I have to get lucky right away.

Chapter 376 This is called professionalism
The massive, rusted hull of the "Snake Tail" slowly slowed down, and guided by several speedboats, it gently sailed into a natural bay surrounded by towering black cliffs.

Bloodclaw Bay—the name doesn't sound appealing, but it's the kind of place pirates love. As a place for pirates from the Torridge Islands to sell their stolen goods, everything here naturally has to be tailored to their tastes.

The ship had not yet docked when a strong, salty, rotten fish and shrimp smell, sulfurous odor from burning cheap fuel, body odor, excrement, and some kind of inferior fragrance wafted in with the sea breeze. Feng Xue, who was already on the deck, almost fainted. On the other hand, Fina, who had removed her nose, looked calm, making Feng Xue wish she could remove her own nose too.

As far as the eye could see, there were ships packed together in dense clusters. There were pirate ships with tattered black sails and hulls riddled with knife marks and bullet holes; there were armed merchant ships that had been crudely modified and had extra cannons welded on; and there were even a few strange submersibles that looked like giant armored turtles and spewed steam.

The dock itself resembles a giant, rusty, barnacle-covered steel centipede, giving it a menacing and impactful appearance.

Logically speaking, the Red family's technology shouldn't have resulted in such a poorly constructed port. However, since they were dealing with a pirate group, a makeshift private port would obviously provide them with a greater sense of security than a well-organized official harbor.

To be honest, the port is actually quite well-built. But if you look at the shore, the unplanned cluster of buildings is truly a sight to behold.

The low tin shacks and crooked stone and wood sheds, regardless of the building materials, all have ostentatious neon signs that are so bright they are dazzling even in daylight. Even standing on the dock, you can see the exaggerated lights and shadows, as if they are afraid that guests will not see them.

The sounds of loading and unloading cargo at the dock were mixed with all sorts of noise, which inevitably made people feel a little irritable.

Having had part of his memories erased by the Bewitching Heart and filled with new memories using the Emperor's Dew, Captain Nerus, leaning on the railing, gave orders to his underlings:
"Same as always, you have four hours of free time. I want to see you all gathered at the East Bank pier in four hours! Anyone who dares to be late knows the consequences!"

"Yes!"

The sailors, who had been at sea for almost two months, immediately let out excited howls. After glancing at the transfer amount, they rushed off the ship with howls.

Feng Xue and Fina, who had specially chosen to be best friends who even shared a pot of tea, also mingled with each other in the crowd, arm in arm, and rushed toward the island's famous teahouse.

However, the teahouse owner had obviously seen many sailors who had been at sea for a long time. Before they could even say a word, a group of tea masters rushed over.

The sailors didn't pick and choose; they just grabbed one and headed into the guest rooms. Feng Xue was worried that Fina's act wouldn't be convincing, but then she saw Fina reveal an extremely lewd smile, grab a heavily made-up female waitress, and hoist her onto her shoulder.

Seeing this, Feng Xue immediately reached out and patted the waitress's pert, rounded breasts, nodding and saying:

"You have great taste! Let's go together!"

However, Feng Xue naturally looked down on such vulgar women. Once inside, before Fina could retrieve the audio data, she beckoned with her hand:

"Yingbao, the rest is up to you. Oh, and don't forget to implant the relevant memories into this waiter as well!"

"I know, I know!"

Upon hearing this, Yingbao instantly emanated a ghostly aura from her body. Immediately afterward, the sound of tea tasting filled the narrow room. To ensure authenticity, she even added some external injuries to the tea master.

As for why Yingbao, who can't even figure out a single illusion layer, can do such a professional job... it's probably because of Feng Xue's teachings.

……

Meanwhile, after watching his team leave, Nerus finally managed to exchange the password, handed the ship over to the crew member in charge of receiving them, and went into a safe house near the dock to begin his report. "You returned to port two days earlier than planned."

As Nerus entered the safe house, a man who seemed to have been waiting indifferently spoke.

Upon hearing this, Nerus replied respectfully:

"We encountered a user with the ability to dissipate earth fragments on the way. His ability was very strong, and he caused some damage to the ship during the battle. I was worried that the ship might have suffered hidden damage, so I chose to return to port for inspection. Our mission for this voyage has been accomplished, and the tribute has exceeded the stipulated 20%, which is sufficient..."

“I’m not holding anyone accountable, this is just a routine inquiry. You should understand that I have to be vigilant about every little thing, especially in this troublesome time.”

"Trouble?" Upon hearing the man's words, Nerus was taken aback, but the man shook his head and said:

"You'll find out when you get back to your family. There's no point in telling you now. Compared to this, what about that Earth Shard ability user?"

"They escaped. Their abilities were incredibly strange; anyone who touched them would be crushed into a meat patty. Fortunately, the weight didn't exceed the ship's carrying capacity, or we wouldn't have made it back." Nirus recalled the humanoid dents on the deck, his face still showing lingering fear.

"Weight?" The man seemed to realize something, his breathing became a little rapid, but then he shook his head. If it really was the person he was thinking of, this ship would not have been able to force him back at all.

"It must be the fragments of the earth that granted me this ability..." the man thought to himself, but he didn't forget to continue aloud:

"The boatmen will verify what you said. Next, regarding the crew, do you have any promising candidates to recommend this time?"

"Bessie and Shupp are pretty good, brave in battle, but lacking in experience and skill. Kavi and Rosbury also performed well this time, they shouldn't be eliminated again, and so does Kenlyl..."

Nerus pulled out his notebook, flipping through it as he recalled the sailors' performance on the mission. The man wrote down their words, but in the end, he couldn't help but say:

"What about Pavila and Nibist?"

“Dead…” Nerus said with a hint of helplessness.

"When they saw the Earth Shard ability user, the two rushed to the front, and then each of them was turned into a meat patty. The two deepest humanoid dents on the bow of the ship were made by them."

"Were the other dead also chosen by the gods?" The man's tone turned cold, but Nerus shook his head indifferently.

"No, although five of the God-Chosen Ones died, these two were the only new ones who boarded the ship. The others who boarded at the same time were all fine. The unluckiest one only lost an arm and was fine after a good night's sleep. It shouldn't be that the Earth Fragment ability user deliberately targeted him."

"Sigh..." The man could only sigh when he heard him say that. It was a bit of a pity that the two most promising people in this round had died.

However, the ships of the Upper Coast Guard are built on a foundation of risking their lives, so it's no wonder that those without connections died.

Thinking this through, the man asked a few more routine questions before standing up and saying:
"That's about enough. You wait here while I report back. Once I confirm everything is alright, you can prepare to return..."

(End of this chapter)