Endless Ocean: Survival Begins with a Dugout Canoe-Chapter 52 - 50: Sailing Heart
"Why does this bead look so much like a Hex Core?"
Shi Ming quickly picked up the blue Crystal Stone that had rolled onto the floor.
Even through the special material of his diving suit, Shi Ming could feel the surging energy inside the blue Crystal Stone. It was like a tornado or a thunderstorm sealed within a tiny bead, and the energy even resonated with the awakened power in his body.
’This Crystal Stone is definitely not simple.’
’The central console was destroyed, but this managed to survive?’
Shi Ming used his Brain of Creation to examine the Crystal Stone before him.
If an item could be upgraded, the Brain of Creation would provide a short description. This allowed him to cleverly appraise unfamiliar objects, but the function was limited to upgradeable items only.
For non-upgradeable items, the Brain of Creation would display nothing.
On the machinery level he’d just explored, Shi Ming had cleverly used this function to determine the purpose of equipment like the "beverage machine" and the "qiong-crystal extraction device." This had allowed him to make the most of his limited storage space.
BEEP.
[Sailing Heart]
[Level: 3]
[An essential item for manufacturing high-level Drifting Boats. It contains immense, surging energy, provides astonishing propulsion, and is an extremely precious, non-renewable resource.]
[Upgrade requirements: 4 additional Sailing Hearts, 300 S-rank Sea Beast Blood Crystals of 5 different attributes each.]
Huh?
’This Crystal Stone is actually a Sailing Heart?’
Shi Ming remembered that a Sailing Heart was one of the items required to upgrade his Gold-class canoe, a type of Drifting Boat, to the next tier: General-class.
He had thought the material would be incredibly rare and elusive, with no telling how long it would take to even find a clue about it. Yet, on this deep-sea expedition, he had unexpectedly found one aboard the Yellowstone—and it had fallen right out of the central console.
Moreover, the Brain of Creation had stated it was an essential item for manufacturing high-level Drifting Boats and a non-renewable resource.
’Does this mean every Gold-class Drifting Boat has a Sailing Heart?’
In any case, with this material, upgrading his canoe to General-class was finally on the table. A stronger trump card would allow him to navigate this world with much greater ease.
Time was tight. After carefully stowing the Sailing Heart, Shi Ming raced through the Yellowstone and, before long, was back on his canoe. The Yellowstone’s water-repelling function was still active, leaving his canoe beached inside the massive hull.
’Three minutes left.’
There was still so much more he wanted to do, like hunting the many sea beasts still lurking in the ship’s dark corners, but time had run out.
’I’ll just have to come back next time I get a chance.’
First, Shi Ming activated his canoe’s diving function. Once its waterproof shield formed, he deactivated the Yellowstone’s water-repelling function. Seawater flooded back into the sunken ship, and the Yellowstone once again became part of the ocean’s world.
"Moss! Ascend!"
"Yes, Master!"
The canoe ascended rapidly, carrying the treasures from the Yellowstone as it left the sunless depths behind.
This was the sunken ship that America’s Lighthouse organization had offered a bounty on for years, and now, all its secrets and resources belonged to Shi Ming.
...
Aboard the canoe, Shi Ming took stock of his haul from the operation.
1. A large quantity of High-Level Sea Crystal Stones, ores, Blood Crystals, five Sky Net Intelligence Chips, precious metals, and more.
2. The salvageable and upgradeable equipment from the Yellowstone’s machinery level, such as the beverage machine, the qiong-crystal extraction device, and a large number of firearms. These could all be installed on his Silver-class ship and upgraded for more powerful functions.
3. An ancient-looking battle blade and a high-grade firearm from the captain’s quarters, both of which looked extraordinary.
4. A high-tech communicator found buried in the silt of the captain’s quarters, engraved with "G001" and the Lighthouse symbol.
5. Three safes: two from the warehouse and one from the captain’s quarters. Their contents were the real prize.
6. The Sailing Heart.
The D-rank sea beast carcasses he had specifically stored were just a bonus.
All in all, he was returning with a massive haul.
If Shi Ming hadn’t been running out of space in his system storage, he would have definitely piloted his canoe back through the Yellowstone for another search after the water-repelling function failed.
’I should be happy with what I’ve got. Contentment is key.’
Shi Ming couldn’t stop grinning.
But he remained on high alert. In these deep-sea environments, a powerful sea beast could appear at any moment. One careless mistake could spell disaster, and that was no laughing matter.
...
The return journey was smooth. The Drifting Boat ascended much faster than it descended.
By the time he saw the dreamlike swarm of jellyfish again, a cluster of light like a galaxy of stars, Shi Ming could already sense the hazy daylight from the distant surface. It was just after five in the morning; the entire deep-sea expedition had taken just over three hours.
’Now that’s what you call a time management master.’
SPLASH—
The Drifting Boat burst through the surface, kicking up a plume of spray and waves.
He was finally back, safe and sound.
His Silver-class ship—massive in its own right, but a mere baby compared to the Yellowstone—was anchored calmly on the water nearby. As soon as Shi Ming surfaced, he opened his system storage, swapped his canoe for a prepared auxiliary skiff, and headed toward the larger vessel.
He had managed to leave stealthily, but Shi Ming wasn’t confident he could return without being noticed by his crew.
He didn’t have any stealth abilities; slipping past the radar to approach and board the ship undetected would be extremely difficult.
If someone could just sneak back onto the ship and into the top-secret captain’s quarters, it would mean the patrol crew were all useless freeloaders.
And just then, the crewman on night patrol spotted Shi Ming in the distance.
"Is that...? The captain?!"
"It’s me."
Shi Ming piloted the skiff, speaking to the crew over the radio as he used the boarding ladder they lowered to return to the Drifting Boat.
"Captain, were you out on patrol?"
"Yes."
He didn’t elaborate.
"Anything unusual while I was gone?" he asked, taking off his diving suit on the deck.
"All normal. The surrounding waters are quite safe, and the Sea Crystal Stone energy in this area is relatively high. Over the past few hours, the ship’s energy generators have produced three more High-Level Sea Crystal Stones," reported Stone Pillar, who had arrived on deck.
"Hold position. Maintain current status."
"Yes, sir."
After peeling off the soaking-wet diving suit, stained with cuttlefish blood, and handing it to Stone Pillar, he returned to his quarters.
The high-stakes tension of the past night had left him genuinely exhausted.
He stepped into the sleep pod and closed his eyes.
’I’ll deal with those safes after I wake up.’
’After all, even before he became a special forces soldier, he was the kind of guy with enough self-control to wait a whole week before opening a package.’
