Endless Ocean: Survival Begins with a Dugout Canoe-Chapter 58 - 56: Public ’Secret Talk
Shi Ming’s expression didn’t change. He unhooked the communicator from his belt and tapped into the "Let There Be Light" channel.
A message from Jinshan.
The captain of a general-class Wandering Ship and head of the Golden Pagoda Organization, he had his own unique intelligence network.
[Jinshan: The Golden Pagoda has received another mission from the Black Society. The bounty is 100 Pure Dome Crystals. It’s a search-type mission, and the target is a Silver-level Wandering Ship. The Black Society can provide complete intelligence, specs, and past active coordinates for the ship. Anyone with an intelligence- or search-type Awakened on their crew can take this job.]
Shi Ming tensed.
’A bounty from the Black Society? To find a Silver Wandering Ship?’
’Are they coming for me? Have they started looking for help all the way out here in America?’
’One hundred Pure Dome Crystals! Is it to get that navigation chart back?’
He was almost tempted to turn himself in.
Holding the communicator, he patiently waited for the others to reply.
’This communicator I got from the *Huangshi*... I can actually watch them conspire against me with it.’
’Am I the chosen one?’
Over the next ten to twenty minutes, several messages came in one after another.
[Noah: 100 Pure Dome Crystals? A Silver-level ship is only worth about that much! Did the Black Society strike it rich, or did they have a change of heart? Why are they suddenly so generous?]
[Shenqu: Acknowledged. We don’t have the required capabilities.]
[Ziyou: Does the Black Society only have intel, ship specs, and the ship’s last known coordinates? That’s probably not enough. The Endless Ocean is vast. Finding a single Silver Wandering Ship is too difficult.]
[Michael: We have a B-rank Awakened with the rare "Navigator" ability. He might be able to help them find the target. However, the price will need to be raised to 150 Pure Dome Crystals. Also, they can come to us for any similar missions in the future.]
Shi Ming frowned.
’One hundred fifty Pure Dome Crystals... Michael sure has some nerve!’
Michael, captain of a general-class Wandering Ship. He reported directly to the Lighthouse but had complete autonomy.
If Michael and the Black Society joined forces against him, he would have to be even more vigilant.
But this just went to show how important that navigation chart was.
Shi Ming was absolutely certain that before Chunyi died, and even for some time after, the Black Society had no idea of the navigation chart’s true value. So what made them realize so quickly that it was a real treasure?
’Was it the investigation into Chunyi’s death? Did they find out the chart was special? Or was it something else?’
As his thoughts raced, he suddenly recalled another message he had received right after repairing this communicator.
It was intel about a transaction—
[Jinshan’s subordinate, the Golden Pagoda Organization, recently brokered a deal. The buyer was the Black Society. The item traded was translated intelligence from the Xirang Research Institute’s stone tablet: "A Compendium of the Endless Ocean’s Marvels." Received 100 Pure Dome Crystals in commission, hope to submit to the Lighthouse in exchange for the following supplies...]
’Could it be because of this "Compendium of the Endless Ocean’s Marvels"? Did it make them realize the navigation chart was something special?’
’Is the navigation chart listed in this compendium?’
’If that’s true, this is bad.’
Marvels. The word itself sounded extraordinary. He had underestimated the navigation chart’s value. The Black Society would likely spare no expense to hunt him down and take it back.
And right now, he needed to rest and build up his strength, to bide his time.
’Looks like I have to prepare for a head-on confrontation.’
...
Thanks to the "Let There Be Light" channel, Shi Ming had advance warning about this matter, which gave him the upper hand.
This only strengthened his resolve to stick to his original plan.
To get stronger as quickly as possible.
During a lull in the "Let There Be Light" conversation, he used the Eye of Intelligence.
"Eye of Intelligence, acquire intelligence!"
[BEEP~ BEEP~]
[Compiling intelligence...]
[Searching. Confirming host’s detailed coordinates... Search successful. Summarizing intelligence...]
[At a bearing of 191 degrees, 3 nautical miles from your position, is the area with the highest concentration of Sea Crystal Stones nearby. This is also the location where an A-rank sea beast, a Mist Jellyfish, once perished. If you wish to extract Sea Crystal Stones more efficiently, you may proceed to those coordinates. However, you must first avoid the swarms of juvenile jellyfish. Additionally, do not remain in the Lost Mist for more than 18 hours.]
The 191-degree bearing was a common way of expressing direction, with due south as 180 degrees and due west as 270. In other words, 11 degrees west of south.
Shi Ming vaguely remembered that direction. Near the area where the *Huangshi* sank, a huge swarm of Mist Jellyfish moved along the seabed, their blue, luminous bodies gathering together like a galaxy.
This piece of intelligence was very useful.
But Shi Ming had to solve the problem of the jellyfish corrosion.
His plan was to continuously upgrade his Silver ship to the maximum level achievable in the short term, then pilot it to the designated sea region to test if it could withstand the jellyfish corrosion.
If it worked, that would be for the best. He could then extract the Sea Crystal Stones using a roundabout approach.
If not, he didn’t have to aim for the highest-concentration area; heading to other, less concentrated but safer areas to extract Sea Crystal Stones would also be acceptable.
Even if the Black Society and Michael really did come to an agreement, they couldn’t be that fast. From finalizing the deal to meeting up and arriving, they would have to cross more than half of the Endless Sea Region. Even traveling at top speed day and night, it would take at least four days.
BEEP.
The communicator on his belt chirped again.
[Jinshan: The Black Society wants to know the specifics of the B-rank Awakened’s "Navigator" skill. They find it hard to believe a B-rank ability can accomplish this mission.]
It wasn’t just the Black Society that wanted to know... Shi Ming wanted to know, too.
He waited patiently, paying close attention to this "secret discussion" that was being broadcast openly to him.
About eighteen minutes later, Michael replied to Jinshan’s message.
[Michael: Fine. For the sake of this deal, I’ll tell them for free.]
[The Navigator’s ability comes from the B-rank sea beast, the "Star-Chasing Fish."]
[The ocean is endless; the stars are the true coordinates for navigation. A Navigator is extremely sensitive to the stars. And the Wandering Ships’ Energy Cores—the Sailing Stone, the Sailing Crystal, the Sailing Heart, the Sailing Star—have you all forgotten what material they’re derived from?]
[Meteorites.]
[Because of this, a Navigator can keenly sense information about Wandering Ships in the nearby sea regions. And based on their different frequencies, he can determine a ship’s level.]
[As long as we get the active sea region and Crystal Stone amplification range of the Silver ship the Black Society wants, we can just eliminate them one by one. Won’t we find it quickly then?]
[So, for such a big project, 150 Pure Dome Crystals really isn’t expensive.]
???
’In the end, they’re just going to use such a simple, crude method?’
’First find all the Silver ships in the relevant sea region, then "visit" and eliminate them one by one based on the frequency range?’
’Are they serious?’
’Too bad I’m long gone from my former sea region!’
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Shi Ming saw another message from Jinshan.
[Jinshan: The Black Society doesn’t have much time, and they’re unwilling to offend any more Wandering Ship factions. Ten days, max! If you can guarantee you’ll find it, they’re willing to cooperate. If not, the deal’s off. And if you agree but fail to achieve the objective, they will demand three times the payment as a penalty.]
...
[Michael: Fifteen days. I can guarantee we’ll find their target in fifteen days. That’s our limit. If they still think that’s too long, then they can find someone else!]
[Michael: You want to find one ship in the entire Endless Ocean? My method is the only way!]
[Michael: As for the penalty? Don’t worry. Our reputation is worth far more than a few hundred Pure Dome Crystals.]
