northernbook Chapter 311 - 304: The Minds of the Major Wandering Ship Factions
Chapter 311 - 304: The Minds of the Major Wandering Ship Factions
European Sea Region, the Twelve Stars.
Secretary-General Abraham stared at the latest intelligence report in his hands, muttering to himself.
When he first received the report that Shi Ming was publicly selling the flesh of an unknown Holy Hall-level Sea Beast—the Abyss Lord—he, like Trellin from the Lighthouse, was filled with doubt. He only came to believe it after seeing that the *Da Yu* was providing a guarantee and assistance.
’So the Africa Sea Area actually has a supposedly active Holy Hall-level Sea Beast?’
’The Abyss Lord?’
’The intense fluctuations from the depths of the Sea of Boiling two months ago must have been caused by this creature called the Abyss Lord. Speaking of which, Black Gold is really unlucky! They’d just made some headway in suppressing the Nameless Cocoon and barely had a moment to breathe, and now they have to divert their energy to guarding against the Abyss Lord.’
He shook his head.
Compared to Black Gold, the Twelve Stars seemed much luckier.
Not only were there no traces of powerful Holy Hall-level creatures in the European Sea Region, but Shi Ming had also eliminated the two original S-level sea beasts: the Deep Sea Titan and the Dusk Whale. The remaining A-level or B-level sea beasts could be forcefully suppressed with their more agile General-level Wandering Ships. This had greatly reduced the pressure on the Twelve Stars.
Moreover, they had preemptively befriended a highly mobile and powerful Awakened like Shi Ming, making him an Honorary Knight.
No one in the ship’s high command failed to admire Abraham’s foresight.
Even the prices and rent for properties surrounding the onboard apartment originally assigned to Shi Ming had skyrocketed. It was a classic case of a rising tide lifting all boats, even though Shi Ming had never once set foot in the place.
"He... is indeed quite remarkable."
Abraham’s Wooden Guard, the Awakened who possessed the Pupil of Evil, had offered a rare response to the Secretary-General.
"Hahaha, the Abyss Lord... 20 grams of flesh for 2,000 Pure Dome Crystals. That’s truly expensive! By that calculation, we got way too good a deal on the 1,000 grams of the Great Black Heaven Dragon’s remnant flesh we commissioned him for last time. These past few days, the *Fontainebleau* and the *Great Bullfighter* have been on missions. Only the *Constantinople* and the *Tudor Rose* are on standby... Quert seems to have a conflict with Shi Ming. For this trade fair, you and Elizabeth should go together."
The guard nodded and then vanished.
Abraham put down the intelligence report.
’Shi Ming, how many more surprises do you have that we don’t know about?’
As the intelligence spread, Black Gold, far away in Africa, began to panic.
Abyss Lord?
They had never heard of it!
The moment they received the intelligence, they contacted Shi Ming through their Second-in-Command, Xivier. They received a hint from him: deep within the Sea of Boiling, there wasn’t just the Golden Sun, the Three-Eyed Golden Crow—there was also a far more terrifying Holy Hall-level Sea Beast, the Abyss Lord, lurking there! And this Holy Hall-level beast had even attacked Shi Ming in the Sea of Yellow Sand!
This meant its attack range could cover all of Africa!
The elation from their initial success in suppressing the Nameless Cocoon instantly turned to ice.
Such a terrifying creature was a bomb right next to their bed, and they had no idea when it might go off!
Black Gold had to take precautions.
"Buy a sample and develop countermeasures."
Commander Xivier made the decision.
...
...
...
Information traveled very slowly across the Endless Ocean.
Far slower than during the Land Era.
However, all factions with Gold-level Wandering Ships or higher had their own intelligence channels.
At the very least, they would subscribe to the e-newspapers of the king ships in relevant sea regions.
For instance, Captain Reinhardt of the *Chuiyan*, which Shi Ming had previously sunk, had his secretary read him the news daily. The *Ganges River*, on the other hand, made a living by selling intelligence. In less than a day, the news of Shi Ming selling the "body of a Holy Hall-level Sea Beast" had spread via publications and intelligence ships to every General-level and Gold-level Wandering Ship on the Endless Ocean.
People were initially skeptical about the authenticity of the Holy Hall Flesh.
But when they saw that the King-level Wandering Ship, the *Da Yu*, was guaranteeing this trade fair, it became clear that the flesh was indeed Holy Hall-level!
Three types of S-level flesh and one type of Holy Hall-level flesh!
Unprecedented!
Most people would never see an S-level sea beast in their entire lives. If they did, it would likely mean their life was about to end.
Let alone a Holy Hall-level Sea Beast.
They had never even heard of such a thing!
The various General-level Wandering Ship factions all had their own thoughts.
Wright of the *Fontainebleau* rested his forehead in his hand, his intentions unknown.
Quert of the *Constantinople* snorted when he saw the news. "Hmph! Just a lucky brat!" he fumed, utterly unconvinced. The dozens of fiery scars on his body glowed, molten lava clearly visible within them. Rather than looking horrifying, they projected a violent beauty, a testament to a power so great it could tear reality apart. He still held a bitter grudge over his last defeat and being used.
Beneath the Pyramid’s dome, Ptolemy of the *Pharaoh* cursed, his grip so tight it nearly crushed the scepter in his hand.
Meanwhile, Mel of the *Golden Bodhi* was relaxing comfortably in a pool in the ship’s open-air garden. She had already cured her energy disorder using a treasure she’d acquired from Black Gold. A suggestive photo of Shi Ming, captured from a surveillance feed, had been framed and hung in a prominent place. ’I really regret not seizing that rare opportunity to... solidify our relationship a bit!’
Renhuang of the *Renhuang* cursed furiously, but it was nothing more than impotent rage. He had no way of dealing with an Awakened like Shi Ming, who was not only immensely powerful but also utterly lacked Wude.
The *Shiva* faction believed that with their strength as the "top ship below the King-level," they were also qualified to research the Holy Hall-level flesh. The only problem was their budget; they had too few Pure Dome Crystals. ’How can a massive General-level Wandering Ship like ours not even scrape together 1,000 Pure Dome Crystals after just buying a new vessel? It’s all that damned Great Maelstrom’s fault!’
General Jin Riyi, captain of the *Asahi*, was stunned for a moment. He realized he had completely misjudged Shi Ming back then.
Empress Catherine, who had lost the *Moon Shadow*, had her beautiful, ice-crystal eyes filled with hatred. She schemed, wondering if she could find a chance to sabotage the trade fair and avenge her destroyed ship. However, she was warned by the captain of *The Divine Comedy* not to act rashly, or they would no longer offer her sanctuary.
...
The Holy Hall-level Flesh and Blood was like a stone tossed into a calm lake, sending out new ripples. It also made Shi Ming—the Awakened who had slain at least three S-level sea beasts and possessed Holy Hall-level flesh—known to even more people.
The various ships at sea all had their own reactions.
Some were shocked, some envious, some relieved, and some furious...
Unfortunately, Shi Ming couldn’t appreciate their various feelings, thus missing out on a great deal of amusement. He used the downtime to study the Civilization Secret Scriptures: the *Hundred-Floor Celestial Tower* and the *Poem of Soul-Burning*. Time was precious, and not a single moment could be wasted.
It was just a trade fair, after all.
The items for sale were barely one percent of his collection; it wasn’t worth too much of his energy.
He could just leave it to his subordinates to coordinate with the professionals on the *Da Yu*.
He just needed to collect the money.
That was all.