Survival at Sea: My Warship is a Rubber Duck?

Chapter 150 The Court of Thorns and Flesh

Everyone is not stupid; they have their own ability to think and judge.

There might be people who believe whatever others say, but they're practically extinct in the game; they're a truly rare species.

In addition to the fact that the "Holy Radiance Angel Cult" has already damaged its reputation among the general public, now more and more people have developed the habit of immediately engaging in conspiracy theories upon seeing the words of a certain saint.

If the foundation isn't solid, it will be difficult for the plant to grow and flourish later.

A detached traveler: "Heh, what a grand narrative of 'door' and 'key'." Left-wing saint, I'm now wasting a world megaphone to ask you a few questions.

You're supposed to be "searching for the door" to gather clues and offer a generous reward for verification, but who sets the standard for this "verification"? You can't just say it's the door and then deny it. What if someone actually finds the door, and after you verify it, you say it's not, but very close, and to keep trying, then you send someone to retrieve it yourself? Who would know?

Furthermore, could you please show the key to everyone? Even just a photo or a projection would be enough to let them see it and confirm that it really exists. Otherwise, it would seem like you're trying to get something for nothing.

You say the world is a closed prison, where is your evidence? Did your master tell you this in a dream, or was it a perk of being taken to the edge of the world as a missionary?

I'm not targeting the Holy Church (though I am somewhat), I'm targeting all this "you provide the clues, we investigate" model. Relying on someone else's conscience is the most dangerous thing. Ugh, actually I'm starting to regret wasting a card. Typing so much is tiring, and reading so much is tiring too. @Left-Wing Saints, why don't you compensate everyone with something?

""

"There are some sensible people out there."

After reading the comments from "Black Sail Clouds" and "Cold-blooded Traveler", Yu Wang's lips curled up slightly. His speaking habits were exactly the same as he remembered, still as sharp as ever.

If we don't cause trouble now, we'll be wasting this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Find the "World Megaphone" item, then flip to the video you took in the "Dark Zone" of the Coral Maze, and use it to unleash your ultimate attack right up close.

【You're about to hit the jackpot!】: "@Left-wing Saints, I heard you're looking for a door?" Coincidentally, I have a video here; I don't know if it counts as a clue.

Meanwhile, on the flagship "Holy Radiance" of the Holy Radiance Angel Cult, far away in some sea area, Guo Mufeng, a left-wing saint, was sitting in the beautifully decorated cabin, sipping fruit tea served from below, and leisurely watching the adoration of his followers on his local channel.

It's definitely more comfortable back home; there are no annoying dissenting voices.

At that moment, another message appeared on the world chat channel.

When he saw that familiar ID appear, Guo Mufeng's hand trembled slightly.

The tea has been spilled.

Upon seeing this ID, Guo Mufeng reflexively felt a stomachache and a bad premonition welled up in his heart.

"It's coming, it's coming—it must be that one! It must be!!"

He looked down and saw two videos attached to the message. The cover of the first video featured the iconic white robes of the "Holy Radiance Angel Church"!

The cover of the second video features an antique key!

"Beep beep beep—!!"

Guo Mufeng felt as if a red car was crashing into him head-on, clinging to a sliver of hope that it wouldn't hit him.

He clicked on the video.

Monsoon, holding a small capsule, spoke to the terrified cultists before him: "Go back? No! You can leave, but I'll immediately remove the blessing from you! Without the blessing, you can decide for yourselves whether you can return to the surface alive!"

The camera trembled slightly, clearly capturing the despair on the faces of the cultists: "You! You! You're forcing us to die! What kind of divine messenger are you?!"

The camera panned back to Ji Feng's face, where he wore a near-manic, cold laugh, like someone suffering from bipolar disorder: "You yourselves chose to betray your faith and abandon your mission!! You deserve to die! Or, you can choose to stay and complete the divine decree with me! At that time, glory, grace, and even extraordinary opportunities will naturally be yours!"

As for the second one, Guo Mufeng no longer had the courage to click on it. Just by looking at the discussions in his own section, he knew what the content was.

"So the blessing of the 'Holy Radiant Angel Cult' is essentially a collar? Obey and you get it, disobey and you die?"

"I almost believed it! Thank goodness I didn't join!"

"The saints' hometown is in our district, we have no choice but to join, we have no other option."

"Beep beep beep—! Boom!!"

The big truck is here!

In Guo Mufeng's mind, it was as if a large red truck with a roaring front was crashing into him, making him see stars and feel dizzy.

Using blessings to coerce believers? Removing blessings to indirectly kill? Using someone and then discarding them after achieving one's goal?

With a great hand in hand, you thought you had victory in the bag, but who would have thought you'd hit the jackpot? You even have a royal flush in your hand!

Every single image is a devastating blow to the prestigious reputation of the "Holy Angels Cult"!

Although it won't affect the development of his 1218th district in the 25th region, it will be difficult for him to expand his influence beyond the district in the future!

Guo Mufeng clutched his head, his forehead pressed against the table, groaning in pain.

"We're doomed again—how are we going to explain this to His Majesty?!"

He suddenly looked up and started searching through his list of deleted friends.

"Right-wing saint! Xu Ting! Come back quickly! Something terrible has happened! Come back and share the blame with me!"

However, when Guo Mufeng sent a request to add the survivor as a friend again, he was prompted with the message: "[The survivor's current server has been disbanded and is awaiting reassignment. To avoid data corruption, please try again later.]"

After waiting patiently for a few minutes, Guo Mufeng went to apply again.

[You have been blocked by the other party!]

This is a perfect illustration of how fortunes change.

At that time, the Little Yellow Duck was sailing on a calm sea, with two ships following behind it.

Zhang Xinlan had just filled a cup with hot water and hadn't even had a chance to bring it to her lips when "Pirate Radar" suddenly issued a warning.

She glanced down, raised an eyebrow, then leaned out of the porthole and shouted to Yu Wang, who was opening a wooden resource crate on deck, "Yu Wang! The ship is locked! But this time there's only one person."

Yu Wang didn't even look up, his hands continuing their work without stopping: "I understand."

Two minutes ago, he received a message from Lin Che. The kid said that the cold-resistant insects and self-destructing insects he had cultivated had finally hatched, and their shells had hardened and stabilized completely. He excitedly told him that he could be teleported over soon.

Judging by the time, it's exactly right now.

Moments later, about a mile ahead of the Little Yellow Duck, the air suddenly distorted.

Immediately afterwards, a uniquely shaped boat appeared out of thin air and landed steadily on the water.

The ship is a full twenty meters long, and its shape resembles a gourd with a quarter of its length cut off.

Most of the boat's hull is covered, and it has its own gourd-shaped shed, which is decorated with animal bones and brightly colored patterns, making it very unique.

On the open deck were rows of opaque boxes.

However, for some reason, the stern of the ship was charred black and tattered, as if it had been hit by cannon fire.

Lin Che stood at the bow of the boat, waving vigorously in their direction. His bright smile could be seen from a mile away: "Brother and sister! I'm here!"

"They're quite energetic," Yu Wang remarked, looking up.

Wang Huaisong also appeared out of nowhere, leaning against the side of his boat and squinting at the approaching ship.

He had just received the news that the fleet was going to have new members.

He was initially quite looking forward to it, but when he saw the boy waving at the bow of the boat, Old Wang's expression immediately became subtle.

"—Underage?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Yes, sixteen years old." Yu Wang finally finished inspecting the fishing net and stood up.

Wang Huaisong was silent for two seconds, then sighed deeply and shook his head in anguish: "What a pity, what a pity! I was planning to open a jar of good wine to celebrate, but now we can only drink juice, or else—"

He didn't finish his sentence, but the drawn-out tone and meaningful look in his eyes said it all.

Zhang Xinlan rolled her eyes at him: "Old Wang, your thinking is dangerous."

"I call this hospitality!" Wang Huaisong said matter-of-factly. "Adults need to have a drink to build rapport, right?"

Yu Wang then joked, "Are you trying to deepen your relationship? I'm too embarrassed to point it out."

"Alright, alright, you two are family, in cahoots. This old man is all alone, I don't fight battles I don't have an advantage over."

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang Xinlan coughed lightly, her cheeks flushed, and looked away from Ziguang, pretending to be seriously studying the leaf-winged bird in the distance.

While the two were bickering, Lin Che's boat had already come close.

As a member of the fleet, Yu Wang had already granted him permission. The boy nimbly boarded the ship, his eyes curving into two crescent moons, his smile brighter than the sunshine overhead: "Reporting, Captain! Sailors reporting for duty—!"

He had a very sweet tongue, calling everyone "brother" and "sister" and "uncle." Wang Huaisong chuckled and patted Lin Che's shoulder, the pressure just right: "Kid, you've got potential. You know how to handle things, I like that."

Lin Che chuckled and, without any modesty, followed the three into the cabin.

A moment later, the four of them gathered in the kitchen of the "Ghost Pirate".

The chef is in charge of cooking.

Wearing its signature snow-white apron and a mini tall hat, it stood in front of the stove, holding a spatula. The pork belly in the pot sizzled in the hot oil, and the aroma filled the entire cabin.

The vegetables were freshly picked from the "Ecological Recycling Greenhouse," tender and green, still glistening with dew. The meat was bought from a murloc merchant by Tuo Ajiao in the "Coral Maze" instance. The murloc patted his chest and guaranteed that it was freshly slaughtered that day. He claimed that if he was going to rip off outsiders, he would rip off outsiders; the meat his own people ate was always top-quality.

Before long, dishes were served one after another.

Crispy pork belly is the star of the show. The skin is roasted until crispy, and you can hear a slight crackling sound when you tap it with chopsticks. The meat inside is tender and juicy, fatty but not greasy, and lean but not dry.

Several dishes of cold wild vegetables were simply seasoned with minced garlic and vinegar, refreshing and not greasy. A pot of chicken soup was crystal clear, yet tasted very sweet and rich. There was also a plate of steamed tender taro, sprinkled with a little white sugar, sweet and soft.

Lin Che stared wide-eyed.

"This—this—" He pointed at the dishes on the table, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly, but he couldn't utter a complete sentence, just like Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Garden for the first time.

Yu Wang sat down next to him, handed him a pair of chopsticks, and said in a casual tone, "What are you standing there for? Eat up. Don't be shy on the boat."

"Brother! You are my own brother!" Lin Che's eyes were filled with tears, whether from gratitude or craving, he took the chopsticks and started reaching into each plate.

While eating, he mumbled indistinctly, "Delicious—this is delicious too—wow, this meat is amazing—"

Looking at his starving appearance, Wang Huaisong silently drank his wine and couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, "Young people have such good appetites, they're just too young."

To avoid delaying his work, Yu Wang usually doesn't drink, so he doesn't even have any drinking buddies.

Wait, Wang Huaisong suddenly remembered something, and his eyes lit up.

The old fishman I drank with last time seems to be a member of the "Monkey Tavern" club.

The old fisherman was quite drunk at the time. He patted him on the shoulder and said with the admiring look of an elder looking at a younger man, "Young man, you have quite the capacity for alcohol! When I was your age, only seventy or eighty, I couldn't drink this much."

Our club only admires those who can drink. The members come from all races, including a few cult members. We don't engage in any weird xenophobia. Of course, people in the club just drink and appreciate wine; they don't do anything like that.

"Okay, I'll vouch for your membership and give those old guys a real shock, hahaha!"

As he finished reminiscing, Wang Huaisong thought to himself with satisfaction, "At the time, my attention was focused on the vintage wine I won, and I was a little tipsy, so I didn't really pay attention to it."

After leaving the tavern and enjoying the sea breeze, I completely forgot about it.

Looking back now—

Survivors with an average score of 7 are all asking for a way to get into the "Monkey Tavern" club; that place must be something special.

While everyone was having dinner together, Wang Huaisong told them the whole story.

"Monkey Tavern? It would be a good thing if you could join. They are a very niche organization in this world, but I've heard that the old drunkards among their members hold high positions outside, control countless resources, and are very well-informed!"

There are also ways to acquire rare vintage wines, some even made from the bones of extraordinary creatures; you might even find a few like-minded wine lovers among them.

"I see."

Wang Huaisong only caught the last sentence of Yu Wang's long-winded speech. A smile unconsciously crept onto his lips, and even the wine in his glass seemed to smell better.

If I could find a way to buy rare vintage wines, hehehehe————

Everyone ate and drank, having a great time. The world boss was just around the corner, but at least for this moment, the cabin was warm and cozy, filled with the aroma of food.

Yu Wang suddenly felt a warmth in his otherwise dull and monotonous voyage.

After dinner, there was still no sign of the world boss instance opening. Everyone lazily leaned back on the soft cushions in the cabin, enjoying the rare leisure after the meal. The diligent ducks cleared away the bowls and chopsticks, and the leftovers were not wasted, but poured directly into a cage in the kitchen.

The snake inside, now without its little penis, is feasting and trying to grow bigger.

At this moment, Lin Che couldn't wait to speak: "Brother, the cold-resistant roving beetle has been successfully bred. In addition, I've also developed some interesting Gu worms. Let me show you!"

Yu Wang nodded. He knew Lin Che's peculiar habit: he only bred handsome beetles.

Those with many legs, long hair, or frightening appearances are all beneath his notice.

"Thanks to the insect growth jelly you gave me, brother, the insects' growth efficiency has increased more than threefold!"

As he spoke, Lin Che carried several sealed boxes from the deck of his ship. Upon opening them, he found a beetle the size of two fists, with an ice-blue body and a metallic sheen on its shell. It had six thick, powerful legs and a pair of pincers on its head that looked like they were carved from ice and snow. It was as beautiful as a work of art.

Lin Che carefully cradled it in his palm: "This is a cold-resistant beetle! It can move around normally in sub-zero environments. We haven't yet found a suitable place to test its exact temperature resistance."

"It didn't die even after being kept in the ice box for two nights," Lin Che muttered, then opened the second box.

This one looks a bit intimidating.

About the length of a palm, entirely black, with fine patterns covering its carapace, it at first glance resembles a miniature armored vehicle. Its wings fold back, forming a perfect streamlined shape, giving it the overall impression of a precision weapon.

"These are self-destructing bugs," Lin Che introduced, his tone tinged with pride.

Upon hearing the words "self-destruct," the duck that was passing by instinctively shrank back.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, its carapace is completely hardened now, it's very safe!" Lin Che quickly waved his hand, "When this kind of insect is first born, it is all white and its body is soft. Any big shaking will cause it to explode. However, once the carapace is completely hardened, only the person controlling it can make the exploding insect explode. Otherwise, you can handle it however you want, even smash it into insect paste, it won't matter."

He lifted the beetle, letting it crawl twice in his palm: "Don't let its appearance fool you; it looks a bit like an armored mosquito, and it does make that buzzing sound when it flies—but its explosive power is quite considerable!"

"How big is it?" Yu asked presumptuously.

"It's equivalent to a shot from a level 3 artillery piece," Lin Che said seriously. "I've tested it. One shot can severely injure an F-rank monster. If it's a group of low-level monsters, one shot can wipe them out."

Yu Wang nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

Tier 3 cannons are quite powerful; a hit to the outside of a Tier 4 ship might be insignificant, but if it explodes inside the ship, it could severely damage even a Tier 4 vessel.

Zhang Xinlan had also thought of this, and felt a chill run down her spine: "That's too insidious, I like it."

Then she thought of the charred and exploded marks at the stern of Lin Che's boat, and gave up on the idea.

Yu Wang thought of something: if only he could breed a larger beetle based on the size of a regular duck, and create a group of duck cavalry.

Putting aside his strange associations, he continued listening to Lin Che introduce the "Reconnaissance Bug," the "Guide Bug," and the "Firefly Bug."

【Ding! 】

The crisp game notification sound appeared in the minds of all the survivors without warning!

[World Announcement: Friendly units are in position! The Siren Merchant and the Murloc Royal Expedition have arrived in the outer waters of the Thorn Garden of Flesh and Blood!]

Yu Wang, Zhang Xinlan, Wang Huaisong, and Lin Che froze almost simultaneously, and then all opened the announcement interface.

[World Announcement: The long-term dungeon "The Garden of Thorns and Flesh" will open in 30 minutes!]

[WARNING: The long-running dungeon "Thorn Garden of Flesh and Blood" has been designated a high-risk contaminated area! Players entering this area will undergo a contamination check every 10 minutes!]

Those deemed losers will be trapped in a flesh-and-blood illusion; upon dying within this illusion, they will be transformed into corrupted followers!

[WARNING: For every 10% of health the Demon General loses, a Flesh Frenzy will be triggered, summoning a large number of corrupted creatures to join the battle!]

[How to participate: Any player can earn contribution points by killing corrupted creatures, destroying thorn pillars, and dealing effective damage to demon generals!]

Those ranked in the top 1 by contribution points will receive an additional "Authority Fragment" reward! This grants a permanent skill! The specific skill type is related to contribution points!