"Dude, we run into each other again! Fate really keeps throwing us together!" Wes Wei, the sly young man, strode over with exaggerated enthusiasm to greet Ian Song, causing the Divine Sea guards to lower their guard a bit.
"Oh, it's you."
Ian Song nodded calmly.
Wes Wei didn't mind Ian's indifference. With a bright smile, he asked, "Brother, what brings you here...?"
"I've been sailing for days and feeling cooped up. Found an island, so I came ashore to stretch my legs and have some fun!" Ian said casually, then motioned for his Divine Sea guards to lead the way as he headed into the island.
Seeing this, Wes Wei breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Brother, this is just a deserted island. There's not much to see, and there might even be poisonous bugs or something. You'd better leave early!"
"Thanks for the heads-up!"
...........
"So, what are they here for?"
As soon as Wes Wei returned, one of the crew members couldn't help but ask.
Wes Wei replied, "Relax. They're not here for the Ironclad Sea Clams. That guy's probably some rich kid just here to goof off. He won't stick around—he'll be gone soon!"
"That's good to hear!"
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
But Zhou Lei just sneered, "Even if he's here for the Ironclad Sea Clams, so what? With just that handful of people, they're no match for us!"
"Don't underestimate anyone! That rich kid looks soft, but he's probably a real powerhouse!"
Rosie Ning suddenly spoke up. She couldn't see through Ian's cultivation, even though she herself was late-stage Yuan Core Realm. Normally, anyone below the Sigilforge Realm couldn't hide from her eyes, no matter what kind of concealment technique they used.
But she just couldn't see through him, which meant he was most likely at Sigilforge Realm.
Even though it's just one realm apart, even if the whole Rose-Sea Crew teamed up, they might not be his match. Luckily, he doesn't seem to be after the Ironclad Sea Clams.
Hearing Rosie Ning say that, everyone tensed up—except for Zhou Lei, who just shrugged it off.
One of the female crew members asked, "Captain, we've found more Ironclad Sea Clams. Should we keep hauling them up?"
Rosie Ning thought for a moment. "Post someone to keep watch in the direction they left. If they turn back, report immediately. The rest of you, keep hauling up Ironclad Sea Clams!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
At her command, the Rose-Sea Crew sprang into action once again.
This time, worried that Ian Song's group might double back, only fifteen people went into the water.
Wes Wei led a teammate to the spot they'd scouted. Soon, a basket-sized Ironclad Sea Clam appeared in his view.
"Let's go!"
The two each grabbed a side and swam for the surface, but after just a few meters, a two-meter-long sea snake as thick as a bowl suddenly appeared ahead.
"It's a Green Mamba!"
Wes Wei's heart leapt—Green Mambas were extremely venomous sea snakes. He quickly signaled his teammate, let go of the Ironclad Sea Clam, and they both darted off in opposite directions.
Fighting underwater put them at a huge disadvantage. Even if they could kill the Green Mamba, it was too risky. The best move was to wait for the snake to leave, then come back for the clam.
After swimming several hundred meters without seeing the Green Mamba chasing them, Wes finally let out a sigh of relief.
He surfaced for a breath, then dove back down, planning to return to the spot. But as he turned, he suddenly spotted dozens of dark shapes several dozen meters away.
His heart skipped a beat. 'Could it be...?'
He swam over as fast as he could. When he saw there were actually seventy or eighty Ironclad Sea Clams clustered there, he got so excited he tried to shout—a mouthful of seawater rushed in, and he quickly shut his mouth.
He eagerly counted—seventy-eight clams! And all of them were old, heavy ones, each weighing at least half a ton. The older the Ironclad Sea Clam, the more likely it was to produce a Seapearl.
Suddenly, an idea struck him.
Why were all these Ironclad Sea Clams gathered here?
A flash of inspiration hit—he searched through the clams inch by inch. When he pushed aside the largest one in the center, his eyes lit up. Beneath it was a fist-sized, fiery red crystal.
"Whoa, that's a Fire‑Marrow Crystal!"
He grabbed the Fire‑Marrow Crystal. Even underwater, it radiated a gentle warmth—there was no mistaking it now.
Fire‑Marrow Crystal was a special kind of heavenly treasure.
Inside, it contained a unique Fire Marrow. For cultivators who practiced fire-attribute arts, absorbing it could greatly purify their own energy.
That's why Fire Marrow was so expensive—just one piece usually cost over ten thousand gold.
And as luck would have it, his cultivation was fire-based. If he absorbed this Fire‑Marrow Crystal, his strength would increase by at least thirty percent.
He quickly stashed the crystal, then searched the area again. Soon, he found five more, slightly smaller Fire‑Marrow Crystals. He was so thrilled, he almost couldn't stop grinning—even swallowing mouthfuls of seawater didn't faze him.
If he sold all six Fire‑Marrow Crystals, he could easily make seventy or eighty thousand gold—more than the Rose-Sea Crew made in an entire year.
Plus, there were over seventy Ironclad Sea Clams here, worth about a million silver.
Thinking of this, he grabbed a clam and swam for shore as fast as he could.
"Whoa, Vice-captain, you actually found such a huge Ironclad Sea Clam!"
When Wes Wei returned to shore, he saw that everyone who'd gone into the water was back. The teammate who'd split off with him had also managed to haul up the clam they'd abandoned, though it was only half as big as Wes's.
"Heh, what's one big clam?" Wes Wei scoffed, not impressed at all.
"Wow, Wes Wei's gotten bold! Not even a clam worth two thousand silver catches his eye!" one of the female crew teased him good-naturedly.
"Heh, check this out. What do you think this is?"
Suddenly, Wes Wei flipped his palm, revealing a fiery red crystal in his hand, with liquid swirling inside.
"That's a Fire‑Marrow Crystal!"
Everyone froze for a moment until Rosie Ning called out its name.
"Holy crap, a Fire‑Marrow Crystal! That one piece must be worth at least ten thousand gold!" The same female crew member clapped a hand over her mouth, her face full of shock and envy.
The crew had a rule: if you found a heavenly treasure solo during a mission, you got to keep thirty percent.
So if he sold this Fire‑Marrow Crystal, Wes Wei alone could pocket three thousand gold.
"And look—there's more!"
Seeing everyone's stunned, envious faces, Wes Wei triumphantly pulled out five more Fire‑Marrow Crystals.
"Six Fire‑Marrow Crystals!"
With Wes Wei suddenly producing six crystals, everyone except Rosie Ning was green with envy. If each crystal netted three thousand gold, that was eighteen thousand gold for Wes alone.
Converted to silver, that was over 1.8 million.
Even a full crew mission wouldn't earn that much. Wes Wei was riding a wave of insane luck.
Fortunately, the rest of the crew could split the remaining seventy percent.
Seventy percent was over four million silver—split among twenty people, that's two hundred thousand each.
"Quick, put them away!"
Rosie Ning reminded them—never flaunt your wealth, even on a deserted island. If others found out, it could mean disaster.
"Captain, you'd better hold onto these!"
Wes Wei handed over all six Fire‑Marrow Crystals.
Rosie Ning hesitated briefly, then took the crystals and put them in her Storage Ring. Hers only had a cubic meter of space, but it was more than enough for six crystals.
"By the way, I found a whole cluster of clams near the Fire‑Marrow Crystal!" Wes Wei added.
"What are we waiting for? Go haul them up! The clams must've been drawn by the Fire‑Marrow Crystal. Now that it's gone, they'll scatter if we're too slow!"
At Rosie Ning's order, the crew rushed to the spot Wes Wei had found.
In less than an hour, they hauled up all seventy-eight clams, bringing their total to a hundred and forty-two.
A harvest beyond anyone's expectations.
Rosie Ning issued another order: "Take a break, then scout the area one last time. If we find nothing else, we'll sail home tomorrow!"
Everyone nodded, excitement shining in their eyes.
Only Leon Li's eyes flashed with something strange. He slipped away into the woods, claiming he needed to relieve himself. He pulled out a bottle, uncorked it, and released a thumb-sized insect that shot off the island in a streak of black light.
Moments later, the black insect landed on a large ship a hundred li away, right in front of a young man.
Seeing the insect, the youth's lips curled into a sinister smile. "News already? Looks like the Rose-Sea Crew scored big. But no matter how much you harvest, it's all mine—Drake Li's! Hahaha!"
Laughing, he ordered the ship to set sail for the island.
After nearly an hour of scouting—
The Rose-Sea Crew hauled up six more Ironclad Sea Clams, and soon it was noon.
Everyone chatted and ate lunch.
Suddenly, a crew member glanced at the sea and spotted a large ship heading their way. Its flag was emblazoned with a menacing skull.
"It's the Madfish Crew!"
The crew member couldn't help but shout.
Everyone followed his gaze, and their faces changed instantly.
"Not them again!"
"Hurry, get all the clams on the ship! Let's get out of here!" Wes Wei yelled, panicked.
"It's too late!"
Rosie Ning shook her head, her face darkening. At the same time, a suspicion crept into her heart—how did the Madfish Crew arrive so quickly? Could there really be a traitor among us?
Last time, their haul was intercepted by the Madfish Crew—maybe it was coincidence. But this time, it couldn't be. Before departure, even the crew hadn't known they'd come here.
"Captain, what do we do?" a female disciple asked, trembling.
"Get ready to fight!"
Rosie Ning drew her long blade. This time, she refused to back down—if they lost this windfall again, the Rose-Sea Crew might have to disband. The crew was her late husband's legacy. No matter what, she couldn't let it end. Even if it cost her life.