Endless Ocean: Survival Begins with a Dugout Canoe-Chapter 114 - 111: Miss Yan?

A Food Workshop?

The corner of Shi Ming’s mouth twitched.

’Technology really is a life-changer!’

’Do those dead sea fish know their bodies are being used so efficiently?’

After resting for a moment and recovering his Spiritual Power, Shi Ming used his last upgrade for the day on the ship’s Sky Crystal Extraction Device. While it couldn’t make money as fast as hunting, its advantage was its consistency. Every little bit added up, and the long-term profits were excellent!

[Sky Crystal Extraction Device]

[Level: 5]

[Keenly captures special energy within the ocean, deconstructing and reforming it into energy-rich Crystal Stones. The purity of the Crystal Stones is inconsistent, but they are nonetheless rare Energy Stones, containing 60 to 90 times the vast energy of a High-Level Sea Crystal Stone. Daily extraction efficiency can reach 20 units, with a slight increase in areas with abnormally high concentrations of Sea Crystal Stones.]

[Upgrade Requirements: Sky Crystal x300, Iron Ore x300, Sky Net Intelligence Chip x1]

After handling these matters, he went from the equipment deck to the ship’s dining area.

The new Food Workshop was installed here. The crew had long since grown accustomed to the strange new things their captain produced.

They all now believed their captain was a warrior from the upper echelons of the Dragon Country, a true elite from a major power. He was currently out here tempering himself on his own, and the day he returned would be the day he shouldered a great responsibility. It was only natural for a person like that to possess the best resources.

Shi Ming looked at the strange machine.

’Is it really that amazing?’

He tried typing a few keywords he had just thought of into the control panel on the side of the machine.

[Roast Duck, Dipping Sauce, Shredded Scallion, Cucumber, Pancakes...]

It was one of his favorite foods from his past life.

With the CLANK CLANK CLANK of the machine operating, a large quantity of sea fish was swept into its internal chamber. After a complex and lengthy process, just as Shi Ming was growing impatient, a steaming hot dish was delivered from a conveyor belt on the side.

Shi Ming took one look and was dumbfounded.

A greasy roasted duck had its cavity stuffed full of shredded scallions and cucumber. Its fragrant, crispy skin was slathered in a brown dipping sauce, like a cake covered in cream, and the small pancakes were arranged in a circle around it like a garnish...

’What kind of artificial idiocy is this.’

’Looks like I’ll still have to let Old Yang give it a second pass!’

...

...

...

In the following days, Shi Ming piloted the Dayun and roamed the European Sea Region. Dozens of sea beasts died by his blade, and his points also steadily increased.

[Shi Ming]

[Attack Power: 77 (Base Attack Power)]

[Physical Strength: 82 (Physical Fitness)]

[Endurance: 90 (Sustained Combat Ability)]

[Defense Power: 120 (Normal defense without active skills, can be subdivided into damage resistance and recovery ability)]

[Spiritual Power: Unknown]

At the same time, the ship’s equipment was upgraded step-by-step.

The pharmaceutical production equipment, beer machine, submachine guns, and the ship’s general infrastructure, which Shi Ming had been planning for a long time, were all upgraded.

The intelligence obtained by the Eye of Intelligence was just information on ordinary sea beasts, which he combined with the Map of the Endless Sea to convert into points or resources.

He didn’t sell the sea beast carcasses after their blood was absorbed. The bodies of D-rank and C-rank sea beasts wouldn’t fetch a high price without their blood, so Shi Ming simply took their choicest parts for food, enjoying a gourmet feast every day after combat and training.

To improve one’s physical fitness more quickly and stably, real meat was an indispensable component.

Slowly, Shi Ming also discovered a strange phenomenon.

Ever since his awakening on Turtle Island, some of the original owner’s features had slowly begun to fade. Now, as his strength grew, his body, appearance, and even small details were gradually changing to resemble his appearance from his past life.

But this change was subtle and cumulative.

The ordinary crew members, who saw Shi Ming every day, could hardly notice the difference.

Even those with good memories would just assume that Shi Ming was slowly letting down his guard and returning to his true self during their time together.

Shi Ming couldn’t figure out the reason for this change, but slowly returning to the body he was familiar with was a good thing, all in all!

’That shattered Eye of the Divine Pendant... just what kind of secret is it hiding?’

’Perhaps I’ll only be able to uncover this mystery when my strength reaches a higher level.’

One day, Shi Ming returned to the Twelve Stars to deliver on a B-rank sea beast hunting mission for an Employer.

It was the only mission he had accepted recently.

After completing the delivery and receiving 30 Sky Crystals, he was about to leave when he saw a drifter ship emerge from the shadows of the Twelve Stars in the distance.

The ship was classical and imposing; one look was enough to tell it was no ordinary vessel. It was as starkly defined as a weapon hand-forged by a master artisan. The hull was engraved with the Albert Clan’s crest, which strongly resembled a Gallic rooster.

Wright de Albert stood at the bow, with six people behind him.

Shi Ming’s eyesight was excellent; he could see the details of all seven people even without a telescope.

Wright stood at the very front, his armor polished to a brilliant shine.

Yize stood at the very back, in an inconspicuous position.

Standing right beside Wright was a stern man who commanded respect without being angry. Sparks of electricity occasionally flashed around his body; like Wright, he was probably a lightning-attribute Awakened. However, his disposition was a stark contrast to Wright’s. He had not a single shred of affability, being unsmiling and keeping others at a distance.

The third was a young man with dreadlocks and a scar on his face. Judging by his skin color, he was probably from the Black Gold Country.

The fourth was a middle-aged man carrying a sword, with the very distinct features of a Vortex Person.

The fifth was a young man with typical European features, wearing the Albert Clan crest on his chest. He was likely a junior member of Wright’s family.

The sixth was an old man. His skin was slack, but his expression was calm. His body was sturdy, and he was dressed like a gentleman. His cloudy eyes held a sharp glint.

This was Wright’s hunting squad.

Six men and one woman. The only woman was his disciple, Yize, who had interacted with Shi Ming several times before.

Shi Ming watched from a distance as the drifter ship sailed out from the shadow of the Twelve Stars.

This was the sixth day of them getting accustomed to each other. Once they were familiar with each other’s combat styles, they would truly set out to execute the mission.

’Something’s wrong?’

’The Lighthouse-affiliated Admiral-class drifter, the [Divine Comedy]... didn’t they say they were dispatching a suspected S-rank Awakened, [Miss Yan], to join Wright’s squad? They’ve even been syncing up on the details in the group chat these past few days, with everything proceeding according to plan.’

’So why is there only one woman?’

The plan hadn’t changed; Shi Ming was sure of it.

In recent days, Lighthouse had been monitoring the movements of Jinshan and the Divine Comedy through "Let There Be Light." Shi Ming also knew that Miss Yan had indeed joined Wright’s squad and was undergoing pre-combat integration.

’Where’s Miss Yan?’

’Could Miss Yan be a man?’

Shi Ming mused with great interest.

’Codenames are just for show; it’s normal for them not to carry any obvious personal characteristics.’

’I had plenty of codenames myself in my past life, like "Beidou," "Po Jun," "War Wolf," "Vast Ocean"... I picked them on a whim, sometimes even changing them depending on my mood when carrying out top-secret missions.’

’I even used the codename "Milk Dragon" once for a special mission.’

’Just that one time.’

’But considering the shady business Lighthouse gets up to, they’d never use real names for their operations.’

’A woman disguised as a man, or a man as a woman... that seems perfectly normal to me.’

’There might even be some Awakened with abilities that can change their physical appearance.’

’But among this group, who exactly is Miss Yan?’

Shi Ming was very curious.

An S-rank Awakened was always an absolute wildcard in any mission.