Ch. 322 - Core of Darkness (Large)
The Nightmare Star sped across the sea.
The light projected from above pierced through the black mist, carving out an empty path behind the ship. However, more than ten seconds after the Nightmare Star had passed, the black mist chasing behind gradually filled the vacant space once again.
“Steal Light will last for another five minutes. Those giant black shadows won’t be able to catch up.”
Yang Yi withdrew his gaze and spoke to Suna.
This time, Steal Light could only last for eight minutes, even shorter than before. It was probably because the Light Fairy fragment they had used was smaller.
However, eight minutes was more than enough to escape from the giant black shadows.
The spoils from the battle had also been retrieved by the vines. There were two in total. One had fallen into the sea, while the other had landed directly on the deck. After Yang Yi noticed them, he ordered the vines to collect them.
Under the illumination of the light, the vines became much more active. They had even grown fresh green buds, becoming the most reliable assistants Yang Yi could ask for.
Yang Yi handed one of the spoils to Suna while checking its information.
They were two large Dark Cores.
One was a regular hexahedron with a side length of around thirty centimeters, while the other was a regular triangular pyramid.
[Name: Dark Core (Large)]
[Description: A large Dark Core that has a certain chance of being obtained after eliminating giant black shadows. Soaking it in water can dye an entire tank of water completely black.
Due to its size and shape, it is extremely suitable for being transformed into a cage for a Light Fairy, allowing it to serve as a semi-permanent light source.
The black ink produced by soaking it in water can be used to create Light Containers and can also be used in alchemy.
Can be placed into the Monster Gacha Machine.]
[PS: A Dark Core modified into a cage cannot be used in the gacha.]
“Used as a cage?”
Yang Yi muttered after reading the description.
This thing had countless holes. If a living creature was locked inside, it really would look like a cage.
Moreover, Suna still possessed a much smaller Dark Core. Since it had potential uses in alchemy, she had never placed it into the gacha machine.
“I’ll take the larger one. You can keep the smaller one.”
Suna held the black triangular pyramid and examined it for a while before storing it inside her Hundred Treasure Bag. Then, she took out the palm-sized spherical Dark Core covered in holes and handed it to Yang Yi.
She still had not completely figured out the value of this item. However, the water soaked with it could be used as ink.
The ink was unbelievably black, so dark that it could completely block out light.
After handing the smaller Dark Core to Yang Yi, Suna quickly returned to the cabin.
She even took the captain’s uniform with her instead of returning it to Yang Yi.
Yang Yi continued steering the ship.
Only after Steal Light’s duration ended did he activate his Third Eye to confirm the situation behind them and inspect the surroundings of the ship.
After making sure there was no danger, he transferred control of the ship back to the old captain.
Now, he possessed two Dark Cores.
He could either throw both of them into the gacha machine or keep the larger Dark Core as an emergency item, such as using it to capture a Light Fairy and imprison it inside.
After all, Light Fairy fragments were consumable items.
But a real Light Fairy...
According to the description, it seemed possible to keep one inside the cage and raise it for a long period of time.
“Besides, does this count as a hunting reward?”
Yang Yi raised his head and looked at the execution rack above him, feeling that it was worth a try.
In any case, the rat head had already been removed. The supplies stored in the warehouse still needed to be organized, making this the perfect opportunity to test it.
He climbed up the mast and handed the Dark Core over.
The rusty iron wires wrapped around the execution rack extended toward it and pulled the Dark Core away.
[Evaluation: A Dark Core left behind after eliminating a black shadow.]
[Effect: Ship speed +3. The ship’s hull will turn black, making it less noticeable in the Lightless Sea.]
Yang Yi’s eyes immediately lit up.
Without hesitation, he replaced the small Dark Core with the large one.
[Evaluation: A large Dark Core left behind after eliminating a giant black shadow. Obtaining one requires an extremely high amount of luck.]
[Effect: Ship speed +10. The ship’s hull will turn black. The ship’s external lights will automatically turn off. (This cannot be affected by player actions.) The lights inside the cabins will not leak outside. The ship will almost never be attacked by black shadows.]
“Is the effect really this powerful?”
Yang Yi’s eyes brightened.
He had no intention of switching back to the Rat King’s head.
The hunting effect of this large Dark Core was especially suited for traveling through the Lightless Sea. It greatly reduced the dangers they would encounter while sailing.
Holding onto the mast, Yang Yi slid back down.
He did not replace the Dark Core with the Rat King’s head. Instead, he ordered the vines to move the Rat King’s head to the center of the ship and tie it together with the crystal ball, preventing it from accidentally rolling into the sea.
After finishing these tasks, Yang Yi checked the large sea map and compared it with his previous estimates to calculate the time required to reach the Golden Merchant Guild.
“The sailing speed has increased by ten knots... If this hand-drawn sea map isn’t lying to me, it should take less than ten days to reach the Golden Merchant Guild now.”
Yang Yi muttered to himself.
He walked to the bow of the ship and tossed the Dark Core that had barely been used into the Octopus Head Gacha Machine.
After spinning the wheel, a gacha capsule rolled out.
[Name: Alchemy Magic Ink]
[Type: Consumable]
[Quality: Fine]
[Description: An alchemy magic ink created using a ground Dark Core as the main material. When used to draw magic arrays, alchemy formations, or perform rituals, it can slightly increase the success rate and effectiveness.]
After reading the information, Yang Yi immediately sent the item to Suna.
“Magic ink... Perfect! Bring the bottle over. I want to test it,” Suna replied.
Yang Yi handed the ink to Suna and let her determine whether it was truly useful.
Moreover, with a sample available, she might be able to create similar ink herself. After all, she still possessed a large Dark Core.
After giving the ink to Suna, Yang Yi began organizing the ship’s cabins.
The first floor was fine. Compared to before, there were almost no changes.
The second floor, however, was completely different.
It looked as if the warehouse had been struck by a storm, with a large number of supplies scattered everywhere.
Yang Yi ordered the Ancient Corpse Arms and vines to sort through the scattered supplies while checking their losses.
Aside from some food with damaged packaging and fresh water that had become contaminated, there were almost no losses.
The cabin was quickly restored to order.
To be honest, the damaged food and dirty water could still be consumed. Yang Yi was not worried about suffering from a stomachache.
However, their food supplies were plentiful, and they could always boil more water whenever necessary. There was no need to be overly frugal.
It was better to use those supplies as fertilizer for the Long-Legged Sardine.
That creature could consume almost anything, including human food and even flesh.
............
Five more days passed.
Under the influence of the large Dark Core’s hunting effect, the Nightmare Star encountered almost no trouble.
Even the black shadows that occasionally appeared had completely vanished.
Yang Yi enjoyed a peaceful fishing experience.
The wooden bucket beside him was filled with his catch, and every single fish inside was the same strange species.
This fish had an unusually long mouth that made up nearly one-third of its entire body. It resembled a straw, with a pointed end covered in rough barbs.
Its body was equally bizarre.
It was covered in long black hairs, making it look as though seaweed was hanging from its body beneath the water.
However, those were actually its body hairs.
The information was as follows:
[Name: Needlefin Pipefish]
[Description: A pipefish mutated under the influence of the Abyss. Its habits have changed significantly. It prefers using its sharp snout to pierce the bodies of prey and suck out their bodily fluids. It is also known as the Vampire Fish or Mosquito Fish.
The black flagella covering its body can move continuously, providing propulsion. They also serve as excellent camouflage in the Sea of Darkness.]
[Effect: Consuming it has a stimulating hair-growth effect. It is especially popular among certain groups, despite its unpleasant taste.]
Yang Yi had no idea what was happening.
Every fish he caught today was a Needlefin Pipefish. He kept pulling them in one after another, unable to stop fishing.
Could it be that I had stumbled upon an entire school of Pipefish? he wondered.