Chapter 447

Shoal Bay, Blue Clam Shipyard.

It was early morning, the rising sun was just beginning to climb, and the sea surface was still shrouded in a layer of mist, yet this shipyard, which enjoyed a great reputation in Shoal Bay, had already awakened.

On the slipway, the keel of a large ship under construction lay quietly, like the spine of a stranded whale, supported by countless thick wooden frames. The shipwrights, like scavengers enjoying the legacy of a whale fall, stood on the scaffolding next to the keel, axes and iron drills in hand, scattering countless wood shavings.

On the other side, a huge winch turned slowly with a creaking sound, the hemp rope, thicker than a child's arm, pulled taut, its other end extending all the way to the water, tied to the stern of a wooden ship that had just been crafted and was preparing to be launched. The craftsmen on both sides looked expectant and serious, carefully observing the wooden ship's entry into the water.

On the southernmost side of the shipyard, near the sea, the former "Fei Yu You Tong Hao Hao" had already been moved here from the pier.

Its overall shape had not changed much from three days ago; it was still as low and slender as ever, clearly not having begun the renovation process yet.

But regarding the subsequent detailed modification plan and the parts that needed to be handled with priority, everything had already been planned out during these past few days.

Having just finished his morning exercise and taken a shower in his inn room, Xia Nan, his black, shaggy hair still slightly damp, stood on the wooden scaffolding next to the "Fei Yu You Tong Hao Hao," examining this pirate ship that was about to begin its transformation.

This "Blue Clam Shipyard" was recommended to him by Hela, who said it was one of the best shipyards in all of Shoal Bay. Xia Nan had also inquired about it with adventurers in the tavern, and it was indeed so; occasionally, even the Bay Chamber of Commerce and the Governor's Mansion would send orders over.

Of course, corresponding to this was its shipbuilding cost, which far exceeded the average market price.

If Xia Nan had to pay for it himself, even if he were truly willing, he would probably feel like he was bleeding money in his heart.

Fortunately, this expense was being footed by Baron Falo.

He even used his status as a "Special Approval Officer" to pull some strings through his relationship with the shipyard, helping Xia Nan make several requests—not to mention raising the priority to "cut in line"—and even invited several old shipwrights who were usually too busy to touch the ground, all just to help Xia Nan with the pirate ship's modification.

Xia Nan did not know how much all of this would cost in total.

But if one were to add the invisible value of the Baron's network of relationships, it was definitely in the four-figure gold range; it could even be said that it had slightly exceeded the commission payment.

One has to admit, at least in the shipbuilding industry, or specifically in this Blue Clam Shipyard, you truly get what you pay for.

In a few days, even Xia Nan, who previously knew nothing about ship modification, had a rough prototype in his mind of how to modify his pirate ship after the detailed explanations from those experienced old shipwrights.

First, regarding the main hull part.

The "Fei Yu You Tong Hao Hao" was originally custom-made by its original owners, "Oil-Hand" Boen and his crew. The hull was low and slender, and the gunwales were very close to the water surface, ensuring speed while possessing a very low visual profile, belonging to a type that combined speed and stealth.

It met Xia Nan's needs, so there was no need for too many changes.

He only needed to replace the ship planks located near the keel and the bow that were severely worn due to long-term high-speed sailing and frequent beaching.

Along the way, he also had to clean the barnacles off the bottom of the ship, carefully check the seams of the hull planks, scrape flat any uneven areas, and reduce resistance as much as possible.

Then there were the figurehead and the ram.

As a pirate ship sailing on the vast ocean, the figurehead could be said to be the soul of the entire ship.

Previously, the Fei Yu You Tong Hao Hao had no figurehead, and the ram was just a hard block of wood wrapped in iron, with no aesthetic appeal whatsoever, and its battle-hardened appearance had also caused its practicality to decline.

Xia Nan definitely had to replace it with a new one.

But he was still thinking about what form of figurehead to adopt.

The main direction he was considering was whether to make the figurehead have a more personal style, like the pattern on the pirate flag, so that others could recognize his identity at a glance; or to completely abandon the appearance and focus only on practicality, increasing the difficulty of identification.

Focusing on practicality was certainly fine, but on this ocean, just like his nickname "Sea Fang" which was currently fermenting among the adventurer community, having a certain degree of fame could help Xia Nan avoid many unnecessary troubles.

To put it simply, if he truly made a name for himself in the Southern Archipelago in the future, ordinary pirates would probably run away as soon as they saw his ship, not daring to get close at all.

He still needed to weigh the pros and cons before making a decision.

Finally, there were a series of trivial and cumbersome issues for the Fei Yu You Tong Hao Hao, including mast maintenance, sail upgrades, rigging replacement, and internal space optimization.

Once this whole set was finished, the Fei Yu You Tong Hao Hao would also take on a brand-new look.

By then, Xia Nan thought about personally giving a name to this first pirate ship of his life.

"What would be a good name?"

It didn't need to be too high-profile; simpler is better.

Considering his current titles of "Grey Sword" and "Sea Fang," perhaps he could call it...

While he was pondering in his heart, a burst of footsteps suddenly came from behind.

His perception took effect silently, and Xia Nan turned around, looking in the direction the sound came from.

He saw the Druid Haiyin had just entered the shipyard and was walking quickly toward him.

"You got up way too early; you don't look like an adventurer at all. I heard from Hela that you've already finished your morning exercise?"

A "freak" with such self-discipline as Xia Nan was not common even among those professionals who had already achieved good results; if the reference object were expanded to the entire adventurer community, it was even rarer.

After finally enduring high pressure, going through countless dangers to return safely, and reaping high mission rewards, it was perfectly normal to indulge a little.

To a certain extent, compared to card tables and alcohol, sleeping in was already the most rigorous form of relaxation for himself.

But to be honest, Xia Nan did not feel that this lifestyle was painful at all; after crossing over, he had already become accustomed to such a regular life.

As it stood now, if he were truly asked to sleep until noon every day or squander his money on the card table, he would feel uncomfortable instead.

Of course, he was not some emotionless training machine; he often felt pressure under various circumstances.

It was just that Xia Nan had his own unique way of decompressing.

And it was very effective.

Knowing that Haiyin couldn't have come to find him so early for no reason, there must be something to convey.

Xia Nan nodded to the other party to signal.

"What's wrong? Is there something?"

"It's nothing urgent, just coming to notify you." Under the protest of the silver-black bracelet tightened subconsciously on his right wrist, the Druid stopped when he was six steps away from Xia Nan and explained.

"The ship group has a new commission, and the departure time is in three days."