Chapter 312: 312

“`

This piece of news was rather disastrous, but what followed was even worse, as half of the remaining crew decided to leave The Explorer when they were exiled.

According to the rules, the exile would usually only apply to the captain and key crew members, such as the first and second mates, bosun, and the like. Ordinary sailors were generally not included in the exile, so many sailors were unwilling to leave the familiar Pearl Island and chose to leave The Explorer.

By the time the current crew had left, out of the sixty or so hands The Explorer used to have, only less than twenty were willing to stay—these were all old-timers who had followed the old man through thick and thin.

It was no easy task to operate a ship over fifty meters long with fewer than twenty people, and considering the dangers at sea, they needed to recruit more crew members, otherwise, they wouldn’t have sufficient combat personnel.

The only option was to recruit at the Sailor Bar. Although most sailors would be reluctant to follow a ship that had been exiled, a good number would still be willing if promised significant compensation.

The old captain scanned the crowd and looked at Lin Xiao, saying,

“I’m entrusting this task to you. You may offer twice the market wage to recruit twenty sailors.”

Mar, the first mate—that one-eyed man—spoke up:

“Old man, I am better suited for this task than Karl is. I have many connections in the Sailor Bar and can find skilled sailors.”

The old man was unmoved and told him:

“I need you to purchase more supplies.”

Mar’s face turned sour as he stood there unmoving, and everyone looked their way. Those in the know understood that this was more than just assigning a task; the old captain was designating a successor.

Normally, recruiting sailors would be done by the captain himself or tasked to the captain’s son or heir apparent, as this was related to the captain’s control over the ship. If the people on board were not recruited by the captain but by his subordinates instead, there would be uncertainties regarding who to listen to during a conflict.

The captain had always personally handled recruitment, but this time delegating the task to Lin Xiao clearly meant to let him gather his own loyal followers. The message was quite clear.

The old captain had no descendants. When he retired and left the sea, this ship would certainly be passed down. Normally, Mar would be the likeliest candidate as he had always behaved like the captain’s successor. Lin Xiao remembered that Mar had contemplated eliminating him when he first awoke.

Mar did not move. The old man was not very surprised, but after a moment of silence, he suddenly chuckled. His gaze swept over all the veterans present and announced,

“Since this is the case, I hereby make an announcement: from now on, Little Karl will be the new captain of The Explorer. I will set out to sea with you one more time, and if he proves competent, I will retire after the next voyage.”

“I won’t accept this!”

Mar blurted out angrily:

“He knows nothing and is not as strong as I am. Why choose him?”

The old captain replied calmly:

“Inexperience can be remedied through learning, and strength can be gradually mastered, but attentiveness, caution, patience, and kindness are innate qualities that cannot be taught. Your temperament does not suit a captain’s role.”

“I won’t accept it! I challenge you to a duel!”

Mar pointed at Lin Xiao, his face a portrait of wrath.

The old captain shook his head, about to intervene, but Lin Xiao took the initiative and said:

“If you feel I’m not strong enough and can’t accept it, then I accept your challenge.”

The old captain and the other crew members looked over in surprise as he spoke with a smile:

“I agree to the challenge, to convince you wholeheartedly.”

The old captain looked at him deeply and slowly nodded.

The two swiftly moved outside. Mar effortlessly drew two Refined Steel Curved Blades from the weapon rack by the courtyard, while Lin Xiao stood unarmed.

As they took their positions, he offered a saluting fist, while Mar’s body swiftly began to swell, his clothes bulging with muscle, leaving deep footprints as he lunged forward.

Most warriors, when they first merge with monster flesh and blood, opt for enhancements that boost their constitution and strength, easily improving their survivability and combat power. Speed is not always advantageous in the confined spaces aboard a ship.

As Mar charged toward him, Lin Xiao’s mouth curled into a smirk, and his body rapidly expanded. To Mar’s astonishment, he transformed into a five-meter-tall muscle giant, swinging down his fist, now as large as a round table.

“Boom!”

Stones flew, the ground shook, and the courtyard quaked violently.

No weapons were needed; his round-table-sized fist pounded down like a battering ram, smashing the hard ground into a half-meter-deep crater with each strike’s formidable might. Mar didn’t even dare to block such terror.

Ten consecutive explosions battered Mar back to the main gate before stopping.

Standing on the threshold, his face flushed with a mix of rage and humiliation, he threw down his weapons on the ground, turned, and stormed off.

A stir went through the house as five or six of Mar’s staunchest supporters followed suit.

With that departure, it was nearly impossible for them to come back, let alone have the face to return.

“`

The crew hadn’t even been assembled, and suddenly a few more were gone, leaving only fourteen people including Lin Xiao and the old captain. The Explorer was nearly scuttled in an instant.

But it was better that these unstable elements were gone. If they didn’t leave now, they’d be a problem later.

Lin Xiao didn’t need to take care of these matters; the old captain asked him to continue recruiting sailors.

Sailor Bar didn’t refer to a specific bar in the water, but rather a whole street of bars frequented not only by sailors but also by other seafaring folks, such as navigators, cooks, doctors, gunners, engineers and so on.

The shops on the street weren’t just bars; there were various other shops, including one selling weapons and armor.

Accompanied by two experienced sailors, one named David and the other Bobby, Lin Xiao arrived on Sailor Street, where sailors and others involved in shipping were everywhere, and many drunken figures were ignored as they lay passed out at the roadside.

The two seasoned sailors often hung around Sailor Street, leading him to a bar named Firearms. The entrance was small, but it opened up to a vast space inside. As soon as Lin Xiao walked in, he saw a man with a chilling aura about to leave with a group of followers. Both parties stopped at the door at the same time, and after a few seconds, the man with a strange smile on his face slowly stepped aside to give way.

“Alert: Child of Nightmare encountered!”

Lin Xiao entered the bar expressionless and turned back after more than ten seconds to see two burly men standing at the door, obviously the followers of the man they had just encountered.

He quietly asked David and Bobby:

“Is there a back door here?”

The two were startled and subconsciously looked back.

“Don’t look back. Is there one or not? If there is, we leave right now.”

The two men nodded quickly, with David taking the lead:

“Follow me.”

They pretended to enter the bar, quickly noticing the two followers keeping up. It was an obvious tail, and they didn’t bother to conceal their pace. The sound of a whistle shrilling out indicated that they had alerted more people.

David was well acquainted with such situations and quickly made his way to the back door of the bar. As he pushed the door open, he saw several people coming from the other side. Upon seeing them, the intruders opened fire. Lin Xiao grabbed a piece of broken brick, crushing it to scatter debris, knocking down the three attackers.

But the sound of the gunfire drew more attention. Lin Xiao’s ears twitched as he heard the rapid approach of footsteps. After a second of thought, he said to David and Bobby:

“The two of you go back. I’ll draw them off.”

No sooner had he spoken than he dashed into another alley, without waiting for their response. David and Bobby hesitated for a moment, exchanged a glance with each other, then ran off in the opposite direction.

The pursuers arrived quickly, led by the man exuding the chilling aura. He glanced to either side and went after Lin Xiao.

Fortunately, Lin Xiao had lived on Pearl Island for five years and knew it quite well, avoiding any dead ends in his escape. Still, the chilling aura persisted just behind him, suggesting his pursuer was equally familiar with the island.

Both were well-versed with Pearl Island, indicating they had both been active on the island before, but Lin Xiao had never encountered this man before. He guessed that before his awakening, even if they had met face to face, he would have been seen as just another native. But now that he had awakened and activated his system, he was a recognizable target.

His alert had indicated the man was a Nightmare Comer. Lin Xiao didnt know why this Child of Nightmare was relentlessly pursuing him.

He sprinted through several streets without shaking off his pursuer; in fact, the distance between them was closing. The Child of Nightmare was faster than him, though his followers had fallen behind.

A thought struck Lin Xiao, and he headed for the edge of the island.

If he couldn’t shake his pursuer off, he decided to confront and eliminate him instead.

The pursuing man only sneered as he followed, which caused Lin Xiao’s heart to skip a beat, sensing he had made a foolish choice.

But what was done was done, and he could only grit his teeth and press on toward the edge.

They reached the edge of the island quickly. Around the periphery there were no homes, just a high wall encircling the island, with guards patrolling atop it. The two of them passed by the wall, and the guards paid no mind; to them, anything that wasn’t a creature from the sea wasn’t their concern.

Coming to a stop on a flat stretch of beach, Lin Xiao turned to face the newcomer and slowly drew his Refined Steel Curved Blade from behind his waist. His body swiftly swelled, transforming into a five-meter-tall, muscular giant.

It was now an indeterminate time of night, and everything was pitch-dark. The black seawater, icy cold and bone-chilling, lapped up onto the sand with the sea breeze and receded again.

The Child of Nightmare advanced at a steady pace, his body visibly swelling, quickly becoming a nearly four-meter-tall giant. Sharp bone spurs slowly protruded from his body, piercing through his clothes, his face gradually taking on a bluish tint, muscles turning to hard bony texture.

Several long bone spurs emerged from behind his head, extending almost a meter, forming a fan-like semi-circular Black Flame Ring.

“What a bizarre power!”

The True Body of the Child of Nightmare, with no words wasted, lifted his arms and brought his palms together. A faint glow appeared in the center of his hands. As he pulled his hands apart, the light rapidly expanded into a ring structure, swiftly turning into a Black Flame Ring that barreled towards Lin Xiao.

Within the Black Flame Ring, black and transparent ripples shimmered, emitting a strong pull. The attraction was so powerful that Lin Xiao nearly lost his footing, his feet sinking into the sand before stabilizing himself.

The Child of Nightmare drew a bone spur from the spine-like arrangement on his back and hurled it viciously. Lin Xiao’s blade flashed, sparking as it sliced through the bone spur, but the impact numbed the hand holding the blade.

“So much strength!”

The Child of Nightmare kept pulling out several bone