Chapter 20 Hair of the Dead

As the saying goes, a true expert reveals his skill with a single move. Fang Senyan knew that Black Sail wasn't exaggerating just by watching his entry into the water. With a black knife clenched in his teeth, he quickly swam to Fang Senyan's side, guarding him warily.

The dark sea stretched endlessly, a seemingly bottomless abyss concealing countless unknown dangers. Fang Senyan surfaced, took a deep breath, and then used the firelight to dive down towards the bow of the ship. He saw what appeared to be thick, black, braided ropes growing from the depths of the sea, weaving together into a dense net in front of the ship, blocking its path.

Fang Senyan, bold and skilled, swam directly towards the black ropes. Getting closer, he saw that they weren't ropes at all, but rather a type of marine plant densely interwoven, like a girl's braids.

These ropes resembled both the damp, waterlogged hair of the dead and freshly harvested, undried kelp, emitting a nauseating odor that made one want to vomit. Fang Senyan reached out and touched them, feeling a chilling coldness and a resilient elasticity.

"I think I've seen something like this before," Fang Senyan suddenly recalled a past voyage in the real world. They had crossed the Atlantic Ocean and passed through the infamous Bermuda Triangle. Because the captain was smuggling, they deviated from the route to pick up goods, then headed west along the Gulf Stream.

On this rarely traveled route, Fang Senyan and his crew didn't encounter anything strange, but they did witness a spectacle: an oceanic "prairie."

The average depth of the water there was over four thousand meters, and there were no islands, yet the sea surface was covered with green, rootless seaweed—sargassum—resembling a prairie landscape. Driven by the sea breeze and currents, the floating sargassum stretched into the distance like a giant olive-colored carpet. The amount of sargassum was enormous, covering millions of square kilometers.

The giant black ropes that Fang Senyan saw now were very similar in appearance to the sargassum in the real world, but several times, even dozens of times larger! It was likely a relative of the sargassum in the Caribbean world. They probably multiplied in large quantities during this season, with female and male plants intertwining and blocking the waterway. So, while the situation looked strange, it was actually quite ordinary.

At this moment, Black Sail swam over. He also tried to touch the sargassum ropes, then shrugged dismissively. He gripped the knife in his mouth and slashed forcefully, cutting the ropes in two with his sharp blade.

But something strange happened. The severed sargassum ropes immediately released a faint black liquid that quickly spread through the water like smoke. Then, the surrounding sargassum ropes rapidly gathered, actually entangling Black Sail.

The one-eyed giant Black Sail was trapped inside, his body completely bound. Although he could break free with his own strength, it was like trying to untangle a hopelessly knotted thread. The more he struggled, the tighter the disgusting ropes became around his body—truly, the more he tore, the more there seemed to be!

Just as Fang Senyan was about to help, Black Sail waved him away, signaling him to swim away. Then, the resourceful pirate calmly twisted open the handle of his knife, and tiny, rice-grain-sized eggs floated out.

The eggs quickly attached to the giant sargassum and hatched, rapidly forming black beetles the size of ping-pong balls. These beetles had long, flea-like legs and moved leisurely through the water. They quickly devoured the giant sargassum, eating it like silkworms eating mulberry leaves, with an excellent appetite. In an instant, they had devoured the surrounding giant sargassum ropes.

Seeing this, Fang Senyan nodded slightly, thinking that Black Sail was indeed a talented individual. Judging by his methods, he likely practiced black witchcraft similar to voodoo. If he could have such a subordinate, it would fill the gap in the team for a magic-based Contractor.

But at this moment, Mogansha suddenly said anxiously in the team channel:

"Boss! Get back on the ship! What did you do down there? It seems like a big guy is coming!"

As the black brother spoke, he fired a flare into the water in the distance. Immediately, Fang Senyan and Black Sail could see that beyond the countless giant sargassum nets, a massive shadow was rapidly approaching. The shadow was surrounded by countless tiny bubbles, giving the impression of dark clouds pressing down on the sky. Moreover, the shadow seemed to be constantly changing shape, like dissolving ink!

At this moment, Black Sail's eyes widened. He seemed to recognize the thing, and immediately gestured frantically to Fang Senyan, urging him to get back on the ship. As soon as they surfaced, Black Sail exclaimed urgently:

"Be careful, it's a chupacabra!"

Fang Senyan asked curiously:

"What's that?"

Black Sail said solemnly:

"A giant sea beast that roams the edge of survival and death. It is said that its appearance represents great disaster. Boss, now that we know the guardian of the Dead Man's Hair (giant sargassum) is a chupacabra, we really shouldn't risk angering it by continuing forward."

"Based on some stories I've heard, the chupacabra likes to eat the fruit of the Dead Man's Hair (giant sargassum), and the Dead Man's Hair only bears fruit for half a day. To put it more directly, this monster will leave in six hours, and then we can boldly cut through the Dead Man's Hair and pass through."

"Six hours..." Fang Senyan calculated and immediately said in the team channel, "This should be a prerequisite for triggering a hidden mission! Something must be happening in that place called Tortuga. If we rush over there immediately, we can catch the main event! But if we only get there within the time limit of the mission, then we'll only get to drink the soup."

With this in mind, Fang Senyan immediately shouted to the deck from the water:

"Can anyone tell me, what's interesting happening in Tortuga recently?"

Immediately, the pirates started chattering:

"Boss, didn't you know? These days are the Tzigane Festival in Tortuga. Those Tzigane (Gypsy) people who wander on the mainland will come to Tortuga for a short stay, buy some unique divination materials from the ocean, and then continue wandering."

A glint flashed in Fang Senyan's eyes, and he said seriously:

"Continue."

"Let me see... the Tzigane Festival lasts for 12 days, and today should be exactly the 12th day. All the Tzigane people will never stay in one place for more than this number of days, because thirteen is Satan's unclean day. So, before sunrise tomorrow morning, all the Tzigane people will leave in advance, because their aversion to the number thirteen is deeply rooted."

The old sea dog said to Fang Senyan.

At this time, as the chupacabra approached, Mogansha began to aim, but Black Sail immediately shouted:

"Don't! Never actively provoke it!"

The black brother didn't speak, but transmitted a series of information to Fang Senyan:

Chupacabra (Tier 3 Legendary Creature)

Length: 17.33 meters.

Weight: 14 tons

Strength: 35 points

Agility: 8 points

Stamina: 10 points

Perception: 1 point

Charm: 1 point

Intelligence: 20 points

Spirit: 15 points

Marine Life

Tier 3 Legendary Creature Ability: Parasitic Algae Armor. The possessor gains an additional 40000 health and obtains the algae bubble shield effect.

Note: The algae bubble shield can refract light while it exists, causing deviations in the enemy's vision, making it difficult to capture its true form, reducing the enemy's hit rate by 10%, and reducing the owner's critical hit rate by 10%. The algae bubble shield has 1000 health, and it will regenerate within one hundred and eighty seconds after being broken.

Special ability of this creature: Tail Strike, creates huge waves to attack enemies or ships. This skill deals an additional 100% damage to ships.

Special ability of this creature: Devour. Once activated, deals fixed damage to Contractors, and may cause an instant kill effect to other smaller creatures.

Special ability of this creature: ???

Special ability of this creature: ???

Description: This is a very powerful legendary creature. If you plan to provoke it, then you must be prepared to be eaten.

As soon as Fang Senyan saw the words "Tier 3 Legendary Creature," he breathed a sigh of relief. Even if this monster was fighting in its home field and its strength evaluation was further increased, it would only be a Tier 4 Legendary Creature at most... But before this, Fang Senyan and his team had encountered too many legendary creatures!

What Haiqimujia, what Balrog, what Death Beast, even the Death Beast Knight, and the Tyrant Phantom Wyvern, the top existences among legendary creatures, had been seen, and were either defeated or killed by Fang Senyan's side! Therefore, seeing a Tier 3 Legendary Creature naturally led to a psychological advantage.

Fang Senyan thought for a while, feeling that although his group was on the ship, they had a wealth of various trump cards. So he nodded, and the black brother immediately pulled the trigger. With the Wasp pistol in hand, he fired three shots, then switched to a wild barrage.

I'm really sorry for updating so late today. There will be an extra update at 12 o'clock tonight for recommending votes. Thank you for your support. ro@.