Chapter 193: Chapter 189: Compendium of Wondrous Items of the Endless Ocean (Part 2)

The Da Yun, Captain’s Quarters.

"Oh, right. There’s one more thing."

Shi Ming took out the Map of the Endless Sea.

"I’ve obtained the flesh and blood of a Holy Hall-level creature. If I drip a drop of its blood onto the Map of the Endless Sea, will it reveal the exact locations of other Holy Hall-level Sea Beasts within its range?"

"If I know their positions, I can prepare in advance."

"That way, I can avoid a repeat of what just happened. I was on the verge of killing that Golden Crow, only to have it all fall apart at the last second because of those powerful sea beasts."

Not only did it fall apart, but he had also nearly lost his life.

On this expedition, if Shi Ming hadn’t cautiously saved one use of "Embrace Death" and activated the Black Tortoise Shield with lightning-fast reflexes, his chances of survival would have been slim to none.

No sooner said than done.

The only way to know was to try.

Shi Ming dripped a drop of the Abyss Lord’s energy-drained blood onto the Map of the Endless Sea. Though devoid of energy, the blood’s rank hadn’t diminished, so it could still be used as a material to upgrade certain items or to activate the Map of the Endless Sea.

This was a prime example of making the best use of every resource.

Besides, dripping a drop of the Abyss Lord’s energy-rich blood would not only be a waste, but Shi Ming suspected it might corrode this Oddity, ranked 108th, completely.

After the drop of blood landed, the Map of the Endless Sea turned a brilliant azure.

Shi Ming first looked toward the center of the Boiling Sea.

The map’s detection radius was 3,200 nautical miles, and the Abyss Lord’s last known position was still within that radius.

Unfortunately, after searching several times, he found nothing at the location in the center of the Sea of Boiling where the Abyss Lord had appeared. Not even the faintest speck was there.

’Huh?’

Shi Ming scanned the entire map.

Not just the center of the Boiling Sea, but the entire explorable area on the map—a circle with a 20-centimeter radius—was devoid of any black dots or unusually colored patches. It was a uniform, pure blue, with nothing noteworthy anywhere.

’It can’t be detected.’

’There are two possible reasons for this.’

’First, the Map of the Endless Sea might only be able to detect S-rank and lower sea beasts. It might be incapable of detecting Holy Hall-level Sea Beasts. After all, it’s only ranked 108th, and the Holy Hall tier is simply too high.’

’Second, the Abyss Lord is either hidden too well or has gone too deep, leaving the map’s detection range. At the same time, there might not be any other Holy Hall-level Sea Beasts nearby, which would explain the lack of black dots.’

’The sample size is too small to draw a conclusion.’

Shi Ming wasn’t disappointed, though.

In the entire Endless Ocean, there were only seven such beasts. He already knew the locations of two of them, so the probability of running into another was minuscule. Out of the hundred thousand wandering ships in the world, there hadn’t been a single confirmed sighting or piece of intel on a Holy Hall Sea Beast. Therefore, he didn’t need to worry about casually stumbling upon them.

’Of course, it’s also possible that anyone who did run into one is now dead.’

「...」

After experiencing the extreme heat of the Sea of Boiling, the ordinary fifty to sixty degrees Celsius of the Sea of Silence felt like nothing to the crew. It posed no threat at all, especially now that the ship was equipped with an upgraded temperature control system.

"Lunch is served!"

"Captain, it’s the fin of a C-rank Thousand Cave Shark! This is the best part, which we saved when we sold the rest!"

"Oh? Then I’ll have to give it a try!"

A small section of the fin was divided into five parts, each prepared differently to make full use of it.

Grilled, stewed, raw-cured, blanched...

The texture was dense and smooth, yet it carried the unique searing sensation of a creature from the Boiling Sea. The flavor was truly one-of-a-kind.

Savoring good food was one of the few activities on the Endless Ocean that brought immense satisfaction without requiring any mental effort—all one had to do was simply enjoy.

After enjoying Old Yang’s specially made lunch, Shi Ming patrolled the deck once more. At the same time, he marked the positions of several nearby High-level Sea Beasts and had the Da Yun steer as close as possible to their locations without deviating from the main course.

[BEEP]

The communicator hidden at his waist chimed.

It was the communicator from the Huangshi.

Shi Ming returned to his quarters, took out the communicator, and entered "Let There Be Light."

[Lighthouse: Notice. Lighthouse has fronted 800 Pure Dome Crystals to Da Yu to acquire the latest research findings from the "Compendium of Endless Sea Oddities." This information is now available in Let There Be Light. We expect everyone to study it carefully to avoid missing out on major treasures in the Endless Ocean.]

[Lighthouse: Additionally, any wandering ship or individual who provides accurate information on the following Oddities will receive a reward of 1,000 points, regardless of the outcome.]

[Lighthouse: At the same time, any affiliated wandering ship or individual that obtains one of the following Oddities must report it to Lighthouse immediately.]

This was followed by a flurry of beeps from more messages.

Trellin began posting the list of Oddities ranked 60th to 99th in batches within Let There Be Light.

There was no such thing as free intel, not even within the same organization. For this information, which cost 800 Pure Dome Crystals, the general-level wandering ships paid 300 Pure Dome Crystals, while the Golden Ships paid in points.

Getting something for nothing was impossible in the Endless Ocean.

The Huangshi was an exception.

Fallen comrades, naturally, did not have to pay.

Shi Ming shamelessly read through the free intel. This information was the result of nearly several hundred days of work by the Xirang Research Institute aboard the King-level Wandering Ship, the Da Yu. They had used their most powerful computer, along with numerous researchers, to analyze the Mysterious Stele.

If Shi Ming were to view the stele himself, he could decipher it all in a single afternoon.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t reveal that he understood the language, nor did he currently have the opportunity to get close to the 33,000-character Mysterious Stele.

[60. Dead Sea Red Lotus.]

[A red lotus that grows on the floor of the Dead Sea. It has no roots or leaves, and a faint, unquenchable red flame burns within its pistil. If consumed by an Awakened or creature with the "Red Lotus Prison" skill, it will transform the skill into "Karma Fire Hell."]

Shi Ming remembered Red Lotus Prison. It was the 89th-ranked S-rank skill, which came from the Red Marrow Bone Dragon, and it seemed Lighthouse had acquired it.

’Lighthouse must place immense importance on this Dead Sea Red Lotus.’

[61. The Inexhaustible Magic Potion.]

[A small vial containing a strange magic potion. It never runs dry. The potion has random effects; with every sip, the effect of the next sip changes. It could be a treasured elixir, or it could be some other liquid.]

’Life is like a magic potion, I guess. You never know what the next sip will taste like.’

Shi Ming grumbled to himself and continued reading.

[62. Broken Crystal.]

[63. Solidified Aurora.]

[64. Sea-Rising Cherry Root.]

[A deep-sea plant rooted deep within a volcano. It has transformed into a treasure due to the influence of ■■■■■. After consuming the root, one can obtain a faint trace of the power of ■■■■■ and achieve energy resonance with it.]

’Hai Sheng Ying?’

’Isn’t that the unique spectacle of Fujing Mountain? It’s actually a clue to an Oddity?’

And those five conspicuous black blocks... Shi Ming knew at a glance that the redacted characters, ■■■■■, stood for "Great Black Heaven Dragon"! For Da Yu to release such information, and even reveal it to Lighthouse... was this intentional or a mistake?

Vortex Country was truly a blessed land, having produced three listed Oddities in a row.

The Map of the Endless Sea.

The Taunt Stone.

The Sea-Rising Cherry Root.

Unfortunately, the country itself was too weak to hold onto any of them. Shi Ming could already foresee that the sea region around Fujing Mountain would not be calm in the days to come.

Shi Ming continued down the list, one by one.

These treasures were all precious.

The Map of the Endless Sea, ranked 108th, had already been of unquestionable help to Shi Ming. Every single treasure on this new list was ranked higher than his map, which spoke volumes about their value.

[96. Purifying Marrow.]

"Hm?"

"This is the most crucial item needed to upgrade the tainted Lamp of Wishes and the corroded Full Moon Pearl!"

Shi Ming had originally thought it was just a rare consumable. He never expected it to have a spot on the rankings, and one even higher than the Map of the Endless Sea!

’This is no simple item.’

[Purifying Marrow. The core pith of the Bodhi Tree of Suffering. It can purify all discordant elements. Consuming it gives a chance to acquire the 69th-ranked S-rank skill, Purity Domain.]

’It can allow someone to awaken an S-rank skill.’

’In that case, its ranking isn’t so surprising after all.’

The Heart of the White Dragon Whale, ranked 103rd, could also let someone awaken an S-rank skill. However, the White Dragon Whale’s heart was enormous; for an ordinary person to consume it raw, it would take at least a year or two. From that perspective, the Purifying Marrow’s rank of 96 was perfectly acceptable.

’I’ll have to keep an eye out for where the Purity Tree grows in the future.’

Of the 40 new Oddities on the list, aside from the Sea-Rising Cherry Root and the Purifying Marrow, Shi Ming had never even heard of the others. But after reading through it all, he had a deeper appreciation for the wonders of nature.

The Endless Ocean was a true treasure trove, having given birth to so many peculiar wonders!

In Let There Be Light, a series of "Received" messages appeared.

The others also noticed the information about "Hai Sheng Ying" and began suggesting they head to the Yinping Sea Region to investigate.

It was no wonder. The other treasures were difficult to track, but the Sea-Rising Cherry Root’s name practically gave away its location. It was like announcing to the world, "I’ve placed my treasure on Fujing Mountain. You want it? Then come and find it!"

However, Commander Trellin replied:

[Hold on. Acting rashly will only invite disaster. We’ll wait and observe for now.]

Unlike the others, Trellin knew what kind of terrifying thing slumbered beneath Fujing Mountain. He believed Da Yu knew this as well. For them to release such critical information uncensored at a time like this... while it was unlikely to be fake, there was definitely a conspiracy afoot.

The others reined in their excitement.

As for whether anyone, eager for quick success, would secretly send people to explore, no one knew.

「...」

Having witnessed the terrifying power of the Abyss Lord, Shi Ming didn’t think anyone could easily take down the Great Black Heaven Dragon. Putting away his communicator, he prepared to take a short afternoon nap.

He hadn’t even been resting for twenty minutes when the light in the captain’s quarters dimmed.

’Wasn’t it just high noon?’

’Did the sky turn overcast?’

Shi Ming’s right eye began to twitch.

[The Eye of the World alerts you!]

[Thanks to the power of the "2D Girl," a powerful assassin has found you! His skill, "Light and Shadow Twin," is extremely dangerous! Be careful. A standard Defense Power of 142 is indeed astonishing, but a full-force blow from an S-rank assassin will hurt a lot more than you think.]

The evolved Eye of the World...

...had activated!