Chapter 368 - 340: Enchantment
"No room for negotiation?"
"No room for negotiation."
"I want to sell."
"Nobody’s buying."
"What are the terms?"
"This much."
Huang Tao stared at Zhang Bo’s three outstretched fingers, his eyes narrowing. "Thirty pounds of seafood a day?"
Zhang Bo slapped the table. "What are you dreaming of? This is thirty percent. Thirty percent of the daily haul from residents using your boat, after deducting their minimum earnings."
"Minimum earnings?"
Zhang Bo said, "That’s right. The fishermen who rent the boat are guaranteed a minimum of two pounds each. Fishing is risky, after all. We can’t have them go out to sea for nothing."
"At that rate, I’ll be begging for scraps."
"Plenty of people wish they had this opportunity."
Huang Tao’s brow furrowed at his words. "There are still people in the Alliance Association."
"You could ask them to rent your boat, then," Zhang Bo said, completely unconcerned.
Huang Tao’s mouth twitched. "You think you have me under your thumb?"
Zhang Bo picked at his fingernails and said slowly, "Everyone knows I always focus on the matter at hand, not the person involved."
Seeing the frustrated look on his old acquaintance’s face, Zhang Bo felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Back in the Alliance Association, this guy Huang Tao had always acted high and mighty. He was friendly to everyone on the surface, but to the core, he was deeply arrogant.
Seeing him in this state, Zhang Bo was amused. He never thought Huang Tao had a side like this.
At this thought, Zhang Bo said, "Alright, look. I’m only telling you all this because we go way back. I really don’t get why you insist on staying with the Alliance Association. Brother, it’s like it’s 1949 and you’re still sticking with the National Army.
You’ve got talent, you just picked the wrong side."
Hearing this, Huang Tao felt a tinge of regret.
But he felt it was too late to join the Qin Alliance now.
’The good spots are all taken. What could I even get by joining the Qin Alliance now?’
’I’ve held out for this long... maybe I should just stick it out a little longer?’
"Brother Zhang, a new batch of fish has arrived! They need to be weighed!" someone shouted, running up from behind.
Zhang Bo rubbed his face, got up from the sofa, and glanced back at Huang Tao. "I’ve said my piece. Any more would be rude. Go home and think it over carefully. If you agree, sign the contract."
Watching Zhang Bo’s retreating figure, Huang Tao was filled with a swirl of complicated feelings.
...
"Whoa, an eel!" Zhang Bo stared at the massive eel in the basin. It was over two meters long. "What’s the weight?"
"Thirty-four pounds."
"Alright, put it on the flatbed cart. You’ll help me move it in a bit... Hang on, why is there another fish in the bucket?" Zhang Bo stopped the young man beside him who was collecting the fish.
The young man said, "It’s a small grouper. Only weighs about two pounds. It came in with the eel."
Zhang Bo fumed, "Are you an idiot?! You put it in with the eel? Aren’t you afraid it’ll eat its colleague? If it does, it’s coming out of your pay!"
"Don’t worry, Brother Zhang, it won’t. The eel’s really listless. I saw a small cut on its side, so I put the grouper behind its tail."
"It’s injured? Is it serious?"
"It’s not serious. Besides, the water in the basin has some Healing Spring mixed in, so the wound won’t get any worse."
Once they got it to the riverbank, a few of them hoisted the eel up and tossed it into the river.
They only tossed in the fish, not the water from the basin. That water could be reused.
Just as they tossed the fish in, Zhang Bo happened to glance aside and immediately snapped to attention. "Leader!"
Qin Ziwen’s gaze fell upon them. He gave a slight smile, then tossed the Fish Dragon Stone in his hand forward. It merged with the River of Spirits Card hovering in the air.
The variety of aquatic life in the river had been increasing lately, but many of the species were natural predators and prey to one another.
With the Fish Dragon Stone to stabilize things, they no longer had to worry about their "colleagues" attacking one another.
"We’ll get back to work then, Leader."
"Go ahead."
Not long after he spoke, Lorne hurried over.
"Leader, the first ship from the Deep Sea Dock is finished."
"Oh? Then I must go see it." Qin Ziwen’s interest was piqued.
The Deep Sea Dock was the Home’s second shipyard, and work had commenced a few days prior, once the Fishmen were settled.
The newly-joined Fishmen were bursting with motivation, going all out.
They were determined to prove their worth, and the Deep Sea Dock was the perfect opportunity.
Diving down from the edge of the Fishman Cave and following the underwater cliff face, a cluster of buildings came into view, rooted right into the precipice.
Hearing the activity, the Fishmen floated to the surface, lifting a ship up with them.
Externally, the vessel was streamlined, shaped like a long, slender javelin.
Its bow was sharp, equipped with a metal ram.
From the sides of the hull, five pairs of adjustable wooden fin-paddles extended out of apertures.
Inside the vessel, Qin Ziwen discovered that the fin-paddles were all integrated! They were connected to a long, internal rod, with a hand crank at the front of the cabin.
Turning the handle was all it took to drive the fin-paddles on both sides of the hull.
He realized the mechanism involved pulleys. These Fishmen were apparently self-taught engineers, having developed a compound pulley system right here on the seabed.
"Interesting." Qin Ziwen circled the vessel, then went inside to try operating it himself.
He found the hand crank to be quite strenuous. Someone with less strength would likely tire after just a few rotations.
Moreover, it seemed only suited for Fishmen, as the cabin wasn’t sealed and was open to the water.
As for speed, it wasn’t very fast. But the hull was incredibly thick—a full three layers. Its Defense Power made it tough as a turtle’s shell. Combined with the ram at its prow, it was essentially an underwater battering ram.
Lorne stepped forward, the corners of his lips twitching upward in an expression that clearly awaited praise.
"Not bad," Qin Ziwen gave his honest assessment. "It’s just a bit slow. Not suited for long-range assaults. And it’s really only usable by Fishmen, which is a major limitation."
Lorne walked up to the hull and rubbed his hands together, which began to emit a faint blue glow. He then slapped both palms against the vessel’s gray-planked exterior.
Instantly, the blue light spread like glowing tendrils, snaking across the ship and covering it in a heartbeat.
ZIZIZI...
Large clouds of bubbles erupted wherever the blue light passed.
After two or three seconds, the light dissipated. Intricate patterns now adorned the hull, looking as if they had been carved there all along.
"Leader, try it again now," Lorne prompted.
Qin Ziwen entered the vessel. The moment he turned the crank again, he felt an immediate difference.
The entire vessel felt as if it had become lighter!
He gave the crank one turn, and the vessel shot forward a significant distance!
He cranked it again. It wasn’t his imagination—the speed had truly increased by a great deal.
However, he also noticed a drawback. Only its straight-line speed had improved; there was little change in its turning speed or maneuverability.
The enhanced vessel was suited for long-distance, straight-line travel and short-range, straight-line charges.
It wouldn’t be strong in a maneuvering fight or a close-quarters brawl.
Of course, compared to its original state, the vessel’s functionality and killing power were now vastly improved. Its previous lack of speed made it difficult to hit targets, despite having a ram.
But things were different now.
’This must be the effect of Lorne’s ability,’ Qin Ziwen thought. ’An Enchantment of Swiftness.’
"Is this ability limited to ships built by the Fishmen, or can you use it on any ship? What about other equipment, like Car-Mounted Crossbows or Catapults? Can you apply an Enchantment to them?"
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