Endless Ocean: Survival Begins with a Dugout Canoe-Chapter 56 - 54: Yan Dao Lin’s Anger

"Look me in the eyes and tell me, what are you panicking about?"

As a high-ranking general, he possessed an unquestionable authority. His casual question carried an intimidating weight, even without any anger behind it.

"General..."

Although Great Wilderness couldn’t match the general’s presence, he was ultimately a wily old fox who had navigated the political arena for many years, holding his own against the best of them. When the Great Flood first began, he was just a young, peripheral secretary. To secure a spot on a wandering ship, he had employed endless schemes and stratagems, fighting with a truly unique brand of cunning.

Over the past few decades, he had climbed his way to his current high position.

After a period of internal struggle and weighing the pros and cons, he had, with great anguish, sold out his already-dead nephew, selectively revealing part of the truth to his superior.

He understood full well that deceiving his superior on certain matters would only hasten his own demise.

Losing such an important treasure was indeed a capital offense, one for which disemboweling himself ten times over wouldn’t be enough to atone.

’But all that aside, General, as my direct superior, don’t you bear some joint responsibility? Aren’t you also guilty of insufficient oversight?’

’If I go down, I’m not letting you get off easy.’

Only by standing on the same side as the general, binding their interests and responsibilities together, could he possibly survive this crisis.

And so, the previous scene had unfolded.

...

Every throwable object from Yan Dao Lin’s desk now lay scattered around Great Wilderness’s face, having bounced off him and rolled to a stop by his kneeling legs.

"General, my death would truly be of no consequence!"

"I am willing to commit seppuku to atone for my mistake."

He drew the military saber from his waist, posturing as if to kill himself.

"You bastard!"

Seeing this, Yan Dao Lin became even more enraged. He hurled the bronze pipe in his hand, striking Great Wilderness on the bridge of his nose.

’You can die, your death means nothing, but am I supposed to take the fall for you?’

Before long, the other influential figures on the ship would read that intelligence report—the one that cost a staggering 600 Pure Dome Crystals—and study it meticulously! His political rivals would inevitably find this loophole, seize the opportunity to attack him, and drag him down with them.

Countless eyes were watching the position of General of the Sea Expedition!

’And you, a man already caught in the whirlpool, want to die here? Are you trying to tarnish my record and drag me down with you?’

Yan Dao Lin was so furious he saw white, but there was nothing he could do.

The greater his initial elation, the more severe the crash now.

No, it was even worse!

"You, you draw up a plan for me, immediately! Find the Map of the Endless Sea!"

"Fifteen days. You have only fifteen days. My other subordinates, even the A-rank Awakened, Demon Sword, can be temporarily assigned to assist you. Great Wilderness, this is your last chance."

"If you can’t..."

Yan Dao Lin’s voice grew colder amidst his anger.

A chill ran down Great Wilderness’s spine.

Demon Sword was one of the three A-rank Awakened on the ship, taking orders directly from Yan Dao Lin. His A-rank offensive skill, "Eightfold Wall Great Saber," was unstoppable. He had once cleaved the attacking Silver-level Wandering Ship, the *Gaya*, in two in the Kanagawa Region. The eighty-meter Silver-level ship had snapped in half—a terrifying display of power.

"General, if I cannot find the Map of the Endless Sea, I will offer my life’s blood to the spirit of the Black Society."

Yan Dao Lin waved his hand dismissively.

Great Wilderness knew how to take a hint. He stood up and exited the office.

After the extreme swing from elation to despair, Yan Dao Lin felt as if all his strength had drained away, and he sank powerlessly into his shark-tooth chair.

The fact that the Map of the Endless Sea was supposed to be in the warehouse could be discovered by anyone determined enough to look. It couldn’t be hidden for long.

Now, he would have to pull strings to help Great Wilderness conceal the information.

’How did such a great potential merit turn into a crime punishable by death?’

...

Shi Ming lay on the bed in the captain’s quarters, gazing at the distant sunrise. It was a new day.

Ever since the crew learned that Shi Ming enjoyed watching the sunrise, the wandering ship had adjusted its course at dawn for the past two days, aligning the captain’s quarters’ window with the east.

This also caused him to wake up very early.

He pushed open the window, and fresh air, carried by the sea breeze, flowed into the captain’s quarters.

It felt as if the sea breeze had activated every cell in his body.

After watching the sunrise for a while, he went out onto the deck and began his daily training: saber techniques, combat skills, marksmanship... The ship had plenty of ammunition, so he could practice as he pleased. Even when facing other Awakened, physical agility and certain fighting techniques were quite useful.

And after several instances of devouring and allocating points, he now had a general understanding of his own basic physical attributes.

If converted into numbers, system-style, they would look something like this.

[Shi Ming]

[Attack Power: 45 (Base Attack Power, without using Arm of Power. Briefly increases by 10x after using Arm of Power.)]

[Physical Strength: 55 (Overall physical condition)]

[Endurance: 59 (Stamina and resilience)]

[Defense Power: 108 (Defense Power in a non-skill state, can be subdivided into damage resistance and recovery ability. After activating Black Tortoise Shield, damage resistance becomes infinite for 3 seconds. After activating Embrace Death, recovery ability becomes infinite for 60 seconds.)]

[Spiritual Power: Unknown]

The limit for an ordinary person is 10.

After an ordinary person awakens by bathing in Sea Beast Blood, they receive enhancements and growth potential at different multipliers based on the blood’s level. Normally, upon initial awakening, a D-rank or C-rank’s stats can increase to around 15.

B-rank is 20, and A-rank is 30.

The exact differences vary from person to person, and also depend on the type of sea beast.

The difference between D-rank and A-rank is not just the initial attributes, but also the disparity in growth potential multipliers.

The growth potential of an A-rank far exceeds that of a D-rank.

If one has bathed in the blood of multiple types of sea beasts, the highest level takes precedence.

Shi Ming’s current stats naturally far surpassed those of an ordinary person.

However, against some veteran A-rank Awakened or those with high-attack weapons, he might still fall short. This was normal, as he was still a newcomer who had only awakened a few days ago. He hadn’t had enough time to grow.

S-rank skills were just a powerful trump card; true strength was multi-dimensional.

To become stronger, one needed more than just training and growth; other supplementary items were also necessary, such as weapons.

The saber in his hand had been replaced with the one he found in the captain’s quarters of the *Yellow Stone*.

The Eye of Creation scanned it.

[War Saber - King Slayer]

[Level: 4]

[A treasure from the Rhodes Lompe Clan’s collection. It is said to be a sharp blade that beheaded a king in the 14th century. After several centuries, it remains incredibly sharp, yet in the Endless Ocean, its edge has dulled. Corroded by seawater and high pressure, it has lost its former keenness.]

[Upgrade requirements: Sea Beast Blood Crystal x10, Iron Ore x10, High-Level Sea Crystal Stone x10]

This was a fine saber.

The *heng dao* the system had given him was just a common combat weapon. Even after several upgrades, its growth potential had already hit its limit.

But this saber was different. Just by holding it, he could feel the extraordinary quality of its materials.

’How can such a fine saber be left to languish in corrosion?’

Upgrade!

Shi Ming took out the Blood Crystal Stones that the captain and his exploration team had collected from Turtle Island.

They had collected a great many Blood Crystals from Turtle Island, nearly twenty baskets’ worth. A mere ten pieces was just a drop in the bucket.