Endless Ocean: Escape Starting from a Canoe

Chapter 240: The Ranking of the "Black Tortoise Shield" Revealed!
The King-class drifting ship, Yu the Great.

27th floor medical area, intensive care observation room.

"Teacher, the Wangchuan administrative center has issued new instructions."

Another student from Chongwen arrived at the monitoring room.

"Oh? What did they say?"

Chongwen, who was in the monitoring room, was very worried as he looked at the data of his students whose health was deteriorating. He had devoted his life to research, especially in the early days of the era of wandering. After his brother passed away, these three students were his family. How could he not worry now?
The negative effects of the nine-layered pattern were becoming increasingly severe, and even eating a branch or leaf of "Snow-capped Green" couldn't suppress them.

"The original words were: to use this meeting to show goodwill and win over this awakened one named Minglong."

Chongwen was not surprised by this.

The Black Society has been running rampant in the Indian Ocean for a long time. They are supporters of extreme socialism and militarism. Da Yu has long wanted to teach them a lesson, but due to the duty of the King-class drifting ship to protect the seas and the Endless Oceans Convention, he has never taken any official action.

Now, this young man dares to confront the gang head-on, sinking it and even giving the Michael a warning. In the hearts of ordinary people in Dayu, he is already a hero.

A lone wolf, especially an S-class lone wolf, possesses the terrifying ability to destroy a general-class drifting ship. Any faction would show the utmost goodwill towards such a person.

"I understand, that's what I thought too."

While Chongwen was pondering, he received another message from Shen Tu Kou.

[Doctor, Minglong has arrived at the Sea of ​​Soaring Dragons. It will reach the coordinates where Dayu is located around 3 PM.]

He put away his communicator.

"Call Li Jiuyuan."

Li Jiuyuan is an S-level Awakener of Yu the Great and his eldest disciple. He possesses the skill "Idealism," which means that whatever he truly believes in will inevitably manifest.

"Okay! Teacher, the brigade leader recently returned to Dayu, saying he is very interested in this young man and wants to meet him."

The captain, Rong Bing, preferred the old title "Sword-wielding Captain of the Tenglong Sea" to the title of captain.

"What's he doing here? Has Kunwu finished his mission?"

"It's just a meeting. Making too much of a fuss might scare people away and cause trouble in their lives."

"Reject him."

Before the words were finished, an Awakened One dressed in nautical attire walked into the observation room.

This is a man with a scar on his forehead.

His eyes were exceptionally resolute, and he exuded a powerful aura. He was probably around thirty-four or thirty-five years old. If you only looked at his first impression, anyone would think that he was a very reliable and outstanding warrior with explosive combat skills, and that was indeed the case.

However, this is only applicable during the mission period.

Said Cao Cao, Cao Cao.

Battalion Commander, soldier.

The seemingly composed Awakened One smiled.

“Dr. Chongwen, don’t refuse so quickly… This is also my mission, and you can’t refuse my request to carry out the mission.”

“…Change into casual clothes.” Chongwen had no intention of arguing with him.

"it is good!"

……

……

……

The agreed meeting place was not with Yu the Great, but on an ordinary silver-class drifting ship, thirty nautical miles away from Yu the Great.

Arranging the first meeting with the Lone Awakener on a King-class drifting ship is highly inappropriate and impolite, giving the impression of bullying. Now that Chongwen needs Shiming's help, he naturally wouldn't make such an arrangement.

The best option is reciprocity.

Neither humble nor domineering.

Chongwen stood at the bow of the ship, with Shen Tu Kou and the S-level Awakener "Li Jiuyuan" standing beside him as his linker and second-in-command; Captain Rong Bing stood at the very end, as the most inconspicuous follower, waiting for Shi Ming to appear.

This silver ship, over eighty meters long, is truly a hidden gem.

at last,

They saw a similarly long, nearly 100-meter-long drifting boat sailing from afar, with a young man in his early twenties standing at the bow, waving to them from a distance.

……

The ships are still some distance away from meeting.

Shi Ming blinked.

The Eye of the Mortal World sent a timely reminder.

The most outstanding awakened beings naturally deserve the most special treatment.

On this unassuming Silver-class drifting ship, the Eye of the World detected two S-rank Awakened. Look at their rankings… tsk tsk, no wonder they're a force with five thousand years of history; they're far stronger than the scattered twelve-star forces.

[S-Rank Skill: Idealism]

[Ranking: 27]

[From the sea monster "Mind Dragon," whose essence is "I think, therefore I am," an abstract sea monster born from philosophy. Those who awaken to this skill will find their deepest beliefs becoming reality. In a materialistic world, this might seem like a charlatan's charade, but compared to the "Lamp of Wishes," it's within the realm of reason.]

[The Eye of the World reminds you: Remember to give him an impression of being "absolutely reliable"!]

How can I give him the impression that I am absolutely reliable?

As long as the awakened person believes from the bottom of their heart that they are "absolutely reliable", then their success rate in certain things will reach 100%.

This buff is indeed abstract, but it's also powerful.

Ultimately, however, an unreliable person cannot give others the impression of being reliable.

The words in front of me are still dancing.

[S-Rank Skill: Royal Domination]

[Ranking: 18]

[From the sea monster "Kingly Overlord," this skill consumes 20% of stamina to activate. Upon activation, the user is enveloped in an aura of dominance, displaying an unstoppable and supremely powerful aura for 3 seconds. All personal attributes are increased by 300%, and the user is directly immune to all damage, including those from the Holy Temple level!]

【all!】

This looks a lot like the Black Tortoise Shield!

However, it lacks the passive damage reflection effect of the Black Tortoise Shield, but gains a more aggressive and domineering presence! After all, their rankings are close together, almost equal!

[The Eye of the Mortal Realm reminds you that this awakened one, who wields "royal power and hegemony," possesses another trump card: the 26th ranked artifact, the Heaven-Opening Giant Axe! This axe now has a new name, "Kunwu Heaven-Opening," and is renowned throughout the Tenglong Sea; you should have heard of it.]

He had certainly heard of Kunwu opening the heavens.

The treasures of the Kunwu.

But compared to Wang Quan Ba ​​Ye and Kun Wu Kai Tian, ​​which ranked 18th, Shi Ming was more shocked by the ranking of Xuanwu Shield.

It is on par with royal power and hegemony!
What ranking is "between equals"?
Wang Quan Ba ​​Ye is ranked 18th, and it is right next to it. The only close rankings are 19th and 17th. Shi Ming already knows the skill ranked 19th, which is the "Infinite Mother" that is still in his warehouse!
Based on this, the ranking of "Black Tortoise Shield" is already obvious!

It's ranked 17th on the S-rank skill ranking! Is that high?

He initially obtained two skills from Xuanwu: [Xuanwu Shield] and [Death Situation]. Later, he learned from the Yellowstone's intelligence that Death Situation was ranked 99th, but the ranking of Xuanwu Shield remained unknown, and was never mentioned by the Eye of Intelligence or the Eye of the Mortal World.

Its effect is extremely simple.

Absolutely 100% defense, absolutely 50% damage reflection.

It lacks the flashy flair of Titan's Descent, but its strength lies in its stability. It has always been a powerful support for Shi Ming. With it, Shi Ming's confidence has increased significantly. Even under the attack of the Abyss Lord, he can escape unscathed. After a combined attack, he can even take a piece of the Abyss Lord's wool.

But Shi Ming never imagined that its ranking could be so high!
Speaking of which, the 17th, 18th, and 19th skills achieved a triple combo in this accidental scene, which is quite a story.

Unfortunately, the Infinite Mother has lost its master.

……

The two ships drew closer and closer. Da Yun maintained precise control of its speed, stopping completely within thirty meters of the other ship—a polite distance. Then, Shen Tu Kou waved to Shi Minghui in greeting.

"Brother Minglong!"

"Brother Shentu!"

On the sea of ​​soaring dragons, elders and accomplished men are considered elder brothers.

Calling each other "brother" is a polite way of putting it.

……

Shi Ming, carrying Shi Dun, boarded the silver ship.

After exchanging pleasantries, the six men got to know each other briefly, thanks to Shen Tu Kou's introduction.

The moment Dr. Chongwen saw Shi Ming, he noticed the nine-layered pattern on his neck. Because he was wearing a long-sleeved captain's uniform, the red pattern on Shi Ming's right arm was not visible to others. The nine-layered pattern that appeared after eating the roots of Hai Sheng Ying was more noticeable.

But it's also less dramatic than when the gang was destroyed.

In a few more days, they will probably all disappear completely.

That's a good performance!

The root of the Sea Rising Cherry looks like an ordinary plant, nothing special. However, after my student swallowed it, his body was filled with an uncontrollable destructive power. He could only barely suppress it by relying on the Snow-capped Emerald, which is also a rare item. I don't know how this young man avoided the terrifying destructive power.

If we can figure out how he restrained the power of the Nine-Tailed Pattern, we might be able to save our student!
Chongwen thought to himself.

He suppressed his anxiety and, following the etiquette of Yu the Great, exchanged formal greetings with Shi Ming.

Standing to the side, Jiu Yuan, a man in his twenties with an "idealistic" mindset, looked like he hadn't woken up yet. At this moment, he forced himself to be energetic and exchanged greetings with Shi Ming—was this the person the doctor had mentioned who would definitely cure his junior brother and bring a breakthrough to the research? He didn't look that old!

Rong Bing showed no unusual behavior, behaving just like a true follower. However, the aura emanating from Wang Quanbaye was so powerful that he didn't seem like a follower at all.

The Dragon Kingdom is a land of etiquette, so naturally they wouldn't let their guests stay on the deck. After the initial introductions, Shen Tu Kou led the five of them into the already prepared ship's main hall.

After everyone was seated, Shen Tu Kou spoke first:

“Brother Minglong, I have been carefully keeping your small boat, and I will return it to its rightful owner later.”

“Brother Shentu, please don’t be so polite. Just call me Minglong. There’s no need to rush about the small boat. Dr. Chongwen’s academic reputation is widespread. His translation of the Great Stone Tablet document has greatly benefited many drifting ship forces. He has always been a mentor to me. I was invited by Brother Shentu this time because I wanted to see if I could help the doctor.”

Shi Ming brought up the main topic and looked at Chongwen.

Chongwen also got straight to the point.

"To be honest, the markings on my student's body are exactly the same as the markings on Brother Minglong's neck."

"This symptom appeared because he consumed slices of the root of the sea cherry."

This PhD, who was in his fifties, did not hide anything.

“The slice of the root of the cherry blossom in the sea showed no abnormalities under normal research conditions. On the day of the great tsunami, it suddenly changed and red nine-layered patterns appeared. My student was eager to study it and swallowed a small piece of the slice. After that, his whole body was covered with such raised patterns. He has been in a coma for many days and his vital signs are constantly decreasing.”

Shi Ming pondered for a moment.

He presented the information he knew in a reasonable manner.

"I also found a similar root by chance on the black market. After swallowing it, my body did have some abnormalities. I felt unbearably hot all over. But my constitution has always been far superior to that of ordinary people. The heat lasted for only about ten minutes before I no longer had any discomfort."

"Perhaps this reflects the body's varying degrees of acceptance of rejection?"

He planted the information provided by the Eye of the Mortal World into the Black Society.

Anyway, the gang has sunk and there's no way to verify it.

"Above the Black Society, there is some research on that root. It records that the root of the Sea Rising Cherry contains destructive power, and only those with extraordinary physical strength can consume it. The higher the physical strength of the awakened one, the stronger the acceptance of the Sea Rising Cherry Root."

Upon hearing this, Li Jiuyuan glanced at Rong Bing almost imperceptibly.

But the soldiers glared back at him.

Immediately afterwards, Shi Ming gave his own conjecture.

"According to the Black Society's research, the Root of the Sea Rising Cherry Blossom represents destruction. If one's physical strength is insufficient, finding a substance with the opposite energy to counteract the destructive power within it may provide a cure."

This is just speculation.

To determine the specifics of how to proceed, Shi Ming would need to use his Worldly Eyes to verify the information before obtaining an accurate answer.

"If that's the case, then it's much simpler."

The idealist Jiuyuan began to express his own views.

"Why not find a substance with energy opposite to that of the Sea Rising Cherry Root and feed it to my senior brother?"

Chongwen pondered for a moment,
"The difficulty lies in how to confirm that a certain force is the opposite of the one. Snow-capped Greenery does have some effect, but it is not targeted."

"This is even simpler!"

Jiuyuan said casually.

"Oh?"

The pronouncements of those who have awakened to idealism will naturally attract Chongwen's attention.

Perhaps there is a way to break the deadlock among them.

“We can find many items that represent different energy attributes, such as fire, light, water, poison… Then, we can have Captain Rong activate his skill, eat a piece of Sea Rising Cherry Root, and then eat another item. By eliminating possibilities little by little, we will eventually find a substance with the opposite energy!”

Captain Rong has not yet expressed his opinion.

Chongwen's face turned ashen.

Putting aside whether it's feasible or not, what if this captain gets sick from eating it? Are you going to take responsibility?
His eldest disciple is really getting more and more outrageous!

……

Before he could even get angry, Shi Ming interrupted:
“I have ingested the roots of the sea cherry tree before, and my body did not have any abnormal reaction to it. In theory, I should have developed some resistance. If it is really feasible, I can cooperate.”

Maps of the Yan state have always been very short.

But Jiu Yuan's eyes lit up.

"That will definitely work!"

(End of this chapter)