The Golden Bodhi.

Inside the lavish, opulent, and dazzling central office hall.

Adelu, secretary and best friend, was reporting the day’s hunting results to her captain.

"One B-class sea beast, three C-class sea beasts. Thirty-nine points."

"Black Gold’s sonar induction device is expensive, but it’s incredibly effective."

"In just one day, we used its sonar to attract so much prey. This is far better than buying hearts from independent operators. On this expedition, we’ll definitely be able to gather enough points to exchange for the Life Fruit!"

"But those Black Gold staff members are so rigid. They won’t even accept brilliant Pure Dome Crystals. They only want these useless Sea Beast Hearts and points!"

Captain Mel lay on a metal chair, comfortably enjoying a full-body spa treatment.

She would occasionally take a puff from a gold-inlaid ladies’ cigarette.

"A King-level Wandering Ship has its own rules."

"Even if we are Admirals, we still have to follow them."

Mel was the only female captain of an Admiral-class Ship in the Africa Region. She possessed an innate noble temperament that marked her as a natural-born leader. Her gaze was sharp and profound, and she adored gold accessories—the armbands, earrings, and hairpins she wore were all crafted from pure gold.

It all served to make her dark skin look elegant and noble.

Mel was very clear about her own position, unlike Ptolemy, who was prone to flights of fancy.

And while the Golden Bodhi wasn’t as large as the Pharaoh, its value lay in its refinement. Having inherited the vast resources and wealth of a former kingdom of gold and diamonds, its reputation as the wealthiest Admiral-class Ship was by no means undeserved.

But money, or Pure Dome Crystals, couldn’t buy everything.

Sometimes, when trying to acquire unique resources from Black Gold, connections and money were completely useless. Even an Admiral-class Ship had to venture out itself.

Enjoying the pleasant sensation of the essential oil massage, she continued her commentary.

"The sonar works well, yes, but it’s a one-time use item that only lasts for three days. If we can’t lure in an A-class sea beast within that time, it’ll be a net loss for us. Still, we’re short on points right now, so this is our only option. Adelu, have your people keep a close eye on the detector. Don’t let a single beast escape! Not even a C-class."

"Yes, ma’am!"

As for D-class prey, Mel couldn’t be bothered to act.

She had to leave some scraps for the Silver ships that came here to explore.

Drops of rose essential oil fell onto her dark skin, mingling with the scent of seafood from the ocean and the aroma of milk. The oil was gently massaged in circles before quickly evaporating and diffusing in the searing heat. The other staff members working in the office hall all blushed crimson.

"Captain Mel, the detector has picked up a canoe. It’s ten nautical miles out, bearing 3-2-1 relative to the Golden Bodhi. It appears to be a lone person in distress."

"A canoe?"

Mel extended a chocolate-colored arm slick with spa oil, took the detector’s terminal, and glanced at it.

"A canoe can sail on the Sea of Boiling? Obviously, it’s a small wandering ship. Probably a solo Awakened hunting on the outskirts of the Sea of Boiling."

"Send a warning signal. We can’t have it interfering with the sonar and scaring away our prey."

"If it dares to get any closer, sink it. No need to report back."

Mel handed back the detector, her expression blank.

On the Endless Ocean, all were this ruthless.

This expedition was the Golden Bodhi’s second exploration of the Sea of Boiling this month.

During her last exploration, in her pursuit of more prey, she had chased an A-class sea beast and recklessly ventured deep into the Sea of Boiling. Just as she was about to kill the beast, a Golden Sun had abruptly appeared, submerged in the ocean depths. A wave of extremely powerful, high-temperature energy had washed over them, boiling many of her C-class and lower crew members to death.

The losses were devastating.

But she was rich. The loss of personnel wasn’t a true loss.

After more than ten days of rest and preparation, she had returned.

Moreover, this time she had used her connections to borrow a special ice-making device from Big Ivan’s ship, the Ice Bear. It would help her ship withstand similar high temperatures.

Fortune favors the bold.

’Once I’ve gathered enough points, I’m never coming back to this Sea of Boiling, even if they beg me!’

...

Although Shi Ming had also detected the Admiral-class Ship, he had no intention of getting involved with it.

The four Admiral-class Ships of Africa were all run by a bunch of old foxes. They had all honed their skills by constantly scheming against one another.

Not a single one of them was to be trifled with.

He made no unnecessary moves, simply continuing along his planned route. Ten nautical miles was a considerable distance. He wasn’t violating any maritime conventions, they weren’t in each other’s way, and there was no question of territorial infringement.

BANG!

A warning shot, a projectile meant for expulsion, was fired from a distance.

Before the projectile could even arrive, Shi Ming froze it solid.

This caused his own expression to turn icy.

’Ten nautical miles is a long way off. Do you think the Sea of Boiling is your backyard?’

’Piss me off,’

’and see if I don’t make you ’run into some good luck’ yourself.’

A glint flashed in Shi Ming’s eyes. But then he considered that in a place like the Sea of Boiling, which was teeming with points, there was no need to waste time on useless people and ships. He accelerated rapidly, streaking away like a bolt of lightning. At a speed twice that of the Golden Bodhi, he left it far behind, leaving only a whistling wake in his place.

His next sea beast was just twenty nautical miles ahead.

It was a B-class sea beast, which would grant him 8 to 12 points.

...

On the Golden Bodhi.

The secretary stared at the detector terminal, a hint of astonishment in her eyes.

"He’s not simple, Captain! I misjudged him. That kid in the canoe is heading deeper into the Sea of Boiling at a speed faster than ours,"

"Pay him no mind. It’s good that he’s gone."

Mel lit another cigarette, completely unconcerned by the minor interruption.

’There are plenty of small ships faster than the Golden Bodhi, but so what? Many of them sink in the Sea of Boiling every year. Black Gold never moves, and right now, the only ones who can even begin to explore the Sea of Boiling are the four Admiral-class Ships of the Africa Region. What good is being fast?’

’Just a reckless rookie!’

’The depths of the Sea of Boiling... how high do you think the temperature gets?’

’A mere canoe, even if it were a Golden Ship, wants to find good prey in there?’

’I hope I don’t see a boiled corpse floating on the sea soon. Then again, that canoe looked pretty good. If I can salvage it, that would be an extra bonus.’

’Sailing is so boring when there’s no prey to hunt!’

’Even the spa oil dries up so quickly.’

Mel decided to have some fun.

"Adelu, help me contact Ptolemy on the Pharaoh."

"The Pharaoh suffered such a loss last time, and we haven’t even sent our condolences! Let’s take advantage of this downtime to send our old friend our most sincere sympathies."

"You know what to do, right?"

A glint of mischievous, trouble-loving light sparkled in Mel’s eyes.

Adelu gave a knowing smile.

"Understood, Captain."

After "sending condolences" to Ptolemy and, over an hour later, remotely sensing his furious rage, Mel was thoroughly satisfied. She finished her two-hour spa, napped for a few more hours, and then sat up from her filigreed chair in confusion, calling out to Adelu.

"Adelu, are we off course?"

"No, Captain."

"Then why has it been so long without luring a single sea beast? Not even one D-class?"

"Well... perhaps the sea beasts in this area saw us and are too scared to approach? Or maybe... that Black Gold lure isn’t as good as we thought..."

Mel threw on a robe,

and paced back and forth in the hall.

"We’ll go and give them trouble later. Adelu, tell the navigation department to stop exploring this area. We’re heading deeper into the Sea of Boiling."

"But Captain, last time..."

"Last time was last time! We’re only going in a little deeper. Besides, we have the big freezer. Resisting that heat won’t be a problem at all!"

"Yes, Captain."

...

...

...

There were no sea beasts because Shi Ming had already killed every single one along this route that had dared to show its head.

And those that hadn’t dared to show themselves certainly weren’t about to start.

The scent of blood spread even faster in the Boiling Sea, and the beasts were sharp. Smelling such a murderous aura, they became much more cautious.

The Golden Bodhi, following in Shi Ming’s wake and overlapping with most of his route, couldn’t even get the scraps, despite having the induction sonar developed by Black Gold’s technicians.

Naturally, they found nothing.

Sensing the growth in his body’s power, Shi Ming was very satisfied.

In a single day, he had hunted two B-class sea beasts, three C-class sea beasts, and five D-class sea beasts, acquiring ten Sea Beast Hearts and a huge wave of points.

[Attack Power: 98]

[Physical Strength: 109 (Body’s constitution and power)]

[Endurance: 118 (Sustained combat ability)]

[Defense Power: 142]

[Spiritual Power: Unknown]

Regrettably, there was an A-class sea beast nearby that refused to come out no matter how Shi Ming tried to lure it. When he activated his ship’s dive mode, the beast fled in a panic, like a bird startled by the twang of a bowstring.

"Seriously? Why are you even a sea beast if you’re this much of a coward?"

"I’m just one human. Do I really look that threatening?"

In any case, his first small goal of "adding points" had been more or less achieved.

Next, he planned to rest here and get himself into peak condition. He would also take the opportunity to once again carefully study the combat footage and detailed intelligence on the "Three-Eyed Golden Crow" that the Nameless Cocoon had sent him.

Once midnight passed, he would set off for the center of the Sea of Boiling!

Right now, it was already past 9 p.m.

The Sea of Boiling was shrouded in darkness. Mist gradually steamed off the water, which was around 100 degrees, like a massive, ripple-free steamer. A lone canoe bobbed on its surface as Shi Ming, hands pillowed behind his head, gazed up at the profound night sky.

Moss would keep an eye on all activity within a ten-nautical-mile radius for him.

The slowly evaporating mist shrouded the starry sky. No light source appeared; the darkness in this sea region was no different from any other.

The legendary Golden Sun showed no sign of appearing either.