While Shi Ming was away, the Dayun remained in place. Stone Pillar and Lin Hai used their B-rank Awakened abilities and the ship’s armaments to lie in wait, hunting two C-rank and two D-rank sea beasts.

It was a decent haul.

After Shi Ming’s return, the Dayun ended its stationary watch, and the General-class vessel slowly sailed away from the Sea of Boiling.

In his captain’s quarters, Shi Ming took stock of his latest harvest.

1. Three fruits from the Immortal Tree. (Awaiting analysis by the Eye of Intelligence)

2. A severed limb cut from a Holy Hall-level Sea Beast. (Awaiting analysis by the Eye of Intelligence)

3. Over twenty stat points gained from hunting sea beasts, converted into tangible strength.

4. The B-rank and C-rank Hearts of the Sea Beast, sold as a bundle to Golden Bodhi, went for an inflated price of 10 Pure Dome Crystals. Their actual combined value was far less, but Mel wanted to use this opportunity to build a connection with him, so she offered a higher price.

Beyond that, he had also obtained a great deal of valuable intelligence.

For example, the specific location of one of the seven elusive Holy Hall-level Sea Beasts of the Endless Ocean.

Furthermore, through a future fragment from the Wheel of Destiny, he learned that the scorching energy of the Three-Eyed Golden Crow could not neutralize "Formless Pure Ice." A forced neutralization would only lead to a chaotic energy imbalance and a fatal implosion—a fate from which not even Death’s Gambit could save him.

The price for these gains was that Death’s Gambit once again entered a long cooldown period.

All in all, the return on investment was quite good!

Especially the severed limb of the Holy Hall Sea Beast, whose value was immeasurable.

The Lighthouse had only found a tiny piece of shed skin—completely inert, dead tissue—yet they treated it like a priceless treasure, inviting researchers from major organizations all over the world to "partake in the grand event." Unfortunately, with Edward’s sudden death, it was unknown if their research had yielded any results.

But Shi Ming only had to wait until tomorrow, and with his Eye of Intelligence, he had a high probability of obtaining specific information about it.

He might even learn about its related skills!

By his count, Shi Ming now had basic intel on three of the seven Holy Hall Sea Beasts.

[Holy Hall 004: Immortal Evil Eye]

[Holy Hall 007: Great Black Heaven Dragon]

[Holy Hall 00?: ????]

With the Holy Hall Flesh, the upgrade requirements for the "Extinguished Star Lamp"—an item he had obtained from the Pyramid that started at level 9—could be perfectly met. 100 grams of Holy Hall Flesh... back then, Shi Ming had thought the condition was too difficult. He never expected to fulfill it so quickly through a twist of fate.

He had originally planned to keep the lamp hidden to avoid being located by the mysterious woman in the Star Skirt.

’But if its value after upgrading is immense, maybe I can take it out for brief periods of use?’

’I’ll have to analyze that on a case-by-case basis.’

...

Death’s Gambit had restored him to peak condition, but Shi Ming still took a light nap for a few hours in one of the Dayun’s sleep pods to rest his mind and emotions.

The Dayun had already left the Sea of Boiling and entered the Sea of Silence.

Next, they would continue north and return to Europe.

The brief clash with the Holy Hall Sea Beast made him realize that his own strength was still far from sufficient.

The slightest carelessness could lead to his death.

’Since the Three-Eyed Golden Crow can’t neutralize the power of Formless Pure Ice, I’ll have to find the Dusk Whale! I must make full use of that treasure, ranked 48th on the Prodigy List, to maximize its value. But there’s no rush on this voyage. I still have other matters to attend to in the Sea of Silence and the Sea of Yellow Sand.’

’For instance...’

’The Nameless Cocoon.’

’I’ve already secured the Angel Round Investment, but that turned into a debacle. This time, I’ll try to squeeze out a Series A round. Who knows, there might be some extra gains.’

’The investors wouldn’t just ignore the fate of their "seed candidate," would they?’

’I’m still a growth stock, a rare one at that.’

...

As soon as the Dayun entered Black Gold’s jurisdictional waters, Shi Ming’s "brainwaves" connected to the Nameless Cocoon’s "channel." Guided, his Spiritual Power plunged into the Endless Ocean alongside that voice, just like last time. It dove into the Great Rift Valley two thousand meters below and continued to sink.

’I’ve been waiting for you!’

[My, friend, you’ve returned? How was it? The results? Did you kill, that Golden Crow.]

In the depths of the sea, his spiritual form once again saw the great cocoon wrapped in black threads.

A cocoon bound by layer upon layer of chains.

Shi Ming delivered his prepared speech.

The interrogation began!

"Friend? You have the nerve to ask me that?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"I placed my complete trust in you. To gain the power to save you, I followed your advice, found the location you mentioned, and went alone to kill the Three-Eyed Golden Crow. I was on the verge of success, about to obtain new power, but you never told me that a Holy Hall-level Sea Beast was lying in wait in the same waters!"

"It swatted me three hundred nautical miles away."

"I almost died because of you! My ’friend’!"

[What? Holy Hall?]

[How, could there be, a Holy Hall beast?]

The Nameless Cocoon’s voice was filled with unimaginable astonishment.

Shi Ming snorted.

"To be honest, I’m extremely disappointed in you."

"When I first listened to you, it meant I trusted you. In my eyes, you were more than just a partner. I had hoped our first collaboration would build rapport, not just be a case of cold, mutual exploitation."

"I originally thought you were fundamentally different from other sea beasts. That we could communicate, trust each other, and work together for a win-win outcome."

"But you’ve truly disappointed me."

"Your faulty intelligence not only cost me an S-rank sea beast that was within my grasp, but it also nearly got me killed. I think I need to re-evaluate this partnership. After all, the Endless Ocean is full of S-rank sea beasts, and even more powerful Holy Hall-level ones. No single partner is irreplaceable."

"Perhaps you did it on purpose. Perhaps the gulf between humans and sea beasts is simply too wide to cross."

Listening to Shi Ming’s accusations, the barely two-year-old Nameless Cocoon was actually manipulated into feeling a pang of guilt!

’No, that’s not right!’

’Cunning human!’

’He’s just trying to get my sympathy!’

’But the Golden Crow’s lair was actually hiding a Holy Hall-level Sea Beast?’

’That was something even I didn’t know.’

’It seems this human really did suffer a huge loss because of my faulty intelligence. If that’s true, it’s only natural for him to have doubts and stop trusting me now.’

’If our positions were reversed, I wouldn’t trust this human either. In fact, I’d get vicious revenge.’

[I also did not know, of its, existence.]

"None of that matters anymore."

"Since I failed to kill that sea beast, with my current abilities, it will be very difficult for me to fight the great ship that’s suppressing you. I’m going to travel to other seas, or maybe return to my homeland. At least there, my life won’t be in danger."

"This farewell can bring our brief partnership to a close."

Shi Ming shook his head, feigning indifference.

But the Nameless Cocoon was starting to get anxious.

’I’m not out yet, how can you give up?’

’I finally found a human whose Spiritual Power barely meets my threshold. How can I just let him go? If I do, who knows how long I’ll have to wait for the next powerful individual whose Spiritual Power can resonate with mine.’

’I’ve had enough of being trapped in this dark, sunless cocoon.’

’Maybe I can make it up to him? Give him a little something to sweeten the deal?’

’Get him hooked?’

’Make him dependent on me?’

’This kind of manipulation seems to be popular among humans.’

It worked its barely-two-year-old brain.

[What, compensation, do you want.]

"Compensation? There’s no need."

"Maybe you really didn’t do it on purpose. After all, you’re only an S-rank sea beast; you’re neither omniscient nor omnipotent. My earlier questions were only because I hoped our partnership could be closer, not one filled with schemes and intrigue."

[You want, blood?]

[I can, give you, one drop.]

[After all, I still haven’t, broken out of my cocoon.]

’Nothing ventured, nothing gained,’ the Nameless Cocoon thought. ’However, human... my spiritual form once heard a saying on this great ship, and it made a lot of sense: *All gifts are secretly marked with a price.* What you take from me now, you will have to repay twofold once I am free.’

It had already decided to give this human a small taste of what it could offer.

But inwardly, it was extremely reluctant, filled with a desecrated rage.

Meanwhile, Shi Ming was thinking,

’After all that talk, just one drop?’

’What good is one drop!’

’I could probably squeeze half a liter from that Holy Hall Sea Beast’s severed limb!’

Shi Ming was about to push for more, or perhaps ask for something else, but his eyes began to twitch and his right arm started to burn, as if growing impatient again.

’Fine,’

’one drop it is.’

’No, three drops.’

"Ah Jian,"

"it’s not that I want your blood."

"It’s just that, as you know, I have to get stronger to rescue you sooner. I’ve said it before: we’re two grasshoppers on the same rope, destined to face the same enemies."

"One drop is too little. How about three?"

"By the way, how do I get them?"

[...]

A powerful wave of Spiritual Power roared through the seabed. Shi Ming’s spiritual form could feel energy rapidly gathering within the black-threaded cocoon. A massive amount of Spiritual Power fused together, finally forming a few small drops of blood.

The blood seeped through the cocoon’s layers and floated before Shi Ming’s spiritual form.

???

’It can do that?’

[My Spiritual Power, value is extremely high. High enough that I can, slightly influence reality, but it is difficult, to be downwardly, compatible.]

[Only insects whose Spiritual Power, breaks the 300 threshold, can barely hear, my voice, and witness my incredible power. Human, your Spiritual Power, meets the threshold, but I must warn you, my blood, is very terrifying.]

[But this is, my, sincerity and, investment.]

[Do not, disappoint me.]

WHOOSH—

Shi Ming jolted awake from the dreamlike spiritual experience.

Suddenly, he saw three drops of black blood floating before his eyes. The blood exuded a terrifying pressure, as if it were Spiritual Power concentrated to its absolute limit. A mere glance would be enough to throw an Awakened with low Spiritual Power into a state of confusion.

’It actually gave them to me!’

Shi Ming smiled.

He took out a precise container, carefully collected the drops of blood, and placed them into his system space.

’The Eye of Intelligence is going to be very busy for the next few days.’