[Symptom Reading (Beginner) (Progress: 1%): Grimoires exist in all times and places at once, and Symptom Reading is the only path to Secret Arts.] [Warning: Your Mental Health is deteriorating rapidly!] [Current Mental Health: Serenity]
Xia Lun glanced at the Information Panel in surprise.
Had a windfall really dropped into his lap?!
He looked up at the Doctor in disbelief. The Doctor, meanwhile, seemed to have slipped back into a stupor.
The Doctor's mouth hung slightly open, and orange juice mixed with thick drool trickled onto the floor.
"Heh heh heh..."
In the end, Xia Lun decided not to use the Symptom Reading the Doctor had taught him. He couldn't afford to trust someone he doubted.
Although the Game Panel had identified Symptom Reading as a Specialization and confirmed it was the only way to read a Grimoire, Xia Lun would have to kill the monster sooner or later. He therefore made no attempt to read the surviving fragment of the Prayerbook of the Drowned first.
For the rest of the second day, Xia Lun diligently carried out his assigned duties.
Under their rotation, Captain Geliide would rest that night, while Xia Lun took the helm and set their course.
Xia Lun hadn't known how to sail a ship before, but the lessons he'd learned in his dream the previous night had given him the basics.
[Comprehensive Navigation (Beginner) (Progress: 46%): You know how to determine a ship's position and heading correctly, and you can sail one. In any era, this is a difficult and specialized craft.]
Through hundreds of repetitions, drills, and corrections in his dream, Xia Lun had become comfortable handling a ship. His skills far surpassed those of an ordinary navigator.
During the first half of the night, he never let his attention waver. He kept checking their position, heading, and wind direction, piloting the battered whaling ship with complete focus.
Under his hand, the long-suffering ship made steady progress toward Perilous Earth Island.
At first, the other pirates on night watch had their doubts about Xia Lun's sailing skills. By the second half of the night, though, all dozen or so of them had come to accept his ability.
At the very least, he sailed steadily and hadn't run them onto a reef...
With his experience of dealing with people, Xia Lun knew he had risen to power through intimidation and scheming. That meant his standing among the pirates was shaky. Without their support, he would have few ways to keep control if the fragile balance broke down.
So as he sailed through the second half of the night, he also struck up casual conversations with the other pirates on watch, trying to win them over.
His position, his gift for persuasion, and the old boatswain's help let him ease the tense, stifling mood in just half a night. With the conversation flowing, he earned the pirates' initial acceptance.
The monster seemed to grow more active in the second half of the night. Every so often, the sound of flesh squirming came from within the ship. Xia Lun's courage and fighting ability gave the pirates enough reassurance for their acceptance to turn into a sense of solidarity and reliance on him.
All in all, the second night went smoothly. Xia Lun's only disappointment was that the pirates on watch didn't seem to appreciate his particular sense of humor either.
They laughed at every joke he told afterward, but he knew they were only forcing it to be polite...
Even more absurdly, the monster didn't seem to appreciate his humor. In the second half of the night, Xia Lun racked his brains and reached his fifth joke before the monster finally ran out of patience.
"Stop it! That's not funny at all! What a terrible joke!" The monster hammered on the deck. "Sail the ship properly!"
The monster's shrill cry cut through the lively mood like a cold scythe, tearing it apart the instant it sounded.
Xia Lun noticed every pirate on deck stiffen at the sound. They had resolved to fight the monster, but their bodies still recoiled from the horrifying thing.
After a while, a pirate whose face was covered in boils and fleshy bumps suddenly asked, "Mr. Xia Lun, what did the monster just say?"
Xia Lun held it in for a long moment before replying coldly, "It told me to stop telling jokes and sail the ship properly."
A brief silence followed his explanation. Then the crowd burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha!" Even the gloomy old man, who rarely cracked a smile, laughed. Xia Lun fell completely silent.
With nothing else to do, he turned to study the pockmarked pirate who had spoken.
The man had been a sailor on the whaling ship. His current job was to guard the cargo hatch and keep the monster from secretly climbing up. Right now, he held a stack of white sheets marked with large ticks and crosses.
"What are you doing with all that paper?" Xia Lun asked curiously.
"A new way to pass the time." The pockmarked sailor waved the sheets, looking unconcerned. "There are no cards left on deck, so we've been using these to hold mock votes. The side with the most votes wins a few Copper Deer. Want to play a round?"
Xia Lun smiled. "No, I'd better focus on sailing."
By the time the sun rose again, Captain Geliide had finished resting and came to take over from Xia Lun.
"Honestly, I was a little afraid you'd capsize us, but by the Undying Sacred Flame, you're pretty good at this." Geliide took a satisfying drag on her first cigarette of the day. "Hey, where are we now?"
Xia Lun walked over to the table beside the helm and pointed at the Sea Chart. "Here. We're three days' sail from Perilous Earth Island."
"Go get some rest. I'll call you at noon." Captain Geliide nodded. "As for today's corpse..."
"We'll do what we agreed yesterday. Feed it one that isn't fresh. I picked one out last night. It's over there."
At that, Xia Lun glanced at the Information Panel in the corner of his vision.
[Scenario Objective: Survival Day 3/6] [Specialization progress!] [After extensive training, you have gained new insight into sailing.] [Comprehensive Navigation (Beginner) (Progress: 46% → 60%)] [Recognition! You have earned widespread recognition (10 people) and gained 580 Memory Points!] [Full list of those who recognize you omitted: Expand to view] [Current Memory Points: 600]
Xia Lun blinked his dry eyes.
580 Memory Points?!
That was nearly 60 Memory Points per person who recognized me? Killing only seemed to give 30.
He shook his head, banishing the absurd idea of winning someone's approval before killing them to maximize his gains, then read on.
[Due to insufficient rest, your skill Heightened Focus has not yet recovered.] [Heightened Focus, safe uses remaining: 2/3]
Rest was vital. If the monster decided to abandon all pretense, a mistake caused by exhaustion could easily be fatal.
Xia Lun closed his eyes and took a deep breath. All at once, the fatigue from staying up all night washed over him.
He shook his head and slowly made his way back to the makeshift sleeping area on the Poop Deck, intending to catch a short, undisturbed nap that morning.
In less than six hours, he would have to match wits with the monster again.
With that thought, he lay down in a hammock and tried to sleep, but he couldn't. To help himself drift off, he opened the [Full list of those who recognize you]. As he read, he fell asleep.
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