Chapter 7: Ambergris? No, I Just Outsmarted the Big Shot!

No matter where the whale dragged the ship, it was an adventure nonetheless.

Da Chun ate as fast as he could to restore his strength. Meanwhile, the boat was speeding up, and the fishing line and rod creaked under the strain.

They had to row to keep up, or the fishing line might snap! Moreover, this sudden burst of speed might help him grasp an enhanced sailing technique.

“Shirley, row together!”

With that stroke, the awaited moment finally arrived!

— System Notice: Your team has triggered the hidden skill “Module Combination”!

Da Chun was stunned again. This wasn’t the sailing technique he had imagined! Module Combination? The name didn’t sound like some magical game skill; it felt more like a backend programming ability. Could binding the boat and fishing rod together really be a module combination?

Shirley was excited too: “I think I’ve grasped a skill—my tailoring has improved!”

It even affected tailoring? That was a high-level skill never heard of during the public beta!

Da Chun was thrilled: “Hold steady!”

Their proficiency skyrocketed, but another boat couldn’t withstand the high speed and creaked under the pressure. Shirley had to cast Frost to repair it, and this time, a magical blue light unique to leveling up flared around her.

Shirley rejoiced: “I feel the surging power of the water element; my meditation has reached intermediate level!”

Damn, clearly this ancient whale could use magic—otherwise, where would the water elemental power come from? Magic meant sea monster territory, qualifying it as an S-rank beast!

Soon, a small deserted island appeared ahead, and the whale slowed down accordingly.

— System Notice: You have entered an unknown sea area. World and regional channels are disabled.

Da Chun was amazed. Was this a special scene?

What treasures or adventures awaited? His anticipation grew.

The whale then rushed into a shallow bay on the island’s beach, almost beaching itself.

Ah, this was a safe haven from the storms, perfect for a thorough cleaning.

Da Chun plunged into the water to dig, and his mining experience surged wildly. Soon, his underwater mining skill rose to level three. The whale’s friendliness soared as well—this feeling was more than reassuring; it was a treasure in itself.

Just as he felt relieved, the system warned—Warning! Your hand pickaxe is corroded by acidic minerals and will soon break. Please repair or replace it promptly.

Damn!!

Da Chun was dumbfounded. His pickaxe failed at the crucial moment! Before setting sail, he had only thought about practicing sailing and fishing, never considering mining, so he hadn’t brought a spare pickaxe!

What now? Should he try mining barehanded? Normally impossible, but he tried scraping at the shells with his hands. It wasn’t entirely ineffective, but proficiency didn’t increase at all.

Shirley noticed the predicament: “What should we do?”

Now it was up to her. Da Chun thought of thermal expansion and contraction. “Can you try freezing the shells with your Frost spell? Maybe they’ll crack or shatter as they thaw.”

“I’ll try!”

Shirley began casting on the shells, frost spreading from her palm, quickly freezing the surrounding area like when she repaired the boat.

Da Chun tried scraping again; the shells were rock solid, even more reinforced by the frost.

No matter, this was expected. The harder they froze, the more brittle they’d become when thawed. If they froze other parts of the whale, the shells here might thaw and loosen, allowing another try by hand.

The whale cooperated, flipping onto its back and belly to be frozen all over.

Da Chun admired the whale’s intelligence. With such cunning, it was no wonder it had become a formidable S-rank wanted creature.

After over an hour’s preparation, the whale was encased in ice. Da Chun checked the initial frozen spot and, as it melted, found a crack.

He reached into the crack and scraped again. The shells loosened slightly, water seeping out—but suddenly, a red warning flashed:

— System Notice: Warning! Your hands are corroded by acid, HP -10! Severe corrosion will cripple your hands.

Damn! Barehanded mining was brutal!

But at that moment, the whale grunted and exhaled a shimmering bubble that enveloped Da Chun.

— System Notice: You have been blessed by the whale’s purification, effectively resisting acid corrosion. You have gained the power of the whale.

A blessing?!

Watching his rapidly healing hands, Da Chun was stunned. This whale was a deity born from long suffering. This was no mere sea monster—it was a sea god capable of high-level skills, healing, and blessings!

An idea to create a god instantly struck him.

In fact, the recent public beta festival was a ritual using fireworks and wine. If the village chief could activate it, could the same ritual work on this whale?

Finally, with his hands restored, Da Chun pulled hard—crack! A whole patch of shells fell off like a broken wall!

The overwhelming power far surpassed hammering with a pickaxe!

— System Notice: Congratulations! You have successfully grasped the innate skill “Essence of Excavation.” Your barehanded ability is enhanced, and your mining will see tremendous progress.

— System Notice: Congratulations! You have mastered the Essence of Excavation. Your underwater mining has reached Intermediate Level 1, achievement unlocked: Stamina +8, Carry Capacity +8.

Da Chun was stunned. He had grasped the most elusive innate skill! His mining skill jumped eight levels straight to intermediate! Could this be thanks to the whale’s blessing bubble?

Shirley was delighted: “I’ve grasped Magical Mining!”

No way! This was like the mage group’s demolition magic in the game’s intro—a true pinnacle of mining skills, far superior to mere pickaxe-wielding brutes.

Da Chun beamed: “Great, self-learning saves loads of tuition!”

Shirley, wide awake, said, “I’ll help too!”

Indeed, this was the perfect time to push skills together.

With Shirley’s genuine “Magical Demolition,” shell scraping became even more devastating. Da Chun’s intermediate underwater mining soared, proficiency not only held but soared further—a clear positive feedback loop where higher mining skill improved clearing efficiency!

At this rate, not only was leveling to advanced unimpeded, breaking through expert rank seemed inevitable.

So it turned out that to advance mining skill, one didn’t need to gamble on rare ores or legendary pickaxes. Abandoning tools and mining barehanded could work—provided you found shell minerals and a divine whale like this.

Yet, staring at the increasingly clean whale, Da Chun felt conflicted. The shells were running out. If it ended here, he might only reach advanced level. Where else would such convenience come from?

Amid the busyness, silver light shimmered between sea and sky as the moon rose, the vast beauty breathtaking.

Da Chun finally saw the island’s full view: no trees or grass, but along the shore lay oval stones glowing with white and yellow gem-like light.

“What are these stones?”

Shirley was stunned: “Could this glow be... I need to check!”

Ignoring her wet clothes, Shirley stepped ashore, Da Chun close behind. They saw the stones not only glowed but emitted black smoke—black for stench.

Shirley touched a white stone, her voice trembling with excitement: “This is ambergris! The white ones are top-grade, sun-dried for over a hundred years!”

Da Chun’s heart leapt. Damn, there really was treasure!

Indeed, this was a sperm whale, famed for its prized ambergris. It was said sperm whales hunted giant squids in the deep sea but couldn’t digest certain bones, secreting mucus to wrap them before expelling. Being lighter than water, these floated and aged for centuries in the sun, becoming gem-like “gray amber,” which smelled foul but gave off a rare fragrance when burned. In this game’s world...

Shirley’s voice quivered: “The gray ones are second-rate; the yellow-bronze ones are average but worth more than gold. The total value of this batch is unimaginable!”

Worth more than gold!?

Looking at dozens of ambergris pieces scattered around the island, Da Chun suddenly grew alert.

Was this really a professional quest reward? Even for an S-rank bounty, this payout was hundreds of times too generous. Given the game’s usual stinginess, this was impossible—unless...

There was only one explanation: this was a backdoor left by the developers for their investors or VIPs!

Because this game was derived from cryptocurrency mining algorithms—the “algorithms” being hundreds or thousands of computers running non-stop near power plants to generate digital currency—this determined the game wouldn’t allow developers to arbitrarily shower players with gold or gear. Instead, rewards had to be pre-set for privileged insiders. Once the game launched, the world would be sealed, following the algorithm with no further intervention.

Moreover, the whale’s strange “weaker yet stronger” design and such divine abilities clearly facilitated these VIPs’ early access.

In short, Da Chun might have just snatched the prize from a big shot. Trouble was brewing!

The thought sent blood surging and a chill down his spine.

But with a mountain of gold before him, no matter who it belonged to—even if the sky fell—he had to catch it. That was human nature.

Da Chun steadied himself: “Worth more than gold? Then we’re going to be rich!”

Shirley calmed down but still trembled: “This requires a special license. With our low status, we can’t fetch that price. It would likely be bought cheaply or confiscated by officials. Only major guilds organizing noble events can sell it for gold value! Besides, ambergris smells foul, and with so much, thieves’ guilds in the city will surely target us—they have treasure-hunting magical pets that are formidable!”

Indeed! Like alcohol, ambergris required special licenses. The thieves’ guild’s reputation was terrifying; even a bottle of wine needed a carriage escort in their presence. Here, any gambler’s luck or recklessness could ruin the chance at turning things around.

Da Chun agonized: “Should we just bury it here and come back later?”

Shirley said, “Many pirates stash stolen goods on remote islands, too scared to bring them into town immediately. That’s why so many genuine and fake pirate treasure maps flood the black market...”

Burying on the island? No way. If the big shots found the treasure missing, they’d scour the entire island!

Then bury it in the sea, far away! Ambergris wasn’t magical, so treasure hunters likely wouldn’t find it. Swimming skills would have to improve. But since the island was part of the whale questline, the priority was finishing that quest—maybe better solutions would emerge.

Lost in thought, Da Chun noticed under the moonlight that the whale’s skin was still pocked and oozing pus and blood. “What? We only scraped off the outer layer?”

Shirley frowned: “Looks like the inner layer has fused with the skin. This can’t be removed by mining; it might require medicine! But I’ve never heard of a doctor who can treat whales.”

Da Chun recalled what the elder had said: “The barnacles and shells are acidic mineral ores usable in alchemy. Maybe we can extract an antidote from these?”

Shirley was shocked: “Alchemy is expensive! And only the Oakwood City alchemists are authentic.”

Da Chun was bold: “Ambergris is right here. No matter the cost, it’s worth considering. Alchemy pairs well with magic! Black Iron City has beginner classes, right?”

Shirley: “Yes! Right next to the mage class.”

Good. Players can’t become archmages just by practicing magic; only by having archmages study alchemy can they grasp its essence.

“Let’s focus on cleaning the whale first...”