章 27: Recruits and Workshop?

--- Chapter 27 ---

Yawn~!

Huo Yuhao yawned while munching a toasted bread and stared at the Northern Sea City with a weird look. A day quickly passed after he fought the oceanic spirit beasts and unraveled the whirlpools problem, but something unexpected happened.

"Fufu~, why the long face? Aren't you happy people worship you as a hero?" Huo Yun'er poked her son's cheeks.

At the coastline, the cliff he jumped to defeat the Imoogi. Huo Yuhao left a Haoshoku Haki's mark there with imbuement to repel any wild spirit beasts, causing his strong willpower to resonate for at least several years. However, people in the Northern Sea City mistake it as a great master that drove the Oceanic Spirit Beast away.

Even with Yun Han's detailed explanation to the people here, some people somehow concluded a mysterious master who appeared and saved them all from misery. And Haoshoku Haki's mark makes it more legit.

It's almost fantasy-like to Northern Sea City as the whirlpool on the coast has caused so much harm to people here, getting freedom after years of suffering. Yes, they also called yesterday's event Freedom Day.

Huo Yuhao was slightly dumbfounded mainly and couldn't help but question these people's minds. He was too busy planning their escape from Qianye Ying'er father, thinking of a suitable way to hide from that guy's radar.

"Mom, can you see the Qi Luck in this city?" He suddenly asked Huo Yun'er, who beamed immediately.

She giggled and replied, "Hehe~! Everything for my beloved son."

Huo Yun'er closed her eyes for a moment and opened them back a minute later, having a golden tingle in her pink eyes. After skimming around the Northern Sea City, she deactivated her ability and rubbed her chin.

"Everything is fine, nothing too extreme. Your action has blessed this city with a decent amount of Qi Luck and ensured prosperity for a few years. Their adoration for you also indirectly increased your Qi Luck, but not much." Huo Yun'er commented with a cheerful tone.

"I see..." Huo Yuhao smiled and leaned on the chair.

"Oh yeah, where is Ying'er?"

Huo Yun'er pondered for a moment and answered, "Ying'er? She was looking around for a sea map in the city center, but they didn't sell it for some reason. Well, they weren't selling it because of the whirlpool, to be exact."

"Sea Map... That's one of the easiest things to get." Huo Yuhao responded while thinking about Yun Han. That old fisherman should have one lying around in his boat.

Qianye Ying'er suddenly opened the door and entered the room with a smug look. "I found it! We can travel through the sea with this." She excitedly lifted an old-looking sea map.

[Name: Yun Han's Sea Map]

[Type: Item]

[Grade: A+]

[Description: An old sea map drawn by the "oldest." and the most skilled fisherman in the Northern Sea City, Yun Han. It recorded over thousand of sea routes to travel around the Douluo Continent]

"Uh, how did you get that?" Huo Yuhao asked, to which Qianye Ying'er responded with a grin.

"An old man gave it to me for free. He said he doesn't need it anymore." Qianye Ying'er replied, which left Huo Yun'er speechless. "Um, Is there something wrong with this map?"

Huo Yuhao chuckled because there was nothing wrong with the sea map, but it was somewhat "Rather." useless as Yun Han was his subordinate. He could have asked the old fisherman to create another map.

"Good work." He patted Qianye Ying'er on the head and instructed Evo to archive the map into the system while remembering it himself.

Qianye Ying'er felt proud inside and giggled, "Hehe~."

...

Huo Yuhao, Huo Yun'er, and Qianye Ying'er went to the docks and witnessed at least one hundred fishermen preparing their boats. As the coast finally opened again, they could go out like in the past.

"Well, you look busy." Huo Yuhao said while looking down at Yun Han. The middle-aged man was adding some metal plates to his boat, fortifying it against the harsh waves of the open sea.

Yun Han laughed and answered, "Of course I am. The whirlpools have disappeared, after all. Only dumb fishermen won't use this chance to explore the open sea."

"Hmm, isn't that girl who asked for the sea map this morning? What are you doing with her?" He returned while noticing the familiar Qianye Ying'er behind Huo Yuhao. He slowly moved to the beautiful woman beside her and was stupefied for a moment. "For the love of god, is that real?"

"This is my gorgeous mom, and this is Qianye Ying'er. They are my companions in this journey." Huo Yuhao while getting hugged by Huo Yun'er.

"How envious..." Yun Han cursed because Huo Yuhao had such a beautiful woman on his side. And that girl would also become one in the future.

Meanwhile, Huo Yun'er pulled up her hood and wore a veil to cover her face. She seemed to have forgotten about hiding her identity for a moment. It also applies to Qianye Ying'er, who froze on the spot after realizing her mistake.

"Sorry..." She whispered while placing a face mask.

Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, "It's fine. Yun Han was one of Dragon Nest's members, a new one because I recruited him yesterday."

"Dragon Nest?? What are you talking about, kid?"

Hearing that question, Huo Yuhao shrugged and explained the surface level of his plan to Yun Han. And it makes the old fisherman dumbfounded for a good five minutes.

"Let me guess... You wanted to take a ship toward the open sea and find a suitable base to start this organization?" Yun Han suddenly assumed, to which Huo Yuhao responded with a nod.

Huo Yuhao leaned on the docks' wall and commented, "Pretty much, and It's such a waste not using a skilled subordinate like you, no?"

They stared at each other intensely and laughed loudly for a few seconds, leaving Qianye Ying'er confused on the side. She couldn't understand the jokes here.

"Don't stare at me like that." Huo Yun'er sighed while feeling the gaze of the young girl. "Males, in particular, seemed to have an inherent capability to lighten the mood. It's within their blood, no matter how young or old they were."

Qianye Ying'er nodded cluelessly, observing Yun Han with her amethyst-colored eyes. "How odd..." She muttered to herself.

Huo Yuhao looked around and noticed not many young men on the docks. "Anyway, do you have people who aren't "deeply." tied to the Northern Sea City? I wanted to recruit them to the Dragon Nest." He questioned naturally.

"Youngsters went to the big city. Northern Sea City only has senior people around now. It's not an ideal proposal, but I can convince them all to join the Dragon Nest. They would accept your offer at the heartbeat because you're our savior." Yun Han answered casually. "Even though most of us are fishermen, we also have other jobs like carpenter, blacksmith, and doctors that could help your organization in the early development."

"Don't look down on us, Kid. We might be old, but our ages also indicate our rich experience in this world."

"I never look down on anyone." That last statement makes Huo Yuhao remember his previous father. That man might be old and senile, but his rich experience in the business field was one of the best. "There is no fool like old fools. Nothing can beat experience."

"Well, you can tell them about the proposition secretly. I'll wait until noon." Huo Yuhao said calmly. "Also, you said blacksmith before, right? Can you tell me where that person's workshop is?"

Yun Han nodded and told Huo Yuhao to reach the corner of the Northern Sea City. There was a small workshop with a roof made of brick tiles near the beach.

"Don't worry about your identity. I'll be secretive when talking to recruits." Yun Han added lastly.

Huo Yuhao waved his hand at the old fisherman and went to the workshop with his mom and Qianye Ying'er. "That man is an interesting person, but he can't be my Hao'er~!" Huo Yun'er smiled behind her veils.

Qianye Ying'er agreed and added, "Yuhao is stronger and more calculative in every way possible."

"Thanks for the praises, but I'm not that great." Huo Yuhao responded with a chuckle.

They arrived at the beach and saw the blacksmith workshop with a brick-tiled roof. Huo Yuhao frowned inside because he could see intense black spots coming out of that place.

"Hello, anyone inside?" He knocked on the front door, waiting for the response.

Huo Yuhao used Kenbunshoku Haki and sensed someone on the floor with faint breathing. The temperature inside the workshop was over what the typical blacksmith could handle. He kicked the door and walked inside without permission.

"Hmm?" He stared at the burning forge with a weird expression because there was no fuel inside, only a bright-looking stone with an odd aura.

[Name: Luan Bird's Egg]

[Type: Spirit Beast/Egg]

[Age: 15.000 Years Old]

[Description: An abnormal Luan Bird's Egg that hasn't hatched after 15.000 years old, which seems to be half-dead with only essence left inside. Luan Bird is known to be related to the Phoenix and has more spiritual energy than any other bird]

"This is perfect for mom." Huo Yuhao reached over the egg and grabbed it casually. The heat wasn't affecting him because he has Level 120 Fire Resistance. He doesn't even feel any heat coming from this thing.

Huo Yuhao picked the blacksmith on the floor and tossed him outside like a bean bag, controlling the fire inside. After lowering the temperature, he glanced at the Moon Monolith's pieces in his inventory and decided to fuse them here.

"Mom, Ying'er. Can you take care of that guy?" He said from the workshop ventilation.

"Okay." Qianye Ying'er replied while checking on the blacksmith's condition.

"Sure." Huo Yun'er nodded slightly.

Huo Yuhao stretched his young hand and said, "Let's start."