Perhaps due to a lack of Energy Stones, the *Ganges River* was sailing quite slowly.

As their guest, Shi Ming sat leisurely in the reception cabin of the *Ganges River*, sampling a delicacy unique to the Peacock Country: curry fish-oil tea.

"How is it, Brother Stone?"

The sun over the sea was scorching. Eliza, dressed in light, soft clothing, walked over.

Her fingers lightly brushed the hem of her clothes. With a casual flick, she sat down across from Shi Ming. She had removed her veil, and her hair was loosely tied up, with a few stray strands falling naturally by her neck.

Even from several meters away, Shi Ming could smell the scent of sea salt and sweat on her.

"It’s... very unique."

Shi Ming took a sip, then placed it back on the table.

"Brother Stone, as a powerful Awakener from the Dragon Country, you choose not to rely on your nation’s strength, instead tempering yourself on the ocean aboard your own wandering ship. I truly admire your spirit. Sigh. To think, my Peacock Country was once the fourth-greatest power in the world, but now our entire nation has been uprooted and scattered."

’The fourth-greatest power?’

Shi Ming scoffed inwardly.

’Everyone knows there are about a dozen "fourth-greatest powers."’

"Miss Eliza, you flatter me. I haven’t been away from my homeland for long, and the places I’ve been can’t compare to where the *Ganges River* has gone. I’m quite interested in the tales of the sea. I heard that ships can’t sail in Peacock Country’s waters because of a great maelstrom? But how big could that maelstrom be? Why would it force all of your country’s wandering ships to abandon their home?"

Eliza sipped her curry tea.

She seemed to have been scalded by it and let out a sharp, but perfectly controlled, intake of breath. Then, looking at Shi Ming, her smile bloomed once more.

"You may not know this, Brother Stone."

"That maelstrom is different from ordinary ones. Although its core is only three nautical miles wide, it has a terrifying ’Domain.’ For over a hundred nautical miles from its center, the area is filled with eddies. Within a three-hundred-nautical-mile radius, the currents are turbulent and flow in a circle, making navigation difficult."

"And the closer you get to the center, the stronger the eddies become. Ordinary Silver-class and Bronze-class wandering ships can hardly withstand them, so they have no choice but to leave that stretch of sea."

"Ninety-nine percent of the Peacock Country’s ships have evacuated. What’s the point of the Golden Ships and Admiral-class Ships staying behind?"

"What’s more, even ’Shiva’ would have difficulty approaching the center of that maelstrom."

Compared to the other topics Eliza brought up, Shi Ming was actually more interested in the great maelstrom.

"I heard there’s a powerful sea beast deep within the maelstrom?"

’To withstand eddies that even Admiral-class Wandering Ships can’t handle, it must be an S-class sea beast.’

"Just rumors."

Eliza smiled, gently tucking away a few loose strands of her long hair.

She exuded the gentle grace of a married woman.

’This is the type she predicted I’d be most interested in, based on her analysis of our brief interactions.’

’These young men who spend all day on ships love this type the most.’

"Shiva once joined forces with Da Yu to investigate the maelstrom’s core for any signs of life. They found no biological traces. The living conditions there are extremely harsh. Even an S-class sea beast wouldn’t want to stay there."

"I see."

Aside from that, along the way, Shi Ming learned a lot from Eliza about the factions and intelligence of the Sea of Yellow Sand.

The Black Gold Alliance wasn’t as united as Da Yu or Lighthouse.

Nor was it like the Twelve Stars, which shared fortune and ruin and maintained harmony on the surface.

The various factions were constantly engaged in open and secret struggles. The four Admiral-class Ships—the *Pharaoh*, the *Nile River*, the *Golden Bodhi*, and the *Red Sea*—all viewed each other as potential enemies, and the ships under their command were in constant conflict.

It was thanks to Black Gold’s mediation that the situation in Africa—one king ruling the region, with four admirals in a stalemate—was formed.

Unfortunately, it seemed this balance was about to be broken.

A new S-class Awakener had appeared on the Admiral-class Wandering Ship, the *Pharaoh*.

This "Sea Beast Feast" that Ptolemy was holding with the corpse of that S-class sea beast was a veiled attempt to pressure the *Nile River*, the *Red Sea*, and the *Golden Bodhi*, while also testing the reaction of the King-level Wandering Ship, *Black Gold*.

... 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

After their long chat, Shi Ming used the excuse of needing to manage his subordinates to return to the *Dayun*.

In reality, there was a new message in Lighthouse’s "Let There Be Light" group.

’Who knows what kind of trouble they’re stirring up now.’

[Jinshan: Intel share. The *Pharaoh* of the Black Gold Alliance recently killed an S-class sea beast, the ’Netherworld Feathered Serpent.’ They will be holding a Sea Beast Corpse Feast at the old site of Cairo within the next seven days. Colleagues who need S-class sea beast remains for research can go and purchase them.]

[Michael: Roger.]

[Liberty: Roger.]

[Divine Comedy: Roger.]

[...]

"The Netherworld Feathered Serpent... so that so-called ’curse of the mummy’ really was just something the people on the *Pharaoh* staged themselves. I wonder what kind of trap is hidden in this Sea Beast Corpse-Selling Feast," Shi Ming muttered.

"Once I buy some of the sea beast’s blood, I can get out of there."

"I can’t get involved in their power struggles."

He had already offended several major factions; there was no need to make more enemies for himself.

Of course, not wanting to offend them didn’t mean he was afraid of doing so.

Sometimes, even if you don’t provoke others, they will come looking for trouble with you.

"Captain, the Admiral-class Wandering Ship, the *Pharaoh*, is just ahead."

Shi Ming looked into the distance.

The *Pharaoh* was nowhere near as grand or majestic as the *Twelve Stars*, but at over six hundred meters long, it could be called a village on the sea—a man-made island floating on the water.

Its overall structure was shaped like a pyramid, making it very unique.

At its bow was a lifelike king cobra statue. The cobra’s body stretched down, its scales incredibly realistic, coiling around the seaborne pyramid.

"Halt the ship."

"Brother Stone, next we’ll need to take the *Pharaoh’s* ferry boat to get to the Admiral-class Ship. The rules are similar to the *Twelve Stars’*, so you should understand," Eliza explained.

Shi Ming nodded.

He called for Stone Pillar to go with him, while the others remained on guard aboard the *Dayun*. He could now control the *Dayun* remotely, so he wasn’t afraid of any mishaps.

He had even left 100 Pure Dome Crystals on the ship.

’If there really is some insidious plot on the *Pharaoh* that angers me, I can charge up the *Dayun’s* admiral-level special ability, ’Momentum Breaker,’ from a distance and ram the whole ship, flipping it over!’

The *Ganges River* sent Eliza, Singer, and two other unlucky, cursed crew members.

The five of them boarded the ferry boat,

And sailed together toward the brilliant pyramid.

...

...

...

At the magnificent pyramid’s apex was a resplendent, golden grand hall, symbolizing the Pharaoh’s boundless authority.

"Lord Ptolemy, a young man saved us from this crisis! He is a dragon from the East! His entire body radiates the light of the sun, as if he were a son of the Sun God..."

"Insolence!"

The Obelisk Captain’s words were forcefully cut short.

Before Ptolemy could react, a middle-aged man in ornate robes with viper-like eyes, holding a tin staff, coldly silenced the old man in the ship’s grand golden hall.

"A son of the Sun God?"

"The Sun God has only one son, and that is the great Ptolemy! Old man, I think you’ve gone senile. Since you couldn’t protect the *Obelisk*, perhaps its next master can."

Up on his throne in the grand hall, the majestic Ptolemy waved his hand dismissively.

"Pay no mind to such details, Ah Bu. As long as you’ve returned safely, I am relieved."

"Ah Bu, although you are the rightful captain of the *Obelisk*, you are getting old. This world belongs to the young. Nia would be a fine successor."

"Jia Fang, you have just advanced to an S-class Awakener; you still need to properly rein in your sharp edges. I can rest easy leaving you in charge of the upcoming Sea Beast Feast. This grand event is not only a sacred ceremony for my *Pharaoh* but also another milestone in humanity’s conquest of the Endless Ocean."

"I don’t want anything to go wrong."

"Yes, Lord Ptolemy."

The meeting ended. Nia supported Ah Bu as they walked out of the magnificent hall of the Pharaoh with Jia Fang and his entourage.

The grand hall was perched high up, with a Golden Ladder stretching down endlessly.

"Father, look!"

Nia’s voice trembled with excitement.

Looking down from the Golden Ladder, they saw a group of people in the distance disembarking from a ferry boat and stepping onto the *Pharaoh*.

"The dragon!" Ah Bu was also excited.

"Hick."

Jia Fang glanced over with contempt.

In the distance, he saw a young man with distinct Eastern features stepping onto the *Pharaoh’s* golden stairs. His aura was restrained, but his expression was spirited, and his body seemed to conceal boundless vitality. He was clearly a High-Tier Awakener, brimming with energy and surging with Awakening Power.

Jia Fang’s Netherworld Serpent bloodline stirred restlessly.

’At least A-class!’

’What fine material!’

Jia Fang’s serpentine eyes lit up.