Bai Qiu returned to Room 1145.
It was a one-bedroom suite with a roughly square layout, covering about eighty square meters.
The space was by no means small—in fact, it was quite spacious.
After all, most five-star hotel rooms were only around forty square meters.
The room came equipped with a bathroom, a toilet, and a balcony—or rather, what was called a balcony.
In reality, it was simply a narrow corridor partitioned off inside the room alongside a large window.
Apart from that, there was only a bed.
As a result, the room felt rather empty.
Bai Qiu walked over to the balcony corridor and looked out through the transparent window.
He ran a hand over the pane, whose material he couldn’t identify.
From here, he could still see most of the scenery outside, though the view was naturally much narrower than what the open deck offered.
Since Bai Qiu always remained on guard in unfamiliar surroundings, he had no intention of passing the time by entering a meditative state.
But with nothing to do, boredom quickly set in.
So he decided to find something to occupy himself.
Fortunately, his room was spacious enough.
He rummaged through his various storage items for quite some time before finally finding an activity that required very little skill— Making tea.
That’s right.
Over the past month, Bai Qiu had traded with organizations from countless Safe Zones, exchanging every imaginable kind of item.
There was practically everything under the sun.
Of course, anything lacking commercial value or of excessively low grade had usually been ignored by him…
Mist Sea Tea Leaves (Grade D++)
Description: Tea leaves harvested from the Mist Sea Secret Realm. After being pan-fired and brewed, they gradually increase the drinker’s Spirit power, up to Grade D++.
In other words, they belonged to the same category of items as the Mental power potion produced from Dreamy Blossoms.
The only differences were that their maximum enhancement was lower, and the increase came far more slowly than the potion’s.
According to the seller, drinking the tea continuously for three days would only raise one’s spiritual power by a small level.
Reaching the maximum enhancement would require at least a month and a half.
Still, the tea had its own advantages.
First, it had absolutely no side effects.
Second, its taste was exceptionally mellow and smooth.
After drinking it, one would feel refreshed and clear-headed for the entire day.
Bai Qiu took out a large iron wok.
Using several pieces of Star Iron Ore, he built a simple makeshift stove before setting the wok on top.
He added firewood… Lit the fire…
Once the wok was hot enough, he tossed the tea leaves in and stir-fried them until every trace of moisture had been driven out.
Only then did he scoop them out.
But he wasn’t done with the wok yet.
He poured in spring water he had stored beforehand and brought it to a boil, intending to brew the freshly roasted tea.
The entire scene looked utterly bizarre.
Inside this modern-style room, someone was boiling water over a rustic stove instead of using an electric kettle.
And the person living there was equally peculiar—wearing a hooded cloak over a full suit of antique-style armor.
Looking at the tea he had brewed, Bai Qiu muttered to himself, “…This should be fine, right?”
Thin wisps of white steam curled up from the bowl.
The vapor lingered above the rim without dispersing.
He leaned closer and inhaled.
A rich fragrance of tea filled his nose.
Tentatively, he took a small sip.
The first taste was slightly bitter.
But it was immediately followed by a rich, mellow sweetness and lingering aroma.
Bai Qiu’s eyes lit up.
This… isn’t bad at all.
Not only did it taste excellent, but after drinking it, he remained refreshed and mentally invigorated for quite some time.
In the past, he had always been overwhelmed with work and rarely had the chance to savor fine food.
Whenever he used items, he always chose the highest-grade options available, caring only about their effects rather than their flavor.
That said, Fragrant Gathering Fruit undeniably tasted fantastic, and black truffle was an exceptional seasoning.
In the blink of an eye, evening arrived.
Bai Qiu had spent the entire afternoon tinkering around in his room.
During that time, he had been frantically trying to improve his cooking skills.
Unfortunately… Perhaps he simply lacked any talent for cooking.
Or perhaps he had no one to learn from by imitation.
Either way, his culinary skills improved very little.
Sometimes his dishes were far too salty.
Other times they were unbearably bland.
Occasionally, the meat he cooked retained such a strong gamey odor that it was almost inedible.
He simply couldn’t understand how Wang Shiyun and the others managed to turn these same ingredients into genuinely delicious meals.
The ventilation in the cruise ship’s rooms, however, was truly terrible.
After Bai Qiu had spent the entire day tinkering away, the whole room had become shrouded in mist, resembling a heavenly palace wrapped in clouds.
Had an ordinary person stayed inside for that long, they probably would have passed out by now.
Fortunately, Bai Qiu possessed the Wind Manipulation skill.
He simply opened the door, summoned a gust of wind, and swept every last trace of mist out of the room.
Following the drifting white vapor, he made his way up to the deck to get some fresh air.
There were still more than a dozen players lingering there, including several Lancer and the female Caster.
They didn’t seem to have much in common, however.
Each person occupied their own spot, deliberately keeping some distance from everyone else.
Bai Qiu’s arrival drew everyone’s attention for a brief moment.
But no one stared for long.
Soon, their gazes returned to the endless sea ahead.
The reason Bai Qiu could identify their classes was simple.
Every one of them carried their own weapon in hand, each radiating a unique supernatural aura.
In fact, he understood exactly why.
Holding a transcendent weapon at all times meant two things.
First, it allowed its owner to retaliate immediately if danger arose.
Second, their weapons might function like his own Dragon-Slaying Star Breath Spear, requiring constant exposure to the outside world in order to unleash their full potential.
For that reason, carrying one’s weapon everywhere was perfectly normal.
The young man Bai Qiu had killed earlier had probably noticed that everyone else was armed except for him.
Thinking Bai Qiu was an easy target, the fool had tried to make an example of him to establish his own dominance.
Instead… He had kicked an iron plate.
His attempt to show off had ended with him being killed instead.
Still, Bai Qiu was rather grateful that the other party had chosen to attack first.
Had the young man simply minded his own business, Bai Qiu would never have accidentally eliminated such a dangerous menace.
The clock struck 00:00.
Accompanied by the deep rumbling horns of countless cruise ships, the protective barrier ten kilometers away vanished.
At the same time, the boarding passages leading into the ships all sealed themselves shut.
The entire process occurred automatically, without any human involvement.
The calm sea rippled.
The cruise ship slowly began to move.
A powerful sea breeze swept across the deck, leaving Bai Qiu feeling refreshed.
Coming onto the deck to enjoy the wind had indeed been the right decision.
With the System’s protective barrier gone, the ocean was no longer calm.
The wind had picked up considerably, as though it intended to blow away the oppressive stillness that had hung over the entire day.
At that moment, more and more players emerged from their rooms.
They stepped onto the deck to witness the magnificent sight of thousands of ships setting sail together.
The once-spacious deck gradually became crowded as players below Level 30 began pouring outside.
Including Bai Qiu, the high-level players present were generally easygoing by nature.
None of them seemed bothered by the growing crowd.
Then… If nothing unexpected happened…
Something unexpected was about to happen.
Bai Qiu’s expression suddenly stiffened.
Beneath the deep blue ocean, he spotted a colossal shadow.
It was growing larger.
Rapidly.
He turned toward the noisy crowd and shouted, “Everyone, be careful! There’s something in the water!”
His intention was to warn everyone so they could move away in time.
But perhaps the players had simply been cooped up for too long.
Or perhaps they felt completely secure under the System’s protection.
Not only did they ignore his warning…
To Bai Qiu’s disbelief, they actually rushed toward the edge of the deck one after another, leaning over the railing to peer down into the sea…
— The end of the Chapter–
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