After devoutly sending the octopus brother off with their internal organs, the group continued their journey.
Perhaps the frequent abnormal phenomena had caused this stretch of sea to enter a period of exhaustion. For the next few days, the sea was calm and everything was normal. No more strange things appeared.
Fatty and Wu Tianzhen were initially grateful for this rare peace, but soon they felt a touch of boredom.
After all, they were people who had weathered storms and seen great waves. Once their adventurous spirit was awakened, they found it difficult to endure prolonged tranquility. If no strange phenomena came knocking to slap them around, they felt a bit unaccustomed to it.
So, they soon shifted their attention elsewhere. They successfully caught an unlucky seagull with small fish, tied it to the bow, and amused themselves with it from time to time, living the life of retired old men decades in advance.
The seagull lived a domesticated life for two days before being released. However, it was clearly a rather vengeful bird. In the following days, it stopped seeking mates and foraging for itself. Instead, it dedicated itself to raiding Fatty's precious kitchen, stealing a couple of fish every few days and leaving behind a few watery droppings to announce its arrival.
Fatty and Wu Tianzhen's battle of wits with the seagull kept them from being bored.
Zhang Qiling did not participate in their war, and the bird was also perceptive enough to meticulously avoid the formidable Zhang Qiling and Hei Yanjing.
The peaceful journey allowed the control of the cockpit to be adjusted back to automatic pilot mode. Zhang Qiling took a look and clearly saw that the remaining route set by Hei Yanjing was a constant repetition on a fixed track, obviously just circling at sea.
Regarding this strange route, Hei Yanjing merely smiled enigmatically, stating that what he was looking for had not yet appeared.
Zhang Qiling had also seen Hei Yanjing's tortoise shell, so he roughly knew what Hei Yanjing was referring to. He didn't ask further and instead went to observe the epic battle between Wu Tianzhen and the seagull.
... Such peaceful days would not last long.
On the sixth night at sea, the sky was covered with dark clouds, and the starlight was dim. The sea was as still as a stagnant pool. A faint breeze carried a damp, fishy scent, and the exposed skin quickly condensed a thin layer of moisture.
And amidst this tranquil atmosphere, a subtle change occurred in the depths of the sea, which was as dark as ink!
It was as if scattered luminous pearls were gradually bouncing up, or as if the palace beneath the sea was slowly lighting up. A faint, shimmering white light flickered and flowed on the surface of the sea before them.
The stars in the sky were not bright, but the deep sea was dazzling. For a moment, one might wonder if heaven and earth had been inverted and their small boat was actually sailing through the starry sky.
"Is this... sea fireflies?" Wu Tianzhen stared blankly at this miraculous sight. In the face of such a spectacle, any language seemed pale and powerless, unable to describe even a fraction of this beautiful scene.
Sea fireflies were creatures that existed only in legends. It was said that they lived in groups and roamed everywhere, but only emitted light at specific times. Fishermen who sailed the seas year-round had only recorded a few instances of sea fireflies glowing in historical records over thousands of years.
... However, in these legends, the appearance of sea fireflies was vaguely regarded as a good omen. There was even a saying that had been passed down for thousands of years – sea fireflies could guide people to the dwelling places of immortals.
With a "slap," Wu Tianzhen, who was lost in thought, was startled. He turned to look, only to see Hei Yanjing, who had somehow brought diving equipment onto the deck and was now taking off his jacket.
His leather jacket made a slapping sound as it fell to the ground, likely the sunglasses inside protesting. Wu Tianzhen, with a hint of curiosity, wanted to see what he looked like under the sunglasses, but was shocked to see that Hei Yanjing had directly put the diving goggles over his sunglasses, unwilling to take off his sunglasses even to go into the sea, as if he had become one with them.
Wu Tianzhen: Amazing...
He clicked his tongue and also wanted to put on a set of diving gear, but was even more shocked to find that Hei Yanjing had only brought two sets of clothes?!
One set was clearly his own, and the other was already being put on by Xiao Ge!
"Hey, wait a minute." Wu Tianzhen seemed to realize something, pointed at the two people about to sneak away, and said incredulously, "You mean you're not planning to take us with you?!"
Although Zhang Qiling was a habitual offender in this regard, always sneaking away with practiced ease, he decided to remain silent upon seeing Wu Tianzhen's accusatory expression. After quickly putting on the hood of his diving suit, he pretended that the hood blocked all sound and picked up his Black Gold Ancient Saber, retreating to a corner to play the role of an invisible person.
Perhaps Xiao Zhang felt a little guilty, but Hei Yanjing was utterly brazen and righteous!
"Oh, actually, we feel quite bad about it~" he spread his hands and shook his head as if helpless. "But the mission we're going on is extremely dangerous, a matter of life and death. We have to fight eighteen-meter-long sharks bare-handed and negotiate with Mr. Sea King on the spot. We really can't take you along~"
Wu Tianzhen:? Do you think I believe you?
... So, how long was this inexplicable Sea King joke going to continue?!
Wu Tianzhen felt that he and Hei Yanjing were simply incompatible. He quickly gave up arguing with him and instead focused on Zhang Qiling, who happened to be looking over.
Zhang Qiling: ...
"You guys stay and watch the boat," he explained the necessity of this arrangement in a simple way.
"Don't worry, Tianzhen, Xiao Ge will be fine," Fatty patted Wu Tianzhen, who was still trying to argue. "It's necessary to leave someone on the boat. If another octopus brother comes, we can still drive the boat away in time, right?"
Seeing that both Zhang Qiling and Fatty said so, Wu Tianzhen could only accept it, but soon, he realized something was wrong.
"Wait, that's not right, Fatty?" he looked at Fatty suspiciously. "Neither of us knows how to drive this boat, so leaving us here is useless, isn't it?"
"Hmm? Didn't I tell you?" Fatty paused, then showed an expression of sudden realization. He secretly glanced in Hei Yanjing's direction and leaned closer, whispering:
"I just didn't object to Hei Yanjing back then. If all three of us went, wouldn't it make you, Tianzhen, lose face?"
"Right?"
Wu Tianzhen: ...
He numbly looked at Hei Yanjing and Zhang Qiling. Xiao Zhang slowly averted his gaze, not meeting his eyes, while Hei Yanjing was almost silently laughing hysterically.
... As expected, Hei Yanjing heard it, didn't he?
... So why are these people's ears all so good ahhhhh!