Witch, I Swear I’m Not a Deep Sea Ancient God!

Chapter 289: Equipment Upgrade

Chen Qi waved his finger with some difficulty.

Smack! Smack!

At this moment, the sea was turbulent with raging waves and violent tentacles, while Fen, rich in spiritual energy, became the primary target of the attacks.

Seawater condensed into pillars, then transformed into tentacles that fell from the sky, slapping down one after another.

Although the tentacles' striking speed wasn't fast, their overwhelming numbers made even Fen feel somewhat strained as she dodged back and forth.

Fen said with some irritation:

"Qi, can you control these tentacles?"

"First time, I need some time to adjust..."

Chen Qi struggled to adapt to this sensation. He couldn't precisely control each tentacle's specific movements yet, only give some general commands:

"Fen, stop moving for now.""???"

Fen froze momentarily at Chen Qi's words, and in that moment of hesitation, a semi-transparent tentacle suddenly shot out from the sea, tightly wrapping around her waist.

"Aiyo!"

No way... Fen looked down.

Chen Qi smiled slightly:

"Let me practice this skill, just for a little while."

As he spoke, Chen Qi raised his finger, and the semi-transparent tentacle lifted Fen high into the air.

Unlike his Ember's Touch, the tentacles created by the Deep Sea Compression Ball were semi-transparent ones condensed from seawater when integrated with the ocean.

"..."

Fen blinked her green eyes, tilted her head, her soaked green hair gently resting on her shoulders as she looked at Chen Qi with slight speechlessness.

Why does it feel like... he really enjoys this skill? Fen couldn't help but feel a trace of doubt.

Chen Qi smiled without speaking, simply gently raising his finger. In the sea, water gathered high like a whirlpool again, forming a pillar of seawater ready to tap her head.

These tentacles' power was sufficient against second-tier supernaturals, but against her, they still lacked considerable firepower.

Useless... Fen smiled confidently, preparing to rely on brute force to shatter Chen Qi's skill.

However, the next second, she suddenly felt a toxin continuously seeping into her body through the tentacle's skin!

[Death Poison], a highly effective venom that drastically reduces physical attributes while simultaneously generating painful sensations.

Additionally, there was pleasure!

Pain and pleasure intertwined!

Death's Whip and Bind Lv2, Chen Qi's basic tentacle skill, allowed basic tentacle attacks to carry both [Death Poison] and [Pleasure Poison], with these toxins being most effective when entangling the target.

The toxins slowly entered her body.

Fen's expression showed some surprise as she struggled vigorously. Under the slight effect of the toxins, she actually couldn't break free from this trash fish sea tentacle's binding through brute force alone.

Damn it... Fen was just about to reveal her true strength.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The next second, another tentacle fell from the sky like a club, striking three times on her head.

The sound was remarkably loud!

What a good head!

At this moment, Fen finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Gua!"

The next instant, Fen, unable to bear the humiliation, used an instant self-destruction spell to violently explode the tentacles away, then performed a backflip in mid-air before landing gracefully.

"Qi..."

Damn it... Fen straightened her long hair as vines grew around her feet, wanting to make Chen Qi experience this feeling too.

Chen Qi said with full helplessness:

"No choice, around here, I can't find any other practice opponents."

As he spoke, he retracted his finger, withdrawing all the tentacles in front of them. These tentacles once again turned into special spiritual energy within the seawater, ultimately condensing into a palm-sized compression ball.

Return!

Chen Qi caught the ball with his hand and stored it in the waist pouch of his hunter outfit.

Testing complete.

Chen Qi summarized that although in the eyes of Deep Sea Hunters this was just a bath scrubber, for him, it was undoubtedly an extremely powerful divine artifact.

Its most serious drawback was the low strength of individual sea tentacles, far inferior to the strength of Ember's Touch.

However, it had two major characteristics.

First, extremely low energy consumption. It could absorb energy from seawater, requiring minimal spiritual energy expenditure.

Although its combat capability on land was weaker, on the ocean, with its extremely low energy consumption, these tentacles seemed inexhaustible and constantly renewable.

Second, advantages in quantity and size. The tentacles could reach up to twenty meters in height with a five-meter radius, continuously growing tentacles at full capacity.

Although in one-on-one combat, they could only play a supporting role.

In situations of one against many, they could effectively prevent interference from miscellaneous soldiers and also deliver effective strikes against ships on the ocean.

Additionally, Chen Qi discovered that the sea tentacles grown from this compression ball could coordinate with some of his [tentacle-type] skills.

It could be said that this skill greatly enhanced his safety in maritime combat.

Not bad... Chen Qi finished his summary, then reached back and grabbed the poisonous vine preparing to ambush him from behind.

Vine technique? Such petty tricks? Still trying to sneak attack me?

Chen Qi narrowed his eyes, turned around, and smiled slightly at Fen.

A small gray flower of guilt sprouted on Fen's head as she rubbed her hands:

"Qi, you know what? This isn't a sneak attack, it's a floral aspect vine that can give you a pleasurable massage. You've been helping me gather herbs recently, working hard..."

Do you think I'd believe that... Chen Qi clapped his hands and led Fen to a more concealed location.

Now that Fen's herb gathering was complete and his body was half recovered.

It was time to prepare for the next step.

Since this place had produced such a massive tentacle tsunami, for safety's sake, Chen Qi and Fen found an unnamed small island and leaned against coconut trees to discuss subsequent plans.

Chen Qi split open a coconut and handed it to Fen:

"Fen, we should just about start preparing for action."

"Really starting now?"

Fen took the half coconut and said with some concern.

Chen Qi leaned against the coconut tree and thought about it. His next goals were, first, to enhance his own strength, and second, to help Fen officially become a legend.

The Fog Sea was filled with dangers, and currently, he didn't yet have the qualifications to enter the Fog Sea.

If Fen could advance to become a true 'Flower Witch', becoming a legend...

These days, Fen had been making tonics whenever possible, feeding them to him. Thanks to Fen's various tonics, his body had recovered extremely quickly.

Chen Qi even felt that Fen cared more about his body than he did himself.

Thanks to the tonics, despite his overexertion and injury condition, his constitution had actually increased by 5 points.

And this was with Fen being merely an 'Alchemist'!

Chen Qi didn't dare imagine how powerful his body would be under the nourishment of a legendary floral aspect alchemist's potions!

By then, even Haige, one of the supernovas and a medicine user, probably couldn't compare to him.

"Then, shall we set off immediately?"

Fen asked curiously.

"No."

Chen Qi shook his head.

The Moon Island Flower was located deep within the Dragonflower Archipelago. To obtain it, they not only had to defeat the numerous golems controlled by the Moon Island Flower but, most importantly, had to beware of the legendary Dragon Tamer King Jie.

As one of the Seven Sea Pirates, the Dragon Tamer King was a very troublesome opponent...

Chen Qi frowned. With their current strength, he and Fen weren't even matches for Dragon Tamer King Jie's flying thunder dragon group.

To pluck a legendary herb from his backyard, they had to wait for an opportunity—wait for the Dragon Tamer King to leave! Wait for the opportune moment of war!

More importantly, Chen Qi estimated that with his current strength, facing the Dragon Tamer King's flying dragons was still too risky.

He had to complete a major equipment upgrade and comprehensive skill upgrade before this opportunity arrived.

Chen Qi currently had a full thirty deep blue fires.

And the Shadow Weaver summoning card could summon a shadow weaver to help him forge new equipment, consuming approximately twenty deep blue fires.

The other deep blue fires required reliance on a blacksmith and large amounts of forging materials.

Simply having deep blue fires wasn't enough to upgrade equipment.

The troublesome part was that the 'deep blue fires being stolen' incident had spread throughout the sea. Finding a trustworthy blacksmith would require some luck.

Additionally, the shadow weaver he summoned needed wriggling shadows to forge items, so he also needed to purchase large quantities of wriggling shadows.

These things had to be bought with money, lots and lots of money.

Short on money... Chen Qi couldn't help but shake his head:

"Fen, let's return to Haibao Number One, wait for an opportunity, and meanwhile prepare for battle."

Haibao Number One had abundant supplies and many money-making opportunities.

"Haibao Number One?!"

Fen clutched her head in distress. Whenever she thought about the numerous bounty hunters at Haibao Number One, she felt a headache coming on.

"..."

Chen Qi looked at Fen's current attire.

Currently, Fen wore a dark green cloak with alchemist robes underneath. With this appearance, entering Haibao Number One again would inevitably lead to discovery.

"Just change clothes, with an identity—there are many adventurers of unknown origin from the Witch Sea..."

Chen Qi drained the coconut juice in one go, contemplating their subsequent actions.

...

Three weeks later, noon, Haibao Number One mobile dock.

Numerous merchant ships docked beside the mobile dock, forming a dense small maritime city.

In the distance, three large cargo ships and passenger liners slowly approached, carrying goods from around the world. Their massive hulls moved steadily through the waves like giants of the ocean, echoing the mobile dock from afar.

Another round of loading and unloading was about to begin. On Haibao Number Three's deck, hundreds of dock workers watched the scene before them, wiping sweat from their brows.

The bald lead dock worker shook his head and sighed:

"Such a pity, what trouble. Won't get to eat the last meal at the Water Spirit Restaurant today."

"Yeah, truly unfortunate. The restaurant even sells low-price healing potions, but I didn't manage to get any. If I had enough healing potions, I could break into a D-tier dimensional rift, get a second-rank profession card, become second-tier, and get married..."

"Stop dreaming. D-tier rifts are deadly. Better try to persuade the Water Spirit Restaurant's owner and proprietress not to run away."

"How can they not run? Recently, the seas are about to change dramatically. The navy keeps suffering defeats—our Haibao Number One might even become Blackfin Crew captives. Those two, though lucky third-tiers, must be scared stiff."

The two dock workers sighed deeply, involuntarily turning to look at Chen Qi and Fen standing before the Haibao Number One hall entrance.

Chen Qi stood before the hall, opening his backpack card to inventory the good materials he'd recently acquired.

These days, besides operating as the restaurant owner, he spent most of his time completing missions as a hunter and searching for equipment upgrade materials.

During this period, he had acquired spider silk, wriggling shadows, sea dragon scales, lamp dust, and more.

These materials cost Chen Qi five million at once, plus recent food and beverage business earnings, plus selling large quantities of materials, plus some potions made by the Flower Witch, plus the shell coins from accepting hunter missions.

Altogether, it consumed the astronomical price of fifteen million shell coins.

Buying equipment materials was a bottomless pit. The once wealthy Chen Qi suddenly found his wallet deflated.

"No money left, but fortunately, the harvest is abundant..."

Chen Qi sat on the window-side rest chair in Haibao Number Three's hall dock, taking another look at his new equipment.

By summoning the little shadow weaver, he had already forged a new piece of equipment 'Ember Boots' and upgraded his main weapon.

[Ember Boots:

Affinity: Shadow, Blade

Function:

Basic Passive: Increases 30 points of equipment agility, enhances all movement skills by 20%.

Hidden Shadow (Active): This equipment can reduce your spiritual energy signature by 50%, and can eliminate your footsteps by condensing small shadows inside the shoes.

Ember Protection (Passive): When the wearer enters combat mode, activates the sole's flame mode, further increasing agility by 20%.]

The Ember Boots consumed five deep blue fires in total.

The other was the most important weapon upgrade—'Flesh Cleaver Bone Breaker'!

[Flesh Cleaver Bone Breaker (Ember Upgrade)

Affinity: Blade

Description: A long blade upgraded through quenching with deep blue fire combined with dragon scale powder.

Function:

Flesh Severance (Passive): Greatly increases basic attack power. The blade becomes extremely sharp, gathering deep blue fire. When the blade strikes the opponent, it erupts with deep blue fire capable of melting steel, tearing through the opponent's blood and flesh, while causing indelible anti-healing effects.

Fury's Might (Passive): This blade is already a legendary qi force technique weapon. All qi force techniques channeled through this weapon gain 30% power bonus and additional blade affinity damage.

Blade of Fury: When activating Blade of Fury, transforms the long blade into a two-meter blade burning with scorching flames. This power increases all your attributes by 20% and generates substantial blade affinity fury emotions, greatly enhancing your technique power.

The Blade of Fury upgrade consumed considerably—fifteen deep blue fires all at once.

Chen Qi glanced at the Blade of Fury at his waist. Beneath its scabbard, the blade gleamed with some deep blue sharp patterns.

This blade was now an extremely powerful piece of equipment even for legends.

Unfortunately, the shadow weaver's summoning time was limited. He couldn't have all equipment forged by the shadow weaver.

The remaining ten deep blue fires would be difficult to spend... Chen Qi shook his head.

"Qi!"

At this moment, Fen—with Water Spirit No. 2 on her head, wearing a white mask, and dressed in server attire—hurried over.

These days, Fen in disguise had been working as a server at Chen Qi's restaurant.

With Water Spirit No. 2 on her head, few paid attention to her mask.

Fen anxiously handed a newspaper to Chen Qi:

"Qi, quickly look at today's newspaper! Something big happened!"

Hmm? Chen Qi curiously took the newspaper and hurriedly scanned it.

The newspaper's headline had two major news stories.

#Captain Blackeye takes action, defeats major slave merchant Yue Xiao, saves special populations with Sea Beast Disease, unexpectedly discovers Deep Sea Hunter treasure, replaces Dya who was brutally beaten by Black Hunter, becoming the new supernova!#

Captain Blackeye, why do you still have screen time? No, why can you find Deep Sea Hunter treasure... Chen Qi grumbled to himself, then continued reading.

#Navy headquarters attacked! Two warships, ten mechas, all destroyed! Over five thousand navy personnel injured! One of the witch relics falls into Blackfin Crew hands!!#

Chen Qi excitedly tightened his grip on the newspaper:

"The formal war between the navy and Blackfin Crew has erupted earlier than I imagined."