“Haobo, you’ve been the captain of the Cangyuan for almost ten years. How can you just agree like that?”
“You saved my life, Haobo. If you want to leave, I, Liu San, will be the first to object!”
“Exactly!”
“Why not throw him into the sea to feed the fish once we’re out at sea? It’s perfectly normal for someone to die at sea!”
The crew on the ship was stirred up, and Li Fan seemed to have become a public enemy.
The man used his hands to pacify the crew, saying, “Calm down, everyone! Although I, Zhang Haobo, know everyone holds me in great esteem, the Cangyuan is Steward Zhao’s property, and we are all just working for him. Now that Steward Zhao says he wants a change, what can I do?”
Saying this only made things worse; Zhang Haobo’s words further infuriated the crew.
Their eyes turned red, glaring at Li Fan with murderous intent.
Li Fan sneered inwardly.
He could see through the tactics used by this man named Zhang Haobo; they were far too feeble to escape his notice.
Praising Li Fan on the surface was to incite distrust among the crew towards Li Fan.
Speaking for Li Fan on the surface was to stir up dissatisfaction among the crew.
Expressing his powerlessness on the surface was to encourage the crew to unite against Li Fan.
Hypocrisy at its finest.
These were just petty political maneuvers.
Li Fan, with a fearless face, walked in front of the crew, standing tall and loudly declaring, “If you all don’t trust me, do you not trust Steward Zhao’s judgment? Moreover, we are about to set sail this time, just watch my methods! I will definitely not disappoint everyone.”
Li Fan’s voice was loud, drowning out the clamor of the crowd.
The crew, seeing Li Fan’s extraordinary momentum, were momentarily suppressed and no one stepped forward to argue.
Li Fan didn’t give them a chance. After bidding farewell, he took the lead and entered the cabin alone.
Leaving behind the crew with wide eyes and a sullen-faced Zhang Haobo.
The group whispered among themselves.
“Could that kid really have some skills?”
“Perhaps… it’s possible. Steward Zhao’s eyes are extraordinary; he rarely makes a wrong judgment.”
“He doesn’t seem like an ordinary person.”
…
“What, you believe that every time we go out to sea, you can lead us to find treasure? I don’t believe it!”
“You’re obviously just using connections to snatch the position of captain of our fleet! Do they think I’m ignorant?”
“Since he’s already said it, I want to see how he’ll end up!”
Zhang Haobo was secretly resentful, looking at his subordinates who were taken in by Li Fan’s words, feeling even more frustrated.
“Sail! Head out to sea!”
He shouted angrily.
The Cangyuan set off without wind, leaving the port and heading into the open sea.
The Cangyuan didn’t rely on wind or manpower, but a set of miniature formations powered by spiritual stones.
The ship was equipped with spirit detectors. When a nearby area showed signs of a school of Liu Li fish, the detectors would emit signals.
However, the sea was vast, and the range the detectors could sense was limited.
So, experienced sailors were needed to first find the approximate area where the fish might be.
In a typical year, the activity areas of the Liu Li fish were relatively regular, making them easier to catch.
But if there were raging storms and the fish migrated, all previous experience became useless.
It was like finding a needle in a haystack, purely relying on luck.
And it seemed like the Cangyuan wasn’t very lucky this time.
Half a month passed, and apart from catching some ordinary fish and finding some common sea minerals, there was not much of a significant catch.
Not only were the crew members all frowning, but Zhang Haobo was also getting anxious.
After all, there were penalties for the last place this time.
Compared to other jobs on the island, the work of the sailors going to sea was low-risk and high-reward.
No one wanted to lose out like this.
“The island’s rule is to return within a month. We’ve only caught this little this time; it’s very likely we’ll have the least catch. Let’s hope for a turning point in the next few days. May the immortals bless us.”
Zhang Haobo looked at the calm and deep sea, feeling helpless.
Just then, he heard footsteps behind him.
Turning around, Zhang Haobo saw Li Fan walking towards him.
“What, are you finally willing to come out of the cabin? If it weren’t for the fact that you still eat every day, I would have thought you were dead in there.”
Since they set sail, Li Fan had been staying in his room and not communicating with anyone.
Zhang Haobo was in a bad mood and didn’t have a good expression towards him.
Li Fan didn’t pay attention to his impolite words. Instead, he gazed into the distant sea with a serious expression.
He just stood there, not saying a word.
Zhang Haobo saw Li Fan’s strange behavior and felt a bit uneasy, looking in the direction he was staring at, but saw nothing unusual on the sea’s surface.
Li Fan’s expression became even more serious.
Yet, he remained silent.
After a while, Zhang Haobo couldn’t bear it and asked, “What are you looking at?”
Li Fan was startled and turned around, full of regret, staring at Zhang Haobo angrily.
“What are you pretending for?!” Zhang Haobo was a little guilty but persisted.
“I want a small boat!”
Li Fan didn’t answer him, but turned his head and said in a deep voice, “I’ve sensed treasures!”
“What…” Zhang Haobo was a bit confused at first.
“What!” But he quickly reacted and exclaimed, “Are you not kidding!”
“Quick, prepare a boat for me. I’ve seen treasures shining in the deep sea, waiting for me to salvage,” Li Fan said solemnly.
Zhang Haobo was hesitating, but then Li Fan said, “The opportunity is fleeting. The brilliance of the treasures is dimming. I’m about to lose its position.”
Zhang Haobo immediately woke up.
“Hurry! Prepare the boat!”
The Cangyuan was equipped with several small boats, generally used to explore narrow passages or venture into unknown and dangerous sea areas.
And when the small boat was ready and lowered, Li Fan sailed away alone.
It was only when the small boats were put down and Li Fan was driving away alone that Zhang Haobo suddenly came to his senses.
He didn’t know how he could have believed Li Fan’s words just now.
Sensing treasure buried under the deep sea?
How could that be possible?
He was about to say something when he heard Li Fan shouting from afar.
“Don’t follow me, wait for my signal!”
“Why?” Zhang Haobo couldn’t help but shout and ask.
“You are too noisy! It’s easy to interrupt my detection!” Li Fan responded.
The corner of Zhang Haobo’s mouth twitched, but recalling the scene just now when Li Fan glared at him, he seemed to think that perhaps the other party had not told a lie.
Time passed, and two hours had passed since Li Fan left in his boat alone.
“Maybe he ran away alone?” a crew member asked anxiously as he looked in the direction Li Fan was leaving, unable to help himself.
“What nonsense are you talking about? The sea is vast, and he didn’t bring any provisions. Where could he possibly go!” Zhang Haobo scolded the crew member and was about to say more when he saw a red signal in the sky from a distance.
“Quick! Move the ship there!” Zhang Haobo immediately ordered.
The Cangyuan activated its power and quickly arrived at the location of the signal.
There, Li Fan stood on the small boat, looking exhausted.
“The treasures are right here!” he said to everyone.
Zhang Haobo and his men looked at each other, unsure if it was true or not.
A while later, Zhang Haobo gritted his teeth and said, “Get into the water! Release the nets!”
Amidst the doubt of everyone, one crate, two crates…
A total of sixteen crates of gold, silver, and jewels were slowly hoisted up.