82: Chapter 82 Time-Space Distortion, the Crew's Worries

Time flowed slowly during the dull cultivation.

When the final second of the dungeon countdown hit zero, a familiar and irresistible force of teleportation once again enveloped Li Taiping's entire body.

The ice crystal cave before his eyes instantly transformed into twisted light and shadow.

...

Swish!

With a flash of light, Li Taiping's figure reappeared on the spacious deck of the Many Children, Many Blessings.

Warm sunlight, mixed with a hint of the salty scent of the sea breeze, rushed toward him.

The familiar feeling gave him the illusion of having been separated for a lifetime.

Captain!

Captain Brother, you're back!

Are you okay?

Almost the instant he appeared, several voices filled with surprise and worry came from all directions.

Su Mei, Xia Zhi, Yun Jinxin, Chu Mengyao, the Twin Sisters, Yu Tong...

The girls on the ship were all gathered on the deck at this moment, each of them gazing at him longingly.

When they saw Li Taiping appear safe and sound, heartfelt, relieved smiles appeared on their faces.

I'm back.

Li Taiping looked at their concerned, pretty faces, and a warm current welled up in his heart.

He smiled and opened his arms; Yun Jinxin and the Twin Sisters, who were closest to him, immediately cheered and threw themselves into his arms.

Captain Brother, you don't know how worried we were about you!

Yun Jinxin hugged his arm, her voice still carrying a hint of lingering fear and a sobbing tone.

Yeah, yeah,

Lin Qingxue also chimed in,

You've been missing for two days, we thought something had happened to you!

Although her younger sister Lin Weiyu didn't speak, she also tightly gripped his hem, her big eyes red; she had clearly just been crying.

Li Taiping was a bit puzzled.

Two days? Didn't I only go in for twelve hours?

Twelve hours?

Su Mei walked over and cast a coquettish glance at him,

My good Captain, look at what time it is now.

She pointed to the sky.

Li Taiping looked up and saw that the sun had already risen to mid-air; it looked like it was around nine or ten in the morning.

He remembered that it was this time when he entered the dungeon.

This...

You've been missing for two whole days!

Su Mei said crossly,

We've been outside for two days and two nights!

Two days?

Li Taiping was stunned.

Twelve hours in this dungeon equals two days outside?

The flow of time... was actually different!

He finally understood why The girls were so worried.

No matter who it was, watching their backbone disappear into thin air for two days and two nights without a trace would drive them crazy.

Sorry, I made you worry.

Li Taiping touched the heads of Yun Jinxin and the Twin Sisters apologetically and comforted them softly:

That must have been a special space where the time flow is different from the outside.

I'm fine, and, I gained a lot.

Hearing him say this, The girls finally set their hearts at ease.

As long as he was fine, that was better than anything.

Li Taiping responded simply to The girls' concern and soothed their emotions before starting to look at the surrounding environment.

The Many Children, Many Blessings was currently quietly anchored in a peculiar sea area.

Behind him was the Extreme Cold Sea Region they had just crossed, with ice floes of various sizes still floating on the sea, the cold air biting.

And in front of him was a brand new, boundless blue ocean.

The sun was bright, and the sea breeze was warm.

Most notably, on that blue ocean, in the distance, one could see islands of various sizes scattered on the sea like pearls.

Those islands were lush and full of vitality.

The two sea areas were distinct, as if separated by an invisible barrier; one half was winter, and the other half was summer.

Where are we now...

We are at the boundary between the Extreme Cold Sea Region and the Abyssal Sea Region.

Xia Zhi walked over and explained calmly,

After you entered the dungeon, we sailed the ship here and waited for you to return to make a decision.

Li Taiping nodded.

His gaze swept across the new sea area full of vitality ahead, and his eyes flashed with anticipation.

A new sea area meant new opportunities, new challenges, and of course, new resources.

However, before exploring the new world, there was one more important thing to do.

Li Taiping came back to his senses and gave a mysterious smile to The girls who were full of anticipation.

Alright, ladies, don't be in such a hurry to move forward.

Before we set off, let's attend to some serious business first.

What serious business?

Yun Jinxin asked curiously.

Li Taiping cleared his throat and announced in a solemn tone:

Upgrade our home!

Upgrade?

The girls were stunned at first, and then, one by one, they widened their eyes, with expressions of unbelievable surprise on their faces.

Captain Brother, do you mean... we are going to upgrade to a fourth-rank ship?

Little Yun Jinxin's voice was trembling slightly.

From third-rank to fourth-rank, this was a huge leap!

They all clearly remembered that every ship upgrade brought earth-shaking changes.

That's right!

Li Taiping snapped his fingers triumphantly.

Wow—!

On the deck, a earth-shattering cheer erupted instantly.

That's great! Captain Brother is the best!

We're going to live in a bigger house again!

The girls were jumping with excitement, like a group of children who had received candy.

Su Mei was even more direct; she threw her arms around Li Taiping's neck and kissed him hard on the face.

Good Captain, you really are this sister's lucky star!

She breathed out like an orchid and whispered in Li Taiping's ear:

Does that mean... we will soon have three new sisters on the ship?

Her words made the movements of the other girls pause slightly.

Their eyes all became a bit complicated.

There was both anticipation and a hint of indescribable jealousy.

Li Taiping looked at their cute appearance, and his heart blossomed with joy.

That's right, soon, our big family will add three new members.

He deliberately kept them in suspense, watching The girls' varied expressions, and thought to himself:

The surprises don't just stop here.

Wait until I take out the resurrection scroll, I wonder what kind of expressions you will have?

He decided to keep this huge piece of good news secret for now.

After all, he didn't know what kind of personalities the three new crew members would have.

This resurrection scroll, perhaps, could be used as a 'test,' or rather, a tool to 'discipline' the newcomers.

Disobedient?

Not loyal?

Then sorry, such a precious resurrection opportunity won't be for you.

Li Taiping had already started planning how to use the resources in his hand to manage his harem...

Ah no, to manage his team in an orderly manner.

He didn't delay any longer and walked into the cockpit with big strides.

Under the expectant gaze of all The girls, he opened the ship's upgrade panel.

Then, he threw those three high-tech [Power Engines (Excellent Grade)], along with a massive amount of energy stone, basic building materials, and other resources, all into it!

Upgrade!

[Upgrade conditions detected as met, confirm upgrading 'Many Children, Many Blessings' from third-rank to fourth-rank?]

Confirm!

...