Chapter 42: The Smuggling Pier

Once the matter of the puppies was set aside, Ryuji did not return to deal with them. Compared to the murlocs, they were far more time-consuming, and until three to five generations of them had matured, Ryuji could not form an effective fighting force. His early efforts were for the sake of the future; for now, they served no immediate purpose.

While dealing with the puppies, however, Ryuji took the time to study the severed head he had acquired earlier. As it did not fall into the category of items or equipment, it lacked detailed descriptions, yet Ryuji could clearly sense the type of troops it could influence.

The man had been filled with obsession before his death, lamenting why this plane was exclusively for undead-aligned players, while all other classes were treated as cannon fodder. He had been determined to carve out a path for mechanical units. Although this had violated certain taboos of the Southern Swamp plane, his logic was sound, and his obsession had left a mark on his remains. Ryuji noted that within the radius of the skull, the effectiveness of certain mechanical devices was enhanced.

According to Mande’s assessment, under the influence of this skull, the power of siege engines or long-range mechanical units could be increased by at least 20%. Of course, this came with a prerequisite: Ryuji would need to use the skull as a banner to train a corresponding unit.

Ryuji did not make a decision on this immediately. While he had skeletons and zombies, he could only train three specific types of troops, and the only unit specialized for undead forces was the Fledgling Eagle Warrior; he possessed no long-range mechanical units. Furthermore, he had no idea how long he would have to wait to obtain such training methods. He was unsure if holding onto such a valuable item indefinitely was the best course of action.

He was already contemplating his next moves. Once he finished off the worker aggregate that was about to enter the Underworld, he wondered if he should apply for a new game to see if he could reap better rewards, or perhaps seek out a black market for players to sell off his useless inventory in exchange for something worthwhile.

Lost in these thoughts, Ryuji was suddenly interrupted as the Fate-Spinning Spider Lady swung gracefully into view.

"Another ship has arrived at the pier. They are being difficult again; not only is the ship huge, but it's overloaded with cargo, clearly trying to waste our time. I told you, we should just string a web across the lake and have them dump the cargo into the water; I could drag everything up with my silk."

Coming back to his senses, Ryuji glanced at the Spider Lady. "Again? What did they bring this time?"

"Nothing of value, just some cheap stones. They claim the stones here are expensive—what a joke. Stones are everywhere outside. Do they think I don't know the market price?"

"Stones again? It seems they are looking down on me."

With that thought, Ryuji headed toward the Water-Deprived Lake. A commercial pier had been built there, allowing smuggler ships to dock with ease. The pier was a simple T-shape, with the head of the T in the water and the tail connected to the shore, ending in a wooden platform about three hundred meters square. It wasn't large, but it was clearly well-maintained.

The main body of the pier was small, with room for only one large sailing vessel on either side of the T-head. However, all ships in the Southern Swamp plane were beast-ships, and the ones currently docked were bizarre, mummified zombie beasts. Unlike living beast-ships, these did not transport people; their backs were loaded with supplies. Ryuji was at a loss as to why the smugglers had decided to ship him a mountain of stones.

As he approached, Ryuji saw the captain sent by the smugglers—a lizardman with dry, withered skin and strange fluids leaking from his eye sockets. It was clear he was a thrall who had undergone undead modification, suggesting that the smuggler behind this operation served a powerful player.

Upon seeing Ryuji, the lizardman in the captain's uniform was quite polite. He bowed respectfully and said, "Lord Sandro, aside from the final batch of one hundred murloc eggs, we have brought a large quantity of stones. These are high-quality goods, saturated with the aura of the Underworld. They are perfect for building cities or serving as ammunition for catapults."

"I don't need stones here. I need large quantities of metal, or perhaps suitable herbs," Ryuji interrupted.

"I apologize, Lord Sandro, but your clearance within our trade guild is insufficient. We can only sell you stones, wood, and flesh-tier goods. However, wood is currently in short supply, with several cities demanding it, and the sale of flesh is temporarily restricted. Therefore, stones are all we can provide. Why not buy these? If you purchase more, your clearance level will rise, naturally unlocking trade for other items."

"If stones are so easy to sell, do you want some? I have plenty of them here."

"We do, but the price won't be as high. For every ten units of stone, I take one as a shipping fee. Of course, if you have your own ships to transport them, ignore what I said—but as you can see, you aren't equipped to maintain these beast-ships."

Hearing this, Ryuji’s expression tightened, then he smiled. "No worries. I may not be able to acquire beast-ships, but I can certainly get other kinds. Tell me, if I provide my own transport, will the price increase?"

"This..." The lizardman faltered. He had intended to goad Ryuji into buying more stones to raise his guild rank—a tactic he had used many times before—but this was an unexpected turn of events.

The lizardman could not have known that Ryuji possessed the Transcendent Sailor class. While it no longer boosted his stats, it allowed him to transform any vessel into a transcendent ship. Ryuji hadn't planned on building his own fleet yet, but it seemed some matters could no longer be postponed.