"Eye of Intelligence, gather information."

[BEEP~ BEEP~]

[Compiling information...]

[Searching. Confirming host’s detailed coordinates... Search successful. Summarizing information... Information generated:]

[The secrets of this planet are endless, and most are buried beneath raging waves and furious tides. In the bronze-level wandering ship 700 meters to your front right, a genuine treasure map is being sold. With it, you might find a decent treasure and uncover a great secret of an ancient land.]

’A treasure map?’

A treasure mentioned by the Eye of Intelligence had to be an incredible one. At the very least, it would be of great benefit to Shi Ming. Of this, he had no doubt.

"A bronze-level wandering ship? Let me see."

Although this was a dedicated trading area, every wandering ship still maintained a safe distance. Any trade was conducted via small boats traveling between them. Shi Ming was quite interested in this unique "maritime market."

Since he had nothing better to do, he might as well take a look, buy that Pyramid Treasure Map, and see what life was like on the other wandering ships while he was at it.

Shi Ming lowered a small boat and, with a light leap, left the *Dayun*.

The small boat carried him, weaving through the waters where a dozen or so wandering ships were anchored.

...

It was a most ordinary bronze-level wandering ship, about twenty meters long, with a very distinct Egyptian style.

The ship wasn’t large, but it was crowded. The deck was packed with over fifty people, who all appeared to be slaves. In a conspicuous spot near the railing, a pile of local specialties collected from various places was also displayed.

Within the area covered by the Twelve-Star Cannon Fire, vicious acts like arson, murder, and robbery were generally rare.

Besides, the trading area had its own rules. No one would risk public outrage for a small profit.

Unless the treasure was of truly immense value.

Shi Ming was confident in his own strength. He boarded the bronze ship as a potential buyer.

A middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in a long robe, saw a customer arrive and greeted him enthusiastically.

"Young man, what are you looking to buy?"

"We have the sturdiest slaves here, only 300 Sailing Coins each. We also have rare female slaves from the Black Gold Alliance. They can sing and dance, and don’t be put off by their dark skin—they’re a real treat. What do you say, young man? Want to buy a batch? Even if not for yourself, you can use them to reward the brave warriors on your ship."

Having once been a slave himself, Shi Ming understood the wretchedness of their existence better than anyone.

In the early days of the Wandering Era, the major King-level Wandering Ships had issued strict orders. In the face of disaster, all surviving humans were to unite, carry on the torch of civilization, and respect inalienable human rights. All slave trade was strictly forbidden.

However, in this apocalyptic world, the law was nothing but empty words on paper.

Before the realities of human nature, everything proved fragile. Thirty years had passed. The world had changed, and laws and morals no longer held any sway.

Things even more outrageous than the slave trade happened from time to time.

The problems were too deep-rooted to be easily solved, the sickness too severe to be purged.

Shi Ming couldn’t extend his authority to other wandering ships. Even if he truly wanted to promote the simple values of the pre-apocalyptic era, he couldn’t promise these people a bright future. But thankfully, in any era, might makes right. With his current strength, no one dared to target him.

Only by being strong enough could one avoid being trampled upon.

Seeing that Shi Ming wasn’t interested in the slaves,

the middle-aged man turned to introduce the items displayed on a raised platform on the deck.

"Friend, this is a brick from the Great Pyramid of Giza. It has great collection value, only 200 Sailing Coins."

???

’Seriously? Who do you think you’re fooling, you crook?’

’This brick is clearly just an ordinary red brick from the Land Era. What a ridiculous lie!’

"And this, this is a scale from a Medusa. You know of Medusa, right? A powerful A-class sea beast. And this statue here, it’s a sea fish petrified by a Medusa. Take a look, it’s so lifelike! No human could possibly carve a fish this realistic. I’m not lying to you."

Shi Ming’s Brain of Creation had already scanned these items.

The brick was indeed just an ordinary red brick. Red bricks were certainly rare in the Wandering Era, but what use did they have?

As for the Medusa scale? Heh. He couldn’t feel any awakened power from it. It was just an ordinary fish scale!

Shi Ming’s interest waned. He stopped looking at the other items and casually picked up a map from the stall.

An ordinary map.

The map’s material was completely different from the Map of the Endless Sea. It was light and felt like dried Sea Fish Hide, yet it was incredibly durable.

Nearly half of the ink on it had faded. It looked like a recent copy made in the last few years, and due to improper storage, parts of the ink had disappeared.

’Can this treasure map really lead to any treasure?’

"Friend, you have a good eye."

Seeing Shi Ming show interest in the map, the middle-aged man began his spiel again.

"This is a map of the ruins of the Tudor Pyramid."

"Do you know about the Tudor Pyramid? It’s one of the most mysterious pyramids, one that countless archaeologists in the Land Era studied for three thousand years but could never find or excavate. And now, it’s been discovered in the Wandering Era! See this golden tomb door? Gold is honor, Gold is wealth! The countless treasures of the Tudor Pharaoh are all hidden inside. More importantly, to this day, no one has been able to open its tomb door and enter! And the main reason is that they were missing this map..."

The middle-aged man spoke with absolute certainty,

as if it were all true.

Shi Ming struggled to keep a straight face.

’Do all salespeople have this much conviction these days? "Gold is honor, Gold is wealth..." If this guy were a livestream seller, he’d definitely be a top performer.’

’But this seems to be the only map at this stall.’

’Could this be what the Eye of Intelligence was talking about?’

His Brain of Creation swept over it.

The two systems worked in tandem, covering all bases so he wouldn’t miss any opportunity for treasure.

Familiar text quietly materialized.

[Scorpion King III Pyramid Treasure Map]

[Level: 1]

[The tomb of Scorpion King III was buried in the great desert for thousands of years. It was not until the seas raged that the secrets deep within the sand were revealed. This is a copy of the internal layout of Scorpion King III’s Pyramid. It contains numerous detail errors, and combined with erosion from time and seawater, the map’s text has become incomplete and is no longer of any reference value.]

[Upgrade requirements: Cuttlefish Ink Sac x1, Sea Fish Hide x1.]

’A Pyramid? The Scorpion King Era?’

’Did pyramids even exist back then?’

Shi Ming didn’t know much about ancient history, but he trusted the prompt from his Brain of Creation.

"How much?"

"What?"

The middle-aged man hadn’t expected Shi Ming to actually be interested in the map.

"This map, how much is it?"

"Five—oh no, three High-Level Sea Crystal Stones..."

Shi Ming shook his head.

"This map is obviously a copy. The writing isn’t even clear. And if you’ve already copied it once, why not make a few more copies and sell them all? You’d make more profit by selling in volume. At most, it’s worth one High-Level Sea Crystal Stone."

"Deal. Let me make a copy first, then I’ll give it to you."

"Alright, fine..."

...

...

...

With the transaction complete, Shi Ming put away the tattered Pyramid Treasure Map. He looked up and saw an extraordinary-looking wandering ship sailing toward them.

The ship wasn’t large, only seventy meters long, but it was like the most precise instrument, as if hand-polished by the most expert craftsman. Its crest was a blooming Centaurea Cyanus, which was once the national flower of the German Kingdom.

The *Cuiyan* was famous far and wide.

Its captain, Reinhardt, was a wanderer and an information broker. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

’A Golden Ship, coming to a place where bronze and Silver ships are clustered together.’

Shi Ming smiled.

’Has the fish taken the bait?’