Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 2 The Boat to the Other Shore
As Chen Ye walked along the muddy streets of the small town, he was shocked by what he saw.

Many women stood on the street, their eyes blank, like soulless puppets, staring blankly at passersby.

Judging from their skin color and occasional mannerisms, these women must have been pampered young ladies.

But nowadays, no matter if you are born into royalty or are of noble birth, you have to succumb to the cruel reality.

Especially in the Blackwater Lake area, women's fates are often even more tragic.

At least men can go into the water to collect pearls, even though this job could cost them their lives at any time, at least they can at least fill their stomachs temporarily.

But these women were different. Because of their weak constitution, they could not withstand the cold and damp air of the Blackwater Lake and could only make a living by doing odd jobs.

But how many jobs are there in a small town? With far more men than women, most women are left with only one option: prostitution.

Of course, some women, unwilling to endure such humiliation, chose to end their lives.

But in this place, even death is not a release; the women's corpses will also be taken away to be planted with flowers.

Chen Ye walked forward with his head down. As he passed by the street, the women seemed to come alive and began to do their best to show off their figures while forcing smiles on their faces, trying to attract this customer.

"Young master, would you like to play a game? It's very cheap!"

"Brother, I'll take it from you if you just give me a steamed bun."

Ignoring these voices, Chen Ye quickened his pace and left the area.

After he left, the women seemed to have gotten used to it and returned to the streets to continue their dazed state.

Chen Ye is not a saint, but he doesn't want to think about things between men and women right now.

The most important thing right now is to survive; there's no time to worry about anything else.

Soon, he arrived at his new residence.

As a fourth-degree criminal, the place he was given was much better than the dilapidated shack he had been in before. Although it was still rudimentary, at least the roof didn't leak, the walls didn't have any large holes, and he even had a decent bed.

Chen Ye closed the door and started a fire to cook.

A small handful of fine rice was cooked into a thin porridge, wheat cakes were roasted over a fire until golden brown, and a few slices of smoked meat, as thin as cicada wings, sizzled under the flames, emitting an enticing aroma.

Chen Ye wolfed down his food, which was immediately digested and absorbed, turning into precious nutrients to nourish his depleted body.

This is the result of the extraordinary physical gifts bestowed upon us.

This talent allows him to absorb nutrients from food to the maximum extent, even coarse grains can be converted into energy to nourish his body.

Chen Ye even suspected that once his level increased further, he might actually be able to survive by simply eating grass like cattle and horses.

After eating and drinking his fill, Chen Ye began to plan his actions for tomorrow.

Previously, to avoid danger and unnecessary attention, Chen Ye had been operating on the outskirts of the pearl-collecting area. Although the core area produced the highest quality spirit pearls, he had never been there.

But now that he had seen the ninth-grade spirit pearl at the dock, Chen Ye's desire was now uncontrollable.

Furthermore, he has already attracted the attention and covetousness of Zhao Qiu and others, so the priority at this time is to improve his strength as soon as possible, rather than continue to hide his abilities.

With that in mind, Chen Ye immediately began preparing what he would need for tomorrow.

There's really not much to prepare. Aside from essential clothing, the only thing worth paying attention to is a dagger.

This was a dagger that Chen Ye had traded two days' worth of rations for from a newly arrived criminal. It was ornately designed and even had many gems inlaid on the hilt, but Chen Ye had now pried them off.

That thing is utterly useless except for being uncomfortable to hold and easy to expose.

In this small town, the only things that circulate besides food and supplies are gold; other things like gems are practically worthless.

However, the dagger itself is made of very good material and is also very sharp.

Chen Ye packed it up and then placed a full basin of water behind the door and in front of the window, so that if someone sneaked in, he would be woken up immediately.

After preparing everything, Chen Ye went straight to sleep.

His sleep quality is now amazing, probably because of his animal body; he doesn't even dream anymore and sleeps until he naturally wakes up.

It was still dark outside when Chen Ye got up and started making ginger soup.

This is an essential item for pearl divers, as it helps to dispel the cold from their bodies after they go into the water.

After cooking, Chen Ye put it in a wooden barrel, then took the things and headed to the dock.

When he arrived at the dock, the sun had just risen, and many people were already queuing up to receive their talismans and spirit shovels for the day.

Chen Ye also picked up a copy and then prepared to board the ship.

Just then, he noticed three people standing on a boat in the distance; they were Zhao Qiu and his two companions who had been following him yesterday.

The three people seemed to be discussing something, glancing in their direction from time to time.

Chen Ye's heart sank slightly. He immediately lowered his head, got on his boat, and quickly rowed away from the dock.

Although he didn't know what Zhao Qiu and the other two were discussing, he knew trouble was brewing. By the time Chen Ye arrived at the core waters of the pearl-collecting area, the sun was already high in the sky. Several boats were moored there, but no one was in the water.

People are still waiting for the right opportunity.

Only when the sun is at its strongest will the yin energy of the lake be weakened to its lowest point.

Chen Ye was no exception. He found a relatively remote corner to moor the boat, took out a piece of smoked meat from his bag, and slowly began to eat it.

The smoked meat was as hard as wood and didn't taste very good, but Chen Ye ate it very carefully, chewing and swallowing it bit by bit to make sure not to waste a single bit of nutrition.

at last.

As the sun reached its zenith, its rays began to shine directly onto the lake's surface.

Without hesitation, Chen Ye immediately took off his outer clothes, hung the talisman around his neck, and then plunged into the water.

The water in the core area was colder and more damp than in the peripheral areas, but Chen Ye found that his blood and qi circulation was much smoother than usual today, perhaps because he had eaten and drunk his fill and slept well yesterday.

After quickly diving to the bottom, Chen Ye began searching for his target.

His ability to sense the spirit clam allowed him to clearly perceive the unique fluctuations that belonged to the spirit clam.

He quickly stopped in front of a thick layer of silt and then used a shovel to clear away the mud and sand.

After a moment, the spirit clam below was finally revealed.

This clam was as big as a round table and was very well hidden, buried deep in the mud, making it difficult for anyone to notice.

This is why Chen Ye possesses perception skills; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to find it.

With time running out, Chen Ye immediately began to pry open the spirit clam shell.

This spirit clam was clearly much more sturdy than the ones Chen Ye had encountered before. It took a lot of effort to pry open a crack, and then a pinkish fluorescence shone through it.
Chen Ye was overjoyed and used his strength to finally break the clam shell open.

Inside, a spirit pearl the size of a ping-pong ball lay quietly, radiating an alluring glow.

Without hesitation, Chen Ye reached out to take it, but at that moment, a strong sense of crisis suddenly surged into his heart.

Without thinking, Chen Ye suddenly exerted force with his waist and abdomen, and his whole body moved half a foot to the side in the water!

laugh!
A dark shadow brushed past his arm, leaving a trail of blood.

He looked closely and saw a strange fish, about a foot long, staring intently at him. The fish was entirely black, with razor-sharp teeth and eyes full of ferocity.

Instead of panicking, Chen Ye calmed down instantly.

As the strange fish lunged again, he advanced instead of retreating, and his spirit shovel struck the fish's head with pinpoint accuracy!
"boom!"

The faint spiritual energy imbued in the spirit shovel had a natural restraint on this water monster. The strange fish let out a silent cry of sorrow, its body stiffened, and it was directly slapped away, rolling several times in the water before fleeing in panic.

After dealing with the attackers, Chen Ye felt a tightness in his chest, and his lungs were almost empty.

He dared not delay any longer, grabbed the ninth-grade spirit pearl from the clam's flesh, and with a powerful kick, rushed desperately toward the lake.

As he struggled to rise, a line of small characters, visible only to him, quietly appeared before his eyes.

[The Ark of the Other Shore has detected absorbable spiritual energy. Absorb it?]

Become!

A surge of joy welled up in Chen Ye's heart; this spirit pearl was indeed the key to activating the Ark of the Other Shore!

"Wow!"

He finally broke the surface of the water, gasping for fresh air, and scrambled onto the small boat.

After drinking two large bowls of ginger soup and changing into dry clothes, Chen Ye finally felt alive again. He slumped into the cabin, glanced at the distant water, and saw that Zhao Qiu's ship was still in sight.

can not wait!
If these three discover that I have obtained a Grade 9 Spirit Pearl, the consequences will be unimaginable.

He glanced at the pink ninth-grade spirit pearl, and without the slightest hesitation, a thought struck him.

"Swallow!"

In an instant, the ninth-grade spirit pearl seemed to melt, turning into a stream of light that seeped into Chen Ye's palm.

The Ark to the Other Shore has been unlocked.

With this prompt, Chen Ye felt a burst of light before his eyes, and then a small boat appeared in his sea of ​​consciousness.

Chen Ye was somewhat taken aback when he saw what looked more like a canoe than a boat.

Is this the boat to the other shore?
The name sounds so grand and imposing, but the actual product looks like this.
Just as he was grumbling to himself, a faint light suddenly appeared on the bow of the dilapidated boat, and then the whole boat shook violently. Chen Ye felt as if his consciousness was suddenly pulled up by an invisible force and thrown into a bizarre vortex of light and color...

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(End of this chapter)