Players are coming, fortunately I have a time travel simulator

Zhou Ning stood in front of the porthole, looking at the surging ocean outside, and was curious about the situation outside.

In his previous life, he had never been to Hood Island or the Filsina Sea. Zhou Ning noticed that since entering the waters of the Filsina Sea, the temperature has shown signs of dropping rapidly, and the sky seems very gloomy, as if all the light has been sucked away.

In this weather change, Zhou Ning slightly sensed the presence of divinity. It must have been the work of "Weather Lord" Valentine who changed the weather before.

Above the undulating, dark ocean, pillars of light of varying colors shot straight up into the sky, illuminating the surrounding sea surface. From time to time, golden sailfish leaped across the surface, creating an inexplicable sense of splendor.

According to meteorology, these pillars of light are caused by cold weather conditions and an ocean that is closer to the realm of illusion than reality, and occur when plate-like ice crystals interact with a light source that originates partially from the spiritual world.

At this time, a thin layer of ice had formed on the sea surface, forcing the fleet to slow down its sailing speed accordingly.

In this situation, the role of meteorologists is to constantly measure the weather, maintain stability, and prevent further catastrophic weather. Therefore, above the observation deck of the Thorn, meteorologists led by Professor Scott are still busy measuring and adjusting the weather. Fortunately, I didn't choose a career as a meteorologist!

At the same time, some relatively dilapidated pirate ships appeared in front one after another. They were basically extraordinary ships that had been specially reinforced. There were scorch marks and storm marks on the hulls, and the flags were tattered and their ownership could not be seen clearly. They sailed like ghosts in the dark waterway.

Most of the ships had obviously been subjected to indiscriminate attacks by Valentine, the "Lord of Weather", and survived because the ships were relatively sturdy.

As soon as they noticed the intact "Thor" and the Wings of Law flag flying on it, they immediately showed visible tension.

They either activated the alchemical furnace at the stern to increase the speed of the ship, or simply floated into the air. Some ships vigilantly adjusted their hulls and aimed their alchemical cannons at this side, ready to counterattack at any time.

Zhou Ning stood in front of the porthole and examined the situation silently for a while. He didn't know why, but since entering this sea area, he had a heavy feeling of depression, as if something was about to happen.

But inspiration did not give him any clues. On the pirate ship closest to him, most of the pirates were burly and fierce-looking northern pirates. Both men and women looked very good at fighting, but they posed no threat to him.

However, the "Thorn" did not rush forward to attack the enemy directly. Instead, it slowed down its speed, raised the flag, and waved flag signals to the enemy, meaning to issue a warning or reminder to the enemy.

The other side hoisted a white L-shaped flag. In the flag language of the Apocalypse World, this signified submission, welcome, and farewell. Then, the Thorn passed by them without hesitation, continuing its journey deeper into the Filthyna Sea.

As expected of a Northern pirate, he is indeed flexible... Zhou Ning watched all this silently, and waited until the "Thorn" was completely away before returning to sit at the table.

After a brief thought, he clicked on the task bar and chose to receive the task reward. He must now seize every opportunity to improve his combat effectiveness.

A prompt immediately appeared on the interface:

[Drawing in progress...Drawing completed]

[The type of reward you received this time is: Random Item Reward]

【Please choose two from the following five rewards. 】

1. Marauder's Map (Unknown Item): When the user says "I solemnly swear I am up to no good," the ink lines on the map begin to extend, revealing a 10-kilometer map of the current location. The map shows the locations of everyone nearby and provides instructions for unlocking all nearby secret passages. After use, simply say "Prank is over" to return the map to a blank state.

2. Love Umbrella (Unknown Item): This is a traditional oil-paper umbrella. If two people stand under it for more than five minutes, the person on the left will fall in love with the person on the right. This applies to both the same and opposite sex. The effect is unstoppable, and the method for removing it is unknown.

3. Senzu Beans*15 (Supernatural Item): A magical food from Dragon Ball. Cultivated by the legendary cat-sage who dwells in Kalin Tower. Eating just one Bean will keep one from starving for ten days. It possesses a powerful restorative power, instantly restoring strength and energy even from extreme fatigue, restoring the body to optimal condition. It can restore physical strength and heal external and internal injuries, but cannot cure illness.

[4. Skill Synthesis Card (Advanced) *5: This advanced version of the Skill Synthesis Card can be used to forcibly synthesize two or more skills. The success rate is 60%. Regardless of success or failure, the skill level will not be reduced.]

5. Fire Spirit Pearl (Unknown Item): In the Chinese Paladin, Nuwa slew the God of Fire and used his remains to refine this fire-type spirit pearl, which contains infinite magical power.

"Very good!" Zhou Ning couldn't help but be overjoyed. It was worthy of being the mission reward after repelling the angel. Although he didn't get the blank advent card as he wished, this time the reward was the first time he saw two out of five, and they were all good things.

The first reward seemed to be a product of the Harry Potter world. The original version showed a map of Hogwarts School, but now it was a map of 10 kilometers around the current location, and the location of everyone nearby could be marked. It was equivalent to a mysterious version of radar. If nothing unexpected happened, Zhou Ning would definitely choose this thing.

As for the remaining rewards, the second reward was of unknown origin and he didn't need it at all; the third reward, the magic beans, was not as good as his horse talisman, which could even drive away diseases.

As for the fourth and fifth rewards... this time the skill synthesis card is a high-end product, very rare, and can be used to force the synthesis of skills, and the skill level will not be reduced after the synthesis. I am still missing a few skills, and they can be used to create a new profession.

As for the Fire Spirit Orb... Zhou Ning vaguely remembered that the Fire Spirit Orb could increase fire resistance by 50%, but it was not very practical for him.

After careful consideration, Zhou Ning chose the first and fourth options.

The panel pops up again:

[You have obtained an unknown artifact: the Marauder's Map.]

[You have obtained 5 Skill Synthesis Cards (Advanced).]

Zhou Ning put away the five skill synthesis cards and would use them later. Then he took out the live point map and placed it on the table.

This live map is about 106*76 in size, made of parchment, and is completely blank.

Following the instructions, Zhou Ning silently recited:

"I solemnly swear that I have done nothing wrong."

As soon as he finished speaking, the ink line on the map began to extend, and a sea chart quickly emerged on the blank map.

As described, this nautical chart only covers the surrounding sea area of ​​10 kilometers, and is detailed to every ship in the surrounding sea area. In addition, the map is densely populated with the locations of everyone within the surrounding 10 kilometers. Each location has a circular thumbnail, and clicking on it will display a detailed list.

For example, there are nearly 600 people on the Thorn, but only a green circle is shown on the map. Only by clicking in can you see the situation of each person.

Zhou Ning scanned the map. The ship was less than 20 nautical miles from Hood Island, equivalent to 37 kilometers. Valentine, Archbishop Edward, and Karl Robbins, all of whom he had been keeping an eye on, weren't listed. Instead, there were more pirates around than he'd expected, including some well-known ones. Many were stationed at the edge of the shipping lane, their activities unclear. Among them was a powerful pirate general.

He took out his pocket watch, opened it and checked the time to determine when he would reach Hood Island.

Wait another half an hour... Zhou Ning muttered to himself silently.