Chapter 4977 — Taking Him Down a Peg
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 3
"Young Hero Lin, I never imagined that in just a few short months you would already be a skilled hand of the early Xuan Sheng stage—this is truly a cause for celebration!" Okuda Qi was visibly taken aback when he saw Wei Zhao. The last time they met, the young man had only been at the middle Nascent Soul stage, had he not? This was not merely progress—it was flight!
Of course, the man simply had not seen enough of the world. If he knew that Ning Xuefei had gone from the Golden Core stage to the Xuan Sheng stage overnight, his reaction would likely have been the same as Leng Rufeng's—his eyes would have bulged clean out of his head.
"Ha, it is rare enough that I come to the Eastern Continent at all. If I had made no progress in strength whatsoever, how could I bear to go back and face anyone?" Wei Zhao could not help but smile.
"That is going too far! I, Okuda Qi, have lived in the Eastern Continent for so many years, and I have never heard of anyone advancing as fast as you. Young Hero Lin is truly no creature meant for the pond." Okuda Qi sighed with feeling, then asked, "Is Young Hero Lin preparing to set out to sea?"
"Indeed. I intend to make a trip to Middle Island, but I have no other connections here. After thinking it over, I had no choice but to ask the captain for help." Wei Zhao nodded.
"Help? What help? Has Young Hero Lin forgotten that you are the honorary vice-captain of this ship? We are all family here—what is this talk of help?" Okuda Qi put on a show of displeasure.
"Ha, I misspoke. I hope the captain will not take offense." Wei Zhao shook his head with a laugh. Come to think of it, this Okuda Qi was quite the character—capable, and able to turn his face like the flip of a page, yet warmhearted toward anyone who caught his eye. So long as one grew accustomed to his style, he was not hard to get along with.
"Heh heh, now that is more like it!" Okuda Qi laughed and clapped Wei Zhao on the shoulder, then spoke in the tone of one addressing his own kin: "I will have it arranged at once, though it will take a little time to prepare. After all, a warship this immense cannot simply sail off empty. So many brothers above and below decks all need to eat. Running all the way to Middle Island for one man alone is hardly practical—I hope you can understand that."
"Naturally." Wei Zhao nodded. The resources consumed by an ancient warship—such a behemoth—on a single voyage were nothing short of astronomical. Even if Okuda Qi thought highly of him, the man could not possibly take such a loss in earnest; he would certainly seize the chance to turn a profit.
"Good, then. Young Hero Lin is indeed reasonable. I will have Middle Island posted on the board at once. I trust a merchant guild will come knocking soon enough—it will not delay us long." Okuda Qi smiled.
Under normal circumstances, an ancient warship of his scale would not take on such business. It generally dealt with the great personages of the various Cloud-Tier Islands and thereby did business with the forces of every faction—much as he had last carried the disciples of the Chenjiao Academy and the Xiangyun Academy. It seldom ran errands for the great merchant guilds.
But this time was special. The main purpose was to deliver Wei Zhao to Middle Island, and picking up a bit of extra income from the guilds along the way as compensation was only reasonable. Ancient warships had always been much sought after by the great guilds as a favorable wind to ride, for in both speed and safety they far surpassed ordinary treasure ships. So once the board went up, it would not be long before enough business was drawn in.
Wei Zhao was eager to leave the Eastern Continent as soon as possible, but waiting of this kind was unavoidable. He could only settle down aboard the warship with patience.
After circling about for several days in this manner, the warship was finally loaded with vast quantities of goods from the various merchant guilds, and at last the horn sounded.