We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 177 Two New Crew Members! Encountering the [Ember Storm]!
All around, the seawater remained cold and clear.

The temple was empty, its cold stone walls bearing the cracks left by time.

The city outside the temple remained desolate and solemn, with rows of empty houses resembling tombstones standing in a cemetery.

Beneath the high ice layer, the shadows of the demonic sea beasts still linger, hunting down any outsiders who venture into this place.

Everything seemed exactly the same as before Xia En left.

Xia En looked somewhat bewildered; the girl's body temperature still lingered in his arms, and there was even a faint fragrance of grass and trees around his nose.

For a moment, he couldn't tell whether what had happened was a hallucination or a real experience.

However, the commotion in the package beside him quickly brought him back to his senses.

Yan Yan's head fell out, and fresh flesh was quietly growing at the break in his neck.

Seeing this scene, Xia En was finally certain—

His recent experience was not a figment of his imagination or a hallucination, nor was it a remnant of history.

They truly traveled back in time and experienced a malevolent "Wrath of the Gods" with the people of Emerald Isle a thousand years ago.

But Xia En couldn't explain why he went back to the past.
Is it really just because of the spacetime power contained within the silver pocket watch?
Why was it triggered specifically in the Elf Temple?
Did the Mother Goddess of the Elves play any special role in this process?

Xia En had no idea the answers to these questions.

But one thing is certain: all of this really happened!

He did indeed witness the beheaded Pirate King, fought alongside numerous elves in the darkness, and made a promise with a girl named "Lyra" to meet again in the future.

Thinking of this, Xia En was lost in thought.

It is easy to see from the surrounding scenery that the Emerald City is still frozen solid, and the Upper City is still buried in volcanic ash.

The "future" he was in was not changed by the brief time travel, nor was it thrown into chaos by the "butterfly effect".

In other words...

Perhaps... Lyra's attempt has failed.

She couldn't change the fate of the elves and the Emerald City's destruction.

Even she herself might be swallowed up by the river of time, leaving behind only that notebook placed in the [Ember Sanctuary].

Just realizing this possibility filled Xia En with sadness and regret.

He raised his head and looked at the statue of the elven goddess in the main hall.

I want to question Him: why is fate so cruel, giving people hope only to give them despair?

But that's it.

Xia En suddenly discovered that on the stone wall behind the goddess statue, there was a line of delicate characters carved in small characters.

This text can only be seen when standing below the statue of the goddess and looking up.

Upon closer inspection, Shane found the handwriting strangely familiar; it was written in Common Tongue.

Go find the other elven temples; I'll be waiting for you there! — Lyra

Upon seeing these words, Xia En was deeply moved, and his eyes even welled up with tears.

Although this still doesn't prove that Lyra is still alive, it at least gives him a precious glimmer of hope.

According to Lyra, the elves in the world are not limited to those on Emerald Isle.

There are other elven races scattered throughout the seven seas, and each race has established what appears to be an elven temple.

Perhaps the secret to traveling through time lies hidden in these temples!
Xia En took a deep breath and silently set a small goal in his mind—

Find other elven ruins and explore the elven temples there!

"Laila, one day I will find you."

At this moment, Shane's [Ship Soul Power] on his panel finally dropped to 0, and everything went black.

[Submarine mission over!]

When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the familiar captain's cabin.

Pushing open the captain's cabin door and stepping onto the deck, a gentle sea breeze greeted me.

"Captain!"

Joey's surprised voice rang out from not far away, and many familiar crew members also turned their gazes toward Shane.

Master! You're back!

Xiao Hei's joyful voice echoed in my mind, tinged with a strange mix of nostalgia and lingering fear.

Shane asked Joey, "How long did I stay in the captain's cabin?"

"……Um?"

Joey was a little puzzled: "It's about the same amount of time as usual?"

Xia En took a soft breath.

What happened last night seems to have passed in the blink of an eye in reality.

Perhaps this is also a manifestation of the mysterious power of time and space.

Looking at Shane's expression, Joey became even more puzzled.

Although it had only been half a day since she last saw him, she felt that the captain's demeanor had become much more weathered, as if he had accumulated many stories.

Moreover, for no apparent reason, Joey felt a sense of crisis that seemed to come from nowhere, and she wondered to herself.

"What happened in the captain's cabin just now?"

"Did someone sneak in?"

"correct."

Xia En had no idea what was going on in Joey's little head. She said to everyone, "Tomorrow, I will be bringing two new crew members aboard. I hope you will all welcome them."

After saying that, he returned to the captain's cabin.

The fierce fighting of the previous night had left Xia En quite exhausted.

It's time to take a break.

……

……

The two new crew members that Shane mentioned were none other than...

It was Yan Yan and Cui Qian.

Xia En had long admired Yan Yan's abilities, and after a night of fighting side by side, he also regarded Yan Yan as a trustworthy comrade-in-arms.

Another point.

Xia En vaguely sensed that there might be some inexplicable connection between Yan Yan and that Lord of Cinder.

So I invited him aboard.

Yan Yan's situation on Ice Island was already quite awkward, and after the deaths of Gray and Ruhr, he had no reason to return to Ice Island.

As for the fairy Tracy...

Xia En, on the other hand, felt mostly sympathy.

She has been guarding the empty Emerald City alone for hundreds of years.

Now that she has found the person who will unseal the temple, why should she stay here any longer?
Shane also tried to persuade Tracy in the same way, but her reaction was somewhat unexpected.

"No! I'll wait here!"

Beneath the frigid sea, Xia En's expression was somewhat strange as he re-entered submerged.

"Really not going?"

"If you come aboard my ship, you can not only breathe fresh air and see new scenery, but also eat delicious meals every day."

"Delicious..."

Upon hearing this, Tracy swallowed hard, her attitude immediately wavering.

"Yes."

Shaun coaxed gently, her voice carrying a seductive magic: "There's food even tastier than those sweet pancakes..."

"It tastes even better than sweet pancakes..."

Tracy's eyes widened slightly, and she almost agreed immediately, but soon she asked cautiously.

"But what if I want to come back here later?"

Hearing this, Xia En finally understood what Tracy was hesitating about.

On the one hand, there is anxiety and confusion about the future.

On the other hand, it is a deep affection for their hometown and the land they have protected for hundreds of years.

But Xia En always felt that... people should always look forward.

Rather than letting Tracy be trapped in the past of her memories, trapped in this cold and desolate city, it would be better to set sail for the future with his ship.

So Shane said, "You can stay on my ship for half a month. If you're not satisfied, I'll send you back."

"what do you think?"

After thinking for a moment, Trish extended her small palm and gently pressed it on Shane's fingers.

"make a deal!"

Xia En squinted and smiled.

Regardless, let's get this little devil on board first.

After that, she wouldn't have the choice to leave!

……

……

For the next two weeks.

Shane's life returned to a brief period of peace.

The ship spirit level of the Diamond Star has been upgraded to LV2.

With patience, this dilapidated ship will begin to heal itself.

During this time, Xia En continued to explore the Emerald City, which was buried by volcanic ash, silently accumulating the secret power of the Chaos Runes and increasing the ship soul's experience.

As for the other crew members...

In addition to routine maintenance, cleaning the ship, and hunting sea creatures, Shane gave them a new task—

Learn how to sail a boat!
Although Shane, relying on his "Captain's Prestige," could steer the ship with ease by himself.

But as the enemies he encounters become stronger, there will inevitably be times when he is unable to take care of himself.

Once the crew learns to sail, they can coordinate with Shane to launch attacks or retreats.

Of course, the reason why Shane thought of this at this time was twofold: firstly, because he had tied up a second ship, and secondly, because of the increase in the number of crew members.

It's funny to say.

On other pirate ships, dozens of men could be easily found.

But the Black Swan only had eight people on board.

This "person" still needs to be questioned.

The weather was clear and cloudless that day.

Sunlight streamed down from the sky, making the sky clear and transparent, and the air seemed much fresher.

Shane stood on the deck of the Black Swan, looking at the Diamond Star not far away.

Under the cool light, this legendary "Noah's Ark" has undergone visible changes compared to half a month ago.

On the surface of the ship, those hideous cracks and wounds were all repaired by a magical force.

The broken mast and shattered deck have been completely transformed.

The entire ship exudes a more uplifting and positive spirit.

If, half a month ago, it was an old man covered in wounds, on the verge of death at any moment.

Now, it's like it's returned to its prime, with inexhaustible energy.

"This is what the Diamond Star should look like!"

A smile played on Xia En's lips as he thought to himself.

In fact, the Diamond Princess's damage has not fully healed; it has only recovered to—

[Durability: 324/500]

The surface damage to the large ship has almost healed, but some of the internal damage is healing extremely slowly.

Shane guessed that this was related to the entity that had harmed it back then.

But even so.

As the Diamond Starship was gradually repaired, Shane's attributes improved significantly once again.

[Overall Qualifications: 2.4 → 2.8!]

Part of this 0.4 increase comes from the completed enhancement of the [Magic Cannon].

It now has a catchy new name.

【Magic Light Piercing Cannon】

[Quality: Legend]

[Type: Component]

[Description: A heavy cannon powered by magical energy, originating from the magical rune technology mastered by scholars of the previous era, which has undergone a bizarre transformation under the influence of "tainted crystals."]

[Equipped on a ship, it increases the "Firepower" attribute by 27 points!]

[It can fire a cannon after self-charging, or it can be infused with secret energy to fire a beam.]

The damage value is based on the charging time, total amount of arcane power, and characteristics, resulting in damage equivalent to the third to fourth energy level.

[Damage is doubled in "Liberated" state!]

The biggest changes to this heavy cannon are, firstly, its increased power, and secondly, the ability for those who follow secret paths to directly inject their secret power into it, reducing charging time.

This would also provide the crew members on board with a powerful means of long-range attack.

So that they wouldn't just stand by and watch helplessly while Shane fights the enemy.

"Alright, it's about time."

After inspecting the condition of the Diamond Star, Shane turned to the crew on deck and spoke.

"Time to set sail for the next sea area!"

The Diamond Star's self-healing speed has slowed down, and although its speed has not yet returned to its peak, it can barely keep up with the Black Swan.

There's not much point in staying here any longer.

Moreover, Shane also sensed a faint sense of urgency from the objects on the Diamond Star ship.

They desperately want to find the ship that is in a ghost ship state, to make up for their defects, and to regain their ship soul.

Upon hearing Shane's words, Joey asked.

"Captain, where are we going next?"

Shaen spread out the nautical chart he had obtained from Ruhr in front of everyone and pointed to a sea area to the south.

"Let's go here first, to the Magnetic Thunder Sea!"

He now has two clear goals.

One is to search for the ruins of the elves.

Secondly, we must return to the Misty Sea and find the ghost ship.

Whether it's the former or the latter, intelligence gathering is necessary first.

However, the location of the Frozen Sea is too remote, and the well-informed islands are all in the south.

To head south, the first thing you need to pass through is this [Magnetic Thunder Sea].

And don't forget, the way Shane increases his professional compatibility is by plundering the power of various storms.

This [Magnetic Thunder Sea] will obviously be ravaged by storms containing the secret power of magnetic thunder.

After that chaotic and dark night, Xia En's desire for power reached a new peak.

While 2.8 may seem to possess strong overall abilities, it is still nothing more than an ant before those apostles and deities.

Only by becoming strong enough can you calmly face all challenges!
"Small goal: break through to the fourth tier first!"

Having made up his mind, Shane immediately steered the two ships, one after the other, southwards.

The long, drawn-out whistle of the Black Swan echoed across the ice-covered sea.

However, not long after they set off...

boom! ! !
A terrifying roar suddenly came from an island some distance away.

The entire sea surface seemed to tremble as a result.

Immediately afterwards, scalding lava and billowing black smoke erupted from the sunken crater, reaching the sea surface with the howling wind.

A terrible storm is about to sweep in!

(End of this chapter)