Chapter 1108 Spirit Cannon
Upon returning from the abandoned spirit veins, Chen Yang initially surprised Ananda, who almost didn't recognize him.
Only after Chen Yang mentioned a few things they both knew did Ananda believe the person before him was indeed Young Master Chen.
As for why Young Master Chen had altered his appearance so drastically, Ananda didn't ask. It wasn't his place to know.
In truth, the reason for Young Master Chen's disguise was easy to guess. It was simply to conceal his true identity. Such methods were quite common in the Forget Worry Sea Domain. It was just that such meticulous disguises as Young Master Chen's were rare. If Young Master Chen hadn't spoken himself, Ananda wouldn't have been able to tell that the person before him was Young Master Chen in disguise.
After resolving their misunderstanding, Ananda led Chen Yang directly to the newly established port. Their vessel for this voyage had already been prepared.
The port was not large, but with people coming and going, it was gradually taking on the appearance of a functioning port.
Seeing this, Chen Yang couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Hmm? Hasn't the port officially opened for trade yet?"
The martial artists were currently in the black market, and Chen Yang hadn't dared to let them roam freely. While the port was built by them, it was still some distance from the black market. If danger arose, Chen Yang and his group wouldn't be able to reach it in time. Therefore, Chen Yang was puzzled why so many people were here when the port, although built, hadn't officially commenced operations.
As he spoke, he turned to look at Ananda. Ananda was in charge of everything related to the port.
Ananda chuckled sheepishly and quickly explained to Chen Yang, "These aren't outsiders; they're all from the Si'an Trading Company."
After Ananda's explanation, Chen Yang finally realized that the ships docked at the port all belonged to the Si'an Trading Company. The reason Ananda docked his ships here was simply because it was his own port, and there were no docking fees. Previously, at the Yaogu City port, the daily costs were considerable.
"You're running quite a large business, employing so many people." Chen Yang had inquired about Ananda's business before, but he hadn't known he employed so many ordinary people. Most of them had no cultivation, and only a few appeared to have some training.
"It's unavoidable. These people can't cultivate, but they still need to live. Although it's dangerous on the ships, at least they can earn a living." Ananda knew that Young Master Chen didn't want to reveal his identity on this trip, so he hadn't let his people greet Young Master Chen.
"The largest ship is out on the Forget Worry Sea, but the one we're taking today is not bad either!" Ananda led Chen Yang onto one of the ships and immediately explained the various parts of the vessel to him.
Chen Yang noticed that the ship's design resembled ancient vessels, though the materials used were entirely different. The entire keel was constructed from the remains of a beast at the Hedan realm, which greatly surprised Chen Yang. He later learned that after a beast at the Hedan realm was killed, its bone energy was absorbed, and its bones were primarily used for ship structures. If used for weapons or armor, besides the tempering for strength, an ordinary person couldn't carry them due to their density. As ship structures, they were the best material to defend against collisions with sea beasts.
Speaking of this, Ananda immediately led Chen Yang to the deck. "Ordinary sea beasts are manageable, but for more powerful ones, we need to use this!"
Chen Yang looked at the dark objects on both sides and, based on their design, immediately recognized their origin. "Cannons? What kind of cannonballs do you use?"
Seeing that Young Master Chen had guessed the origin of the object at a glance, Ananda was shocked. "You've seen this before?" Ananda had always assumed that only people living around the Forget Worry Sea knew about such things. Now, he recalled that Young Master Chen hadn't gotten seasick after boarding the ship! "Young Master Chen, tell me honestly, have you been to sea before?"
Chen Yang chuckled. "I haven't been to the Forget Worry Sea, but I've often traveled to other seas and even fought pirates."
Ananda frowned. "Oh? Pirates?" After a while, he seemed to understand. "I get it! You mean those who rob at sea, right! I didn't realize other places were so chaotic. The Forget Worry Sea is relatively better because of the black market's presence. Anyone who did such things would have been driven out long ago." He added, "Besides, there are many sea beasts in the Forget Worry Sea, and these spirit cannons are quite powerful. If they shatter a ship, falling into the sea means certain death!" He concluded, "Generally, unless it's a personal vendetta, people don't start battles at sea."
Chen Yang immediately seized on a key point in Ananda's words! Spirit Cannon! "You mean these use spirit energy as cannonballs?"
"Yes, to be precise, spirit stones. Is it not like this in other seas?" Ananda asked Chen Yang curiously.
Chen Yang slowly shook his head, remaining silent, and began to examine the spirit cannon. After a while, he said, "There are no specialized gunners." He continued, "After these were installed on the ship, they haven't fired a single shot."
Hearing this, Chen Yang couldn't help but laugh. "Then these things are just decorations, meant to scare others?"
Ananda nodded indifferently. "You could say that. Everyone does it this way."
Chen Yang shrugged helplessly. He could only say that the black market's influence was vast. He had initially thought the Forget Worry Sea was an extremely chaotic region, but it seemed that at least in terms of business, there wasn't too much to worry about.
As the ship gradually sailed away from the port, Chen Yang retreated to his cabin to focus on recovering from his injuries. It wasn't until dinner time that Ananda nervously knocked on his cabin door, prompting Chen Yang to slowly emerge.
After a brief meal, Chen Yang asked Ananda to point out their destination on the sea chart. The closest black market to Yaogu City would be reachable by the next morning. That black market was also where Ananda conducted most of his business. However, the black market they were heading to this time was farther away and would take several days, weather permitting.
"Don't worry, even if the weather is bad, we'll still make it in time for the auction."
As he spoke, Chen Yang suddenly frowned. Before Chen Yang could say anything, a loud "boom" resonated from the bottom of the ship. Immediately, the ship's alarm bells rang. Chen Yang heard someone shout, "It's a sea beast collision! Don't panic! Hold your positions and check for water ingress in the cabins!"
Although Ananda looked tense, he didn't want to show it in front of Chen Yang. He forced himself to suppress his fear and said, "Young Master Chen, don't worry. I spent a lot of money on this ship, and it's very sturdy!"