Chapter 1243 - 611: Sudden Developments and Optimistic Plans_2

Moreover, he had not even exchanged a single word with this giant demon before him, let alone made any agreements.

If the creature continued to attack the "Chasing Waves Sea Teeth" ship after retrieving its offspring.

Then Xia Nan would have to risk delaying his meeting with Frogon or use up one or two of his trump cards.

And personally send this big and small pair of demons to reunite in Heaven.

As it turns out, compared to human adventurers, these demons can sometimes be more sincere.

Whether it sensed Xia Nan’s dangerous aura on the deck or perhaps the octopus offspring explained the encounter upon returning to its parent’s embrace, we did not know.

About three minutes after the standoff with the crew on deck.

Accompanied by the sound of "crack, crack" as wood chips scattered, the stout tentacles originally clinging to the hull were retracted one by one into the water.

Almost the entire nearby sea area was illuminated in translucent blue light, which gradually dissipated as the massive, distorted figure disappeared into the deep sea with its offspring.

It seemed that the matter was over.

Just as he intended to turn around and have the crew check the ship’s damage, he heard a "gloop" sound from the side.

He looked over.

He saw a shell fragment almost larger than an adult’s entire body, emitting a faint glow, floating on the surface.

Telling the sailors to retrieve it onto the deck, Xia Nan showed a contemplative expression.

Judging by the magnitude of this deep-sea demon, which contained magic particles, its intelligence was probably comparable to an ordinary human.

After a brief exchange with the offspring, it must have realized that they were not the culprits who captured its offspring and offered compensation in return.

This shell fragment was nearly twice the size of the original octopus offspring, and its price was nothing short of high.

Xia Nan felt a bit nuanced about this.

Although he and his team indeed eliminated those pirates, for the octopus offspring, it was just a matter of changing owners, so saying they "rescued" it was somewhat tenuous.

It was merely an opportunity to earn some extra money along the way; they were not nearly so benevolent.

However, given how events had unfolded, refusing was no longer an option.

He instructed the crew to store the shell fragment retrieved onto the ship in the cabin, planning to handle it later.

Xia Nan assigned personnel to check "Chasing Waves Sea Teeth" ship’s damage overnight.

And the final result... was quite bad.

"So, we can’t continue sailing?"

Looking at the boatswain in front of him, Xia Nan’s tone carried a hint of surprise.

"The damage is mainly concentrated on the bottom, stern, and some parts of the hull. While the overall impact is actually not that significant, and the ship still retains its ability to sail, but..." The boatswain carefully organized his words and reported the situation to "Haiya" with honesty.

"Its sailing speed will be greatly affected."

"Originally a journey that could be completed in three days might now take almost a week."

"Additionally, due to the damage to certain parts of the hull, with just our temporary repairs, there might be a risk of sinking during the journey."

The current situation was already very clear.

For that octopus monster, it indeed did not use its full strength.

But like playing with an elephant, even if the creature had no malicious intent, a carefree swing of the trunk or an affectionate nudge would be enough to cause abrasions or even fractures to the human handler, who had a clear size and strength disparity.

Even if the octopus monster deliberately held back, reducing the strength that could easily smash the hull to only a tenth or even a twentieth, it still caused enough damage to affect the ship’s sailing speed.

If, as the boatswain said, the original three-day journey only extended to a week, Xia Nan could still accept that.

After all, according to the plans made before departure, he had left a certain margin for error.

This entire journey had been incredibly smooth, without wasting any extra time, so even if an additional four days were spent traveling, there was still ample time.

But the most critical part was the boatswain’s addition at the end, that if they continued to sail in this condition, there might be a risk of sinking.

That made matters quite difficult.

Xia Nan himself was fine, but if it was the ordinary sailors without Professional Level encountering a shipwreck.

Facing the vast, endless ocean with no horizon in sight, death seemed almost certain.

"Where is the nearest repair station, and how long would it take for temporary repairs to avoid sinking?"

Xia Nan asked the boatswain before him.

Clearly, after checking the situation on the ship, he had already studied the nautical charts closely.

Facing Xia Nan’s question, the boatswain responded promptly.

"Based on our current location, if we wish to dock closest to avoid sinking, the nearest supply point is Wildflower Island to the south, where there’s a fairly decent-sized town, and suitable materials can probably be found."

"However, Wildflower Island lies directly south from where we are now, so while with our current sailing speed, it would take less than four days to get there, it’s almost like retracing our steps."

That means if Xia Nan chose to head to the nearest supply point, Wildflower Island, to repair the ship, even if the return speed was restored, including coming back, sailing to the current location would take nearly six days.