Endless Ocean: Survival Begins with a Dugout Canoe-Chapter 95 - 92: Wondrous Item, Treasure Compass
Shi Ming leaned back on the bed, leisurely sipping a glass of red wine as he watched the sunset outside his window.
After resting for two hours, he had completely recovered the Spiritual Power he had spent upgrading to a Marshal-level Wandering Ship. He was now brimming with energy, feeling like he could take on a Sea Beast and fight for three hundred rounds.
His ship, the Da Yun, was also on its way to the next waypoint.
BEEP.
Shi Ming’s interest was piqued as he picked up the second communicator hanging from his waist. It was the one from the captain of the Huangshi.
This communicator was a crucial channel for Lighthouse to contact its subordinates, with new messages appearing daily.
[Lighthouse: Have you formulated a plan yet? Jinshan, Michael!]
Lighthouse’s First Governor was struggling to contain his fury.
’If I don’t ask, do these people not know they’re supposed to report?’
’Every matter requires a response, and every task must be seen through to completion. Don’t they understand that?’
At his summons, Sea Beast research scholars and experts from Lighthouse’s various Wandering Ships had all returned over the past few days. Even other King-level Wandering Ships, such as the Da Yu, had dispatched their top experts to witness the magnificence of the Holy Hall-level Sea Beast Relics.
But the Relics weren’t composed of actual flesh and blood, so there was ultimately a limit to what could be studied.
If Edward were here, there would be a high probability of recreating this Holy Hall-level Sea Beast’s skills. The potential for a research breakthrough would be immense.
The first-ever demonstration of a Holy Hall-level Sea Beast’s skill would be nothing short of a milestone.
And yet, such a powerful Awakened had perished during a routine mission.
How absurd!
After waiting for over ten minutes, he finally received a response.
[Jinshan: Reporting, sir. The bounty has been posted, but we haven’t received any valid leads.]
[Michael: Sir, we are fully coordinating with Jinshan, using all available resources to hunt for Silver-level Wandering Ship number 23333.]
[Lighthouse: Useless fools!]
[Lighthouse: The bounty is just a backup plan! You’re all veteran captains, don’t you have a Plan B? Immediately use your Contribution Points to redeem one use of the wondrous item, the ’Treasure Compass’! Use the genetic sample we have of Edward to locate his remains!]
A chill went down Shi Ming’s spine as he read the group chat. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
’A Treasure Compass?’
’They can do that?’
’It’s impossible to guard against every trick in the book!’
The only reason Shi Ming had kept the bodies of Demon Sword and Edward was because their blood could activate the Map of the Endless Sea, revealing the locations of A-rank Sea Beasts. Now, he had to dispose of them as soon as possible!
It was all thanks to the Huangshi captain’s communicator that he could take preventive measures.
Shi Ming had never read the *List of Wondrous Items of the Endless Sea Region*.
However, thanks to the information provided by his Eye of Intelligence, he had a basic understanding of the list.
Any treasure that made it onto that list possessed abilities on par with his own Map of the Endless Sea.
’I have to be on my guard!’
’Wait, if I put them in the system inventory, could it block the detection of this so-called ’Treasure Compass’?’
Shi Ming frowned, pondering for a moment.
’It’s not worth the risk for such a small gain. The cost-benefit ratio is too low. I should just keep a vial of Demon Sword’s blood to act as the key for the map and get rid of everything else connected to Demon Sword and Edward as quickly as possible. That way, I can avoid being tracked by some Treasure Compass or other miscellaneous abilities.’
’Then again, this world doesn’t have skills or treasures that manipulate causality, does it?’
’If it does, well, I’ll just have to accept my fate!’
He made up his mind.
He first set aside a vial of Demon Sword’s blood, placing it in his system inventory to use as a trigger.
As for the rest, he would return it all to the sea!
...
「Aboard the Marshal-level Wandering Ship, the Jinshan.」
Captain Robert stared helplessly at the First Governor’s Imperial Decree, feeling extremely reluctant.
For captains like him, Contribution Points were a vital form of wealth and the currency used to exchange for precious resources from Lighthouse. Every point had to be spent wisely, yet now he was being forced to redeem them for a single use of the Treasure Compass.
How infuriating!
But there was nothing he could do. He knew full well this was a punishment.
The Lighthouse Governors could use the Treasure Compass at no cost, yet they were ordering the two of them to spend their points to use it.
Wasn’t this just a rap on the knuckles?
Besides, if they managed to find the body, that would be a good outcome, and the matter would finally be resolved.
But what if they couldn’t?
What if it had been torn to pieces and digested by the fish?
When would this whole affair finally be over?
...
After disposing of the bodies of Demon Sword and Edward, Shi Ming returned to the captain’s cabin.
Next, he planned to examine the Ocean Hunter terminal. He wanted to see if there were any missions he could take on while hunting Sea Beasts, allowing him to both absorb the creatures’ power for his stats and avoid wasting their remains.
He picked up the color-screen Hunter terminal and opened the main page.
He filtered by A-rank missions.
A list of missions appeared one by one.
[1. Bounty: A-rank Sea Beast Blood. Reward to be negotiated.]
The mission had been posted for 265 days with no takers, yet its high priority kept it pushed to the top of the list.
Heh.
Not only were A-rank Sea Beasts rare and hard to find,
killing one was also a major problem. The Huangshi had teamed up with another ship, two against one, and despite their advanced equipment, both had ended up being destroyed.
Getting your hands on A-rank Sea Beast blood required money, strength, and connections. You couldn’t be missing a single one.
Shi Ming ignored the mission.
Even if he could kill an A-rank Sea Beast, he would keep its blood for himself.
The Black Tortoise Shield could devour A-rank skills, and the benefit he’d gain from a powerful skill was certainly much greater than anything he could get from a trade.
[For Sale: Gailande Salt Flower. For those in the know. Fixed price: 100 Qiongjing!]
[For Sale: Shell Pearl. Fixed price: 20 Qiongjing.]
[Bounty: Ancient Fossil. Reward negotiable.]
As he kept scrolling, he saw the request he had seen on the Twelve Stars.
[Bounty: Dragon Fish Golden Scale, 30 Qiongjing.]
The screen was in color, and it also displayed images and photos. Attached to this bounty was a picture of a scale, and it was the exact same golden scale Shi Ming had found in a safe on the Huangshi.
’Heh, so that scale is actually worth that much money!’
He had no intention of trading it.
Until he understood the specific use of the Dragon Fish Golden Scale, he wouldn’t trade it away for a mere 30 Qiongjing.
Not unless he determined that the item was useless to him, or that its true value was less than 30 Qiongjing.
After browsing for a long time, Shi Ming accepted a mission with a bounty for B-rank Sea Beast Blood.
The reward for the mission was 30 Qiongjing.
He decided that the next time he killed a B-rank Sea Beast, he would exercise some restraint and try to leave behind some blood that hadn’t been completely drained of its energy. To him, 30 Qiongjing was a considerable fortune.
...
Just as Shi Ming was about to turn off the terminal,
the screen flashed.
An ornate treasure chest, the latest to appear, flashed into existence in the center of the screen, shimmering with a dazzling golden light.
Then, a new mission appeared with a flourish of special effects.
’What the hell? Did someone pay for VIP?’
