The instant the girl’s annoyed voice rang out, a system notification sounded in Zheng Hao’s ears at the same time.
[Ding! Congratulations, you have successfully gained the favor of “Demon Ship.”]
[You have stolen the main Ship Maiden’s favor from the protagonist Zhou Hang and taken three strands of the protagonist’s Destiny Luck.]
[Your SSS-grade Talent “Dice of Fate” awakening probability +3%. Current awakening rate: 40%!]
“What’s with that…”
“Mo Yurou, this little Ship Maiden, is all talk and no honesty…”
“She says she doesn’t want it, but she’s been fantasizing about forming a contract with me too?”
Leaning against the door of the Captain’s Cabin, Zheng Hao curled his lips into a smile. One day, he would walk inside.
“Was I too impatient?”
He slowly pushed himself upright from the Captain’s Cabin door. The restless wind blew against his face. Zheng Hao had thought that tonight Mo Yurou would find it hard to exchange even a few more words with him.
But… perhaps it was because he had swallowed too much of the protagonist’s Destiny Luck.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…”
A violent sea wind swept across. The sails on the Demon Ship swayed uncontrollably.
“Well… Well…”
Mo Yurou’s timid voice drifted over.
“What’s wrong?”
“The wind… the wind is making my sails feel a little swollen and sore… Can you… can you help me lower the sails?”
“Oh? I’m not your Navigator.”
“If you… if you don’t want to, then forget it! Anyway… if the wind keeps blowing like this and the speed drops, getting home late will be your problem…”
“Heh…”
With a soft chuckle, Zheng Hao strode toward the mast, found the hoisting rope on one side, and gave it a firm pull. With a loud rustling sound, the tattered sailcloth dropped at once and covered his face.
“Mm…”
“Mm…”
From inside the Captain’s Cabin, Mo Yurou’s faint voice could be heard.
“Hey? Are you okay?”
Climbing out from under the sail, Zheng Hao asked with concern.
“Oh…”
“…”
The sea breeze blew quietly. The young man and the Ship Maiden stood in silence, watching the sun set and the moon rise.
…
Gradually, in the sea area ahead at the Southeastern Corner of Shanhai Region, a massive fleet began to appear.
Zheng Family.
Two bold, powerful characters could be clearly seen ahead.
Right in front, an enormous cargo ship, at least 300 meters long, 50 meters wide, with masts rising about 200 meters high, lay horizontally across the sea. The sign “Zheng Family” hung prominently at the bow.
Around it floated at least dozens of other ships. There were slender and sharp fast ships, medium ships with broader, thicker hulls, even large ships resembling sea beasts, and long, sturdy submarine ships.
These vessels guarded the central cargo ship, keeping the surrounding waters calm and undisturbed.
Upon closer inspection, some of the affiliated ships were equipped with heavy weapons such as cannons and harpoons.
The moment she saw the battle ships, Mo Yurou panicked. The hull of the Demon Ship creaked and trembled.
Although venturing into the vast sea would inevitably require installing offensive weapons on board, and some people even held death ship races for the thrill of high-speed combat, Mo Yurou had just graduated from school. She had never seen such a scene before.
“One… six… eighteen… Wow!”
“Zheng Hao, your family has eighteen battle Ship Maidens?”
Mo Yurou’s astonished voice rang out. Zheng Hao waved his hand casually, as if he were long used to it.
“Do you think the Zheng Family became the number one family in the Shanhai Region just because of the Mountain Sea Merchant Ship deliveries and the seafood resources of the southeastern sea? The reason no one can shake the Zheng Family’s position is entirely because of my father’s battle Ship Maidens.”
With respectful eyes, Zheng Hao looked toward the battle ships beside the cargo ship and bowed reverently to the Ship Maidens one by one.
To be honest, among those ships, aside from the Ship Maidens belonging to other members of the Zheng Family, a few of them were actually his aunts.
Sure enough, after just one bow, a fiery red medium ship began to move slowly and then sped straight toward Zheng Hao.
Cannons lined its sides. The entire hull was plated with black steel. Each time it moved, terrifying streams of heat surged outward. Even approaching it brought an oppressive wave of heat, causing ripples of fear across Mo Yurou’s hull.
“Ah!”
“Xiao Hao is back! I heard you didn’t let Uncle Zheng pick you up today. So this is… you brought back a little Ship Maiden on your own?”
After the blazing red medium ship approached the Demon Ship, flames flickered. The ship’s form vanished, and a tall woman clad in pitch-black armor jumped directly onto the deck, pulling Zheng Hao into her arms in one motion.
“Ow… Hot… it’s hot! Second Aunt, you’re too hot…”
Zheng Hao hurriedly squeezed out of her embrace and took several quick steps back.
“Hmph~”
Seeing this, the woman puffed out her cheeks and put her hands on her hips. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
“Xiao Hao… have you forgotten? When you were little, you loved lying in Second Aunt’s arms. You said my embrace was the warmest place…”
“Look at you…”
“It hasn’t even been that long, and now you’re already disliking Second Aunt?”
It was hard to imagine that a tall woman, at least 1.8 meters in height with a broad, sturdy build, could make such a heartbroken expression without looking utterly out of place.
But this was a Ship Maiden.
Zheng Hao’s father’s second strongest force, the A+ Grade Firecloud Ship Maiden.
Because they were Ship Maidens, they did not engage in the petty scheming between women. What they expressed was the most sincere emotion.
Although Zheng Hao’s father commanded seven battle Ship Maidens, he had only one son in his entire life.
Ever since Zheng Hao was born, he had been showered with affection by his aunts. It could be said that Zheng Hao’s formerly carefree and mischievous personality was entirely the result of their doting.
“Wuwuwu… Little Zheng Hao has grown up… You don’t even want your aunt anymore…”
Seeing his Second Aunt covering her face with exaggerated sorrow, Zheng Hao helplessly spread his hands and put on a childish, coquettish expression, “Second Aunt… hug…”
“Ah!”
Wrapped in heavy armor, Second Aunt lifted Zheng Hao into the air as if he were a doll.
“Uh… uh… Second Aunt, lighter… lighter… I can’t breathe…”
Held tightly by those thick, powerful arms, Zheng Hao nearly lost his breath. The physical strength of a battle Ship Maiden truly was not something an ordinary person could withstand.
“Oh~ oh~”
Rocking Zheng Hao in her arms, Second Aunt’s gaze occasionally drifted toward the hull of the Demon Ship.
“Xiao Hao… You like this kind of Ship Maiden?”
“Yes… yes…”
“Your taste is far worse than your father’s.”
She gave the Demon Ship a casual glance and did not look twice. As the proud A+ Grade Firecloud Ship Maiden, she had her own arrogance.
“Tut tut tut~”
While they were chatting, a beam of blue-violet light flashed from the distant cargo ship. A slender, sword-shaped vessel of the same blue-violet hue projected onto the water’s surface.
“Splash~”
Immediately afterward, a man dressed in a dark cyan robe, whose appearance bore an eighty percent resemblance to Zheng Hao, steered his ship toward them.
“Yunzhi! There are guests here! Behave yourself!”