Survival on the Internet: A Bizarre Start at Sea

The giant anchor hovered above Su Zhisu's head, no more than three inches from the tip of his hair.

The heavy rain started pouring down again, as if it had just been preparing for the arrival of the great deep-sea Titan.

A cold, rusty smell wafted over, mixed with the salty stench of the strange sea.

Su Zhisu remained motionless, raising the scale in his hand—[Blessing of the Ocean].

The azure light shimmered under Nautilus's gaze.

Blessings from the Ocean

[Quality]: Excellent Blue

[Extra 1]: This scale represents the blessing of the ocean; possessing it will grant you the friendship of certain beings.

[Bonus 2]: Wearing this scale grants 12 hours of underwater breathing per day.

[Message]: If you possess it, you will become the daughter of the sea.

"It seems... to really work!" Su Zhisu felt a slight sense of relief, but her back remained tense.

The anchor remains unmoved, and the crisis remains unresolved.

Raindrops slid down his eyelashes, but his gaze remained fixed on those eyes that burned with a ghostly blue soul fire.

The most urgent task right now is to "pay taxes".

"The Ghostly Bone Arm!" Su Zhisu commanded in a deep voice, "Bring me the [Condensed Resentment]!"

The frozen, eerie skeletal arms moved swiftly, several skeletal arms piercing the gap in the hatch, and with a "creak," the deck hatch was pushed open.

Before long, a bony arm carrying a ball of jet-black liquid gently placed it in Su Zhisu's palm.

This liquid sphere is [concentrated resentment].

It wriggled like a living thing, rippling under the tapping of raindrops.

Su Zhixu held up the [Condensed Resentment] with both hands, raising it high: "Great Deep Sea Titan, this is my offering to you!"

The flame in Nautilus's eye sockets flickered.

The giant anchor slowly moved away, hanging in mid-air.

As Su Zhisu tossed the black liquid sphere into the sea, Nautilus scooped it up with his giant hand, and the [Condensed Resentment] vanished into the shadow of his armor.

[Network Notice]: You have gained the friendship of the great being, the Deep Sea Titan.

As the shadow of death dissipated and the immense pressure suddenly lessened, Su Zhisu breathed a long sigh of relief, only to realize that her clothes were already soaked through, whether from rain or cold sweat, she didn't know.

Relax, look up, and you'll see Nautilus's massive figure appearing and disappearing in the white mist.

Su Zhisu then realized that his talent had never provided any indication of resistance to negative effects.

This is very unusual—its talent would activate almost every time it encountered a special situation.

When he brought up his personal panel, a new line of data caught his attention:

[Strange Power]: 148/150 (-2/minute)

It drops by 2 points per minute.

This power is dissipating, yet it is unusually calm, as if it has reached some kind of tacit understanding with the burning flames of the Night Watch.

The Night Watcher's Heart Flame flickered slightly on its body, burning away the dissipated strange power and transforming it into a faint red halo, maintaining a delicate balance.

Su Zhisu looked at Nautilus, and a data panel automatically appeared before his eyes:

Deep Sea Titan

[Category]: Great Being

[Real Name]: Nautilus (Hint: You already know this in advance)

[Rank]: Fourth Rank

[Strange Power]: ? / ? (Hint: Rank too low to view)

[Dominion/Realm]: ? / ? (Hint: Rank too low to view)

[Talents/Abilities]: Overwhelming Force, Clearing Channels, Titan's Wrath, Undercurrents, Deep Sea Impact (Hint: You have already been informed of this)

【？？？】(Note: Rank is too low to view more)

"How do I communicate with it?" Su Zhisu pondered, recalling the situation when he faced the [Deep Diver] earlier.

At that time, he also couldn't understand their language.

The thought had barely formed when the soul fire in Nautilus's eyes suddenly flickered, and a system notification appeared before his eyes:

[Network Notification]: You have acquired the professional skill: Proficiency in Language - Deep Sea Language.

In an instant, a deep and resounding voice rang out in Su Zhixu's mind, like the roar of an underwater volcano.

"Contractor, what do you want with me?"

"A contractor? Me?" Su Zhisu was taken aback.

Nautilus slowly raised his giant finger and pointed it at the back of his left hand.

The gray-blue marks became even clearer in the rain, echoing the patterns remaining on the deck.

"Those who bear my mark are my contractors."

Titan's voice had a metallic quality to it: "Remember next time, whenever you summon a great being, you must first prepare fuel."

Su Zhisu suddenly realized: "It's Captain David Roger... his magic circle..."

"That mortal, I remember him." Nautilus's voice was flat.

"He had previously made a pact with me in an attempt to resist the strange contamination that occurred during his inauguration. But at the crucial moment, the Echoing Rift severed the magic circle." Nautilus's gaze swept across the sea.

"And you, by chance, touched the remnants of the formation and accepted the contract."

"Echoing fissures?"

"That is the manifestation of the world's calamities," Nautilus explained.

"It is the core of this world's calamities and the source of all strange and wondrous powers. Only beings of the fourth rank or higher can resist its corruption and thus control it."

Su Zhisu looked down at the [Strange Power] on his panel.

"And what about inside me..."

“It is endless,” Nautilus interrupted him.

"Your flames are burning with an overflowing, strange power that both helps you control it and enhances its own quality. This is a rare symbiotic relationship."

The rain gradually subsided, but the white fog grew thicker.

Nautilus slowly sank into the sea, with only his upper body remaining above water. The giant anchor swayed gently in his hand, and the chains clanged with a dull thud.

"Contractor, I am about to depart." Its voice carried a sense of finality. "Do you have any further requests?"

Su Zhisu didn't hesitate: "Nautilus, please help me get out of this white fog."

The deep-sea Titan remained silent for a moment, then suddenly raised its giant anchor.

With the anchor tip pointed at the thick fog ahead, an invisible force gathers at the anchor tip.

The next moment, the giant anchor was released, piercing the depths of the white mist with a shriek that tore through the air!

"Clear the waterway!"

Along the path left by the giant anchor, the white mist was torn apart like a curtain.

The surging seawater formed a straight channel, revealing the azure sky and calm sea behind it.

At the end of the passage, the vague silhouette of a huge city stands on the horizon.

[Network Notification]: You have received the blessing of the Deep Sea Titan - a permanent 10% increase in sailing speed.

Nautilus slowly retracted the giant anchor, looked at Su Zhisu, and the flames in his eyes flickered uncertainly.

"Hydeland...the Queen. She is different from us."

"What do you mean?" Su Zhisu pressed.

But the deep-sea titan had already begun to sink, the seawater washing over its chest, neck, and finally its burning eyes.

Before it sank completely into the deep sea, it left behind its last words:

"Contractor, when you need me, prepare offerings and call upon my true name. Remember, the fuel must be plentiful."

The sea has calmed down, leaving only a single shipping lane leading into the distance, shimmering in the sunlight.

Su Zhisu stood at the bow of the boat, the mark on the back of her hand slightly warm.

White fog churned on both sides of the waterway, but dared not cross it even slightly.

He brought out his nautical compass, and the pointer pointed firmly to the distant end of the channel.

They were finally able to rest for a moment, but Nautilus's warning still echoed in their ears.

"Watch out for the Empress..."

The Redemption moved slowly, and the white mist at the stern dissipated as if it had never existed.

Only the gray-blue patterns remaining on the deck proved that what had just happened was not an illusion.

Su Zhisu gently touched the mark on the back of his hand and murmured to himself, "Contractor... what does this really mean?"

[Strange Power]: 142/150

The numbers had stopped dropping, but the Night Watch Heart Flame still burned on his body, the dark blue flames occasionally emitting a faint red glow.

But this time, he was no longer afraid.