The clones all gathered on the foredeck, craning their necks to look ahead.
In this godforsaken place Abyss, encountering other living beings is truly a delightful surprise.
"The Ultimate Evolution Plus Version of the Incinerator."
"Is it possible that thing is called Furnace?"
"Is there a difference?"
"One works in steelmaking, the other in human refining; do you think there's a difference?"
"It's not that big."
"What a cool furnace! I really want to go inside and take a look."
"..."
The clones stared longingly at the giant Furnace, drooling.
I've suddenly become interested in cremation again.
The Captain muttered, "That's really strange."
I've seen people riding birds, flying spaceships, and riding airships in the Abyss, but this is the first time I've ever seen someone drive Furnace out.
The other party also noticed the Flying Circus Man and immediately stopped in place.
The muscular men around the forging platform stopped what they were doing and gathered on the front walkway, gazing at their clones from afar.
The Captain said to the sailors beside him, "Use flags to tell them we're just passing through and mean no harm."
Upon hearing this, the sailor immediately grabbed two small flags and began waving them.
The surrounding clones exclaimed in surprise, "You can use semaphores?"
The sailor waving the flag stopped. "No way, he's just waving randomly. We're not even from the same world, how would we know each other's flag signals?"
"Then what are you waving your feathers for?"
The flag bearer's clone chuckled, "Doesn't this make us look more professional?"
The other party indeed did not understand the Flying Circus Man's flag signals.
A few muscular men were whispering among themselves, seemingly discussing something.
The Captain said in a deep voice, "Gunners, get ready. I'll give the order and blast them to smithereens!"
If you suddenly encounter a different race in the Abyss, you can't gamble on their good intentions; you must be prepared for both possibilities.
Upon hearing this, the clones on the gun deck immediately began loading cannonballs into the breech.
The helmsman in the wheelhouse was also ready to turn the ship sideways at any time, facing the enemy.
The muscular man with the net was still trying to "catch the wind," and every time the net was put into the furnace, the fire inside burned a little hotter.
Just as the Captain was hesitating whether to fire a preemptive shot, a muscular man on the Furnace walkway waved to them.
Immediately afterwards, several muscular men appeared out of thin air and stopped about fifty meters away from the Flying Circus Man.
The Captain looked at the several large figures in the sky and said in a deep voice, " The Flying Circus Man Captain, from the Sea of Glaze."
The muscular leader was a Level Seven Martial Artist, carrying a huge iron hammer on his shoulder, and he also spoke in Spirit Language:
" Zhu Shi originates from the Molten Steel Civilization."
The Captain glanced at the giant Furnace behind the Zhu Shi and said, "Ahead lies our territory of the Sea of Glaze. To avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings, you'd better take a detour."
The Dark Forest Theory also applies to the Abyss.
When a weaker civilization's world entrance is discovered by a stronger civilization, there are only two possible outcomes for the weaker civilization.
Either be enslaved or be destroyed.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Shi quickly replied, "We meant no harm; we were merely traveling through the Abyss and happened to pass by."
The Captain nodded slightly. "That would be best."
Zhu Shi asked, "If it's possible, could we trade with you?"
"Our supplies are running low, and we still have a long journey ahead."
The sailors on deck whispered among themselves, "So, were they deliberately spawning merchant NPCs for us?"
"Does it feel like a side quest has been triggered?"
"It's a pity we can't see the question mark above his head."
"Boring, when can we fast forward to the point where there's a river of blood?"
"..."
Since the clones didn't communicate using Spirit Language, Zhu Shi couldn't understand what they were saying at all.
He just felt that the way these people looked at him was strange—curious, excited, and with a hint of longing?
Zhu Shi frowned, thinking to himself, "What a strange race."
The sailors on the ship all wore animal masks, Zhu Shi to be a part of their civilized tradition.
The Captain asked, "How do you want to trade?"
Seeing that there was hope, Zhu Shi immediately said, "We need food and ore, especially the latter, the more the better."
"We have forged quite a bit of equipment along the way, which we can exchange for at an equivalent value with you."
"Of course, if we don't have the equipment you want, we can customize it, but you'll have to provide the rare materials."
The Captain asked curiously, "Are you very skilled at forging?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Shi puffed out his chest and said smugly, "As long as you can provide the forging materials, we can forge anything you want."
The muscular men around them raised their arms, showing off their well-developed biceps.
The Captain asked, "Where are you going?"
Zhu Shi replied in a muffled voice, "No comment."
"If you're going to trade, please provide a list of the equipment you need."
"If you refuse the deal, we'll take a detour and leave now."
The Captain raised an eyebrow; these muscular men were quite cautious and rejected his attempts to get information out of them.
How so?
The Captain asked Qin Ze on the Local Area Network.
Qin Ze replied, "I agree to the deal. Take them to the Outpost City and let the Queen prepare."
The Captain nodded slightly, then said to Cast Zhu Shi, "Follow us."
The joy on Zhu Shi's face flashed for a moment, and he returned to the Furnace with a few of his men.
The Captain called to the sailors, "Return to port."
"Watch out for the tails behind us."
Zhu Shi returned to the Furnace and went straight into a room next to the furnace.
The room was right next to the Furnace Fire, so the temperature was extremely high; even the walls were a bright red.
However, Zhu Shi remained completely unaffected, showing no change in expression or alarm.
"They agreed to the deal."
Zhu Shi reported to a larger, more muscular man in the room.
The muscular man asked, "How strong are they?"
Zhu Shi replied, "Only the Captain at the head of the ship poses a slight threat; the others are nothing to worry about."
The muscular man pondered for a moment, "A civilization capable of navigating the Abyss must possess some depth and resources; we must not act rashly."
Zhu Shi nodded. "We'll leave after the transaction, as long as we don't cause any trouble."
The muscular man said, "Let's fill up the ore warehouses while we have this deal."
"It's not easy to encounter the civilized world."
"If we miss this opportunity, who knows when we'll get another chance?"
After a moment's Zhu Shi, Zhu Shi cautiously asked, "Brother, can we still go home?"
The muscular man sighed softly, "We'll definitely be able to get back."
" The Molten Steel Civilization..."
Qin Ze hadn't expected to encounter an alien Exploration Team; this could be considered a diplomatic incident within the Sea of Glaze.
This Exploration Team from the Molten Steel Civilization is very powerful and numerous.
There were about a hundred people on the outer pier alone, and many houses had been set up along the pier, and there were probably many more inside.
The Zhu Shi who spoke with the Captain was Level Seven, so there must be other Advanced Martial Artist in the Furnace.
If it weren't for the Circus, this single Exploration Team would have been enough to sweep through the entire Sea of Glaze.
Qin Ze muttered to himself, "It's best to trade honestly, otherwise I wouldn't mind buying a new crematorium."