We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 68, Eye of the Secret Sea, add it to my list!

The wood and sails are of quite good quality.

The shipwrights were also very enthusiastic, and their skills were impeccable.

But as a price, in just a short time, Shane spent 40 gold dragon coins.

Part of the money was for materials, and the other part was a deposit for the shipwrights.

The speed at which money was being spent made even Xia En feel a pang of heartache.

But when he thought about how it was for strengthening Xiao Hei, he felt that the money was well spent!
at this time.

The Black Swan has entered a dock in Silvermoon Bay.

The shipwrights, along with their apprentices, were ready and at any moment to begin work.

[Master, what are you doing?]

In my mind, I heard Xiao Hei's timid question.

Unlike the previous minor modifications, this time Xia En plans to replace the deck and hull with new ones. If the keel were not impossible to remove, he would have even replaced the keel.

For Xiao Hei, it's like exposing his body, inside and out, to a group of strangers and then thoroughly renovating it, which naturally creates feelings of unease.

Xia En touched the deck and gently comforted him, "This is the necessary path to make you stronger."

"It might hurt a little, so you'll have to bear with it."

"But it's okay, I'll stay by your side."

[Get stronger! Little Black needs to get stronger!]

[Little Black is going to become its master's helper!]

For the Black Swan, Shane was the one who truly awakened it, giving it a soul.

It was also the first and closest person it perceived at the very beginning of its consciousness, and it naturally carried the affection of an infant for its parents.

And with each dive, this bond and connection grew stronger.

At this moment, it was naturally willing to bear the pain of becoming stronger for Shane.

"Good little blackie!"

Xia En felt both gratified and guilty upon hearing this.

What's gratifying is Xiao Hei's awareness, but what's regrettable is that the strengthening he needs to undergo doesn't stop there.

Xia En turned his gaze to the panel.

Solid wooden keel (normal) (+)

To be honest, at this point, Shane hesitated a bit.

In terms of performance, the enhanced components are significantly better than the unenhanced ones.

However, the art style of the components seems to be inevitably developing in a bizarre and terrifying direction.

Is this also a case of trading good looks for strength?

But then he thought, no matter how the Black Swan appears to outsiders, to him, this ship is the best!

With that in mind, Xia En no longer hesitated and poured the [Filthy Crystal] into the keel of the ship.

"Eye of the Secret Sea, add it to my inventory!"

【"Filthy Crystals" - 50!】

[Estimated enhancement time: 7 days!]

The keel is the most important skeleton of the ship, playing a role in supporting the entire ship, and naturally requires far more [Filthy Crystals] than cannons.

As the [Filthy Crystal] was injected, the ship suddenly trembled slightly.

Strange patterns seemed to appear and disappear on the dragon bone, and a faint, breathing-like rhythm began to emanate from it.

However, Xiao Hei's reaction was not quite what Xia En had expected.

【Master, what is this?】

[It feels so cool and refreshing, penetrating deep into my body, it feels so good...]

[It smells like my owner inside!]

[More... is needed...]

Shane: "???"

This...this doesn't seem right, does it?

He thought Xiao Hei would feel uncomfortable or repulsed by the [Filthy Crystal], but why did he seem to enjoy it instead?

Xia En considered a possibility: the essence of the [Filthy Crystal] was actually the [Secret Sea Crystal].

The reason he cannot absorb it directly may be because the "filth" in it would pollute his soul.

However, when applied to the hull, it cleverly avoids this problem.

With that, Xia En breathed a sigh of relief. Since Xiao Hei had no objections…

Intensify!

【Storm Ray Sail (+)】

[Filth Crystallization - 10!]

[Estimated enhancement time: 2 days!]

Since important components such as the hull, cannons, and steam turbines still need to be strengthened later, Shane reserved about half of the [Filthy Crystals].

He intended to place the enhanced sail into the Ring of Revelation, but sensed a powerful repulsive force.

It's likely because the sails are "activated" and have been identified as living things by the spatial ring.

Shaen had no choice but to place it in a compartment, intending to take it out and assemble it after the enhancement was completed.

Walking onto the deck, looking at the shipwrights busily working on both sides of the ship, Xia En thought to himself.

"According to the experienced craftsman, this renovation will take at least eight or nine days."

"If we rush the work, we should be able to make it in time for the [Blood Moon Night] in half a month."

Normally, such a large project could take one or two months.

But who can blame Xia En for having the financial power?

Spending a little money to improve efficiency and save time is undoubtedly a worthwhile investment.

"We also need to find buyers for the steam turbines and cannons as soon as possible, otherwise it would be awkward if we missed the [Blood Moon Night] because the enhancement time was too long."

"We also need to gather intelligence and recruit crew members..."

These things sound troublesome, and they are actually not easy to do at all.

Especially the matter of recruiting crew members.

If you want to recruit ordinary sailors, as long as you have money, you can easily recruit a large number of them.

But those crew members were useless on the Black Swan; they weren't even needed to steer the ship. They were just parasites wasting food.

With a try-it-out mentality, Shane went to the "talent market" on Silvermoon Island—the tavern—and took a stroll around.

The result was truly indescribable.

With the Blood Moon Night approaching, the taverns on Silvermoon Island are a melting pot of all sorts of people.

There are countless lowly sailors, as well as a few truly skilled secret travelers.

Xia En naturally wouldn't consider the former.

But when he came into contact with the latter...

The conversation was going well until the Black Swan was introduced, at which point most of the Secret Pathfinders lost interest and quickly ended the discussion.

Xia En could easily understand this.

The Black Swan gained some fame for eliminating pirate ships such as the Black Mountain and the Angry Shark.

However, among the many ships that visited Silvermoon Island, it was still relatively unknown and quite different from true heroes and strongmen.

The secret travelers were proud and arrogant, so naturally they looked down on this small boat.

This is similar to a blind date.

It's not enough for you to be interested in someone; you also have to see if they're interested in you.

To put it bluntly, it's because your regional reputation isn't high enough!
If the Black Swan gains a great reputation, a group of secret travelers will come to worship it without Xia En even having to ask.

There was only one Minotaur ship doctor, and both sides were quite satisfied after the negotiations.

Before he could even leave the tavern, a large group of island guards rushed over and shouted at him.

"Your case has been exposed. Come with us!"

Afterwards, Xia En learned from others that the ship's doctor had climbed into the bed of the wife of a big shot on the island and was trying to escape on someone else's ship!
So you really are a NTR person!

As Xia En watched the ship's doctor being led away, the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

"It seems we still need to ask Garnier to help us find a few candidates."

That's the downside of being in an unfamiliar place.

Without connections and channels, it takes a lot of energy and time just to figure out whether someone is reliable or not.

At this point, Shane missed the owner of the Wind and Waves Tavern, Bess, terribly.

laugh--

Just then, a sound of steam billowing out came from the tavern entrance.

The figure walking in from outside the door quickly attracted the attention of everyone present.

(End of this chapter)