Chapter 72: Going to Sea
“Thank you, truly. If it weren’t for you, my husband might have…” Lu Zhuniang held Lu Yunxi’s hand tightly, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
“Please, there’s no need for such formality.” Lu Yunxi shook her head with a gentle chuckle.
Lu Zhuniang sniffed, wiped her eyes, and suddenly remembered something. She wiped her hands on her coarse fabric skirt and hurried into the cottage. Moments later, she emerged carefully cradling a wooden box.
“This is a gift for you, to thank you for everything,” she said, pressing the box into their hands. “I don’t have much else of value, but this was the reward I earned for cultivating rare flowers for a wealthy merchant. Please, take it.”
Her husband, whose legs were bandaged so heavily he looked like a giant dumpling, nodded in firm agreement. “Indeed! You must take it. We never used to have wolves in these mountains; they must have migrated here recently. You’ve cleared the threat and saved both our lives. We won’t have to live in fear anymore.”
He then recalled something else. Leaning down with some effort, he pulled a large, flat crate from beneath his stool. “Didn’t you mention you needed to cross the sea? I came into possession of a vessel by chance years ago. I never found a use for it, so I tucked it away. Since you have a journey ahead, it’s yours.”
Lu Yunxi and Shen San were both delighted. Having a boat was infinitely better than jumping into the surf and hoping for the best! They had been told one could swim to the other continents, but after their last experience, they knew “swimming” had nothing to do with it. The moment they entered the deep water, they were simply snatched up by inexplicable whirlpools.
They happily accepted the package, though it looked a bit peculiar.
“This craft is collapsible,” the husband explained. “When you reach the shore, you just unfold it. It is a bit on the small side, though.”
“Size doesn’t matter,” Yunxi replied. “As long as it stays afloat.”
After bidding the couple a warm farewell and asking for the general bearing of the Water Continent, the master and disciple set off. Along the way, Yunxi pried open the small box Lu Zhuniang had given them.
“This is…” Shen San stared at the contents, a headache forming behind his eyes. Why does everyone in this world assume he and his master are a married couple? They clearly shared a pure, dignified master-disciple bond!
Lu Yunxi pulled out a pair of matching rings. She handed the larger one to Shen San. “Here, take this. The craftsmanship is… very beautiful.”
Initially, when she realized they were “lover’s rings,” she had intended to shove them into the deepest corner of her spatial inventory. But the moment she saw the glittering orange halo radiating from the metal, she changed her mind. Orange-tier items were the absolute pinnacle of equipment; Gold-tier items were practically myths! She didn’t care if it was a wedding ring or a piece of armor shaped like a pile of dung—if it was Orange-quality, she was wearing it.
Shen San’s hand, which had been rising to decline, froze mid-air when he saw the orange glow. Without another word, they both slid the rings onto their fingers.
Lu Yunxi cleared her throat, trying to dispel the awkwardness. “Right. Next stop: the Water Continent. We’ll find a coastal town and start asking around.”
“Understood,” Shen San nodded, his eyes darting toward the horizon as if searching for a distraction.
“What? You actually have a boat?” an old coastal local asked, his eyes widening in shock. “Then why would you bother going back to the central island? Ordinary travelers have to swim to the island to catch the transit currents, but if you have your own vessel, you can sail directly between the continents!”
“I thought the island was a mandatory transit point?” Yunxi asked, stunned.
“Only for the common folk! It’s different for those with their own keels,” the old man said, shaking his head. “There are precious few boats left in the world. I suppose the island authorities don’t advertise that!”
“We’re heading for the Water Continent. Do you know the way?”
“The Water Continent? I couldn’t tell you exactly,” the old man admitted. “I only know that the Desert Continent lies to the west and the Ice Continent to the east. Pick a direction and keep sailing; you’ll hit the Water eventually.”
Lu Yunxi and Shen San reached the beach and unfolded the gift from the mountain couple. Calling it a “boat” was a bit of a stretch; it looked more like a giant, pink lotus flower. It was quite beautiful as it bobbed gently on the waves.
However, there was a problem: it was tiny. It was spacious enough for one person to stand comfortably, but for two, there was no room to sit. They would have to stand pressed close together.
The master and disciple stared at the pink flower-boat, both sinking into deep thought. They eventually comforted themselves with the same logic: He’s just an outworlder / She’s just a collection of data!
With their minds somewhat at ease, they stepped aboard.
“This thing… actually comes with oars? We have to row the whole way?”
“Which way are we going? Toward the desert or the ice?”
They locked eyes, both sharing a silent dread of being sucked into another whirlpool.
“Let’s try the Ice Continent,” Shen San suggested. “A desert doesn’t sound like it has much water surrounding it.”
“Agreed,” Yunxi said, thrusting a leaf-shaped oar into his hands. “Let’s get moving.”
Shen San stared at the green, organic-looking oar and fell silent. He began to row. Standing right beside him, Yunxi could feel the heat radiating from his body. She shifted uncomfortably, but seeing him rowing with such focus, sweat beading on his brow, she eventually calmed down. What was she so worried about? To him, she was just an NPC. To her, he was just a virtual player. There was no reason to be self-conscious.
She rummaged through her inventory, found a flat wooden board to lay across the petals, and closed her eyes to nap. With any luck, they’d reach the Ice Continent by the time she woke up.
Shen San nearly had a heart attack when he realized his master had actually fallen asleep. Because his back was to her, he hadn’t seen her rig the wooden board. He looked up, his blood turning to ice as a monster the size of a hundred-story building breached the surface.
He thrust his hands back, shouting, “Master, wake up! Run!”
He drew his giant sword, bracing himself. However, all his skills were melee-based; he had zero ranged options. Seeing the sea monster—a gargantuan octopus—closing in to capsize their tiny flower, he took a deep breath and dove into the freezing water. He had to draw the beast away from the boat!
He swam frantically, but the monster didn’t follow. It remained stationary, its many eyes fixed on the pink boat.
Something’s wrong, Shen San thought, desperately trying to swim back.
Meanwhile, Lu Yunxi finally woke up. One can only be stared at by a Level 80 boss for so long before their survival instincts kick in. She saw the writhing, massive tentacles and immediately abandoned any pretense of being a “helpless NPC,” summoning her Orange bow.
But Shen San was faster. He reached the beast and slashed his sword into its flesh with all his might.
“Shen San, get back! It’s too dangerous!” she screamed. Her apprentice was only in his sixties; he was no match for a Level 80 guardian!
The octopus, enraged by the sting, lashed out with a massive tentacle, sending Shen San flying. The impact hit the water with the force of an explosion, sending a massive wave crashing into the flower-boat. The craft flipped instantly.
Yunxi barely had time to de-summon the boat back into her inventory before the familiar, violent tug of a whirlpool snatched her under. In her final moment of consciousness, she took aim at the monster and unleashed a relentless barrage of light-arrows, turning the giant octopus into a pincushion.
