Chapter 34: A Day Trip at Sea, There Must Be Many Beautiful Things on the Seabed

“An Upgrade Card!”

“Another Upgrade Card! If this upgrade is successful, our boat is going to undergo another massive transformation.”

“Let’s go, time to upgrade!”

Without another word, Bai Xi scooped up Bai Miao and headed toward where the boat was moored.

Standing a short distance away, Bai Yu saw Bai Xi’s movements and set down the bundle of firewood she was holding. She walked over, calling out, “Slow down, Xiao Xi, don’t trip.”

Bai Xi wasn’t very big herself. Carrying Bai Miao across flat ground was fine, but if she tripped while walking over the rocky terrain, both of them would end up hurt.

As Bai Yu spoke, she quickened her pace and soon took Bai Miao from Bai Xi’s arms. “There is no need to be in such a rush for the boat upgrade.”

“Of course I’m in a rush! I want to see what our boat turns into after this upgrade,” Bai Xi said, turning her head as she skipped along. “Let’s go, let’s go, hurry up! Maybe this time it will turn into a three-story boat.”

“It won’t happen that fast,” Bai Yu said with a chuckle, though her pace quickened nonetheless.

Before long, the three of them arrived at the spot where the boat was docked.

Yesterday’s gale had come without rain, so the water level hadn’t risen too much. However, there was still some water beneath the hull, causing the double-decker boat to hover just off the sand, swaying slightly as it drifted back and forth with the tide.

Given the situation, Bai Yu was even less willing to let Bai Miao step into the water. She carried her through the shallows to the side of the boat and let her use the newly drawn Upgrade Card on the vessel.

As the white mist enveloped the boat, they took several steps back.

“I wonder what it will turn into this time. I hope it’s something great,” Bai Xi said, pressing her hands together in anticipation.

“No matter what it is, it will be better than it is now.”

As they spoke, the white mist dissipated, revealing the boat’s full appearance.

At first glance, the boat looked almost identical to how it had been before the upgrade. But once the ship was fully visible, a distinct change appeared at the bow: a small cabin had been added there.

Bai Yu and Bai Xi exchanged a look, then walked to the ladder and climbed up using the handrails.

As usual, Bai Xi went up first. Once at the top, she reached down to pull Bai Miao up, followed finally by Bai Yu.

Once all three were on board, they couldn’t wait to head toward the bow.

Stepping into the newly appeared cabin, the two sisters who were familiar with operating the boat were both somewhat surprised.

“I’ve only heard that very large ships have wheels like this to control the direction,” Bai Yu said, touching the steering wheel. “The small boats we use don’t usually need such things.”

“We have punting poles,” Bai Xi said, touching the wheel. “Will this thing be easier to use than a pole?”

“Why don’t we try it?” Bai Yu couldn’t bear to take her hands off the wheel. Seeing something she had only heard of before appearing right in front of her eyes made her heart race with excitement. “Since there’s water on the beach today, it will be easy to dock when we come back. We haven’t been out on the water in a long time.”

Bai Xi looked at her suddenly. “Can we?”

“We can try,” Bai Yu said, looking out of the cabin. “There is no wind or rain right now, and the tide is just right. The boat won’t drift too far from the island.”

“I’ll go get the fishing net! I wonder if the fish will be bigger if we catch them away from the island.” Bai Xi ran out of the cabin at top speed and hopped off the boat to grab the net.

Bai Yu smiled at her enthusiasm and began tidying things up to prepare for departure.

The island was right in the middle of the sea, surrounded by water. They saw this stretch of ocean every day and should have been in constant contact with it, but they were ultimately unfamiliar with the sea and didn’t dare act rashly. Ever since arriving on the island, they hadn’t once gone out onto the water.

Today provided the perfect opportunity. Not only were Bai Yu and Bai Xi excited, but even Bai Miao felt a spark of anticipation.

Bai Xi retrieved the fishing net and untied the ropes securing the boat to the shore.

She then returned to the boat and worked together with Bai Yu to slowly nudge the vessel, which was floating in the shallow water, further out until it was fully afloat.

“Eldest Sister, we’re moving!”

“Which way should we go?”

“That way, that way,” Bai Xi pointed in a direction. “Yesterday’s wind blew that way, and it took a lot of firewood with it. Let’s go pick the wood back up. It’ll still be usable once it dries out.”

“Alright,” Bai Yu said with a smile, adjusting their course.

When Bai Xi said she wanted to pick up firewood, she meant it literally. She even went down to the lower cabin to get a pair of long wooden tongs.

Bai Yu adjusted the direction and brought the boat to a halt, then stepped out of the cabin to watch Bai Xi work.

After watching for a moment, she said, “Our boat is a bit high now. If this were our original small boat, you could reach out and grab it by hand.”

“If this were our original boat, we wouldn’t be able to stand on one side like this, or the boat would be unstable,” Bai Xi laughed. She clamped onto another piece of firewood and handed the tool to Bai Yu. “Here, Eldest Sister, your turn to play.”

Bai Yu accepted the tongs with a smile and began picking up firewood as well.

Bai Miao squatted by the side, not daring to move too much. She reached her hand through the railing and pointed not far away. “Eldest Sister, over there.”

Bai Xi followed her lead, giving directions. “That one, that one, and that one too.”

The three of them stood by the railing, finding joy in the firewood that had been blown into the sea last night, playing happily together.

Once they had gathered most of the wood, Bai Xi cast out the fishing net she had prepared early that morning.

The island was not far away, and they could return at any time. Floating on the sea now didn’t cause them any worry; instead, they felt a sense of ease and control.

Bai Xi turned around, looking at the water surrounding them. “Eldest Sister, why don’t we build the Small Pier first? That way, we can go out on the water more often. Once the pier is built and the boat is moored in the water, I can even tie a rope to myself and dive down to find some Shells.”

Previously, when the boat was docked on the beach, she couldn’t go very far even if she went into the water with a rope tied to her.

But if the boat was already in the water, she could head toward the deeper areas with a rope secured to her body.

In the past, when she had to catch fish, shrimp, and shellfish just to make a living, it sometimes felt like a grueling ordeal that never stopped for a single day. Yet after not being in the water for a while, she actually missed it. She really wanted to go for a swim and catch fish and shrimp from the seabed.

Many of the fish and shrimp in this sea were much larger than those in the inland waters.

“How many Blank Upgrade Cards does Miao Miao have left?”

Bai Miao gripped the railing and looked up, raising one hand to count. “Twenty-two, three, four…”

“There are still quite a few. We can upgrade both the Small Pier and the house we’re living in on the island.”

“We also need a woodshed,” Bai Yu calculated. “The pier needs to be upgraded several times to be sturdy enough, which will take a few Upgrade Cards. But it should be about right. We can upgrade a small room first to sleep in at night, and then upgrade the Small Pier.”

“Hooray!”

“Hooray!”

Bai Yu smiled, but when she turned back, she realized the piece of firewood she had almost caught had drifted away.

“We need to move a bit further that way. Xiao Xi, is your fishing net okay?”

“It’s fine. We’ll catch whatever we can. We aren’t lacking for fish or shrimp to eat.”

Living on the island, they lacked many things, but fish and shrimp were the one exception. They couldn’t even finish it all. Every time they hauled in a net, they had gone from only releasing the small ones at the start to now only keeping the specific kinds they wanted to eat and throwing everything else back into the water.

The boat moved easily through the water, and since the sea was calm today, they took the boat directly around the island once.

Seeing the island from the water was different from seeing it while standing on it.

They had already thought the island was quite large when they were on it, but after circling it in the water, they realized it was even bigger than they had imagined. Some areas looked relatively flat from the water, but walking on them in reality would be very difficult.

During this trip, they also discovered several places suitable for building a Small Pier, but they were too far from the beach. It would be inconvenient to walk to these spots from their current location on the island.

If these locations were closer, they might have abandoned their previously chosen spot and built the Small Pier in one of these new areas instead.

Time passed quickly while drifting at sea. By the time they wandered back to their starting point, the sun was already sinking in the west.

Fortunately, there was still seawater on the beach at this time. Bai Yu and Bai Xi timed it perfectly, using the momentum of a high-surging tide to bring the boat close to shore.

But that wasn’t enough. To prevent the next wave from pulling the boat back out, Bai Yu and Bai Xi quickly jumped into the water, grabbed the ropes tied to the boat, and climbed up to the higher ground of the island. They wound the ropes to secure them while waiting for the next surge of seawater.

They didn’t feel at ease until the boat was docked in roughly the same position it had been before they set out that morning.

By now, Bai Yu and Bai Xi were both covered in sweat, but neither of them minded. They were already considering what to do the next time they went out and planning the gathering work for the Small Pier and the house.

Besides these tasks, they also needed to go to the Magic Plane to collect materials that could upgrade the duration of the Transit Pass.

There was a lot to do, and being so busy would take up much of their time, but Bai Yu and Bai Xi didn’t mind at all. Instead, they were full of fighting spirit because they had just been out on the water.

“I thought I didn’t like the water, but now that the boat has been out once, I kind of want to go in too,” Bai Xi said, rubbing her hands together. “If the sea weren’t so dangerous, I would have gone in to play long ago.”

“Once our Small Pier is built, you can go in and play,” Bai Yu said, thinking for a moment. “Just to play, you don’t necessarily have to catch any fish.”

Bai Xi said with a smile, “Then I’ll go find some pretty Shells for Miao Miao. There must be many beautiful Shells on the seabed around here.”

Bai Yu also smiled. “That works.”

After their discussion, the two of them moved all the salvaged firewood from the boat one by one, placing it on the island to dry. Since it was currently soaked with water, the wood could not be used for fuel and had to wait until it was completely dry before it could be burned.

Time passed in a busy blur, and their daily lives settled into a routine. In the mornings, they went to the Magic Plane to collect materials to extend their Transit Passes. In the afternoons, they traveled to the Forest Plane to gather materials for building their house and the Small Pier. They also had to carve out time to learn how to read, cook meals, and catch fish. Occasionally, when the traps caught something good, they had to clean and prepare it for an extra treat.

Bai Xi’s stir-frying skills had not improved significantly, but she was now capable of making edible dishes.

At the very least, when Bai Yu and Bai Miao ate them, they both felt that stir-fried food was indeed much tastier than stewed dishes. They weren’t sure if it was because Bai Xi’s skills were actually good or if they were simply tired of stews, leading them to believe that any edible stir-fry tasted wonderful.

But it didn’t matter; either way, they had plenty to eat now.