When disaster struck, I became a big shot surviving in the ocean.
Chapter 46: Gathering Materials

Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Gathering Materials

Daliya, who had learned the common language, finally allowed Chen Qing to communicate with her using written words.

"Once the Demon Dragon Pirate Group arrives at Sapphire Island, the pirates on the island will surely take action. At that time, I will find a way to get you to Lei Guang."

After understanding the words Chen Qing had written on the paper, Daliya subconsciously bit her lip and then quickly released it.

She was not happy, and even seemed a bit nervous and... scared?

Why was that?

Chen Qing’s facial expression remained unchanged, but he felt something amiss in his heart.

"I don’t want to be separated from my sister."

Daliya wrote a line of crooked letters on the paper and then threw herself into Chen Qing’s arms.

Chen Qing caught Daliya and gently patted her back at irregular intervals, his gaze, however, was fixed on the paper.

"..."

To say that Daliya was reluctant to part with her, there might be a bit of that reason.

But that reason alone was not enough to make Daliya show such an expression.

Was it because she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to reach Lei Guang safely that she had such an expression?

Chen Qing did not know, but if Daliya was scared, it was indeed understandable.

Among so many pirates, her strength was indeed not enough.

They still needed to increase the production capacity of the mechanical factory. Putting aside those three types of mechanical creatures, they must produce as many Mechanical Spider Bombs as possible.

It was time to make a trip to the black market.

Chen Qing narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint flickering within.

It seemed the robbers of the black market were about to have bad luck again.

The ship quickly approached the shore, and the bounty hunters returning from their journey mostly brought back substantial earnings.

The Bounty Guild was suddenly packed with hunters holding the heads of pirates, while a large crowd of civilians also gathered outside the guild.

There were vendors, beggars, thieves, swindlers... and many beautiful-looking young men and women.

It included all kinds of people from all walks of life.

Gao Yue and the others couldn’t help but sigh at the bustling scene of the Bounty Guild, as if it were New Year’s.

"We’ll go to the shipyard first."

Gao Yue waved at Chen Qing, their newly acquired ship still needed to be refurbished and modified, and they did not possess the same strong hands-on ability as Chen Qing did.

"See you at the dock later."

Perhaps when she was picking people, she shouldn’t just focus on those with Extraordinary Abilities.

"Mhm."

Chen Qing nodded slightly and followed Huo Hou and the others into the Bounty Guild.

The throngs of bounty hunters kept the guild’s staff overwhelmingly busy. The staff of the Sapphire Island branch was not numerous, and they appeared to be a family.

This family seemed quite hot-tempered. One hunter grew impatient and spoke some harsh words.

The daughter, who had been counting the bounty, instantly drew a long sword from under the counter and was about to drag the hunter outside for a duel.

Ultimately, Huo Hou stepped in and mediated the situation.

When it was Chen Qing’s turn, he was greeted by the mother.

"Heads."

She reached out her hand, her tone chilly and irritated.

"I appreciate the trouble."

Chen Qing passed over the bundle containing the human parts and, although his tone was steady and unemotional, the mother on the other side still picked up on Chen Qing’s friendliness.

She softened her tone a bit and responded with a nod.

"The Ten-color Pirate Group. Their bounty just increased by 100 goldfish, added by Knight Trading Company."

"The total is 589 goldfish, 125 Silver Crabs, and 678 copper coins."

"Ariel, pay the money!!"

The mother shouted loudly, the noise inside the guild was tumultuous, and you couldn’t hear anything unless you raised your voice.

Pirates’ bounties generally consist of two parts: one is the assessment and judgment of their strength by the Bounty Guild, and the other is the bounty added by other creatures at sea.

In most cases, the latter carries more weight.

For example, the Reynolds family that Chen Qing was eyeing, their strength and bounty were actually disproportionate.

They were stronger than the Ten-color Pirate Group, but not by a particularly large margin. Most of their bounty of more than 3,000 coins was piled up through private bounties.

However, the Reynolds family... had money, and they would spend a huge amount of funds to arm themselves and their ships.

Moreover, they would pay off certain Bounty Hunters.

Add to that the fact that this family bullied the weak and feared the strong, with a fawning and domineering nature, few Bounty Hunters would take on the challenge of gnawing at this fishbone.

"Thank you for your troubles."

Chen Qing took the bag of coins handed over by her daughter Ariel, casually grabbed a handful of coins, and dropped them into an empty jar on the bar.

"This round’s on me."

Chen Qing said with a smile.

"Thanks. Hope to see you again next time."

Ariel threw Chen Qing a flirtatious look and flashed a big, bright smile.

"It’s my turn, it’s my turn."

The Bounty Hunter behind Chen Qing quickly filled her vacant spot, and Ariel instantly pulled a face, switching to a frosty expression.

After leaving the Bounty Guild, Chen Qing followed Huo Hou and others to visit Granny Swan.

Granny Swan is a completely different style of granny compared to Grandma Taozi.

Grandma Taozi is the friendly and kind neighborhood grandma, while Granny Swan is a cool lady.

She’s the one with the long coat and dark sunglasses style, very cool.

And she has a modified waterborne heavy black motorcycle valued at 10,000 goldfish, reportedly capable of crossing the boundary between the Deep Blue Sea and the Scarlet Sea Domain. Chen Qing was envious at the sight.

Unfortunately, Granny Swan never lets anyone touch it, she even begrudges people a look.

Previously, the Demon Dragon of the Demon Dragon Pirate Group wanted to buy it for a hefty sum but ended up being berated by Granny Swan.

Chen Qing sold some hard-to-move items in her possession to Granny Swan for a total of over 200 goldfish.

She also bought a lot of materials from Granny Swan, including one Black Space Stone.

The Black Space Stone, the size of a rice grain, cost Chen Qing 100 goldfish.

She also bought some Iron Veins needed by Mechanical Creatures from Granny Swan, 7 in total, each for 80 goldfish.

Fortunately, at least 3 Mechanical Creatures could be produced from each Iron Vein, assuming there were no failures, since the failure rate of Mechanical Creatures is very high.

Chen Qing still needed a Mechanical Heart and a more advanced Power Core.

Granny Swan did not have either, so Chen Qing had to make a trip to the black market.

After leaving Granny Swan, Chen Qing rushed to the black market.

This was her second visit to the black market and she felt a bit more experienced.

Eventually, Chen Qing got 6 Mechanical Hearts for free and spent 200 goldfish on a bunch of Intermediate Power Cores.

A total of nearly 500, half of which were about to be scrapped, Chen Qing recycled them all in one go.

In addition, Chen Qing also collected the final 14 Extraordinary Points needed to upgrade her skills.

The cost was getting stabbed a few times.

Leaving the black market, Chen Qing had nearly spent all her money, but fortunately, she had gathered all the materials she needed this time.

Once back on the ship, Chen Qing immediately upgraded her Mechanical Manufacturing skill.

Extraordinary Points turned into light, and a wealth of knowledge suddenly flooded into Chen Qing’s mind.

Chen Qing was prepared, but... this feeling was indeed hard to get used to.

Her face turned pale all at once, and it took a long time for her to recover.

"Knock, knock—"

"Chen Qing, we’re ready to set sail, you coming with us?"

Huo Hou’s voice came from the door; at this time, the sea beasts were almost all gathered.