Damn! Blake Storm kicked fiercely in anger: "When that trash comes online, I'll just kill him on the spot!"

As for losing reputation? Worst case, I'll just become a pirate! Being a pirate means you can openly rob NPC merchant ships! Negative reputation rises faster than anything! Of course, if you go solo, you definitely can't start out as a pirate, but now that all the brothers are playing together, it's no problem.

Chapter 7: Phantom Submarine

At this moment, David Carter was yawning repeatedly while jumping on the reef, flipping through this tedious notebook full of various route maps and coordinate numbers, only pausing at places with text to take a closer look, but it was nothing more than various climate, hydrology, and geographic annotations. As for the location of Mithril Island, even if he looked at it himself, it was all a blur.

Come to think of it, mithril should be an even more precious strategic resource than gold in the eyes of mages, right? So how should I handle this map? Offer it as tribute? Sell it? Develop it myself?

Offering it or selling it seems too shortsighted. If I develop it myself, that would mean directly making an enemy of that Duke Mark Hall, right? In the game, it's said that the next major instance requires the combined strength of a big guild. How could an epic quest possibly be handled by an ordinary player like me? Find someone to cooperate with? Damn, just like Blake Storm, I don't trust other players either!

Just then, a line of text popped up.

—Year 155, May 12th, foggy. Today is my dear Serbia's 10th birthday, but I'm not by her side. I've been away from home for five years now. I wonder if she's gotten used to life at the church? I wonder if she still waits for me at the docks of St. Paul Port every morning? I wonder if she can still recognize her father now? Over these five years, we've experienced all kinds of extreme survival at sea, and we've all changed beyond recognition. Even I can't recognize myself in the mirror. May God bless my Serbia and keep her safe.

David Carter's eyebrows jumped—there's actual content here? What is this? Is this a hidden storyline? It must be! I'm a self-taught expert! St. Paul Port, a daughter living at the church, right? Hmm, it seems that in the game, sailors without relatives all send their children to be cared for by the church. Year 155, age 10, so now she should be 15?

Fifteen! Hehehe! Uncle, you can rest in peace. I thank you for teaching me your skills, and I will definitely look after her!

In high spirits, David Carter continued flipping through the pages.

—Year 155, September 24th, sunny. The months-long autumn gloom has finally ended. Everyone took out their bedding from the dorm to air it out, and to everyone's delight, they found lots and lots of fleas in the blankets. So everyone caught a bottleful, mixed them with treasured butter, and spread it on dry bread. What a delightful lunch!

What the hell!

—Year 155, November 4th, sunny. The sea was calm and the sky was clear. We arrived at the edge of the new Caribbean Sea, where pirates run rampant. I kept a vigilant lookout, not daring to relax for a moment. At noon, everyone started lunch, and I suddenly noticed an unnatural ripple in the water far off the side of the ship. Was I seeing things? Was it an illusion? Or a fish?

No! None of those! My intuition told me this must be the legendary Pirate King's ultimate skill, "Phantom Submarine"! They can use water screens to create illusions that hide their ships, allowing them to approach their prey in broad daylight without anyone noticing! I immediately raised the alarm! But the crew just laughed at me! I started to regret my rashness and paranoia!

But Captain Renoir firmly supported me, and the whole ship immediately changed course, set full sail with the wind, and fled at top speed. Just then, something shocking happened—a pitch-black pirate warship suddenly appeared on the empty sea! It really was the infamous Pirate King Redbeard from the legends! When he saw us trying to escape, he immediately dropped his disguise and gave chase at full speed!

At that moment, a golden light bathed my whole body, and I finally broke through my limits and reached Grandmaster-level Scouting! I did it! God! I praise you! I can finally step into the realm of the divine!

……

Seeing this, David Carter couldn't help but be stunned! It's easy to understand leveling up to Grandmaster by seeing through someone else's ultimate skill, but what does "finally step into the realm of the divine" mean? Could it be that after Grandmaster, reaching the divine level is actually simple?

David Carter hurriedly flipped further!

The following content was about Juan occasionally discussing the principles of this skill with Captain Renoir and the onboard mage Mark Hall. Their combined analysis suggested that this Phantom Submarine skill wasn't purely a matter of navigation—it might also involve certain magic, some scouting skills, and could even be related to the material of the ship itself. Moreover, this skill didn't seem like something one person could accomplish alone; it should be a team effort, a combination skill.

So it's a combination skill! Just as David Carter turned the page again,

—System prompt: You have studied the notes and experiences of your predecessor and gained 2,000 experience points. You have obtained information related to the skill "Phantom Submarine."

—Beginner tip: When a player obtains skill information, it triggers the skill research system. Players can develop the skill themselves, gather more detailed information from various NPCs, or find a mentor to learn the skill, etc.

—System prompt: Congratulations, you have reached level 3! You have gained 1 strategic attribute point, 1 skill point, +2 health, and +1 leadership.

Skill information! David Carter's jaw dropped!