"Gold Coins - 10"
"Activating Ancient Ship Technology... Activation successful!"
"Congratulations, Host, you have successfully unlocked the Ancient Era - Shipbuilding Technology tree!"
As the system prompt sounded, the panel in Roger's vision instantly changed.
The original simple line of text transformed into a huge and complex tree diagram, filling his entire field of vision.
At the very top of this technology tree was the overarching "Ancient Ship Technology," with countless dense branches sprouting below it.
The most basic layer consisted of [Basic Carpentry], [Basic Materials Science], and [Basic Structural Mechanics].
And beneath these foundational technologies, more specific technology options extended.
For example, under [Basic Carpentry], there were [Mortise and Tenon Joints], [Bentwood Craftsmanship], [Hull Planking Techniques], and so on.
Under [Basic Materials Science], there were [Wood Preservation], [Canvas Weaving], [Rope Making]... Each option was followed by the gray text "Unlocket" and the amount of gold coins required to unlock it.
The most basic ones, like [Basic Carpentry], only required 1 gold coin to unlock.
The more advanced the technology further down, the more gold coins it consumed.
Roger was dazzled, his heart pounding.
This was not a technology tree; it was a complete encyclopedia of ancient shipbuilding!
With this, let alone repairing this broken ship,
even building a brand new three-masted warship from scratch would only be a matter of time and money!
He's struck it rich!
He's truly struck it rich this time!
Roger suppressed the urge to unlock all technologies immediately.
He knew it wasn't the right time.
He didn't have enough gold coins to unlock more than a few.
Moreover, the most urgent task was to solve the problem of the santa trinidad first.
Roger quickly browsed through the technology tree, looking for the most helpful techniques for his upcoming treasure hunt.
Soon, his gaze locked onto an inconspicuous branch.
Under [Basic Structural Mechanics], there was a secondary technology called [Wreck Structure Analysis].
[Wreck Structure Analysis]: Costs 1 gold coin to unlock.
Once unlocked, the Host can scan and analyze wreck structures to quickly determine their structural weaknesses, stress points, and item distribution.
This is it!
This skill was practically tailor-made for this salvage operation!
With it, he could find the treasure's location on the santa trinidad in the shortest time, and even find the safest entry point for cutting.
"Unlock [Wreck Structure Analysis]!"
Roger made his choice without hesitation.
"Gold Coins - 1"
"[Wreck Structure Analysis] unlocked."
A faint stream of information flowed into Roger's mind, and he instantly understood how to use this new skill.
After completing all this, Roger contentedly put away the system panel.
He jumped off the sea nymph and returned to the sea serpent.
By this time, Gibbs had returned after purchasing the supplies he needed.
"Mr. Roger, everything you asked for has been bought."
"But for those bottles and jars you wanted, I had to scour every apothecary in Tortuga to gather them. Those guys are really greedy!"
Gibbs complained.
Roger smiled; those items were what he planned to use to make simple waterproof coatings and wood preservatives, which people of this era naturally wouldn't recognize.
"Thank you for your hard work, Gibbs."
Everything was ready.
Barbossa stood at the bow, drawing his scimitar with high spirits and pointing it towards the sea.
"Brothers! Hoist the sails! Our goal is mountains of gold and seas of silver! Let's go!"
"Ooh-hoo!"
The pirates let out excited howls.
Amidst the cheers, the sea serpent slowly sailed out of Tortuga's harbor, heading towards that unknown, deadly route.
This voyage had a completely different atmosphere from the last one.
The last time they crossed the Devil's Triangle, it was filled with fear and despair.
But this time, everyone's faces were filled with greed and anticipation.
In their eyes, Roger was no longer a savior, but a "Pirate King" who could lead them to great wealth!
"Brother, do you think there's really that much gold on the santa trinidad?"
Billy sidled up to Roger.
He rubbed his hands, his face full of longing.
"Probably more than you imagine," Roger said calmly.
His words made the eavesdropping pirates around him gasp, their eyes growing even more fervent.
Captain Barbossa had been almost inseparable from Roger these past few days.
He held the simple sea chart in his hand, turning it over and over, muttering continuously.
"Razor Reef... Can we really get into this cursed place?"
"Don't worry, Captain."
Roger said, looking at the calm sea ahead.
"The real danger doesn't come from the reefs, but from our own kind."
"Our own kind?" Barbossa was startled.
"The Spanish lost such a huge treasure ship; do you think they'll just let it go?"
Roger said.
"Even after all these years, they're surely still patrolling these waters."
"Our operation this time must be both fast and covert."
Barbossa's expression grew serious upon hearing this.
He had only thought of the treasure, but overlooked the treasure's owners.
"Then what should we do?"
"I've already thought it through," Roger said confidently.
"After entering Razor Reef, we can't sail the ship directly to the wreck site."
"We need to hide the ship in a secluded spot and then use small boats for salvage."
Barbossa nodded repeatedly, deeply impressed by Roger's foresight.
This young man was not only unfathomably skilled in navigation but also so meticulous in his thinking; he was practically a born leader.
His greedy calculations stirred again in his heart.
Such a talent must be kept on his ship, no matter what.
After two days of sailing, a strange sight appeared on the horizon ahead.
The color of the seawater became murky, numerous screeching seabirds circled in the sky, and a dangerous aura permeated the air.
The lookout let out an anxious cry:
"Captain! Razor Reef is ahead!"
The pirates on deck instantly fell silent, rushing to the ship's rail, nervously gazing ahead.
In that sea area, countless black reefs were densely scattered, protruding from the water.
These reefs were strangely shaped.
Some resembled sharp blades, others the fangs of a monster.
Waves crashed against the reefs, stirring up white spray and producing a deafening roar.
There was no navigable channel here; it was completely a forbidden zone for ships.
"My goodness... How do we get in there?"
Gibbs's scalp tingled.
Everyone's gaze instinctively focused on Roger.
Roger's expression was calm; he stood at the bow, his eyes slightly narrowed.
In his vision, data streams invisible to others were refreshing wildly.
"Basic Seamanship" was analyzing the direction and speed of every undercurrent.
Those seemingly chaotic reef clusters, in his eyes, formed a complex labyrinth map.
And he had already found the only passable, secret passage hidden beneath the deadly maze.
He turned his head and gave his first command to the helmsman behind him.
"Hard to port! Furl the main sail, leave only the foresail!"
"We're going to pass between those two reefs!"