Chapter 613 An Emergency and an Optimistic Plan

"Boom!"

The water erupted.

Thick, massive tentacles, densely covered in hideous suckers and colored in a deep-sea blue, lunged from beneath the surface like deformed pythons, clinging to the ship's rails.

The tremendous force carried by these appendages was so great that even the reinforced hull of the Wave-Chasing Sea Fang groaned under the strain, emitting a tortured creak.

If anyone had been standing in the distance observing this stretch of ocean, they would have seen quite the sight:

Beneath the starry, moonlit night, the ship rocked wildly. Tracing the tentacles down the hull into the depths of the sea revealed a twisted monster. It radiated a fluorescent blue glow that illuminated the faint, shifting outline of its massive body in the dark water.

Hum.

A sharp sword gleam flashed through the air.

The [Ember Fall] straight sword was instantly drawn from its sheath.

Facing the monster's assault, Xia Nan didn't panic. Thanks to the entertainment works of his past life and his understanding of this fantasy world, he had mentally prepared himself to encounter this kind of gargantuan monster ever since his very first voyage.

Shifting his footing, he prepared to dive into the water and engage the beast.

But right at that moment...

His incredibly sharp Perception alerted him to a few crucial details.

Although the tentacles were significantly darker, the glowing blue conch shell beneath the surface—which stood out brightly in the night and outlined the monster's massive form—was identical to the one on the Conch-Shelled Octopus he had captured during the day.

His mind involuntarily recalled the piercing, ear-splitting shrieks the Conch-Shelled Octopus had made while struggling.

An odd expression crept onto Xia Nan's face.

'So... that little octopus is its cub?'

'The parent is here?'

At the same time, this train of thought led him to notice even more details.

Right now, even though the Wave-Chasing Sea Fang seemed to be rocking violently under the octopus tentacles' assault, with cracks even appearing on parts of the hull, in reality, Xia Nan knew that a super-giant monster of this size could easily rely on raw Strength alone to capsize or completely crush a small vessel like this in a matter of seconds.

It looked terrifying, but it clearly wasn't using its full power.

It was possible it was holding back out of fear because its cub was still in the hands of Xia Nan and his crew.

Regardless, the monster was definitely pulling its punches.

Realizing this, a thoughtful glint flashed in Xia Nan's eyes, as if he were considering something.

Though he still tightly gripped the Gray-Black Straight Sword, the feet that were just about to launch him off the deck stayed firmly planted in place.

His trip to the Southern Archipelagos had pushed his Class Level to Level 4 (Iv4), raising his overall combat power by a massive margin.

But that didn't mean he could handle every enemy he encountered on the road.

The ocean was the monster's home turf. Although Xia Nan's [Meteor Blade Hunter] class provided some bonuses for naval combat, he would definitely fall short when compared to a giant creature that actually lived in the deep sea.

Most crucially, he had no idea what the true strength of this Conch-Shelled Octopus monster was.

After all, back during the day when he first observed its cub, he had judged from the fluctuations of magic particles in the air that, aside from pure physical strength, this species highly likely possessed bizarre special abilities similar to the Wind-Seed Octopus or the Petrification Lizard.

Fighting it rashly wouldn't end well. Even if he only ended up burning through a trump card with a very long cooldown, it wouldn't be worth it. Moreover, his main goal right now was to hurry to Salt Rock Port and rendezvous with the Barbarian Forgan. There was no need to take on extra risks over an unexpected encounter midway through the journey.

As he pondered this, a plan formed in his mind.

"Clatter... clatter..."

Rapid footsteps echoed from the cabin. The sailors, armed with their weapons, clung tightly to the walls as they struggled through the violent rocking to reach the deck and provide support.

Xia Nan turned around, signaling for everyone to hold their ground and not do anything rash.

Then, relying on the balance bonus from his [Tidal Stabilization] Feat, he sprinted into the cabin at top speed.

A few seconds later, under the confused or suddenly comprehending gazes of the sailors, he dashed back out, cradling the octopus cub in his arms.

"Scree!!!"

Sensing the proximity of an adult, the cub's shrieks grew even more piercing and shrill.

In response, the underwater monster abruptly stopped moving.

The ship, which had been violently shaken like a baby's crib just moments ago, was suddenly held firmly in place by the tentacles gripping its hull. For a moment, it became even steadier than it was during normal sailing.

Xia Nan knew his gamble had paid off.

Carrying the octopus cub, he walked to the bow of the ship and looked down.

Through the water, he could faintly make out a pair of deep, massive eyes glinting with intelligence in the ocean depths, illuminated by the fluorescent blue light.

He had no intention of provoking it.

Exerting force with one arm, Xia Nan simply tossed the crying octopus cub right into the sea.

The deafening shrieks echoing through the air vanished instantly as the cub quickly swam toward its parent.

Xia Nan, however, didn't relax his guard.

He focused all his attention, carefully observing the monster's every move beneath the surface.

After all, for human Adventurers, going back on one's word was the most normal thing in the world.

Not to mention, he hadn't even communicated with this giant monster, let alone made an agreement with it.

If the creature stubbornly continued to attack the Wave-Chasing Sea Fang after retrieving its cub, then Xia Nan would have no choice but to risk delaying his meeting with Forgan, or burn one or two of his trump cards.

He would personally send both the adult and the cub to reunite in heaven.

As it turned out, compared to human Adventurers, there were times when monsters were far more sincere.

Whether it sensed the dangerous aura radiating from Xia Nan on the deck, or because the octopus cub had explained what happened upon returning to its parent's embrace, the standoff with the crew lasted for only about three minutes.

With the crackling sound of splintering wood, the thick tentacles clinging to the hull retracted into the water one by one. The glowing blue light that illuminated almost the entire surrounding sea gradually faded away, and the massive, twisted silhouette disappeared into the depths with its cub. Xia Nan thought that was the end of it.

Just as he was about to turn around and have the crew inspect the ship for damage, he heard a loud gurgle from over the side.

He glanced over.

A glowing fragment of a conch shell, almost larger than a full-grown adult, was floating on the water's surface.

Having the sailors fish it up onto the deck, Xia Nan revealed a thoughtful expression.

In a world of magic particles, a deep-sea monster that could grow to such a colossal size probably possessed an intellect no less than that of an ordinary human.

After a brief exchange with its cub, it likely realized that Xia Nan and his crew weren't the ones who had originally captured its child. Knowing it had attacked the wrong people, it offered this as compensation.

In terms of pure volume, this shell fragment was almost twice the size of the octopus cub. Its market value would be even higher.

At this thought, Xia Nan felt a bit conflicted.

While it was true that they had killed the pirates, for the octopus cub, it just meant being passed from one seller to another. Calling it a "rescue" was a bit of a stretch.

They had merely wanted to make some extra coin along the way; they weren't nearly that kindhearted.

But since things had already turned out this way, there was no reason to refuse.

He instructed the crew to store the salvaged shell fragment in the cabin, planning to deal with it later.

Xia Nan then organized a team to inspect the Wave-Chasing Sea Fang's damage overnight.

The final result... was pretty terrible.

"So, we can't keep sailing?"

Xia Nan looked at the boatswain in front of him, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"The damage is mostly concentrated on the bottom, the stern, and parts of the sides. It doesn't impact the overall structure much, and the ship can still sail, but..." The boatswain organized his words and gave an honest report to Sea Fang. "Our sailing speed will be massively affected."

"A journey that should only take three days will now likely take closer to a week."

"Moreover, because of the damage to specific parts of the hull, if we only do temporary patch jobs, there's a risk of sinking during the voyage."

The situation was now abundantly clear.

The octopus monster had indeed held back.

But it was like playing with an elephant. Even if the animal harbored no ill intent and simply swung its trunk playfully or nudged affectionately with its head, the massive difference in size and Strength was more than enough to leave a human zookeeper bruised or even with broken bones.

Even though the monster had deliberately restrained itself, reducing a force that could easily shred the ship to a mere tenth or twentieth of its full power, it still caused enough damage to severely cripple their speed.

Honestly, if it was truly just a matter of extending a three-day journey to a week, as the boatswain had claimed, Xia Nan could accept it.

After all, the plan he had made before setting out already accounted for a margin of error.

The journey had been incredibly smooth up until now, with almost zero wasted time, so even if they took four extra days to travel, they would still make it in time. The most critical issue, however, was the boatswain's final addition: if they kept sailing in this condition, they risked sinking.

That made things difficult.

Xia Nan himself would be fine, but if these ordinary sailors without a Class Level were caught in a shipwreck in the middle of the vast, boundless ocean, it would mean certain death for them.

"Where is the nearest supply point that can repair the ship? And if we only need a temporary, simple repair just to keep us from sinking, how long would that take?" Xia Nan asked the boatswain.

Evidently, after inspecting the ship's condition, the boatswain had already carefully studied the sea charts.

He answered Xia Nan's question fluently.

"Based on our current position, if we want to dock nearby to avoid sinking, the closest supply point is Wildflower Island to the south. There's a decently sized town there where we should be able to find the right materials."

"However, Wildflower Island is directly south of us. Even though it'll take less than four days to get there at our current speed, it's basically backtracking."

In other words, if Xia Nan chose to head to the nearest supply point at Wildflower Island for repairs, even if their speed returned to normal on the way back, the round trip just to return to their current spot would take nearly six days.

And that was without factoring in the time spent repairing the ship on the island.

If he really went along with that plan, he probably wouldn't make it to Salt Rock Port in time for the agreed meeting.

To sum it up, the current situation was actually quite simple.

For Xia Nan, there were only two choices.

The first: risk a shipwreck and continue sailing, spending a week to reach Salt Rock Port.

The worst-case scenario was that everyone on board would be forced into a maritime survival scenario midway.

The second: head to Wildflower Island for repairs, which would likely take over ten days in total.

The worst-case scenario there was completely missing his meeting with Forgan, arriving at Salt Rock Port only to find the man already gone.

What should he choose?

Xia Nan thought carefully and eventually came up with a relatively moderate compromise.

For safety's sake, the Wave-Chasing Sea Fang and its crew would head to Wildflower Island first to repair the ship.

Once the vessel was repaired enough to sail safely without sinking, they would begin their journey back.

As for him, he would disembark alone right here, at a position that was only a three-day voyage away from Salt Rock Port.

Taking a compass and a certain amount of survival supplies, he would take one of the ship's lifeboats and travel to Salt Rock Port by himself.

He felt like an absolute genius!

This maneuver would guarantee the safety of the Wave-Chasing Sea Fang and its many sailors, preventing them from sinking halfway through their journey. Meanwhile, it would also allow him to reach Salt Rock Port within the agreed timeframe.

And even if some accident occurred along the way, with his Class Grade physical attributes, he could easily handle it.

Time was tight, so he got right to work!

After carefully discussing the feasibility of the plan with the crew, Xia Nan quickly gathered the supplies he might need over the next few days. Before the moon had even reached the center of the sky, he set off alone in a small wooden boat, leaving the Wave-Chasing Sea Fang drifting on the sea behind him.

He wasn't worried that the sailors would take over the ship while he was gone.

After all, the original plan was always for the crew to drop him off at Salt Rock Port, sail back to Barracuda Bay, and dock the ship at the shipyard. When he had recruited them, he had thoroughly investigated their backgrounds with the help of the Blade of Vengeance members. Every single one of them was a family man with a spouse and children back in Barracuda Bay.

While it was true that the Wave-Chasing Sea Fang was worth a decent sum, and the loot on board—including the monster shell fragment—could fetch a fair amount of gold coins, if it were divided equally among all the sailors, the amount each person would actually get... really wasn't all that much.

More importantly, as long as these sailors wanted to continue operating in Barracuda Bay and the Southern Archipelagos, offending such a powerful Class Holder over a sum of gold that wouldn't even cover their retirement was incredibly unwise. Even if they got lucky and survived, they would spend the rest of their lives living in fear, unable to even continue their best profession as sailors lest their identities be exposed.

The men Xia Nan had hired were all veteran sailors with years of maritime experience.

They might act stupid in some regards, but when it came to their own interests and the angle of money, each one was shrewder than the last.

He figured that by now, the boatswain had already gathered the crew to spell out the pros and cons, ensuring no one did anything foolish.

The plan Xia Nan had devised was actually quite solid.

Coupled with his consideration of the crew's behavior, his prediction regarding the likelihood of their betrayal was dead on.

It was entirely foreseeable that, under the temporary leadership of a few senior crew members, the hastily repaired Wave-Chasing Sea Fang would dock securely at the pier of Salt Rock Port half a month later.

Then, after restocking on supplies and undergoing a thorough stem-to-stern overhaul, it would sail back to Barracuda Bay.

But on the other hand, his assessment of his own sailing skills and the ocean's weather conditions... was just a bit too optimistic.