Chapter 1780: Chapter 1780
1780: Chapter 1776: Return to the Sea 1780: Chapter 1776: Return to the Sea “I never thought I’d be back at sea this soon…”
The familiar wooden warship once again drifted on the open ocean.
This was the Redemption 002, the flagship of the Redemption Chamber of Commerce’s fleet in this world, and also the largest armed freight ship by tonnage.
just slightly larger than a conventional aircraft carrier.
After all, for Lu Ping’an, wooden materials came at an exceptionally low cost.
And the greatest advantage of this Original Wood Warship was its inherent nature as a supernatural plant, meaning it wasn’t a natural product.
Enormous metallic constructs required rare specialty steel to maintain their strength, intricate engineering, and were still relatively fragile.
But extraordinary plants only needed sunlight and nutrients to grow crazily within their maximum potential.
And with Lu Ping’an, the limits of life itself were never much of an issue.
For this reason, in the oceans of many worlds, he already commanded a notably vast fleet…
Perhaps this was precisely why this commission was handed to him.
From another perspective, it was no wonder that nations imposed strict limitations on top-tier combat powers and were highly wary of large organizations like the Proper God Church.
In another timeline, fleets and super warships owned by corporations—and even more shockingly by private individuals—would have been utterly unacceptable.
“Dear passengers, please don’t rush.
It will take another four days to reach the designated location.
Feel free to move about and get used to the environment…”
The voice of the Rebirth Commerce’s convoy captain echoed in the air, slightly easing the tension on the faces of the passengers.
The blue-green waters stretched endlessly, melding with the azure skies.
The seas, now beginning to recover their former splendor, carried a scent laced with brine and blood that stirred a mixture of nostalgia and helplessness within Lu Ping’an.
Heaven only knew how many lives were lost to shape these waters.
Lu Ping’an could even smell the excessive concentration of “life” within the sea.
“Do you think we’ll encounter Dragon-Snakes?”
“I heard even the weakest of them are beyond the Rule-level.”
“Every ship that sets out to sea nowadays is equipped with Rule strongmen, yet even so, the mortality rate remains high.”
The veteran sailors were diligently going about their tasks, while the newly boarded passengers were gripped with unease.
But in reality, this wasn’t the Rebirth Commerce’s first voyage.
Even during Lu Ping’an’s lazy vacation days, the Rebirth Commerce fleet had been continually engaged in arms trading…
Evidently, the most profitable sea routes lay between the neighboring countries embroiled in war.
A giant beast suddenly surged up from the ocean, instantly causing a commotion.
The massive navy-blue Long Snake beast radiated an aura of dread, and the moment it rose, the surrounding tides shimmered with the luster of death.
It’s coming—help us!”
The passengers on the deck descended into panic and chaos.
That’s one of our own tamed beasts…”
The summoned clone of “Mist Sound” remained calm as the head of the giant beast slowly lowered and gently touched “that legendary man.”
Standing on the ship’s deck without anyone knowing when he arrived, this “ship owner” and his terrifying past accolades finally brought a measure of reassurance to the frightened passengers.
How does he look even younger than the photos…”
Lu Ping’an, however, merely patted the “little guy” acting spoiled and told it not to cling too much.
“Don’t tip the ship over…”
The already-tilting ship seemed to plead to its owner for help.
With a master of Beast Taming and Magic Plants present, the ship’s strength drastically increased.
Even the mere Life Perception and sharing from Lu Ping’an enabled the warship to function at multiple times its actual limits.
By linking life itself, Lu Ping’an could even operate a warship as if it were his own flesh and blood…
Just a warship of this level standing to fight was a veritable war machine.
Though Life-system beings had somewhat weaker combat strength at mid-to-low tiers, only Quasi-God-level opponents or higher could truly pose a danger.
Few intelligent creatures would willingly provoke a true “King of Mercy.”
When wars ended and peace returned, ships flying the banner of the Rebirth Commerce would naturally be far safer as well…
much like it was on Mercury 42, where the personal threat posed by strongmen could sometimes surpass even fleets of battleships.
In the distance, Lu Ping’an’s gaze fell upon two crude scrap-metal warships, and his brows furrowed.
He noticed the skull flag rapidly descending in the wind…
Actually, never mind.
After some reflection, Lu Ping’an decided that in this kind of scenario, sending the cat to deal with it would suffice.
Most nations shared the same stance on pirates…
Meow returned promptly, not even having changed out of her swimsuit or slippers, her two tails swaying happily.
And in the background, the two scrap-metal ships were sinking…
There wasn’t even a trace of blood on Meow, just a faint blush on her cheeks and a joyful smile, hinting at this brief but lethal slaughter.
In truth, sending Meow out was Lu Ping’an’s way of signaling he didn’t plan to take prisoners.
As a predator, Meow was a cruel creature toward prey.
Allowing her to let loose periodically was better for everyone.
“Where are they from?”
“The Mountainous Kingdom, meow!
There was even a Colonel, meow!”
This made Lu Ping’an pinch the bridge of his nose.
Really, don’t say things like that in public, you stupid cat!
He shot a sweeping glance around to intimidate onlookers and discourage any loose tongues…
Though honestly, it wouldn’t matter much if someone talked, avoiding trouble was just more comfortable.
Most of those present were his people, and the leaders hastily issued both threats and promises to ensure they hadn’t seen or heard anything.
Only then did Lu Ping’an drag Meow by the tail into the room to question her in detail.
The claw marks on the floor left by Meow hinted that she already knew what was coming.
But this time, Lu Ping’an didn’t punish Meow…
He was annoyed with the passengers as well and even found himself hoping they would “leak” something.
Of course, that wasn’t something he’d share with Meow.
He simply tossed her a cold command.
Why was that Colonel on a pirate ship?”
Whether it was truly a pirate ship didn’t actually require the flag…
With no more fishermen on the seas, it was easy to identify these small, unescorted cargo ships.
Reality was that the sea had grown so dangerous only a few nations still dispatched vessels.
Those countries always carried flags and had obvious intentions—escorting, transporting goods, or moving essential personnel and supplies.
The wolf-like small ships prowling the waters might once have been fishermen, but now could be labeled pirates without a doubt.
What made Lu Ping’an even more irritated was that his current route was the Eastern Country to Southeast Asia’s standard course.
The appearance of pirate scouts here meant this lucrative route had already attracted attention…
The shipments destined for Southeast Asia consisted mainly of grain, weapons, and associated personnel.
They wanted to rob us, meow?”
Lu Ping’an’s smile grew increasingly wicked.
If this was all that the “Soul Cat” uncovered, he might really need to discipline her this time.
The Mountainous Kingdom…
They don’t like us, meow!”
Meow quickly shook her head, the “spirit body” coiling around her hands faintly revealing a human face.
In the presence of a Rule-level Soul Cat, weaker beings had no way to conceal secrets.
She hurriedly spilled the intel, causing Lu Ping’an’s frown to deepen.
Months ago, he had personally led efforts to rescue the Mountainous Kingdom, expending significant resources and lives.
Now, disguised pirates were appearing to disrupt shipping lanes.
“They want to swallow all of Southeast Asia?
It seemed that a former ally was about to become an enemy once more.