Chapter 670: Section 457: Cang Xu vs Ship Ghost
The gaze of the ship ghost, hidden in the shadow of his hood, flickered faintly a few times.
He felt somewhat guilty and doubtful.
This secret method of communication wasn’t so simple.
It was because the ship ghost had a secret connection with others that this method had been established.
Cang Xu could utilize this secret communication method, and the ship ghost knew he could, as Cang Xu had been tampered with on board the Ghost Ship on the Nether River!
“The question is, has Cang Xu really discovered this?”
With this doubt in mind, the ship ghost probed, “Xu Jia, it seems the direction of your Bloodline Mutation is a favorable one. It could very well have given you stronger Undead talent, allowing you to master this secret method of communication.”
Cang Xu smiled, “I don’t know why, but I think it might just be the preliminary result of the Bloodline Mutation. After all, I’ve listened to you all communicating like this for a long time, and I naturally mastered it. It’s really incredible!”
The ship ghost laughed, “If you had communicated like this during the recent gathering, you would have given everyone quite a big surprise.” (Since you have mastered this way of communication, why didn’t you share before? Your deliberate concealment suggests impure motives!)
Cang Xu responded with a bitter smile, “All the questions had been asked by them. I had nothing to inquire about. My lord, I came back here to find you on my own because something suddenly occurred to me.”
“Oh, what is it?”
“Just as you said, the Ocean Nest will be our last chance. At that time, we’ll face Holy Domain Level sea beasts. By then, we Silver Levels simply won’t be able to stop them. The Ocean Nest is also an enclosed environment; we can’t extend the distance to drag the Holy Domain sea beasts. So, in critical moments, we’ll still have to rely on your strength. But you can’t fight and control the Memory Crystal Manufacturing Device at the same time. Then, only we will be able to operate it!”
At this point, Cang Xu stopped abruptly.
But his meaning was already quite clear—he wanted that knowledge.
The ship ghost fell silent, seemingly disturbed by Cang Xu’s “sudden attack” to his state of mind.
Cang Xu added, “Ship ghost, what do you think of my proposal? Only by employing the strength of all of us can we truly cooperate sincerely, trust each other, and ultimately escape together.” (Now I suspect you want to use us as cannon fodder! Only by allowing us to operate the alchemy device can your intent to cooperate be shown. If you refuse, it is proof of my suspicions.)
The ship ghost remained quiet for a long time before laughing, “Xu Jia, just as I felt when I first met you, you truly are a clever person!”
“Indeed, your suggestion is excellent! I clearly didn’t consider everything, thank you for pointing out my oversight.”
“I will teach you this knowledge now; with this, our chances of success are even higher. As long as we work together with true sincerity, we will definitely make it through this challenge together!” (So you dare to threaten me, remarkable indeed! But now that I have agreed, we do need to work closely and trust each other to have any hope of escape. If you want to survive, your only chance is to truly cooperate with me!)
Their conversation was really interesting.
On the surface, they were communicating, spouting nonsense, sharing their fears, and suggesting how to convert. This was the first layer of disguise, meant to be heard by Zhou Zhang and others.
In reality, they were carrying out covert communication in a secret way.
But the true core message was hidden in the subtext behind this method of communication!
Following that, the ship ghost passed on the knowledge of how to use the Memory Crystal Manufacturing Device to Cang Xu.
“You’re the first among them to receive this part of the heritage knowledge; you’ll see it’s quite easy to operate, very convenient. But without the key alchemy device, this knowledge is utterly useless.”
“Now, the most important thing for us is to work together to forge a complete memory. Do you understand?” the ship ghost instructed.
Cang Xu, having gained benefits, behaved very submissively, “I understand, my lord. I will go now and do my best to convert.”
He said this openly.
The ship ghost naturally knew the other layer of meaning in Cang Xu’s words, and he nodded, “Go on, then, go.”
Cang Xu left his shanty, and the ship ghost’s gaze turned as somber as water.
Gritting his teeth in his mind, he muttered, “That Xu Jia, daring to blackmail me, heh, quite gutsy. Do you not know that your life and death hangs by my whim? No, you don’t know. If you did, how could you dare to adopt such an attitude toward me?”
The ship ghost sneered coldly for a while, then refocused his mind and began to fabricate memories once more.
Concerning his escape this time, the ship ghost did not dare to be careless or negligent.
Cang Xu returned to his own shanty, his face also quickly darkening.
He clenched his fists in the dark, biting his teeth, “If that’s the case, then there must have been some tampering done with me, and I’m already under the ship ghost’s control.”
“It shouldn’t just be me—the Fin Spirit, Little Prince, and Ku Feng, among others, must be the same!”
Cang Xu, having served as a Noble Housekeeper for many years and with his own character, was quite adept in the realm of conspiracy and deception.
Once he recognized the true nature of the ship ghost, he grew very wary of this Golden Level Undead Mage.
This time, the ship ghost took the initiative to pass on high-level Soul Vein Inheritance to other Undead Mages. Even though it was only a part, and the ship ghost had explained the reason, Cang Xu still harbored a great deal of suspicion.
Cang Xu was concerned about what tricks the ship ghost might have played within the contents of the inheritance.
There was another doubt as well—was the ship ghost not worried that some Undead Mages, upon learning about his plans, might betray him?
Little Prince and Ku Feng might be trustworthy. But as an outsider who had not joined for long, did Cang Xu truly gain the complete trust of the ship ghost, just because he had participated in the Nether River battle?
And there was the Fin Spirit.
Though the Fin Spirit originally worshipped other Sea Gods and was not a disciple of Mei Lan, she cared for her Fishman Tribe from before. Even after becoming an Undead Mage, she constantly contributed to the Da Ji Tribe.
What if the Fin Spirit, for the sake of her tribe, were to betray him to Zhou Zhang? What would the ship ghost do?
Such a thing was entirely possible.
Someone like the ship ghost would definitely consider such a possibility.
If the ship ghost were someone like the Little Prince, then Cang Xu wouldn’t have such doubts.
But the key fact was that he was the ship ghost, a person who at a moment of life and death could treat others as pawns to be sacrificed for his own survival.
Thus, a conjecture naturally arose in Cang Xu’s mind.
“We have probably all had something done to our bodies that could ensure the personal safety of the ship ghost himself.”
Cang Xu recalled the behaviors of the other Undead Mages and immediately realized: if the ship ghost wanted to tamper with them, it would be very easy, given the numerous opportunities available.
The Fin Spirit was personally summoned by the ship ghost himself. She had also served as the ship ghost’s alchemy assistant for many years. For the ship ghost to tamper with her would be far too easy.
As for the Undead Samurai Ku Feng, the ship ghost had also wanted to summon him personally. But in the end, it was the corps medic, one of the Twelve Saints and an Undead Orthodox like the ship ghost, who acted to create Ku Feng. Considering the close relationship demonstrated by the support in the Nether River battle, it was entirely possible that the corps medic actively cooperated with the ship ghost to tamper with Ku Feng.
Although Little Prince, the Undead Mage, wasn’t personally converted by the ship ghost, Little Prince’s simplicity of thought had kept him ignorant of the ship ghost’s true face for so many years. With such a long association, how could the ship ghost not find the opportunity?
Finally, there was Cang Xu himself. The Nether River battle was his biggest lapse; aboard the Ghost Ship, Cang Xu had been rescued by the ship ghost. Cang Xu had been unconscious for a long time. In fact, his current body was also provided by the ship ghost. All of these were vulnerabilities!
“For the ship ghost, he could trust us only if he had tampered with us.”
“Then, the extent of this security can also be guessed.”
The ship ghost was confident enough to take the initiative to teach the contents of the high-level inheritance. Clearly, he was not afraid of these Undead Mages snitching or leaking the content of these inheritances.
Once an Undead Mage amongst them engaged in improper actions such as informing or leaking heritage, the measures secretly laid by the ship ghost could be immediately activated to stop it.
“So, this kind of measure should be able to kill any one of us instantly at a critical moment.”
“Then, is there any monitoring capability?”
“It’s highly unlikely.” Cang Xu pondered, continuously speculating and conjecturing in his mind.
If there were monitoring capabilities, the ship ghost would have discovered Cang Xu’s previous communication with the Fishman youth.
At such a critical juncture for life and death, the ship ghost would not miss any opportunity to seek external help. He would certainly initiate negotiations with Cang Xu.
After all, he was almost out of options now, only able to rely on the methods of the Desecration Priest to seek a chance of escape.
“In fact, if there were still monitoring capabilities, then the manipulation measures arranged by the ship ghost would be too extensive.”
It’s like setting up a Magic Array; the more functions and more powerful the Magic Array, the larger the area it covers, the stronger the aura emitted, the more resources it consumes, and the more conspicuous it becomes.
“Everyone is an Undead Mage, and if such measures were too extensive, the likelihood of being detected would be much higher.”
“It can be seen from the high-level inheritance that the inheritance of the undead is all continuous. Although the low-level inheritance does not have the expansive vistas of the high-level, its content is undoubtedly the foundation.”
“If I’m not mistaken, the ship ghost’s measures should be rooted in our souls. Constraining us is like the Little Prince controlling his skeleton army, my control over the Death Skulls, and the Fin Spirit and Ghost Ship controlling the ghosts.”
“Tampering with souls is what Undead Mages are best at. Especially since the ship ghost’s main focus is on Soul Veins.”
“From a certain perspective, we can be seen as the ship ghost’s summoned undead creatures.”
“Our bodies are bound by Divine Arts and Spells, but we can communicate secretly. This kind of covert connection, not being isolated or interfered with, is likely the strong link between master and summoned creature.”
“So, that conversation just now, the ship ghost’s first sentence was actually a test for me.”
“He wanted to see if I had realized that something had been done to me.”
As Cang Xu thought more and more, the truth gradually emerged before his eyes.
It had to be said that Cang Xu’s thoughts were meticulous, and in discerning conspiracies and tricks, he was absolutely the foremost survivor.
“If our connection with the ship ghost is as such, then from his point of view, we are his possessions, and he is our master in a potential sense.”
“In that case, it is very understandable—why he has been heavily supporting the Fin Spirit, Ku Feng, and the Little Prince.”
Cang Xu recalled the first Undead Gathering on the Ku Feng Island.
He had already noted then that at such a Gathering of the Undead, the ship ghost was the most crucial and central figure. Because he provided Undead resources that others could not offer, such as Soul Crystals and Memory Crystals. And the ship ghost’s requirements for the deal were very low. Although he held a monopolistic position, each transaction was conducted very fairly.
It was simply the ship ghost leading others on!
Previously, Cang Xu had thought that as a member of the Undead Orthodoxy, the ship ghost wanted to promote and take care of other Undead Mages, possessing the demeanor and scale of the orthodoxy.
This perception had also been the common understanding amongst the Little Prince and others.
But upon deeper thought, there was an inherent contradiction.
That is the Undead resources!
For Undead Mages, Undead resources are limited. Although the ship ghost is a member of the Undead Orthodoxy, of the direct lineage, are his resources truly plentiful enough to invest in such a way?
The Little Prince, Ku Feng—these few Undead Mages, even if they are Silver Level, does their talent have such investment value?
As Cang Xu reflected on this, the hearty and open laughter of the ship ghost echoed in his ears.
But now, he felt coldness in that laughter!
“From the ship ghost’s perspective, the three Undead Mages are his summoned creatures, his possessions, not outsiders. Then, investing some resources to cultivate three capable Silver Level subordinates is completely worth it.”
“That is the true face of the ship ghost.”
The warmth he showed was false.
His methods were covert.
He disguised his true purpose very well.
Even Cang Xu had to admit: the ship ghost really knew his stuff!
“In this case, my life is also manipulated by the ship ghost. To live or die, it all hinges on his single thought.”
Cang Xu’s expression was extremely calm.
For any existence that threatened his life, he was quick to eliminate it.
But it was clear that the ship ghost was a Gold Level, even now as everyone had already become captives; he was not someone Cang Xu could confront alone.
“To deal with the ship ghost, I must be cautious, then more cautious. The slightest inattention could make him activate his measures and instantly kill me.”
“However, precisely because he has such measures, I unexpectedly gained his trust in advance.”
“The reason why he imparted the high-level inheritance to me, accepted my previous negotiation demands, also lies here. He secretly deployed control measures on me, making him believe that my life and death are in his hands.”
“If this time I manage to escape, then he will have to be upfront with me.”
“Phew… Thankfully, the squad leader is nearby!”
Cang Xu thought of the Fishman youth and let out a sigh of relief, once again feeling extremely fortunate.
This is the power of wisdom!
Although Cang Xu’s Mage capabilities were limited, unable to detect the passive measures on himself or determine what the control measures actually were.
But by relying on his intelligence to speculate, he broke through the limitations of his Mage capabilities, making up for his lack of extraordinary power.
“Wait a minute, maybe I can take this opportunity to get more Undead Inheritance from the ship ghost!” Thinking this, Cang Xu was moved.
After pondering deeper, Cang Xu confirmed there was no better opportunity than this!
Normally, he would have to confirm his Bloodline, go through various trials, prove his loyalty, before possibly becoming a member of the Undead Orthodoxy.
This was a long process and carried great risk.
Because the Undead Orthodoxy would also definitely conduct a covert background check.
But under this peculiar situation, Cang Xu could make use of Zhou Zhang, use the pressure of life and death, to make the ship ghost reveal more inheritance.
“Respected Lord Ship Ghost, you wouldn’t want your escape to fail because of my screw up, would you?”
“You can kill me easily, but it will surely alert Zhou Zhang.”
“Since you have already imparted the high-level inheritance, you surely wouldn’t mind imparting a Middle-level Undead Inheritance once more, right?”