Witch, I'm really not an ancient god of the deep sea!

Chapter 4 Reward
Chen Qi pondered his next steps.

The little crow shook her head; she saw the excitement unique to newlyweds in the other person's eyes.

On this vast ocean, countless young people, carrying the hopes of their families, step from small islands into coastal metropolises, eager to make a name for themselves.

Cracks, especially unknown cracks, often contain a great deal of valuable stuff.

This small sum of money can be more than an average person earns in a year.

Among them are those who take the risk, tired of the daily grind, wanting to step into the Cracks, make a fortune, and become a respected superhuman.

Newspapers in big cities like to write about these few success stories every day, causing many newcomers to subconsciously overlook the high mortality rate of unknown cracks.

The little crow asked:
Have you ever been to the unknown rift?

I've been to quite a few places and am even a well-known travel guide writer.

Chen Qi thought to himself, but his original owner had indeed not stepped into any unknown rift instances.

He had never even been to the safe mine fissure in his hometown of Maro.

"No."

Chen Qi replied.

As expected! The little crow smiled slightly and sincerely advised:

"Don't believe the newspapers. Except for a few events, they're mostly made up. Getting rich overnight is a very difficult thing."

Unknown cracks are often extremely dangerous, especially for a newcomer like you.

Remember, this gun is for your self-defense, not a weapon for seeking wealth.

The crevice we're heading into next will be more dangerous than you imagine.

Although pirates are mostly desperate men chasing treasure, she didn't want a new accomplice, a precious 'patient,' to die so soon.

"Sister Crow, what kind of dangers are there in the rift we're going to?"

Chen Qi asked, feigning fear.

He needs more intelligence if he wants to devise an escape plan.

The little crow walked up to the jar of sea creatures and gently stroked one of the squid-shaped sea creatures:
"A large sea monster cave, where monsters capable of completely devouring a merchant ship reside."

The moment you see them, their writhing, crawling, damp bodies slowly seep into you, devouring you from head to toe, like swallowing a cherry, bit by bit...

Moreover, this is only the known intelligence.

As he spoke, the little crow curled up at the corner of its mouth, revealing a chilling smile paired with its jet-black crow mask.

Large sea creatures...

This is really...

Thumbs up!

Chen Qi was overjoyed. He now possessed a deep-sea affinity, meaning that most deep-sea beasts posed no threat to him.

They are all my dearest family and friends!

It could be said that this rift, which terrified the pirates, was tailor-made for him.

However, considering the little crow's cunning smile, he absolutely could not show such joy at this moment.

Absolutely not...

As the other party was his direct superior, he still needed to give him face and cooperate with the other party's villainous, sinister smile.

Chen Qi took a deep breath, indicating that it was indeed terrifying.

Seeing the other's expression, the little crow happily comforted it:
"But don't worry, in the rift, your job is to be my assistant, which means treating my injured crew members. Sea monsters are not something you need to deal with."

As long as you work hard, I will protect you even if you encounter danger.

Of course, the prerequisite is that you have to prove that you have value to be protected.

The little crow patted him on the shoulder.

"Ah."

Chen Qi nodded; he roughly understood what was going on.

Before returning to port, as long as he doesn't do anything too outrageous, he can receive the protection of this ship's doctor.

After speaking, the little crow's tone became serious:

"Alright, that's enough of the small talk."

Next, I will introduce your work. According to the ship's regulations, your dinner will depend on your work performance.

If your work causes losses, not only will you go hungry, but you will also be punished with caning.

The little crow explained to him in detail the work of the ship's doctor.

The ship's doctor's job was not complicated; it mainly involved cleaning the rooms and processing medicinal herbs.

Cleaning the room wasn't difficult; the little crow was someone who valued cleanliness and tidiness.

The real challenge lies in processing the medicinal materials.

Besides the usual herbs, there is another very special medicinal material:

Sea creatures.

The small sea creatures in the ship's medical room each carry a large amount of rare medicinal herbs.

For example, the pearls beneath the bell of a special jellyfish, the unique venom inside an octopus...

These sea creatures are all extraordinary animals, and their bodies can also produce extraordinary potions.

However, considering their renewability and the little crow's peculiar habits, these sea creatures must not be harmed when using these medicinal herbs.

Although these sea creatures are soaked in a special liquid, they are still extremely dangerous.

Improper handling during the extraction of these medicinal herbs could potentially result in fatal injuries.

This is like trying to pull a tooth out of the mouth of a strong, healthy tiger.

According to the little crow, the previous attack was due to improper handling; the crow was drunk and forgot to wear gloves, ultimately leading to infection with the sea monster's venom and death.

"Take it."

The little crow took out two books.

Chen Qi received the "Guide to the Use of Marine Animal Medicinal Materials" and a "Guide to First Aid for Normal Humans".

Before reaching the rift, in addition to his mission, he also had to find time to practice his marksmanship and gather some intelligence on the ship.

This task is easy to just get by...

The little crow instructed:

"Retrieving the medicinal herbs is the main task, but it's a bit difficult for beginners. You can practice in a safe sea monster jar on the table."

If you do a good job these next few days, I will give you a special reward.

A reward! Chen Qi instantly perked up.

Under other pirates, there are usually no extra rewards.

As he spoke, the little crow used a key to open a door in the ship's doctor's room.

Behind the door were glass jars filled with sea creatures.

At a quick glance, there were at least forty of these glass jars!

"If you can get more than three before tonight, add meat to your dinner."

If you can collect all five jars of herbs, I will give you a life-saving injection.

If you have strong learning and practical skills and can do more than ten, I will give you a super amazing potion.

The value of this medicine is so high that even if you worked hard for a year, you might not be able to afford it.

"What if there are more than fifteen?"

"Twenty is the level I'm at when I come personally."

The little crow snorted and sneered.

More than fifteen? Are you kidding me?
Extracting medicinal herbs from a sea monster sounds simple, but it requires a great deal of patience and skill. Even if Little Crow, who has been practicing medicine for many years, gives it his all, he probably can only extract twenty herbs by tonight.

"Don't set your goals too high at the beginning. Be realistic and be patient."

The little crow picked up a medicine box.
"Alright, I'll go check the ship's hygiene and distribute the medicine."

Remember, when dealing with marine mammals, don't lose patience; patience is key.

Remember this: every single one of these sea creatures is extremely precious, incredibly precious—precious enough to earn you ten more years of work.

After giving his instructions, the little crow left the ship's medical room, leaving Chenqi alone.

"call……"

After the other party left, Chen Qi sat in a chair and flipped through "Guide to the Use of Marine Animal Medicinal Materials".

The book contains numerous cases of failure and serious injury.

Life in another world isn't easy either. Some people die trying to extract medicinal herbs, others have to deal with dreaded mortgages, and still others have to study...

Five minutes passed in the blink of an eye. "Okay, five minutes have passed, and I completely understand now."

Chen Qi closed the book; his mind had fully grasped how to extract the medicinal herbs from the sea beast.

His starting stats are too weak right now; he needs to develop his character for a while.

The little crow is a doctor and has many powerful potions. If he can obtain these potions as rewards, they will be of great help to his future actions.

Before deciding to escape, it's best to behave yourself.

Chen Qi entered the room where the sea monster tanks were stored, put on gloves, and began his work!
Logically, he possesses an affinity for the deep sea, so sea monsters wouldn't attack him unprovoked. Therefore, obtaining medicinal herbs should be a piece of cake for him.

However, the specific effects of deep-sea affinity still require further verification.

First, Chen Qi took a liking to a black octopus the size of a human head.

He slowly reached into the jar, immersed it in the water, and then into the mouth under the octopus's head.

Then, raise your middle and index fingers and carefully peel off the granular special medicinal material from the octopus.

According to the book, every step is important.

Slowly, be patient...

Suddenly, the octopus's tentacles and suckers exerted force and wrapped around his wrist.

Damn it, we made a mistake!

He understood it in his mind, but not in his hands!

At that moment, the monster from the deep sea suddenly tightened its tentacles, emitting an indescribable, strange sound, like a low weeping, or a kind of mournful music.

What is it trying to convey to him?
Is it fear, hostility, assimilation, or introducing me to their gods?
I broke out in a cold sweat when I woke up in the morning.

Although he possesses a deep-sea affinity, he does not understand the language of deep-sea monsters.

He could only rely on intuition, his body's intuition, to sense this ancient biological information.

Feel it, slowly feel it...

If you take it slow, you'll be able to decipher the terrifying language of this sea monster!

Start your day by relaxing your body and focusing your attention on your hands.

Finally, in a single moment!
Chen Qi sensed the meaning of that ancient biological language:
"Ah, that feels so good, again, again~"

Hey!
The moment he felt it, Chen Qi felt a chill run down his spine, and he couldn't help but curse under his breath. He then grabbed the herbs and pulled his hand out of the jar.

His face showed terror, his pupils contracted, as he stared at the terrifying octopus-like sea monster inside the jar.

What the hell did he just sense?! Is this a message a deep-sea monster should be sending to humans?! What about its dignity as a monster?!

Could it be that my mistake just now led to this sea monster having a more comfortable time?

Wait, what part of this sea monster did I just touch?
Chen Qi shook his head, not wanting to think about it too much; he wasn't a deep-sea creature enthusiast.

In any case, he retrieved the medicinal herbs and gained a deeper understanding of his deep-sea affinity talent.

This also shows that his deep-sea affinity is indeed strong!

boom!
Just then, the door to the ship's medical room was suddenly pushed open, and the little crow slowly poked its head in, looking at the still-shaken Chen Qi.

She had just passed by when she heard the sound of sea monsters and Chen Qi backing away.

The sounds of some sea creatures possess a magical power to instill fear in people.

Chen Qi's reaction clearly showed that he was frightened.

"Are sea monsters still too terrifying for ordinary people?" the little crow gently shook its head.

At this rate, let alone more than five, even if we can get three by tonight, it's questionable.

There's even a possibility of developing thalassophobia!
How am I supposed to work under her now?

"It's not easy to train a good assistant," the little crow thought to itself, then reassured the crow.

"Stay calm, take it slow, there's still plenty of time before nightfall."

Don't be afraid of one failure.

This is something that cannot help but be fearful—Chen Qi thought to himself.

After saying that, the little crow withdrew its head and left again.

She has a lot of work to do today, and as they get closer to the target crack, more and more people are starting to experience symptoms of discomfort.

"Tsk..."

"I'll be more careful next time," Chen Qi patted his face, looked at the strangely shaped small sea creatures, and rolled up his sleeves again.

He was now certain that, given his affinity for the deep sea, retrieving these medicinal herbs would be extremely easy for him.

These sea creatures were not monsters to him, but like human children holding lollipops!

All he had to do was snatch the lollipop from the other person with quick eyes and hands!
It will take at most an hour to retrieve everything.

All you need to do every now and then is casually take some medicinal herbs from the sea monster.

This means he has a lot of free time today.

Chen Qi turned his head and looked out through the small window at the Collector's pistol at his waist.

The fog was getting thicker; we weren't far from the crack.

He is not proficient in using firearms and lacks knowledge of close-combat weapons. He needs to take some time to improve his combat skills.

At the same time, in order to escape, it is best to observe the condition of the entire ship.

That's the decision...

Chen Qi revealed a resolute look in his eyes.

Get started!
……

……

A busy day passed in the blink of an eye, night fell, and the Sawshark sailed smoothly in the darkness.

"It's done!"

Chen Qi slumped back in his chair. He had finished his work for the day, observing the condition of the entire Sawshark.

At the same time, he also sought out the pirates outside and practiced his shooting skills for a while.

"I'm back. How did the work go?"

After finishing her work, the little crow opened the door. She had two pieces of dry bread in her right hand, a medicine box on her shoulder, and a leather whip in her left hand.

whip!

Chen Qi, who was resting on a chair, was startled when he saw this object.

I feel so much more energetic now!
On pirate ships with a violent atmosphere, newcomers are usually targeted. The pirates will find ways to cause trouble and then beat them up.

Especially for someone like Chen Qi, who was a slave turned crew member with no background.

Today, while observing the Sawshark at dawn, I heard about the ship's doctor, Little Crow, from some of the crew members.

This adorable yet cunning Miss Raven, as seen on the website in her previous life, was, in the eyes of these bloodthirsty pirates, a terrifying and eccentric doctor.

He would utter eerie laughter while examining patients, refuse to administer anesthesia to crew members during surgeries, and use violence against patients who did not follow medical advice…

Through violence, the little crow became a fearsome presence for many crew members.

Considering her undercover identity, this could very well be her revenge against the 'pirates'.

However, according to Chen Qi's speculation, there is another reason.

The other person may have sadistic tendencies!

Especially considering the other party had a whip! This further confirmed his suspicions!
This is definitely bad news for him!

"Sister Crow, let me help you put your things away."

Chen Qi immediately went over and took the medicine box, bread, and whip from the other person, then slowly placed them on the cabinet.

How's the work going?

The little crow turned its hand around and asked.

Based on the management tips that Captain Blackeye shared with her today, she should give him bitterness after the sweetness. She should give this new crew member some recognition tonight to establish her authority!
After all, she wasn't very tall, and her voice wasn't fierce, so she couldn't intimidate people like Captain Blackeye just by looking at her eyes.

Chen Qi quickly replied:
"The cleaning is complete. As for the medicinal herbs, according to the guidelines, a total of nineteen jars of medicinal herbs were collected."

"How many?"

The little crow's eager little hands instantly went limp.

"nineteen."

Chen Qi answered seriously again, saying that his original owner had experience dealing with sea monsters, and that the number was not an exaggeration.

It wasn't fifty cans, because he was lazy and wanted to be realistic.

It wasn't twenty cans; it was to give his boss, that little crow, some face.

(End of this chapter)