txolops Chapter 021 Sincerity Moves All
Chapter 021 Sincerity Moves All
"What happened?"
"Are we saved?"
On the ship, merchants and boatmen gathered on the deck, looking at the surging waves below, their expressions filled with fear.
A moment later, the waves subsided, and pieces of the fish and shrimp monster's remains floated to the surface.
"Look! What's that!"
Just as they were filled with doubt and uncertainty, someone suddenly shouted. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a monster with a human body and a fish head standing on the water at the bow of the boat.
Everyone panicked again and instinctively gripped their harpoons tighter.
"Do not panic! I am the water god of this land, known as General Iron Anchor. I knew you were in danger and came to your rescue!"
Li Yue stood tall and proud; under the moonlight, his figure appeared quite imposing.
"The water god?"
"Save us."
Upon hearing this, and looking at the lifeless fish and shrimp monsters, everyone exchanged bewildered glances.
"Rest assured, all the monsters have been slain."
Li Yue shouted again, shaking the chains in his hand, which rattled loudly in the darkness.
"Oh dear~ Thank you for saving me!"
The people on the boat finally came to their senses and immediately knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly.
Li Yue nodded slightly; this was exactly the effect he wanted.
"My lord, I am Chen Ling Shuang from Chen Family Village."
After a round of bowing, everyone stood up, and then a woman stepped forward, seemingly having something to say.
You may call me General Anchor.
"Yes, General Anchor."
Chen Ling Shuang bowed again before speaking.
"My Chen family has been doing business between the two sides of the strait for generations. This year, for some unknown reason, many evil spirits have suddenly appeared on the Tongtian River, causing storms and waves. Our merchant ships have suffered greatly as a result. Therefore, I humbly beg General Iron Anchor to have mercy and protect our merchant ships so that they can travel safely."
"Keeping you safe is not difficult."
Li Yue smiled and said something quite meaningful.
As the saying goes, sincerity brings results.
"Sincerity brings miracles?"
Chen Ling Shuang hesitated for a moment, then suddenly her face lit up with joy.
"May I ask, my esteemed immortal, what truly constitutes sincerity?"
"If you wish to ask for divine protection, how can you do without offering sacrifices?"
Li Yue snorted lightly, and without keeping anyone in suspense, simply stated the truth.
"Before each voyage, offer me a grand sacrifice. One sacrifice for a ten-meter boat, two sacrifices for a twenty-meter boat, and so on. I will enjoy your sacrifices and offerings, and if you encounter danger on the water, I will come to your rescue."
"Very good!"
Although the sacrificial offerings were precious, they amounted to nothing compared to the cargo that filled their ship.
Moreover, it only requires offering once before setting sail, and can generate profits from both sides of the strait.
Not only Chen Ling Shuang, but everyone else was also filled with excitement.
The Chen family has been doing business between the two sides of the strait for generations, and they certainly value the hundredfold profits from these trips.
"If you can protect us, we are willing to build a temple and erect an image for the revered god."
"No."
Upon hearing this, Li Yue's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly tried to stop him.
A small temple dedicated to Meng Zhonglang almost brought him to ruin.
If another temple dedicated to General Iron Anchor were built, he might really be finished.
"No need for temples."
Seeing the puzzled looks on their faces, Li Yue quickly explained.
"Sincerity is key; there's no need to go to great lengths or spend a lot of money. If you're truly sincere in your worship, simply set up a memorial tablet at home and burn three sticks of incense daily."
"Yes, yes."
"Thank you for your compassion."
Everyone nodded in agreement, without giving it much thought.
If we can truly ensure their safe journey, we'd gladly treat them like ancestors, let alone give them a memorial tablet.
"Go then."
Having said what needed to be said, Li Yue shook his head and dived back into the water.
The people on board regained their composure, quickly restarted the large ship, and continued sailing towards the east shore.
Worried that the monsters would come to harass them again, Li Yue followed them underwater until dawn. Only when the large ship left the territory of the Black Snake King and entered the waters of the Water Turtle did he feel relieved and leave.
[Protect ships and fulfill the duties of the Anchor General once, gaining +50 experience points!]
As the notification sound rang, Li Yue smiled.
Tonight's reward is 260 experience points. If this happens frequently, leveling up General Iron Anchor won't be too difficult.
"Such a thing is true!"
Two hundred miles from the west coast, a certain reef is piled up, where a large number of spirits and monsters gather.
They did not build caves; the spirits chose their dwellings to live in.
A small fish spirit swam in from the east in a panic and whispered something to a blue fish spirit in its transformation stage. The blue fish spirit snorted coldly and immediately swam into the reef.
Surrounded by a host of monsters, a fish spirit with a human body and a fish head sat high up.
Its head is large and long, flat at the front, covered with scales and adorned with gray-black markings, resembling a snake's head. However, this monster is not a water snake in human form, but a black fish, none other than the overlord of this place, the Snakehead King.
"Your Majesty!"
The blue carp spirit approached and reported.
"The search party sent out today was killed by other monsters, with only one fish spirit escaping back."
"Huh? Who dares to touch my people!"
The snakehead king immediately turned furious and casually slapped the nearby reef, shattering it into pieces.
"Do you know whose subordinates they are! Is it that big-mouthed monster who doesn't know his own death, or that hunchbacked old shrimp?"
"The other party did not reveal its origins, only that it was a newly transformed carp spirit, wielding an iron anchor as its weapon. That anchor, some kind of magical artifact, weighed over a thousand pounds and was incredibly powerful; anything touched by it was injured, and anything that came into contact with it was fatal!"
The blue carp spirit, with exaggerated expressions, repeated the little carp spirit's words.
"An anchor? What kind of magic weapon is that?"
The Black Snake King frowned slightly and turned its head to the side.
"Strategist, what do you think?"
"Your Majesty, I have never heard of this iron anchor magic weapon before. However, such power is beyond what an ordinary demon in the Transformation Stage could forge. It should not be a newly forged treasure, but rather something obtained from somewhere."
A seven- or eight-foot-long eel poked its head out from a crevice in the rock, paused slightly, and then continued speaking.
"As for that carp spirit in its transformation stage, since the white-robed immortal cast his spell, many more transformation-stage monsters have appeared in the Tongtian River, and it must be one of them. I have heard that the Big Mouth Monster has several transformation-stage carp spirits under his command."
"He must be one of that big-mouthed monster's subordinates! But if I go to confront him, he'll definitely deny it. Humph, I don't care which monster he is; he killed my brothers from the Black Snake Cave, how can I let him get away with it!"
"Your Majesty is absolutely right. It just so happens that Your Majesty is lacking a suitable weapon, and that iron anchor is so powerful that it is just right."
"That's right, what the strategist said is exactly what I was thinking."
The Black Snake King laughed twice, then gave a direct order.
"The task of capturing this carp spirit will be entrusted to the strategist. Remember, seize the Iron Anchor Divine Weapon."
"Your Majesty, rest assured."
The eel spirit nodded, and then continued.
"That carp spirit is not a concern, but the Iron Anchor Divine Weapon is a bit troublesome. I request Your Majesty to allocate more manpower to it."
"That's easy."
With a wave of his hand, the Black Eel King selected four spirits in the Transformation stage and placed them under the command of the Yellow Eel Spirit.
"Rest assured, Your Majesty, I will surely retrieve that divine weapon!"
After making his statement, the eel spirit led his men away.
Upon reaching the outer edge of the reef group, they summoned a small fish spirit.
"Send word to all brothers searching for the Golden Lotus Seed: if you find a carp spirit in its transformed stage wielding an iron anchor, report to me immediately!"
"Yes."
The little fish spirit accepted the order, flicked its tail, and went to relay it.