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

Chapter 9 The Soul of the Ship is Overjoyed
at the same time.

Joey, who was enjoying the drying process, was also secretly amazed by Shane's ability to control water.

"Is this also one of the abilities of the Secret Pathfinders?"

"As expected of the captain!"

Due to the current state of the world, nearly half of the professions on the thirty-two secret routes are closely related to the ocean.

Many secret professions possess abilities similar to controlling the sea.

This is also why Xia En dared to use his talent in front of her.

A moment later, Joey's clothes dried again, and his emotions finally calmed down.

"Thank you, Captain."

The girl lowered her head and said in a voice barely louder than a mosquito's buzz, "I want to go to my room and rest for a while."

Xia En nodded: "Go ahead."

After Joey left, Shane turned to look at the surrounding sea.

It must be said that after the initial novelty wears off, sea voyages are actually a tedious and boring experience.

Most of the time, the surrounding sea remains unchanged, and not a single island can be seen.

Not to mention, the Black Swan is currently still stranded in the same spot.

Looking at the deck that was half-finished, Shane sighed, "Since we're just killing time anyway, let's just finish it!"

He's always been a man of action; once he says he'll do something, he does it.

It's quite amazing.

As Shane began cleaning, he felt a sense of pleasure emanating from the deck, as if he were enjoying the process.

A realization dawned on Xia En.

For most sailors, the "soul of the ship" is just an abstract concept, like a spiritual anchor.

Very few people can truly communicate with the ship's spirit.

After awakening the [Eye of the Secret Sea], he established an extremely close connection with the ship's spirit.

Therefore, the Black Swan should not be regarded as an inanimate object, but rather as a companion with a soul!

Do you even understand what a bond is?
In the future, who knows, they might even develop some thrilling combo attacks!

Once Xia En understood this, he started grinding even more enthusiastically.

After the entire deck was completely renovated, a feeling of comfort and gratitude welled up from within.

The ship's spirit was overjoyed!

Your actions have touched the soul of the "Black Swan"!

[Ship Soul Level: LV1 (6%)]

[Black Swan "Sturdiness" +1!]

As the ship's attributes increased, a gentle warmth surged from his heart once more, strengthening Xia En's body.

Not only did their skin become more resilient, but their physical condition also improved.

"Excellent, excellent, truly worthy of being my soulmate!"

Xia En looked delighted and touched the deck beneath his feet with a smile: "When we have money, we'll definitely get you some better equipment."

A touch of childlike intimacy emanated from them.

After appeasing the ship's spirit, Xia En was also hungry.

He packed his things and went back to his cabin, only to find Joey's door tightly shut, and it seemed he wouldn't be coming out anytime soon.

Looks like I'll have to cook for myself today.

Xia En felt helpless, finally realizing the trouble caused by a lack of manpower.

Normally, chores like cleaning the deck and cooking wouldn't require the captain to do them personally.
"Once we get back to the island, we'll still have to figure out how to recruit a few people."

Thinking of this, Shane couldn't help but recall being abandoned by his former sailors, adding in his mind, "Strength or weakness is not the most important thing, the key is reliability!"

Upon entering the kitchen, Xia En immediately chopped the crab into eight pieces and steamed them in batches in a pot.

As long as the ingredients are fresh enough, the taste is generally not too bad.

As it turned out, Shane's experience was correct.

As soon as the pot was opened, a unique seafood aroma wafted out.

He casually tore open a crab leg as thick as an arm, revealing the plump and juicy crab meat inside.

The snow-white crab meat, tinged with a slight pink hue, trembled gently, making it incredibly tempting.

Xia En couldn't wait to take a bite. It was fresh, sweet, tender, and incredibly delicious—she almost swallowed her tongue. The shark soup was alright, but it paled in comparison to the crab.

"The flesh of mutated sea monsters seems to be generally more tender than that of ordinary marine creatures?"

Xia En's expression was strange: "Foodies are ecstatic, that's for sure."

Then, with great effort, he lifted the crab's back shell, revealing a lump of crab roe larger than a human head, making his mouth water.

Wouldn't one bite of this be incredibly delicious?

So, Shane holed up in the kitchen and devoured his food.

I'm going to eat, eat, eat!

The only problem is that this crab is just too big.

Although Shane's appetite increased dramatically after his physical abilities improved, it was still unrealistic for him to eat an entire giant crab.

He had no choice but to cook the whole crab as thoroughly as possible to slightly extend its shelf life.

"It's so fragrant!"

Half an hour later, Xia En patted his belly, feeling extremely satisfied. Being able to eat such a crab feast was truly a pleasure.

"Oh right, I almost forgot about my only crew member."

Out of concern for her employees, Xia En arrived at Joey's room and knocked on the door.

"Joey, I caught another big crab today, do you want to try some?"

Boom!
First, a muffled thud came from the room, like someone falling off the bed.

Then, Joey's voice rang out weakly: "Captain, I understand. I'll go get it from the kitchen myself later."

Xia En didn't think much of it, assuming she had just woken up, so she quickly turned and left.

What Xia En didn't know was—

Inside the room, Joey was slumped on the floor, his tense expression gradually relaxing.

She breathed a sigh of relief: "That was close... If the captain had barged in, we would have been doomed."

The reason she didn't stand up wasn't because she didn't want to, but because she couldn't.

At this moment, the girl's body below the waist was no longer two long, beautiful legs, but had become a tail like that of a fish.

The smooth, white scales covering it resemble pieces of crystal-clear jade, making it appear exquisite and beautiful, faintly carrying the scent of the deep sea.

In some people's mouths, the siren is also called...

Mermaid!
……

……

the next day.

Although not at the same time, but at the same place.

Shaen began his underwater journey once again.

Upon entering the perspective of the projected body, he noticed that the progress bar representing the [Power of the Ship Soul] seemed to have lengthened slightly.

"It must be because the [Sturdy] attribute increased by a little?"

As Xia En pondered the situation, he continued his movements, quickly diving down to the vicinity of the sunken ship.

With a quick glance, he spotted the large iron hook he had left behind yesterday.

I have to say, this thing is quite useful underwater. It's heavy and tough, and it can even deal armor-piercing damage in critical moments.

Its drawback is that it's too heavy; if Shane hadn't obtained the ship attribute, he really wouldn't have been able to control it.

Carrying the large iron hook, Xia En hurriedly swam into the cabin, wanting to avenge the giant crab that had pinched him yesterday.

But to his surprise, he came up empty-handed.

The cabin was empty, with no sign of the crab.

It seems that either it has temporarily gone out to forage for food, or it has abandoned this sanctuary.

"Hmph, you're lucky you got away fast!"

Somewhat disappointed, Shane put away the iron hook and officially began exploring the interior of the shipwreck.

Due to the limited time available for underwater navigation, Shane headed straight for the captain's cabin in the ship's hold.

Typically, this is where the most valuable items on the entire ship are stored.

Pushing open the half-closed door, the scene that came into view made Xia En frown.

(End of this chapter)