Chapter 642, Huge Losses
Soon, the battle ended.
Around the escort ship, corpses were floating everywhere.
Rope ladders were thrown over the side of the ship, and the disheveled captain of the merchant ship climbed up.
He cautiously swept his gaze over the surrounding skeletons. When he saw the group in the center of the deck, he immediately quickened his pace and walked over.
He saluted and thanked them, "Thank you, sirs, for rescuing us."
Philipa looked at his messy appearance and asked, "Which merchant group are you from?"
"The Laimei Merchant Guild."
"Heading to Gold-Silver Island?" Philipa asked again.
"Yes, our destination this time is Gold-Silver Island," the captain continued.
Philipa continued, "The ones chasing you were the Storm Pirates. They weren't originally in the Emerald Sea. They were drawn here recently because of the increased number of merchant ships. We've been hunting them the whole way. You were just unlucky to be targeted early."
The captain replied, "We're fortunate to have met you and been saved. I'll report to the guild when we return and send a letter of thanks to the Island Lord's Mansion."
Philipa smiled and patted his shoulder. "You've got potential. Don't forget to send one to the Guild as well. These people are from the Guild."
"Understood, understood."
"Go back, make some quick repairs, and continue to Gold-Silver Island. The rest of the way is safe. We just came from there," Philipa said.
"Thank you, Captain. Thanks to you all from the Guild." The man thanked them again and climbed down the rope ladder.
The merchant ship below made quick repairs, waved goodbye, and gradually sailed away.
Philipa continued to order, "Now it's our turn. Salvage the treasures, cargo, and corpses from the sunken ships. Bring them all up."
Splash~!
The skeletons leaped into the sea and began salvaging valuable items.
...
Gold-Silver Island, Island Lord's Mansion.
After confirming Philipa had destroyed the pirate ships, Wu Heng immediately left the room.
The escort ship wasn't heavily armed, but in this world, it was still an overwhelming advantage.
There wouldn't be any issues.
"Master, is everything okay with Philipa?" Minnie asked as she saw him coming downstairs.
"She's fine. Just a routine sea patrol. Nothing dangerous," Wu Heng said.
"That's good."
Wu Heng casually grabbed the coat hanging at the door and draped it over himself. "Minnie, I'm heading out."
"Will you be back for dinner?"
"I'll be back. Just prepare normally."
"Okay, Master."
Wu Heng put on the coat, used the Illusion Veil to change his appearance, and walked out of the Island Lord's Mansion.
He headed toward the factory area.
Wu Heng had set up three factories on Gold-Silver Island.
The first was a clothing factory with two main functions.
One was the production of regular clothing—clothes for everyday use by ordinary residents.
The second was producing stab-resistant garments, using Qiangzi's method of inserting iron plates between fabric layers to protect the upper body.
This method had high production efficiency. With pre-cut iron plates, over two hundred garments could be completed in a day.
Gradually, it was being used to equip skeleton warriors in the zombie world.
Wu Heng arrived at the factory.
Inside the dim factory, a large number of skeletons operated sewing machines to make clothes.
The clattering of machines filled the air.
Wu Heng surveyed the entire area, then left the clothing factory and headed to the next one.
The second was the fountain pen factory.
Inside, the machinery was already installed and operational.
Soon, production of fountain pens could begin.
Moreover, the remaining materials from the previous pen factory were enough to keep production going until the new shipment arrived.
The last stop was the watch factory.
Machinery was still being assembled. Skeletons dressed as electricians were connecting the wiring.
"When will it be finished?" Wu Heng asked a skeleton mechanist.
The skeleton turned its head and held up three bony fingers.
"Three days?" Wu Heng asked.
The mechanist nodded.
"Alright, no rush. Be careful during assembly. Don't break anything," Wu Heng instructed.
The mechanist nodded again.
...
In a certain residence.
At a wooden table, a mechanist carefully assembled a watch.
On the table lay various disassembled watch parts and several stopped watch faces.
On the sofa behind, several merchant guild representatives sipped tea while waiting.
Tap tap tap~!
Urgent footsteps sounded from outside.
Then came a knock on the door.
"Come in."
The door opened, and a servant rushed in.
Someone gave him a glare and whispered, "Can't you see we're assembling a watch? What's the rush?"
The servant glanced at the focused mechanist and whispered, "Sir, the watch sales office has changed the after-sales policy."
Everyone in the room frowned.
Changed the policy?
It just launched this morning, and it changed by the afternoon?
"What's the change?"
The servant said, "They added a clause saying that watches damaged intentionally are not covered by the warranty."
The moment he said that, everyone felt their hearts sink.
A bad feeling rose in their chests.
"What do they mean by intentional damage?"
The servant replied, "According to them, purposely opening the watch and dismantling or damaging it counts as intentional damage."
Shit~!
Everyone looked at the pile of disassembled watches on the table.
Cold sweat dripped down their faces.
It's over. This loss is huge.
...
Wu Heng returned to the Island Lord's Mansion and ate dinner.
He read the new edition of the newspaper in the study.
Based on the schedule, tomorrow was the release day of the next issue, and printing had already begun.
"I'll be heading to the zombie world tomorrow. Just release the newspaper as usual," Wu Heng said, placing the paper on the desk.
Newspaper publishing had become routine on Gold-Silver Island.
There was no need to pay as much attention as in the beginning.
It could proceed following the standard process.
Glenda said, "There's at least ten issues' worth of drafts for the detective story. I'm not worried."
"With that much written, should we print the individual story volumes in advance and release them alongside the endings?" Wu Heng asked.
"No problem. It's up to you. Just make sure each volume has a unique cover for freshness," Glenda suggested.
Wu Heng thought for a moment. "Alright. I'll have Shanaila design the covers when there's time. Make several versions."
Glenda nodded with a smile.
Knock knock knock~!
As they spoke, the door was knocked.
Wu Heng opened it to find a six-armed skeletal alchemist standing there.
In its hands was a tray with three potions.
[High-Strength Enhancement Potion][High-Intelligence Boost Potion].
Two strength potions, one intelligence potion.
Level-3 corpse core potions had been produced again, and this time included an intelligence potion.
Wu Heng was instantly pleased.
He took the potions and said, "Thanks. Keep making more when you return. Make the most of the time."
The alchemist skeleton gave a slight bow and turned to leave.
Wu Heng closed the door again.
"Alchemist skeleton?" Glenda asked.
"Yeah, it delivered the new corpse core potions," Wu Heng placed the potions on the desk.
Glenda floated over for a look and sighed, "Now I understand why necromancers are so hated."
"Why's that?"
"Once you're allowed to grow, you're almost impossible to restrain," Glenda floated to the other side and continued, "You're just one Professional, yet with converted skeletons, you can handle every job. You're like a king who doesn't fear betrayal."
Wu Heng smiled. "So, do you think that's a good thing?"
"From my point of view, it's great. The stronger you are, the better it is for Xiaoxiao and me. But if I were your enemy, I'd be losing sleep over your progress," Glenda floated back to the desk.
"If I'm the king, then at the very least, you're a concubine."
Glenda rolled her eyes. "Flirting with a woman who just lost her husband… necromancers really are the embodiment of evil."
Wu Heng glanced at her. She didn't react to the mention of her deceased husband.
He said, "I'll take the potion first. We'll race again later."
Glenda nodded and picked up her pen to continue editing the story.
...
Wu Heng looked at the three potions beside him.
He picked up the [High-Intelligence Boost Potion].
Taking a deep breath, he uncorked it and downed it in one gulp.
The side effects hit instantly—dizziness, ringing ears, and spinning vision.
Wu Heng gritted his teeth and held tightly onto the chair's armrest.
After a moment of endurance...
The system prompt followed.
[Intelligence +2, Perception +4, Charisma +2.]
[Trait unlocked: Hostility Perception.]