"If fate allows, we'll meet again on the sea..."
Chen Qi packed up his things and took advantage of the crew's battle with the sea beasts to leave the stone gate early.
Black-eyed Captain and Little Crow still kept some of their strength in reserve, and they likely had some combat supplies left unused.
As long as they didn't touch that Blood Eye Wall, the Sawshark shouldn't suffer severe casualties.
With Little Crow's skills, he should be fine... Chen Qi thought to himself.
Although their time together wasn't long, he had a decent impression of Little Crow.
He wasn't the type of character to be a witch or princess, yet he became a standout figure in the Witch Sea Plate for a reason.
Despite his occasional insidious cackle and slight violent tendencies, he was truly a good person, and he had given him many things.
If there's a chance in the future, perhaps they could cooperate again.
But on this vast sea, without power, you can't accomplish anything.
The beings he encountered on the way were all sea beasts. They didn't give him a hard time; some were even afraid he'd go hungry and brought him some disgusting bat carcasses...
They were all friendly, giving Chen Qi a feeling of being home.
"But I'm human, I can't eat these things..."
Chen Qi looked at these sea beasts. Even though he possessed Deep Sea Affinity, undoubtedly, in both appearance and mind, he was genuinely human.
"Once I get out of here, I need to quickly advance to being Transcendent."
The exit of the Crack appeared before him.
Chen Qi placed down the parasitic sea beast that was massaging his shoulder.
Although the massage was comfortable, it was time for farewells.
"Goodbye, my peculiar little friend."
Chen Qi quickened his pace and left the Crack.
Even though the chances of being pursued were slim, it would be troublesome if someone was fast enough.
...
Soon, Chen Qi made his way through the narrow, pitch-black passage and emerged from the Crack.
Sunlight shone upon him once more.
The blue horizon and the shimmering sea mirrored each other, and the steamship Sawshark of the Black Whale Group was anchored before him.
The sunlight was really glaring, it should be close to noon now... Chen Qi shielded a part of the sunlight with his hand. After adjusting to the light, he walked towards the Sawshark.
Based on the information he gathered, to maximize their combat power, all members of the Sawshark had entered the Crack.
After all, even if someone stayed on the ship and discovered an unexpected situation, they couldn't convey the information into the Crack.
This was just someone else's intel, and not necessarily accurate...
But even if someone stayed behind, they probably wouldn't be too strong.
Chen Qi climbed the rope ladder, reached the deck of the Sawshark, and cautiously scouted around.
As expected, in the ship doctor's room, he spotted someone with both arms wrapped in bandages.
It was someone whose arms were bitten by a shark, and lacking combat power, didn't go to the Crack.
The person lay on the deck, basking in the sun, sleeping soundly...
This didn't hinder his escape.
Chen Qi first went to the dining room, took the sea map hanging on the wall for decoration, then grabbed a bag of bread and two cans. During this process, he also luckily found a simple Compass.
The whole process was extremely proficient.
After taking the food, he made his way towards the end of the ship.
At the stern of the ship hung five steam dinghies for emergencies.
The steam dinghy was not large, but its structure was delicate and exquisite, with a distinct steampunk feature.
A small steam engine was installed at its front end, and three propellers were mounted at the bottom.
A simple helm was set at the bow, allowing for angle adjustments to secure safe passage through complex sea conditions.
A simple lantern was also at the bow.
On the hull, the name Black Propeller Sea Industries was inscribed in dark gold letters.
It seemed like a legitimate brand and probably quite expensive. Hopefully, it wasn't some knock-off assembled from scrap metal...
Chen Qi clapped his hands; he could already see the sea and the freedom that belonged to him!
Now, only a slight issue puzzled him.
"How does one lower this boat?"
Chen Qi looked at the mount holding the boat in place, falling into a brief contemplation.
This seemed to require a key, but it could probably be brought down by force.
He picked up the Black Blade of the captain, aimed it at the junction, and stabbed hard!
Force brings miracles!
Whoosh!
The steam dinghy fell with a "bang" onto the water.
As expected of the captain's blade, it was indeed handy!
"That should do it, let's go."
Chen Qi surveyed the surroundings once more.
Suddenly, he spotted something conspicuous below the mount.
An exquisite steel fishing rod!
In the grip of the rod, elegant golden patterns were etched.
Pirates typically kept their valuables on themselves or hid them in odd places.
From the look of the patterns, it seemed pretty valuable...
It also appeared to be a brand-name item, though he had no idea whose it was.
No matter, he'd take it!
Chen Qi tossed the fishing rod and his backpack onto the boat, then spent a quick five seconds examining the small ship.
This should be the engine's ignition mechanism, like this, and this, he should be able to start it...
Chen Qi jumped onto the small boat, looking out at the boundless sea before him.
Just as he was about to set sail, a sea breeze blew by, clearing his thoughts.
Suddenly, he remembered an anime he watched as a child, where a boy set sail from a small town, aspiring to become the Pirate King!
This should be his first venture into the sea!
Setting out to sea was always an exhilarating affair.
Alone, sailing on a small boat towards this post-apocalyptic New Day World.
But without a good ship, a true journey would indeed be much tougher.
Not to mention the dangers lurking in this sea area.
The sea breeze gently tousled his black hair, and Chen Qi gazed at the sea, smiling wryly.
At that moment, he suddenly recalled the promotional video for the "New Day" game.
"New Day," as a massive open-world game, was divided into six different plates, separated by six nations.
As the flames of daylight began to wane, centuries of peace were shattered once more, with blood and fire reigniting the land.
On the Witch Sea, under the deep seas, witches awoke, and the Great Whale, with the tides, attacked the borders.
In such a world, the weak were merely food for monsters; only powerful Transcendents had any chance of seizing their fate.
Before crossing to this world, his main character was a Fourth Rank Pet Beast Trainer of the Golden Flower Bird Kingdom Plate, aiming to become a Pet Beast Master.
In addition, as the "New Day" game was still in beta, the world's storyline hadn't developed much.
He didn't know much about the Witch Sea Plate.
However, to any player, "New Day" was filled with many unknowns and dangers.
Even high-ranking nobles fell prey to these unknowns, and that was its charm.
Keywords of the Witch Sea Plate surfaced in Chen Qi's mind.
The sea, Crack Tide, flesh implants, money, treasure, steam machinery, monsters...
This was the underlying tone of the Shell Kingdom and the Witch Sea Plate.
And Crack Tide and the Flower Witch marked the beginning of the Witch Sea's main storyline.
According to his estimation, this should be just before the story began.
Perhaps the Crack Tide hadn't even appeared yet...
Once it did, the Witch Sea would become lively!
But by then, survivability would be even more critical.
"I need to grow strong quickly, to advance to being Transcendent."
Chen Qi pondered while starting the steam boat's engine.
He could no longer treat this world as a mere game.
He wasn't a player who could respawn; he constantly faced the threat of death.
This was a real world, one he needed to approach seriously...
Now that he had crossed into the Otherworld, he had to live well.
Staring at the waves, countless thoughts intertwined in Chen Qi's mind, beyond words.
In this world, one could either perish at sea or become a Legend, one who could challenge the whole world!
In a haze, he seemed to see a scene after his venture out to sea, standing amidst a massive storm, with countless monsters surging across the sea like a tidal wave, rushing towards him.
"High Inspiration, huh..."
Chen Qi chuckled softly.
No matter what, since he was here, he might as well stay.
With the roar of the propellers and engine, the small boat sailed toward the sea!
Sailing forth!
...
...