Chapter 301 - 280: Father and Daughter
Back on the surface world, the whole fleet erupted in cheers. With Miracle Island reached, could Elorin be far behind? Victory was within sight!
But there was still one matter to attend to—the remains of Serbia’s father. It was time to give them a proper resting place.
Da Fei took Serbia in a small boat to that tiny reef off the island, where the weathered skeleton still laid.
Serbia shivered, "Are these... my father’s remains?"
Da Fei sighed, "Yes, this is where I found his belongings."
Serbia fell to her knees, clutching her father’s skull, weeping uncontrollably, "Father!"
Da Fei let out a long sigh, "Please accept this as it is, let’s bury father’s remains on the island."
Serbia sobbed, "No! I want to take him back and bury him in our homeland!"
Da Fei was stunned, "That might not be wise. It could disturb that important person, right?"
Serbia, tears streaming down her face, said, "I can’t let my father’s soul wander the Nether Sea!"
Just then, a mist slowly rose from the skeleton—a ghost? Da Fei’s eyes widened in shock! Serbia trembled violently!
—"Is that you, Serbia? My child?" The ghost spoke with a deep, excited voice!
Serbia’s tearful eyes widened in astonishment, "Is it... Father?"
Da Fei suddenly understood! He thought to himself that if these were ordinary bones meant to provide players with treasure, they would have been refreshed by the system once used. The fact that these bones were never refreshed and remained for months indicated there was more to the story!
The ghost spoke quiveringly, "Fate has reunited us! Your presence here means you have learned the truth. But the truth is more despairing than you imagine. Only after dying did I realize the true power of that person, well beyond what we anticipated. You are no match for him now. Go to the New World, to a place I marked on the Sea Chart as the Sea of Brilliance to further hone your skills! Farewell, my child, and thank you for awakening my dormant soul. I will protect you with my last vestige of conviction..."
As he spoke, the ghost turned into sparkling flecks of light, scattering with the wind. At the same moment, a flash of white light enveloped Serbia!
—System Prompt: You have completed the hidden branch of the Epic Quest "Conspirator on the Great Sea Route" titled "Father and Daughter Reunion," earning 3,000,000 Experience, your Vice Hero Serbia gains Knowledge +10, Magic Power +10, Health +100, and Free Skill Points +5.
—System Prompt: You have obtained information about the Sea of Brilliance.
"Father!" Serbia wailed loudly.
Da Fei sighed with emotions, realizing it was a hidden quest to enhance Serbia’s attributes. Quests that add skills to Vice Heroes are indeed rare! Well, this trip turned out to be extremely worthwhile, hahaha! As for the Sea of Brilliance, certainly not a place to go to now. Anyway, the goal was to keep developing in the Old World.
The spirit of the father had dispersed; where the remains were buried held only symbolic meaning now. Ultimately, Serbia heeded the Captain’s advice and buried the remains under the island’s palm trees.
After paying her last respects at the grave, Serbia, with tears dry and determination in her voice, said, "Captain, I want to use the Skill Points my father left me to learn Sailing Skill, to carry on my father’s legacy!"
Can we not mention Sailing Skill anymore? The team’s skills are clearly redundant! However, having reached advanced level and at level 36 with 3 Skill Points saved, plus now an additional 5 Skill Points, Serbia had plenty to spare. Da Fei, internally tormented, took out the Sailing Skill Book and nodded, "Okay! If you wish to learn it, go ahead!"
And so, a shining golden light flickered above Serbia’s head.
—System Prompt: Your Vice Hero Serbia has spent 2 Skill Points to learn Master-level Navigation Skill!
—System Prompt: Your Vice Hero Serbia has spent 1 Skill Point to learn Sailing Skill sub-skill "Measuring Skill"!
—System Prompt: Your Vice Hero Serbia has spent 1 Skill Point to learn Sailing Skill sub-skill "Combat Repair"!
—System Prompt: Your Vice Hero Serbia has spent 1 Skill Point to learn Sailing Skill sub-skill "Towing"!
—System Prompt: Your Vice Hero Serbia has spent 1 Skill Point to learn Sailing Skill sub-skill "Fixed-point Cruising"!
—System Prompt: Your Vice Hero Serbia has spent 1 Skill Point to learn Sailing Skill sub-skill "Shipwreck Salvaging"!
Agh! Da Fei almost spat out blood! Sister, Master-level Navigation Skill would have been enough, why did you even learn these nonessential and worthless sub-skills! 7 whole Skill Points! The legacy your father left you with his life was squandered just like that!
Does this mean, in order to utilize your skills, I can’t keep you by my side like a nanny, and must commandeer a ship for you to be Captain? Damn it all! Can Little Honey even be called that when not by my side? Da Fei regretted it immensely at that moment.
However, Sailing Skill wasn’t entirely useless—for instance, Fixed-point Cruising allowed a Vice Hero to automatically transport goods between two harbors to trade, a perfect passive money-making Divine Skill for when players are offline, akin to an official cheat! Regardless, trading was a complex art, and a Vice Hero would never make deals on behalf of the player and always shop randomly without regard to market conditions. In the end, if the player didn’t wake up to losses, they should count their blessings.
Well, there’s just one last Skill Point that Da Fei can make a decision on. Enough said, let’s also learn that Poetry Chanting Art gifted by the Mermaid Saint. After all, the Saint did give us a seemingly awesome harp, and such gear that boosts skill limits is definitely meant for mastering Master-level.
A flash of golden light!
——System Prompt: Your Vice Hero Serbia has spent one Skill Point and learned "Poetry Chanting Art"!
Finally, having blown through all the Skill Points, what’s out of sight is out of mind.
There’s nothing more to say now; the fleet sets sail once more. With our current speed, we should reach Elorin in less than ten days.
But, the closer you get to victory, the more composed you have to remain. As long as I’m under the curse of Absolute Misfortune, I can’t afford to lower my guard, not even for a second! Therefore, Da Fei orders: "All crew, on high alert!"
With home in sight, the morale of the sailors is likewise elevated, and they respond with a thunderous affirmation. Good, as long as the morale is high and the skills are sharp, the chance of disaster striking the fleet is lower. Seems like keeping the Necromancer Dragon onboard was the right choice after all.
On the third day, Coltner suddenly came forward to advise: "Captain, we’re about to enter the territory of the Desolate Barbarian Pirates. I suggest we take a detour for safety. It would delay us no more than five days at most."
Da Fei was taken aback: "That’s true, I almost forgot about the pirates!"
Catherine just laughed heartily: "What’s there to fear? That’s my old haunt. As long as I signal them, no one dares to touch our fleet! Besides, taking a detour would mean passing through the nearby Rapid Sea full of hidden reefs, and given our fleet’s current misfortune, it’s simply unreliable to ensure nothing will go wrong."
Da Fei’s spirits lifted: "That’s right, how could I forget Catherine is one of the Desolate Barbarian Pirates! Hahaha, this is the advantage of having an Epic Hero with a background; it’s like having a pass to sail in and out of the Desolate Sea Area, something ordinary tavern heroes can’t compare with."
Catherine laughed again: "The other day, when I saw Serbia sobbing, I couldn’t help but feel a little sentimental. It reminded me of my old man—hey, Captain, why don’t we stop by Desolate Island and see how my dad’s doing? I want to let him know his daughter is doing well!"
Ah, having too many fathers-in-law is not necessarily a good thing. Now I’m heading into a pirate’s den with a full cargo, what’s the tempo of this? It’s the tempo of honoring the father-in-law! I’m not mentally prepared for this yet!
Da Fei cleared his throat and said, "Well, given the fleet’s current condition, is it possible to visit another day?"
Catherine snorted: "Just playing around, huh! With all the precious cargo we have now, indeed we shouldn’t be branching out."
Da Fei hastily laughed: "Exactly, exactly. I’m just worried about complications."
...
On the fourth day, the outlines of the Desolate Islands were clearly visible.
Catherine wore a look of suspicion: "What’s going on? We’re nearing the coast of Desolate Island, but there are no patrol fleets to stop us? What if we were the Kingdom Navy? Wouldn’t that spell disaster? Where’s Uncle Barak?"
Da Fei chuckled: "Well, I think it’s better not to see them."
At last, the sea bordering the islands revealed scattered specks of a dozen or so white sails.
Catherine clapped her hands and laughed heartily: "Look, there they come! Who’s that anyway? Making a move only when we’re at their doorstep is seriously neglectful! Come on, let’s give them a lesson!"
Da Fei hurriedly said: "No no no, let’s not stir up trouble! Just signal them and we can be on our way."
Catherine laughed: "Got it! Don’t worry, Captain, I’ve got this!"
The opposing force formed a fan-shaped formation heading straight for us, the distance closing between us.
Catherine suddenly looked puzzled: "What’s going on? That ship doesn’t look like one of our Desolate Barbarian Pirate ships!"
Da Fei’s heart sank. No way!
Catherine exclaimed: "What’s happening? Blood Sail Pirates! Black Water Pirates! Innocent Pirates! What are they doing in our Desolate Sea territory!"
Da Fei asked worriedly: "Will they let us pass out of respect?"
Catherine’s eyebrows snapped together: "They won’t even respect my father, let alone me!"
And just then, a dozen fireworks rockets soared from the pirate ships in front, exploding with a roar!
Catherine gritted her teeth: "It’s the pirates’ signal for a full attack! Captain, prepare for battle!"
Da Fei is utterly shattered! Isn’t this a classic bait and switch?
But no matter, who am I now? A divine being with Absolute Misfortune hovering over my head! Even Undead Sea Monsters are instinctively afraid and flee from me, but these foolish mortals have no idea of the power I’ve accumulated from more than ten days of Misfortune. I’m about to show you what happens when mortals court death! (To be continued. If you like this work, please support me with your recommendations and monthly votes on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)