"A descendant of the Dragon!"

Since they last parted ways at the obelisk, both Nia and Ah Bu had committed Shi Ming’s face to memory.

He was their savior!

Although he had shed his Light-Cast Body and now looked like a normal human, no longer possessing the radiance and divinity of a child of the sun, and even his hair had turned jet-black, Nia and Ah Bu recognized him in a single glance. This was the man who had saved them that day.

The descendant of the Dragon from the East!

Now that they were meeting again on the Pharaoh, this was perhaps the perfect opportunity for them to act as hosts and repay their life-saving debt.

They might even be able to win Ptolemy a powerful ally and the friendship of the Dragon Country!

"Nia."

The old man, Ah Bu, had barely opened his mouth, but Nia already knew what he meant.

She hurried down the Golden Ladder, heading toward the group of people who were completing their boarding procedures.

Meanwhile, Jia Fang, who was leaning on his Snake Staff, also seemed quite interested.

"Interesting."

’It’s rare for something to provoke such a reaction from my Netherworld Serpent bloodline. Not even that A-rank Awakened from the Red Sea I devoured before managed to cause this kind of response.’

’Could he be S-rank?’

’Impossible. How could an S-rank Awakened be mingling with that bunch from the Ganges River?’

From hundreds of meters up on the ladder, Jia Fang could feel a "tremor" rising from within his bloodline.

It made his heart surge.

His skill, Nether Snake Feather, ranked 97th on the S-rank skill leaderboard, was extremely sensitive to prey. Upon encountering a good "specimen," it could even fill Jia Fang with a craving that made his blood boil. The stronger the craving, the more the target suited the Netherworld Serpent’s tastes, and the higher the quality of the "Nether Serpent’s Heart" that could be produced.

By consuming a Nether Serpent’s Heart produced from such an Awakened, his skill could evolve and ascend.

"Don’t be hasty," he said, symbolically stroking the serpent’s head on his Snake Staff.

"The time will come." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"You’ll have it all."

’Nether Snake Feather is a skill with the most potential for growth. And with Ptolemy’s powerful support and resources, 97th place is far from my limit. Top thirty, top ten, top three... number one.’

Boundless ambition gleamed in his eyes.

’It’s all possible.’

He glanced down from his high vantage point at the outsiders boarding the ship, then followed the old man, Ah Bu, down the Golden Ladder.

His skill had awakened less than a month ago; it was a time when he was most in need of food.

...

...

...

After presenting Ptolemy’s invitation and completing the boarding procedures, Eliza, Singer, and the others had to bid a temporary farewell to Shi Ming.

"Brother Shi, we’re going for an audience with Ptolemy now, so we can’t accompany you for the time being. As the flagship of a nation, the Pharaoh represents the glory and honor of an ancient civilization. It’s quite accommodating, so you shouldn’t run into any unpleasantness. The Sea Beast Feast begins tomorrow. In the meantime, you can trade freely in the Pharaoh’s Seven Days Plaza. On an Admiral-class Ship like this, you’ll find many items for sale that we rarely get to see."

"Treating Captain Singer is what’s most important," Shi Ming replied with a nod.

The intelligence he had gathered from the Ganges River had been very helpful.

He paused for a moment before adding a word of caution.

"In our Dragon Country, we have a saying: ’One can’t be too careful of others.’"

"This is especially true when it comes to dispelling curses."

Eliza thought for a moment, nodded, and then led the few "Cursed Ones" from her ship up the Golden Ladder.

They had already communicated with the Pharaoh’s crew while on their own ship. Once they went through the proper channels, they could have a direct audience with the ship’s commander, Ptolemy, and receive assistance. Mummies were a specialty of the Land of the Pharaohs, so they surely had extensive experience in removing curses.

Shi Ming, however, didn’t need to go through such a process.

He was just here to trade, not to ask for help.

Unlike on the Twelve Stars, in the past, it was difficult for visitors to move about the Pharaoh—even in the outer areas—without a sponsor, an escort, and the proper procedures.

But these were special times.

This drifter ship was like a peacock spreading its tail, eager to display its power.

The people of the Pharaoh were busy making grand preparations for the upcoming week-long "Sea Beast Feast." They had even set up a special thirty-meter-wide Seven Days Plaza to showcase the formidable resources of this Admiral-class drifter ship and to sell some of their specialties.

And, the main event: the S-rank Sea Beast carcass.

Today, the S-rank Sea Beast carcass hadn’t been put on display yet, but the plaza already had many fine goods for sale.

Shi Ming led Stone Pillar on a leisurely stroll through the area, occasionally activating his Brain of Creation to see if there were any good deals to be found.

Then, he heard a familiar-sounding shout.

Someone was calling his moniker.

"Lord Stone."

Shi Ming turned around in surprise.

He saw a young woman running toward him from the Golden Ladder of the Pyramid-shaped ship. Her skin was lightly tanned, and she wore distinctive desert-style armbands. She was barefoot, and her face was painted with white markings.

It was Nia, the crew member from the obelisk-ship he had saved when he killed the A-rank Sand Worm.

Behind her followed the captain of the obelisk-ship.

And with them was a middle-aged man leaning on a Snake Staff, his expression cold and strange.

The middle-aged man had a strange look in his eyes; the way he was looking at him was very similar to Reinhardt from before.

...

"Nia?"

"Lord Stone, it really is you! This is wonderful."

Shi Ming nodded.

Compared to the young woman’s nervous excitement, the old man Ah Bu’s reaction made Shi Ming a little awkward. The day Shi Ming had revealed his power, killing the Mad Desert Sea Insect with his Light-Cast Body, had left an indelible impression on the old man.

Though he was old and his strength was failing, he possessed a wisdom and experience that the young lacked.

In his eyes, even if Shi Ming wasn’t the son of a god, he was far from an ordinary person.

Putting aside his immense power, how could a mortal body possess such an aura?

He had never felt such "intellect" from another person.

He said, trembling,

"Dragon from the East,"

"Thank you for your past assistance. The Pharaoh is now open to visitors. Please allow me to serve as your guide and introduce you to Ptolemy’s drifter ship. It would be my greatest honor if I could be of help to you."

"..."

Shi Ming felt a little awkward.

But he considered that he was new to the Pharaoh and didn’t know his way around. It would be best to buy the S-rank Sea Beast Blood quickly, and a guide might make things more efficient.

"Captain Ah Bu, just call me Stone."

"Of course, Lord Stone."

...

Seeing Ah Bu’s deferential posture, Jia Fang, who was following behind, knitted his brows into knots.

’This Ah Bu is really old and useless.’

’He’s thrown away all of the Pharaoh’s honor.’

’So this young man before me is the meddlesome Awakened who saved them from the A-rank Sea Beast?’

’Being able to kill an A-rank Sea Beast means he’s got some skill, no wonder he has this old fool completely taken in. Listening to the old man and the little girl’s description to Ptolemy, it seems this kid is a fairly powerful Awakened.’

’His attribute is Light, or Sun.’

’A Light attribute?’

’It’s the perfect counter to my Death attribute!’

’But it doesn’t matter. The overwhelming advantage an S-rank has over an A-rank is like a natural chasm. Since he’s here, he won’t be leaving.’

Jia Fang considered the possibility that he was S-rank, but he felt it was highly unlikely.

First, only those who have truly killed an S-rank Sea Beast know how terrifying they are.

The Pharaoh had prepared for years and expended endless effort to barely kill that S-rank Sea Beast, which allowed him, the one who contributed the most, to awaken his skill. How could a young man in his twenties, wandering alone, have had such a fortuitous encounter?

Second, Jia Fang had seen it clearly: this kid had boarded the ship with the group from the Ganges River.

’The Ganges River, a pack of homeless dogs.’

’I’ve already plotted against their captain, who’s about to become my food. How could a faction like that know any powerful experts?’

Jia Fang smirked.

Having just advanced to S-rank, he was at the peak of his confidence.

The Netherworld Serpent was a very perceptive beast. The closer he got to Shi Ming, the more clearly he could hear the trembling of the Netherworld Serpent within his bloodline...

’This is a normal reaction to encountering prey.’

’It’s even starting to tremble with excitement.’

’I’ll test him a little.’

Breaking character, he extended his right hand toward Shi Ming.

"The Pharaoh thanks you for your assistance."

"Welcome aboard."