Chapter 396 - 294: The Secret Realm’s Ship Arrives (Part 1)

Chapter 396: Chapter 294: The Secret Realm’s Ship Arrives (Part 1)

Wu Liangchen sat at the bow of the ship, leisurely fishing.

This was already their tenth day at Heaven’s End. There was still no sign of the merchant ship from the overseas secret realm, but Wu Liangchen wasn’t the least bit anxious.

Because there was no use in being anxious, he might as well use this rare moment of leisure to get some proper rest.

Wu Liangchen had a premonition that once he reached the secret realm, he would rarely have such ample leisure time again.

But while he was in no hurry, Annabelle and the others were growing restless.

Based on past precedent, the merchant ship from the overseas secret realm should have arrived three days ago at the latest. But now, there wasn’t a single sign of it, let alone the ship itself.

’Could something have gone wrong?’

The thought weighed heavily on Annabelle’s heart.

In truth, her feelings at that moment were complicated. She wanted the merchant ship to arrive soon, but at the same time, she hoped it wouldn’t come too quickly.

These seemingly contradictory emotions were a reflection of her complex feelings for Wu Liangchen.

First, if something had truly gone wrong with the merchant ship, preventing it from arriving as scheduled, then the agreement between the Bell Clan and Wu Liangchen would be considered breached.

Even though it wouldn’t be her fault, Annabelle would still feel immense guilt.

At the same time, she also knew that if the merchant ship arrived, it would mean she and Wu Liangchen would have to part ways.

’Actually, "parting" wasn’t quite the right word.’

Annabelle was keenly aware that Wu Liangchen had never been interested in her. Despite her repeated advances, she had been rejected every single time, without exception.

It had even made her wonder if she had grown ugly. ’Otherwise, how could any man possibly be so indifferent to me?’

It wasn’t until she personally experienced the great pirate battle that Annabelle finally understood. In the eyes of a man like Wu Liangchen, worldly power, wealth, and beauty were utterly shallow.

’With his power, he could have all those things whenever he wanted.’

’So, it was only natural that he wouldn’t be interested in me.’

Yet she still secretly used the word "parting" to describe it.

’After all... once they said goodbye this time, who knew how many years it would be before they met again.’

At this thought, she stole a glance at the figure fishing from a half-reclined chair at the bow, her heart a whirlwind of indescribable, mixed emotions.

Suddenly, Wu Liangchen, who had appeared to be dozing off with his eyes narrowed, sat bolt upright. His gaze sharpened, piercing through the thick fog in the distance.

Startled, Annabelle hurried to the bow and asked in a low voice, "What’s happening?"

Wu Liangchen’s expression was grim. "The sea is trembling."

’The sea is trembling?’

Annabelle looked down at his words, but the sea was as smooth as a mirror, without a single ripple. ’Where was this trembling he spoke of?’

Just as she was wondering, the sound of a ship’s horn echoed from the distant fog.

The sound was faint, yet unmistakable.

When the sound reached Annabelle’s ears, her spirits soared.

"It’s the merchant ship from the overseas secret realm! It’s finally here!"

As if to confirm her words, another blast from a ship’s horn quickly followed from within the sea fog.

This one was much louder, and everyone in the fleet heard it.

Not only that, but the sea began to churn violently. At the same time, a massive silhouette began to emerge from the fog. Then, a colossal ship slowly appeared before them.

Although he had already heard from Graham and Annabelle that the merchant ship from the overseas secret realm was enormous, even Wu Liangchen was stunned when he finally saw it with his own eyes.

The colossal vessel looked remarkably like an aircraft carrier from Wu Liangchen’s past life, only much, much larger.

And unlike the Folangji ships, which were made mostly of wood with steel used only for critical parts, this giant vessel was sheathed entirely in a cold, metallic luster.

But this steel behemoth was covered in scars.

There were marks from impacts and deep, gouging scratches.

Wu Liangchen’s eyes flickered as he looked at the claw marks on the steel hull, some of which were over half a meter deep.

’Judging from their shape, they must have been left by some colossal beast.’

’But what kind of monster could leave such deep marks on a ship forged from solid steel?’

Meanwhile, Annabelle’s face was flushed with excitement.

"Gods, it’s a Main-Sequence Ship!"

That’s right, the merchant ships from the overseas secret realm were graded by rank.

After years of investigation, the Bell Clan had managed to roughly figure out the ships’ appearance patterns and ranking system.

But no matter the classification, the enormous steel vessel before them belonged to the absolute highest tier.

And a Main-Sequence Ship like this was a rare sight.

Once the colossal ship came to a stop, a section of its hull slowly opened, revealing a ramp that extended down to the sea’s surface.

The ramp then extended further across the water, forming a temporary dock in the blink of an eye.

The entire process was automated yet perfectly methodical, leaving the crew of the fleet who witnessed it absolutely breathless.

Wu Liangchen’s eyes, however, lit up with interest.

’The technology demonstrated by this alone surpasses anything from my past life. I can’t think of any tech that could operate so seamlessly.’

Just then, with a flicker of lights, a group of people emerged from the colossal ship and walked down the ramp onto the temporary dock.

"Master Wu, those must be the crew members from the secret realm’s ship who handle liaisons," Graham whispered.

Wu Liangchen said nothing, merely watching the group in silence.

He noticed that although they were merely crew members, even the weakest among them possessed power equivalent to a second-realm Martial Artist. The leaders, in particular, radiated an aura no less imposing than that of a Grandmaster.

’Their clothes are unique, too. They look a bit like company uniforms from my past life, only far more refined.’

"Let’s go. Time to meet them," Wu Liangchen said suddenly.

"Yes!" Graham hastily replied, though he felt a knot of anxiety in his stomach.

’As someone who had dealt with these overseas merchant ships before, he knew just how arrogant and overbearing their crews could be.’

’Especially with a high-ranking vessel like this, these crew members are clearly a cut above the rest.’

’If they turn out to be just as arrogant and rude, how will Master Wu handle it?’

The thought made Graham even more anxious.

However, just as Wu Liangchen was preparing to head over, Annabelle had already steered her boat toward the dock and begun speaking with the crew members.

Although they were too far away to hear the conversation clearly, it was obvious from the crew’s increasingly mocking expressions and Annabelle’s agitated, flushed face that the exchange was not a pleasant one.

Realizing this, Wu Liangchen wasted no more time. He leaped into the air, shot across the water’s surface, and landed squarely on the temporary dock.

"Well, well, another Martial Cultivator. This trip is certainly getting lively!" the leader said with a snicker upon seeing him.

The other crew members, not the least bit flustered, all joined in the laughter.