Chapter 426: Vast Sea City, All-You-Can-Eat Seafood, and Spirit Master Brawls
Chapter 426: Vast Sea City, All-You-Can-Eat Seafood, and Spirit Master Brawls
Ten days later.
The carriage sped along the coastal highway, and outside the window lay a landscape completely different from the inland.
The air began to carry a salty, damp scent—the distinct, briny sweetness of the sea breeze.
Looking into the distance.
Coconut and palm trees began to appear along the roadside, each one leaning with a crooked neck, as if they had been buffeted by the sea breeze for most of their lives and had completely given up on trying to stand straight.
"We’re here!"
Xiao Wu threw open the carriage curtain.
Outside, a magnificent coastal city appeared on the horizon.
Vast Sea City.
It was the largest coastal port city on the western frontier of the Heaven Dou Empire and the most crucial gateway to the sea in the west of the Douluo Continent.
The entire city was built against the sea.
Its walls were towering, and the buildings within the city were primarily white-walled with blue roofs.
From afar, it looked as if a patch of white clouds and a patch of blue sky had been stitched together.
The carriage drove through the city gates.
A wave of briny sea air, mixed with the scent of grilled fish and spices, hit them, causing Dugu Yan to sneeze three times in a row.
"Is this the smell of the sea?" Xiao Wu looked around curiously.
"This is the smell of grilled squid," Lin Qingmo corrected her precisely.
Shops of all sizes lined both sides of the street, selling seafood and tropical fruits that were rarely seen inland.
Baskets of colorful sea fish were displayed on the roadside, piled alongside coconuts, mangoes, and a type of unknown yellow fruit that exuded a rich, sweet fragrance.
"That’s my family’s trading firm!"
The emblem of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was prominently displayed on the signs of several large trading firms.
Ning Rongrong puffed out her chest proudly.
Then, Dugu Yan patted her on the shoulder. "It’s your family’s business, not yours, so what are you puffing your chest out for?"
The biggest difference between Vast Sea City and other inland cities lay in its Spirit Master ecosystem.
As a major hub for maritime trade, Vast Sea City was an active area for sea Spirit Masters, and it housed the Vast Sea Great Spirit Arena, specially designed for sea Spirit Masters to compete and exchange pointers.
The combat style of sea Spirit Masters differed greatly from that of land Spirit Masters.
They were better adapted to fighting in aquatic environments.
They excelled at utilizing the marine environment to amplify themselves and suppress their opponents.
Lin Qingmo knew that before entering Sea God Island, it was essential for his teammates to understand the combat style of sea Spirit Masters.
"Now for the mission assignments."
He turned around to face the group.
All the team members subconsciously straightened their bodies, and even the most laid-back Dugu Yan composed her expression.
"Yanzi, you are responsible for procuring survival supplies and medical provisions for the voyage."
"The waters around Sea God Island are humid and foggy, so freshwater purifiers and moisture-proof medicinal herbs are of the utmost importance."
"Rongrong, go with her. Use your family’s trading resources in Vast Sea City to help bargain—save wherever you can."
Ning Rongrong winked at Dugu Yan, and Dugu Yan nodded slightly.
"Zhuqing and Chenxiang, go to the Vast Sea Great Spirit Arena and engage in as many actual Spirit Fights against sea Spirit Masters as possible."
"Your task is to figure out the characteristics of how sea Spirit Masters use water to amplify themselves and control water in combat."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded, and Bai Chenxiang whispered, "Understood."
"Lingling, go with them and be responsible for observing and recording data on the combat characteristics of sea Spirit Masters."
Ye Lingling nodded. "I understand."
"And what about you?" Dugu Yan asked.
"Xiao Wu and I are going to the auction house."
Lin Qingmo said, "We need a backup maritime vehicle. In case something happens to the merchant ship, we’ll at least have a contingency plan."
"The auction house?"
Ning Rongrong’s eyes lit up. This Young Miss of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had a natural instinct for auction houses.
"What good things are we bidding on?"
"You’ll know when we get there."
Liu Erlong crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "And what about me?"
"Teacher Erlong, go to the port and rent a merchant ship capable of sailing toward Sea God Island."
"You are a Spirit Douluo; if you go to negotiate, the other party won’t dare to cheat you."
"That’s true."
The corners of Liu Erlong’s mouth curled up; she was clearly quite pleased by that statement.
"Leave the ship to me."
...
By evening.
The setting sun dyed the white walls of Vast Sea City gold, and the sea breeze, carrying a salty, damp scent, blew through the forest of masts in the port.
Everyone returned to the booked hotel one after another and met up at the entrance.
Liu Erlong was the first to return.
She looked relaxed.
"The ship is rented—a medium-sized merchant vessel. I’ve confirmed with the captain that we can depart at any time. We expect to reach the waters near Sea God Island in about ten days."
"As expected of Teacher Erlong."
Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan returned shortly after.
Ning Rongrong took items out of her spirit tool one by one, her movements methodical, while murmuring something to herself.
Three sets of freshwater purifiers, twenty packs of moisture-proof medicinal herbs, five bundles of waterproof bandages, and a large bag of unknown green powder that she had carefully wrapped separately.
"This is anti-seasickness powder, refined from a mixture of Sea Spirit Grass."
Ning Rongrong said, "Everyone, come get a portion before we set off."
"Rongrong, you were very thoughtful this time." Dugu Yan gave a thumbs up.
Ning Rongrong’s face was full of smugness. "Of course. Guess how much I spent to procure all this?"
Lin Qingmo asked, playing along. "How much?"
"It’s free."
Ning Rongrong grinned. "After all, it’s my family’s business."
"..."
The group was speechless.
Good grief, what a true Young Miss of a capitalist family.
"Yanzi, how about you?" Lin Qingmo turned to Dugu Yan.
Dugu Yan opened a notebook filled with dense notes. "I visited several dried seafood shops and chatted with a few old fishermen."
"They said that some of the most common powerful Spirit Beasts in those waters are the Devil Spirit Great White Shark and the Evil Demon Orca, both of which are extremely fierce."
"Well done."
Lin Qingmo took the notebook, flipped through a few pages, and nodded with satisfaction.
The last to return were Zhu Zhuqing, Bai Chenxiang, and Ye Lingling.
The three looked calm, but faint fluctuations of spirit power still lingered on them, clearly indicating they had just experienced one or several real battles.
There were some water stains on the cuffs of Bai Chenxiang’s clothes, and the tips of Zhu Zhuqing’s hair were also slightly damp.
"Report."
Lin Qingmo motioned for them to sit down.
Zhu Zhuqing spoke, summarizing concisely, "The core combat logic of sea Spirit Masters consists of three points."
"First, borrowing water to amplify."
"In aquatic environments, a sea Spirit Master’s speed, attack power, and Spirit Ability potency are all significantly increased."
"Second, controlling water to suppress."
"They can restrict an opponent’s movement by manipulating water currents, or even create whirlpools to trap enemies."
"Third, environmental dependence."
"After leaving the water, most sea Spirit Masters’ combat effectiveness drops by at least thirty to fifty percent."
Bai Chenxiang added, "We also observed that sea Spirit Masters with different Spirits have different ways of controlling water."
"Sea Spirit Masters with Fish Spirits focus on speed and impact, those with Whale Spirits focus on crushing power, and those with Jellyfish Spirits excel at using toxins."
Zhu Zhuqing added another key point, "The way sea Spirit Masters coordinate as a team is also quite different from land Spirit Masters."
"Their standard tactic is a pincer attack, using water currents to create feints—attacking in the east while feinting in the west—to keep the enemy overwhelmed."
Lin Qingmo listened very attentively, his fingers tapping the tabletop rhythmically.
"In other words, in an environment like Sea God Island, which is surrounded by water on all sides, the strength of sea Spirit Masters will be maximized, while your strength will be restricted by the environment?"
"Yes." Zhu Zhuqing nodded.
Lin Qingmo pondered for a moment and said, "The others must also understand the combat style of sea Spirit Masters."
"Lingling, is your data on sea Spirit Master combat organized?"
Ye Lingling placed a document filled with dense observation records on the table.
"It’s all here."
"Combat styles, strengths and weaknesses, and team coordination methods are all recorded."
"Very good."
Lin Qingmo nodded with satisfaction.
"Everyone copy this down and study it carefully. For the next two days, go and practice Spirit Fights. We will stay in Vast Sea City for three days."
(End of Chapter)
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