Chapter 459: Catching Small Fish

Only when he actually put it into practice did Gao De realize how utterly wasteful sea voyages were.

A two-masted sailing ship required about twenty crew members for ocean crossings.

The most basic configuration included one captain, one first mate, one second mate, one third mate, roughly ten sailors including the boatswain, two lookouts, two to three helmsmen, and one cook.

The captain’s monthly salary was typically around forty Jin Quehua coins, the first mate twenty-eight, the second mate twenty, the third mate sixteen, the boatswain fourteen, the helmsmen ten, the lookouts eighteen, the cook ten, and the ordinary sailors eight.

Adding up these scattered costs, a two-masted ship’s monthly crew wages alone amounted to at least two hundred Jin Quehua coins.

This was merely the configuration for a single two-masted ship.

For a large merchant vessel or an entire fleet, the crew count would start in the hundreds, and wages would multiply several times over.

Beyond salaries, there were mandatory port fees and daily consumption of supplies like food and fresh water, which also cost at least a hundred Jin Quehua coins per month.

However, if a mage apprentice who knew the spell [Create Water] accompanied them, just three such apprentices could eliminate all drinking and cooking water expenses.

In reality, large oceanic trading fleets routinely included at least one mage capable of producing fresh water.

After all, for humans, fresh water was the lifeline.

As the saying went: “Three weeks without food, three days without water.”

Employing a mage who could produce fresh water was like buying insurance for the fleet.

Fortunately, the timber needed for the Northern Territories could be purchased at a discount from Harand Shipyard’s raw material suppliers, saving Gao De a considerable sum.

Yet Gao De didn’t mind the money he’d already spent.

He knew that once this ship reached the Northern Territories’ Varal Bay, it could transport the pre-prepared goods from Phoenix back to the Jin Quehua Dynasty for resale—earning back the entire investment in a single trip.

Under the moonlight, the calm sea surface shimmered with a deep, heavy emerald green, exuding a cold, mysterious beauty.

But the ever-present stench in the air destroyed all such elegance.

This was Marko District.

Occasional sea breezes blew through, yet failed to dispel the nauseating odor, instead helplessly slamming against the densely packed shacks, producing a hissing sound.

The shacks were crookedly constructed, their reflections wavering faintly on the water’s surface.

Above the sea, ripples spread outward, glinting into countless tiny waves under the moonlight.

In the darkness, a figure moved at an utterly unscientific speed, hovering above the water and swiftly navigating the narrow, unplanned waterways.

Wherever he passed, the water rippled outward on both sides.

The figure—Gao De—had eyes gleaming brightly, seeing clearly through the black night, then guiding Tuanzi through their mental link:

He first used the cantrip [Control Water] to freeze a small patch of water into an ice platform large enough to stand on, then released Tuanzi, instructing it to enter the water and push the ice forward from behind.

This simple maneuver achieved an effect nearly identical to water-walking.

"It's been seven days since I cleared the demon octopus. The people in the shacks should be back by now," Gao De thought as he searched for the path to the shacks.

According to Sha Ma, the seven or eight suspicious residents in the shacks would vanish for a few days before returning.

Combined with speculation about their origins, the conclusion was obvious: they likely left Marko District temporarily whenever the Sea Sentinel mages took on tasks to drive off water beasts.

As for how they knew when the Sea Sentinel mages were coming, it wasn’t difficult at all.

After all, those tasks were openly posted on the bulletin board in the Grand Void Tower’s main hall.

Once a task disappeared from the board, it meant someone had taken it—and deducing when the mage would arrive in Lagos City was even easier.

Gao De’s arrival in Marko District to clear water beasts was public; he made no effort to conceal his movements and wore his Sea Sentinel uniform outright.

So anyone paying attention would have known he completed the water beast clearance seven days ago.

Even if these people were cautious and considered the possibility of his sudden return, seven full days had passed—they should have relaxed enough to return to Marko District by now.

The next moment.

At Gao De’s signal, the ice block halted.

The shacks lay ahead.

Tuanzi was already restless.

Gao De calmed the agitated Tuanzi through their mental link, then silently leapt onto the wooden platform extending from a neighboring shack.

He stared at the shack likely hiding the mastermind, waiting in silence.

Time ticked by, the night growing deeper.

After about half an hour, the creak of a wooden door opening echoed sharply through the stillness.

A figure stepped out, dragging his feet slightly, as if drowsy.

He stopped at the edge of the shack’s platform.

The next instant, a splashing sound of urination rang out.

And this was precisely the moment Gao De had waited for.

His gaze sharpened like a hawk’s.

“Now!”

Tuanzi, having waited long in the water, leapt up on command, bursting through the surface.

With a splash, Tuanzi’s sharp teeth clamped onto the man’s collar, and with powerful momentum, dragged him underwater.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye; the man had no time to react before murky, foul-smelling water smothered his face.

He instinctively struggled, flailing his arms above the surface and kicking wildly underwater.

But a net woven from water had already bound him like a dead fish.

[Tidal Net +].

Trapped underwater, unable to speak or move, he was utterly helpless.

As time passed, consciousness and oxygen drained away; bubbles surged from his nose and mouth in a steady stream, his movements grew weaker, his eyes glazed over.

Soon, he lost consciousness entirely and fainted.

But he was only unconscious—not dead yet.

Gao De had no intention of killing him; as soon as he detected the fainting state, he released [Tidal Net +], used [Control Water] to form an ice platform, and had Tuanzi push the man onto it.

At that moment, two more figures emerged from the shack, muttering: “Didn’t he slip and fall in while peeing?”

Clearly, they’d been drawn out by the splash of their companion’s entry into the water.

After stepping out, they looked around but saw no sign of their friend, then approached the edge of the wooden platform to search for him—and immediately spotted their companion lying flat on the ice.

The ice was small, and at night, it was completely obscured.

“What’s going on?” Both men stared blankly and instinctively shouted toward the figure on the ice.

Pfft!

Another agile figure leapt from the water again.

“What the—?!” The two cried out in unison, voices filled with terror and shock.

This time, it wasn’t a bite—Tuanzi shot forward like a cannonball, striking both men at once and knocking them into the water.

Splash! Splash!

Two loud splashes instantly drew everyone else out of the shack.

“What’s happening?!”

“Help me—” The two men in the water shouted for help to their comrades pouring out of the shack, but their cries cut off mid-sentence.

Two [Tidal Nets +] had already bound them, immobilizing their limbs; their bodies sank beneath the surface.

Water swiftly covered their faces; cold, filthy seawater flooded their mouths and noses, triggering violent coughs that silenced their cries.

“Save them!” The others, still confused, instinctively rushed to help their drowning comrades, sprinting to the platform’s edge—before Tuanzi struck again.

His movements were lightning-fast; he leapt and knocked the remaining men into the water one after another.

And as soon as they hit the water, a [Tidal Net +] awaited them.

The surface churned with splashes, then quickly calmed again.

Seven men total—all captured, silent.

Much smoother than expected.

He didn’t know what mage rank these men were.

Gao De scanned them, thinking silently.

But judging by his own assessment, anyone sent here to do this job was almost certainly a mage apprentice, at most a first-circle mage.

“Bring them ashore.”

At Gao De’s command, Tuanzi pushed all seven men onto the wooden platform.

Then Gao De walked across the ice, stepped onto the platform, and dragged the unconscious men into the cramped shack.

Inside, the light was dim; a single kerosene lamp emitted a faint glow.

Though this dim light was sufficient for Gao De, whose [Adaptive] evolution granted him superior night vision, his long-standing habit made him frown slightly at the gloom.

He paused, then snapped his fingers lightly.

Four soft-glowing orbs emerged from his hands, floating in midair, illuminating the small shack.

[Dancing Light].

He then scanned the room.

The massive water barrel that had once caught his attention remained.

But unlike last time, this barrel was now filled with filthy water.

The water was a nauseating emerald green, its surface floating with unidentifiable debris.

Swarms of strange, slender, dark-green larvae wriggled freely within, releasing waves of foul odor.

The stench filled the entire room, making anyone who breathed it want to vomit.

They were the larvae of the rotting water newt.

"As expected." Gao De shook his head, then kicked the seven unconscious men several times.

But after several kicks, none of them woke up.

Gao De paused for a moment, then stomped hard on one man’s chest.

His eyes were cold, his footfall merciless.

The force was so great that the crack of breaking ribs seemed to echo.

But the effect was immediate.

The man gasped open his mouth and vomited a jet of ink-green sludge, thick with disgusting debris, gagging uncontrollably.

The sludge splattered everywhere, filling the air with an even stronger stench.

When he finished vomiting, he slowly regained his breath, opening his eyes. Gao De’s figure loomed large under the light, overwhelming him with an indescribable pressure.

"Who are you?" the man asked, his voice trembling.

He had never seen Gao De’s face before, so he had no idea why the man had attacked him in the middle of the night.

"Sea Sentinel apprentice mage, Gao De, ordered to expel the water beasts from the Makako district," Gao De said calmly, his eyes half-lidded as he studied the man.

At these words, the man’s pupils shrank sharply.

Fear flickered in his eyes.

He finally understood why they had been attacked.

"Didn’t you drive off the water beasts and leave already?" His voice was dry, his lips trembling.

"Cut the grass but leave the roots, and the spring wind brings it back," Gao De murmured, eyes half-lidded. "If I don’t drag out the masterminds behind this, why would I leave so easily?"

"What do you mean by that?" The man’s eyes flickered with panic, yet he still tried to bluff, forcing calm as he spoke.

"The evidence is right here. Who ordered you to do this? Will you confess willingly, or will I force it out of you?" Gao De nodded toward a wooden barrel in the room.

The man glanced at the massive barrel, then fell silent.

Seeing this, Gao De sighed and shook his head.

He made no further plea. Instead, he raised his hand slightly, palm upward.

A small green sphere appeared in his palm. In the next instant, he flicked his wrist—the sphere shot toward the man’s right leg.

[Acid Spray]!

The sphere exploded on contact with the man’s leg. Thick, corrosive acid spread rapidly.

Sizzle-sizzle-sizzle!

His pant leg was instantly soaked through; the fabric dissolved into blackened, charred shreds, drifting down like ash.

Then the acid began eating into his flesh. Healthy skin melted away, revealing raw, crimson muscle beneath.

"Ahhhh—!" A piercing scream tore from his throat.

His body convulsed violently; he clawed desperately at the air, trying to grasp something to steady himself—but it was useless.

His right leg, under the acid’s relentless erosion, lost its muscle, exposing gleaming white bone.

The screams grew fainter; his body weakened from agony and blood loss.

Fear and despair filled his eyes. Tears and sweat streamed down his face as his body spasmed uncontrollably.

Below his right knee, all flesh had vanished. Without a High-Ring mage or a high-tier transcendent artifact to save him, he would be crippled for life.

Gao De said nothing. He silently activated the spell model, and another acid sphere formed in his palm.

"No, no! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!" The man trembled violently, begging as he stared at the acid sphere in Gao De’s hand.

Gao De smiled slightly—not surprised.

In the novels and films of his past life, such "villains" usually died defiantly—or even swallowed poison to avoid capture. But that was artistic exaggeration.

In reality, such loyal death-soldiers required generations of effort: carefully cultivated, indoctrinated with loyalty, and granted lavish rewards and security.

Only a few noble houses possessed such men.

Fine steel must be used for the sharpest blade.

If they truly had such loyalists, why send them to do these menial tasks?

"Tell me the truth," Gao De said calmly, pointing to the other six still unconscious men. "I’ll question your comrades next. Don’t say I didn’t warn you—if your stories don’t match, what you lose won’t be just this leg."

(End of Chapter)