Genshin Impact: I Am a Slime

Pantalone's sarcastic and insightful conspiracy theories still echoed in the sea breeze, but Famas's crimson eyes suddenly turned to the distant horizon.

At the boundary between the deep night sky and the dark blue sea, dozens of blurry yet menacing black figures slowly broke through the thin mist, silently approaching the fleet led by the Yermak.

That was no ordinary merchant ship, but a warship armed to the teeth, its cold metal gleaming.

The Southern Cross fleet of Beidou, the "Dragon King of the Sea".

Pantalone had clearly seen the approaching fleet in the distance, but remained as calm as ever.

Famas knew very well that Pantalone's composure was not due to fearlessness of death, but rather because what stood before him was merely a carefully crafted slice of the real Pantalone.

A consumable that can be discarded at any time, or replicated again in the secret laboratory at the end of winter.

Even if this body were to vanish into thin air at this moment, to the original body far away in winter, it would only be the loss of a chess piece.

Meanwhile, on the Death Star, which was speeding through the waves, the atmosphere was completely different.

Urgent commands rang out one after another, and the entire ship, like a taut bowstring, entered the highest level of combat readiness.

The sailors moved like precise gears, the thick ropes screeching against the pulleys, and the huge sails were quickly raised to the top of the mast, greedily capturing every wisp of sea breeze.

The sailors on the lookout tower reported their positions at the top of their lungs, while the helmsman gripped the rudder tightly, his arm muscles bulging, aiming the bow precisely at the few prey boats that had just left port and were trying to merge into the deep sea.

At the menacing ramming horn at the bow, Beidou, Ningguang, Zhongli, Traveler, and Paimon stood side by side, like several silent reefs, their gazes piercing through the night and surging waves, firmly locked onto the leading "Yermak" and its escort fleet.

"Tsk, you're pretty fast!"

Beidou spat and calmly issued orders to the sailors on the ship.

The ocean-going ships built by Winter have always been known for their powerful engines. After all, Winter Country has many seasonally frozen ports, and merchant ships that want to seize the opportunity to go to sea for business have to break through the ice.

The earlier you set sail, the better quality goods you can obtain and the lower the prices you can negotiate.

Therefore, the main research focus of Zhidong Shipyard is on ramming icebreaking and ship propulsion. After all, even if the ice is broken, without strong propulsion, it is difficult for ships to move forward through the ice.

Therefore, when converted to relatively warm and calm seas, the speed of Zhidong ships is always faster than that of ships from other countries. Even multinational merchant ships of the same model and batch, produced at Zhidong's factory, will still have significantly better engine performance than those from other countries.

Since Liyue Harbor never freezes and is a major shipping hub attracting merchants from all over the world, shipbuilding and research naturally focus on storage and transport capacity and sailing range.

Ships from the Liyue Shipyard can carry a lot and travel far, perfectly meeting the cargo-carrying needs of multinational merchants. However, in terms of power and icebreaking capabilities, they are completely inferior to the ships from Winter.

However, Beidou's Death Star is clearly not included in this category.

Although the Deathstar was also assembled and launched in Liyue Harbor, the components of this flagship came from all over the seven kingdoms.

The keel was designed by Fontaine's top ship designers, the ship structure was demonstrated by the sages of the Mystic School, the copper rivets forged by Nata craftsmen near the volcano, the ronin sailors were tempered in the thunderstorms of the Inazuma Islands, and the complete power system was smuggled in with great effort from the cutting-edge power workshop of the Winter.

Finally, this war behemoth, a culmination of the best of the seven nations and armed to the teeth, was assembled and launched in the embrace of Liyue Harbor, thanks to the coordination of Liyue's skilled craftsmen and the support of vast resources.

It was not born in one country, but it eventually became the most dazzling symbol of Yunlai's naval power, a veritable legendary warship sailing in reality, representing seven nations.

"Can we... catch up with Pantalone and the others?"

Paimon hovered in the air, his little face full of worry as he looked at the vast sea in front of Lonely Cloud Pavilion.

Pantarone's fleet sailed directly from Liyue Harbor into the deep sea, while the Deathstar had to detour through Lone Cloud Pavilion to pursue them.

"what!"

Beidou grinned, brimming with confidence.

"Don't worry! No ship on these seven seas can outrun my Death Star!"

With a wave of his hand, the Dragon King of the Sea roared across the deck: "Full sails! Full power! Forward!" As soon as the order was given, the entire ship was like a giant beast awakening. The sails instantly swelled to their maximum, and the ship accelerated sharply, cutting through the waves and speeding away.

Beidou strode to the very front of the ship, deftly unfastened the telescopic telescope—a symbol of the captain's authority—from his waist, and with a whoosh, extended it to its longest length.

The cold brass mirror pressed against his eye sockets, and Beidou's gaze shot towards the deck of the Yermak like a hawk.

However, when his vision became clear and he could see the two figures standing side by side on the deck, Beidou frowned suddenly and his hand holding the telescope stopped abruptly.

"……Um?"

She let out a short, questioning hum. Besides the expected Pantalone, there was also a young man with red and white hair beside the big banker.

The telescope's narrow, circular field of view locked onto the other party, and just as the Big Dipper's gaze focused on it...

As if telepathically connected, or perhaps piercing through the distance and the coldness of the glasses, the boy suddenly turned around without warning.

His movements were precise, and his crimson pupils, through the vast sea fog and rolling waves, pierced directly through the limitations of the lens, looking straight at Hokuto himself, who was holding the lens tube at the bow of the Death Star.

But how could that be? They were at least sixty nautical miles apart.

Immediately afterwards, in the reflection of the suddenly contracting pupil of the Big Dipper, the corners of the boy's mouth slowly turned up, outlining an incredibly clear smile, yet carrying an indescribable inhuman quality.

"Ningguang, come and take a look."

Without hesitation, Beidou moved the telescope away from his eyes and handed it to Tianquan Xing beside him with a slight pause, his voice filled with uncertain confusion.

Ningguang didn't say much, but gracefully and quickly took the telescope, her movements carrying a rare tension.

The cold lens pressed against the corner of her eye, instantly zooming in. When Famas's face, with a playful expression, was clearly reflected in the mirror, Ningguang's crimson eyes suddenly narrowed.

A barely perceptible glint of cold light flashed in her eyes, and the knuckles of her fingers gripping the glasses turned slightly white.

Ningguang took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and forced herself to remain calm as she handed the telescope to the erudite and composed Zhongli beside her.

"Mr. Zhongli, you..."

Upon hearing this, Zhongli simply shook his head slowly, his golden eyes calm and unwavering.

Even without using a Beidou telescope, he could see FAMAS on the Yermak.

After all, the violent aura emanating from Famas was as dazzling as a candle flame in the dark in his eyes.

So Zhongli didn't reach out to take what Ningguang offered, but instead turned slightly to the side, his gaze gesturing towards the traveler.

"I am not used to the rough seas and cannot see very far. Perhaps it would be more appropriate for a traveler to witness this situation."

Yingmei's heart skipped a beat. After seeing Ningguang and Beidou's unusual reactions, an ominous premonition arose within her.

She silently took the telescope from Ningguang's hand, filled with questions, and held it up to her eyes, carefully imitating the shape of the Big Dipper, adjusting the focus.

The cold lens blocked out the sea breeze, and the girl's vision was instantly fixed on the brightly lit deck of the Yermak.

When Famas' familiar figure, and Pantalone beside him with a calm smile as if admiring the night view, came into clear view, the traveler's hand holding the telescope tightened suddenly, and his body froze on the spot.

All the questions, worries, and shocks were stuck in my throat, turning into a heavy and oppressive silence.

The noise on the deck seemed to vanish in an instant, leaving only the sobbing of the sea breeze in my ears.

Famas, he has once again sided with the Fools. (End of Chapter)