OPTC Chapter 183: Am I Really Not the Weakest in the Tavern Anymore?
(TL/N: Demon Pennant changed to Demon Flag to match the wiki of the series :v)
After the fiasco with the News Bird, the demon slipped back to the lookout tower, afraid of being scolded.
Ye Yan sipped the ginger soup Rui Meng Meng had brought him and asked in confusion, "Train tracks? That's the kind of thing you'd see in national news, sure, but does it really deserve a world headline?"
Zhang Da Ye replied, "It counts as black tech. They lay these floating tracks right on the sea and somehow those huge trains run smooth as anything. Don't ask me how it works. Anyway, our next stop is Water 7, so we'll get to see it for ourselves."
Rui Meng Meng sat back down, picked up a sandwich, and asked, "By the way, I never asked—how long until we reach Water 7?"
Shark Chili shook his head. "No way to know. The charts you can buy are vague, and with the weather being so chaotic, you can't really estimate time at all."
"Doesn't matter, we're not in a hurry. As long as food holds out, we'll be fine." Zhang Da Ye glanced at Artoria and suggested, "Why don't we fish after we set out? Good for relaxing, and it'll help with food supplies too."
Everyone agreed at once, for reasons unspoken.
"I'm full. Gonna catch up on sleep." Ye Yan, still bundled in a blanket, got up to leave, but then came back to set down his demon flag. "If you need help, just let them pitch in."
"Wait a second!" Shark Chili called him back. "I just remembered—you didn't brush your teeth last night, and not this morning either. That won't do."
Ye Yan froze. His schedule had been messed up yesterday, and he hadn't noticed. Now that Shark Chili mentioned it, he suddenly felt uncomfortable.
"Come with me. I'll give you a few toothbrushes. I don't use them myself, but I've collected plenty. And I'll recommend a toothpaste I've tested personally. Works wonders. Brush before you sleep."
Ye Yan, still dazed, let himself be dragged away. He couldn't figure out why a robot cared so much about brushing teeth—and with human toothpaste at that.
About ten minutes later, Shark Chili came back alone. The others didn't even bat an eye; they'd all been "converted" by him before with toothbrush-and-toothpaste lectures. To them, there wasn't much difference, but Shark Chili, obsessed with oral care, claimed he could tell.
When they left the dining room for the deck, everyone except Shark Chili had changed into winter clothes—even Tom.
Tom hadn't had winter clothes before. When they bought clothes earlier, he'd refused, asking instead for cotton candy and dried fish of equal value. That "genius" idea had even tempted Artoria at the time—exchanging clothes for food sounded like a great deal.
Now that it was freezing, Tom wasn't worried. He just grabbed one of Zhang Da Ye's outfits, snipped away with scissors for five seconds, and somehow had it perfectly altered. No sewing required.
Zhang Da Ye flicked him on the head with a laugh. "Didn't want your own clothes before, and now you're ruining mine."
Tom hid his hands behind his back and grinned sheepishly.
Zhang Da Ye casually pulled out two demon flags and shook them. "You two, come out and give us a hand."
He'd been ready to ask Tom to call them if the flag demons didn't respond, but luckily, two plumes of green smoke obediently appeared. One was the short, chubby demon he'd met yesterday, called Sui Feng Er. The other was a horse-headed, human-bodied demon named Ma Lao Wu—just a random name.
With two more helpers, setting sail wasn't so hectic. Under Shark Chili's command, they raised anchor and caught the wind.
"Hey, do you flag demons need to eat?" Zhang Da Ye asked Sui Feng Er, since Ma Lao Wu had already dashed off after finishing his task.
"We recover inside the flag, no food needed. But if there's something delicious, we can enjoy it too," Sui Feng Er said, rubbing his hands with hopeful eyes. The ship's food smelled amazing—maybe the boss was offering them as perks?
"So it's not mistreatment if I don't invite you to meals. That's good to know." Zhang Da Ye nodded, relieved. "Food is tight at sea, but once we make land, I'll treat you guys to a feast."
"Thank you, boss!" Sui Feng Er swallowed down the empty promise with a forced look of gratitude.
The journey went smoothly for a while. Apart from the cold, nothing much happened. Some fished, others read.
Two or three hours later, the weather flipped again. This time it suddenly became scorching hot. No gradual change at all—just freezing one second and blazing summer the next. Utterly unreasonable.
Ye Yan came out yawning and saw Zhang Da Ye stretching. "What, you going for a swim?"
"Yeah. Today's workout is swimming." Zhang Da Ye grinned. "Didn't you say you wanted to get stronger? Join me."
"Sure, good chance to loosen up." Ye Yan started warming up. "How long are we swimming?"
"Time doesn't matter. Just frog swim ten kilometers. If you can't keep pace with the ship, you owe me two thousand pushups."
Ye Yan stumbled mid-stretch, almost cramping. "Ten kilometers frog swim? And keeping up with a moving ship? Are you even human?"
Running ten kilometers, sure. But frog swimming ten kilometers—he'd rather run a marathon.
"Calm down. This world is full of stamina monsters. Fights go on for days. If you don't build endurance, you'll get worn down to death."
Zhang Da Ye, with Tom's recovery boost and later Rui Meng Meng's super-soldier enhancements, had been training like crazy for months. He could handle it fine. Still, compared to monsters like Rayleigh, who once swam the Calm Belt all the way to Amazon Lily, he was far behind.
After saying this, Zhang Da Ye leapt off the rail into the water. As he entered, he thought maybe next time he should try a 720-degree spin for style.
Ye Yan hesitated, then jumped in too. Just because he hadn't done it before didn't mean he couldn't. As the most dedicated and hardworking watchman alive, he wasn't about to back down.
By the end, Ye Yan had to be hauled back by his demons, limp like a dead dog. Watching Zhang Da Ye still moving freely, even prepping his next workout, he cursed. "Damn it, how are you still standing?"
"Just average. Keep working hard, kid. One day, the waves of the Yangtze will push forward, and the younger generation surpasses the old." Zhang Da Ye smirked. Maybe soon he wouldn't be the weakest on the ship anymore—at least not in terms of stamina.
Ye Yan collapsed into a chair, too tired to argue.
The flag demons came out to serve him tea, massage his shoulders, and fan him. If they didn't all look like rough, monstrous brutes, Zhang Da Ye would have been jealous.
"Boss! Artoria just caught a big fish. Tom's cooking it now. Come eat!"
...
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