I Don't Agree to the Terms

But some people weren't foolish, they went straight towards Tang Quan or the thick hemp rope pulling Wang Qi, knowing that if they cut the rope, the other party wouldn't be able to take the person away.

They discovered that the black fog was the manifestation of a high concentration of odor. This didn't mean that the smell was only present within the black fog, but that the smell permeated everywhere, becoming stronger and more terrifying the closer one was to the fog.

This wasn't something ordinary people could endure, even if they were sea dwellers with superhuman abilities. Due to their strength, their sense of smell was also more developed; tolerating it was one thing, whether it would cause damage was another.

Several die-hard members of the Dragon Fish Chamber of Commerce had rushed in, only to become dizzy and unable to hold their swords steady, and their various experiences in life-and-death situations didn't mean they could ignore this harm.

In the end, they could only watch helplessly as Wang Qi, shrouded in black fog, was dragged away by Tang Quan.

The reason Wang Qi was engulfed by the black fog was that he had long been fainted by the overpowering smell. Had he eaten less dark cuisine previously and not built up resistance, he probably would have ascended to heaven like those slow runners caught in the fog.

Even Tang Quan, upon returning to the ship, had his eyes bloodshot and couldn't stop his runny nose and tears, gasping for fresh air with big breaths.

As for Wang Qi, he was now being hung at the stern of the ship, a method to disperse the smell by facing the wind.

"So, how should we rescue the captain?" Tang Quan asked, still shaken.

The main issue was that the smell was too strong; even with the wind in their favor, they would be overwhelmed if they got too close, and the black fog hadn't even dissipated.

"Giving him a wash shouldn't be a problem, but how to wash him – that's tricky. This stuff isn't easy to deal with," Fang Chen said with a pale face. Dealing with Wang Qi was indeed problematic; being tainted with the smell of dark cuisine was almost like torture, afflicting not only him but everyone around him.

"We have to be ruthless, just lower the rope and let the captain and his hand soak in the sea for three to five hours. Even if it doesn't get completely clean, it should remove some of the smell," Fang Jin gritted his teeth and said.

"Doing that... seems a bit harsh," Tang Quan hesitated before adding, "This is the sea, what if the captain gets eaten by a Sea Beast?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Jin rolled his eyes, "Do you hear what you're saying? With the captain's stench, which Sea Beast would dare to approach? Those not from the extinction boundaries would already be doing well."

Hearing this, Tang Quan felt a bit embarrassed.

However, the proposal was accepted and Fang Chen moved to lower the thick hemp rope holding Wang Qi bit by bit into the sea until his hands were fully submerged, then left quickly with red-faced from holding his breath.

A few minutes later, a long black streak appeared on the surface of the sea.

"This dark cuisine enhanced +1 is truly horrifying. I remember the captain said this stuff was originally meant to be eaten, right?" Tang Quan said with a hint of shock. Could this really be eaten? If it got into the stomach, wouldn't the whole person become stinky?

"It's edible, and after eating it, you can gain powerful Transcendent abilities, but the condition is you have to eat an entire jar for it to take effect."

"Oh, right, a jar contains eighteen pieces."

Fang Jin didn't hide anything and spoke directly.

Tang Quan was astounded by this, deducing from their previous Tribute to the Heavenly Emperor that the more frightening the taste of the dark cuisine, the more powerful the Transcendent abilities one could gain after eating it.

So if he actually managed to eat a full jar of stinky tofu eggs, even if they weren't enhanced, the Transcendent abilities he'd gain could potentially make him extraordinarily powerful. The only downside was that he might die before finishing them.

The risk associated with this stuff was pretty high, as even Wang Qi didn't dare to eat stinky tofu eggs to get stronger.

Keep in mind, eating just one could only give a temporary boost with a time limit. To gain true Transcendent powers, you'd have to eat all eighteen pieces continuously. It's not like you could eat one every few days; that wouldn't count.

So Tang Quan also dismissed the idea of eating such high-intensity dark cuisine. If he really wanted to eat it, Wang Qi wouldn't stop him, but he would have to face the consequences himself.

After all, the various medications or treatment methods aboard the ship were incapable of repairing the after-effects caused by the dark cuisine; one had to power through it on their own.

"This sort of treat, I'll leave it for the captain to enjoy, I'm not blessed enough to savor it..." Tang Quan was very tactful.

Every second ticked by; Wang Qi also slowly came to.

He then saw himself suspended in the air, with more than half of his body submerged under the sea, his first thought was that he must have been captured alive by the enemy.

But he quickly realized that this seemed to be his ship, so he could only have been hoisted up by his own people.

"Captain, you're awake, hurry up and wash your hands." Fang Jin's voice called out.

Wang Qi looked up and saw all three were present; he couldn't help but laugh and cry for a moment, thinking they must have dunked him in the sea because they couldn't stand his stench, and saw that the rolling black fog in the water formed a long line as the ship moved forward.

So instead of immediately responding, he started to scrub his hands continuously, but it was ineffective.

"Quick, get me some soap or something, I can't get my hands clean." After trying for ten seconds, Wang Qi found that his left hand was also contaminated and his eyelid twitched, eventually he could only shout at Fang Jin.

The potency indeed exceeded Wang Qi's expectations; when he had used it to attack the three sea ships of the Godslayer Alliance that were chasing them, the distance was great, so he didn't feel much because he didn't come in contact with the egg liquid, there was just a surface layer. As stinky as it was, at least it was relatively simple to clean afterward.

Now, to think it was contagious was truly terrifying.

Fang Jin quickly lowered soap, perfume, and the like in a basket; seeing this, Wang Qi reached out to grab them and continued scrubbing his hands.

The commotion lasted until midnight, he had been washing for nearly a whole day, and his hands had shed several layers of skin before the black fog finally cleared up. However, the smell still lingered, though it was no longer a major threat; at least, he didn't have to worry about the stench bringing forth more black fog.

After that, he was wearily dragged onto the ship for treatment.

His bones had been fractured by the enemy previously, and this ordeal surely added insult to injury. Recovery wouldn't be easy.

Thankfully, Fang Jin had some medical knowledge and could temporarily stand in as a ship's doctor.

"Hisss~ I think we need a highly skilled ship's doctor; otherwise, with this kind of torture, we're bound to die sooner or later. Perhaps they could even offer some help when we indulge in our dark cuisine—some psychological therapy at the very least." Wang Qi felt pain all over; to recover, he would need at least ten days to half a month of rest.

"Indeed, this was too dangerous; captain, you almost played yourself to death." After bandaging Wang Qi's hands, Fang Jin spoke.

Tang Quan pondered for a moment, then said, "I do have a candidate, but they are a bit odd and difficult to recruit."

Wang Qi, Fang Jin, and Fang Chen exchanged glances; had they not been through this situation before?

They then looked toward Tang Quan, who felt his hairs stand on end under their gaze.

"Well, if it's too difficult, never mind..." With a sense of unease, Tang Quan could only brace himself and said.

"Difficulty has never been the issue; by the way, this candidate is a friend of yours, right?" Wang Qi asked, beating around the bush.

Tang Quan nodded; "Mm, a friend, though we haven't been in touch for many years."

"Alright, that settles it then," Wang Qi firmly decided on the candidate. Friends, after all, are made through trials. Fang Jin had snared Tang Quan, the helmsman, so it was only fair for Tang Quan to bring in a ship's doctor.

"Okay then, their location should be roughly here..." Tang Quan felt it odd but said nothing more. Instead, he informed Fang Jin about the general location. Since Fang Jin was the navigator, she had to know to set the course.

As for the captain, Wang Qi, aside from fighting, he wasn't much use.