After swimming onward with Luo De for nearly another half hour, Zhang Yao finally received the notification that the quest was complete.
"E-rank quest completed: Luo De's Request." "Quest rewards: 200 experience points, 50 gold coins." Character stats: Zhang Yao: Level 7, 1100/6000. Attributes: Strength 17 (+1), Agility 17, Constitution 21 (+1), Mental Power 18. HP (red bar): 290 (HP = Constitution × 10; increases by 10 with each level gained) True energy (blue bar): 85 (does not increase with level gains) Skills: Fetal Breath Technique (self-developed), Concealment Technique Level 1, Basic Battle Aura (mutated). Items: Gemstone Ring, Sharp Water Ghost Dagger, Sturdy Water Ghost Leather Armor, Gems × 10, Bewitching Siren Boots, Spyglass, Damaged Nautical Chart. Gold coins: 150. Talent: Nine Netherworlds (first layer)
"Luo De, we should have gone about ten kilometers by now, right?" After receiving the quest completion notification, Zhang Yao turned to ask Luo De.
At the same time, Zhang Yao looked around. The quest had told him to escort Luo De to a safe location ten kilometers away. Was this supposed to be that safe location? But they were still out at sea, and this stretch of water looked no different from any they had passed through.
Luo De first grinned at Zhang Yao, then raised his voice and shouted toward the water ahead, "Doreze! Doreze! I'm back! Hurry up and come get me!"
Hearing Luo De's shout, Zhang Yao could not help furrowing his brows slightly.
There's nothing here. Who is Luo De calling? Could his reinforcements be hiding here...
While Zhang Yao was puzzling over it, the space above a patch of sea ahead suddenly rippled and creased. Then, with a pop, it burst like a soap bubble, and a ship appeared before him.
The entire ship was grayish brown, with a dolphin-shaped ram mounted on its bow. Rows of crossbow bolts protruded along both sides, gleaming with a dazzling, cold light beneath the sun. Although this ship was smaller than the two Zhang Yao had seen earlier, its imposing presence did not fall short of theirs in the slightest.
"Hahaha! Luo De, you rascal, you're finally back! I thought that fellow Sea Wolf had eaten you!" A burst of laughter came from the ship.
"You're the one who got eaten! Hurry up and throw down a rope! Zhang Yao and I have been soaking in the water for almost a whole day. We're about to rot!" Luo De yelled up without a trace of politeness. From the way Luo De spoke to this Doreze, Zhang Yao knew they must be very close. Otherwise, they could not have traded laughter and insults so casually.
Whew! Finally, I can get out of this water! After catching a rope thrown down from the ship, Zhang Yao could not help sighing inwardly. Since entering the world of Rodos, he had never once left the water. He had been soaking in it the entire time! To borrow Luo De's words, he was about to rot!
Using the rope, Zhang Yao quickly climbed to the ship's rail. Bracing one hand against it, he nimbly vaulted onto the deck. He turned, grabbed the rope beside him that Luo De was climbing, and hauled him up in a few quick pulls, even though Luo De had only made it halfway.
"Hahaha! Thanks, Brother Zhang Yao! Doreze, take a look at him, then take a look at yourself! You've got no human warmth at all. You didn't even think to give me a hand!" After jumping onto the deck, Luo De patted Zhang Yao's shoulder in thanks, then turned to complain about Doreze's heartlessness.
"Hmph! You paid me to do a job. Ours is a business relationship! How can you drag personal feelings into it? That would go against my merchant's code!" Doreze dismissed Luo De's complaints with a snort, folding his arms.
Only then did Zhang Yao take a closer look at Doreze. He was about fifty, with a short, fat body, dark cheeks, tiny eyes, a drooping mustache, clothes so lavish they bordered on ostentatious, and gemstone rings covering both hands. Seeing him, a term instantly sprang into Zhang Yao's mind: A nouveau riche!
Yet the astonishing way the ship had appeared told Zhang Yao that the man before him was certainly no ordinary nouveau riche.
While Zhang Yao studied Doreze, Doreze was studying him as well. He was young, with short black hair, a pair of rarely seen black eyes, and fair, clean cheeks. He looked nothing like a man of the sea. Instead, he rather resembled a young nobleman from the city.
"Hehe, Luo De, who is this young fellow?" After studying Zhang Yao for a while longer without discovering anything of value, Doreze could not help asking Luo De.
"Here, let me introduce you. This is Zhang Yao, the man who saved my life. If it weren't for him, I probably wouldn't have made it back!" Taking Zhang Yao's hand, Luo De introduced them. "This dark, fat fellow is my good friend Doreze. He specializes in smuggling! I asked him to come pick me up this time."
"Hello, Mr. Doreze! You have a wonderful ship!" Zhang Yao nodded courteously to Doreze, speaking politely without lowering himself.
To be honest, the ship's sudden appearance on the sea had truly startled Zhang Yao. Only afterward had it occurred to him that this must be the power of so-called magic. Yet understanding that did not bring him any relief. Instead, he felt a weight pressing down on him, because he realized just how ignorant he was of the world of Rodos.
At the thought of countless unknown things suddenly appearing before him in the days ahead, Zhang Yao could not help putting himself on the highest alert. He feared that even the slightest carelessness would leave him dead without a place to be buried.
"Hahaha! You're too kind, young Zhang Yao! Just a little trick! A little trick!" Although Doreze spoke modestly, anyone could see the faint smugness on his face.
"That's enough! Zhang Yao, stop praising him! This old rascal loves being complimented about that more than anything. Praise him, and his tail will stick straight up into the sky." Perhaps because Zhang Yao had brought him safely to Doreze's ship, and had also helped him over the rail, Luo De was clearly much warmer toward him now. He no longer bothered with polite forms of address and simply called him by name.
"Hmph! I know you've always been jealous of my Nightglow! Come, young Zhang Yao. Let me give you a tour of her!" Ignoring Luo De's jeering completely, Doreze grabbed Zhang Yao, ready to show him around his ship.
"Enough, Doreze! I know your Nightglow is impressive and magnificent! But now isn't the time to show off. There's big trouble in the waters nearby! So our first priority is to run for our lives!" Luo De stopped Doreze as he was about to drag Zhang Yao off on a tour of the Nightglow.
"What? Are Sea Wolf's men chasing you? No wonder you swam all the way back. So your talks with Sea Wolf fell apart, and you had to flee for your life!" Doreze raised an eyebrow and mocked him without restraint.
"If it were Sea Wolf, things would be easier. At least we could still negotiate. Unfortunately, that big trouble is the navy! And they have a Heaven Tier powerhouse with them!" Luo De looked at Doreze with a bitter smile.
"What? What did you say? The navy has a Heaven Tier powerhouse with them! You bastard, how did you get mixed up with someone that powerful? You bastards, raise the sails and get us moving! Hurry! Faster! Do you want me to throw you into the sea to feed the fish?"
Luo De's words left Doreze stunned. Then, coming to his senses, Doreze flew into a towering rage, pointing at Luo De's nose and cursing him. Afterward, he hurriedly directed the crew to raise the Nightglow's sails and set off.
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