Chapter 7: Only Adults Make Choices

After watching the Sea King depart, Siano continued climbing the rope ladder.

In no time, he reached the very top; just as he grabbed the railing and before he could climb over, suddenly more than a dozen arms reached out.

—Some hooked under his armpits, some supported the backs of his knees; the youth simply couldn't move, like a bucket of freshly caught live fish, steadily carried by the crowd through the cheering and whistling throng.

"Eh? Wait, what are you doing!" he cried in panic.

Alas, no one answered him; in his peripheral vision, he only saw Gatto smiling as he pulled out his pipe again, tapped it, lit it, and the scent of tobacco drifted over in wisps.

The next moment, Siano felt his body grow light as he was suddenly tossed into the air.

"Ho—hey!"

"Don't do this, put me down!"

"Ho—hey!"

"I'm afraid of heights... uh, no, I just ate my fill, keep this up and I'll vomit!"

"Ho—hey!"

"That's enough! Repaying kindness with hostility, is it? If I'd known, I should've let the Sea Kings eat you all!"

"Ho—hey!"

"Just eat me too then!"

He didn't know how much time had passed before Siano was finally set down; he felt the world spinning, nearly stumbling and falling to the ground.

These old sailors, doing heavy physical labor year-round, truly possessed formidable arm strength; tossed and caught in the sky, he felt as though he'd ridden a roller coaster for an entire day.

Though he had quickly overcome seasickness, right now he again felt the urge to lean over the railing and vomit violently.

"Amazing, young master Siano!"

Gatto gave a thumbs-up, exhaled a ring of smoke, his face full of emotion.

"Truly hiding your talents; earlier I actually doubted you, treating you like a child—I'm just an old fool who's gone blind, so much so that now I don't even know whether I should apologize to you first or thank you."

In that desperate, suffocating situation just now, even an old captain like him, who had roamed the seas for decades, had already given up and prepared to throw his life away in vain.

Instead, someone so young could remain calm, accurately assess the situation, and act decisively without hesitation when the time came to step forward.

He truly admired the youth before him from the bottom of his heart; even his form of address had unconsciously changed from "kid" to "young master."

"Just apologize then; there's no need to thank me."

Siano rubbed his still-dizzy forehead, "Making it sound like I'm a bystander with no stake in this; I'm on this ship too, it was just self-preservation."

"How can you say that! Young master!"

"Yes, you saved everyone on this entire ship!"

"We will absolutely never forget you for as long as we live!"

The crowd began chattering noisily again; someone muttered, "Shouldn't we continue the banquet?" followed by debates like, "Idiot, weren't we just having a banquet?", "That scale was too small, not enough to celebrate escaping death," and "Indeed, we need to hold an even livelier and grander one."

Soon after, these voices merged into one, echoing across the entire deck—

"Hold a banquet! Hold a banquet! Hold a banquet!"

"Alright!" Gatto also became excited, immediately laughing heartily as he made the decision, "Then everyone lend a hand, let's get the banquet going right away; tonight, no one escapes, we drink until we drop!"

"Drink until we drop!"

The sailors scattered in a clamor, each busy with their tasks: cleaning the banquet site, carrying wine, preparing dishes and cutting meat, reassembling tables... judging by the situation, they were poised to get the banquet underway within half an hour,

leaving only Siano standing bewildered in the wind.

Wait, isn't this wrong?

After being slammed dozens of times by the Sea King as if we were cups, shouldn't the most urgent matter be checking whether the hull is leaking or whether the keel has fallen apart?

The next day.

When Siano woke up, his head felt as if it were splitting; was this a hangover? Blinding sunlight streamed through the porthole window, indicating it was already noon.

He patted his head, finally vaguely recalling that last night he had become the star of the banquet, plied with who-knows-how-much alcohol by the enthusiastic sailors.

At first, he drank very reservedly, but later he also went wild, face flushed, arms around the sailors' shoulders, dancing crazily and singing mad songs around the bonfire.

What is wrong with these people?

I'm still a minor; how can I be drinking alcohol?

As he haphazardly pulled on his wrinkled jacket, Siano suddenly froze—this cabin, draped with velvet curtains, was absurdly large, big enough to fit his original bed as a footstool; from the private bathroom, even the scent of lemon fragrance drifted out.

Wow, upgraded cabin; with these conditions, this must be the best room on the ship, right?

Compared to the crude cabin he stayed in before, it was like going from a budget single room straight to a presidential suite.

He opened the refrigerator, took out a cola; the hiss of carbonated gas as he popped the tab, and the refreshing sensation of the ice-cold sweet liquid flowing down his throat, finally revived his spirits.

"Eh? Young master Siano, are you awake already?"

It was a passing sailor who heard the noise, his enthusiastic voice ringing out from outside the door, "How do you feel, are you hungry? What do you like to eat? Shall I go get it for you?"

"No need to trouble yourself, thank you," Siano quickly replied, "You go attend to your duties; if I get hungry, I'll go to the dining hall myself."

"Alright, as you say! Just tell us if you need anything!"

Only after the sound of the other's footsteps faded did Siano lean back, sinking into the sofa, and eagerly opened the system.

Eat? Just yesterday he had received a huge sum of money, and the trading market was due to refresh in these very days; at a time like this, why worry about eating when shopping is far more important!

A deep blue panel materialized before his eyes; Siano's gaze skipped the earlier parts and landed directly on the last two lines.

【Remaining Points: 10025】

He finally understood those people who liked to grin foolishly at their own treasures.

Once your savings grow large enough, sometimes even if you do nothing at all, just repeatedly staring at your bank balance will make feelings of satisfaction and security well up all at once, making one feel as if floating on clouds, completely relaxed.

Only after a long while did he shift his gaze away from the balance column.

Glancing to the right, a new page immediately materialized, displaying images of goods above and detailed descriptions with listed prices below.

Upon encountering something of interest, one could add it to the shopping cart; if uninterested, one simply swiped down with a thought to browse the next item.

This was the Trading Market.

Ten new items would randomly refresh every month; as long as one had sufficient points, they could be purchased at will before the next refresh cycle arrived.

At first, Siano had assumed everything was sold directly by the System, but he soon realized the truth.

This resembled a Taobao connecting countless worlds; aside from a small fraction of goods provided by the System, the vast majority seemed to originate from individual sellers in other worlds.

The items for sale were incredibly diverse, containing all sorts of miscellaneous junk, as if every world had assigned a transmigrator to dig up treasures everywhere.

Every time he swiped down, he felt the thrill of opening a blind box.

He quite enjoyed this part.

Whenever the monthly refresh cycle arrived, he would always browse through everything immediately.

Unfortunately, he had been so destitute before that he could afford almost nothing, forced to watch with longing eyes.

Occasionally, when something was cheap, he still had to weigh the pros and cons; in most cases, he could only reluctantly give it up, and over three years, he had only bought the Breathing Fist Style and Basic Sword Technique.

Now he had become wealthy.

This time, he had to buy to his heart's content; whenever he saw something he liked, he would add it straight to the shopping cart!

Only adults are indecisive and need to make choices; I am still a child, so naturally, I want them all!

He quickly entered a state of focus and began browsing the first item.

【Statue of Heracles】

【Type: Buff Item】

【Price: 2000 Points】

【Description: The greatest hero in ancient Greek mythology, who ascended to Mount Olympus after death and thus became synonymous with strength. This exquisitely carved statue stands about 20 centimeters tall; when placed within a ten-meter range during physical tempering, it will provide a threefold efficiency buff. This buff effect can stack with other items.】

【Seller's Note: Precedents exist, so beware of loss! Some **people** seem to have auto-loot enabled, stealing whatever **crap** they can.】

"A threefold efficiency buff during physical tempering?"

Siano paused slightly, a flash of joy appearing in his eyes, and without hesitation added it to his shopping cart.

There was no need for further thought at all.

With Arlong's attack less than a year away, this item was equivalent to extending his cultivation time to three years!

Moreover, it was permanent, meaning that for the rest of his life, his cultivation efficiency during physical tempering would forever be three times what it had been before!

True, his talent in body technique cultivation was indeed quite good, but who would ever complain that their talent was too high?

"Good stuff!"

Siano was full of anticipation for the effects it could demonstrate.

Swiping down, he began browsing the next item.

————

【Shadowheart's Camp Outfit】

【Type: Equipment】

【Price: 200 Points】

【Description: A black, form-fitting casual outfit suitable for leisure. It offers no attribute bonuses and is better suited for times of rest and relaxation. When you lie down to sleep wearing it, perhaps you might hear the surging of darkness at your ear—that is Lady Shar whispering to you.】

【Seller's Note: I really want to lick White Shadowheart's feet.】

"..." Siano remained expressionless.

With a direct swipe, he moved to the next one!

If something like a Transmigration Administration truly existed, he sincerely hoped they would enact a regulation: perverted, lecherous fat nerds are prohibited from transmigrating!

————

【Sulawesi No. 3 Steering Engine】

【Type: Wonder】

【Price: 10000 Points】

【Description: Located in the equatorial region, one of the largest steering engines built for the Wandering Earth Project. Standing over 15 kilometers tall with a base diameter exceeding 60 kilometers, a single unit can achieve a thrust of 200 trillion tons if supported by sufficient fuel.】

【Seller's Note: Just dug this up; it's still warm.】

Wait, buddy.

Who exactly are you?

Even if you transmigrated as Ultraman, you couldn't dig this thing up, could you?

The price was even more outrageous, basically the highest he had seen in three years, but wonders were like this in any worldview; they simply weren't something to consider in the early or mid-stages.

It was truly full of temptation; if he had a balance of a million points, he would definitely buy it.

Someday, if he died with points left unspent, he would absolutely summon this thing just to let everyone get an eyeful.

————

【Ren Amamiya's Black Canvas Bag】

【Type: Miscellaneous】

【Price: 600 Points】

【Description: A schoolbag suitable for middle school students, filled with textbooks for the second year of Shujin Academy High School. Occasionally, a cat's meow can be heard from within, but before unzipping it, you cannot determine whether the cat is alive or dead.】

【Seller's Note: Picked this up beside the subway turnstile.】

"Hmm..."

After a brief moment of thought, Siano shook his head and gave up.

He searched through all his memories from his previous life, but alas, his exposure to 2D culture was not broad enough, and he could not recall which worldview this item originated from.

But according to past experience, items categorized as miscellaneous were basically useless; the hairpin headband he had sacrificed and the like fell into this category.

Unless one was particularly interested, one would only buy them for collection; otherwise, spending 600 points here was purely a waste.

————

【Six Styles Secret Manual * 2】

【Type: Cultivation Manual】

【Price: 800 Points】

【Description: A secret manual recording the detailed Cultivation Method of the Six Styles body techniques. Shave, Paper Art, Moon Step, Storm Leg, Iron Block, and Finger Pistol constitute the Six Styles; upon opening each manual, one will randomly obtain one of them.】

【Seller's Note: None, System Direct Sale】

"Six Styles?"

Siano's spirits lifted.

Although items from System Direct Sales made up a small percentage, they were often extremely practical, utterly unlike those individual sellers who spent every day worrying about how to pull stunts.

What appeared this time was no exception.

This was the body technique the CP department trained in from childhood; within the Navy, often only those who graduated from the Headquarters Elite Camp were qualified to cultivate it.

Those who could master these several body techniques proficiently were sufficient to walk sideways anywhere outside the Grand Line.

In the previous couple of years, he had once coveted this set of body techniques intensely, always hoping to scroll upon them in the trading market, and now he had finally gotten his wish.

"It can even randomly select two out of the six..."

Siano decisively added it to his shopping cart.

These were two manuals, equivalent to one-on-one guidance from a famous master, guaranteeing instruction and mastery; selling for only 400 points each, no matter which two of the Six Styles one randomly obtained, it was absolutely great value for money!

————

【Sephiroth's Masamune】

【Type: Weapon】

【Price: 500 Points】

【Description: From the world of Final Fantasy VII, the personal blade of the ultimate villain Sephiroth, named "Masamune," resembling a tachi. Its overall length exceeds two meters, the hilt is about fifty centimeters long, the blade width is only three centimeters, and the thickness is merely a few millimeters.】

【Seller's Note: "What you see now is reality; what you remember is the illusion."】

This made one somewhat hesitant.

Siano pinched his chin and pondered; his swordsmanship talent was not great, and he had no plans to practice swordsmanship in the short term.

But in the Pirate World, swords and blades were not separate families and remained the foremost among all weapons, so keeping a handy tool seemed only logical.

The blade forged by Shinra Technology for 1st Class Warriors was absolutely reliable in quality; placed in the Pirate World, it was at least no inferior to a Good Fast Blade, and might even reach the grade of a Great Fast Blade.

"Buy!"

Siano made his decision, and immediately another item appeared in his shopping cart.

If the price were a bit higher, he might have given up directly.

Continuing to scroll down through several consecutive items, Siano either had no interest whatsoever or found the cost-performance ratio too low, and soon he quickly browsed to the end.

Checking out finally, the total was three items, costing 3300 points.

【Remaining Points: 6725】

Items that accelerated cultivation speed were one of the things he needed most right now; finding one this time counted as very good luck, and next month he would get some more cultivation manuals, timing it so that he would finish returning to the village just about then, at which point he could begin cultivating fiercely.

Siano, satisfied, opened another can of cola, closed the trading market, and then, while drinking his happy water, impatiently opened his backpack slot.

Today's chapters are combined into one and updated together; after getting recommended soon, there will be a fixed daily update time, and by the way, I weakly ask for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets~

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(End of Chapter)