Sea Cultivation: Giant Ships and Heavy Artillery Knock on the Door to All Races

Chapter 283 The Great Development of the Silent Sea, the White Whale's Disaster

Time flies, and three years have passed again.

The ten-year-long large-scale development of the outer seas came to an end. At this time, the area under the actual control of the Thousand Star Human Race in the outer seas exceeded 20% of that before the Millennium Beast Tide, and even approached 30%.

Although the increase may not seem like much, these newly added areas are all undeveloped and rich in resources, especially in terms of huge reserves of mineral deposits.

Because ordinary small and medium-sized demon races do not pay attention to this aspect, and they do not even have the awareness or corresponding ability to mine and utilize mineral resources. Only some fourth-order demon courts will attempt to mine.

The reason for staying here is the result of the struggle between the pioneering forces and the demon race. The further we go, the stronger their resistance becomes, and the closer we get to the fourth-tier race. It's best to stop here.

It wasn't just the City of a Thousand Stars; other immortal cities on the defense lines were also launching counterattacks to varying degrees, taking the opportunity to invade the territory of the demon race. Although this area was only a drop in the ocean compared to the total area of ​​the Storm Ocean, their wealth was actually accumulated little by little in this way.

The successful development of the outer sea provided a huge living space and job demand, and the population of the inner sea continued to migrate out and be diluted. The security environment of the inner sea also gradually improved and became more stable, but the problem of overcapacity came with it.

Previously, it was because of wars. Whether it was the ten years of the beast tide or the ten years of the outer sea expansion, wars required the consumption of huge amounts of resources, and there was a continuous flow of huge amounts of cheap basic materials to be transported back, which led to almost all the Golden Core forces in the inner sea getting involved in manufacturing.

Regardless of their size or their previous main business, they can all get orders from the City of a Thousand Stars, produce the corresponding goods, and make money. Although the profit margins vary, they all make money.

But now the situation has suddenly changed.
Once the war in the open seas ceases, the consumption of war materials will decrease sharply, the demand will be greatly reduced, and the gradually stabilizing forces in the open seas will also change from consumers to producers. They will no longer sell off the cheap basic materials they control, but will keep them for their own use.

At that time, all industries owned by Golden Core forces within the jurisdiction of Thousand Star City will enter a stage of fierce competition and gradual elimination. Many industries that used to be profitable will become unprofitable or even lose money and cannot compete with others, and will eventually shut down.

Some small and medium-sized Golden Core forces that seemed to be developing rapidly in recent years will inevitably slow down again, and may even have very little surplus each year. In fact, this is the normal state of development.

With the completion of the large-scale development of the outer sea, the City of a Thousand Stars has released its next "Ten-Year Plan," this time targeting the Silent Sea, finally ready to make its move on the Silent Sea that was deliberately left untouched before.

The Silent Sea is vast, but significantly less barren compared to other fourth-tier regions. Furthermore, it was intentionally cleared by humans throughout history, so theoretically, it shouldn't offer much profit.
But the millennium tide will bring boundless spiritual energy. Since those demon kings who fled to the Silent Sea are still thriving, the Silent Sea must be much richer now than before the tide. Now that we have the time, we should deal with them and uproot them completely!

Unlike the nationwide exploration boom during the development of the open sea, the development of the Silent Sea was subject to many restrictions and was a celebration for a select few.

This time, the Nascent Soul cultivators from Thousand Star City took the lead, and then recruited a small number of Golden Core cultivators who were on good terms with them from the four regions of the Inner Sea to share some of the secondary tasks.
Because Lin Qianfan and Lin Qianxue became nominal disciples of two Nascent Soul forces, the Lin family also received a small share of the benefits, and was able to send two second-tier transport fleets to help with transportation.

Ichthyosaur Islands

"Now we've entered the knockout stage!"

Each Golden Core sect has a different survival model. With the end of the large-scale development of the outer seas, the Lin family's business will definitely be affected to some extent. However, fortunately, the Lin family has completed its entire industrial transformation and upgrading in recent years, forming a very complete industrial chain.
With the help of the Purple Jade Islands as a talent reserve base, the Fish and Dragon Islands are now filled with carefully selected individuals who are loyal to the Lin family, possess certain skills, and can accurately define their own roles.

Previously, the Fish-Dragon Islands operated on a relatively traditional fishing and hunting model, mainly consisting of small workshops. Foundation Establishment factions formed their own independent groups. This was also the standard template for most ordinary Tier 3 territories, where Golden Core lords and their territories were relatively isolated, relying mainly on taxes and exploitation for survival.

The current Fish-Dragon Islands are part of a grand scheme. Each Foundation Establishment faction and the Qi Refining group it controls are fundamental links in the islands' industrial chain. Each link undertakes only a small, relatively narrow but precise and efficient task.

Therefore, the entire Ivory Coast can be viewed as a large factory that can be adjusted according to various specific needs to produce goods with the lowest cost, making it very competitive.

In the upcoming era of competitive elimination, the Fish and Dragon Islands only need to appropriately reduce their profit margins. It is no exaggeration to say that by reducing net profit by about 40%, they can surpass more than 90% of the Golden Core forces in the four inner sea regions and have no fear of any competition.

Those forces that cannot effectively reduce costs will inevitably be forced to transform. A very small number of them may develop into the current model of the Fish and Dragon Islands, but most will inevitably withdraw from the competition and return to the most primitive but also most relaxed state.

Therefore, we can conclude that war and expansion are the best ways to resolve various internal conflicts and the simplest ways to achieve prosperity, but the premise of all this is that we must always win battles and never lose.

Below the city of Fish and Dragon Immortal,

The Tianji ship, which was returning to port, was handing over the reins to Lin Qianxue. As the security situation in the four regions of the inner sea continued to improve, and Lin Qianxue had successfully advanced to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, she also needed appropriate training.

Unlike Lin Qianfan, whose three spiritual roots make him fearless, Lin Qianxue, as the top person of her generation in the Fish-Dragon Islands and a core seed, faces risks when venturing out. Therefore, she can only operate within the Western Regions and cannot replicate Lin Qianfan's path of circulating through the four regions of the Inner Sea.

The Lin family's reputation is still quite strong in the Western Regions, and every stop along the way is a place with a good relationship with the Lin family, ensuring that there will be no additional dangers or trouble. In fact, these forces along the way will even help keep an eye on things.

Staying in a greenhouse for too long has many limitations. Core seeds also need to go out and see the world to broaden their horizons and open their minds, which is helpful for a person's growth.

"This is my experience, you can refer to it."

Lin Qianfan handed over a jade slip containing his refined notes from a six-month advance trade trip through the Western Regions. It was of some guiding value and could help him avoid setbacks.

"Thank you! You're so kind."

Lin Qianxue gladly accepted it.

Over the years, the two have grown much closer, clearly having accepted the family's previous arrangements, and their relationship can be considered more than just friends.

Back in Yanglong Bay,
Lin Qianfan enjoyed a short vacation, waiting for the White Whale to return. He planned to board the ship with the Third Elder to replace the two fake Dan Elders, Lin Naiying and Lin Dashan, who were on board the White Whale.

There are many reasons why we are preparing to take over the White Whale at this point. On the one hand, the old man is getting old and has been traveling around for half his life. It is time for him to come back and rest. On the other hand, we want Elder Lin Dashan to be Lin Qianxue's protector and accompany her on the Tianji Wheel.

On the other hand, with the change of policies in the City of a Thousand Stars, the Lin family needs to pay more attention to cross-border trade. It is very important to sell the excess production capacity of the Fish and Dragon Islands to the City of Spring to realize its value. It is important for Lin Qianfan to take over as soon as possible for both the family and Lin Qianfan himself.

Through years of dedicated cultivation, witnessing the development models of various Golden Core forces, and interacting with the outstanding talents of different lineages, Lin Qianfan gradually developed a sense of ownership over the Lin family and began to view things from the perspective of the Lin family's leader.
Yanglong Bay is very vibrant today. Although it hasn't expanded into a new immortal city, it already has the beginnings of an immortal city's appearance.
As the Lin family's main population increased, marriages brought in more naturalized cultivators, and a large number of outstanding young men from smaller families were recruited to help, the population density of Yanglong Bay skyrocketed. The West Bank Market, which was originally mainly used for internal communication within Yanglong Bay, has now developed into a large-scale distribution center for goods.

The West Bank Market has been continuously expanding, and some even proposed to demolish the market and build a small immortal city to improve the defense level of Yanglong Bay. However, this proposal was ultimately rejected. "The Lin family should focus on keeping a low profile for now. Expanding the immortal city would be too high-profile, wasteful of resources, and inappropriate."

Not only did the market expand, but other traditional industries in Yanglong Bay also saw growth. For example, the most basic industries such as the herbal medicine garden, the plant garden, the fruit garden, and aquaculture were not abandoned as the Lin family developed. On the contrary, they all expanded their production.

While these basic production industries could be entirely delegated to other forces under its jurisdiction, with the Lin family simply purchasing them at low prices, it seems entirely possible for members of the Lin family to hold management positions.

However, the Lin family did not do that; they still spent considerable manpower and resources to maintain these basic industries.

Even though the Lin family members were treated too well, and these basic industries were so common that there was practically no profit to be made, they still didn't give up.

The Lin family stipulates that the output of these basic industries must always be sufficient to meet the Lin family's own consumption needs. This is a strict red line that cannot be crossed, in order to prevent the Lin family's industries from becoming hollowed out.

A few days later,
Fish Dragon Immortal City received a remote message from the City of Morning Spring. The sender was not the White Whale, but a local Golden Core faction.

"The Moby-Dick has been seized? What happened?"

"The Bi Ting Zhou family of Chaochun City has seized the White Whale, restricting the movement of all crew members and their communication with the outside world. They have asked us to send someone to negotiate, but the specifics are unclear. They say that the Lin family is suspected of colluding with demonic cultivators."

The Bi Ting Zhou family is a medium-sized Golden Core power, similar in size to the Lin family. It is one of the important docking points for the Lin family to ship goods in Chaochun City. The other party makes a lot of money through the White Whale every year, so they should not have any friction with the Lin family. Why would they seize the spirit ship?
"Nonsense! How could a member of the Lin family possibly be connected to demons?"

"We are too far away to convey the specific details."

"Send the Zhentao warship on this mission, and bring back the entire Lin family intact! Not a single one can be missing!"

"Yes!"

Lin Qianfan, who was waiting at home for the White Whale to return, was soon notified and asked if he would like to go to Chaochun City with the Zhentao ship. Lin Qianfan immediately agreed to go.

The next day,

The Zhentao warship departs for the city of Biding, near the Zhou family.

"Third Master, what exactly happened?"

"It's not clear yet, we'll know when we get there. I suspect it involves some huge interests outside of business."

The two pseudo-core cultivators in charge of the White Whale are both seasoned veterans. They are unlikely to make mistakes in handling business, interpersonal relationships, and managing subordinates. The Lin family certainly trusts their own people.

"What's the situation with the Zhou family?"

"Similar to the location of the port on Spirit Trace Island, the Zhou family of Biting is on the other side of the Silent Sea. They mainly deal with businesses from Thousand Star City. Our Lin family only has one cross-border merchant ship, so we usually unload our goods directly at the Zhou family's place and sell them to them. This is the most convenient way, and we can make four round trips a year..."

The White Whale originally had two regular missions that it had taken over from the Cloud Garment Alliance. These two missions were transport missions to help Thousand Star City. Although the profits were not particularly high, they were stable and guaranteed to bring in income regardless of circumstances, so there was never any consideration of giving them up.
The other two trips were for the Lin family's own business. Various products from the Fish-Dragon Islands, including those from the Zhang family on Cloud Capital Island, as well as products from several neighboring areas without cross-border capabilities, would be transported to Chaochun City for sale via the White Whale.

This business was previously considered average and not a mainstay, but as the four regions of the Inner Sea enter the competition elimination round, its importance will continue to increase. After all, many Golden Core forces cannot engage in cross-border trade and can only sell at low prices.

Unexpectedly, the last trip before the handover of the Beluga Whale was marred by an accident.

"Does it involve interests outside of business?"

Lin Qianfan wondered what kind of non-business benefits could make the other party unilaterally shake up this long-term and stable cooperative relationship.

"I hope they didn't harm my Lin family, otherwise this matter will be difficult to resolve."

This is the first serious diplomatic incident for the Lin family in recent years. The Lin family does not intend to compromise easily. Although the specific situation is not yet clear, the personnel for this trip are quite sufficient.

This time, the Third Grandmaster Lin Dayan will pilot the Zhentao Ship to negotiate, but the accompanying demon king will not be the Blood Hunter Demon King at the early stage of the third rank, but the Carp Dragon Demon King at the middle stage of the third rank, to avoid being bullied by the other party due to the difference in cultivation levels.

Toot~
The fully armed Zhentao warship sailed into the quiet sea.
The Vast Ocean Spirit Guide immediately illuminated part of the sea map, but only a very limited portion of the eastern part of the Silent Sea was illuminated, falling short of expectations.

"So it really can't light up the entire territory?"

This was Lin Qianfan's first time officially entering the Silent Sea region. He had considered whether the Silent Sea as a whole could light up the entire sea map at once, but it was obviously not possible, as its area was too large.

Compared to the four inner seas, the Silent Sea has almost no spirit islands or land; it is mostly sea, primarily deep sea.

Because the number of spiritual veins here is much smaller, and they are all located on the seabed with their own ecosystems, the spiritual energy concentration in the Silent Sea is significantly lower overall.
As for how this happened,
Although there is no concrete evidence, Lin Qianfan reasonably suspects that this is related to the sorting out of spiritual veins when the various fourth-tier immortal cities were established.

Some of the original third and fourth-tier spiritual veins in the Silent Sea were forcibly relocated to the jurisdiction of nearby fourth-tier immortal cities; otherwise, the third-tier spiritual veins in the four regions of the inner sea would not be so dense and evenly distributed.

As the Zhentao warship sailed along the main route to Chaochun City, the Hanhai Lingyin continuously expanded the nautical chart, marking various spiritual veins and mineral deposits near the route.

This route serves as a safe passage, as there are no third-tier spiritual veins or third-tier mineral deposits nearby. Therefore, there are virtually no demon kings lingering in the vicinity. If any demon king dares to stay, they will soon be driven away or killed by the Golden Core cultivators who are dedicated to maintaining the route.

"Perhaps in a few years, there will be no more demon kings in this Silent Sea."

(End of this chapter)