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Chapter 373 - Chapter 373: The Past of Chen Haobai’s Father, Setting Sail

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Feng Xiaotian added, "To be honest, our group loves exploration. Recently, we discovered an ancient book in some ruins. A few lines in the book mentioned, 'Cross the deep blue, and you will reach the land beyond.'"

"So, we want to go out to sea and see—it might even bring unexpected rewards."

Yu Die continued, "That ruin belonged to a powerful individual who was also an explorer. We believe the records in the ancient book wouldn't be false."

Chen Haobai's gaze swept over them as he picked up his wine glass and drained it in one gulp.

"I admire your courage and adventurous spirit, but crossing the entire ocean entails unimaginable dangers. Many captains in Hanhai City have been curious about what lies beyond the sea, but very few have dared to venture into the deep sea!"

"Some say the end of the sea is nothingness, while others claim the sea has no end. All those who tried to explore it never returned—not a single one!"

The other side of the sea was like a forbidden zone, deeply etched into the minds of every sailor.

"Hasn't anyone ever dreamed of conquering the sea?"

Chen Haobai laughed loudly. "Don't joke around—the most dangerous thing in the sea isn't soul beasts; it's human nature."

With that, he stood up. "Thank you all for your hospitality—I have nothing to repay you with. If you need it, I'm willing to take you on a tour along the coast. As for the deep sea—forget it."

After speaking, he turned and left the banquet hall.

Everyone's eyes turned to Ning Tianchen.

It seemed Chen Haobai wasn't swayed by money, and his deep-seated fear of the deep sea made him unwilling to go.

"Boss, how about we buy a ship like you suggested?" Chen Huayu proposed.

Ning Tianchen fell into deep thought.

He felt that Chen Haobai hadn't finished speaking.

People don't develop such fear and resistance toward things they've never encountered.

It was likely that he had experienced something or harbored a secret deep in his heart.

Ning Tianchen arranged, "Tomorrow, Rongrong and I will pay a visit. Xiaotian, you take everyone else to investigate Captain Chen's past at the docks. Make sure you get detailed information."

"If we can resolve his inner conflict, this matter might succeed."

Not long after, Helsing returned to the banquet hall.

Ning Tianchen asked him about Chen Haobai's past, but he didn't know much.

"Elder, I was transferred to Hanhai City ten years ago. Regarding Haobai, I only know what's happened in the last decade."

Ning Tianchen didn't say anything more.

This matter would be better investigated personally.

As for tomorrow, they'd let Helsing stall Chen Haobai while they went to his house to ask his family.

---

Early the next morning, everything proceeded according to plan.

The catch from the Manta Ray hadn't been sold out yet, and Helsing introduced several merchants to him.

In the short term, Chen Haobai couldn't leave.

Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong bought some gifts in the city and arrived at the gate of the Chen residence.

There were no servants at the Chen residence, and the gate was always open.

Ning Tianchen stepped forward and knocked on the door. "Is anyone home?"

An elderly woman came at the sound of the knock. Seeing their luxurious attire, she asked in confusion, "Who are you looking for?"

"Is this Captain Chen Haobai's house?" Ning Tianchen asked.

The old woman nodded.

He continued, "We're in need of a special kind of catch that requires Captain Chen's ship to go deep into the ocean. Is he home?"

Hearing that business had arrived, the old woman quickly led them inside and treated them well.

There were only four people in the Chen household—besides the old woman, there was a middle-aged woman and two young children.

"You guests must be from inland. What kind of catch do you need? Haobai has just returned to port—he might already have what you're looking for," the middle-aged woman said as she poured them tea.

Ning Tianchen picked up the teacup and smiled. "The catch we need is in the deep sea. Based on the distance, it might be farther than the Sea God Island."

Upon hearing this, the old woman's expression changed slightly, and she quickly pulled the middle-aged woman aside.

The two children, however, were intrigued by their words. "Big Brother, you actually know about the Sea God Island?"

Ning Rongrong bent down and took out two candies from her soul-guiding tool, handing them to the children. "We've just heard of the Sea God Island. It's very far from the mainland—we've never been there."

Another child asked, "Dad says Grandpa went somewhere even farther than the Sea God Island. Can you bring him back?"

Grandpa?

The children's grandfather was Chen Haobai's father.

No wonder Chen Haobai was reluctant to talk about the deep sea. It was likely that his father had set out to "conquer" the ocean and hadn't returned since.

Ning Tianchen wasn't sure of the specifics.

But clearly, the children had hit upon key information. The old woman scolded them and instructed the middle-aged woman to take the children elsewhere to play.

The old woman forced a smile. "These children have never met their grandfather since birth. These stories are just fabrications Haobai made up to entertain them—don't take them seriously."

Afterward, Ning Tianchen probed multiple times, but the old woman remained tight-lipped.

Realizing they wouldn't get any useful information, they left the gifts and took their leave.

After leaving the Chen residence, Ning Tianchen sighed. "I hope Xiaotian and the others found something."

Piecing together fragments could lead to a detailed understanding of the situation.

Ning Tianchen hoped Feng Xiaotian's group hadn't come back empty-handed.

---

At noon, everyone gathered at a restaurant in the city.

Feng Xiaotian spoke first. "I learned that Chen Haobai's father went out to the deep sea years ago and never returned. Counting the years, it's been over a decade now."

Chen Huayu continued, "I bribed a crew member of the Manta Ray, and I heard that Chen Haobai had an extremely close relationship with his father."

"There's an unwritten rule in the maritime world: 'Father and son cannot sail on the same ship.' But they were almost inseparable."

"The only time they didn't sail together, his father set out to sea and never came back."

This time, he had bribed the right person—this information was very useful.

Ning Tianchen added, "From what I've gathered, his father likely went to deeper waters, possibly trying to reach the end of the sea."

Putting all the information together, they had grasped Chen Haobai's weakness.

But how to persuade him, and how to approach the matter, remained a challenge.

Yu Die volunteered. "Our mother may have gone to another continent as well. We share similar experiences with Captain Chen—it might help us connect."

"Wait." Ning Tianchen suddenly realized something. "Your mother disappeared over a decade ago too. Though we don't know if she set out from Hanhai City, the timeline overlaps with the disappearance of Chen Haobai's father."

Ning Rongrong had a bold hypothesis. "It's possible that your mother boarded the ship of Captain Chen's father when she set out to sea."

The timelines matched, but whether it was true or not, they couldn't determine.

"We'll visit him again later." Ning Tianchen gestured for everyone to stay calm.

Chen Haobai wasn't a criminal, and their actions resembled investigating a suspect's motives.

If Chen Haobai didn't know beforehand, even if he agreed to help them, he might still change his mind later.

They had to make him confront his inner fears before they could guide him properly.

---

By the afternoon, the catch on the dock had been completely sold.

The crew member of the Manta Ray who had taken Chen Huayu's bribe informed him of the situation.

Chen Haobai gave the man a surprised look and rushed home.

Sure enough, from his family, he learned that Ning Tianchen and the others had visited in the morning and left gifts.

Thinking of his father, Chen Haobai's eyes lost focus. He sat on the threshold of the house, staring blankly at the horizon in the distance.

As night fell, he remained seated there, unmoving.

The middle-aged woman draped a cotton coat over him. "Haobai, it's cold at night—don't catch a chill."

Seeing his state, the woman sighed softly and quietly withdrew to the side.

Not long after, Ning Tianchen's group arrived at the door once again.

Without any formalities, Ning Tianchen got straight to the point. "Can we talk?"

Chen Haobai withdrew his gaze, glanced at him, and nodded in agreement.

The middle-aged woman who had been waiting nearby quickly went to prepare tea and brought it to the living room.

Ning Tianchen was the first to speak. "I apologize—we didn't mean to pry into your past."

Chen Haobai waved it off.

It wasn't a shameful past, so he had no reason to blame them.

Ning Tianchen gave Yu Die a meaningful glance, and she immediately understood. She quickly asked, "Captain Chen, we're investigating this because my mother may have come to Hanhai City years ago and sailed into the deep sea."

Chen Haobai's gaze faltered. Over a decade ago, he had been a young man in his twenties.

One night, his father had brought a woman home, which led to a huge argument with his mother.

At the time, he thought his father had been unfaithful, leaving him deeply distressed.

The next day, his father hadn't taken him along and instead set sail into the deep sea. By the time Chen Haobai learned of it, the ship was already far away—and to this day, his father had never returned.

Later, he came to terms with it. Perhaps his father had wanted to explore the deep sea but didn't want his family to worry, so he used this "self-staining" approach.

Or maybe his father had eloped with that woman.

"Surely not—it can't be such a coincidence!" Chen Huayu couldn't help but cover his mouth.

Yu Die's eyes lit up with excitement. Without wasting any time, she urgently asked if the woman resembled her mother.

The timeline matched, and so did the people—her mother might have truly gone in search of the legendary Butterfly Valley.

Chen Haobai shook his head. "I don't remember what that woman looked like."

"Haobai, actually that day—" The living room door opened, and the old woman spoke.

Having seen Ning Tianchen's group visit again and piecing together today's events, she had guessed part of the truth.

Earlier, she had eavesdropped outside the door, further confirming her suspicions.

"That day, your father said that the woman wanted to venture deep into the ocean to seek an unknown truth."

"Your father always had an adventurous spirit. After hearing the woman's words, he decided to explore the deep sea. But because the journey was extremely dangerous, he didn't tell you the full truth."

Chen Haobai had complex feelings about his father.

On one hand, it was because of his father that he had developed a love for sailing. Yet, because of his father's disappearance, he had spent these years trying to find traces of him through deep-sea fishing.

But he remained haunted by what had happened with his father all those years ago, unable to overcome the mental barrier.

This fear had caused him to shy away from venturing further into the ocean, unwilling to take another step into the deeper waters.

The old woman's gaze turned to the two sisters. "That woman didn't say her name back then, and I don't know if she was your mother."

"But since you've come here, perhaps this is fate."

With that, the old woman turned and left, closing the living room door behind her.

Seizing the opportunity, Ning Tianchen spoke. "We will definitely set sail—not only to search for Yu Die's mother but also to conquer the sea as our primary goal."

"Captain Chen, don't you want to know where your father went?"

"What if there really is another continent beyond the sea? If your father's ship was damaged and he hasn't been able to return all these years, don't you want to bring him back?"

"You don't need to worry about the cost of the voyage. We'll provide full compensation. I believe some of your crew members also dream of conquering this vast ocean."

After speaking, Ning Tianchen stood up, patted his shoulder, and said, "We won't force you. But this might be your only chance to find your father."

At this point, if Chen Haobai still refused, Ning Tianchen would have no choice but to resort to their backup plan.

Just as they were about to step out of the living room, Chen Haobai called them back. "I'll take you."

Overcoming his mental barriers, he resolved to find his father with determination.

However, he couldn't risk taking the sailors along, and this journey might not allow them to return. Ning Tianchen's group would have to pay a hefty "compensation."

Ning Tianchen's group still had plenty of money, so they weren't stingy.

In the end, Ning Tianchen decided to pay Chen Haobai 50,000 gold soul coins as a settlement fee. Of course, Chen Haobai would provide the ship. Whether or not they returned, and whether the Manta Ray sank, was irrelevant to them.

The fees for the first mate, second mate, third mate, and navigator would decrease incrementally by 5,000 gold soul coins each.

Ordinary sailors would receive 10,000 gold soul coins each.

Since this trip wouldn't involve fishing, they didn't need too many sailors.

These sailors were setting out with the resolve to face death. Ning Tianchen didn't think the cost was high.

Not to mention, they wouldn't be responsible for any damage to the ship.

After agreeing on the price, Chen Haobai stated that by tomorrow, once the cargo hold of the Manta Ray was cleaned, he would recruit sailors for the long voyage.

---

By noon the next day, Ning Tianchen's group arrived at the dock.

Unexpectedly, despite thinking this suicide mission wouldn't attract many volunteers, they found a steady stream of sailors signing up. The line stretched so far that it seemed endless.

Gambling their lives for their families' prosperity seemed to have become a consensus among the sailors.

Chen Haobai explained with a bitter smile, "People who make a living at sea are mostly from poor families. Ten sailors will be enough to support this voyage. What do you think—should we bring a few more people?"

Moved by their plight, Ning Rongrong decided to add five more sailors and settled the payment on the spot.

With the crew fully assembled, the Manta Ray underwent simple maintenance and was ready to set sail.

Early the next morning, after replenishing the necessary supplies, the Manta Ray raised its anchor. As the ship's horn sounded, it accelerated toward the deep blue expanse ahead.

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