In the future, Fang Yu plans to form four different teams on his Salted Fish.
1. Ocean Team, led by Luu Yuan (Ocean Affinity Talent), with the rest of the crew under his management, primarily responsible for tasks requiring swimming...
Such as... digging deep-sea treasures, dealing with deep-sea biological threats, underwater combat, etc.
2. Gunnery Team, led by Luo Kuan (Gun Talent), with future recruits also under his command, mainly responsible for operating the modified ship guns and long-range firepower shooting.
3. Melee Team, led by Du Ran (Strength Talent), mainly responsible for close combat and boarding skirmishes.
4. Support Team, led by Ma (Management Talent), tasked with logistics, management, scouting, exploration, etc.
These four teams have clear responsibilities and division of labor, covering almost every situation that may be encountered during the seafaring process.
Moreover, the leaders of these four teams will also become the main focus of Fang Yu's cultivation.
Uh... essentially investing Lord Points to upgrade them into elite crew members.
After all, Fang Yu's Lord Points are limited.
It's not feasible to invest every talent as soon as they join.
Instead, it's better to specialize in the four elite crew members, cultivating them into top-tier experts for maximum future assistance.
With the division of the four teams complete, Fang Yu feels satisfied, as the framework of his ship is starting to take shape.
Future crew recruitment will follow the configuration of these four teams, expanding roles accordingly.
Later, Fang Yu allotted Ma 200 Copper Coins to prepare food and living supplies for new crew members for the next voyage over the coming days.
After all was said and done, Fang Yu's original 2,620 Copper Coins dwindled down to 1,820.
Alright, that's enough.
Fang Yu sent off the three newly recruited crew members to meet up with Du Ran and others, knowing Du Ran and the others would likely be generous, taking them out for a foot bath or a massage.
Anyway, the three who initially followed him have reached a well-off standard, certainly not short of money.
Then, Fang Yu went to the Ship Modification Shop, spending 1,500 Copper Coins to purchase a Mechanical Arm Scroll.
Upon activating the scroll,
"Rumble!"
Fang Yu sensed a force flowing through the Mechanical Arm Scroll into his body, subtly affecting the ship bound to his soul.
A sturdy mechanical arm quietly extended from outside the cargo hold, easily hauling several tons of cargo onto the ship.
Fang Yu was pleased, feeling that his small ship had progressed, and cargo transport efficiency would improve.
Subsequently, Fang Yu turned his attention to his panel.
Recruiting new members and installing the mechanical arm naturally had a tremendous impact on the panel:
[Sailing Speed +5 knots/hour] → 25-30 knots/hour
[Exploration Range +5 meters] → Depth 20 meters
[Sea Surface Vision for All +15%]
[Fog-penetrating Vision +5 meters]
[Cargo Transport Speed +50%]
After considering, Fang Yu decided to invest this round's Lord Points in the newly joined Luo Kuan.
He reassured Du Ran and Luu Yuan, worried they might feel unbalanced.
Du Ran: "Captain, it's time to invest in the gun talent. Your shooting is so off..."
Luu Yuan: "If you don't invest in gun talent soon, I'm afraid next time you encounter danger, you won't hit any shots!"
Fang Yu: ...
Some crew members have started openly complaining about the captain in the Salted Fish Core Management Group, haven't they?
Alright, alright.
He thought his words might have been offensive, but these two don't seem like they would feel unbalanced at all.
Fang Yu allocated three of his five Lord Points.
Investing one point into himself, the Lord Ability Level: 2.6→3.4, already beginning to exceed human limits.
One point invested in skills:
[Shield (lv.4)]: Able to block attacks totaling 23.8 energy levels (7X Captain's Ability Level), then shatters, recovery time: 3 hours.
The protective shell is thicker...
One point was invested in Luo Kuan:
[All-Around Gun Enhancement]: Crew-wide firearm weapon proficiency +15%, accuracy +10%, with a 0.1% chance of inflicting crippling damage.
With the All-Around Gun Enhancement, Fang Yu felt slightly elated.
This means that if he continues to use firearms, his accuracy will significantly improve.
Fang Yu decided to save the remaining 2 points for a future non-mainstream event with a throw multiplier of 1...
...
With such an upgrade, across the board, Fang Yu was highly satisfied.
Normally, a captain's development path is to continue taking bulk orders, accumulating Gold Coins, and after about two tasks, have enough money to expand the cabin.
Then purchase a Cabin Expansion Scroll, begin taking special cargo, and only then gradually consider firearm arming and enhancing battle power.
But Fang Yu...
Perfectly staged a phase where a level 4 captain started doing things meant for a level 10 captain...
Since entering this world, Fang Yu has only taken one delivery task, and then he started considering matters of arming with the extraordinary.
Bypassing the arduous process of accumulating experience for others completely.
Additionally, right now, Fang Yu holds little interest in pulling regular special cargo and sets his sights on collaboration orders.
Special cargo, the rewards and pay are twice those of bulk goods.
For collaboration orders, it completely eliminates the process of merchant middlemen earning the price difference, directly dispatched by the trading association.
The rewards start at least double that of special cargo.
If encountering a wealthy trading association, the reward could be five times as high as special cargo.
Wealthy...
At least in Qiyun Port, who could be wealthier than the Ji Clan Trading Association?
As long as Lu Kun can pave the way, Fang Yu could at least get collaboration orders from the Ji Clan Trading Association.
When that time comes, the costs... the rewards... the experience...
Oh...
...
What you wish for, you get.
The next morning, Lu Kun delivered the news about the collaboration order.
"Bro, the president went out to negotiate business recently and isn't in Qiyun Port, but don't worry, I can hand over the collaboration order for you to handle!"
Lu Kun was full of apologies, initially planning to introduce Fang Yu to the president, acting as a matchmaker, but with the president away from Qiyun City for the time being, Lu Kun felt somewhat embarrassed.
"It's alright, brother, having the order is what matters. Most captains are just taking special cargo orders now."
Fang Yu didn't mind, upon reflection, he felt now might not be the best time to meet the president.
The reason is simple...
His ship is still too weak!
A load capacity of just over a thousand tons, combined with barely self-sustaining extraordinary ability.
Among the current batch of captains, he's considered top-level.
But to the president of the Qiyun City Ji Clan Trading Association, that's not much.
Connecting with the president right now would result in the president providing Fang Yu with some valuable resources purely out of gratitude for saving his daughter.
However... the balance between the two parties remains unequal, making it merely an act of gratitude.
For a profound partnership with the president, the best course of action is for Fang Yu to grow until he can converse as an equal with high-ranking figures before pursuing collaboration.
For now...
The connection with Lu Kun is more than enough.
At this point, Fang Yu curiously asked, "Brother, where is the collaboration order heading to?"