Grinding EXP From a Demon Hunting Ship-Chapter 34: Acting Captain
With Shamok slain and Shu Liu captured, the pirates’ morale completely collapsed!
Within half an hour, the crew of the Flying Serpent had taken control of the entire Pirate Ship!
The battle was won!
[Enemy ship captured. [Tide Hunter] EXP +100]
[Naval battle won. [Tide Hunter] EXP +246]
The victory EXP notifications popped up!
THUD.
Standing on the deck of the Pirate Ship, Su Ye set down the Blood-Drinking Spear.
He raised a hand and brushed away the flecks of scarlet staining his handsome face.
In this naval battle, Su Ye had personally slain seven men, not even counting Shamok.
The captured pirates on the deck all looked at Su Ye with fear in their eyes!
They had been thoroughly cowed by Su Ye’s slaughter!
"Huuuh..."
Su Ye took a deep breath.
Then, his expression changed slightly.
As a large volume of air rushed in, a searing pain flared up in his lungs!
’Even with the stat boosts, my stamina and Magical Power are ultimately limited...’
Su Ye lamented inwardly.
His Magical Power was fine; the Blood-Drinking Spear was not a high-grade weapon and consumed very little Magical Power.
His stamina, however, was stretched thin.
Even with the stat boosts, his close-combat lethality could briefly reach the level of a Body Cultivator.
But he didn’t possess the same astonishing stamina as a Body Cultivator.
Now that the battle was over, the adrenaline was fading.
Su Ye could only feel waves of exhaustion washing over his entire body.
’Huuuh... I’ll have to find a way to make up for this shortcoming later.’
There were plenty of methods.
The methods of the Cultivation Realm were strange and varied.
There were orthodox talismans, pills, and Magical Artifacts.
As well as Gu worms, Curse Skills, totems...
And even bloodline modifications, cybernetic enhancements...
It wouldn’t be hard to compensate for this weakness.
’Of course... the best way to solve the root of the problem is still to find a good Body Cultivation Skill and practice it concurrently...’
The thought flashed through Su Ye’s mind.
...
Then, Luo Qingjun stepped onto the deck of the Pirate Ship.
He ripped off Shu Liu’s bamboo hat, studied his face carefully, and frowned.
"Do you know this person, Captain?" Su Ye asked.
He had already told Luo Qingjun his suspicions.
"This man..."
"I don’t know him," Luo Qingjun said, shaking his head.
"But... this is definitely related to the Shu Family!"
Luo Qingjun’s expression immediately turned savage.
Even if the four repeating crossbows offered no clues and Shu Liu’s face was unfamiliar...
But...
In the Cultivation Realm, you didn’t need evidence to investigate a case!
If the Flying Serpent were to be hijacked, the Luo Family would suffer another heavy blow financially.
This was something the Shu Family would be delighted to see happen!
Besides, the native pirates could never have obtained four repeating crossbows on their own.
There had to be someone backing them!
Whether in terms of motive or capability, the Shu Family was clearly the prime suspect!
"Hmph... The Shu Family!"
Luo Qingjun gritted his teeth and shot a cold glance at the unconscious Shu Liu.
"Take this man below and keep him under heavy guard."
"After we return, I will ask the Ancestor to personally perform a Soul Search on him!"
A Soul Search!
A Foundation Establishment cultivator using their Divine Sense to forcibly explore another’s sea of consciousness.
The one subjected to the Soul Search, even if they didn’t die, would suffer severe damage to their soul and be reduced to a drooling imbecile.
Su Ye’s heart stirred, and he glanced at Shu Liu.
’This man is finished.’
...
After deciding Shu Liu’s fate, the next task was to tally their losses and gains.
After two busy hours, the general inventory was complete.
On the deck of the Pirate Ship, Su Ye was reporting to Luo Qingjun.
This reporting duty should have been the first mate’s responsibility.
But the first mate, Luoguang River, had just unfortunately lost his head.
Now, Su Ye could only fill in for him.
"There are over three hundred Spirit Stones stored in the cargo hold, as well as goods worth about six hundred Spirit Stones."
"The goods are a mess and stained with blood. It looks like loot this band of pirates picked up along the way..."
It was clear these native pirates were very dedicated to their work.
They had set out for an assassination but still took on another job on the side.
"Besides these valuables, we also seized three repeating crossbows and the wreckage of a fourth."
"According to our technicians’ appraisal, they are relatively old, likely refurbished goods from the black market, valued at about five hundred Spirit Stones each."
"Finally, there’s the Pirate Ship we captured!"
The greatest prize in a naval battle was not the loot on the enemy ship, but the enemy ship itself!
Su Ye said.
"I’ve taken the liberty of naming this Pirate Ship the [Sea Crocodile]."
"The [Sea Crocodile] is a Tier-1, Mid-grade Spirit Ship. Apart from the basic array patterns of a spirit ship, it has no additional Arrays attached. Its estimated value is about two thousand Spirit Stones."
Thus, the total haul came to four thousand four hundred Spirit Stones!
This profit was even greater than the total earnings of a Demon Hunting Ship from a single voyage!
It could be said that the spoils of this victory were quite substantial.
However...
Compared to the casualties, any amount of profit paled in comparison.
Su Ye’s expression was grim as he said solemnly,
"In this battle, our side suffered 18 deaths. Another 9 are disabled, critically injured, or otherwise incapacitated."
The number of able-bodied crewmen on the Flying Serpent was now down to just 33.
They had lost 27 people in one go!
And among them was a key figure, First Mate Luoguang River!
After hearing the casualty report, Luo Qingjun’s eyelid twitched. His expression turned ugly, and he remained silent for a long time.
To him, Luoguang River wasn’t just a first mate; he was also a beloved elder.
He had watched him grow up since he was a child.
And now, on a single voyage, the man had met such an untimely end...
"The Shu Family... I will have vengeance for this!" Luo Qingjun clenched his fists.
Su Ye looked at Luo Qingjun, his mouth twitching slightly, a hint of pity in his eyes.
Why was this captain so unlucky every time he set sail?
’Could it be my fault?’ Su Ye wondered, stroking his chin.
’No, no, no... What does it have to do with me!’
’I’m not some chosen protagonist who brings disaster wherever he goes.’
The last time they set sail, the root cause was Luo Qingjun’s own poor decision-making.
This time, it was due to the deep-seated grudges and escalating conflict between the Luo and Shu Families.
’Right, it has nothing to do with me!’ Su Ye nodded to himself.
’I’m just an innocent victim caught in the middle...’
I, Su Ye, am definitely not some kind of jinx!
...
After a while, Luo Qingjun regained his composure.
He asked for Su Ye’s opinion, discussing where the Flying Serpent should head next.
"In my opinion, we should just head straight back," Su Ye said after a moment of thought.
From this naval battle, they had gained over four thousand four hundred Spirit Stones.
Adding the Flying Serpent’s previous earnings from demon hunting, their total profit was already close to six thousand Spirit Stones!
Most importantly, it had only taken four months!
It could be said that they had already exceeded the goal for this voyage.
’Most importantly... returning now is the safe and sound option!’
Su Ye said to himself.
Who knew how many Pirate Ships the Shu Family had actually dispatched?
If they ran into another one, given the Flying Serpent’s current condition and crew numbers, Su Ye wasn’t confident of victory.
The Whale-Hunting Spear was powerful,
but if they encountered an opponent skilled in Illusion Techniques, or multiple Mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators, Su Ye’s own life would be in danger.
"Return... That works too!" Luo Qingjun said with a nod after listening.
"In that case, Su Ye, I order you to act as the temporary captain of the [Sea Crocodile] and take command of this vessel."
As Luo Qingjun spoke, Su Ye was pleasantly surprised.
Because right at that moment, a virtual screen popped up before his eyes!
[Ship Panel]
