Chapter 5 The First Bucket of Silver (1)

  When De Luo Lin rushed to the dock, he saw a group of people gathered in one corner of the dock. In the center of the crowd, a middle-aged man with a bald head and wearing a well-fitted long gown was loudly explaining something, with words like "sunken ship" and "salvage" faintly audible.

  It was him. Luo Lin immediately walked over and asked a tall dockworker standing on the periphery, "Uncle Gez, what happened here?"

  Luo Lin had been mixed up on the dock for five years, and he basically knew the dock workers here, such as Gezi, who was recognized as one of the best swimmers on the dock.

  Ge Zhen saw Luo Lin and casually explained: "The merchant Holm Lin has encountered a misfortune, his goods have fallen into the water, and he is currently recruiting people to salvage them."

  He turned around and roared at the middle-aged man in a rough tone: "No way, the price is too low! The place where the ship sank is at least 40 meters deep. It's like going to hell just to dive down once, and you're only giving one silver coin for it? Are you trying to get rid of a beggar?"

  Someone chimed in and said: "Gezi is right, add another ten copper coins!"

  "Right on!"

  "No way, one silver coin is already a high price, and we only salvage boxes from the shallow waters, no more than thirty meters." The middle-aged man bit down on the price and wouldn't let go.

  "Laster, stop being stingy! Your master Homlin's goods can't be soaked in water for too long, or they'll be useless when pulled out."

  "This is something I have no control over." Middle-aged Laster had a helpless look on his face, but he was just an administrator. Any specific income and expenditure had to be reported to Holmlin, not even a few small silver coins could be exempted. That miser looked very tightly at every single copper coin of his own.

  "Hey, you're just a dog." Some people scolded loudly in a hurry, but Laste's temper seemed to be very weak. When he heard this, he simply spread his hands helplessly, indicating that he was really powerless.

  Luolin listened on the side and rolled his eyes directly. He thought he could make more, but it turned out that both sides were fighting for ten copper coins.

  The two sides went back and forth like this, after about half an hour of arguing, the price still didn't go up. Most dockworkers had left and refused to take on this dangerous job, leaving only five people at the scene.

  These five people are the best swimmers on the dock, and for them, diving to find goods is not difficult. Although they earn a little less with one silver coin at a time, it's still better than nothing. This includes Gertz, who was the loudest in the previous argument.

  Laster looked around at everyone and finally his eyes landed on Rolen who was standing off to the side, asking somewhat unexpectedly: "Young fellow, what are you doing here?"

  "I'll help with the salvage too." Luo Lin said with a smile.

  Before Raster could speak, Getz waved his hand impatiently and shooed him away: "Go go go, kid. This isn't a job for you. With your build, you'd be fish food down there."

  Look at this little guy, his body is as thin as a straw, his face is white and scary, and he's slightly greenish. He's obviously born with a weak constitution. If he dives into deep water to retrieve something, even if he doesn't drown, he'll freeze to death. It's no different from sending him to his death.

  "Hey, Roline, do you know how to deal with seaweed that's wrapped around your legs? Do you know how to tie a reliable knot on the cargo box so it doesn't come loose when hooked up? Do you know what to do if you accidentally get water in your lungs?" Another dockworker spoke up.

  "Don't go courting death, kid."

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

  The five people present all tried to persuade him, they were kind-hearted, but Luo Lin was unappreciative, shook his head, and then looked at Laste: "Uncle, my swimming skills are better than anyone here!"

  Rast became somewhat interested and asked: "How good is it?"

  "I can dive for half an hour without changing air." Luo Lin raised his head, with a proud face.

  "...Everyone present was unusually speechless, staring at Luo Lin with eyes that looked like they were watching a madman.

  "Are you crazy? Even the Drate people from the south can't do that! Unless you're a real fish man!" Gertz thought this kid was talking nonsense, but as for himself, he was the best swimmer in the room and could hold his breath for at most ten minutes.

  "Hey kid, you dare to try?" Rast became even more interested.

  "Of course." Rolen glanced at the dark water in the harbor and smiled at Laste: "But you know, the water is a bit cold now. You have to let me eat a full meal, or I'll freeze to death after getting in the water."

  He said that, and the dockworkers all stopped talking, looked at each other, then turned to help Lasset, saying: "Let him try, let him eat his fill first, Lasset."

  Everyone was poor, and as soon as they heard Luo Lin's words, they all thought they had found an explanation for Luo Lin's boastful words. This kid must have gone crazy from hunger and came to cheat a meal out of them. Since that's the case, helping him out wouldn't hurt. After eating, Luo Lin would definitely try to welch on his debt, but at this dock, the dockworkers were in charge, so what if he tried to cheat them out of a meal?

  Laster was a good-natured old man, but he wasn't stupid. He thought for a moment and understood, let out a bitter laugh, and took five copper coins from his own pocket to hand over to Roland: "Kid, forget it, don't bother trying anymore. Take this money and go buy something to eat."

  Luolin is now really hungry, he feels like he can eat an elephant, he knows that this is the brain's doing, no matter how absurd the guy's theory sounds, but the energy he absorbs ultimately comes from the food Luolin eats, which makes Luolin very easy to get hungry.

  Rolin, who was starving, didn't care about dignity or face at this point. He took the copper plate and left with a sentence: "Mr. Laste, you absolutely won't regret paying for this meal, I guarantee it."

  After finishing speaking, he went into a nearby bakery to buy something to eat.

  Rast shook his head with a wry smile, not taking the words to heart. He began instructing the five dockworkers: "The sailors on the ship are all ready, just waiting for you 'fishmen' to get down to work. The plan is this: we'll take the Davy to the wreck site, you'll dive down and tie ropes around each crate underwater, hook them up..."

  "No more nonsense, Lauster. We know what we have to do. Let's get going while there's still some time this afternoon," Getz urged.

  "Alright, let's board the ship." Rast nodded and led five dockworkers onto the vessel.

  As the last of the passengers boarded, the sailors on the Davy were preparing to haul in the gangway and set sail when Romain rushed out of the dockside café, munching loudly on a black loaf of bread and shouting at the top of his voice: "Wait, wait, I'm not on yet, wait for me!"

  In the captain's quarters, the captain asked Rast: "Who is that kid?"

  "Never mind him, let's set sail." Rast shook his head. He didn't think this young man named Rolin would be of any use in salvaging goods. This skinny kid, even if he really could hold his breath for a long time, what was the point? The high pressure in deep water could knock him out cold.

  "Wait, let him come up." A soft voice sounded from the corner of the captain's room. The owner of the voice was a young woman wearing a light blue long dress, with a veil on her head that looked like mist and smoke, obviously a high-quality product.

  She had been sitting in the corner on a chaise longue, holding a book and reading, seemingly engrossed in a popular knight novel, appearing not to care about the outside situation, yet unexpectedly she heard it.

  "Miss Second?" Rast asked, puzzled, his tone extremely respectful, not just because she was Holmlind's second daughter, but more importantly, this woman was a noble mage.

  Holmlund, the miser, valued this daughter most, and the Davy was named after her.

  "I've seen everything that's happened on the shore, and since he dares to come over, it means he really has skills. Let's give him a chance to make some money then." The young woman said, before shifting her attention back to her book. To her, this was just a small matter, not worth worrying about.

  Rast was helpless and walked out of the captain's cabin, waving his hand at the sailors who were blocking Rolin from boarding the ship, shouting: "Let him come on board!"

  Luo Lin got on the boat.

  "Cast off!"

  The first mate shouted loudly, and the sailors in the hold began to pedal the paddle wheels with all their might. The sailors on deck raised the sails and started to harness the wind power. The Davy slowly left the harbor and headed towards the sinking ship.

  On the deck, Gezhi saw Luo Lin finally arrived on the deck, shaking his head and sighing: "Young man, you really don't know how high the sky is or how thick the earth is."

  As he spoke, he walked towards the first mate on the deck, pointed to Rolen and said a few words. Then the first mate called a sailor to bring over a dagger and handed it to him. He walked back, handing the dagger to Rolen: "Underwater, seaweed may entangle your legs, take this in case of an emergency. When you're done with it, remember to return it, such a dagger isn't cheap."

  "Thank you, uncle." Luo Lin sincerely thanked the other party for their care, then took over the dagger. In the instant the dagger reached his palm, a stream of information flowed through his mind.

  Iron dagger

  Quality: Ordinary

  Craft: Ordinary

  Minimum Power Usage: 1.0

  Special properties: None

  Attack target level cap: 4

  Trigger basic skill: Stab

  Luo Lin was very familiar with this information, and it was exactly the same as in the game. The dagger equipment could only be used to stab people, and warrior skills such as chopping, slashing, cutting, and sweeping were all unavailable.

  Luo Lin's attention shifted to 'Pierce', and a description of this skill emerged:

  Stab.

  Coordinate the strength of the whole body, with the tip of the dagger as the point of force explosion, and launch a powerful blow to cause massive damage to the enemy. After successful release, targets of the same level can be killed in one hit!

  Skill proficiency: 1/10 (Basic)

  Activation Time: 1 second (this time decreases as proficiency increases)

  In the game "Ancient Gods", the quantified damage has been cancelled, making it more humanized and similar to the real world. Any of your attacks that can break through the opponent's defense and hit their weak points will be able to kill them with one strike, unlike in the early days of online gaming where even if you stabbed a million spears into an opponent's heart, they could still run around wildly.

  With the dagger in hand, Luo Lin relied on his experience with thrusting in the game and made a few slight slashes on the deck. The familiar feeling instantly surged up, almost identical to that in the game.

  "Right, Zhī Nǎo, the simulation degree of this warrior is indeed very high." Luó Lín felt delighted in his heart. Before, he had complained about the difficulty of skill release in the game "Ancient Gods", because playing this game was almost like practicing martial arts in real life, and ordinary people found it hard to play well. Now, he finally understood the purpose of doing so.

  "The basic physical attack is almost 100% simulated, and if the player has the corresponding physical quality, with a little practice, they can reproduce any warrior's attack skill in the game in the real world. This is an important part of the 'New Continent' plan."

  "What you said is right, but this body of mine is really too trashy, only having low-quality first-rate abilities."

  "Don't worry, I'm doing my best to improve your physical condition, but you need to eat more, eat whatever you can, and especially eat more meat."

  "Got it."

  After a brief exchange, several sailors brought over a one-meter-long rectangular crate and began to demonstrate the method of tying knots for the divers.

  Luolin took a look and thought it was very simple, then personally tried it on the box several times, and basically mastered it.

  The wreck was located near the harbor and the Davy arrived at its destination quickly.

  The first mate, a burly man with a thick beard, bellowed loudly, directing the sailors to get busy: "Alright, prepare, ropes, bring the ropes over here, pulley frames, frames, you idiot..."

  Before long, Luo Lin was handed a heavy coil of rope that he could hardly lift. This was used to tie up underwater cargo. Then, ropes with iron hooks on the ends were lowered into the water from the ship's side. These ropes were used to pull up crates from the bottom of the sea.

  "Alright, 'Fishmen', it's your turn next." The first mate bellowed.

  Gertz stripped off his clothes, revealing a sturdy bronze body, and was the first to leap into the sea. The other four followed suit. Roline gazed at the dark water hesitantly, gritted his teeth, and also shed his clothes. His gaunt physique once again raised doubts.

  The deputy walked up, pinched his thin shoulders, looked at his two rows of ribs again, and frowned: "Are you sure you want to go down and die?"

  The other sailors also sneered: "This guy is really greedy for money and doesn't care about his life."

  Luolin rubbed his head and smiled foolishly: "I didn't eat enough earlier, if you give me a few more black breads, I'll definitely have more energy to work."

  "Alright, since you insist, I'll make sure you're stuffed to death." The first mate furrowed his brow but still beckoned with his hand, and a sailor brought over a large block of oatmeal bread.

  Since Second Miss agreed to let him on board, then give him a chance. Otherwise, with his temper, he would definitely kick this guy off with one foot.

  Rolin sat on the deck and devoured the large piece of oatmeal bread, after eating it, he still felt only half full, his stomach was like a bottomless pit now. However, these things were effective when eaten, at least he was standing almost naked in the cold spring wind, but didn't feel cold at all, instead his body was warm and cozy. He knew this was because of his brain regulating his body temperature.

  He originally wanted to eat some more, but seeing the deputy's impatient face, he smiled and said: "Don't worry, I will definitely do better than them."

  "Go ahead, and I hope next time you surface from the water, it's not as a corpse."

  Luo Lin smiled and tied the dagger to his leg, thought for a moment, and also brought the weapon scroll given by Amos, which was a spell scroll that wasn't afraid of water. Then he picked up the rope and turned around to jump into the sea.

  "Brrr, it's really cold." The seawater was icy and piercing to the bone, and Luo Lin felt that his entire body's blood was about to freeze. If it were the original Luo Lin, he would have frozen to death in less than a minute, but now, Luo Lin felt that there was always a warm current inside his body, and the blood in his body continuously sent this warmth to his limbs, maintaining his body temperature.

  In short, he is safe now.

  Because of the heavy rope on his body, Luo Lin was dragged down into the water.

  He hastily stuffed the breathing gel pack into his mouth, then took a deep breath, and immediately air began to seep in from the pack. Although it was a bit difficult to breathe, his chest felt somewhat suffocated, but he could still manage, without any feeling of asphyxiation.

  He is also not afraid of the heavy pressure of deep water, because he believes that his brain will automatically adjust his body.

  Everything was ready, he began to dive down calmly.