The journey for this mission was long, spanning a total of 177 nautical miles according to the nautical chart. However, with plenty of time on their hands, as long as they arrived within seven days, Li Yuan and his crew were well within schedule.

Of course, this was when having more crew members came in handy.

Aray, Avril, Amin, and Ashan could take turns operating the hand-crank propeller, with the four of them rotating shifts so no one would be too exhausted. They could sail 30 nautical miles a day, easily reaching their destination within the allotted time.

"Hey, why is no one controlling the rudder? Captain, why don't you take over the rudder while we handle the propeller?" Aray suggested.

Just then, a male voice suddenly came from the empty bow, "I'll take care of the rudder."

Li Yuan's sudden appearance startled the Ashan family, and the three of them looked at Avril in horror, "Captain, who... who is speaking? Is this... a ghost ship?"

"Ghost, my foot!" Li Yuan retorted bluntly, "I am this ship, and I'm also the captain and helmsman."

The three of them were wide-eyed, seeking help from Avril, who simply nodded at them, confirming the statement.

"Avril, explain it to them. Getting scared over something like this, how can they be my crew?"

Avril was well-suited to communicate with them. When she first heard Li Yuan's voice, she was scared half to death too, but she was too sorrowful at the time to react so dramatically.

After some explanation, the three finally understood the situation.

"Alright, now you understand. Don't worry, I'm just a ship, I won't eat you. Why so tense?" Li Yuan said lightly, "You're my crew now too. Let's work together. In this Azure Epoch, only by becoming strong can we survive better!"

"Y-yes, Captain," Aray replied nervously.

Li Yuan didn't want to counsel them further and continued, "Ashan, you must be hungry. I have some dried blackhead fish here, eat it first. If it's not enough, we can catch more. My crew won't go hungry."

"Captain, but..." Ashan hesitated, "I might have a big appetite."

"I know, you're currently in the Mutation Stage."

"Mutation!" everyone exclaimed.

Li Yuan calmly explained, "The sea monster you encountered that day might have been a Mutation Progenitor. It came into contact with Ashan, causing changes in her body. But don't worry, her mutation is benign and not contagious."

"Really?! Ashan, have you really mutated?"

Ashan knew her body was undergoing some strange changes, but she didn't dare tell anyone for fear of being driven away. Now that Li Yuan had spoken, she felt relieved.

"Captain, is my mutation really benign?"

"Yes, your strength is increasing, and your lung cells are dividing rapidly. You might develop gills."

"A diving mutation, that's amazing! Ashan, we have a mutant in the family!"

Seeing their joy, Li Yuan realized that people were less concerned about human appearance now. They hoped to evolve abilities to survive in this world.

Indeed, no matter how good-looking one is, it’s useless if they can't survive. Practicality is more important, especially for these commoners.

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In the following two days, the Ashan family gradually became less afraid of Li Yuan. The fact that Li Yuan could see Ashan's evolution made them trust this peculiar captain even more.

Avril explained some precautions to them, like not revealing the captain's identity when others were around. According to Li Yuan, when there were people around, everyone should regard Avril as the captain.

The Ashan family agreed repeatedly.

Due to Ashan's large appetite, they had to stop along the way to fish, but they were still on schedule.

Seven days later, Li Yuan finally arrived at the Missy Trade Market, completing the transport mission.

Avril received another White Pearl, bringing their total wealth to four White Pearls!

Previously, Li Yuan had extravagantly used seven units of wood to build a simple cabin. Now, with more crew members, he built a seawater purification device, so he was still three White Pearls short of buying enough wood.

After staying in Missy for a day without receiving any tasks, Li Yuan remembered what Jin Wei had said and headed back to the Morgan Trade Market.

...

Although Jin Wei's eyes were a bit lecherous, always wandering over Avril, he wasn't a bad person and often gave them leftover tasks.

Seeing a woman with some charm at sea was rare, and for men, if they can't have her, looking is fine. This is understandable.

A month later, when Avril received the latest task payment, they finally gathered seven White Pearls!

Li Yuan immediately set sail, heading to the trade area to purchase 70 pieces of wood.

"There's no rush, let's go to a secluded place tonight!" Li Yuan whispered eagerly.

Avril understood immediately, and they waited until nightfall when the surrounding ships extinguished their lights before quietly leaving the trade market, sailing into the distance.

The Ashan family witnessed an incredible scene for the first time: a large amount of wood was rapidly cut, polished, and assembled at an unimaginable speed. Avril and Rookie were as excited and expectant as Li Yuan.

"Wow, look at this keel, at least seven or eight meters long! So thick!"

"The hull is so spacious, at least three meters wide! My gosh!"

"The craftsmanship is perfect, the mortise-and-tenon joints fit seamlessly, not a gap... Wow, what's that, a built-in cabin? So spacious!"

These words weren't from Li Yuan but from Avril. Li Yuan wore a sullen expression; Avril had stolen his lines!

Oh well, after spending time together, Li Yuan had grown to trust Avril immensely. She was kind-hearted, trustworthy, smart, and capable.

"Sigh, smart she is, but not capable..." Li Yuan sighed.

"Huh? Captain, what did you say?"

"Nothing, nothing, I said you're smart and capable." Li Yuan felt a bit guilty.

"No, you said I'm not capable. How am I not capable?"

"Uh... do you have to have such sharp ears! You're capable, it's me who's not capable, okay!"

"The captain is capable too, the captain is the most capable!"

Li Yuan felt bitter inside; he was just a ship, how could he be capable!

Without Li Yuan's nagging, the System began to slack off, taking a full eight minutes to complete the construction of the new vessel.

[New vessel construction complete, initiating consciousness and item transfer, simultaneously recovering the small double-layer plank ship.]

In a flash, Li Yuan and the others were transferred to the new vessel.

"Quick, open the information template, I want to see our magnificent new ship!"