Leaving the Harbor

Chapter 152 Leaving the Harbor

A man who looked remarkably like John Vick took a sip of his drink and placed the glass on the bar table, causing the liquid inside to swirl.

"Newbie, these two aren't here to cause you trouble; they're trying to use all sorts of tricks to recruit you."

"Either the mission is too difficult and no one wants to go, or there's not much benefit to it; we probably don't have many starving people around here."

After saying that, Leo raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

"It's lost its appeal." He smacked his lips, looking somewhat dejected.

After being seen through, Tianxing hissed loudly, feeling a bit of toothache.

"My goodness, can't you keep your mouth shut? You're the one who led this mission, and now you're kicking people out."

Rui Lan rolled her eyes and returned to her original seat, sitting sullenly with one leg crossed.

"Look, look, this is your idea, saying that this method can increase intimacy. I really admire myself for daring to act out this scene with you."

"Didn't you disapprove of my move? Now you're blaming me?"

"What a loser. If you ask me, I'd just kidnap the next new girl I meet, instead of wasting time here."

The two continued to accuse each other, but they kept focusing on He Feng.

He shook his head and then stepped past the two of them.

He Feng sat down next to the bar, his eyes darting around the menu.

The prices of the drinks on the menu were outrageous; a glass of Scarlet Mary cost a pound of dirt, which is equivalent to the annual expenses of two or three ordinary workers.

He Feng frowned slightly, chose this rather simple cocktail, and placed the order.

"Boss, a distilled cocktail, around 30 degrees will do, I still have to set sail."

"Okay, sir."

The bartender picked up the cocktail bottle, poured in the necessary ingredients, and started shaking it with a clanging sound.

"Lemon juice, seaweed blue, and finally, an alcohol base that's been distilled a thousand times—how tasteful! How tasteful!"

"That's right. We've worked so hard for so long, we should treat ourselves to a nice drink."

Leo glanced at He Feng, then downed the freshly filled glass of wine in one gulp.

"Another cup, please!"

The wine glass was passed to the two of them with a "whoosh," along with the newly filled wine.

"Sir, please."

He Feng gently picked up the wine glass and tried to take a sip of this unique drink, but even the lemon flavor was not enough to make it palatable.

The brewing techniques in this world are still too poor, and the significantly different tastes left He Feng feeling somewhat disappointed.

"How did you get in?"

The burly Leo moved his unshaven face a few steps closer to He Feng, his face full of curiosity.

"Just like you, I was introduced here, but what's it to you?"

I caught a glimpse of He Feng's brand new name tag on his chest; it was silver and gleaming.

"A silver medal? I've never seen many people in my life get a silver medal right off the bat. You're the first one."

"Then the brand you're selling isn't exactly prestigious," He Feng retorted sarcastically.

Leo was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "You've got a temper. You really are a ruthless character who can take down those bandits."

He Feng immediately jumped up from his chair, staring at Leo with a stiff, pale face, his left hand already on the pocket where the pistol was.

"Many people come here, but you're the first one who dares to talk to me like this. By the way, I'm Leo, the captain of the Starfire and the actual controller of this club."

"Those two clowns are my men. Ruilan is the captain of the Shadow Butterfly, and the one who likes to mix lies into everything is Tianxing, the captain of the Giant Whale."

"Listen to me, I know everything about this sea, both what you know and what you don't know. There's really no need for this real fighting."

He poured alcohol down his throat like a drunkard, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"Perhaps you think you can beat me?"

In an instant, Leo's killing intent surged, and a death-defying nerve reaction seemed to grip He Feng's throat.

But he simply maintained his original posture, savoring the wine in his mouth, showing no intention whatsoever of brandishing weapons.

Everyone in the hierarchy kept their eyes far away, afraid of offending him in the slightest, and the scene was silent for a while.

He Feng calmed himself down a bit and then slowly returned to his seat.

"I have some questions to ask. If you have the answers, we can make the deal now," He Feng asked with a straight face and a forced smile.

"You're pretty perceptive! That's how smart people are. What do you want to ask?"

"Where is the wreckage of the Steel Ship now?" He Feng asked calmly.

The fall of a Tier 2 fortress is certainly no small matter, and it's something these know-it-alls are well aware of.

The intelligence system hasn't expired its coverage of this information yet, which definitely means the shipyard core is still there.

The intelligence system still knows very little about this area and is unable to pinpoint the exact location of the Steel Ship's wreckage.

Instead of exhausting yourself searching for clues to complete the puzzle, it's better to just ask someone directly.

Upon hearing this, Leo's gesture of raising his glass suddenly froze, and he stared at He Feng in disbelief, his face full of incomprehension.

"You're also here to find the lost dock module from the Steel Ship? Listen to me, it's not too late to turn back now."

Leo thought for a moment with a headache, "Fine. I won't charge you for this one, so you don't go looking for trouble."

"Open your ears and listen carefully. I'm telling you, the Steel Ship will soon be sacrificed to the sea."

2

"Disappeared?" He Feng pressed, "What is that?"

"The Hidden Ones were besieged by the cult. They didn't even know they were being besieged. The entire ship turned into pus and blood, becoming food to nourish that thing inside their fortress."

"That ship is still adrift at sea. Don't get too close, my friend. This is my advice to you."

This thing sounds exactly like the way Old Dog's ship died.

He Feng felt inexplicably that the results of the two were extremely similar, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they were exactly the same.

"But what if I insist on going?"

"Then I'll have to make money against my conscience." Leo grinned broadly, revealing his pearly white teeth. "One hundred pounds of dirt in exchange for one piece of information."

"Deal!" He Feng shouted decisively, pulling out a check and slamming it on the table.

"A straightforward guy like you, I love dealing with people like you." Leo laughed heartily, then beckoned to the bartender, who started rummaging through the cabinets.

Finally, the bartender brought out a glass of red wine, resting on a yellowed map with various geographical markers, simple but by no means crude.

"Don't drink too fast, or you'll be too greedy and end up tripping over a mud puddle."

Leo raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

He carefully pulled out the map, smoothed out the wrinkles, and finally saw a large, solitary cross drawn on it.

The distance wasn't exactly close, nor was it far, but it was enough for them to spend more than ten days on the journey.

Sailing from the Golden Outpost to the waters under the jurisdiction of the neighboring Chenjia Outpost is a journey of more than 3000 nautical miles, which is definitely a tough one.

Now that his goal had been achieved, He Feng saw no need to linger. He took off running, and no one could stop him.

"Just let him go like that? With that kind of fighting ability, it would be so much better to have him join our project. It's such a waste to send him to his death."

Tianxing watched He Feng's figure gradually disappear into the distance, feeling somewhat regretful that she hadn't been able to persuade him to stay.

"Relying on your amateurish, quack-like rhetoric? Tianxing, you'd better go back to your fortress and raise whales!"

"Sis, just shut up already. You lost one of the starfish hornwhales you raised not long ago," Tianxing said resentfully.

"Do you know how much a starfire hornwhale costs? Its meat alone could buy a thousand pounds of mud! I'd be losing my mind!"

"I see they're still selling narwhal meat at their stalls, no way—"

"Stop!" Leo sternly extinguished their wild ideas.

"The plants must be carefully cultivated before the fruit is harvested, only in this way can they produce sufficiently sweet and juicy fruit."

"Fine, fine, you're so insightful, we're all just lucky fools, okay?" Rui Lan snorted coldly, continuing to sulk.

"He'll come, he definitely will, after all—he's a waiter." Leo's face held a meaningful look.

"Boss, did you know our stock is completely sold out?"

Ji Chunxing stood excitedly in front of He Feng, holding a handful of dry sand in his hands, laughing heartily.

"Okay, I'll make you all some extra food later." He Feng patted the boy's head.

He Feng vaguely remembered that they originally rented about seven or eight stalls, all of which were sold according to categories.

Needless to say, the best-selling item was the monster meat accumulated on the Azure, and the uneaten Starfire hornwhale meat sold for nearly 3 pounds per kilogram.

Surprisingly, some of the machine parts they produced also sold exceptionally well, attracting not only local factory owners but also fortress lords who came to snatch them up.

Perhaps this was all thanks to Ji Chun, who knows?

In total, they netted 5000 pounds of soil, making a substantial profit.

The Steel Blue is not short of supplies right now, and they are trying to fill the Blue's material warehouses with coal to ensure reserves for future voyages.

Besides that, there's the unique dark gold produced here.

Because it is monopolized by the Golden Outpost, the price is naturally high and difficult to lower.

One ton of dark gold is equivalent to 50 pounds of soil. Just buy it, and they'll buy it without saying a word.

Looking at his increasingly empty wallet, He Feng only dared to place an order for about 20 tons, causing the quick money he had just made to slip through his fingers again.

Not to mention, some of the more advanced local technological equipment were all bought back by the Blue Ship and secretly reverse-engineered.

4000 pounds of soil were spent, with an actual surplus of 1000 pounds of soil.

A massive ship weighing tens of millions of tons cannot afford the slightest mistake; everything must be arranged perfectly.

During this period, many people were optimistic about the development of the Azure, and about 31 people boarded the fortress.

Most people here are easygoing and tend to hold back when facing enemies after reaching Tier 2, unlike the life-or-death battles of Tier 1 fortresses.

In their view, it's just going to a new place to work.

[Fortress Tier: Tier 2]

Maximum capacity: 500 people

[Fortress player count: 321]

[Male/Female: 181/140]

[Children/Most active adults/Elderly: 80 people/161 people/80 people]

He Feng took out his bracelet, and various data about the population of the fortress appeared on it. His eyes scanned the numbers back and forth, silently memorizing them.

"The headcount ratio is normal; it's a normal olive shape." He Feng nodded smugly, amidst a cheerful atmosphere.

"My lord, we can prepare to set sail now!" Li Ran had just finished instructing the city defense troops to maintain their firearms when he rushed over to He Feng.

Seeing the last basket of coal slag being loaded onto the fortress, He Feng stopped dawdling.

"Yes, let's leave port. We can't linger here any longer," he said in a deep voice.

"Leave port, anchor!" Li Ran immediately shouted to the crew on the ship.

"Boom!"

The sound of chains cracking echoed as mechanical gears drove the winch, pulling the chains and lifting the heavy anchor upwards.

The ship, which had been as steady as a rock, began to sway and rock restlessly from side to side.

Finally, the sailors at the dock lifted a thick rope tied to the harbor, and the entire rope snapped back like a rubber band.

Thus, the ship and the dock bid farewell once again.

The sea area occupied by Chenjiashao is mostly surrounded by the other four families, while a whole area of ​​sea in the middle, comparable to the Indian Ocean, is their sphere of influence.

Therefore, to enter their jurisdiction, one needs proof of prior contact with other outposts.

He Feng clutched the club badge in his hand, examined it in the sunlight, and then put it into his waistband.

This one is perfect.

With only two days left, the information in his mind would be refreshed again, He Feng pondered deeply.

Completing intelligence gathering may not mean gathering any specific information, but rather providing you with a medium.

Perhaps as long as you have contact with this medium, you might be able to exchange it for points to refresh the intelligence.

He Feng didn't see any specific wording in the intelligence report; it was just a notification about what was happening there, and he wasn't required to do anything.

Thinking of this, He Feng couldn't help but feel a jolt of energy.

In the past, he would complete these intelligence tasks, whether overt or covert, and the intelligence system would be updated immediately.

What if he avoided participating in missions as much as possible and only dabbled in intelligence media?

Isn't this a way to get points for free!

We still have three refresh chances. How about we use one now?

Driven by curiosity, He Feng once again had a thought and brought up the information panel in his mind.

[Refresh the intelligence. You have three chances left. Select intelligence 1. Confirm?]

"Yes," He Feng asked with a persistent pursuit of truth.

Is there any bias in the intelligence? Refreshing intelligence requires one refresh point.

"Where are the socks I lost the day before yesterday?" He Feng asked shamelessly.

He Feng vaguely sensed that the panel in front of him seemed to twitch, remaining silent for a long time, as if deep in thought about a foolish question.

This gave him the feeling that he was being deeply looked down upon by an intelligence panel.

[Intelligence 1 has been updated]