The Abyssal Merchant listed his wares one by one.
He also explained the trading rules:
"Common potions and maps can be purchased with money. As for skill cards or other rarer items, besides money, you'll need black-blood mutated fish that have decayed no more than three days and were affected by the tides.
Customer, I prefer bartering over monetary transactions."
Chen Qi sat in his small boat, listening with great interest.
As a special merchant of the night, the Abyssal Merchant's goods were exceptionally rare.
For example, the Abyssal Breathing Technique - mastering this technique not only granted conventional strength but also significantly enhanced underwater mobility.
The Tempest Scrolls and Undine Summoning Scrolls were both incredibly powerful one-use scrolls.
The Blade of the Deep and Serpentblood Staff were weapons with equally potent positive and negative effects.
The Abyssal Merchant's goods were exorbitantly priced.
Normally, only third-tier experts could afford his wares.
After listening, Chen Qi pondered for a moment.
He currently had little money and no black-blood mutated fish, making most items unaffordable.
The cheapest options were sea snake venom and the Ice Demon Pirates' nautical chart.
The Ice Demon Pirates' chart!
Chen Qi's heart skipped a beat.
The Abyssal Merchant actually had such a valuable item.
Among the numerous pirate crews in the Witch Sea, there were four famously notorious Pirate Emperors.
Ranked from strongest to weakest: the Black Whale Pirates, Sea God Pirates, Blood Blade Pirates, and Ice Demon Pirates.
Each of the Four Pirate Emperor crews was founded with grand purposes draped in lofty ideals.
The Black Whale Pirates aimed to hunt the Great Whale.
The Sea God Pirates were fanatical worshippers of ancient deep-sea creatures - the Abyssal Merchant before him might well be one of them.
The Blood Blade Pirates emerged from a schism within Beiguo's navy, sharing a complex love-hate relationship with their former comrades.
The Ice Demon Pirates were founded to investigate the legendary Ice Witch who resisted the Great Whale centuries ago, sharing her passion for historical research and archaeology.
According to player guides, the Ice Demon Pirates possessed an exceptionally detailed professional chart.
Unlike common commercial charts, it marked not only terrain but also frequent shipping lanes of merchant vessels and warships.
More importantly, it meticulously detailed conditions in dangerous waters.
Many high-risk accident zones existed in coastal waters, their dangers severely overlooked with scarce information available.
Thus, the Ice Demon Pirates guarded their chart as a treasure, rarely allowing outsiders to see it.
Often to save time or escape pirate attacks, ships were forced into these hazardous zones.
For merchants, adventurers, and troublemaking players alike, the Ice Demon Pirates' chart was absolutely crucial.
Chen Qi swallowed hard.
Dangerous waters earned their name not just from sea beasts but also treacherous terrain like whirlpools.
Obtaining this chart meant his voyages wouldn't be limited to safe routes but could venture boldly elsewhere.
Normally, acquiring it required tremendous effort to befriend the Ice Demon Pirates.
"This map is essential - I must have it!"
Chen Qi thought, then asked the Abyssal Merchant:
"How much for the Ice Demon Pirates' chart?"
The merchant made creaking sounds, extending one charred black finger.
"One million shell coins?"
Chen Qi's heart sank.
The Abyssal Merchant said:
"That's market price. For first-time customers, I offer discounts - 800,000 shell coins.
This map is forbidden knowledge. Counterfeit versions alone are worth..."
Chen Qi considered carefully.
The authentic chart could fetch two million in certain black markets, with strict confidentiality agreements required.
After all, it marked secret naval bases.
Selling it illicitly invited pursuit from both pirates and navy.
Counterfeits were rampant.
Checking his Backpack Card, Chen Qi only had 400,000 shell coins.
Bartering was his only option.
He lifted the bucket half-filled with Ghostfire Oil.
"Half a bucket of Ghostfire Oil?"
Weapon merchants would pay about 400,000 for this quantity - far below the asking price.
But the Abyssal Merchant preferred goods over currency.
"Ghostfire Oil..."
The merchant's head tentacles twitched.
This quantity suggested a specialized harvester - no amateur could gather so much.
"Acceptable..."
The merchant agreed, seeing inventory expansion potential.
After five minutes of negotiation, they exchanged goods.
Please be genuine... Chen Qi received the meter-long chart, scanning it thoroughly.
It detailed hazardous terrain, shipping lanes, and major pirate bases - matching his expectations.
Authentic!
He stored the chart carefully.
The Abyssal Merchant glanced seaward:
"Customer... anything else to purchase?"
"Nothing more."
Chen Qi replied.
The merchant lifted his black oar:
"If that's all, I'll depart. The night is long..."
His manner had grown more polite... Chen Qi inquired:
"Where might I find you again?"
The merchant paused - in all his years as a sea monster, no first-tier superhuman had ever sought him out.
An interesting customer... After silence, he answered:
"Nearshore, at Sea Flower Island."
"I see."
Chen Qi nodded.
He had no immediate plans to seek the merchant out.
At his current strength, visiting the creature's domain would be suicidal.
But information never hurt.
Creak... creak...
The Abyssal Merchant raised his charred lantern, eyeing the cabin boat's bright lights hesitantly before vanishing into the mist.
"Whew..."
Gone... Chen Qi exhaled deeply.
He'd just traded with a being far beyond his power level.
This mist-shrouded skeleton had claimed countless lives.
Even second-tier Black Rabbit Gang officers perished instantly in darkness.
Without prior experience with worse monsters and understanding of Abyssal Merchants, he'd have been terrified too.
Moreover, obtaining the Ice Demon Pirates' chart made this voyage extraordinarily successful!
Entering the cabin, Chen Qi spread the chart, marking 'Abyssal Merchant' at Sea Flower Island with a pen.
Then he marked Moonstone City's location.
He'd sailed southeast about an hour from there.
"Should be here..."
Chen Qi marked his current position.
The area was labeled with Ghostfire Fish and Bullet Squids.
Beyond shipping lanes, it detailed marine creatures' territories - more comprehensive than expected.
Red outlines marked hazardous zones where ordinary ships never ventured.
He was already at a danger zone's edge.
Chen Qi's pen moved toward the red area.
Nearby was a white coral symbol beside a black sea serpent drawing.
Coastal Apex Predator?
The zone was densely marked with dangerous creatures.
Apparently, the danger came from wildlife rather than whirlpools or fissures.
Pausing at the coral reef, Chen Qi noted it likely served as a creature habitat.
Standing, he checked his compass and peered through the window.
In the dim waters, the Ghostfire Fish that had consumed his superhuman bait were now swimming toward the danger zone.
Excitement surged through Chen Qi.
The night was young - perhaps he could explore those treacherous waters.