Endless Ocean: Survival Begins with a Dugout Canoe-Chapter 67 - 65: "Vortex Country Culture

Beneath the rippling blue waves, a submarine sped along, hidden thirty meters below the surface.

The submersible drifting vessel, temporarily assigned to Edward, was a Silver-class ship designated No. 21672. Nicknamed the *Water Arrow*, it excelled at stealth and speed, making it perfectly suited for this type of reconnaissance mission.

After some discussion, Demon Sword and her party remained on board. Her group included one C-rank Awakened and two crew members.

The Bronze-class vessel they had arrived on was temporarily entrusted to Michael’s personnel for safekeeping. The two factions had been partners for years, so they could be trusted with a small matter like this.

"You’ve been moving a lot faster lately."

Demon Sword stood beside Edward, speaking to the navigator who had previously been dawdling, but in the last dozen or so hours had sped up the search as if he’d been shot up with adrenaline.

"Isn’t it all to help you complete your mission faster, Miss Demon Sword?"

Edward replied, his eyes smiling.

He was thrilled.

So thrilled, in fact, that he could hardly wait.

He could hardly wait to finish this mission and head for the Lighthouse.

Ever since receiving a short message from the captain of the *Michael* yesterday, he had been in a state of euphoria. Of course, he didn’t let it show. He simply accelerated the search for the Silver-class vessel, barely even resting at night. In just over a day, he had already eliminated three targets.

This pace was much faster than Demon Sword had expected.

At this rate, she would find her target and recover the lost Silver-class vessel in two to three days at the earliest, or five to six days at the latest.

Demon Sword snorted at Edward’s reply, clearly unconvinced.

But Huang Mao’s recent performance had been undeniably diligent. ’Maybe I can raise my score for him just a little bit?’

In Demon Sword’s mind, Edward’s score rose from 1 to 2.

Time underwater was incredibly boring.

The *Water Arrow* had no recreational facilities, like a firing range or a training room.

There wasn’t even a single book.

Demon Sword simply stood there, her right hand clad in its single black glove, her left resting habitually on the hilt of the famed sword at her waist. She somewhat regretted not bringing a few more books aboard. That Golden Era light novel, *I Was Reborn as a Fox Demon, So There’s No Way I’m Falling in Love*, for instance, was quite good. She was only a third of the way through and had no idea what happened next.

No matter. Introspection was a form of training in itself.

Edward, however, was not one to endure silence. With Demon Sword having started the conversation, he seized the opportunity to launch into full-on chatter mode.

"..."

"Miss Demon Sword, I’ve always admired the culture of Vortex Country, particularly its customs."

"I hear that in the Black Society, women are assigned marriage partners around the age of 25..."

At these words, Demon Sword’s eyes instantly turned cold.

Edward was focused on piloting the vessel and failed to notice this detail.

On the contrary, his face took on a wistful expression.

"How wonderful! In Michael, men have to compete for a wife. Before I was Awakened, an ordinary guy like me who wanted to get married and have kids had to enter a lottery. Who knows how many years it would take to get picked..."

His words had barely faded when,

CRACK!

Her famed sword left its sheath. With a SWISH, the console in front of Edward was lopped in half.

The control panel broke free from its mount, spinning as it clattered to the floor.

Luckily, fixing this thing wouldn’t take too long.

A few stray strands of golden hair drifted through the air.

"Th-this..."

Edward touched his head. As he watched Demon Sword’s retreating figure, he felt the palpable killing intent hanging in the air.

’Drawing her sword over a single word... Who would dare marry someone with a temper like that?’

In Edward’s mind, Demon Sword’s score dropped from 9 to 8.

...

In an inner cabin of the vessel.

"My Lady."

Demon Sword’s attendant, Nailu ji, handed her a cup of thirty-year-old Harmony and Respect Tea.

This tea was brewed from aged matcha, with a touch of sake added to better release its fragrance. It was a favorite of many high-ranking members of the Black Society, but it was very rare. Yan Dao Lin had collected a great deal of it and had once gifted some to this capable subordinate of hers.

"That Edward is a boor. You needn’t lower yourself to his level. The mission should be your priority."

The attendant lifted the lid of the teacup, and a delicate fragrance wafted out.

Demon Sword’s face was an icy mask. With a sweep of her right hand—CRASH!—the porcelain cup smashed against the cabin floor, shattering to pieces.

She was twenty-three this year.

Since her youth, she had been a martial arts genius.

In the Wandering Era, women were scarce. Even though she had clawed her way through a vortex of blood to become an A-rank Awakened, very few people were left who could give her orders.

But as long as she hadn’t reached the very top, some fates were still inescapable.

Unless she became the first S-rank Awakened.

’Easier said than done!’

To this day, let alone an S-rank sea beast, she had never even truly seen a living S-rank Awakened.

She gripped her famed sword, and her proud, solitary figure trembled slightly.

’She had already made her decision. After this mission, she would request a temporary leave from the Black Society and search the world for traces of S-rank sea beasts. Wielding her Eightfold Wall Great Saber, whose Attack Power she had pushed to the absolute limit, she refused to believe that she stood no chance of defeating a so-called S-rank sea beast!’

’If she truly succeeded, bathed in blood and Awakened to an S-rank skill, then not even the First Governor of the Black Society would dare mention "Vortex Country culture" in her presence.’

...

...

...

After dripping a drop of D-rank sea beast blood onto the nautical chart, Shi Ming took a canoe out alone to the nearest black-dotted coordinate to hunt for D-rank sea beasts.

’Couldn’t be helped. His hands were itching for a fight!’

Having obtained a level 7 combat saber, he couldn’t wait to test its might.

Stone Pillar and Lin Hai were on the Silver-class vessel, so there wouldn’t be any major problems for the time being. With them watching the ship, Shi Ming could hunt alone nearby and grind for points.

After tossing in some fermented sea fish as bait, he waited patiently for a long while before finally spotting the D-rank sea beast.

It was a creature resembling a swordfish, covered in tough, sharp scales. Its body was perfectly streamlined, and it swam with incredible speed, like an arrow slicing through the water.

SPLASH,

The swordfish-like creature saw its prey and shot out of the water, its sharp fangs bared!

Shi Ming stood on his simple skiff, the King Slayer Saber in hand, his gaze locked on the soaring creature. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as power surged through his arm. With perfect timing, he unleashed a swift, merciless slash. The blade arced upward, whistling through the air as if cutting through the void itself, and streaked across the swordfish’s body with a piercing shriek.

THUMP!

It was the sickening sound of the combat saber sinking into flesh.

CRUNCH!

The swordfish’s fangs shattered. Its tough scales ripped apart. Its meter-long body was cleaved clean in two. Blood sprayed out in a torrent. Carried by inertia, the two halves of its body flew more than ten meters in opposite directions before crashing into the sea with a massive splash. What was once one had become two.

The eyes in each half were still twitching, as if the creature hadn’t yet registered its own death.

One slash, two halves.

Shi Ming felt a pang of disappointment. He wiped the splattered blood from his body with a cloth.

D-rank sea beasts could no longer satisfy him.

——————————