Chapter 247 - 231: There Really Is a Specialty Product
Chapter 247 -231: There Really Is a Specialty Product
When Da Fei, who had been sleeping with his helmet on, was awakened by a knocking sound in his earphones, two days had already passed in the game.
The knocker was Spielberg: “Captain, my ship has been repaired, and the General is ready too. Shall we set sail?”
Da Fei stretched lazily: “Of course.” A good 4+ hours of shut-eye had made him feel much better.
At the docks of Fire Dragon Island, there was a bustle of activity as Bato and a group of officers were directing operations. Teams of dwarves were transporting barrel-shaped objects to several flatbed cargo ships – those were floatation tanks specifically designed for salvaging sunken ships. Salvaging sunken ships was a sub-skill of Master-level Navigation Skill and a rather popular means of earning money among players embarking on maritime adventures during the open beta.
The principle of floatation tank salvaging is simple: first, send divers down to tie one end of a rope around the sunken ship, and the other end to the floatation tanks. Of course, the floatation tanks are forcibly submerged below the water surface by the people above. Thus, the submerged floatation tanks exert a certain pulling force on the sunken ship. Of course, the pulling force of a single floatation tank is negligible, which is why many tanks are needed for salvaging a ship. These tanks, linked together like a string of grapes, lift the entire sunken vessel. Then, with the aid of winches equipped on the salvage vessels, the lifting operation is carried out.
The key to salvaging lies in sending divers to tie down the sunken ships. Too deep, and a ship can’t be salvaged; if sea monsters have made it their home, it can’t be salvaged either.
Seeing Da Fei’s arrival, Bato laughed heartily: “Lieutenant, we’ve been waiting for you. Let’s set off!”
Da Fei murmured an acknowledgment and looked towards the bay where the fleet was already waiting outside the harbor. However, the Radiant Wings was still docked in the bay. Da Fei asked in surprise: “Isn’t my Radiant Wings repaired yet?”
Bato shook his head and sighed: “That ship can’t be fixed in a short time, especially since the mainmast is broken. It’s not something that can be fixed with glue, and we don’t have a replacement mast here either. So, anyway, we’ll find a way. For now, Lieutenant, please board my Flame Lord.”
Spielberg also said, “Captain, with so many warships from the General to help, my single ship can handle the situation too.”
Is it really because it’s a backwater place that they can’t repair big ships? What would they do if their giant warships were smashed to pieces? Da Fei heaved a silent sigh, then resigned himself: “Alright, let’s set off!”
Bato gave the signal: “Set sail!”
Instantly, horns sounded in unison and the alarm bells rang. Amidst the cheers and watchful eyes of the townsfolk, the salvage fleet left the harbor.
Watching Bato, who was waving to the crowds on shore with great flourish, Da Fei truly felt a surge of emotion. In the Alliance Kingdom, where would a mere major have the privilege to show such pomp? Or be loosely addressed as “General”? This is the advantage of being far from the emperor’s reach on a remote island.
Just then, Bato’s tone grew solemn: “Lieutenant, maybe you were right; we might have really discovered a special product in the place you mentioned.”
Da Fei was taken aback: “Special product? The crevice in the mine?”
Bato spoke seriously: “After two days of digging, we discovered a passage filled with mushroom spores. The thick spore pollen permeates the air, causing incessant coughing as soon as someone enters, so I immediately sealed off the entrance.”
Only then did Da Fei have an epiphany: “No wonder my bees were flying there!”
Where does that passage lead? Da Fei certainly wouldn’t ask. Even with the least bit of thought, one could tell it wasn’t somewhere good. But it was surprising that this General was meticulous and had taken his report seriously enough to investigate thoroughly. He really did live up to his title of General.
Bato chuckled, “So I have a suggestion, Lieutenant. How about selling your bees to us at a high price? That way, we can not only add a honey specialty to our products but also use the bee swarm to consume the spore pollen in the passage, reducing the pollen concentration and allowing us to further explore the passage.”
Anlicia immediately refused: “No! These bees are mine; they were a birthday gift from my grandmother, and I will not sell them.”
Da Fei shook his head with a wry smile: “General, I’m sorry! Her bees are extraordinarily special, so the General might as well have someone bring them over from the Kingdom.” What’s more important is that I don’t want to get involved in this mess, nor do I want to get in deeper–wait a second? High price? What kind of high price are we talking about?
Bato sighed: “Even if we ask someone else, it would not be until this time next year that they could arrive, wasting an entire year just waiting, and our current situation can’t afford to waste any more time!”
As he said this, Bato’s voice suddenly rose: “How about this, miss? If you won’t sell them, could you consider a loan? We’ll return them to you after a year!”
Anlicia chuckled, “You want to borrow a queen bee from me, and after a year, when you have established a beekeeping farm with this queen bee, you would then return that same queen to me. What a profitable business proposal indeed?”
Bato hurriedly said: “Should I also return the beekeeping farm to you then? The farm is the fruit of our labor–how about this: we each take half, you would get a 50% stake in the beekeeping farm, would that be okay?”
Da Fei’s eyebrows jumped, “Damn! A 50% stake in the specialty product! The General is indeed very generous! But clearly, he’s trying to get me involved to help him fend off the Underground Spider Demons in order to protect that generous 50% stake. Isn’t this a trap? I refuse to be fooled!”
Anlicia also immediately shook her head, “These bees are not only meaningful to me but their breed is also exceptional. You cannot find a second one throughout the entire Hero Continent. I would not risk cultivating such precious bees in such a dangerous place.”
Yeah, not bad at all, this kid really understands the risks of investment. This passage will indeed be a battleground for the Demon Race to attack in the future. Opening a bee farm there is simply asking for trouble, isn’t it?
Bato gave a sigh and shook his head: “Miss, your bee has been poisoned by that spore spider, and its life will not be long now. Only the pollen from the Spore Forest can possibly provide antibodies against the poison. As a Ranger Elf, you should know more about this than I do and should know the best course of action.”
Anlicia’s complexion changed: “Does that mean I must keep bees there?”
Da Fei’s eyelids twitched, “Damn! The General even has this kind of move up his sleeve! What he’s saying does seem plausible, doesn’t it?”
Bato chuckled, “Of course it’s not a must for the miss, but for me, it truly is.”
Anlicia said urgently, “Then what are we waiting for! Let’s hurry and set up the bee farm, let’s get ashore–hey, hey, why didn’t you say something so important on land, why wait until we’re out at sea?”
Bato chuckled, “Even if we’re going to set up a farm, we need to survey the surrounding terrain first, right? In any case, I’ve already sent people to start preparing with due haste. I believe by the time we return from this sea trip, we’ll be able to set it up.”
Anlicia said, “Oh, I see!”
Da Fei couldn’t help but express his respect: “The General really handles things with thorough planning and clear structure!”
Bato laughed heartily, “Mainly because time is really of the essence here. Actually, we consider the underground passage much more important than salvaging sunken ships, but salvaging has only the one opportunity when the ice thaws each year; it’s an opportunity we truly cannot afford to miss.”
Da Fei chuckled, “I see, let’s hope that we won’t disappoint the General this time.” (To be continued. If you like this work, please cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets at Qidian (novelbuddy.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.novelbuddy.com to read.)