Chapter 4997 — The Wei Zhao Brothers

"Not bad. It seems he truly wasn't lying. This time I have him to thank—otherwise I really would never have laid eyes on you." Oda Zhou smiled.

"Lying? What would be the point of lying about such a thing?" Oda Ba did not catch on at first, but then he seemed to work it out, and slapped his thigh. "How could I have forgotten! With the sort of connections Wei Zhao has, over in the Eastern Continent even President Zhuang of the Yellow-Rank Academy Alliance received him in person. So now that he's come to the Central Island, naturally it's your turn—as acting island lord—to host a banquet in his honor."

Over the past few days, Oda Ba had already found out everything: his second elder brother, Oda Zhou, was exercising the duties of island lord in another's stead. Which made him all the more determined to slip away as quickly as possible.

"What?" This time it was Oda Zhou's turn to be stunned. He could not help blurting out in astonishment, "That Wei Zhao actually has such standing and influence in the Eastern Continent that Zhuang Yifan would receive him in person?"

True, when it came to real strength, Oda Zhou might not necessarily hold Zhuang Yifan in much regard. But Zhuang Yifan was, after all, one of the leading figures of the Eastern Continent—the foremost official of the Eastern Continent's Yellow-Rank sea region. A personage of such rank seeing fit to receive someone personally—that was a rare sight indeed.

Especially since Wei Zhao's cultivation was only at the early Mystic Ascension stage, while Zhuang Yifan stood at the late Earth-Breaking stage. Yet despite such a vast gulf in strength, they still met as equals—which meant Wei Zhao must possess something in other respects capable of bridging that gap. And that something was alchemy.

From that single remark of Oda Ba's alone, Oda Zhou could already roughly confirm it: Wei Zhao's claim to be the master of Qing Danzi, chief alchemist of the Morning Star Academy, sounded absurd, but it was very likely no lie at all.

"Brother Wei Zhao doesn't really have any particularly powerful backing in the Eastern Continent. His backing would count as the North Island and the West Island. As for why he does so well for himself in the Eastern Continent—that comes down to his alchemy. Second Brother, you'd never guess it to look at how young he is, but he's a Mystic-rank first-grade alchemist!" Oda Ba beamed with reflected glory as he spoke.

"A Mystic-rank first-grade alchemist? No wonder he could refine top-quality seventh-grade Great Return Pills. No wonder he could be Qing Danzi's master. I never would have guessed—he really is a grand personage through and through." Oda Zhou clicked his tongue in admiration.

Wei Zhao's ability to challenge opponents above his own stage had also made him sit up and take notice, but in the end the gap in their cultivation realms was simply too great. In that respect he could at most regard Wei Zhao as a young junior—at most, one with some promise. But a Mystic-rank first-grade alchemist at such a young age—that was an entirely different position. That was a figure in hot demand throughout the entire Mystic-Rank sea region of the Eastern Continent.

Any Mystic-rank first-grade alchemist who set foot on any Cloud-Rank Island beyond the Eastern Continent would without question be treated as an honored guest—even on the Central Island.

"Naturally." With that, Oda Ba shot a glare at the crew members poking their heads about nearby. Continuing this conversation on the deck was hardly proper, so he could only suggest, "Though this is the Central Island, since you've come aboard my flagship, Second Brother, that makes you a guest. I'll have a banquet laid out—shall we talk over food?"

"Good. Talk over food it is. Ever since you ran away from home, Third Brother, it's been a long time since the two of us sat down to a proper meal together." Oda Zhou agreed readily.

At the words "ran away from home," Oda Ba's expression turned somewhat awkward again. He could only give a few dry chuckles and usher Oda Zhou into the captain's private banquet hall.

Once the wine and dishes were all set out, Oda Zhou and Oda Ba, reunited after so long, exchanged pleasantries and downed several cups in a row. Only then did their somewhat distant relations gradually warm, for in the end there was no real estrangement between the brothers—it was merely that Oda Ba's relationship with the family was a little strained.

"Third Brother, since this Wei Zhao is a Mystic-rank first-grade alchemist, how did he come to be your honorary vice-captain? Surely you don't mean to win over a Mystic-rank first-grade alchemist through this?" Oda Zhou's attention was still fixed on Wei Zhao.

"That just shows you're an outsider to this business, Second Brother. I'm a captain who sails the seas far and wide—what would I want to spend such effort winning over an alchemist for? Even if he's a Mystic-rank first-grade alchemist, he's of no use whatsoever to my warship—not half as useful as an ordinary formation master." Oda Ba spoke dismissively.

"Then why do you treat him as a brother, and even make him your honorary vice-captain?" Oda Zhou asked, puzzled.

"That's a long story. When I first set out to win him over, I'd only heard people say his alchemy was out of the ordinary—I didn't even know he was a Mystic-rank first-grade alchemist." Oda Ba shook his head, then gave a chuckle. "Second Brother, you know I've always set my sights sky-high. Ordinary people don't catch my eye. But this brother of mine, Wei Zhao—he's absolutely no ordinary man."

"Oh? Beyond being able to challenge above his stage and being a Mystic-rank first-grade alchemist, does he have some other exceptional quality?" Oda Zhou asked curiously. Impressive as those two things were in anyone's eyes, they clearly weren't the kind of ability that would so capture Oda Ba's interest.

"He is the most incomparable navigator I have ever seen!" Oda Ba's eyes burned bright. Seeing that Oda Zhou still looked uncomprehending, he went on: "Second Brother, have you ever heard of the Sea Dragon?"

"Of course. How could I not have heard of the being said to come closest to the overlord of the seas!" Oda Zhou paused there, then suddenly said in amazement, "Third Brother, don't tell me you're about to say you encountered a Sea Dragon?"

"Exactly so. I was carrying disciples from two Eastern Continent academies back from the West Island when we were set upon midway by a pack of top-tier sea beasts. Five Mountain-Splitting stage beasts alone—a full five! Mystic Ascension and Nascent Soul stage beasts beyond counting. And the most terrifying of all was the mastermind behind that pack." Every time Oda Ba told this story, his eyes lit up with excitement—after all, in three hundred years of sailing the seas, he had met with such a thing only this once. For a man sworn to conquer the endless ocean, how could he not be thrilled?

"A real Sea Dragon?" This time even Oda Zhou's voice changed.

"A real Sea Dragon. To command such a vast pack of top-tier sea beasts single-handedly—you can well imagine how powerful that Sea Dragon was. To be honest, if not for Brother Wei Zhao, I'd have been filling its belly long ago." A look of reminiscence came over Oda Ba's face, and he spoke with reverence: "A complete novice who had never even steered a treasure ship, yet he sensed the top-tier beast pack and the deeply hidden Sea Dragon at the very first moment—and after that he wielded the Starfall Formation with such mastery that he drove the Sea Dragon to flight with nowhere to run. Second Brother, don't you think this man's talent for navigation is terrifyingly strong?" (To be continued.)