novelraw Chapter 218: Can We Win?
Chapter 218: Can We Win?
“Pinch me!”
The Flower Witch Fen’s expression turned serious.
Pain is the natural antidote to illusions.
Does the Flower Witch like being pinched? You said it... Chen Qi barely hesitated and pinched the Flower Witch Fen’s cheek with his thumb and index finger.
Soft—
So comfortable.
The kind that makes you want to pinch a little longer.
Chen Qi’s fingers gently twisted, increasing the pressure.
Without mercy.
“Ouch, ouch, ouch, enough, really—”The Flower Witch Fen lifted her head, blinking hard, and once again looked toward the distant rolling waves together with everyone else.
The giant head of the Black Lantern Dragon was like a small mountain, plunging into the sea, searching for the bait just dropped.
A huge column of waves rose!
No way, no matter how you look at it, that swaying tail looks a bit like a big dog... The Flower Witch Fen pinched her reddened cheek again, unable to believe what she saw far away.
The Black Lantern Dragon was actually attracted by the tiny supernatural bait!
Does that make sense? This is a dragon king-level monster!
Whew, it should be fine now... Chen Qi reluctantly released his grip, looked at the distant Black Lantern Dragon, and let out a long breath.
As long as it was confirmed that the Black Lantern Dragon was attracted to the supernatural bait, then this crisis could be declared temporarily over.
If the Black Lantern Dragon moved even a little, their entire Dagger would fall into this distorted sea, swallowing a whole pot of nutrient-filled seawater!
The brief departure of the Black Lantern Dragon allowed everyone on the Dagger to gradually shake off the sense of death looming over them.
The Dagger immediately accelerated!
It must be known that most of the sea beasts in the distorted sea are highly aggressive.
And yet, they had successfully witnessed a dragon king and survived.
“Thank the gods!”
“Who just said they entrusted their wife and children to me?”
“Who just confessed to me?”
“Who just said if the Black Lantern Dragon dies, they’ll drink this cup of distorted water standing on their head?”
“Haha! Brother Fenrir, I want a drink!”
“What exactly was the move Mr. Black Hunter just used? It actually drove away a disaster-level fierce beast.”
“Yeah, what was that move? Could it be Black Hunter’s aura?”
Everyone was both shocked and delighted, yet full of questions, all looking at Chen Qi.
Being stared at by everyone like this... Chen Qi lowered his head and found Fen staring at him too.
Fen’s colorful eyes beneath the flower petals were wide open, full of curiosity like a little kid.
“Ahem, ahem.”
Damn, I have to explain... Chen Qi thought about how to bluff his way through.
Just as Chen Qi pondered, Mad Wolf Fenrir lifted his head and walked over:
“Mr. Black Hunter, was your move just now the legendary ‘Fishing in the Storm’?”
You actually know?
Chen Qi blinked involuntarily.
That was exactly the name of the move he had just used with the supernatural bait!
“Exactly!”
Chen Qi nodded confidently.
You really know your stuff, Fenrir!
It was true! Mad Wolf Fenrir tried to control his expression, as if everything was expected:
“It really is the legendary deep sea hunter’s move. Legend says this bait can attract sea beasts.
Deep sea hunters often use this move to lure other sea beasts for a perfect hunting ground in their battle against sea monsters. Now, this move has resurfaced. Mr. Black Hunter, you even managed to get a deep sea hunter’s treasure!
Legend has it, he defeated the disaster beast Sea Lantern Fox with the supernatural bait...”
Fenrir told the legend of the deep sea hunter.
“Hiss...”
The supernatural bait even had this kind of history... Chen Qi thought carefully.
The supernatural bait seemed to indeed have this function, but because of his own nature, he hadn’t paid much attention to it.
So it wasn’t because of my charm? Chen Qi felt slightly disappointed.
“Deep sea hunter, I see...”
Fen fell into thought. Chen Qi actually mastered a deep sea hunter’s move, which was the first time she had heard of it.
Chen Qi was truly a man full of mysteries!
With Chen Qi’s current strength, obtaining a deep sea hunter’s treasure was not unusual.
At this moment, a sailor on the Dagger shouted loudly:
“Boss, it looks like the Black Lantern Dragon dropped some scales! Should we salvage them?”
Scales? Chen Qi lowered his head and found that under the recent cannon fire, some scorching hot scales had indeed fallen onto the sea.
This shouldn’t be from the cannon’s force.
Right now, the Black Lantern Dragon was in a special skin-shedding period.
Fenrir shouted loudly:
“Salvage them!”
The professional sailors on the Dagger quickly operated the salvage machinery to retrieve the heavy scales.
Boom!
Three thick, pitch-black scales fell onto the deck.
Chen Qi walked over and gently touched them.
Rough, hard, and scorching hot...
[Black Lantern Dragon’s Scales:
Description: Light yet extremely tough black dragon scales with strong spiritual energy conduction on the inside, usable for crafting extremely rare armor. Additionally, the scale surface has powerful spiritual energy absorption, diluting most spiritual attacks by 80% when they hit the scale!]
Strong spiritual energy conduction and energy dilution... Chen Qi was slightly shocked.
This Black Lantern Dragon’s material was very strong!
Spiritual energy dilution meant these scales could be made into powerful magic-resistant armor or the hull of a ship!
“Good stuff!”
Everyone on the Dagger sighed in admiration; this was quite a haul.
Though only three pieces, they were dragon king’s scales after all.
“All right, stop staring, this isn’t our spoil!”
Fenrir said cheerfully:
“Mr. Black Hunter, these Black Lantern Dragon scales are good stuff. I see your ship’s speed is decent, but its defense is lacking.
When we get back, I’ll have Little Ami help you install the latest defense system on your ship. At the same time, we can reinforce the windows and doors with these scales. How about that?”
A defense system!
This wasn’t a small investment; if it was the latest model, it might even be worth more than his ship itself... Chen Qi thought silently.
This was also the biggest weakness of his Ghost Ship.
Fenrir’s generosity was truly bold!
Chen Qi nodded:
“Thanks a lot.”
Fenrir laughed heartily:
“Hahaha! No need to thank me! Mr. Black Hunter, if it weren’t for you, we’d all be dead. I wouldn’t mind giving you the Dagger!”
No, if it weren’t for me, the Black Lantern Dragon wouldn’t have arrived so quickly... Chen Qi wiped a cold sweat and looked toward the distant Black Lantern Dragon again.
Mad Wolf Fenrir also looked toward the distance following Chen Qi’s gaze:
“The treasures on these dragon kings are all priceless. Legend says the lantern of the Black Lantern Dragon contains an extremely rare luminous jade, a perfect lamp affinity material.
Unfortunately, these things are legendary toys, unrelated to people like us!
But if this mission is completed perfectly, maybe the Blood Lady will give me a good blade affinity item.”
Scales, lamp affinity, luminous jade... Chen Qi stroked his chin.
As the coastal apex predator’s dragon king body, this Black Lantern Dragon was covered with treasures!
This Black Lantern Dragon was far wealthier than the coastal apex predator!
Chen Qi swallowed. If he could remove all the scales from the Black Lantern Dragon, he could forge a super-hard ship. If he got the luminous jade, he could obtain a super-strong lamp affinity material.
Then, something unexpected happened in the next second.
“Roar!”
After eating the bait, the Black Lantern Dragon didn’t leave but roared at Chen Qi and then swam rapidly to the front of the Dagger.
Relentlessly pursuing!
Roar!
What? You want more? Chen Qi wiped a cold sweat.
To satisfy the Black Lantern Dragon, the seemingly ordinary supernatural bait had actually consumed a lot of his spiritual energy.
He currently didn’t have extra spiritual energy to make another deluxe supernatural bait for the Black Lantern Dragon!
The helmsman was shocked:
“Brother Fenrir, Mr. Black Hunter! It’s the Black Lantern Dragon, the Black Lantern Dragon! It’s on our route! Should we detour?”
Fenrir was stunned; this was the first time he’d encountered such a situation.
The Black Lantern Dragon actually ran ahead of them!
Chen Qi looked at the Black Lantern Dragon.
He vaguely understood the dragon’s meaning.
Two meanings.
The first was: “So delicious, I want more!”
Is the supernatural bait I made really that tasty... even I want to try some.
The second meaning was probably—“There’s good stuff for you!”
Mad Wolf Fenrir looked into the distance, hesitating.
If they changed course, it meant longer travel time and a greater chance of encountering other sea beasts.
Fenrir asked Chen Qi:
“Mr. Hunter, what do you think? Should we change course?”
Chen Qi stroked his chin and said:
“I don’t think it’s necessary. It’s not directly attacking us, which means it’s in a good mood. We might as well follow it.
Maybe it’s leading us.”
Leading!
Fenrir was shocked and doubted his ears.
The Black Lantern Dragon’s roar was leading us?
It was the embodiment of disaster in this sea!
This deep sea hunter’s supernatural bait was so powerful!
Could it be that Black Hunter’s bait contained an aphrodisiac made by the Flower Witch?
Little flowers of surprise bloomed on Fen’s head. As a young lady living in the Beast Taming Kingdom, she could clearly feel that the Black Lantern Dragon had not shown enough killing intent.
Following the Black Lantern Dragon to the navy research base was something she wouldn’t even dare to dream of.
Everyone exchanged glances but, after just now’s events, they were willing to trust their lifesaver.
As long as they had Black Hunter’s supernatural bait, they were not afraid of the Black Lantern Dragon!
If things got really bad, they would fully cover Chen Qi, replenish his magic, and have him make more supernatural bait.
Fenrir stepped forward and shouted loudly:
“Then let’s listen to Black Hunter! Forward, follow the Black Lantern Dragon, full speed ahead!”
“Alright!”
Everyone shouted with overwhelming enthusiasm.
The Dagger surged forward like a sharp blade, sprinting through the distorted sea!
...
...
Late night, abandoned Lost Island, navy research base, dock.
Under the lighthouse’s illumination, this long-abandoned navy research base was brightly lit.
Fifteen warships of the Blackfin Crew were docked in the harbor.
With the sound of horns, a large warship flying a red skull flag gradually sailed into the dock from afar.
“Finally arrived, surprisingly smoothly. That Black Lantern Dragon was indeed scared off by the blood poison gas I released. No wonder it was me...”
The Blood Mage waved his hand, signaling the ship to berth.
After docking smoothly, the Blood Mage smiled happily:
“Big Mom really is Big Mom, everything was under her control. If it weren’t for the Blood Blade Pirates’ ships, we wouldn’t dare speed up in that sea at all.”
Then the Blood Mage turned and asked the investigator behind him:
“How’s the situation with the Blood Blade Pirates now?”
The investigator replied:
“Reporting, sir. According to radar, the aura of the Black Lantern Dragon has appeared again in the nearby sea area, along with a ship’s signal. The Black Lantern Dragon and that ship have encountered each other. Currently, it seems the Blood Blade Pirates have lost one ship.”
“One ship destroyed...”
The Blood Mage frowned and looked toward the depths of the navy base.
To safely enter the Blade Witch’s ruins and obtain the Blade Witch’s treasure, they still needed the Flower Witch’s help—the key called ‘Witch’!
The Flower Witch was an indispensable key, and the Black Hunter was the person Big Mom Carol had designated!
The Black Hunter and the Flower Witch could be maimed but must not die!
The Blood Mage questioned:
“Who was on that ship? Were the Witch and Hunter aboard?”
“Sorry, sir, our radar signals and intelligence cannot yet determine that.”
The Blood Mage murmured:
“Forget it, their luck shouldn’t be that bad; they wouldn’t have encountered that giant dragon...”
As the commander of this operation, the Blood Mage paced back and forth on the deck.
Then he spoke and slowly gave orders:
“One exploration ship was eaten, which means the Black Lantern Dragon has consumed at least fifty second-tier supernaturals, plus a bunch of supernatural spiritual energy items!
Even if it’s a disaster, it should be full now and very happy!”
A perfect opportunity!
The Blood Mage stroked his chin.
According to the current information, the reason the Blackfin Crew’s ships dared not act rashly was not only because of the mysterious Azure Beast at the navy research base but also because of that terrifying Black Lantern Dragon.
Right now, the Black Lantern Dragon had just eaten, so its appetite must be greatly reduced and it must be digesting!
They could take advantage of this opportunity to arrange transport ships to deliver the navy base’s data, weapons, and captured sea beasts back.
The Blood Mage loudly commanded:
“Black Lantern Ship No. 7, No. 8, and No. 9, listen to my orders! In five minutes, immediately cross the distorted sea and return!
At the same time, salvage ship No. 11, immediately head to the central area of the distorted sea to salvage the remains of the Blood Blade Pirates’ ships! Recover as much equipment as possible!”
“Then, increase the lighthouse’s brightness. Black Shark No. 1 and No. 2 are responsible for combat. One warship was destroyed, and other exploration ships receiving the signal will definitely investigate. At that time, we will ambush and start a great sea battle!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Yes, sir!”
Accompanied by orderly footsteps, the roar of engines began.
What a great haul... The Blood Mage smiled blissfully, imitating Carol by sitting on the sofa, rolling up his pant legs, crossing them, drinking a glass of red wine, hugging a stolen beauty, and giving her a kiss while enjoying the wonderful moment.
Big Mom Carol truly was Big Mom Carol!
The Blood Blade Pirates were just their toys and weapons in this sea, completely expendable for the Blackfin Crew.
Everything was going according to plan!
Next, it was time to reap the rewards!
The Blood Blade Pirates’ goods, Black Hunter and Miss Witch, and the navy base’s treasures—all belonged to them.
The mission was really simple; except for that Azure Beast, this sea was already free of threats... The Blood Mage drank his wine, enjoying the powerful roar of the ships.
“Ah!!!”
However, in the next moment, a crew member’s scream suddenly came from afar.
“Damn it! Who’s screaming?”
The Blood Mage turned and looked toward the Blackfin Crew’s warships on the mission.
However, a strong blood wind, like a massive giant, heavily pressed down on him, making it impossible for him to open his eyes for a moment.
The sound of waves grew louder!
Why was it so dark ahead? Why so much fog?
The Blood Mage slowly raised his head, and on their newly built lighthouse, there was suddenly a lantern—a lantern constantly hanging in the air.
His mind instantly lost reason, leaving only a simple question:
Now, can the navy research base’s warship fleet defeat the Black Lantern Dragon?