Lin Muxue and the others grew increasingly grim. As the count neared three, they had no choice but to jump in, albeit reluctantly.
The moment they entered the pool, the stench nearly made her faint. Gritting her teeth against the nausea, she held her breath and began shoveling with the spade.
However, holding her breath for too long was impossible, and when she finally had to breathe, it was pure torture. The moment she inhaled, she almost passed out from the foul odor.
Half an hour passed, but it felt like half a century—an eternity of torment.
Finally, they finished cleaning the pool and quickly jumped out.
They were desperate to leave this place. Lin Muxue shouted, "I need to bathe! It's too disgusting!"
She felt dirtier and smellier than a beggar. This was utterly unacceptable for her, a goddess who had always been held in high regard, now reduced to such a state.
Ye Yu refused, "There's no need to bathe now. You'll have to clean this place often in the future. This is where you'll sleep. You can bathe when you're needed above."
Not only were they denied a bath, but they were also expected to sleep here?
Hearing this, they were furious.
But thinking that they had just cleaned it, the stench wasn't as bad. However, soon enough, a new wave of filth arrived—clearly, a crew member had relieved themselves.
For a moment, Lin Muxue and the others exchanged glances, on the verge of breaking down.
They were faced with two choices: diligently jump in and clean every day, or wait until it was nearly full before cleaning.
If they were diligent, sleeping here afterward might be slightly more bearable, but the thought of the cleaning process was pure agony, enough to drive them mad.
As for waiting until it was full? How could they possibly sleep well in such a wretched environment?
The thought sent chills down their spines, making them feel worse than pigs or dogs.
Lin Muxue broke down, roaring, "Ye Yu, you're doing this on purpose! You're deliberately targeting us, deliberately disgusting us! Even if we're slaves, you can't treat us like this. It's too much! I protest!"
Li Cang and the others were equally furious, "We protest too!"
Ye Yu sneered coldly, "Protests are invalid. You should have been mentally prepared when you became slaves on this ship. Besides, be grateful—some slaves have it worse, enduring physical torture and constant beatings. So, I'm being quite merciful. No need to thank me."
This made Lin Muxue and the others feel like vomiting blood. Ye Yu, merciful? What a colossal joke. He was tormenting them.
They were furious, shouting, but Ye Yu ignored them, locking them in that place.
At that moment, Lin Muxue and the others wished their sense of smell would just stop working.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Zhou Xing had finished preparing the meal.
The crew of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew set up a feast on the deck. The table was laden with all sorts of delicacies: golden, crispy roast chicken, aromatic grilled fish, and over a dozen other mouthwatering dishes.
The crew members ate heartily, savoring every bite, their faces filled with satisfaction.
"This is delicious."
"The chicken leg is so crispy on the outside and tender inside."
"This braised pork isn't greasy at all."
"And these spicy crayfish are so flavorful, so good."
…
Listening to this, Lin Muxue and the others felt deeply unbalanced. Above was heaven, while here was hell.
Ye Yu signaled the crew to display the surveillance footage on the screen below. The crew understood immediately and complied.
Instantly, Lin Muxue and the others saw the scene on the screen: the deck, and the villa-like structure of the pirate ship, each floor set with a banquet. The camera focused on the delicacies, making them crave it intensely.
They had just gone through a tough battle, consuming a lot of their energy, and now they were somewhat hungry. Watching the delicacies on the screen, they couldn't help but drool.
Lin Muxue shouted, "We want to eat too! Slaves need to eat as well!"
Ye Yu refused, "Not now. You will be fed, but only once every three days. It's not time yet."
Lin Muxue was stunned, then furious, "What? Once every three days? That's unacceptable!"
Ye Yu impatiently said, "You're not ordinary people anymore. Once every three days won't starve you."
Lin Muxue and the others couldn't argue back at the moment. After boarding the ship, they were constantly so angry that their whole bodies trembled.
Moreover, just becoming slaves and boarding the ship, they were already in such a miserable state, and this was only the beginning. Thinking about having to be slaves for fifteen days, their hearts were filled with unease, not knowing what further torment awaited them.
The Dominant Feather Pirate Crew had now arrived at a new treasure deposit point and began to deposit their treasures.
The precious ones were deposited by Ye Yu, reaching level 27, a significant improvement. Even though it was hard for him to improve, now at level 27, it was certain that no one else had reached this level, at most around level 25 or 26.
The other crew members also deposited a lot of treasures, each getting their share, and the overall strength of the crew improved significantly. This was the harvest from this battle.
After all, this battle was stressful and difficult for the entire Dominant Feather Pirate Crew. For Ye Yu, it was also quite challenging.
Next, they continued their voyage. Many people signed up to join, and as they sailed, they often passed islands with cities, replenishing supplies and recruiting people along the way.
Many came, but the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew had strict requirements. Even the lower crew members had to be exceptional, focusing not on quantity but on quality. Even if their strength met the standards, if they failed the character test, they were not accepted.
Soon, three days passed.
In these three days, they recruited a total of one thousand crew members, further enhancing the overall strength of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew. One thousand wasn't a lot, but their combat power was not low; one thousand here was equivalent to ten thousand in other powerful pirate crews.
Eight hundred were lower crew members, one hundred fifty were combat crew, and fifty were executives.
As for executives, there were none in these three days. Ye Yu wasn't surprised, as there were indeed not many rogue pirates left, and it had only been three days.
At this time, the Flying Sky, Overlord, Azure Dragon, and Prodigy pirate crews were sailing together.
After the battle ended, they had been together continuously, embarking on non-stop adventures, searching for powerful Sea Beasts, and charging into islands with Ferocious Beasts to fight desperately. Looking at the pile of treasures on the deck, they couldn't feel happy because it didn't belong to them.
The crew members were all in a sorry state, haggard, having worked hard these three days. Looking at the treasures emitting golden light, their eyes showed no sparkle; such hard work was for someone else's benefit.
They had no choice but to give, as the crew members taken as slaves were all very important.
Jin Mo's face was grim, frowning, "We've barely gathered less than a fifth."
Song Ling sighed, "We need to encounter one or two Mystic Realms to possibly gather enough treasures within fifteen days."
Wang Quanshi was furious, "Damn it, we're working harder than ever, but all the treasures are prepared for Ye Yu."
Ye Ming sighed, "We shouldn't have started a war with them in the first place. The cost of failure is too great."
Sha La spoke gravely, "Over the past three days, the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew has recruited many new members, significantly boosting their overall strength. Previously, they were deterred, and no one dared to join. But now, after this period, they've entered a phase of rapid expansion, leaving our alliance of the four major pirate crews further behind."
Jin Mo snorted confidently, "No need to worry. Once we reach level thirty, it will mark the beginning of our rise as Ability Users. Then, we'll find an opportunity to avenge our humiliation."
(End of Chapter)