Witch, I'm really not the Deep Sea Ancient God!

"Chef?"

With a glance, An followed Captain Gold Tooth's line of sight and suddenly noticed Chen Qi's little houseboat!

"Back and not a word..." An whispered to herself, stepping lightly like a cat, sneaking up behind Chen Qi.

She had encountered Chen Qi's little houseboat once before in Sea Demon Gorge.

However, due to the navy's actions, she could only warn Chen Qi to avoid entering the Sea Demon Gorge.

After that, she hadn't seen Chen Qi again.

Where did this guy run off to? And what happened in the Sea Demon Gorge?

An had many questions, but in the end, she simply said:

"Welcome back, Qi."

Recognizable voice... Chen Qi firmly shut the boat door and clapped his hands:

"Teacher An, long time no see."

An nodded:

"Not that long. Didn't we meet in Sea Demon Gorge? You advanced to second-tier, Qi, your trip to Sea Demon Gorge went well, right?"

Certain things couldn't be said... Chen Qi said excitedly:

"No issues. I honestly sold barbecue on Sea Demon Island and made a lot of money."

"Honestly?"

"You and honesty?" An Weilan's eyes rolled like a skeptical kitten:

"Didn't do anything else?"

"Do I look that suspicious?" Chen Qi laughed:

"I also went to the crack, got some good stuff, skill cards and such, and completed a few commissions on the side."

Quite the haul... An's lips curled into a subtle smile:

"Is that so? Good thing you didn't get deep into Sea Demon Gorge, or you might have become a toy for the witches and Black Hunters. I've heard from the navy that they killed loads of pirates.

Not just that, on the night of the event, that Black Hunter even cruelly abused the Bei Country Meteorological Bureau investigators with snake-like tentacles, sowing evil seeds within them."

"Like this!"

An mimicked the gesture of tentacles with her five fingers, but her fingers were not long, looking more like a waving lucky cat paw.

"???

"When did I torture them...?" Chen Qi paused.

How did the rumors get so out of hand?

An reminisced about the scene in Sea Demon Gorge, as she had witnessed the battle.

Unfortunately, due to the Sea Demon, she couldn't experience the strength of the Black Hunter and the Flower Witch.

"Sorry, got carried away."

An sidestepped to inspect Chen Qi's battered little houseboat.

The hull had been mercilessly battered by giant waves, with numerous cracks and scratches marring its originally smooth wooden surface, some parts even torn apart.

Originally, the houseboat was a scrap-built small boat, and after being battered by wind and rain, it bore even more scars.

Encountered the Nearshore Dominator, the ghost ship disaster, and a storm on the way back... An frowned.

What bad luck...

Yet Chen Qi dared to sail this wrecked boat to the Crack Sea, a suicidal mission!

One could even say he was quite lucky to return alive.

A new boat was needed, but current prices...

Under the Crack Tide, ship prices had risen significantly! Some renowned boats saw a threefold increase in price.

An shook her head, took out her work journal, and made a note:

"Many ships have encountered maritime accidents recently. We've hired many ship repairmen in Maro Town too. I'll book one for you. You can head to the dry dock in an hour."

"Thanks, Teacher An."

"It's my duty. Oh, Qi, are you free tonight?"

"Tonight?"

Chen Qi tilted his head.

Even if the houseboat was repaired, it couldn't be inhabited.

After dealing with the Sea Beast base, he planned to return to Maro Town and have a good sleep.

"After the boat's repaired, I might head to Moonstone City for a bit, but I should be back tonight. What do you need?"

An blushed and coughed twice:

"Recently, I have a friend... no, a dwarf craftsman in Maro Town who wants to celebrate with a meal."

"Isn't it that you're craving something? Chen Qi asked, "Need a chef?"

An swallowed a gulp.

"Yes, and... if possible, could you make some dessert? The Devil's Spicy Firebird is truly terrifying."

An rubbed her rear, a wave of bad memories surfacing!

Her rear felt an imaginary pain; the chef before her wasn't just good at normal cooking! He also excelled at devilish cuisines!

Last time, she was supposed to enjoy the meal!

But now, all she could recall was Chen Qi's stir-fried Devil's Spicy Firebird!

"No problem."

Chen Qi thought about it.

An flipped through her work journal:

"Qi, if you're looking to buy a ship, tonight, maybe I can find someone for you."

"Alright."

Maro Town was developing better and better, with upgraded defenses, various shops, and shipyards receiving comprehensive upgrades.

Chen Qi found a place to hide Hai Yunduo and the Water Elf, then headed to Maro Town, purchasing ingredients, baking tools, an oven, and new clothes.

...

...

By afternoon.

With the boat repaired, Chen Qi sailed the battered houseboat back to his Sea Beast base.

Unexpectedly, the net cages were intact, and the Ghost Fire Fish were well-behaved.

But unfortunately, the Nearshore Dominator had disappeared.

"Hai Yunduo, little Sea Demon, from now on, this will be your home."

Chen Qi eagerly placed ten fluffy Hai Yunduo into the net cage.

At the same time, the little green algae swam in the white tree land.

"Wabi-wabi! (This place is our territory)"

The Hai Yunduo declared their sovereignty over the white tree land!

"???"

Immediately, the hot-tempered Ghost Fire Fish ignited in rage. This was Lord Chen Qi's territory; below it was the Deep Sea Water Elf and the Nearshore Dominator, then the Ghost Fire Fish.

These new Hai Yunduo dared to claim the white tree land!

The Ghost Fire Fish erupted in flames, battling the Hai Yunduo!

"Don't fight, it's burning my money..." Chen Qi shook his head, taking out the heart fruit he had obtained in the Deep Sea Titan Land.

Legendary Transcendent food from the Deep Sea Titan.

But the heart fruit wasn't suitable for grilling, boiling, or stir-frying. It was better for making desserts.

Only by cooking better dishes could the Soul Seasoning's true power be realized.

Additionally, after digesting the fruit, one had to sleep well.

Chen Qi hadn't found the right opportunity to eat the heart fruit,

the heart fruit's flavor leaned towards pineapple, ideal for making desserts.

Chen Qi cut the fruit into small pieces, then took out the baking tools, mixing egg whites, corn oil, milk, and flour, adding lemon juice in batches, stirring it into batter, and finally placing it into the oven to bake the cake base.

Then, using fresh cream, sugar, and the secret powder from Maro Town's pastry chef, he made a bowl of whipped cream.

He then layered the cake base with the cream, adding chopped heart fruit pieces and pre-made pineapple jam in between, creating a five-layered cake.

Finally, sprinkling the crucial Soul Seasoning!

A delectable five-tier heart fruit cake was finished in an instant.

[You have cooked the Transcendent Heart Fruit Cake (Pineapple Flavor), gaining 700 Spiritual Points!]

700 Spiritual Points!

A nice gain, Chen Qi took a light bite. The sweet and sour taste of the fruit and the flavor of the cream exploded in his mouth.

The fruit's texture leaned towards pineapple, with a hint of sweetness and sour.

"Not bad at all."

Gradually, Chen Qi felt a strong power emanating from his body,

as the fruit digested, his body underwent remarkable changes. His muscles became firmer and more powerful, each inch of skin brimming with vitality.

His bones and blood underwent significant changes too.

Above all, his heart transformed.

The heart became stronger and more resilient.

Chen Qi could clearly feel his stamina and strength enhanced.

Thump! Thump!

[You consumed the heart fruit cake, increasing Constitution by 10 points! Strength by 8 points!]

[You acquired self-healing ability (Medium), enhancing your recovery capacity.]

[You gained toxin resistance (Medium)]

"Self-healing ability medium!"

Chen Qi couldn't help but exclaim.

Self-healing ability medium, it was a guarantee for many perfect gene surgeries!

While consuming the Golden Scale Fish, he had gained minor self-healing ability.

But "self-healing ability medium" was a special trait often obtained by second-tier Cup-shaped Transcendents or monsters!

This not only increased recovery speed for external wounds but also enabled slow regrowth of severed limbs.

With healing potions and bandages, one could even reattach a severed hand on the spot!

Quite a remarkable trait.

Next, Chen Qi looked at his strength and constitution.

10 points of Constitution and 8 points of Strength, his highest attribute gain in a single instance.

Now, with a Constitution of 38 points, he could stand against monsters.

Such development and top-notch Transcendent fruit... Chen Qi mused.

At that moment, gurgling noises rose from the sea.

"Waku-waku! (Master, help, help!)"

Deep Sea Water Elves No.1, No.3, and No.4 were struggling to surface, carrying an energy core emitting green flames.

The Deep Sea Water Elves were really strong... Chen Qi helped place the energy core on the tree. Explore new worlds at empire

"Good job, little guys."

Chen Qi patted the Deep Sea Water Elves' heads, then looked up with them at the energy core.

The massive energy core, nearly a meter in width, constantly emitted a warm green flame.

Chen Qi lightly touched the energy core.

[Ghost Fire Energy Core:

Nature Form: Hammer, Lamp

Description: Born from the master-level Ghost Artisan's energy core, containing powerful Transcendent energy, can provide immense power, suitable for engine creation!

When fully activated, its energy could even reshape the appearance of a ship (or other creation), generating a large amount of green ghost fire.]

Reshape the appearance? Chen Qi glanced at the energy core.

Maybe he could race with ghost fire on the sea?