In an uncharted sea, a lavishly decorated wandering ship floated serenely. It bore the distinct style of the Vortex Country, yet was different from the Renhuang and the Black Society, embodying a profound and subtle sorrow.

This wandering ship was named the Princess, but its owner later renamed it the Spring Tide.

"Hahahaha."

A woman dressed as a noblewoman was cackling wildly inside the main cabin.

She wore an elegant, luxurious robe in the style of the Vortex Country and held a folding fan. Her deathly pale makeup could hardly conceal the flush on her face, and her body trembled slightly from extreme excitement.

"Xiaoye, is what you said true?"

"Was Yan Dao Lin’s expression truly that wretched?"

At the woman’s knees rested a middle-aged woman—it was none other than Nailu Ye, the warrior Shi Ming had once spared. At this moment, she was like a little girl, leaning obediently against the knees of the noblewoman, who appeared much younger than her.

"Yes, Auntie."

"I just returned to the Black Society to report on my duties and happened to witness it all."

Normally, as a Bronze-level captain, Nailu Ye wouldn’t have the rank to interact directly with Yan Dao Lin.

But from a distance, within the Black Society headquarters, she saw Yan Dao Lin emerge from the First Governor’s office. His expression was incredibly grim, and the surrounding attendants scrambled to get out of his way, terrified of incurring his wrath.

And soon after, the Black Society underwent a major power shift.

Yan Dao Lin was completely marginalized. Even the First Governor faced pressure from Renhuang and was forced to accept a team of Awakened transferred from Renhuang to fill the power vacuum on his wandering ship.

They both had to answer for this repeat disaster—

Iwami, an A-level Awakened on the ship, had followed in the footsteps of Demon Sword during a mission, and another priceless treasure had been lost.

Of the three A-level Awakened on the ship, two were now dead, leaving only a single one behind.

For an Admiral-class Ship, such a depleted roster was extremely dangerous. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Not to mention,

They were guarding a Holy Hall Sea Beast that would drive every S-level Awakened in the world into a frenzy. If even the slightest rumor about this beast were to leak, it would be enough to make countless overconfident S-level Awakened’s hearts pound with greed. For the Black Society in its current state, that would be a world-ending catastrophe.

"The heavens are on my side! The heavens are on my side!"

"Xiaoye, the time is almost ripe. Use our special channels. Spread rumors about the Black Society’s secrets, mixing truth with lies..."

"Yes, Auntie. Should I pass the information to Da Yu’s intelligence personnel?"

"Do you really think Da Yu doesn’t know what’s happening right under their noses? The better one understands the terrifying power of a Holy Hall-level Sea Beast, the more hesitant they are to act. Leak some of the information to the Black Society’s rivals, like Da Min and Luzon. Let them be the ones to test the waters and exhaust their resources."

Da Min is the Admiral-class Wandering Ship from Goryeo. It commands numerous vessels, including the Pickles and the Eastern Domain. There was also the Gaya, which was cleaved in two by a single strike from Demon Sword.

The Luzon is the Philippines’ Admiral-class Wandering Ship and a sworn enemy of the Vortex Country.

A dark, sinister smile spread across the noblewoman’s face.

"With such a golden opportunity, it’s time for them to start paying the price, little by little."

...

...

...

「Sea of Yellow Sand.」

It wasn’t even six in the morning, and the temperature was already approaching 97 degrees Fahrenheit. While such heat was nothing to an Awakened, the human body—whether powerful or weak—will always have a soft spot for a comfortable 77 degrees. One could call it remarkably faithful in that regard.

After inspecting the deck, Shi Ming returned to his captain’s cabin.

’Compared to the European Sea Region, this Sea of Yellow Sand is a total wasteland! The Twelve Stars was so much better. It’s so comfortable there, no wonder the real estate is so expensive.’

’But hey, I’m already here.’

’The rougher the seas, the more valuable the fish. The density of sea beasts in the Sea of Yellow Sand is much higher than in the European Sea Region. Hunting here will be far more efficient.’

For humans, the sea region occupied by the Black Gold Alliance was hardly a desirable place. For sea beasts, however, it was a veritable paradise—beneath the sunken yellow sands lay buried countless secrets and treasures, and the soft, sandy seabed had become a breeding ground for many of them.

Besides, Shi Ming still had the Scorpion King III Pyramid Treasure Map to upgrade and investigate...

The target was three hundred nautical miles away, in the old territory of the Land of the Pharaohs.

He also wanted to test if his Formless Pure Ice, with its constant temperature of -49 degrees Fahrenheit, could withstand the extreme heat of the Boiling Sea.

If it could, he would be the first Awakened able to travel through the Sea of Boiling unhindered. Even its terrifying core, a veritable dead zone for all life, wouldn’t be able to stop his exploration.

But before any of that, he needed to pay his respects to the local big shots—that is, identify the S-level sea beasts in this area.

He took out the Map of the Endless Sea.

He infused it with his S-level Awakening Power, and the ancient sea chart once again glowed an azure blue.

Shi Ming patiently observed the small black dots on it.

’One, two, three...’

’Three of them. I don’t think I missed any.’

’The first is in the Sahara, which is now the Core Area of the Sea of Yellow Sand.’

’The second...’

’Weird. Isn’t this where the Black Gold is located? Sudan... right underneath the King-level Wandering Ship, the Black Gold. Is this sea beast being suppressed by the ship? Or kept in captivity?’

’The third is located in the Boiling Sea.’

The Boiling Sea, also known as the Sea of Boiling, was not a large region, but its temperature was extreme. The seawater easily surpassed 212 degrees Fahrenheit, and the Core Area was even more absurd. It seemed that what flowed there wasn’t seawater at all, but some other liquid; the "seawater" temperature there was said to be over 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Now it seemed that this unique phenomenon was caused by that S-level sea beast.

Unfortunately, no Awakened could withstand such high temperatures to go and investigate the center of the Boiling Sea.

They could only rely on technological means to glean a few scraps of intelligence.

He put away the Map of the Endless Sea.

’This sea region has one more S-level sea beast than the European Sea Region.’

’Of course, I can’t afford to become complacent. The Map of the Endless Sea is ranked #108. There are over a hundred more extraordinary items above it. Not to mention, some sea beasts have bizarre abilities and might just be able to evade detection by this 108th-ranked item.’

’Besides, it can’t detect the locations of the seven Holy Hall-level Sea Beasts anyway.’

It was better to have no information than to trust it completely.

Even an answer from an authoritative source was, for Shi Ming, merely a reference.

At six o’clock, the sun crested the distant horizon, slowly illuminating the misty surface of the sea. Through the window of his captain’s cabin, Shi Ming witnessed another uniquely fiery sunrise.

...

"Captain, land spotted, bearing 183."

Stone Pillar’s excited voice came from the communicator.

’Land?’

Land was extremely rare on the Endless Ocean. Every new piece of land had enormous exploratory value.

Shi Ming strode out of his cabin and onto the deck. Looking south, he saw that there was indeed an island emerging in the distance. No, to call it an island was an understatement—it was practically a "continent."

Shi Ming narrowed his eyes. ’A continent?’

’Impossible! Absolutely impossible!’

His crew was less experienced, but Shi Ming’s own knowledge and intelligence were far greater than theirs. In the entire Endless Ocean, the only continent ever discovered was in the Mount Everest region. All other landmasses were merely small islands formed under special circumstances or floating islands created as a disguise by sea beasts.

The vast landmass before him simply couldn’t exist.

He took out his binoculars and saw more details.

A desert, an oasis, camels, and a towering Pyramid...

’A Mirage?’

’But that doesn’t make any sense.’

’How could a Mirage appear without a real object to project?’

’An illusion created by a sea beast’s ability?’

’Interesting.’

"Head for that location. All hands on high alert."