Chapter 289 - 262: Ghost Ship: The Lost Home
After he finished his work, Qin Ziwen took out the Tear of the Sea.
This Marvel could be embedded in marine or aquatic buildings. Without much thought, Qin Ziwen took it to the Ghost Ship Dock.
The Ghost Ship Dock became illusory, and a transparent Card appeared.
Qin Ziwen embedded the Tear of the Sea on the back of the Card.
[Level 4 Ghost Ship Dock: Level 5 Shipbuilding Efficiency Boost, Level 5 Ship Defense Enhancement, Level 5 Ghost Boatman] (Special Effects: Omitted) (Embedded Marvel: Level 1 Sea Tear)
Level 1 Sea Tear: Increases the resistance of ships built in the dock to tsunamis and whirlpools.
Tsunamis?
Seeing this keyword, Qin Ziwen’s expression shifted slightly.
’Based on the last two maps, we had a flash flood and then a sandstorm. It seems like we face a natural disaster every time the Gated Community transitions.’
’If there’s one this time, given the Island map’s characteristics, will it be a hurricane or a tsunami?’
’I should probably prepare for that.’
After embedding the Marvel in the shipyard, he went to the Level 2 Iron Mine. He removed the Level 5 Marvel, the Earth Spirit Source Stone, and embedded it in the Wailing Fortress.
Earth Spirit Source Stone: When embedded in a corresponding resource point, it greatly increases the vein’s output, slightly improves the vein’s quality, and gives the vein a small chance to produce Essence Ore.
Previously, when it was embedded in the iron mine, it would occasionally produce an ore that Li Tieshan called Iron Essence.
It was pitch-black and extremely heavy. Its properties were similar to iron but superior. In addition to being heavier than ordinary iron, it was also much harder.
It could be mixed into weapons to increase their hardness and weight.
Normally, once a weapon’s hardness was guaranteed, there was no need to increase its weight.
But with the number of heavy hitters on the team growing, weapons that were too light would feel off.
However, now that they had Ghost Gold, it was more appropriate to place the Earth Spirit Source Stone in the Ghost Gold Vein.
As the Earth Spirit Source Stone was embedded on the back of the Wailing Fortress’s Card, Qin Ziwen went down to observe. He found that the excavated pits were healing at a visible rate.
He looked around and saw that besides the Skeleton Miners, there were still some empty spots. It seemed he could add more miners to increase the ore output.
’But I’ll have to pick the brave ones, those who aren’t afraid of Ghosts.’
After looking around, Qin Ziwen returned to the surface.
When he got to the kitchen, his younger brother walked over holding a bowl of soup.
"Bro, I cooked the fin from the Bull Shark that Red Hare killed today. Try it and tell me what you think of my cooking. I even got a chef to teach me specifically."
"Let me try." He rarely had the chance to eat shark fin. Taking the bowl, Qin Ziwen asked, "What about you? Is this the only bowl?"
"Of course not, there’s more in the pot. That Bull Shark was huge, so we got a lot of soup from its dorsal fin."
Qin Ziwen glanced at the shark fin in his bowl. In addition to the transparent, noodle-like substance, there were also diced cured pork, small cubes of meat, and chopped shrimp and sea cucumber.
"I added cured pork and Raptor meat. The Raptor meat is a bit like chicken; it enhances the flavor." Qin Ziwu grinned proudly. "The chef who taught me said that shark fin itself doesn’t have much flavor and has a texture like glass noodles. The taste mainly comes from the soup base, so I made a special broth."
Qin Ziwen took a small sip. The umami flavor was very rich.
"Is the Bull Shark meat being served too? Is it like they say, with a strong smell of piss?" Qin Ziwen was curious. He had never eaten shark meat or shark fin before the transition.
This was his first time trying either.
Qin Ziwu nodded. "It is a bit strong, and the taste is hard to get rid of. But it’s not impossible. It’s not good boiled, but you can grill it. If you add a lot of cumin and chili powder, it’s barely edible."
"Where would we get that much cumin? It’s a huge shark, you can’t just cover the whole thing in cumin," Qin Ziwen said with a laugh. For a shark that big, the amount of spices needed would be immense. No one would be that extravagant.
"You guessed right. Most of it was just boiled. But a lot of people are actually eating it." At this, Qin Ziwu gave a mysterious smile.
"Oh? How’d you manage that?" Qin Ziwen asked, curious.
"I told everyone it’s an aphrodisiac."
"..." Qin Ziwen fell silent, then suddenly asked, "Does it actually work?"
"It really does! The old traditional Chinese medicine doctor from Renhe Hall said so himself. Shark meat contains a lot of niacin and squalene. In traditional medicine, it’s also said to replenish qi, nourish yin, tonify deficiencies, and strengthen the loins." Qin Ziwu chuckled. "So it’s not exactly false advertising, right? Hey, Brother, want a plate of shark meat?"
"I’m perfectly healthy," Qin Ziwen said, waving his hand. "You, on the other hand, could eat some more."
"I don’t need it either, but I saw Old Deng sneak over for two extra bowls," Qin Ziwu said conspiratorially.
The two brothers exchanged a look, a silent understanding passing between them, and smiled at each other.
In the afternoon, Qin Ziwen went to the training grounds.
After all this time, the people in the Gated Community were becoming more and more aware of the importance of strength.
Many people trained here in their spare time.
He even saw Jia Liangcai working out in a corner, with someone who looked like a fitness coach guiding him.
On the sparring platform, people frequently challenged each other to duels. Since you couldn’t get truly injured on it, it had become a popular spot for many.
.....
「The next day.」
Qin Ziwen went to the Ghost Ship Dock and was surprised to find that the damaged ship was already mostly repaired.
Inside the dock, thick ropes slowly hoisted a mast into place.
The once-lifeless great ship had been restored to about eighty or ninety percent of its former state under the hands of the Ghost Boatmen.
The broken sections were being joined with new planks using mortise and tenon joints.
However, the new planks looked somewhat jarring when connected to the old wood, which had been submerged at the bottom of the sea for too long. The intersecting new and old timbers looked like a series of scars, alternating between dark brown and deathly white.
The barnacles clinging to the ship’s exterior had been scraped off, leaving behind circular marks that were difficult to remove.
The sails were raised.
But what billowed from them was not cloth, but a grayish-white, translucent fabric as ethereal as mist.
Above the deck, thick cables slithered around the masts and crawled everywhere like living serpents.
Qin Ziwen’s eyelids twitched as he watched.
This ship had truly come "alive."
It reminded him of the Flying Dutchman from Pirates of the Caribbean.
That was also a Ghost Ship.
Right now, pale blue, translucent Ghost Boatmen were clinging to the ship in various positions, repairing it.
They used no ropes or ladders, holding hammers, nails, and planks of various sizes in their hands.
At the bow, the most striking feature was a grayish-white ram.
It looked like the skull of some kind of giant bovine creature, with two large, sharp horns at the top.
"Pick up the pace! If you fall behind on the Lord’s schedule, you’ll answer to me!" Tao Fu’s booming voice roared from the deck.
Qin Ziwen still remembered Tao Fu’s nervous expression when he first heard that these Ghost Boatmen were Ghosts.
And now, after such a short time, he had already become a qualified foreman.
Tao Fu was making his rounds on the deck when he happened to spot Qin Ziwen below. His expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly scrambled down the ladder.
"My Lord."
"How soon can this ship be repaired?" Qin Ziwen was very satisfied with Tao Fu’s efficiency; it was even faster than he had expected.
Tao Fu quickly replied, "Reporting to you, My Lord, it can set sail today at the latest! Although the ship was severely damaged, its basic frame was intact, so only some parts needed repairs.
Yesterday, I followed your teachings, My Lord, and tried irrigating with the black water. I discovered that the shipwrecked planks soaked in it became extremely hard and could be used normally, which saved a great deal of time.
The ship is about to launch. I ask that you name her, My Lord."
Qin Ziwen pondered for a moment. He thought of how their group had followed the Gated Community through its transitions, leaving their homeland to drift through one strange world after another. "Let’s call it the Lost Home."
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