We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 117 A Triumphant Return, Further Enhancement!
"Rescue?"

A thought struck Xia En, and he asked, "Whom do you want to save?"

"Julius Caesar IX".

Jack explained, "In fact, the current Rust Lord is not the original owner of this city."

"He was merely a usurper, a greedy and insatiable tyrant, and it was only after he came to power that the rule of forced labor began."

Shaen pondered, "So, Caesar IX was a king who was usurped?"

"Yes and no."

"?"

Jack knew his statement was a bit hard to understand, so he immediately said, "Cesare I was indeed the city lord who was usurped by the Rust Lord."

"But all the Caesars after him were merely rebels who inherited his memories, character, and will."

This explanation still sounds a bit strange.

Moreover, can people who have been transformed into machines still have offspring?

"Wait, memory and personality?"

Suddenly realizing something, Xia En exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be..."

“That’s right. Every Caesar in every life was originally a humanoid machine like me, just an ordinary resident of the city.”

"But one day, they will suddenly awaken their memories of Caesar."

"And personality is determined by memory."

"Their behavior and personality will gradually resemble that of the city lord during the process of memory awakening, and they will become a completely new Caesar."

“Strangely, only one Caesar can appear at any given time, and only after this Caesar dies will a new successor be born.”

The blue light in Jack's eyes was unusually deep: "Some say this is a backdoor that Caesar set up in the mechanical puppets."

"Some people say it's a terrible, insane curse."

"But whatever the truth may be, generation after generation of Caesars have been born, and without exception, they have all embarked on the path of rebellion against the Rust Lord."

"And Julius Caesar IX was just one step away from success."

"The Corrupt Grand Prince feared Caesar IX so much that he dared not let him die, nor dared he let him live, so he imprisoned him on the Serpent of Midgard and used him as fuel to keep him alive."

Xia En silently chewed over these horrifying pieces of information and swallowed them down to digest.

"So, you want to?"

The voice emanating from beneath Jack's metallic body was resolute: "If the agent dies here, the [Rust Lord] will not let it go."

"Besides, even if you escape this service, there will be a next time, and the time after that."

"Its appetite is growing ever larger. Only by overthrowing the rule of this usurper tyrant can it have a chance of survival."

"Therefore, I would like to ask you to rescue Caesar IX, or... grant him liberation!"

"Of course, I won't let you work for nothing. I can help you collect precious metals, steam devices, or other treasures."

After hearing this, Xia En was quite tempted.

He already had the idea of ​​grinding monsters and leveling up in the Rusty Ruins, so going to the "high-level area" - the Serpent of Midgard - was perfectly fine.

It would be best if we could rescue Caesar IX, but if we can't, there's not much of a loss.

As a native, Jack certainly had more ways of collecting metals and other materials than he, an outsider.

To put it simply, this is a cooperative model similar to that of the sea creatures in Coral City.

They post tasks, and Shane completes them to receive payment.

The only problem is that Shane will offend the city's current ruler, the Rust Lord.

But then he remembered that he had just beheaded the Rust Lord's official...

Ok, problem solved.

Shane extended his hand: "Deal made."

The two hands quickly clasped together.

Before long, Jack pulled out two beautiful brass spheres, a dark gold nugget, and a special mechanical device.

"The sixth-generation Steam Heart, this is a rare find that you can't even see at sea."

"I'll also give you these [Nether Gold] as a thank you gift and a deposit for the initial payment."

"This [Nether Gold] is also a good thing. It is an active metal with extremely strong compatibility and can be used to enhance almost any device."

"Finally, there is an underwater sound-emitting device, which allows for communication even in seawater."

"The Steam Heart of the Sixth Generation!?"

Upon hearing this, Xia En's face lit up with joy.

This is exactly what he needs.

The Gluttonous Steam Turbine can currently be equipped with five cores. Previously, it only had one fourth-generation Steam Core installed, and its efficiency was greatly improved.

If these two sixth-generation cores were installed, the speed of the Black Swan would obviously increase again!
Xia En accepted the gifts without ceremony and asked, "..."

"Then how can I contact you later?"

Jack thought for a moment and said, "There is only one black spire in the Copper and Iron District. I will send someone to wait at the base of the tower."

……

……

Not long after.

Shane left the bar.

However, he wasn't in a hurry to engage the [Midgard Serpent], but instead returned his consciousness to his original body on the [Black Swan], allowing Joey and Ann to dive into the sea.

After the last storm, Joey is no longer afraid of the sea.

Or rather, she has accepted the Siren bloodline within her and bid farewell to her past self.

That's why he volunteered to dive into the sea, wanting to become the captain's helper.

Xia En was naturally very satisfied with the high level of enthusiasm among his employees, and there was no reason for him to suppress them.

As for the existence of the projected body?
To be honest, Shane no longer cared about being exposed to the crew.

As a Pathfinder, it's perfectly normal for me to have some special abilities!

How Joey and the others interpret it is their business. A moment later.

As Joey and Ann continued to descend, they came across a dark and deep figure.

In the dim seawater, the already mysterious body blends into the environment, becoming indistinguishable from it.

It's as if... this deep sea is his home turf!

That mysterious and reserved temperament evokes images of a dark abyss or a vast, boundless starry sky.

"Is this... the captain from the sea?"

Joey's eyes widened in astonishment.

Strangely enough, a captain in this state should be somewhat frightening.

But Joey felt an inexplicable sense of closeness to him, as if he had a comforting aura about him.

"I really want to smell it..."

Joey blushed and quickly shook her head to dismiss the audacious idea.

Xia En had no idea what was going on in this little girl's head, and simply spoke using the underwater voice-emitting device.

"Our goal this time is to collect the forging and smelting tools that Faia needs. These shouldn't be hard to find in the factory area."

"If you encounter a humanoid metal golem, notify me immediately and do not linger in battle."

Although Feiya is an excellent steam engine engineer, even the most skilled cook cannot make a meal without ingredients.

The equipment on the Black Swan is obviously not as complete as that on Silvermoon Island, which is why the first wave of looting is to be carried out in the Factory District.

Of course, Shane could have entrusted this matter to Jack.

But owing too many favors can be a real hassle to repay.

It's best to handle trivial matters outside the scope of trading yourself.

The three then patiently searched the city's construction zone.

It must be said that after transforming into mermaid form, Joey's movements in the seawater were exceptionally agile and nimble, only slightly inferior to Shane.

Working together greatly improved efficiency, and they found all the tools Fei Ya had requested in just half an hour.

During their time there, they did encounter a few crazed mechanical puppets.

However, with An as the tank, Joey as the mage and support, and Shane as the main attacker, they posed no threat at all.

laugh!
Shaen pulled his greatsword from the body of a puppet that had been frozen by Joey, and absorbed the [Secret Sea Crystal] inside it, thinking to himself.

"It seems that occasionally teaming up for a dungeon run is a good idea."

"In terms of efficiency alone, it's no worse than me upgrading on my own."

"but……"

Seeing that An was moving somewhat slowly, Xia En knew that he needed to go to the surface of the sea to get some air.

Unlike a projected body that can recklessly commit suicide, taking crew members out to sea requires considering far more factors, including ensuring their safety.

For now, the crew can only explore these relatively safe areas.

With a thought flashing through his mind, Xia En quickly ordered the two to put the spoils into their spatial rings and take them back to the ship, while he himself walked towards the railway tracks not far away.

The shaking ground, the undercurrents in the sea, and the rising water temperature all indicate...

The Serpent of the Midgard is coming soon!

"Woo——"

The powerful sound of the ship's horn echoed through the seawater, piercing Xia En's eardrums.

A surging undercurrent rushed in, causing Xia En's body to sway slightly.

In the diffused, stark white light, a giant steel serpent suddenly burst into his field of vision.

……

……

[Submarine mission over!]

Xia En opened his eyes in the captain's cabin and cursed under his breath, "It's a torpedo?"

The first attempt to challenge the Serpent of Midgard ended in failure, as expected.

He didn't even get on the train before being blown to pieces by torpedoes launched from all around him, his death was extremely gruesome.

However, once someone experiences such a sneak attack, they will be able to react to it next time.

Xia En silently kept this grudge in his heart, and then went to the deck.

Joey and his two companions were excitedly taking stock of their gains from the dive.

"Molten core...small boiler...pressure pump...metal capsule chamber..."

"Wow, you even found this! Not bad!"

Feiya uttered one unfamiliar word after another from Xia En's mouth, her pretty little face full of excitement.

"Although some of them are a bit rusty, they are still usable."

"No wonder it's the steam capital! With all this, we could easily build a small laboratory!"

"Captain, you've worked hard."

Xia En chuckled and said, "Don't rush, there's a big surprise in store."

As he spoke, he had Joey retrieve the golden-yellow heart of steam.

The structure of the metal seemed to be constantly contracting, beating like a heart.

"This is... the Heart of Steam!"

A glint of light flashed in Fei Ya's eyes: "Or is it a model I've never seen before?"

"Putting this on a steam turbine might unlock some new properties!"

Shaen raised an eyebrow: "A new feature?"

"Just as people have different talents, steam engines also have different special properties..."

"Well, it's hard to explain in words. You'll understand after you install it!"

Feiya acted on her idea immediately, hurriedly taking the Steam Heart to the depths of the ship's cabin to begin the enhancement process.

(End of this chapter)