That evening, Ma and the others returned one after another. Fang Yu noticed that they each carried a bag on their backs.
The bags were bulging, and the group looked in high spirits, suggesting they had made some purchases.
Ordinary firearms were priced at 300-350 Copper Coins each, indicating the group was well-prepared and appeared very confident.
All right...
Fang Yu thought to himself.
As the Lord, in pursuit of gaining Extraordinary Abilities, he found himself less armed than his crew members.
But it didn't matter, as the crew being armed meant the entire Salted Fish was armed.
After gathering everyone, they spent another night sleeping at the dock.
The next morning, Fang Yu casually picked up a batch of loose cargo heading back to Qiyun Port and set off with three crew members towards Qiyun Port.
At this point, Fang Yu was only 40 experience points away from leveling up to Level 3.
It wasn't much, and according to Fang Yu's calculations, sailing for some time, coupled with the experience boost from the fishing crew, would soon see him level up to Level 3.
By the time they returned to Qiyun Port, he would likely be a Level 3 captain, but with actual abilities on par with a Level 5 captain.
...
But things didn't go as smoothly as Fang Yu had hoped.
Not long after the ship set sail, about a hundred nautical miles out, a crew member suddenly shouted:
"Captain, come and see this!"
Fang Yu was taken aback, and he looked in the direction Du Ran was pointing.
What he saw surprised him.
Scattered across the sea were pieces of wood and some debris.
Seeing this, Fang Yu exchanged glances with the three crew members, all noticing the astonished look in each other's eyes.
They had all read about it on the forums.
If you suddenly find planks on the sea, stay cautious.
Because it could very well be a trap left by pirates, misguiding the captain into thinking there's someone in distress ahead, leading the ship to rescue them, only to be ambushed by pirates and captured on the spot.
The death rate among the first captains who ventured out was the highest, reaching almost 80%.
More than half of the Outer Realm Captains fell victim to the pirates' various schemes.
It wasn't until warnings about pirate traps started appearing in the forums that the Blue Star residents began to wise up.
Now, faced with a sea filled with scattered planks and debris, the four could only feel a jolt of fear in their hearts.
Up ahead... was it really a shipwreck?
Or pirates?!
"Captain, let's take a detour. If we run into pirates, it's all over."
Luu Yuan, being the most cautious, looked at the floating debris in the sea, his face heavy as he spoke lowly.
Fang Yu's eyes scanned the distance, vaguely noticing the silhouette of a Blue Star Captain's ship taking a detour in the distance.
It was clear that another captain had seen the anomaly on the sea and immediately altered the ship's course to circumvent it.
No one wanted to take such risks, as their goodwill might cost them their life.
But somehow, Cheng Peng's words echoed in Fang Yu's mind.
This world always finds ways to make Blue Star Captains interact with the natives, helping them integrate into this world.
Some cautious Blue Star Captains are very careful and ignore these sudden incidents.
But some lucky ones unexpectedly gain connections with the locals, earning positions and influence.
Ahead... was it a trap... or an opportunity?!
Fang Yu gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and commanded his ship to continue on course.
"Salted Fish, onward!"
Fang Yu announced loudly.
"Captain?!!"
The three crew members jumped in surprise, forgetting their fishing activities.
"Captain, the area ahead could be a pirate trap; it's very dangerous!"
"Captain... did you not check the forum again?"
Ma remarked softly, a bit helpless.
The captain... how can he be so reckless? So unreliable?
If it's pirates, with their abilities, they'll surely end up as prisoners, either executed on the spot or waiting for the Ocean Court's rescue, earning a rescue fee debt...
"Don't worry, keep going!"
Fang Yu remained unmoved by the crew's anxious voices, his eyes resolute.
He looked at the three crew members and spoke out loud: "Don't forget, we're in a Safe Sea Region; where would pirates come from?"
The three crew members were taken aback, thinking it over, and suddenly it seemed to make sense.
In the Safe Sea Region, the presence of pirates was unlikely, limited to the outer sea regions beyond major Seas Country's jurisdiction.
However...
Even if it's not pirates, would the rescue operation feel like meddling?
Fang Yu was disinterested in arguing with these three.
It's not that he thought they were foolish; their judgment was perfectly spot on, detouring was the best choice under normal circumstances.
But Fang Yu had an additional source of information, so he decided to take a gamble.
Besides...
Fang Yu glanced at his Captain's panel, where a [Shield] quietly lay under his Extraordinary Ability.
This... was Fang Yu's biggest advantage!
As the Salted Fish sailed forward, the surrounding planks and debris increased. At this moment, Fang Yu focused his gaze ahead and reached out towards Ma:
"Ma, lend me your gun for a moment!"
Ma paused but didn't hesitate, immediately taking out a pistol from his bag and handing it to Fang Yu.
After gaining some wealth, crew members typically bought pistols for self-defense.
It was no secret.
As the first crew member to receive Fang Yu's Lord Point investment, Ma was extremely loyal to Fang Yu and handed over the gun without any hesitation.
Fang Yu felt a slight chill from the pistol, calming his nerves a bit.
In his view, two small boats gradually came into sight.
...
They were escape boats...
Presumably from a larger shipwreck, where the crew used escape boats for survival at sea.
However...
Fang Yu squinted his eyes, examining the two escape boats intently.
These two boats...
Why did they look like one was chasing the other? Did something happen?
"Bang!"
At that moment, a gunshot rang out from the rear pursuit boat, startling all four of them.
The three crew members turned on their heels and ran, attempting to retreat back to their quarters.
Halfway through, they noticed Fang Yu still standing on the deck, and hurriedly ran back, trying to drag Fang Yu along.
But when Du Ran reached out to pull Fang Yu, he encountered such immense strength from Fang Yu that he couldn't budge him at all.
Du Ran looked at Fang Yu with astonishment.
Was their captain's strength suddenly this great?
Du Ran, after all, had awakened a primary strength talent, possessing unmatched strength even by weightlifting champions.
Yet he couldn't yank Fang Yu even slightly?