Chapter 190 Lend Me Your Strength
On the deck of the [Sky Serpent].
"Captain John, everything you ordered has been done."
In front of Xia En, a pirate with bronze skin and a strong body reported to him honestly.
"Well done, Carney."
Xia En smiled slightly and said: "From today on, you are the first mate of the [Sky Serpent]!"
There was a hint of excitement on Carney's face, and he nodded heavily: "Yes, Captain!"
After Philip's death, it was certainly impossible for Shane to do nothing.
He first selected a few of Philip's cronies to be killed in public, and then promoted the pirates who were friends with John to first mate and second mate.
In this way, one group is drawn and another group is beaten, plus Xia En's own force...
At least on the surface, he has become the absolute talker of the ship.
As for the pirate named Carney, he was one of John's confidants, so he naturally took the opportunity to take over.
What Shane asked him to do was to appease the unidentified pirates on the ship and give them all of Philip's savings.
Although Xia En had never been a serious pirate, he knew very well that these pirates followed him not for the sake of loyalty, but to make a fortune!
Only when the pirates see the benefits, will they be willing to use Xia En.
Shane was thinking about these trivial matters while observing the pirates on the ship.
According to his observations, the behavior, demeanor, and language of these pirates were all the same as ordinary humans.
Even the resentment that Philip showed before and Carney's excitement were extremely realistic.
"Are they really just virtual characters projected by [Secret Sea]?"
Xia En felt awe-struck.
The projection NPCs that appeared in the last ritual were just dull wooden figures.
But now, they can hardly tell the difference from ordinary people.
Is this a transformation of the ascension ritual itself?
Or is it that, with the advancement of their ranks, the trialists are taking a step closer to the secrets deep in the [Secret Sea]?
Obviously, these issues are not something that Xia En can think clearly at the moment.
At this time, Xia En's eyes fell on this sailboat, which was neither too big nor too small, and a bold idea suddenly came to his mind -
Although this is not his precious [Black Swan], it is his ship in name and substance!
So, can I communicate with the ship's soul?
even……
[Snorkeling] in this sea area? !
Thinking of this possibility, Shane's heart pounded.
However, he remained calm on the surface. After giving orders to several pirates, he returned to the captain's cabin unhurriedly.
It's okay to show extraordinary strength. John Smith can become one of the Twelve Apostles. His combat power is not weak in the first place, but his personality hinders him.
It is actually quite reasonable to suddenly explode after being bullied.
But if he shows some abilities that don't belong to John, I'm afraid the pirates on the ship will have some doubts.
Go back to the captain's cabin and close the door.
Xia En reached out and touched the inner wall of the cabin, activating the talent of [Communication with the Soul of the Ship].
With his current ability, he can actually use this ability whether he touches the hull or not.
But doing so, on the one hand, increases the sense of ceremony, and on the other hand, it expresses one's goodwill to the ship.
Instead of directly and roughly instilling consciousness into the body of [Sky Serpent].
"[Sky Serpent], can you hear my voice?"
Xia En slowly stroked the wall of the cabin and said in his heart.
"If you hear me, please respond to me."
After a long silence, a weak voice sounded in Shane's mind.
"……squeak?"
This voice is very young and crisp, with confusion and confusion, like a new sprout that has just sprouted.
Inexplicably, Xia En remembered the first time he heard the voice of the [Black Swan], and smiled slightly.
Unknowingly, so long has passed?
Obviously, the ship spirit of the [Sky Serpent] is still in a state of confusion, unable to communicate smoothly, and can only barely convey its emotions.
However, when it comes to raising children, things get old again and again.
With his previous experience in training the [Black Swan], Xia En comforted him with familiarity.
"Don't be afraid, I am your captain."
"We have only known each other for a short time, and I don't think you will be sure to treat me as my master."
"But at least, I hope we can be temporary partners."
"I will fight for your safety, and I hope you can help me."
"...Zhiwu?"
The emotion conveyed by [Sky Serpent] was even more confusing.
It felt keenly that this captain seemed a little different from the one it knew.
But the specific differences cannot be known by the newly born spiritually intelligent [Sky Serpent].
While casually chatting with the [Sky Serpent], Xia En opened the panel and found that the words [Deep Sea Submarine] on it were brightly lit.
"It really works!"
Xia En's eyes lit up.
He didn't hesitate for long before his mind pressed lightly on [Submarine].
"Submarine, start!"
…
…
After a familiar sinking feeling.
Shane opened his eyes.
What appeared in front of him was a piece of blue water.
However, unlike diving in reality, there are no countless submerged city ruins under the seabed in this era.
Xia En didn't plan to gain any benefits while submersing, but planned to use it as a hidden means of killing.
Whether they encounter pirates or other enemies, the projection body can give them an "unexpected surprise!"
But soon, Xia En discovered...
The situation in this sea area seems to be different from what he expected?
Around Xia En, there was indeed ordinary sea water, but when he looked down, he could see a deep darkness studded with stars and streams of light.
"hiss……"
Xia En took a slight breath: "Is that the [Secret Sea]?"
His mind turned around and he quickly figured out the truth behind this.
In this special promotion copy, the sea water on the surface is normal, but once you dive into a certain depth, you will come into contact with the real [Secret Sea]!
Not only that, this copy probably has its boundaries.
It is impossible for a trialist to endlessly explore outward, downward, and upward.
To put it simply, this dungeon looks like an open world, but in fact it is just a small garden world.
"So it seems like this is a [secret realm]?"
Xia En thought of the [Blood Moon Secret Realm] he had visited before. From this point of view, there were many similarities between the two.
Soon, Xia En dived to the bottom of normal sea water.
The strange thing is that here, the [Secret Sea] can still set off layers of waves, as if it is reaching out to invite him.
To be honest, Shane hesitated briefly.
The last time he dived into the [Secret Sea] was so impressive that it left a certain psychological shadow on him.
——Who can’t be impressed by encountering a full-level BOSS just after leaving the Novice Village?
However, things have changed now.
Xia En was already a third-level mystic with a strength close to the fourth level. After passing the promotion ritual, he became a fourth-level practitioner.
Maybe... you have some qualifications to explore the [Secret Sea]?
What Xia En wants to do is not to directly explore the deepest part of the [Secret Sea], but to leave a [Submarine Anchor] in the [Secret Sea]!
Yes, during this period of hard leveling, the ship spirit level of [Diamond Star] has also been raised to LV3.
Just as Xia En guessed, this upgrade increased the number of [Submarine Anchors] by one.
If you can leave an anchor point in the [Secret Sea], the benefits are self-evident.
Xia En can not only feel the breath of the [Secret Sea] at any time, but also explore those mysterious and ancient light bubbles and spots.
There are definitely countless good things hidden in those [secret realms].
After hesitating for a moment, Xia En gritted his teeth.
"Fight!"
"Anyway, it's just a projection body. If it works, if it doesn't work, exit now!"
With this layer of ordinary sea water, Xia En finally had a way out.
So, Xia En dived down suddenly.
With a "pop" sound, his body seemed to have broken through a membrane and entered the [Secret Sea].
The surrounding water pressure immediately increased a lot, and at the same time, there was still a bit of cold and mysterious power seeping into the body of the projection.
[The power of the ship soul -2! 】
Xia En watched the visible drop of the ship's soul power, and without hesitation, immediately set up the [Submarine Anchor].
Immediately, he was about to get out of the [Secret Sea].
A call suddenly came from the depths of the [Secret Sea].
At first, Xia En couldn't understand the meaning of the call, he only felt a roar in his mind.
It was as if there were several invisible tentacles deep in the void, stirring his brain vigorously and vigorously.
A humming and rumbling noise sounded, like the roar of a monster or the whisper of darkness.
The surrounding seawater seems to have turned into black holes, and countless lights and stars are twisting, changing, and squirming...
But the next moment.
All the changes around him disappeared.
And the call became a language that Xia En could understand.
【Come……】
【Stay close to me and I will make you the king of the world! 】
This call is extremely bewitching and seems to be pointing directly at people's hearts.
Xia En seized this moment of clarity and immediately swam upward.
However, the moment he was about to emerge from the [Secret Sea], a terrifying force fell on the projection body from an extremely long distance.
In an instant, the projected body was torn apart.
…
…
[The submersible is over! 】
Looking at this line of text, Xia En's consciousness was still a little dazed, and his eyesight went dark.
Xia En took a deep breath and finally regained consciousness.
Thinking back to what happened just now, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.
The owner of that call was not simple. His rank could rival that of the behemoth he saw last time.
This kind of existence is almost impossible to encounter outside the [Secret Sea], but in the [Secret Sea], it is not much rarer than the fish in the sea.
"Maybe it's really a fish? It's just bigger."
Xia En complained secretly: "But, what is it calling me for?"
"And I just entered the [Secret Sea], and it reacted..."
Xia En couldn't figure it out for a moment, so he simply didn't think about it.
That level of existence is a bit too far away for him now.
"Fortunately, at least the [Submarine Anchor Point] is set there, so I don't have to wait until the next promotion ritual."
Thinking of this, Xia En's face showed joy.
Although for him, [Secret Sea] is still a copy of Hell difficulty.
But who can say for sure what will happen in the future?
Besides, Shane can do without this anchor point leading to the [Secret Sea], but he can’t do without it!
Suddenly, a rapid and penetrating "alarm" sound came.
Shane was stunned, and then reacted.
It was the alarm on the ship!
But who is so brave that he dares to attack the ship of one of the Twelve Apostles?
Shane didn't have time to think about it, rushed out of the room and came to the deck.
At the same time, the pirates who heard the alarm bell rushed out with weapons.
"Report to the captain! There are two unidentified pirate ships approaching us in the southwest and northwest!"
The lookout on the mast exclaimed in a panic.
Shane turned his head and looked.
On the sea, two ships with sharp horns were sailing towards the [Serpentine] like two sharp knives.
Looking at the aggressive posture, they obviously did not come with good intentions.
"There is no mark on the sail. Did you hide it deliberately? You don't want to reveal your identity?"
Shayne frowned, his brain working fast.
"Who dares to attack this apostle?"
Even if John is the weakest of the twelve apostles, he is definitely not someone that ordinary pirates dare to provoke.
Because behind him stands the pirate king!
Suddenly, Shane woke up.
"Hiss... No! Maybe this is a trap against Augustine!"
At the moment, Augustine is said to be seriously injured, but no one knows to what extent he is injured.
Many pirates dare not attack Augustine, so they will naturally choose to test his apostles.
If Augustine has no reaction, it means that his injury is very serious, and someone will try to usurp the throne.
And if Augustine launches a bloody revenge, then everything will be the same as before, and there will be no change.
The only thing is that there will be one less apostle named "John Smith" in the world.
But who will care at that time?
Dead people are worthless.
Shane's mind was like lightning, and he quickly figured out the reason behind this.
In the eyes of outsiders, he was stunned for only two or three seconds, and then his expression returned to normal, and he gave an order.
"Everyone, return to your position!"
"The sail captain raised the top sail, the gunner loaded the ammunition, and I will take the helm myself!"
"Just two pirate ships, kill them all!"
His voice was full of convincing majesty, and all the pirates acted instinctively according to their respective duties.
The captain is the backbone of a ship, and seeing Shane so calm, the pirates also had more confidence.
At this time, Shane walked to the rudder and held the somewhat unfamiliar steering wheel.
Although Shane did not bind the [Serpentis], the moment he held the steering wheel, he still vaguely felt that the ship was trembling slightly.
The young soul of the ship was uneasy and panicked.
"Are you afraid?"
Shane smiled: "Then lend me your strength! I will lead you out of the siege!"
After a short silence.
In response to him, there was an exceptionally loud neigh!