Chapter 7: Choices Made by Adults

After seeing the Coastal King sail away, Shano continued climbing the rope ladder. Before long, he reached the very top and grabbed the railing. Just as he was about to hoist himself over, suddenly a dozen arms reached out.

Some grabbed his armpits, others lifted his bent knees. The young man was frozen in place, unable to move, like a freshly caught fish held firmly by many hands as they carried him through a crowd of cheering and whistling sailors.

“Hey? Wait, what are you doing?!” he cried out in panic.

No one answered. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gart smiling as he took out his pipe, tapped it, and lit it. The scent of tobacco wafted gently toward him.

The next moment, Shano felt his body lighten and was suddenly tossed into the air.

“Whoa—hey!”

“Stop it, put me down!”

“Whoa—hey!”

“I’m afraid of heights… no wait, I just ate. If you keep this up, I’m going to throw up!”

“Whoa—hey!”

“That’s enough! Betraying kindness with ingratitude, huh? I should have let those sea kings eat you all!”

“Whoa—hey!”

“Just eat me too, then!”

...

After some time, Shano was finally set down, feeling dizzy and nearly stumbling to the deck.

The veteran sailors had been doing heavy labor for years; their arm strength was formidable. Being tossed around in the air felt like riding a roller coaster all day.

Even though he had quickly overcome seasickness before, now he was overcome by the urge to lean over the railing and vomit.

“Impressive, Brother Shano!” Gart gave a thumbs-up, exhaling a smoke ring, his face filled with admiration.

“You’ve been hiding your true strength. I even doubted you before and treated you like a kid. It’s my old eyes playing tricks on me. Now I don’t even know whether I should apologize or thank you first.”

In the desperate, oppressive situation just now, even a sea captain like him, who had roamed the seas for decades, had been ready to give up and accept death.

Yet this young boy had remained calm, assessed the situation accurately, and acted decisively without hesitation.

He genuinely admired the youth before him, even unconsciously shifting how he addressed him—from “kid” to “brother.”

“Better to apologize, thanks aren’t necessary,” Shano rubbed his still-dizzy forehead. “I don’t want to be seen as some bystander. I’m on this ship too, just trying to protect myself.”

“Don’t say that, brother!”

“Yeah, you saved everyone on this ship!”

“We’ll never forget you for the rest of our lives!”

The crew burst into lively chatter again. Someone muttered, “Should we keep the party going?”

Then came remarks like, “Idiot, haven’t we been partying all along?” and “That was too small-scale; celebrating survival isn’t enough,” or “We should hold a bigger, louder celebration.”

Soon their voices merged into a single chorus, echoing across the deck—

“Party! Party! Party!”

“All right!” Gart got excited and laughed heartily, slapping the table decisively. “Everyone, help out! Let’s throw the party again. Nobody leaves tonight; we drink until we drop!”

“Drink until we drop!”

The sailors scattered, each busy clearing the party area, carrying liquor, preparing dishes and cutting meat, reassembling tables... It looked like they were determined to have the festivities up and running within half an hour.

Shano was left standing in the wind, feeling bewildered.

No, this was wrong.

After being slammed dozens of times like a cup by the Coastal King, shouldn’t the first priority be to check whether the hull was leaking or the keel was broken?

...

The next day.

Shano woke with a splitting headache. Was this a hangover? Blinding sunlight poured in through the porthole. It was already noon.

He patted his head and vaguely recalled that last night he had been the center of the party, enthusiastically plied with unknown amounts of alcohol by the sailors.

At first, he drank cautiously, but later went wild, his face flushed as he laughed and danced around the bonfire with the crew, singing wild songs.

The most absurd part was that he had even used a coconut shell as a megaphone, climbed the lookout tower, and led the entire crew in singing the eight-tone East Sea classic "Sailors Embrace Mermaids." Thinking back, his ears burned with embarrassment.

What on earth were these people?

He was still underage, how could he be drinking?

As he hastily threw on his rumpled coat, Shano suddenly froze—this cabin with velvet curtains was absurdly large, big enough to fit his old bed as a footrest. The private bathroom even carried a lemon-scented aroma.

Wow, he had been upgraded. This must be the best room on the ship.

Compared to the simple cabin he had before, this was like moving from a budget single to a presidential suite.

He opened the fridge and took out a cola. The hiss of carbon dioxide escaping when he popped the tab, the cool, sweet liquid flowing down his throat, finally refreshed him considerably.

“Hey? Brother Shano, you’re awake?” a sailor passing by heard the noise and called out warmly from outside the door. “Are you hungry? What do you like to eat? I can bring something over for you.”

“No trouble, thank you,” Shano quickly replied. “You go about your business. If I get hungry, I’ll go to the dining hall myself.”

“Okay, as you wish! If you need anything, just let us know!”

After the footsteps faded away, Shano collapsed back into the sofa and eagerly opened the system interface.

Eat? He had just received a large sum of money yesterday, and the trading market was about to refresh in the coming days. When there was shopping to be done, who cared about eating?

The deep blue panel appeared before his eyes. His gaze skipped the earlier lines and landed on the last two:

[Remaining Points: 10,025]

Now he understood why those who stared at their treasure with silly grins enjoyed it so much.

When savings reach a certain amount, even doing nothing but repeatedly checking your bank balance can fill you with satisfaction and security, making you feel like you’re floating on air.

After a long while, he finally looked away from the balance.

On the right, a new page popped up with pictures of goods, detailed descriptions, and prices below.

Interested items could be added to the shopping cart; unwanted ones could be scrolled past with a thought.

This was the trading market.

Every month, ten new items refreshed randomly. As long as you had enough points, you could buy anything you wanted before the next refresh.

At first, Shano thought these were all system direct sales, but he quickly realized otherwise.

It was more like a Taobao connecting countless worlds, with a few system-supplied items but mostly products from individual sellers from other worlds.

The goods were wildly diverse, as if each world had assigned a traveler to scour for treasures.

Every scroll down felt like opening a blind box.

He quite enjoyed this part.

Every month at refresh time, he made a point to browse first.

Unfortunately, he had been poor before, unable to afford anything, only watching wistfully.

Occasionally, affordable items appeared, but he was always forced to weigh pros and cons and mostly had to give up. In three years, he had only bought the Breathing Fist technique and basic swordsmanship.

Now he was rich.

This time, he was determined to indulge himself. When he saw something he liked, he added it straight to the cart!

Adults might hesitate and deliberate, but he was still a child—he wanted it all!

He quickly focused and began browsing the first item.

[Statue of Heracles]

[Type: Buff Item]

[Price: 2,000 points]

[Description: The greatest hero of ancient Greek mythology, who ascended to Mount Olympus after death and became synonymous with strength. This finely crafted statue stands about 20 cm tall. When placed within ten meters during physical training, it grants triple efficiency. This buff stacks with other items.]

[Seller’s Note: Precedent exists, beware of loss! Some people act like auto-pickup bots and steal everything.]

“Triple efficiency while training?” Shano blinked, eyes gleaming, and without hesitation added it to his cart.

No need to think twice.

He had good talent for physical training, but who would complain about having too much talent?

Based on past experience, most items on the market were priced in the triple digits. Two thousand points was somewhat steep, but buff items were almost always treasures not to be missed, especially since this one had no time limit—just place it and the effect was permanent!

“Good stuff!” Shano felt eager to see its effects.

With triple efficiency, could he finally rival the true top geniuses on this vast sea?

He scrolled down and browsed the next item.

————

[Shadowheart’s Camp Outfit]

[Type: Equipment]

[Price: 200 points]

[Description: Black, form-fitting casual wear, no attribute bonuses, better suited for rest. When you lie down to sleep wearing it, you might hear the stirring of darkness in your ear—that’s Lady Shar whispering.]

[Seller’s Note: I really want to lick Shadowheart’s feet.]

“...” Shano’s face went blank.

He flicked it away immediately.

If there really were a Travel Bureau, he hoped they would forbid perverted fat geeks from crossing dimensions!

————

[Sulawesi No. 3 Steering Engine]

[Type: Wonder]

[Price: 10,000 points]

[Description: One of the largest steering engines built by the Wandering Earth Project near the equator, over 15 kilometers tall with a base diameter exceeding 60 kilometers. With sufficient fuel, a single unit’s thrust can reach 2 quadrillion tons.]

[Seller’s Note: Just dug up, still hot.]

No, dude.

Who the hell are you?

Even if you turned into Ultraman, you couldn’t dig this up.

The price was absurd—the highest he’d seen in three years. But wonders were always like this in any worldview: not something for early or mid-game consideration.

Still, temptation was strong. If he ever had a million points, he’d definitely buy it.

If he died with points left unspent, he’d at least summon this and let everyone marvel.

————

[Ren Amamiya’s Black Canvas Bag]

[Type: Miscellaneous]

[Price: 600 points]

[Description: A backpack suitable for middle school students, packed with second-year textbooks from Shujin Academy. Occasionally, meows can be heard from inside, but until the zipper is opened, the cat’s fate is unknown.]

[Seller’s Note: Found next to a subway turnstile.]

“Hmm...”

Shano thought briefly, then shook his head.

He searched through his past memories but, having limited exposure to the second dimension, couldn’t recall which world this came from.

Based on experience, miscellaneous items were usually useless. The hairpin he sacrificed was also in this category.

Unless he was especially interested, buying one for 600 points here would be a waste.

————

[Six-Form Secret Manual x2]

[Type: Training Manual]

[Price: 800 points]

[Description: A manual detailing the six-style physical techniques: Shave, Paper Drawing, Moon Step, Storm Kick, Iron Block, Finger Gun. Opening each book grants a random style.]

[Seller’s Note: None, system direct sale.]

“Six forms?”

Shano’s spirit lifted.

Although system direct sales were few, they were always practical, unlike individual sellers who just tried to mess around.

This one was no exception.

This was the CP Department’s childhood physical training, usually reserved for elite navy battalions.

Those who mastered these techniques could walk proud outside the Grand Line.

He had long coveted this set and hoped to find it in the market. Now his wish was granted.

“Can randomly get two out of six…”

He decisively added it to his cart.

Two manuals for only 800 points—no matter which two styles he got, it was a bargain!

————

[Sephiroth’s Authentic Sword]

[Type: Weapon]

[Price: 500 points]

[Description: From the Final Fantasy VII world, the ultimate villain Sephiroth’s blade, shaped like a katana named “Masamune.” Over two meters long, with a handle about 50 cm and a blade only 3 cm wide and a few millimeters thick.]

[Seller’s Note: “What you see now is reality; what you remember was the illusion.”]

This gave him pause.

His swordsmanship talent was weak, and he had no short-term plans to practice.

But in the pirate world, swords and blades were inseparable, the premier weapons. Having a reliable weapon seemed only right.

Made by Shinra’s technology for 1st-class warriors, its quality was unquestionable. In the pirate world, it was at least as good as a fine quick blade, possibly even a heavy blade.

“Buy!”

Shano made up his mind, adding another item to his cart.

If the price had been higher, he might have given up.

Scrolling down a few more items, none interested him or had poor cost-effectiveness. Soon, he reached the end.

At checkout, he had three items totaling 3,300 points spent.

[Remaining Points: 6,725]

An item to speed up training was one of his most needed things. He was lucky to find these; he planned to buy more training manuals next month, just in time to finish returning to his village and begin serious training.

Satisfied, Shano opened another can of cola, closed the trading market, and eagerly opened his backpack while sipping the sweet, joyful drink.