Chen Qi walked towards the ship with great interest.
Next to the ship, there was a sign that boldly read "For Sale".
Not only that, but it also listed some of the ship's advantages.
It was transformed from an abandoned vessel, with one direction in mind, speed!
Equipped with a power engine from the crack, it could sail at double the speed of ordinary cargo ships under normal circumstances.
It even had an overclocking function that could momentarily boost its speed by more than three times.
Truly a speedboat, and a must-have for piracy!
Chen Qi felt somewhat tempted.
Friends who often kill might know, it's easy to kill but hard to dispose of the body.
But it's different at sea. All you have to do is shout "Praise the Sea Goddess" and throw the body into the sea, and you're done.
Therefore, the crime rate over the Witch Sea could be said to be exceptionally high.
A grand stage at sea, if you're sick, come aboard.
When two ships approach, it's common for them to exchange a look and go straight to battle.
Even official government ships often encounter such situations.
He wasn't afraid of sea beasts, but unavoidable frictions between people were bound to happen.
But as a poor and helpless newcomer at sea, in order to stay out of these brutal disputes and be more efficient in his ventures,
he desperately needed a fast ship.
Chen Qi excitedly looked around and estimated the value of the ship to be around one hundred thousand Shell Coins.
Small and fast, despite being somewhat old, it was the stuff of his dreams.
The only problem was that the ship wasn't his.
At the harbor, sitting there, was an old man, the owner of the ship:
Old Scavenger, Belly.
A widower and an eccentric salvager who liked to collect junk from the sea and assemble it into various odd contraptions.
He had once sighted a black boat with a lit lantern, carrying a skeleton with tentacles during a voyage,
which scared the living daylights out of him.
Growing old, he no longer sailed out and had been preparing to move to Moonstone City, so he was always looking for a buyer for his boat.
And with yesterday's storm, his desire to sell intensified.
Nobody wanted to venture out to sea anymore; if he didn't sell soon, he feared he might never sell it at all!
However, due to the costly maintenance of the ship, he hadn't found the right buyer.
He sat alone on the pier, blowing lonely gusts of the sea breeze.
Chen Qi walked over and squatted down to say,
"Old Belly, rent me the boat for a day for two hundred, how about it?"
"Two hundred!"
Belly's eyes sparkled after not having had income for a long time, and he immediately lifted his bald head to look at Chen Qi.
Isn't this the young man afflicted with sea beast disease? Why has he returned?
His attitude changed in an instant, and he said gruffly,
"No rent! This vessel is my partner, my beloved wife, would you rent your partner to someone for a day?"
"..."
Chen Qi looked up, choked by the other party's words.
Is this how people talk in the Witch Sea...
Such a strong refusal, unless he was a pervert, it really wasn't easy to retort.
Old Belly continued,
"Young man, don't be foolish. Keep your money for something nice to eat."
"Ah?"
Chen Qi was completely baffled and pondered for a moment,
At sea, there was a tradition of sea burials, where the deceased were placed on little boats, covered in flowers, and set adrift into the ocean, to receive the Sea Goddess's blessings after death.
Did he think I was going to use his boat for my own sea burial?
With no other option, Chen Qi flatly said,
"Four hundred."
"Four hundred!"
Double the price directly!? Belly swallowed hard; that wasn't a small offer.
But after hesitating for a moment, he still said,
"No, it's no good."
Even if the other party wasn't using his boat to depart this life, handing over the boat to a penniless young man was definitely not okay.
What if something went wrong? They might not even find the person.
Would raising the price again even work... Chen Qi frowned.
He had to admit, his penniless state really did make it difficult to rent a ship from someone.
Just then, a robust voice came through, unmistakably belonging to the man of the highest standing in Maro Town, the Town Mayor of Maro.
"Old Belly, rent it to him. He's already an awakened with magical talent, and it's time he needed the money.
Plus, his talent is not bad; in the future, he might even be able to buy your questionable junkboat."
The pot-bellied mayor of Maro squatted at the pier, gazing at the distant sea, smoking a rolled cigarette.
He had to admit, judging by the attitude of the professional mentor An, Chen Qi had far more talent than his good-for-nothing son.
If Maro Town could have one more somewhat capable Transcendent, even boasting about it would be good.
His child might have a companion.
Maybe Shell Country's officials would give more resources to his town. Of course, this was typical fantasy time.
Unless a Third-tier Transcendent showed up, officials from Shell Country wouldn't bother with his tiny rundown town.
"Able to buy? Magical awakening?"
Old Belly touched his head, looking dubiously at Chen Qi's worn clothes.
Maybe buy some clothes first... Belly thought to himself.
But the mayor of Maro was officially the highest standing person here, and he owed the man a significant sum of money.
He had no power to refuse!
Old Belly turned around and smiled at Chen Qi,
"Shh, still good for four hundred?"
"Let me think..."
Chen Qi had already jumped onto the ship and opened the hatch on the deck to check the power engine inside the hull.
The power engine is the key to a ship.
On the dusty casing of the power engine, one could vaguely see a steaming iron hand grasping a hammer tightly.