novelraw Chapter 163: The Eye of the Abyss
Chapter 163: The Eye of the Abyss
The six Deepsea Water Spirits leaped onto Chen Qi's shoulders with a plop.
Chen Qi, accompanied by the Deepsea Water Spirits and the little green algae who had just finished singing, pushed open the ship's door and walked through the eerie corridor.
As they ventured deeper, the surrounding temperature seemed to gradually drop.
Crack! Crack!
Fragments of skeletons wriggled on the floor. At a glance, at least a hundred small skeletal pirates had perished under the attacks of the Deepsea Water Spirit squad.
The Deepsea Water Spirits weren't just skilled craftsmen—their combat abilities were impressive too.
Chen Qi surveyed his surroundings. The interior structure of the ghost ship was more complex than he had imagined:
"How do we proceed?"
Deepsea Water Spirit No.1 jumped down from Chen Qi's head like a valiant warrior and took the lead.
"Waku waku! (Master, follow me!)"Deepsea Water Spirit No.1 brandished a skeletal sword as it bounced along cheerfully.
Following the water spirit, Chen Qi pushed open a heavy wooden door.
Behind the door lay an energy core emitting green flames.
The energy core took the form of an exquisite sphere over a meter wide, its surface radiating a faint glow and tiny green flames.
Its intricate textures were adorned with mysterious runes and patterns that seemed to conceal arcane energies from the depths of the dimensional rift.
This was the heart of the ghost ship—a powerful energy core... Chen Qi slowly approached and gently touched the core with his hand.
[Ghost Ship Ghostfire Energy Core (Primary):
Affinity: Hammer, Lamp
Description: Born from the hands of a master-class ghost craftsman, this energy core contains immense supernatural power, capable of providing tremendous propulsion as the heart of large constructs.
When fully activated, this engine will completely reshape the ship's appearance while generating massive amounts of green ghostfire, significantly increasing the vessel's speed!
Additionally, the green flames emitted by this core are potent enough to repel weaker spectral creatures and sea beasts.
Note: This engine requires supernatural energy to sustain.]
Chen Qi carefully examined it. Although its appearance resembled the core he had obtained earlier, its performance was on an entirely different level!
A qualitative leap... Chen Qi swallowed hard.
With this core, his ship would undoubtedly become the most dazzling vessel in the coastal waters.
"Well done!"
Chen Qi excitedly hugged the Deepsea Water Spirit.
The energy core was the heart of a high-tier ship, and now his vessel would possess a legendary ghostly heart!
Next, it all depended on the ship Burry was building...
Wait—would Burry's ship even withstand the power of the ghost ship's energy core?
After all, despite Burry's exceptional craftsmanship, he was ultimately constructing a medium-sized travel vessel.
In terms of scale, it paled in comparison to warships and large cruise liners.
Could his humble houseboat's delicate frame truly endure such ferocious power?
A flicker of concern crossed Chen Qi's mind.
Fortunately, his houseboat was nearing completion, with only interior decorations remaining.
Whether it could handle the ghostfire core's power would soon be revealed.
Chen Qi exerted himself to remove the primary ghostfire core from the ghost ship.
After securing the core, Chen Qi gathered the little green algae and water spirits to plunder the ghost ship's treasures.
"Action!"
"Waku waku! (As you command!)"
The Deepsea Water Spirits had little concept of money or wealth, but fortunately, the little green algae, being a sea witch, had an acute sensitivity to treasure.
Soon, through their combined efforts, the engine room was piled high with pottery jars, gold coins, and fine wines.
These skeletal pirates really had a taste for expensive liquor... Chen Qi crouched down and inventoried the haul from left to right.
The pottery and scrolls were severely damaged.
The combined value of the fine wines and gemstones amounted to at least thirty million shell coins.
A considerable fortune... Chen Qi tallied the count.
However, the ghost ship was currently a prime target for coastal authorities and numerous hunter groups.
Selling these items in Moonstone City would fetch at most fifteen million shell coins, not to mention the risk of police intervention.
The best approach was to offload these illicit goods at the black market in the Rift Sea.
Next, Chen Qi began cataloging the supernatural items aboard the ghost ship.
Among the combat-oriented supernatural tools and weapons were two second-tier Transcendent backpack cards and one third-tier Transcendent backpack card.
The second-tier cards contained nothing particularly valuable, totaling just five million shell coins.
But thankfully, this third-tier card belonging to Siren hadn't been lost.
This was a third-tier Transcendent's backpack card... Chen Qi excitedly clutched the card in his hand.
[30-Series Backpack Card (Super Fire God Edition):
Affinity: Lamp
Description: Manufactured by White Pigeon Travel Company of the White Tower Federation for VIP clients—essential for home storage and travel.
Capacity: 2*2*2 (cubic, eight cubic meters)
Note: Distinguished guest, premium comes with privileges! May White Pigeon's products bring convenience to your journeys!]
This backpack card measured 2*2*2 in size.
Chen Qi's current backpack card was 1*1*2—meaning this new one offered four times the storage capacity.
Larger backpack cards commanded exponentially higher prices!
Moreover, this was a special edition model capable of briefly preserving food and preventing item rusting or food mold.
What treasures might such a precious card contain?
Chen Qi flipped the card over, noting the conveniently labeled contents on its surface.
Let's see what goodies a third-tier Transcendent keeps in their backpack!
Succubus Perfume: Enhances charm; its fragrance clouds human judgment.
Seductive Lipstick: Leaves distinctly scented, stubborn strawberry-red stains.
Why would anyone want indelible lipstick marks? Chen Qi pondered.
Oh right—this belonged to that sea queen Siren.
Chen Qi continued scanning the contents.
Delay Potion, Hypnotic Potion, Skincare Lotion, Collar, Dog Ear Accessories, Cat Tail Accessory, Whip of Agony, Cow Costume...
What kind of inventory is this? Chen Qi's mouth twitched.
Aside from the mind-weakening Whip of Agony (useful for interrogation), these were all bizarre... intimate accessories.
Shouldn't a third-tier Transcendent's backpack contain game-changing weapons?
Siren's tastes were... eclectic. Chen Qi gritted his teeth.
At least the Whip of Agony could weaken mental defenses, making it a rare supernatural weapon.
Finally, after persistent searching, he discovered one normal supernatural item—a blue eye-shaped crystal the size of a human head.
[Lost Eye of the Abyss
Affinity: Cup
Description: One of the myriad eyes from the legendary abyssal titan Twelve-Tentacles.
Function: Contains potent abyssal energy capable of summoning an eye from the rift's depths. (In sacred sites with proper rituals, may invoke the Sea Goddess's gaze or eyes from beyond the rift.)]
An abyssal titan's eye... Chen Qi stroked his chin.
So Little Crow and the others sought to summon entities from beyond the rift—or deities.
Entities from beyond the rift or divine-related beings could unleash catastrophic storms across the seas.
Typically, Eyes of the Abyss served as flesh materials to grant vision to creatures—merely one component of rituals.
They're playing with fire... Chen Qi marveled.
If Little Crow's group succeeded in summoning a complete abyssal creature, only a fourth-tier Transcendent could handle such a monstrosity.
Yet Siren had abandoned such a crucial item...
Chen Qi contemplated further.
A sightless creature, no matter how powerful or spiritually oppressive, would pose significantly diminished threats.
Still, the Eye of the Abyss itself was a remarkable supernatural artifact.
Even without preparation, its summoned abyssal eye would rival Coastal Apex Predators in strength while moving freely through sea and sky.
Its sole drawback was that such creatures rapidly incurred the world's backlash, crumbling into black ash.
An exceptional haul indeed!
After cataloging his spoils, Chen Qi relocated the derelict ghost ship near White Tree Shallows as a peculiar landmark.
With everything settled, he piloted his small houseboat back to Damarro Town, concluding the day's adventures.
......
Early next morning.
A cheerful knock sounded at Chen Qi's inn door.
"Yes?"
Having slept soundly, Chen Qi dressed, placed Deepsea Water Spirit No.1 atop his head, and opened the door.
Outside stood An, holding an unusual wooden staff.
"Hmm~"
An hummed softly as she walked to the corridor's end, drew back the curtains, and opened the window overlooking Damarro Town's docks.
Sea breezes whispered through as morning sunlight danced across rippling waters where a brand-new vessel waited:
His new ship.