Chapter 30 – The Deep Sea Hides No Treasure

“Boss, you’ve been captain of the Distant Traveler for nearly ten years — how can you just hand it over!”

“I owe my life to you, boss. If they want to kick you out, I, Liu San, will be the first to object!”

“Exactly!”

“Why don’t we just toss him overboard once we’re out at sea to feed the fish? It’s perfectly normal for someone to die out on the open ocean!”

The crew was seething with indignation. In the blink of an eye, Li Fan had become public enemy number one.

The burly man raised his hands to calm the sailors. “Easy, everyone, easy! I know you all think highly of me, Zhang Haobo, but the Distant Traveler ultimately belongs to Steward Zhao. We’re all just working for him. Now that Steward Zhao says he wants a replacement, what can I do about it?”

Far from calming things down, Zhang Haobo’s words only stoked the crew’s fury.

One after another, their eyes reddened as they glared at Li Fan with murderous intent.

Li Fan sneered inwardly.

The petty tricks this man named Zhang Haobo was playing had not escaped his notice.

On the surface, he praised Li Fan lavishly — but in truth, he was stoking the crew’s distrust.

On the surface, he spoke up for Li Fan — but in truth, he was fanning the flames of their discontent.

On the surface, he lamented his own powerlessness — but in truth, he was hoping the crew would band together against Li Fan.

Feigning compliance while secretly resisting — waving the red flag to oppose the red flag.

Nothing more than tricks Li Fan had long since outgrown.

Without a trace of fear on his face, Li Fan strode before the assembled crew and declared in a booming voice, “If you don’t trust me, do you not trust Steward Zhao’s judgment either? Besides, with this voyage about to begin, just watch what I can do! I guarantee none of you will be disappointed.”

Li Fan’s voice rang out powerfully, drowning out the clamor of the crowd in an instant.

Seeing his commanding presence, the sailors found themselves subdued. Not a single person stepped forward to argue.

Li Fan gave them no chance to recover. With a quick farewell, he turned and strode alone into the ship’s cabin.

He left behind a group of sailors exchanging bewildered glances and a dark-faced Zhang Haobo.

The crew murmured quietly among themselves.

“Could that kid actually have some real skills?”

“He probably… might actually be the real deal. Steward Zhao’s eye for talent is formidable — he almost never misjudges someone.”

“He didn’t seem like an ordinary person to me either.”

……

“Finding treasure every single voyage? I don’t buy it for a second!”

“He obviously pulled some strings to steal my position as fleet captain! Does he think I don’t know?”

“Fine, you’ve made your big boasts. Let’s see how you deliver!”

Zhang Haobo seethed with silent resentment. Watching his subordinates get swayed by just a few words from Li Fan only made his blood boil more.

“Set sail! To sea!”

He barked the order.

The Distant Traveler moved without wind, gliding out of the harbor and heading for the open ocean.

Over a hundred large ships from Glazed Glass Island dispersed one after another, each sailing toward their designated waters.

The Distant Traveler relied neither on wind nor manpower, but on a miniature spell formation powered by spirit stones.

The ship was also equipped with a spirit lure. Whenever glazed fish were detected in nearby waters, the spirit lure would emit a guiding signal.

But the ocean was vast, and the spirit lure’s range of perception was limited.

That was why experienced sailors were needed to first identify the general areas where fish schools were likely to appear.

In ordinary years, glazed fish schools followed relatively predictable patterns and were easier to catch.

But when storms ravaged the seas and the fish migrated, all prior experience became useless.

It would come down to searching for a needle in a haystack — pure luck.

And the Distant Traveler’s luck, it seemed, was not particularly good.

More than half a month had passed. Apart from hauling in some common fish and finding a few ordinary sea minerals, they had nothing significant to show for it.

Not only were the sailors all wearing long faces, but even Zhang Haobo was growing anxious.

After all, there would be punishment for whoever finished last this time.

Compared to other jobs on the island, working as a seafaring crew member carried lower risk and greater rewards.

Nobody wanted to lose such a position for nothing.

“The island’s rules require us to return within one month. With this meager haul, we might very well end up with the smallest catch of all. We can only hope for a turn of fortune in the coming days. Immortal masters preserve us.”

Zhang Haobo gazed out at the calm, fathomless sea, feeling helpless.

Just then, he heard footsteps approaching from behind.

Turning around, Zhang Haobo saw Li Fan walking toward him.

“Oh, so you’ve finally decided to leave your cabin? If you didn’t come out for food every day, I’d have thought you’d died in there.”

Ever since they’d set sail, Li Fan had stayed holed up in his room, never interacting with anyone.

Zhang Haobo was in a foul mood and showed him no courtesy.

Li Fan paid no mind to his rudeness. Instead, he gazed out at the distant sea, his expression grave.

He just stood there, saying nothing.

Seeing Li Fan’s strange behavior, Zhang Haobo felt a chill run down his spine. He looked in the same direction Li Fan was staring, but saw nothing — the sea appeared perfectly normal.

Li Fan’s expression grew even more somber.

Yet he remained utterly silent.

After a long while, Zhang Haobo finally couldn’t take it anymore. “What are you looking at?”

Li Fan startled, turned around, his face full of vexation, and glared at him furiously.

“What kind of act are you putting on?!” Zhang Haobo felt a twinge of guilt but still forced himself to demand an answer.

“I need a small boat!” Li Fan didn’t answer his question. Instead, he turned back toward the sea and said in a deep voice, “I’ve spotted treasure!”

“What…” Zhang Haobo was momentarily confused.

“What?!” But a split second later, it hit him and he cried out involuntarily, “You’re not joking, are you?!”

“Hurry, get me a small boat. I can see jewels gleaming with radiance beneath the deep sea, waiting for me to salvage them,” Li Fan said gravely.

Zhang Haobo was still hesitating when Li Fan added another line.

“The opportunity is fleeting. The treasure’s glow is fading. I’m about to lose its location.”

Zhang Haobo snapped to attention immediately.

“Quickly! Prepare a boat!”

The Distant Traveler carried several small boats, generally used for exploring narrow channels or scouting dangerous, uncharted waters.

But by the time the small boat was lowered and Li Fan had piloted it away alone, Zhang Haobo suddenly came to his senses.

He didn’t even know why he’d gotten so caught up in the moment and believed Li Fan’s words.

Seeing treasure buried beneath the deep sea?

How could that be possible?

He was about to say something when Li Fan’s voice called out from far away.

“Don’t follow me! Wait for my signal!”

“Why?” Zhang Haobo couldn’t help shouting back.

“You’re too loud! You’ll break my line of sight!” Li Fan called back.

Zhang Haobo’s mouth twitched, but recalling the furious glare Li Fan had given him moments ago, he began to think that perhaps the man hadn’t been lying after all.

Time passed. four hours had elapsed since Li Fan had set off alone in the small boat.

“Is it possible he just ran off by himself?” one of the sailors asked, staring anxiously in the direction Li Fan had gone.

“Don’t be stupid. The ocean is endless and he didn’t take any provisions — where could he possibly run to?” Zhang Haobo snapped at the sailor. He was about to say more when he spotted a red signal flare blazing to life in the distant sky.

“Quick! Steer the ship over there!” Zhang Haobo ordered at once.

The Distant Traveler powered up to full speed and quickly reached the signal’s location.

There stood Li Fan on the small boat, looking utterly exhausted.

“The treasure is right here!” he told the crew.

Zhang Haobo and the others exchanged uncertain glances, unsure whether to believe him.

After a moment, Zhang Haobo gritted his teeth and said fiercely, “Dive in! Cast the nets!”

Amid the crew’s skepticism, one chest, two chests…

A full sixteen chests of gold, silver, and jewels were slowly hauled up from the depths.