Now Da Fei finally snapped back to reality. Anlicia was by no means an ordinary Vice Hero. She had a strong will, was playful and rebellious, and the only reason she followed Da Fei was because of her grandmotherās will. She came without taking on any mercenary tasks and showed up on her own initiative. Whatās more, she didnāt have a Loyalty attribute from the start, which meant it wouldnāt be a surprise if she ran off without a word one day. Da Fei had always treated her with the utmost care and respect!
Now Auntie has taken the ship out for a joyride. What to do? What else can be done but to hope she enjoys herself, comes back to her senses soon, and, most importantly, doesnāt get into any trouble! Holy crap, what about all the Fishmen Iāve just recruited?!
In a state of sheer panic, Da Fei blurted out: "Pass a message to Little Wei for me, tell him to keep his mouth sweet and agreeable, keep her happy non-stop, gently persuade her, and go along with whatever makes her happy!"
Da Bing responded promptly: "Roger that!"
Then it dawned on Da Fei that Little Wei was a typically silent type, hardly the person youād expect to be cajoling others!
So Da Fei immediately said: "Better yet, tell Little Wei to turn on the gameās sound effects. If anything comes up, everyone can think of a solution together!"
Da Bing immediately replied: "Roger that!"
Now Da Feiās mood for playing the instance was gone, but whatās the use of getting worked up when sheās taken off with the ship?
Goddammit, such a headache! Such a nuisance! Why on earth didnāt I see this coming and let her be the Captain? Itās pure chaos now! At this moment, a myriad of thoughts raced through Da Feiās mind, and he was so frustrated that he wished he could pull down her pants and give her a good spanking, but he couldnāt, she was Auntie after all!
No, no! Stay calm. I need to maintain the image of a wise and invincible guild president. Even if the sky were falling down, Iāve got to hold steady! Besides, itās not all bad news. At least we learned that Fishmen can be used for salvage operations, right? Thatās the worldās most badass deep-sea diver there. This could be a huge breakthroughāof course, provided that there are no accidents!
Just the thought of something going wrong made Da Feiās heart wrench again.
Meanwhile, Da Wei, having received Brother Feiās instructions, hurriedly went to apologize, but before he could get close, Anlicia shouted angrily: "Who gave you permission to come down? Such audacity for a lookout to abandon his post!"
Hastily, Da Wei replied: "Captain, Iām sorry, Iām really sorry, it was my fault just now! Please, you must forgive me!"
Anlicia angrily pointed at the sea: "Youāre still making mistakes now! If you donāt want to be up there, Iāll throw you into the sea!"
Da Wei quickly responded: "Yes, yes, I will immediately return to my post. Whatever the Captain says, goes!"
Led by the gurgling sound, the Octopus sailed out of Fog Reef Bay.
Anlicia curiously asked: "Could it be that the treasure is not near the wreck?"
Gurgle Gurgle replied: "Master, there was no shipwreck there originally. It took many years for the currents to carry a shipwreck from elsewhere to that spot. The shiny stuff is further ahead."
Suddenly it all clicked for Anlicia: "I see, itās unlikely that any captain would be so blind as to crash directly into a pile of rocks and sink."
Da Wei quickly echoed from the Observatory: "Exactly, the current shipwreck is just an empty shell. The real treasure must be still at the bottom of the sea where the shipwreck initially happened."
Anlicia glanced sideways: "Shut up! Focus on your lookout duty!"
Da Wei could only respectfully reply: "Yes, yes."
Finally, Gurgle Gurgle stopped and pointed underwater: "Master, come look, the shiny stuff!"
Anlicia excitedly climbed up to the gunwale to look down and indeed saw a faint glow emanating from the deep waters, and she joyfully exclaimed: "Quick, get it up here!"
Gurgle Gurgle promptly replied: "Yes, Master!" and dived into the water, disappearing in an instant.
Anlicia burst into triumphant laughter: "If you can see the glow from this deep, it must be an extremely remarkable treasure!" In high spirits, Anlicia pointed at the Observatory: "You there, do you know how deep this water is?"
Da Wei immediately took out the Sea Chart: "Reporting to the Captain, we are in the Andria Sea, with an average depth of 300 meters!"
Anlicia became solemn all at once: "300 meters, a depth even the most advanced divers find challenging to reach!" She then burst into laughter again: "But for Fishmen, 300 meters is practically their backyard. Just imagine how high-end a treasure that emits light from several hundred meters deep must be, hahaha! Tell me, whatās wrong with me salvaging treasure?"
Da Wei promptly said: "The Captain is wise and invincible! Itās my short-sightedness thatās to blame!"
Anlicia was greatly pleased: "This is the difference between our knowledge, decision-making, and courage. This is why I can be the Captain, and you can only be a lookout. There is much for you to learn!"
For a time, silence fell over Da Weiās entire dormitory. In any case, report the progress to Brother Fei at all times.
Upon learning about the treasure discovery, Da Fei also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although Anliciaās recklessness was somewhat embarrassing, at least there was a major discovery, which somewhat redeemed some face for Brother Fei. But would there be treasures without a guardian monster?
Da Fei hurriedly instructed: "If you find a monster guarding the treasure, immediately persuade her to give up!"
"Received!"
Da Fei sighed secretly, wondering if she could be persuaded at all. He didnāt even have confidence he could persuade her! In any case, letās hope thereās no guardian, because after all, treasures are meant for players. If itās already at the extreme depth of 300 meters, the possibility of recovery is slim. If thereās a Sea Monster too, how are the players supposed to play? Recruiting a Fishman BOSS? Thatās even less reliable than salvaging, not every player can be as badass as Brother Fei.
Just as everyone was waiting excitedly and patiently for the Fishmanās harvest, there was a splash, and it was Gulu gulu, empty-handed and panicking, bursting out of the water: "Master, thereās a big Electric Eel! Gulu gulu dares not approach!"
A big Electric Eel!
Anlicia was suddenly shocked: "What should we do?"
Under the shock, Da Wei immediately roared at Da Bing: "Tell Brother Fei, thereās a big Electric Eel by the treasure!"
Da Bing also immediately said: "There really is a Sea Monster guarding it, Brother Fei instructed, persuade her to give up!"
Da Wei then immediately advised: "Captain, itās too dangerous, even Gulu canāt defeat it, we stand even less of a chance! Give up, everyone is waiting at the shipwreck!"
Anliciaās face darkened: "Then let everyone continue to wait. Even with a Fishman, such a suitable diver and thereās no solution, what can we achieve later? You must think of a way!"
Da Wei was dumbfounded and had Da Bing pass the message to Brother Fei again. Da Fei felt as if his heart just shattered! Dammit! Anlicia, for the sake of Heaven Granny, canāt you stop being naughty and capricious! Donāt toy with the newly recruited Fishman! What to do? What should I do?
For a while, Da Fei fell into an intensely vexing contemplation! To speak of salvaging, Da Fei only had two experiences near the North Sea. One was to salvage a shipwreck occupied by the Octopus, which was unsuccessful because it couldnāt deal with the octopus. The other was to recover Dragon Bones, successfully luring and killing the Leviathan.
Both of these salvage efforts had one thing in common ā they lured away guarding monsters! Perhaps, thereās only one solution.
Da Fei then said: "Tell Little Wei to see if he can figure out a way to lure away the big Electric Eel!"
So, once again informed by Da Fei, Da Wei told Anlicia: "Captain, perhaps, we should think of a way to lure away this big Electric Eel, and then take the opportunity to retrieve the treasure!"
Anlicia snorted coldly: "Perhaps itās a solution!" Then she said to Gulu gulu: "Do you have a way to lure away that Electric Eel? Then let your tribesmen take out the treasure?"
Gulu gulu shuddered all over, timidly saying: "Master! Gulu scared! Gulu canāt outrun the big Electric Eel!"
Da Wei seized the opportunity to persuade retreat: "Captain, the Fishman tribe is very important to the guild, letās go back."
Anlicia sneered: "Whether the Fishman tribe is important or not, this is the moment to prove it. Since he canāt lure away the big Electric Eel, then we will do itāboy, what skills do you have?"
Da Wei listed his skills: "Master-level Ranger, Master Level Archery, Master-level Logistics, Master-level Reconnaissance Skill, Master-level Defense Skill, Master Leadership Skill, Advanced Logisticsā"
Anlicia interrupted impatiently: "Display your skills publicly!"
Da Wei nodded, selecting the panel to show his skills, and Da Weiās skill frame appeared overhead.
"Good, you know Master-level Reconnaissance Skill and stealth, not entirely useless!" Just then, Anlicia saw Da Wei had a strange "Basic Life Sacrifice" skill and then asked: "Whatās this? Is it that skill you used in combat just now? Where did you come from?"
Da Wei answered: "Itās a hidden skill I accidentally obtained after killing a Dogman Shaman."
Anlicia responded with an "oh" and said calmly: "I have a way for you to get an opportunity to study at the Elf Kingdom High-level Magic Academy. Would you like to go?"
Da Wei was taken aback, then nodded: "Willing! Of course, Iām willing!"
Anlicia said firmly: "Then follow my command, put all your effort into recovering this treasure, and you are not allowed to say no!"
(To be continued. If you like this work, we invite you to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)