Chapter 30: Cat Dad Wants Big Ship!
Chapter 30 – Cat Dad Wants Big Ship!
Slave One put the Hyen Set.
The helmet was made of gnoll's skull and leather while the leather gloves, armor, pants, and boots were made from hardened gnoll hides. After putting them on and wielding the club, Slave One looked like a barbarian chieftain.
Moreover, by completing the set, Slave One emitted a green aura around him. He now looked dazzling.
Even Slave One was proud of his aura. His nostril flared, and his face blushed a little.
Moreover, the combat prowess of Slave One surpassed Xiaomao.
…
Combat Status
ATK: 9 + 50
DEF: 9 + 150
M.ATK: 46
M.DEF: 34
HP: 380 / 380 (+200)
MP: 530 / 530 (-150)
…
Having a completed set of gears impacted the attack and defense. This was the difference between a fully-equipped level 20 character and a low-leveled naked character like Xiaomao. Judging from the raw stats, Slave One could potentially solo the gnoll dungeon now.
Still, Xiaomao wasn't envious of Slave One. He knew that catopuses had their unique equipment, which rivaled rare set gears.
"Let's go shopping, munya!"
After sorting items, Xiaomao rode on Slave One's shoulder and ordered him to march toward Seaside Town's Merchant Guild.
As Slave One obediently followed Xiaomao's instruction, he walked at his own pace, heading to the destination.
Slave One left the Labor Guild and entered the town. Then, his gear's aura shone under the sunlight like a halo. The bright green color attracted everybody's gazes.
As the players looked at his leather gears, which stood out among the newbie players, they couldn't help but admire the unique pattern and the tribal-like skull helmet. Even several level 50 common NFT players were attracted to the unique aura of the set equipment.
Although Slave One looked good in public, players lost interest in him shortly after. After all, they got used to the fashion aesthetic of other players, who had purchased cosmetic gear from the cash shop.
Everybody believed that Slave One was one of the cash players, who used cosmetic gears to hide his real gears.
"Fools, munya!"
Xiaomao laughed at them. He wondered how many players could understand the value of set gears.
Equipment was categorized in levels and rarity tiers. In the early stages, level-20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 were the milestones for gear progression as the equipment's effects significantly improved by a rank.
A level-1 gear gave players 5 to 10 ATK or 5 to 10 DEF at the maximum. Level 10 differed by a little as the value increased by 5.
At level 20, the value began to scale. It ranged between 20 and 100, depending on the rarity of the gears, assuming that the equipment had gold, purple, or red names. Lower rarity equipment gave lower stats accordingly.
At level 40, the ATK and DEF scale spiked to 100 to 200 per piece, which was several times the amount that level-20 equipment provided.
Then, at level 60, the max value of ATK and DEF jumped to 200 to 500 from one piece of equipment or weapon!
Level 80 – 500 to 1,000!
Level 100 – 1,000 to 2,000 per piece!
The power curve seemed ridiculous, but these gears were essential for a higher stage in-game when cultivators and Qi came into play. Having 1,000 to 2,000 DEF at level 100 was considered paper-thin as normal monsters and NPCs at level 100 could easily one-shot them!
Meanwhile, the level 20 set of Slave One was stronger than level 40 white-named gears that common NFT players used. With the additional stats from fairy's bonuses and Cernun's blessings, Slave One was comparable to average level 50 players with a common NFT character.
He was strong enough to roam around this starting town.
…
Slave One entered the town's merchant guild unhindered. Xiaomao jumped off from his supporter's shoulder and went to one of the counters to submit his business.
The counter clerk glanced at the premium merchant guild's pass icon above Xiaomao's head. She then wildly smiled at the cat.
"What can I do for you today, sir?"
"I'm looking for a galleon for sale, munya. Do you have any ocean sea ship for sale, munya?"
"… Please wait for a moment. We shall check the commissions and our records."
The clerk rushed off from the counter and went back into the staff room upstairs. Five minutes later, she returned and guided the guild branch manager here.
The obese man in a red noble medieval clothing was Tang Yuan. His fluffy cloth collars and his massive neck looked uncomfortable under that uniform as sweat rained from his face and his skin, drenching the clothes.
"Hello, sir. I am Tang Yuan, the branch manager of Merchant Guild. Before we talk business, I would like to check your credibility, sir. Please forgive us if we ask something rude."
"What is it, munya?"
"Ocean ships are costly, and we need to verify if your wealth is sufficient to purchase such expensive goods."
In short, Tang Yuan didn't believe that Xiaomao had enough money to buy expensive warships.
"I see, munya."
Xiaomao nodded as he understood what Tang Yuan wanted. He hadn't opened a bank account with the Merchant Guild yet, so he couldn't access the guild's VIP products.
Without hesitation, Xiaomao converted 10,000 PACTs into PACT coins. He filled them into an empty barrel and brought them out in front of the counter.
The barrel manifested and let out a jiggling sound.
"One PACT is one million gold coins. Will 10,000 PACT coins be enough to warranty my credibility, munya?"
Seeing the number of tokens, Tang Yuan's eyes glittered while the clerk brightly smiled. They bowed 90 degrees.
"Welcome to Merchant Guild, esteemed sir. Please come to the upper floor meeting room."
Xiaomao collected the barrel of tokens back and ordered Slave One to follow Tang Yuan to the meeting room on the second floor.
…
Their actions didn't escape the eyes of other players. Many merchants and traders gazed at Xiaomao in envy. Still, they didn't cause a commotion as they were used to seeing rich players.
They gossiped among themselves.
"Another P2W whale joining the game. Even his character is UR, man."
"Don't complain. His money is supporting the game for F2P players like us to enjoy."
"He must be rich in real life. Why does he want to buy a warship anyway? All sea monsters are level 500 and above. They are not something we can fight."
"Sea trades, you noob. Sea trade is a lucrative business. Top guilds have at least one or two carracks for sea trade."
"But not a galleon, though. Do you know how many billion gold coins it costs? It also takes at least two or three years for the NPC shipbuilders to make one! I doubt anyone can wait that long."
The crowd speculated and murmured among themselves. But a few minutes later, they forgot about Xiaomao's existence and continued with their businesses in the guild building.
…
Guild Branch Manager's Office
Xiaomao and Slave One sat on a couch. The fat manager brought a catalog and put it on the coffee table in front of them.
"Unfortunately, we don't have any pre-made ship in stock at the moment, but we can commission Siren City's best shipyards to construct a brand new ship of your liking. You can check the catalog and tell me what kind of ship you desire."
Siren City was the name of the Capital City of the Yuan Empire. It was located far to the southwest of the continent, and it was famous for its shipbuilders and abundant natural resources.
Carracks or similar ocean ships were never sold in the market or guilds. To get one, players needed to issue a commission at the local Merchant Guild and wait for shipbuilders to construct one for them.
Xiaomao had expected this. He leisurely opened the catalog to see the ship designs, specs, and pictures of real ships.
After flipping a few pages, Xiaomao pointed at a massive galleon, which looked exactly like ocean ships in the 16th to 18th centuries. However, the description and specs of the galleon were different than real-world ships.
…
Kraken Hunter (Galleon Class)
This combat galleon is designed for one purpose – Hunting sea monsters!
It comes with 10 Lightning harpoon guns, 10 AA mini-guns, and 20 heavy cannons on the top deck. 40 Lightning Element Cannons and 20 auxiliary windows are customizable. All parts of the ships can be upgraded as long as you have enough Mithril ores or sacred tree lumbers.
Ship Specifications
Hull HP: 5,000,000
Durability: 10,000,000
Weight Limit: 5,000 Tons
Max Speed: 10 Knots
Inventory Slots: 1,500
Combat Specifications (Default Weaponry)
Heavy Cannon ATK: 10,000
AA Mini-Gun ATK: 2,500
Lightning Harpoon Gun M.ATK: 1,500
Lightning Element Cannon M.ATK: 7,500
Hull DEF: 20,000
Hull M.DEF: 15,000
…
The power of this ship seemed overpowered. But from Xiaomao's perspective, the weaponry was too weak, and he needed to replace them with more advanced weaponry.
Still, it was enough for a standard FISHING BOAT for Slave One.
"I want this fishing boat, munya!"
Tang Yuan gazed at the ship image and wryly smiled.
You called this a fishing boat? It was a freaking galleon class battleship!
Tang Yuan coughed, "That ship, sir? It's the most expensive ship among all … fishing boats. Are you sure?"
Xiaomao scoffed, "Name the price, munya."
"20 billion gold coins as a down payment to commission the shipbuilder guild at Siren City, and 50 billion after the ship has been completely constructed, sir."
Hearing the price, Xiaomao deeply exhaled. 70 billion gold coins were equal to 70,000 PACTs. Indeed, it was expensive as the manager had said.
However, in the future, this ship could earn 1,000 to 5,000 PACTs of profits from sea trading every day! Considering the rewards after the ship was built, investing 70,000 PACTs now was too cheap!
"How many months do you need to complete the ship, munya? I want it as fast as possible."
"A-A-About two years at the fastest, sir."
"Too long. Make it 6 months, munya!"
"T-That's impossible, sir!"
"I'll pay 100 billion gold coins if you can finish it under 6 months in a perfect condition, munya. Tell the shipbuilders at the capital that I'll also provide some of the crafting ingredients to hasten the construction speed. Consider it as a challenge for this commission, munya!"
Tang Yuan wiped the sweat on his face. He repeatedly bowed and accepted the commission.
Xiaomao gave him 20,000 PACTs as a down payment. Tang Yuan signed a contract for the commission and gave it to Xiaomao.
Now that the commission was done, Xiaomao asked for something else.
"Manager, by chance, does your guild have Cathulhu's Essence Core, munya?"
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone