51: Chapter 51 Observations and Arrangements

Morpheus sat on the edge of the bed with a thin layer of gauze over his eyes, but the upturned corners of his mouth showed that he had heard and did not object.

He spoke softly, his voice nearly half as quiet as usual, yet his tone remained as gentle and refined as a scholar's:

"Lord Richard, your performance over this period has been enough to demonstrate your strength and courage."

"If you don't mind, I hope you can take on the role of captain for this temporary adventurer party and lead our team."

Jinbao hopped off the bed and raised both hands in agreement: "I agree. Morpheus, your abilities are still a bit lacking, kid. Hurry up and give up the captain's position."

The black cat remained silent for a few seconds before saying: "It should have been like this a long time ago."

"Hey! You two bastards..." Morpheus laughed and scolded.

Richard did not refuse; he agreed decisively: "From now on, I am everyone's captain. Rest assured, follow me, and you definitely won't lose out."

After a while, Jinbao suggested going to a tavern to celebrate surviving death and completing the mission.

However, Cecilia politely declined the drinking session; she needed to return to her lodging to replenish her supply of beast blood. The blood she had been carrying was finished, and she had to go to an apothecary shop tonight to buy a batch of alchemical powder.

That was a special preservative that could keep beast blood fresh for a long time; combined with beast blood, it allowed the Vampire to barely maintain her minimum physiological needs.

Her voice trembled slightly, and her face was pale, clearly showing that she was struggling to control her bloodthirst.

Richard patted her shoulder: "Go back and rest early."

When Cecilia turned and walked into the alley, her footsteps were very light, so light they were almost inaudible; the Vampire's agility had completely integrated into her every daily movement.

Richard, Jinbao, and the black cat took a long table by the window on the second floor of the tavern.

When the ale arrived, it was served in three wooden mugs larger than their faces. Foam spilled from the rims and dripped onto the tabletop. Jinbao gulped down three large mouthfuls before stopping and letting out a long belch.

In the corner of the tavern, a few men who also looked like adventurers were talking in low voices. The volume wasn't high, but it was just enough to reach Richard's table.

They were chatting about a major piece of news that had recently shocked the entire Free City-States.

One of the adventurers said: "Have you heard? Reef Island was actually conquered by a Murloc tribe!"

"Really? I don't believe it."

"Why would I lie to you? This group of Murlocs didn't use conventional sneak attacks or raids, but a large-scale, legion-level full-scale assault!"

"Two major coastal cities on the island were submerged overnight by a tide of Murloc armies. The garrison on the city walls and the Adventurer Guild's garrison team on the island were slaughtered almost without organizing any decent resistance."

"It is said that several mages were also killed in the battle... These weren't just apprentices, they were full-fledged mages!"

"I also heard that those damned Murlocs dragged the captives to the seashore and held a massive blood sacrifice ritual on the reefs during low tide. The blood of the sacrifices turned the seawater of the entire reef belt red."

"Now the Free Federation has dispatched regular troops and a large number of volunteer adventurers to Reef Island to recover the lost territory. The Pirate Council is also standing on the same front as the city-states, sending several main pirate fleets to participate in the counterattack."

"The most eye-catching part is that the legendary pirate captain Davis is also participating in the operation. He will personally board his legendary ship, the Nautilus, and lead a group of high-ranking adventurers above the Silver rank to strike directly at the Murlocs' underwater lair to pay blood for blood."

"It's a pity. If I hadn't taken an arrow to the knee, I would definitely have participated in this grand battle!"

Another adventurer laughed: "Stop bragging, give it a rest!"

Richard set the ale mug back on the table, the base of the mug hitting the wooden table with a dull thud.

He recalled the scene he saw from the white gull of that legendary Dragon Turtle and Kraken tearing at each other.

That Dragon Turtle was larger than three white gulls combined; a single swipe of its claw could smash a warship into splinters, and creatures of this level were not particularly rare in these waters.

Now, hearing such shocking news, the danger here really was everywhere!

He picked up the ale and took another sip, the bitter malt taste dissolving at the root of his tongue.

Richard thought silently to himself: I must become stronger, strong enough to stand at the peak and look down at the world below.

The ale in the tavern was refilled for another round.

Richard set the mug on the table, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the nick on the rim of the mug, his mind already racing with plans for what to do next.

That mission on Golden Island made him realize a few things.

First, his current equipment was far from enough; he needed to get at least a better set of armor or an enchanted weapon.

Second, he needed to master the power of spells—spellcasting abilities that truly belonged to him. Even if it were just the most basic cantrips, it would provide more ways to respond than relying solely on brute force.

Third, his blacksmithing skills needed to be practiced further. Saving money by repairing his own equipment was just a superficial benefit; the real value was the experience points gained during the forging process.

He was only level one in blacksmithing, so there was huge room for leveling up. Every level gained could potentially grant new skills or passive bonuses.

These three things all required time and couldn't be settled in a few days.

He roughly estimated that he didn't know how long it would take to learn the basic theory of spells, and blacksmithing skills required spending every day in the smithy training.

Then he would prepare for one month; he would stay in Blackwater City for a month to get all these things done.

During this month, his teammates could rest, and he could also take this opportunity to let everyone in the team readjust their state and change into new equipment. After all, on Golden Island, several of them had nearly died in the mansion's dungeon.

He laid this idea out on the table.

Jinbao was hugging his third mug of ale, and when he heard "one month," his mustache twitched, and then he nodded vigorously:

"Perfect! This master has a pile of new blueprints I want to test... The formula for that flashbang from last time can still be improved. Adding half a portion of phosphorus powder and a little bit of Fire Salamander gland powder could theoretically double the blinding range. It just needs time to debug, and I have to remake some small samples."

He dug out a crumpled piece of parchment from the always-bulging tool pouch at his waist. It was covered in messy sketches drawn with charcoal, most of which had been smudged by his own fingers.

"And look at this... I plan to make a fishhook launcher that can automatically retract the line, which can be used for climbing walls and retrieving items from a distance. The principle is..."

"You'd better be careful, don't end up throwing a flashbang and blowing us all up." The black cat cut him off, her tone as speechless as her expression.

"That's completely impossible! This master is much more skilled now!" Jinbao slapped the table unconvinced, but his voice was clearly half a beat weaker than before.

Afterward, the group returned to the tavern and discussed it with Morpheus for a while.

By this time, the gauze over his eyes had been removed. There were still a few faint red healing marks around his regenerated eye sockets, but his purple pupils had regained their ability to focus.

He picked up the hot goat's milk with honey and took a sip: "I personally support this proposal very much."

"To be honest, being cut open in the chest by a crazy woman with a scalpel and having my eyeball removed has left me with quite a significant psychological trauma."

"I need some time to digest these unpleasant memories."

"Fine wine, beautiful scenery, and the company of a few pleasing young ladies should be a good therapy."

He paused, his purple eyes turning toward the direction of the harbor outside the window, and smiled:

"Besides, thanks to Captain Richard, we completed this commission, and now we aren't short of money either."