462: Chapter 462 The Maiden Voyage of the Explorer

Time flew by, and it was now the twenty-seventh day of the second lunar month. Yang Qi drove the "explorer" to the town pier to refuel.

Bai Xue took Yao Shanshan and Uncle to buy supplies, mainly various foods and common medicines.

The "explorer"'s maiden voyage was expected to last twenty days to a month. The supplies prepared were enough for ten people for a month's consumption.

When the merchants delivered truckloads of supplies to the pier, the other crew members helped carry them into the "explorer"'s warehouse.

After refueling, the final tally was over fifty tons, costing 410,000 yuan, making Yang Qi and the others' eyelids twitch.

"Holy crap, that's really..."

Yang Qi eventually paid for the fuel while grumbling.

The next day, the twenty-seventh day of the second lunar month (an auspicious day for travel). 7:00 AM, the lucky hour.

Friends and relatives gathered at the Qingshan Town pier; even Bai Xue's grandfather came over.

Bai Dahai personally presided over the "Inviting the Sea God" ceremony for the "explorer."

This ceremony was different from the "launch ceremony"; the latter was a one-time event, equivalent to "consecrating" a new ship.

The "Inviting the Sea God" ceremony was different; you could do it before every voyage or once a month.

Sacrificing to the Sea God before heading out was more than just a ritual for fishermen; it carried their earnest hopes for safety and a bountiful harvest.

As the fishing boat was about to set sail, the fishermen gathered at the pier early, neatly arranging carefully prepared offerings such as pig heads, fresh fish, and steamed buns on an altar at the bow or on the shore.

Then, they lit incense and set off firecrackers to show their respect.

Led by a respected "Ship Boss" or elder, the fishermen burned incense and kowtowed, chanting simple prayers to the Sea God Mazu and the Dragon King, hoping they would protect the boat and ensure a full catch.

In the sea breeze, incense smoke curled, and the fishermen's eyes were filled with piety. Every kowtow contained their deep awe of the ocean and endless concern for their families.

Only after the ceremony would the fishing boat slowly head toward the deep sea accompanied by the sound of its whistle, beginning a new life of harvesting the sea.

Knowing Yang Qi and the others were making their maiden voyage today, Bai Dahai specifically delayed the departure of the "harvest." He did this to handle the "Inviting the God and Sacrificing to the Sea" ceremony for his son-in-law.

The altar on the shore was a dazzling sight, with all kinds of offerings available.

The most prominent offerings were the "Three Sacrificial Animals": an ox head, a sheep head, and a pig head.

Three sticks of incense were placed in the incense burner in front. Bai Dahai recited the sacrificial words with great solemnity; Yang Qi didn't know where he had obtained them.

Since many elders were present, Yang Qi didn't dare be disrespectful, making the entire ceremony solemn and grand.

Following Bai Dahai's chants, they bowed when told to bow and offered incense when told to offer incense. A group of Ship workers stood behind Yang Qi, completing the ceremony together.

Friends like Zhang Jun and Liu Yao brought out a pile of ten-thousand-count firecrackers and began lighting them.

The "crackling" of firecrackers was continuous, lasting for half an hour. If Zhang Jun hadn't spoken to the pier management in advance, they probably would have come out to intervene.

To prevent other nearby fishing boats and locals from complaining, Zhang Fei, Liu Yao, Lu Hua, and others constantly distributed cigarettes and candies to the people around them.

This gesture made it hard for others to get angry, and they even had to say some words of blessing.

Amidst the swirling smoke, Yang Qi took the lead in boarding the "explorer," with Bai Xue and the crew following suit.

Yang Qi went to the Cockpit and pressed the button to start the vessel. After the others stowed their luggage, they all ran to the balcony on the third-floor roof to wave goodbye to their family and friends on shore.

Uncle went to hang up the bright red national flag.

"Wooo...!"

Following a long blast from the "explorer"'s whistle, it slowly moved out of its berth and headed toward the distance.

Yang Qi's destination this time was the Nansha Islands, which he had been dreaming of. Previously, the "setting sail" didn't have enough capacity, so there was no way to get there.

Moreover, on previous trips to Pratas Island and the Xisha Islands, the holds had reached capacity prematurely.

Now the new ship had massive space; both the Freezer Hold and the Live Well were several times larger. Normally, it should be enough for a full load.

Now that he had the "explorer," he was determined to visit the southernmost waters of the motherland.

Currently, the ship was empty, so Yang Qi didn't need to hold back. He sped along and left the East China Sea region before noon, entering the South China Sea waters.

The weather in the South China Sea today was beautiful and sunny, with only a light breeze blowing across the surface.

The height difference between the front and rear decks of the "explorer" was significant, exactly one floor high.

In other words, standing on the front deck at the bow, turning around would only allow one to see the second and third floors of the deckhouse.

From the rear deck, however, one could see the entire three-story deckhouse. The cranes, winches, gantry cranes, and the small pool were all installed on the rear deck. Basically, all maritime operations were completed on the rear deck.

There were ladders between the front and rear decks for people to go up and down.

Along the way, Yang Qi saw many schools of fish, but he actively ignored those that weren't valuable.

Around 1:30 PM, Yang Qi noticed the fish finder showing a school of fish ahead. The new ship's high-precision sonar fish finder was indeed much more advanced than the one on the "setting sail," with a detection range exceeding 400 meters.

This was further than the observation distance of Yang Qi's normal Supernatural Ability state (fan-shaped mode).

However, his Supernatural Ability form could be manipulated; as long as he narrowed the visual area, he could see over a thousand meters away, just like a radar sweep.

He just didn't like that state. He usually kept it in the fan-shaped mode, which allowed him to see 150 meters away. This was the result of some growth after frequent use.

Although the fish finder could detect a school of fish ahead, it couldn't identify the specific species.

At this point, he needed Yang Qi's Supernatural Ability to see exactly what kind of fish were ahead and if they were worth catching.

The first shot had to be a success; he couldn't just bring up some junk fish.

So Yang Qi narrowed his Supernatural Ability form and probed toward the school of fish.

"Heh, not bad. It's a school of White Pomfret."

Yang Qi was delighted and picked up the walkie-talkie to call out:

"Heads up, brothers! Fish school detected, get ready to cast the net!"

"Copy that!"

A chorus of messy replies immediately came through the walkie-talkie.

Wang Jinxi, Ding Kuan, Chen Lin, and Chen Gang quickly ran into the warehouse and brought out a Trawling. This was something Yang Qi and Wang Jinxi had ordered together.

Considering the "explorer" wasn't a professional trawler—it also balanced Longline Fishing, gillnetting, angling, and other operation methods—Yang Qi personally preferred to use it as a fishing boat.

So they eventually ordered two four-hundred-meter-long Trawlings. If they were a bit small, so be it; as long as they worked. If used well, they could yield a harvest of three or four tons.

While Wang Jinxi's group of four carried out the Trawling, Zheng Tie and Chen Sheng helped install it from each side, while Chen Lin and Chen Gang began to straighten out the net for its first use.