Chapter 321 - 148: Please Call Me Red-Hair
But now that the ship’s cabin was gone, he had no idea where he would reappear.
Besides, the power of the Corpse Explosion Skill he’d just used to kill those Swordfish had also far exceeded his expectations.
He hadn’t expected the magic to have such a wide range, even provoking a counterattack from a Deep Sea Giant Beast.
Wei’en glanced at the less-than-five-thousand survival points he had gained on his panel and made a mental note. ’From now on, I’ll use the Corpse Explosion Skill as little as possible at sea. It’s not worth provoking a Deep Sea Giant Beast for such a meager reward...’
"What big creature? You don’t mean one of those giant monsters, do you?"
"The very same," Wei’en said, wiping the seawater from his forehead. "A deep sea monster."
"No wonder."
Clelia’s mood lifted slightly at the thought of having escaped such a perilous situation, but she was still glum. "I went to all that trouble to get a ship out to sea, and it sank in less than a day..."
"Get a good night’s rest. We’ll look for another ship after sunrise. But this time, you can’t go turning everyone into your puppets."
"I know..." Clelia grumbled, turning unhappily and walking toward her room.
Wei’en sighed as he watched her go.
’The two of them probably wouldn’t make it to the Southern Continent on their own.’ He already knew it in his heart.
’It wasn’t just a matter of direction; they both lacked a fundamental understanding of these waters and, more importantly, the experience to handle unexpected situations.’
’I need to find a reliable captain...’
...
...
After a night’s rest, Wei’en left the Clown Theater alone early the next morning. This way, if he ran into danger, he could quickly return.
The moment he materialized outside, he found himself standing on a wooden plank barely half a square meter in size.
’Huh? If I’m not mistaken, is this plank from the ship’s cabin?’
"Well, thank goodness. It’s not the worst-case scenario."
After confirming his surroundings were safe, Wei’en breathed a sigh of relief and put the Golden Key into his Space Ring.
However, after another look around at the calm, empty sea with not a ship in sight, a wry smile touched his lips.
"I thought this would be a pleasant, smooth-sailing voyage. I didn’t expect to be starring in my own survival story right from the get-go..."
’And a damn survival story without so much as a raft, at that.’
TOOT, TOOT...
Just then, a sound like a steam whistle drifted to his ears on the wind.
"A ship?"
Wei’en quickly leaped high into the air to look around and saw a ship slowly emerge in the far distance.
’Of course. They’d only been sailing for about half a day. This close to the coast, it was impossible for there to be no other ships.’
After confirming the ship’s direction, Wei’en began to Blink toward it. ’No matter what, I have to go check it out.’
It was worth noting that after his Blink Spell reached level five, its maximum range had increased to five kilometers, and the number of illusionary clones it could create had reached eight.
"Hmm?"
As he drew closer, Wei’en gradually made out the ship’s full appearance—a steam-powered vessel built entirely of steel. Thick white smoke billowed from its two smokestacks, and it produced a constant, rumbling roar.
’My luck is pretty good!’
’On a ship this impressive, there must be people who know their way around the sea, right?’
But after getting a bit closer, Wei’en stopped. ’I almost forgot. I can’t show up looking like myself.’
’After all, I’m still wanted by the Dawn Church and the Shetland Kingdom. It’s better to keep a low profile.’
’Should I change my appearance?’
With that thought, Wei’en took out a bottle of Illusion Potion and poured it into his mouth. He pictured Marco in his mind, and as the Magic Potion took effect, his body began to change. Red hair sprouted, his face grew fair...
’He chose Marco because he was the person Wei’en was most familiar with.’
’And he figured Marco probably wouldn’t mind, even if he found out about it later.’
Once this was done, Wei’en once again moved quickly toward the ship.
"Look! Someone’s coming toward us!"
"A person? You’ve got to be kidding. How could a person survi— Holy shit, it really is a person!"
"Sound the horn! This is an incredibly powerful Extraordinary!"
"Captain, someone’s coming!"
Wei’en noticed he’d been spotted, but paid it no mind. After drinking a bottle of Enlightenment Potion to restore some of his Spiritual Power, he blinked onto the ship in one final leap.
"Hello... hmm?"
BANG!
A gunshot rang out.
Wei’en dodged aside. Seeing the sailors on deck poised for a fight, he held up a hand, signaling for them not to attack.
"No need to be so tense, is there? I’m just an ordinary castaway... Ahem, may I ask who the captain of this ship is?"
"Who are you?"
Just then, a tall, powerfully built, middle-aged man emerged from the cabin. He wore a green jacket, with two scimitars hanging from his waist. Puffing a ring of smoke from the cigar in his mouth, he fixed his sharp, narrow eyes on Wei’en and asked.
"Me?"
Wei’en mimicked a habit of Marco’s, flicking the red ponytail behind his head as a brilliant smile spread across his face.
"You can call me... Red-haired Marco."