rate.

Chen Xin, standing nearby, was equally surprised and spoke up before Gu Rong could, asking, "Wait, Ah Yi, isn't 50% a bit low?"

Despite his usual bickering with Gu Rong, he didn't want to return empty-handed.

Gu Rong, on the other hand, remained remarkably calm, quietly awaiting Ling Yi's next words.

Ling Yi shrugged at Chen Xin and said with a smile, "There's nothing we can do. Whether the ' Space-Escaping Whale ' will appear on the ' Star Moon Archipelago ' on time is anyone's guess."

"After all, it doesn't appear every time in previous years."

"If it doesn't show up this time, no matter how meticulous our preparations are, we'll have no way to use our strength."

"What if it shows itself?" Gu Rong asked subconsciously.

Ling Yi shrugged and replied, "If we show ourselves, the probability of successfully capturing them is about 98%."

"Hey! So that's what it is, 50%?" Chen Xin shook his head indifferently upon hearing this.

Behind us, the lookout tower.

Zi Yaoshi glanced at the four big shots standing at the bow of the ship, then turned to Mo Yuxiong beside him and asked in a low voice, "Old Mo, didn't Master Ling invite His Seven Kill Douluo this time?"

Upon hearing this, Mo Yuxiong looked at Zi Yaoshi. After a moment's thought, he understood the underlying meaning of the other party's words. After a brief moment of contemplation, he said, "Don't worry, since the city lord has made this arrangement, he must have his reasons."

"Alright then~"

Now that things have come to this, what else can Zi Yaoshi say but believe?

The first day of the voyage at sea was uneventful, with sunrise and sunset.

On the third day of their sea voyage, they passed through the first gathering area of thousand-year-old Sea Soul Beast. Zi Yaoshi led the "Viper Corps" to repel the Sea Soul Beast that came to harass them.

On the fifth day of the sea voyage, they passed through the second gathering area of millennium-level Sea Soul Beast... Day seven... Day nine...

On the twelfth day, on the lookout tower of the "Lingyun", a discontinuous coastline appeared in the view of the lookout Mi Man.

We've arrived at the "Star Moon Archipelago".

In the captain's cabin, Ling Yi and the others gathered after receiving the news.

"Ah Yi, what's the next step?" Chen Xin glanced at Gu Rong beside her and asked Ling Yi.

"Don't rush~" Ling Yi gave Chen Xin a reassuring look, then looked at Zi Yaoshi beside him and asked, "Commander Zi, when you came here to scout before, did you pay attention to the distribution of islands here?"

"Based on your estimation, in which direction is the ' Space-Escaping Whale ' more likely to appear?"

In response to Ling Yi's question, Zi Yaoshi took out a hand-drawn sea map from his Storage Soul Tool, unfolded it, and showed it to Ling Yi and the others, saying, "Master Ling, this shows the distribution of the islands of the ' Star Moon Archipelago.' Please see, we are currently at this location..."

"If the records passed down in ' Nanhu City ' are accurate, that ' Space-Escaping Whale ' should have come from the southeast, directly opposite our current northwest corner. And the largest concentration of the ' Starlight Clam ' that attract the ' Space-Escaping Whale ' in the ' Star Moon Archipelago Islands' is located next to Star Moon Lake Island in the very center."

"I suggest we dock the ' Lingyun ' at the small island near the northwest corner, then row a small boat to Star Moon Lake Island and wait for the ' Space-Escaping Whale ' to arrive."

"In about ten days, it will be the annual full moon tide day. This year is also the ' Light of the Stars and Moon ' outbreak period, which only happens once every thirty years. At that time, all the ' Starlight Clam ' in the ' Star Moon Archipelago ' will attract the star Light of the Stars and Moon. According to past practice, the ' Space-Escaping Whale ' will stay here for at least two or three days, and possibly as long as eight or ten days..."

"There are still about ten days left~" Ling Yi noticed the time and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

After a moment's thought, Ling Yi raised his head, looked around at the crowd waiting for his decision, and said, "Then let's follow Commander Zi's suggestion and row a small boat to Star Moon Lake Island. Then we'll carefully survey the surrounding environment and make detailed arrangements afterward."

"Mo Yuan, the reconnaissance mission is assigned to you and Yun Lan. Dive into the sea and investigate the distribution of those ' Starlight Clam.' Captain Zi, please select some skilled swimmers to assist you..."