I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

The other one resembled a sea urchin, covered in sharp spines, but with an eye open in the middle of its body, giving it a creepy feel.

The three monsters circled the island marked with the treasure point, seemingly guarding the treasure.

"Besides, Miss Sia and the others are very strong in combat, so we don't need to be afraid of these monsters!"

Nagamasa then offered further advice.

Lu Ban and the others ignored the argument between the two and focused their attention on the monsters.

Leaving aside the fact that this monster looks a bit like the octopus that Leopard just created, their appearance is definitely not something that could grow under normal circumstances; they have clearly been contaminated.

Since the island currently has no filth and its pollution level is not high, the appearance of such cute-looking monsters must be due to a pollution leak.

Lu Ban and his companions' mission is to witness the sprouting of the Divine Cherry Blossom. The Divine Cherry Blossom was planted to combat pollution, so wherever there is pollution, there will be an environment for the Divine Cherry Blossom to grow.

Moreover, there were no familiar places on the sea chart that Lu Ban had seen. He had reason to suspect that the island had undergone tremendous changes before and after the Divine Cherry Blossom was planted, resulting in different areas where people lived.

Therefore, no matter how much the two argue, Lu Ban and Xi Ya will definitely go to the place marked on the treasure map to check the situation.

At worst, we can just get a pirate ship and sail there ourselves.

As they pondered, they seemed to have reached a conclusion.

Chapter 811 Propeller

Ultimately, curiosity overcame his fear of danger, and Ah Xiang agreed to explore the island where the treasure map was located.

Of course, not all sailors agreed to explore the unknown; most of them were just following Nagamasa to make money. This trip yielded a considerable amount of pirate treasure, enough for many to squander on land for a few years before going back to sea.

When a person's needs are met, they become complacent and unambitious.

In other words, you've made enough money.

Nagamasa did not make things difficult for them.

The sailors who were willing to go with him boarded the ship, while the rest stayed on the island, waiting for their return.

At the same time, Nagamasa also made an agreement with the sailors who stayed behind that if he did not return after a month, then all the ships and treasures would be left to the remaining people.

After all, if there's no news for a month, it's highly likely that it's been sent.

Of course, these sailors might also have run away as soon as Nagamasa and his crew set off, taking the treasure back with them. So Nagamasa took the nautical charts, and the crew member in charge of navigation went with him. Without these two things, it would be quite difficult for the remaining crew members to cross the ocean and go home.

They could only hope to find their way home by waiting for a merchant ship to pass by once a month to come and ask for help. Therefore, they would have to stay on the island for two or three weeks no matter what.

Not to mention if Nagamasa finds the treasure and returns to the mainland, discovering that these sailors have betrayed him, these traitorous sailors will definitely be arrested and hanged as pirates.

The best course of action for the sailors who stayed behind was to stay on the island and fish for a month before making any further plans, unless a typhoon suddenly hits at sea or other pirates come to visit.

Nagamasa may seem like a brainless, hot-blooded adventurer, but he is actually quite shrewd.

After the personnel were reassigned, the ship was one-third short of its crew, and the sailors became very busy.

Braving the winds and waves, following the markings on the treasure map, the ship began its journey towards its destination.

"Speaking of which, how do you plan to navigate in the doldrums?"

While eating, Lu Ban asked A Xiang a question.

Dinner on the ship was fish soup, made with the fish we caught and the salted meat and dried vegetables we had stored beforehand. The soup was just okay to eat.

On the high seas, fresh water and vegetables are both precious resources. As we all know, without the vitamin supplements from vegetables, sailors are prone to scurvy. Therefore, most ships sailing on ocean voyages nowadays keep some dried vegetables and a large amount of wine as inexpensive vitamin supplements.

“We got our hands on a device that can be powered by burning alcohol, which rotates in the water and propels the boat forward.”

Changzheng took a sip of fish soup, frowned, and explained.

"That's really amazing."

Lu Ban exclaimed in admiration.

This sounds familiar.

"This was made by the best craftsmen in the city. It is said that it was supplied to the government. I only got this one by pulling strings."

Nagamasa said boastfully.

"Can we take a look later?"

Lu Ban asked again.

"of course can!"

Thinking about showing off his treasure, Changzheng even drank the fish soup a little faster.

After a hearty meal, he led Lu Ban and the others to the depths of the ship's cabin, where a rather large machine was covered by a cloth, giving it a rather mysterious appearance.

"This is the device. We'll assemble it at the stern of the ship, and then we can sail smoothly in the doldrums!"

As Nagamasa spoke, he lifted the cloth.

A rather strange machine appeared before people's eyes.

Unlike the propeller engines that Lu Ban was familiar with, this device had most of its structure exposed, consisting of a large number of gears and bearings. Rather than a durable engine, it was more like a work of art, with a very steampunk style.

Lu Ban walked up to the device, placed his hand on it, and countless words appeared.

[A masterpiece born from a flash of inspiration by a great craftsman, a small step for mankind into the steam age]

[Sufficient alcohol is all that's needed to activate it, ensuring the user isn't an alcoholic.]

Some forward-thinking designs might cause minor troubles, but as long as you suppress your curiosity, there's nothing to worry about.

[Suggested Retail Price: None]

Surprisingly, this thing actually works.

Lu Ban thought for a moment. He knew that there was no such device in the island. Did this mean that the manufacturing technology for this thing might have been lost later?

Moreover, judging from the description of the item, it is not entirely the result of technological development in this foreign land. The craftsmen who designed and manufactured it drew inspiration from other foreign lands to varying degrees, and it was somewhat contaminated.

It's even possible that this device contains some undetectable contamination; you can only use it, don't try to analyze it.

In reality, even if the device was just a scam, poor Nagamasa had been fooled once again. Lu Ban also had ways to make ships sail in the calm zone, so it wasn't a big problem. But seeing the device still made him more curious about the future development of He Island.

Back on the deck, the moonlight was dim, but the stars were dazzling.

They formed different shapes and were arranged into constellations by the magnificent imagination of the ancients to guide the direction of navigation.

This starry sky is completely different from what Lu Ban saw on Earth, and those constellations also have their own names.

Lu Ban noticed that A Xiang was sitting by the railing on one side of the ship, taking notes in his notebook.

He moved closer and noticed that the sea on that side seemed to be shimmering.

"It's a jellyfish. To be precise, this kind of bioluminescent jellyfish can only be seen in the open sea. They travel in groups and use their light to attract small fish, which then prey on the fish that are caught."

Ah Xiang looked at the sea and said.

In the light, countless jellyfish can be seen swaying and floating in the sea, attracting schools of fish that swim among them. Every now and then, a fish stops swimming and is entangled and wrapped by the jellyfish's tentacles, becoming nourishment for their growth.

"It is said that this jellyfish can cure diseases, but there are too few samples, and only the rich can buy it."

Because ice-making technology is not advanced, deep-sea fishing is difficult to achieve in Hedao. Even people living on the coast may not be able to come into contact with the creatures in the open sea, let alone come to such waters to study their ecology.

"The appearance of these jellyfish is a good sign because they only appear in the cleanest and clearest seawater, and they are food for another kind of creature."

Ah Xiang pointed to the distance, and Lu Ban saw that under the shimmering starlight, a dark shadow was slowly approaching, running parallel to the ship, moving towards the swaying patch of light.

The next moment, as it was illuminated by the light, the dark shadow revealed its true form: a giant whale with fins flapping like wings, its massive body emerging from the sea, accompanied by a mouthful of luminous jellyfish.

The whale's body was almost transparent, and you could see the faint glow emitted by the jellyfish after it was swallowed. It fell into the water, creating huge waves, and then quickly submerged into the deep sea and disappeared from sight.

"This is a water whale, whose body is mostly made of water, which makes them swim extremely fast and good at hiding themselves. Fortunately, they are not aggressive and are actually very docile animals."

Ah Xiang then explained.

"These creatures form a complete food chain in the ocean, enabling the cycle to continue and exist forever."

He sighed.

"It will always exist."

Lu Ban repeated a sentence.

He knew very well that these creatures no longer existed on the island in the future.

No matter how brilliant a civilization or ecosystem may be, it will all be reduced to nothingness under the erosion of pollution.

Chapter 812 The Tranquil Sea

Many people find the experience of sailing exciting and novel.

For the first few days after boarding, it was indeed like that. Whether it was the surging waves, the azure sky, or the seagulls soaring alongside the ship's railing, it all gave people a vast feeling of all things competing freely under the frosty sky.

But when the voyage is halfway through, and all you see is a world of endless waves where the sea and sky meet, even the most curious person will get bored.

Not to mention that food supplies on board were limited, so in order to prolong the use of resources as much as possible, the sailors would mostly fish up fish to eat for dinner.

Eating freshly caught seafood once or twice is a treat, but after a while, paired with the island's current meager seasoning, it becomes nothing but torture.

Lu Ban has even started brewing his own soy sauce and developed a way to eat it raw, which is better than ruining the fish with various seasonings.

It was only then that Lu Ban realized that the reason some places eat raw food was not because they were barbaric, but perhaps simply because those places didn't have many skilled chefs. Through natural selection, people had the freedom to choose, which eventually led to the tradition of eating raw food.

Anyway, his stomach wasn't afraid of any parasites, so even if there were small, dark yellow worms wriggling on the fish, he could eat them without batting an eye.

Compared to wheat and bread, rice has the advantage of being easy to store, and you can simply add water and cook it when you want to eat it.

It's even convenient to throw it into fish soup to make rice porridge when you're feeling lazy.

Lu Ban sat on the deck and ate two large bowls of rice with just soy sauce and sashimi.

"The weather isn't good. We're about to enter the doldrums, and it looks like there's going to be a storm."

Scholar A-Xiang looked at the gloomy sky ahead and said.

"Can there still be storms in the doldrums?"

Lu Ban couldn't help but ask in return.

He didn't know much about the doldrums, and he wasn't sure if the doldrums of this era were the same thing as those of the future. But since they were called the doldrums, wasn't it a bit unscientific to have atmospheric movements like storms?

Well, a lot of things in other places aren't very scientific either.