In this cyberpunk era, why are you still playing the traditional villain?

He nodded calmly.

"Okay, thank you for your trouble, Brother Xu."

Pan Cheng nodded in agreement, handed him the compass, and then turned around to pick up the mop.

"I told you, you don't need to do such trivial things."

Xu Shi chuckled and quickly pulled him back.

"you……"

"How about this? We actually have a lot of questions to ask you. It's windy and unsafe on the deck, so why don't we come in and talk?"

Xu Shi quickly ushered them in, "Like this compass, and your boat... My lady is so engrossed in these things that she didn't even sleep well last night."

"Is that right?"

Pan Cheng was taken aback. "But I don't really understand these things... Xiao Mei is in charge of these things on our ship. Should I ask her about these matters?"

As he spoke, he summoned someone.

"I'm Xiaomei, nice to meet you, Captain Xu!"

Xu Shi then realized that it was actually a woman! Good heavens, he hadn't paid much attention when making the arrangements yesterday, assuming that Pan Cheng's fleet was all men. This burly woman...

However, I only contacted her to discuss engineering and materials issues; what she looked like was not important.

Before long, Jiang Chengcheng and Xiaomei were having a lively discussion.

Xia Wuyou also met up with a few people to discuss the "Sea God" question that interested him.

As for Xu Shi, he was holding his beloved daughter and chatting idly with Pan Cheng.

"Brother Xu's daughter is so cute, much better than my two naughty kids."

Seeing Xia Ke'an's unhappy face, Pan Cheng made a face like he was trying to coax a child, "Why doesn't this child smile? ...Did your father bully you?"

I think I did hear a child crying last night, right...?

The old lady looked gloomy; it would be a miracle if she were happy... But to maintain her persona, she forced a smile and tugged at the corners of her mouth.

Xu Shi was overjoyed. Since you've chosen to be my daughter, you should be prepared, old auntie!

"Kids need to be disciplined to grow up properly."

He gave a perfunctory answer, then changed the subject by looking at the gun tucked into the other person's waist, "Speaking of which, conquering that sea god is a big deal, right? Brother Pan, is this all the weapons you brought?"

The surviving crew members of Silverpine Island each had one or two guns, but judging from their structure, they were just matchlock guns and flintlock guns.

The only thing that attracted him was the ammunition that these weapons were equipped with. After identification, it turned out to be "rust fog" ammunition, but the manufacturing process was rather rough. In terms of effectiveness, it was probably not as good as the ordinary ammunition produced by Night City.

Pan Cheng said that the ship was originally equipped with cannons, but even with them, it was still not enough to deal with the surging school of fish.

"Not entirely. For this voyage, we specifically brought Ashin along; he's the only 'Chosen One' on the island who can control lightning."

Pan Cheng shook his head, "At first, we were able to handle those fish with him, but who knew that this would happen and Ah Xin couldn't survive either... Sigh."

"The Chosen One?"

This word caught Xu Shi's attention.

"Yes, Brother Xu, you didn't know?"

Pan Cheng countered, "The Lord's grace extends across the earth, and those who are enlightened by Him all receive His power... In fact, I am also a 'Chosen One,' look."

As he spoke, his muscles began to swell, and he instantly grew larger, clearly indicating that he was either specializing in strength or defense.

"...I know, it's just that we call it differently where I'm from, so I didn't realize it at first."

Xu Shi nodded and made up an excuse to brush it off.

In the City of Night Sin, those are the "Ascended Ones," and nobody believes in God.

To be honest, Pan Cheng's abilities are just average. There are similar cases in Night City, like Lei Song, right? If I remember correctly, he's not even at the A- level...

"Oh, I knew it! Brother Xu, your guard looks like a 'Chosen One' too."

Lei Song expressed his understanding, recalling Shen Qin's appearance yesterday and exclaiming in admiration, "But her abilities are much stronger than mine, I really envy her... Sigh, actually my abilities are really useless, I just have a bit more strength."

"As for Ah Xin, since that kid Luo Yu, he's probably the most promising one on Silver Pine Island. With proper training, he could definitely go to the Holy See... It was my oversight that ruined him..."

"Uncle Pan, don't be sad."

Xia Ke'an, taking advantage of her young age, offered him a word of comfort.

Xu Shi's focus was somewhat different.

"Who is Luo Yu, Brother Pan?"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 213 I learned it when I was eighteen, how about you?

Don't know why.

Even though he knew nothing about this person, Xu Shi subconsciously felt a strange reaction when he heard his name.

"Luo Yu... he is the pride of our Silver Pine Island!"

Seeing that he seemed interested, Pan Cheng enthusiastically introduced it to him.

“He was an orphan on our island. More than ten years ago, we found a basket on the beach and didn’t know who his parents were… Later, we discussed it and decided to adopt him.”

When the topic of Luo Yu came up, Pan Cheng's displeasure vanished instantly. "That kid is quite promising. He's quick-witted and physically strong, and everyone likes him very much."

"A few years later, he awakened as a 'Chosen One' and said he wanted to go out and explore the world. When he returned, he was already a Silver Knight of the Imperial Bishopric! Wow, he really made everyone proud..."

He rattled off a whole bunch of things, completely oblivious to the subtle changes in Xu Shi's expression.

Xu Shi wasn't in a hurry. After listening to Luo Yu recount his life story in great detail, he showed more approval.

"He's only eighteen this year? That's quite an achievement for someone so young."

He echoed the praise, saying, "I wonder if I'll ever have the honor of meeting him?"

This guy is even younger than Gu Yi, really?!

So, what was I doing when I was eighteen?

Oh, you've learned how to use Impart? That's alright then.

"What are you saying? Brother Xu, if you want to see me, would I refuse?"

Pan Cheng readily agreed, "This kid said he wanted to come back a few days ago. If you stay a few more days, you'll definitely be able to see him!"

"Speaking of which, Brother Xu, you're just as young and promising. You're the same age, so you'll definitely have a lot to talk about..."

"Forget about people his age, I'm almost ten years older than him, my youth is gone."

Xu Shi smiled modestly, realizing he was almost twenty-six in the blink of an eye... "But I really look forward to it, Brother Pan, please take good care of me."

How could I not look forward to it?

After chatting for a while, seeing that Jiang Chengcheng and Xia Wuyou were still talking with the people from Silver Pine Island, Xu Shi made an excuse and left with Xia Ke'an.

"It seems like the bad dad has ulterior motives towards them."

The older woman had a sharp eye and directly pointed out Xu Shi's thoughts.

"You can't say that."

Xu Shi tapped her on the forehead. "But this Luo Yu is most likely the 'protagonist' of the Hua Lan Empire. How can I not pay attention?"

Anyway, that's how he felt. He was an orphan, a prodigy at a young age, and seemed to have some special abilities... Although Pan Cheng didn't explain what those abilities were, it already fit the so-called protagonist framework.

And that strange feeling in his heart...maybe this is the legendary villain radar?

Xu Shi had already anticipated this. According to the information He Yuxia provided, neither the City of Night Sin nor the Hualan Empire would lack a "protagonist," or rather, a designated "savior," in any of the experimental fields.

This was originally what he planned to do after finding the new continent, but he didn't expect that before he even arrived, everything was already taking shape.

"So, you see, good deeds will be rewarded, right?"

"This word seems so out of place on you?"

The white-haired loli teased.

"How can you talk to your dad like that? Is your bottom itchy again?"

"...I'm not going to argue with you anymore."

Xia Ke'an pouted, "So, what exactly are you planning to do?"

Should we treat him the same way we treated Shen He? To be honest, the old lady couldn't help but shake her head when she thought about that person's experience.

"My plan is to first try to have a proper talk with him?"

Xu Shi thought for a moment and said, "No matter what, the 'protagonist' is the most promising existence in a testing ground. If we can join forces with him, it will be a great help to us."

“Even if he isn’t, I heard from Pan Cheng that his so-called ‘Silver Knight’ status is quite remarkable, with only twelve people in the entire empire… It’s never a bad thing to have a good relationship with someone like that, right?”

He knew exactly what Xia Ke'an was thinking, but that was completely unnecessary. His main goal now was to overthrow "natural law." As long as he could maintain that premise, he would be willing to be allied with anyone, not even a dog.

Not to mention, unlike me and Shen He, we don't have any irreconcilable conflicts. We don't even know each other yet, so why would I want to hurt someone?

"Of course, necessary investigations are also necessary. If the other party has any ill intentions towards me, then I cannot stay."

Xu Shi added that this is another very important premise.

The older woman neither agreed nor disagreed, but acknowledged that the logic was indeed sound.

But considering that the bad father always claimed to be a bad guy, or rather, that's not right, the white-haired little girl suddenly realized that her worries were probably not unfounded...

……

Silver Pine Island wasn't too far from where they were; Xu Shi and his group arrived there in a day and a half.

"Your ship is really fast. It took us more than five days to get here..."

Pan Cheng was deeply moved by this, and said, "Please wait for me a moment, Brother Xu, while I go and explain the situation to them."

As the island's owner, he was quite thoughtful. He first took his people down in a small boat to avoid them being frightened by the two giant ships.

Xu Shi wasn't in a hurry. He first directed the boat to dock smoothly in an orderly manner. After seeing Pan Cheng return with a group of people, he then led everyone off the boat.