Endless Ocean: Survival Begins with a Dugout Canoe-Chapter 78 - 75: Poor Yan Dao Lin

Yan Dao Lin picked up his communicator.

Only a few words were on it:

"Target found."

After a delay of over an hour, the message sent by Demon Sword finally reached his communicator.

"Good!"

"Excellent!"

With hands trembling from excitement, he quickly replied, "Once retrieval is complete, return to base as soon as possible. I will prepare the grandest victory banquet for you."

At this point, he could finally relax.

’Only three days... she found it so fast! Asking Michael for help was definitely the right choice!’

’All I have to do now is wait for the good news.’

He leaned back on the sofa made of precious sea beast hide and lit the cigar in his hand.

Smoke swirled around him, a picture of contentment.

It had been a long time since he’d had such good news. He had to celebrate a little first.

"Qingzi, go get that bottle of 2076 champagne."

"Yes, General."

His secretary, Qingzi, retrieved a bottle of Krug Clos du Mesnil Blanc de Blancs from his private collection in the office and poured Yan Dao Lin a small glass.

In the Wandering Era, there was no way to produce champagne; it was a relic of the old world. Not to mention a legendary vintage like this. Every bottle drunk was one less in existence. Krug Clos du Mesnil was Yan Dao Lin’s favorite; only when he was in an exceptionally good mood would he allow himself a small glass.

He took a small sip.

Yan Dao Lin savored its floral and fruity notes.

After a short break, he prepared to go to the Chief Governor’s office for his daily report.

Normally, one shouldn’t drink in this situation, but he was simply in too good of a mood.

He straightened his tie and walked out of the office.

...

"Lord Yan Dao! Are you talking about the Map of the Endless Sea, ranked 108th on the Curiosity List?"

The Chief Governor—the great lord of the ship, the supreme leader of the Black Society—lost his usual composure. He shot up from his precious deerskin sofa and asked urgently.

"Yes, My Lord."

Yan Dao Lin said calmly,

"It is indeed the Map of the Endless Sea, ranked 108th on the Endless Ocean Curiosity List."

"That map’s value is extraordinary, but it is ours now."

Normally, he shouldn’t have been so quick to report the good news to the Governor. However, as far as he knew, his political rivals had already begun researching items on the Curiosity List. With their methods, they would probably trace things back to the ship’s treasury very soon.

If his rivals discovered this secret, he would lose the initiative. By then, even if Demon Sword brought back the map, it would not be a merit, but a crime.

A seasoned politician must have the courage to make decisive moves.

One must assess the situation, seize every second, and never be indecisive.

Besides, he had absolute confidence in Demon Sword.

"Good, very good, excellent! Lord Yan Dao, you are a hero of the Empire!"

This great lord had also read the Curiosity List and coveted the treasures on it.

And the Map of the Endless Sea, ranked 108th, was of immense strategic importance to them.

The S-class sea beast in the 928 Sea Region specialized in poison and was extremely difficult to kill. They still had no effective countermeasure for it.

If they obtained the Map of the Endless Sea, they could calmly switch targets and set their sights on an easier kill.

Not only that, but in the Endless Ocean, intelligence on sea beasts was a gold mine! With the Map of the Endless Sea, they could also establish their own intelligence network, selling the coordinates of powerful A-class and S-class sea beasts to third parties. It was pure profit with zero upfront cost.

Not to mention, there was also a Great Black Heaven Dragon!

"Lord Yan Dao, I will report your meritorious service to Renhuang! I will apply for an Imperial Medal for you!"

Hearing this, Yan Dao Lin stood up and immediately gave a standard Vortex Country military salute.

The Black Society and Renhuang were, on the surface, enemies.

But in truth, the Black Society was Renhuang’s shadow. Just like their ship’s emblem: Renhuang was the rising red sun, and the Black Society was the black sun in the shadows.

They shared the same goal.

To cultivate a true S-class Awakened for Vortex Country, slay the slumbering Great Black Heaven Dragon, and bathe in its blood, allowing Vortex Country to possess the world’s first Saint Hall Level Awakener!

The meeting concluded in a pleasant atmosphere.

Yan Dao Lin returned to his office, satisfied.

As soon as he pushed open the door, he saw his secretary, Qingzi, with a look of utter panic on her face.

"What’s wrong?"

Yan Dao Lin asked casually.

He was in an excellent mood now. Even if Qingzi had made a real mistake, he wouldn’t mind or pursue the matter.

"General..."

"Speak."

"General, Lord Demon Sword... she... she..."

"Speak!"

Yan Dao Lin sensed something was terribly wrong.

"She... she died in the line of duty..."

"What?"

"General, Lord Demon Sword, she died in the line of duty..."

Yan Dao Lin’s head swam, and he swayed on his feet. The military cap in his hand fell to the floor with a CLATTER.

The sound of the medal on the cap hitting the ground was as crisp as the clinking of champagne glasses.

...

...

...

CLINK—

The crisp sound of glasses clinking.

"Brothers!"

"From now on, this wandering ship will have a brand new name!"

"Great Fortune!"

"Let us raise our glasses to celebrate the birth of the ’Great Fortune’!"

"Cheers!"

Under the shroud of night, amidst the clinking of glasses, laughter and joyous voices filled the deck of the Great Fortune. Shi Ming didn’t drink much, just a little, to take part in the joyful atmosphere.

The joyous atmosphere lasted late into the night. Except for the crew on watch and patrol, the other crew members left the deck, either heading to their posts or starting their rest after a long day.

Shi Ming stood alone on the deck.

It was past midnight.

The number of upgrades for the Brain of Creation had reset to 3.

He took out the Sailing Crystal, 100 High-Level Sea Crystal Stones, and one kilogram of blue blood extracted from the severed arm of an Eight-armed Hunter.

It was time to upgrade the "Great Fortune."

’Time to let the others taste what it’s like to run into a stroke of great fortune!’

[Silver-level Wandering Ship, ID 23333]

[Level: 5]

[This is a top-tier Silver-level Wandering Ship! It could perhaps be called the strongest Silver-level ship! Its external materials, defensive capabilities, stability, and overall hull quality are not inferior to an ordinary Gold-level Wandering Ship.]

[Promotion Requirements: High-Level Sea Crystal Stone x100, Sailing Crystal x1, B-Class Sea Beast Blood x1000g]

[Required materials for promotion detected. Promote immediately?]

Yes!

WHOOSH!

All the materials before Shi Ming’s eyes were affected by his Spiritual Power—or rather, his Brain of Creation. They instantly transformed from a solid state to a gaseous one. Dense energy swirled above the control console, then rapidly spread throughout the entire Silver-level ship, fusing with the hull and bringing about a wondrous change.

Shi Ming also felt his Spiritual Power draining away at a rapid rate.

But thankfully, it was still within a controllable range.

This continued for about thirty-five minutes.

Finally, a new notification appeared before Shi Ming’s eyes.

Promotion successful!

[Gold-level Wandering Ship, ID 23333]

[Level: 1]

[This is a miracle! After thirty years, another Gold-level Wandering Ship has been added to the world! Experience its changes for yourself~ The description is too long; it simply cannot be expressed in words.]

[Upgrade Requirements: High-Level Sea Crystal Stone x200, Iron Ore x200, A-Class Sea Beast Blood x2000g]

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PS: There will be a third Chapter before midnight.