Chapter 30

"Boss, you've been the captain of the Cangyuan for almost ten years, how can you just give it up like this!"

"My life was saved by you, Boss. If you want to leave, I, Liu San, will be the first to disagree!"

"Exactly!"

"Why not just throw him into the sea to feed the fish once we set sail? After all, it's not unusual for someone to die at sea!"

The crew was in an uproar, and for a moment, Li Fan had become the public enemy of everyone on board.

The man calmed the crew with his hand: "Calm down, everyone, calm down! I know you all think highly of me, Zhang Haobo, but the Cangyuan is ultimately Zhao Guan's property, and we are just working for him. Now that Zhao Guan wants to replace me, what can I do?"

It would have been better if he hadn't said anything. Zhang Haobo's words only made the crew even angrier.

Their eyes turned red, and they glared at Li Fan as if they wanted to kill him.

Li Fan sneered inwardly.

The small tricks used by this man, Zhang Haobo, did not escape his notice.

On the surface, he was praising Li Fan, but in reality, he was stirring up the crew's distrust of Li Fan.

On the surface, he was speaking up for Li Fan, but in reality, he was fueling the crew's discontent.

On the surface, he was lamenting his own powerlessness, but in reality, he was hoping the crew would unite against Li Fan.

Playing both sides, pretending to be loyal while actually undermining him.

But these were just the tricks that Li Fan had already mastered.

With no fear on his face, Li Fan walked up to the crew and said loudly, "If you don't trust me, do you not trust Zhao Guan's judgment? Besides, we are about to set sail. Just wait and see what I can do! I won't let you down."

Li Fan's voice was loud and clear, drowning out the noisy chatter of the crew.

Seeing Li Fan's commanding presence, the crew was momentarily suppressed, and no one stood up to contradict him.

Li Fan didn't give them a chance, said his goodbyes, and entered the cabin alone.

He left behind a group of crew members staring at each other in confusion and a sullen-faced Zhang Haobo.

The crew whispered among themselves.

"Could that kid really have some skills?"

"He probably does. Zhao Guan's eyes are sharp; he rarely makes mistakes."

"I don't think he's an ordinary person."

...

"Finding treasures every time they set sail? I don't believe it!"

"He must have used connections to try to take my position as captain! Don't think I don't know!"

"Since he's already made such a big claim, I want to see how he'll back it up!"

Zhang Haobo was seething with anger, and seeing his subordinates being deceived by Li Fan's few words only made him angrier.

"Set sail! Head out to sea!"

He shouted angrily.

The Cangyuan set off from the port and sailed out to sea without the wind or human power, driven by a miniature magical array powered by spirit stones.

The ship was also equipped with a spirit guide, which would emit a signal when it detected the presence of Liuli fish in the nearby waters.

However, the ocean was vast, and the range of the spirit guide was limited.

So, experienced crew members were needed to find the general area where the fish were likely to be.

In normal years, the Liuli fish's movements were more predictable, making them easier to catch.

But if there was a storm or the fish migrated, all previous experience would be useless.

It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, relying entirely on luck.

And the Cangyuan's luck didn't seem to be very good.

After more than half a month, they had only caught some ordinary fish and found some regular sea minerals, with no significant harvest.

Not only were the crew members worried, but Zhang Haobo was also growing anxious.

After all, the last place would come with a punishment.

Compared to other jobs on the island, being a crew member on a ship was less risky and more profitable.

No one wanted to lose this opportunity.

"The island's rule is to return within a month. With what we've caught so far, we might end up with the least harvest. We can only hope for a turn of luck in the next few days. May the Immortal Master bless us."

Zhang Haobo looked at the calm, deep sea, feeling helpless.

At that moment, he heard footsteps behind him.

Turning around, Zhang Haobo saw Li Fan walking towards him.

"So, you finally came out of your cabin? If you hadn't been taking food every day, I would have thought you died in there."

Since setting sail, Li Fan had stayed in his room, never interacting with anyone.

Zhang Haobo, in a bad mood, had no patience for him.

Li Fan ignored his rudeness and gazed out at the distant sea, his expression serious.

He stood there, saying nothing.

Zhang Haobo, feeling uneasy at Li Fan's strange behavior, looked in the same direction but saw nothing unusual on the sea.

Li Fan's expression grew even more serious.

But he remained silent.

After a long while, Zhang Haobo couldn't stand it anymore and asked, "What are you looking at?"

Li Fan was startled, turned around, and glared at him with frustration.

"What are you doing, pretending to be a mystic?!" Zhang Haobo felt a bit guilty but still demanded an answer.

"I need a small boat!" Li Fan didn't answer him but turned back, his voice deep, "I saw treasure!"

"What..." Zhang Haobo was initially confused.

"What!" But he quickly reacted, exclaiming, "You're not joking, right!"

"Quick, prepare a small boat. I saw the jewels shining in the deep sea, waiting for me to retrieve them." Li Fan said solemnly.

Zhang Haobo was hesitant but then heard Li Fan add, "The opportunity is fleeting. The light of the jewels is fading. I'm about to lose their location."

Zhang Haobo immediately snapped to attention.

"Quick! Prepare the boat!"

The Cangyuan had several small boats, usually used for exploring narrow channels or testing dangerous unknown waters.

By the time the small boat was lowered and Li Fan sailed away alone, Zhang Haobo suddenly realized what he had done.

He didn't know why he had impulsively believed Li Fan's words.

Seeing treasure buried in the deep sea?

How could that be possible?

Just as he was about to say something, he heard Li Fan's distant voice.

"Don't follow me, wait for my signal!"

"Why?" Zhang Haobo couldn't help shouting.

"You're too noisy! It will break my concentration!" Li Fan replied.

Zhang Haobo's lips twitched, but recalling Li Fan's intense glare, he began to wonder if Li Fan might be telling the truth.

Time passed, and it had been two hours since Li Fan left alone.

"Is it possible he ran away?" A crew member, watching the direction Li Fan had gone, couldn't help asking.

"Stop talking nonsense. The sea is vast, and he has no food. Where could he go?" Zhang Haobo scolded the crew member. Just as he was about to say more, he saw a red signal flare in the distance.

"Quick! Head towards the signal!" Zhang Haobo ordered immediately.

The Cangyuan's engines roared, and they quickly reached the signal location.

There, they saw Li Fan standing on the small boat, looking exhausted.

"The treasure is here!" he told the crew.

Zhang Haobo and the others exchanged skeptical glances, unsure if it was true.

After a moment, Zhang Haobo gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "Into the water! Cast the net!"

Amidst the crew's half-belief and half-doubt, one box, two boxes...

Sixteen boxes of gold, silver, and jewels were slowly brought up from the sea.