Once everyone had settled on their final sailing route, the ship adjusted its course and headed steadily toward the depths of the Amazon Rainforest in South America.
Long ocean voyages were the most grueling of all.
Day after day, the sea was the same endless blue, the wind howling over the same scenery. The dull, monotonous hours at sea gradually left everyone listless.
Aside from taking turns on watch and organizing supplies each day, they had almost nothing to entertain themselves with, making the long voyage especially hard to endure.
To pass the tedious hours at sea, Li Xiang simply invented playing cards.
The rules were easy to understand, and the atmosphere aboard the entire ship came alive. Cards became everyone's favorite pastime.
Before long, a small circle had gathered in an open space on deck.
Ukyo, Nikki, and Kinro sat together, engrossed in a game of Dou Dizhu.
Ryusui had been concentrating on their course, but when he caught sight of their lively game out of the corner of his eye, he began itching to join in.
Like a clingy oversized dog, he bounded eagerly toward Li Xiang, grumbling, "I want to play too! Count me in!"
Li Xiang raised a hand to gently fend him off. "All right, focus on steering the ship. Once we reach our destination, I'll play with you, okay?"
Ryusui withdrew reluctantly and nodded, looking utterly forlorn.
The ordinary playing cards soon drew the attention of the two smartest people aboard.
With nothing else to do, Senku and Xeno came over as well. But an ordinary card game was far too simple for two brilliant geniuses to pose any challenge.
So Li Xiang upgraded the game on the spot, making a custom deck of Chemistry Element Playing Cards.
The entire deck revolved around chemical