Chapter 4997 — The Wei Zhao Brothers
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
At the words "ran away from home," Oda Ba's expression turned somewhat awkward again. He could only give a few dry chuckles and usher Oda Zhou into the captain's private banquet hall.
Once the wine and dishes were all set out, Oda Zhou and Oda Ba, reunited after so long, exchanged pleasantries and downed several cups in a row. Only then did their somewhat distant relations gradually warm, for in the end there was no real estrangement between the brothers—it was merely that Oda Ba's relationship with the family was a little strained.
"Third Brother, since this Wei Zhao is a Mystic-rank first-grade alchemist, how did he come to be your honorary vice-captain? Surely you don't mean to win over a Mystic-rank first-grade alchemist through this?" Oda Zhou's attention was still fixed on Wei Zhao.
"That just shows you're an outsider to this business, Second Brother. I'm a captain who sails the seas far and wide—what would I want to spend such effort winning over an alchemist for? Even if he's a Mystic-rank first-grade alchemist, he's of no use whatsoever to my warship—not half as useful as an ordinary formation master." Oda Ba spoke dismissively.
"Then why do you treat him as a brother, and even make him your honorary vice-captain?" Oda Zhou asked, puzzled.
"That's a long story. When I first set out to win him over, I'd only heard people say his alchemy was out of the ordinary—I didn't even know he was a Mystic-rank first-grade alchemist." Oda Ba shook his head, then gave a chuckle. "Second Brother, you know I've always set my sights sky-high. Ordinary people don't catch my eye. But this brother of mine, Wei Zhao—he's absolutely no ordinary man."
"Oh? Beyond being able to challenge above his stage and being a Mystic-rank first-grade alchemist, does he have some other exceptional quality?" Oda Zhou asked curiously. Impressive as those two things were in anyone's eyes, they clearly weren't the kind of ability that would so capture Oda Ba's interest.
"He is the most incomparable navigator I have ever seen!" Oda Ba's eyes burned bright. Seeing that Oda Zhou still looked uncomprehending, he went on: "Second Brother, have you ever heard of the Sea Dragon?"
"Of course. How could I not have heard of the being said to come closest to the overlord of the seas!" Oda Zhou paused there, then suddenly said in amazement, "Third Brother, don't tell me you're about to say you encountered a Sea Dragon?"
"Exactly so. I was carrying disciples from two Eastern Continent academies back from the West Island when we were set upon midway by a pack of top-tier sea beasts. Five Mountain-Splitting stage beasts alone—a full five! Mystic Ascension and Nascent Soul stage beasts beyond counting. And the most terrifying of all was the mastermind behind that pack." Every time Oda Ba told this story, his eyes lit up with excitement—after all, in three hundred years of sailing the seas, he had met with such a thing only this once. For a man sworn to conquer the endless ocean, how could he not be thrilled?
"A real Sea Dragon?" This time even Oda Zhou's voice changed.
"A real Sea Dragon. To command such a vast pack of top-tier sea beasts single-handedly—you can well imagine how powerful that Sea Dragon was. To be honest, if not for Brother Wei Zhao, I'd have been filling its belly long ago." A look of reminiscence came over Oda Ba's face, and he spoke with reverence: "A complete novice who had never even steered a treasure ship, yet he sensed the top-tier beast pack and the deeply hidden Sea Dragon at the very first moment—and after that he wielded the Starfall Formation with such mastery that he drove the Sea Dragon to flight with nowhere to run. Second Brother, don't you think this man's talent for navigation is terrifyingly strong?" (To be continued.)