Chapter 5

When Luo Lin arrived at the dock, he saw a crowd gathered in one corner. In the center of the crowd, a middle-aged man with a bald head and wearing a well-fitted robe was loudly explaining something. Words like "sunken ship" and "salvage" could be faintly heard.

It's him, Luo Lin immediately walked over and asked a tall dock worker standing on the outskirts, "Uncle Gez, what's happening here?"

Luo Lin had been hanging around the dock for five years and basically knew all the dock workers. For example, Gez was recognized as the best swimmer on the dock.

Seeing it was Luo Lin, Gez casually explained, "The big merchant Holmlin had a stroke of bad luck; his cargo fell into the water, and he's now recruiting people to salvage it."

After saying that, he turned and shouted loudly at the middle-aged man, "No way, the price is too low. The sunken ship is at least forty meters deep. Diving down there is like going to hell. You only give one silver coin per trip. Are you trying to send us beggars?"

Someone else chimed in, "Gez is right, add ten copper coins!"

"Right, add!"

"No way, one silver coin is already quite high, and we only salvage cargo in shallow waters, no deeper than thirty meters," the middle-aged man refused to budge on the price.

"Laster, don't be so stingy. Your master Holmlin's cargo can't withstand being in the water for long. If too much time passes, it won't be useful even if we salvage it."

"I can't make that decision," Laster looked helpless. He was just a manager, and any specific financial matters had to be reported to Holmlin, even if it was just a few silver coins. That miser watched every single copper coin closely.

"Hey, you're just a dog," someone impatient shouted, but Laster seemed very weak-willed. He just shrugged helplessly, indicating he was truly powerless.

Luo Lin rolled his eyes as he listened. He thought the price would be much higher, but it turned out both sides were haggling over ten copper coins.

After about half an hour of bickering, the price still hadn't increased, and most of the dock workers had left, unwilling to take on this dangerous job. Only five people remained.

These five were the best swimmers on the dock. For them, diving to find cargo wasn't too difficult. One silver coin per trip wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. Among them was Gez, who had been the most vocal.

Laster looked at the remaining people and finally turned his gaze to Luo Lin, who was standing aside, asking somewhat surprised, "Young man, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help with the salvage," Luo Lin smiled.

Before Laster could speak, Gez impatiently waved him away, "Go away, kid. This isn't a job for you. With your build, you'll just end up as fish food."

Looking at the kid, he was as thin as a straw, his face pale and slightly green, clearly suffering from some congenital weakness. If such a person dove into deep water, even if he didn't drown, he would freeze to death. It would be like sending him to his death.

"Right, Luo Lin, do you know how to deal with seaweed that tangles your legs? Do you know how to tie a reliable knot on the cargo box to ensure the hook doesn't come off? Do you know how to handle accidental water inhalation?" another dock worker asked.

"Don't go to your death, kid!"

"We're doing this for your own good."

The five people all tried to persuade him, out of genuine concern. But Luo Lin didn't appreciate it, shook his head, and looked at Laster, "Uncle, I'm a good swimmer, better than anyone here!"

Laster became interested and asked, "How good?"

"I can hold my breath for half an hour without surfacing," Luo Lin said proudly, raising his head.

"..." Everyone was speechless, looking at Luo Lin as if he were a madman.

"Are you crazy? Even the Delat people from the south can't do that! Unless you're a real merman!" Gez thought the kid was exaggerating. He himself was the best swimmer present and could only hold his breath for ten minutes at most.

"Kid, are you willing to try?" Laster became even more interested.

"Of course," Luo Lin looked at the dark water in the port and smiled at Laster, "But you know, the water is a bit cold. You need to let me eat a full meal so I won't freeze to death after diving."

Hearing this, the dock workers fell silent, exchanged glances, and then began to support him, saying to Laster, "Let him try, Laster. Let him eat a full meal before trying."

They were all poor people. Hearing Luo Lin's words, they all thought they had found an explanation for his boast. The kid must be starving and trying to get a meal. Since that was the case, helping him wasn't a big deal. After eating, Luo Lin would probably back out, but on the dock, the dock workers had the final say. What's the harm in letting him have a meal?

Laster was a kind-hearted man but not stupid. After a moment of hesitation, he understood and smiled bitterly, taking out five copper coins from his pocket and handing them to Luo Lin, "Kid, forget it. Take this money to buy some food."

Luo Lin was indeed very hungry. He felt he could eat an elephant. He knew it was due to the AI brain. No matter how complex its theory, the energy it absorbed ultimately came from the food Luo Lin ate, making him very prone to hunger.

Luo Lin, driven by hunger, didn't care about his dignity. He grabbed the copper coins and said, "Mr. Laster, you won't regret this meal. I promise."

With that, he rushed into a nearby bakery to buy food.

Laster shook his head with a bitter smile, not taking the words to heart. He began to assign tasks to the five dock workers, "The sailors and laborers on the ship are ready. We just need you, the 'mermen,' to dive. The plan is this: we will board the Davy and go to the site of the sunken ship. You will dive and tie ropes to each cargo box and hook them up..."

"Stop talking, Laster. We know what to do. Since it's still early in the afternoon, let's set off quickly," Gez urged.

"Alright, let's board the ship," Laster nodded and led the five dock workers onto the ship.

As everyone boarded, the sailors on the Davy were preparing to retract the gangplank and set sail. Luo Lin rushed out of the dock restaurant, eating a black bread and shouting, "Wait, I'm not on board yet, wait for me!"

In the captain's cabin, the captain asked Laster, "Who's that kid?"

"Forget about him, let's set sail," Laster waved his hand. He didn't think this young man named Luo Lin would be of any help in salvaging the cargo. Such a weak kid, even if he could hold his breath for a long time, the high pressure in deep water would knock him out.

"Wait, let him on board," a gentle voice came from the corner of the captain's cabin. The speaker was a young woman in a light blue dress, with a veil that looked like mist, clearly a high-quality and expensive item.

She had been sitting in a corner reading a book, seemingly a popular knight novel, and appeared not to care about the outside world. But she had heard the commotion.

"Miss Second?" Laster asked, puzzled. His attitude was very respectful, not only because she was Holmlin's second daughter but also because she was a noble mage.

Holmlin, the miser, valued this daughter the most. The Davy was named after her.

"I saw everything on shore. Since he dared to come, he must have some skills. Give him a chance to earn some money," the young woman said, then returned her attention to her book. To her, it was a trivial matter.

Laster had no choice. He walked out of the captain's cabin and waved to the sailor blocking Luo Lin, shouting, "Let him on board."

Luo Lin was allowed on board.

"Set sail!"

The first mate shouted, and the sailors in the hold started to pedal the paddle wheels. The sailors on deck raised the sails to harness the wind, and the Davy slowly left the port, heading for the site of the sunken ship.

On deck, Gez saw Luo Lin finally arrive and sighed, "Kid, you really don't know your limits."

Saying that, he walked over to the first mate, pointed at Luo Lin, and spoke to him. The first mate then called a sailor to bring a dagger and handed it to Luo Lin, "In the water, seaweed might tangle your legs. Use this to deal with emergencies. Remember to return it when you're done; a dagger like this isn't cheap."

"Thank you, Uncle," Luo Lin sincerely thanked him for his care and took the dagger. As soon as the dagger was in his hand, a stream of information flowed through his mind.

"Iron Dagger

Quality: Common

Craftsmanship: Common

Strength Requirement: 1.0

Special Attributes: None

Target Level Limit: 4

Basic Skill: Stab

"

Luo Lin was familiar with this information, just like in the game. Equipping the dagger meant he could only use it to stab, not to slash, chop, or slash diagonally, which were warrior skills.

Luo Lin focused on the "Stab" skill, and the description appeared:

"Stab

Description: Coordinate your entire body's strength, focusing the force at the tip of the dagger to deliver a powerful strike, causing significant damage to the enemy. A successful release can be fatal to a target of the same level!

Skill Proficiency: 1/10 (Basic)

Activation Time: 1 second (this time decreases with increased proficiency)

"

In the game "Ancient Gods," the damage system had been removed, making it more realistic. Just like in the real world, any attack that could break through the opponent's defense and hit a vital point could be fatal, unlike in the early online games where even a thousand spears to the heart wouldn't kill the opponent.

With the dagger in hand, Luo Lin, relying on his experience with the "Stab" skill from the game, practiced a few times on the deck. The familiar feeling came back, almost identical to the game.

"AI, you're right. The simulation of the warrior is indeed very high," Luo Lin was pleased. In the past, he had complained about the difficulty of skill activation in the "Ancient Gods" game because it was almost like practicing martial arts in real life, which ordinary people found hard to master. Now he understood the purpose.

"Basic physical attacks are nearly 100% simulated. If a player has the corresponding physical attributes, they can easily replicate any warrior attack skill from the game in the real world. This is an important part of the 'New Continent' plan."

"You're right, but my body is really weak, only a low-quality level one."

"Please rest assured, I am doing my best to improve your body quality, but you need to eat more, especially meat."

"Understood."

After a brief exchange, a few sailors brought a one-meter-long cargo box and began demonstrating how to tie the ropes for the divers.

Luo Lin watched and found it simple. He tried it a few times on the box and quickly became proficient.

The site of the sunken ship was near the port, and the Davy soon arrived at the destination.

The first mate, a burly man with a full beard, shouted loudly, directing the sailors to prepare, "Alright, get ready, ropes, get the ropes, pulley frame, frame, you idiot..."

Soon, Luo Lin was given a heavy roll of rope, which he could barely lift. This was for tying the underwater cargo. Then, ropes with iron hooks at the ends were lowered from the ship's side to pull up the cargo boxes from the bottom.

"Alright, 'mermen,' it's up to you now," the first mate shouted.

Gez took off his clothes, revealing a well-built, tanned body, and was the first to jump into the water. The other four followed. Luo Lin hesitated, looking at the dark, cold water, then bit his lip and took off his clothes. His emaciated body was once again questioned.

The first mate came over, pinched his thin shoulder, and looked at his ribs, frowning, "Are you sure you want to go to your death?"

The other sailors laughed, "This guy really wants money more than his life."

Luo Lin scratched his head and smiled, "I didn't eat enough earlier. If you give me a few more black breads, I'll work much better."

"Alright, since you insist, I'll let you die a full man," the first mate frowned but still waved, and a sailor brought a large piece of oat bread.

Since the second miss had agreed to let him on board, he would give him a chance. Otherwise, with his temper, he would have kicked the kid off the ship.

Luo Lin sat on the deck and ate the large piece of oat bread. After eating, he still felt only half full. His stomach was like a bottomless pit, but the food did have an effect. At least he now stood almost naked in the cold spring breeze without feeling cold, his body warm. He knew the AI was regulating his body temperature.

He wanted to ask for more food but saw the first mate's impatient face and smiled, "Don't worry, I'll do better than them."

"Go, and I hope you don't come up as a corpse."

Luo Lin laughed, tied the dagger to his leg, thought for a moment, and also brought the weapon scroll given to him by Arms. It was a spell scroll, waterproof. Then he picked up the rope and jumped into the sea.

"Ouch, it's so cold." The seawater was icy, and Luo Lin felt his blood almost freeze. If it were the old Luo Lin, he would have frozen to death in less than a minute. But now, he felt a warm sensation inside his body, and his blood continuously sent this warmth to his limbs, maintaining his body temperature.

In short, he was safe.

Because the rope on his back was heavy, it dragged him down into the water.

He quickly put the breathing gel bag in his mouth and took a deep breath. Air immediately seeped in from the bag, though it was a bit difficult to breathe, and his chest felt a bit tight, but it was manageable without the feeling of suffocation.

He wasn't afraid of the pressure in deep water because he trusted the AI to automatically regulate his body.

With everything ready, he began to dive calmly.