Navigator: I Have a Legendary Exploration Log

With Jack, this "high-ranking official," stepping in.

After that, Chalice no longer needed to worry about anything.

Treatment of the wounded, disposal of whale carcasses, ship repairs...

With Jack's help, the port demonstrated its highly professional and efficient workflow to Cherries for the first time.

In the past, these guys, if not slacking off, would at least not be this proactive in running around.

It's true what they say, having connections at higher levels makes things easier...

Although Charys despises backdoor deals, since he can't change the overall environment, enjoying it to some extent isn't so bad...

However, in front of Sartre and Jack, Cherris still dared to make the two of them wait.

He never defaulted on his crew's wages.

No matter how serious the injury, as long as the person is awake, the money will be paid in full.

With important figures watching, the sailors dared not cheer and jump for joy as they usually did, but their excited whispers still reached Jack's ears.

This further elevated the association's opinion of Cherry, a senior member who had considerable experience working with frontline captains...

soon.

The sailors, having finished lining up to receive their wages, prepared to disembark.

Chalice pulled out a gold coin and flicked it with his thumb at Wirtz, who was also preparing to go to the tavern for some fun.

Actually, the first mate of the Homecoming also quite liked the tavern.

However, someone needs to guard the boat regularly to prevent petty theft or other misconduct.

What if one day we set sail and discovered that the turbine valve core had been removed? That would be truly devastating...

Now, the Return Home Express doesn't have to worry about this issue.

Even without Jack's emphasis, the port guards and staff naturally paid extra attention to the Homecoming.

If you lose something.

That wouldn't just mean losing something belonging to Cheryl, but rather slapping Jack, the interrogator, in the face.

It was tantamount to slapping that bald head in public.

"Have you finished explaining? Come with me!"

Jack "condescended" to see the group of sailors and crew off before saying to Chalice, "I think we can have a proper talk about the core captain now."

"It would be my great honor."

Chalice naturally had no objections.

A long passageway had been cleared along the way by guards with their heads held high.

As Jack and Cheryl walked by, the guards all raised their arms and saluted.

This was the first time Cheryl had received such treatment.

The only time he witnessed such treatment was when he first arrived on the island as a trainee sailor and squeezed into the crowd to see the Governor of Simon Island inspecting "his" people from afar.

Gunshots rang out and cannons fired in unison.

Chalice didn't feel any sense of "a true man should be like this," but he was just surprised that such a noble manner could be cultivated in such a harsh and remote environment.

He figured that if he could climb higher and higher, he wouldn't have to share a large dormitory bed with a bunch of snoring, teeth-grinding, smelly men anymore...

He now has his own captain's cabin, but he never expected to experience the scene of guards blocking the road and crowds watching.

This tastes... actually quite good...

……

Back to the association.

We arrived at the third floor.

Jack simply opened the drawer and took out a document that had been prepared beforehand.

There are three in total.

One of them was handed to Cherries.

"This is the application form for the core captain. There are only three slots for each director, and there is no guarantee that they will be approved."

Jack frankly stated, "But you can rest assured that your performance is evident to all, and the association's higher-ups are not all useless cowards."

"The Navigators' Association is quite fair in judging people, especially captains."

"Hmph! Really wanting to be fair..."

Sartre, standing nearby, sneered, "How come I was stuck at the Bronze Badge back then?"

"Who told you to be so stubborn?"

Jack, who was watching Cheryl fill out the application form, turned around and scolded her with exasperation, "If the association was clearly trying to block you, how could they let you break through to the second stage smoothly?"

"The association's leadership isn't monolithic; some people dislike you... but there are plenty of others who admire you!"

Jack sighed and reproached him with a stronger tone.

"You weren't young anymore, but you still acted impulsively like a hothead! We tried to persuade you..."

"No matter how others target or harm you, you must not give up on yourself first. Only then will those who want to help you have a chance to save you."

"You're too stubborn! You don't like to suffer! As a result, we didn't even have a chance to help you find a way out. Now you're making the same choice again, except... I think this kid is much more sensible than you were back then!"

"Alright! You're right!"

Sartre, unusually, didn't argue back, though his tone revealed that he still harbored resentment about what happened back then.

He took it orally, but his heart was not convinced.

I just don't want to argue about it anymore.

Jack snorted, but then he saw the application form that Cherries was handing over with both hands.

A genuine smile finally appeared on his lips.

"Your handwriting is quite good, much better than your teacher's crooked and messy handwriting."

Jack made a joke, ignoring the eye roll Sartre rolled his eyes at him, and took out his personal seal.

It was an exquisite mark with a blue anchor chain encircling a golden rudder.

Instead of using ink, he pressed the stamp directly onto the "Recommender" section at the bottom right of the application form.

Snapped--

As the stamp was lifted, a faint, ethereal blue light appeared on the application form.

"An extraordinary contract?"

Chalice's gaze was serious.

"That's right."

Jack said softly, "Being a core captain isn't all benefits. This seal contains my spiritual essence. This application form is both my recommendation and my guarantee."

"If you betray humanity and fall into the abyss, or do something that seriously damages the interests of the association, I, as the guarantor, will also bear joint liability."

Sartre snorted coldly, "That's why this guy is so cautious, holding onto those three spots for so long without being willing to use them."

"Being cautious is not a bad thing."

Jack didn't take it seriously.

He placed the stamped application form into a specially made kraft paper file bag and sealed it with sealing wax.

Finally, take out a rather small personal seal and press the sealing wax to leave your own mark.

After doing all this.

Jack then looked up at Cherries.

"I will submit the application form at the next board meeting. According to the procedure, it needs to be reviewed and approved by more than three board members, and then finally approved by the president or vice president. It will take about three to five days."

"However... based on your performance during this whale hunt..."

He changed the subject and said with a smile, "In addition, given that the news that the Seventh Fleet will escort you back to port has probably already spread, I don't think any short-sighted council member will openly object."

Chalice understood.

The chance encounter and escort by that armored fleet has now become the strongest endorsement, perhaps even more effective than his whale hunting!

What reason would the Navigators' Association have to refuse a captain recognized by the Navy of Gran Isle?

Although the fleet was unaware that they were being used by someone to "borrow the tiger's power," many things can have an impact without needing confirmation.

"Thank you for your help, Director Jack."

Chalice expressed his sincere gratitude.

Jack accepted it readily, and then took out a small wooden box from the drawer.

"This is your reward for completing the assessment task. According to the rules, prospective core captains who successfully hunt down the Giant Whale and pass the assessment can obtain 'resource quota'."

He pushed the wooden box in front of Cherissa.

The box was not locked.

Chalice gently opened the box and saw three tokens of different colors inside.

"The white one is a basic resource token, which is an internal credit of the association worth one hundred gold coins. It can be used to exchange for sailing supplies, repair ships, hire sailors, and other expenses."

Jack explained in turn: "The green ones are Extraordinary Material Tokens, which can be exchanged for auxiliary materials for a Tier 2 potion. Note that they are auxiliary materials, not main materials."

"However... you can also give up all the auxiliary materials in exchange for a main material, and I can help you with that."

Chalice's eyes lit up.

He currently only has Bloodthorn Fruit as his main ingredient.

We still have no clue about the remaining two main materials and all the auxiliary materials.

However, in terms of difficulty and value, any single main material far surpasses all the auxiliary materials combined...

So Jack's promise did him a huge favor!

"The last blue one is a knowledge token."

Jack's voice became more serious. "With this, you can apply to access some confidential files within the association, including secrets of some extraordinary sequences, warnings of dangerous areas in known seas, and the characteristics of special sea monsters..."

Remember! Sometimes, knowledge is far more valuable than material possessions!

Chalice carefully put away the three tokens.

He understood that this was not just a reward, but also Jack paving the way for his promotion.

If it were someone else, they probably wouldn't receive the special treatment of having auxiliary materials exchanged for main materials...

"Materials regarding the giant whale..."

Jack continued, "The association has already sent people to handle it. According to the rules, the prey belongs to the hunter."

"However, the association can provide professional cutting, processing and sales, and will take a 10% commission."

"Of course, if you don't want to, I can make them stop right now."

Chalice didn't nitpick. "Then let the association handle it! I trust your arrangements!"

"A smart choice."

Jack smiled with satisfaction: "Money... you can make a big profit, but you can't make all of it."

"Since you understand this principle, at least in terms of business, I think there's nothing I need to worry about for you..."

"Thank you for your guidance, Director Jack."

"Association cultivation, individual performance!"

……