Endless Ocean: Escape Starting from a Canoe

Chapter 262 Xuanwu and the Canoe
Thousands of nautical miles away, on the king-class drifting ship Black Gold in the Silent Sea, there is a secret room that can shield against all spiritual detection.

This is a secret chamber specially built to guard against the mental probing of the Nameless Cocoon after a preliminary understanding of its characteristics. All conspiracies against this powerful sea beast ranked third will be carried out here.

"Yu the Great slew the Moonlight Beast and obtained the Purification Essence, which was ranked 96th on the list of rare items."

"Send letters to them to request the purchase."

Black gold especially needs the essence of purification.

The artifact that suppressed the Nameless Cocoon, the Sealed Prison ranked 27th, will wear down over time. To cope with the wear and tear, Black Gold needs to consume a large number of beast hearts for maintenance, which is why it has always offered a bounty for beast hearts.

However, with the essence of purification, the effectiveness of the sealed prison can be completely renewed.

Maintaining the seal at maximum effectiveness for an extended period might even force this restless beast back into a dormant state, thus easing the pressure on Black Gold and reducing the expenditure of manpower and resources on suppression.

The nameless cocoon cannot be killed.

But if we can put it into a deep sleep, that would be a great thing.

Black Gold would then have the resources to manage other matters in this chaotic sea area.

A secret telegram was sent out from the secret room, bypassing the powerful and omnipresent spiritual force of the Nameless Cocoon, and was transmitted to Yu the Great in the Sea of ​​Soaring Dragons. In just over two hours, Yu the Great's Nine Provinces Platform would receive this purchase request.

Black Gold was not worried that Yu the Great would consider the Essence of Purification a rare commodity.

Faced with a shared crisis, they would be willing to sell.

……

As dawn broke, newspapers published by the various King-class drifting ships carried the latest maritime news. The inhabitants, sheltered by these King-class ships and living in seclusion, greatly admired these publications, long abandoned in the land-based era.

This is one of the few sources of enjoyment in their boring and peaceful lives.

Tenglong Daily: "Captain Kunwu joins forces with Awakened Ones from the Dragon Kingdom to slay the Moonlight Beast! Elder Zhou of Jiuzhou TV personally attended the celebration."

Twelve Morning Stars Bulletin: "The Nemesis of S-Class Sea Beasts? Unveiling the S-Class Sea Beast That Once Died at the Hands of the 13th Honorary Knight!"

The Eternal Beacon: "Beware of Individual Heroism Rampant on the Endless Ocean!"

……

……

……

Accompanied by his student Li Jiuyuan, Chongwen sailed a small boat to a calm, deserted sea area.

This was the place he and Shi Ming had agreed to meet.

Because it involves private matters and is related to the No. 360 drifting ship, Chongwen was worried that if they went to Dayu to talk, it would give Shiming the impression that he was using his power to intimidate him. A safe environment is very helpful for frank communication, and he has always been sensitive and perceptive in this regard.

He waited patiently.

Finally, a ship sailed in from afar.

Chongwen was filled with anticipation mixed with nervousness, and inexplicably afraid that he might be disappointed.

"Dr. Chongwen".

"Brother Shi."

After exchanging pleasantries, Chongwen got straight to the point. He didn't start by mentioning the drifting ship numbered 360, but simply said that his older brother had left Dayu alone by boat more than twenty years ago to search for the traces of the sea beast Xuanwu, and had been missing ever since.

I didn't even get to see him one last time.

"Young Master Shi's invincible skill when slaying the Moonlight Ripple Beast should have come from the Black Tortoise. Although my elder brother has been missing for over twenty years, I wonder if, besides Tu Nan, you discovered any clues related to my brother when you slayed the Black Tortoise?"

After asking the question, he became nervous.

I hope to get a response, but I'm also worried that I won't get the response I want.

"Indeed."

Shi Ming said.

Chongwen's eyes lit up immediately.

“I discovered Xuanwu’s trail a few months ago. At that time, the giant beast had fallen into slumber and transformed into a turtle island floating in the sea. On the turtle island, I dug out a dugout canoe, which is what you call Tunan, and inherited its captain’s authority. I also found a notebook, and... near the turtle island, I also found a stone tablet.”

"notes?"

Shi Ming took out a wooden box containing a pen and a notebook.

The pen is a very common fountain pen, which is no longer usable. The notebook material feels like lambskin, and the writing is clear and legible except for some edges.

Chongwen took it and opened it with trembling hands.

Familiar font!
April 5th marked our 66th day trapped in the floodwaters. The food in the research institute was almost gone, and the floodwaters still hadn't receded. Everyone was pessimistic. Never before in history has such a severe flood been recorded. This is a human catastrophe.

The dust of Chongwen's long-buried memories has been brushed away, and the blurry past has become clear.

Back then, the two brothers helped each other through the disaster of the Great Flood and became one of the few survivors in the hundred-mile stretch. Now, countless memories flood his mind, and the past flashes before his eyes like a slideshow.

My vision blurred instantly.

Shi Ming and Li Jiuyuan sat quietly to the side, undisturbed by anyone.

On September 2nd, humanity entered the era of wandering. ...

【…】

On January 3rd, I changed my research direction—an awakening, which sounds incredibly appealing. In my familiar research field, my younger brother is doing better than me; having him is enough.

[...] On June 7th, I encountered a storm at sea that I had never experienced before. Fortunately, I managed to reach an island and catch my breath.

This is the last note; the story ends here, and there is no further information after that.

It was as if his master had disappeared.

Clearly, he came to Xuanwu's back and died because of Xuanwu. The notebook and [Tu Nan] were lost on it for more than 20 years before being found by Shi Ming. This young man also acquired Xuanwu's skills, just as he inherited [Tu Nan], and also inherited his will and unfinished work.

Chongwen closed his notebook.

My mood remains low.

The man is gone, and the lack of any news has been a regret for decades. Now, seeing the belongings left by his brother before his sacrifice has somewhat made up for his regret. As for Tu Nan, according to the "Rules for the Inheritance and Management of Drifting Ships in the Endless Ocean" formulated by the major king-class drifting ships in the early days of the drifting era under the leadership of 001, Shi Ming has become the nominal heir of this ownerless ship.

Although this rule is a joke in 99% of the endless ocean.

But not with Yu the Great and him.

"Teacher, could you tell me about Dr. Shangwu's past?"

Li Jiuyuan spoke up at the opportune moment, knowing that his teacher needed an outlet for his emotions.

"Thirty years ago, humans were no match for sea monsters. Even with King-class and General-class drifting ships as shelters, they could only rely on the weapons on board when attacked by S-class, A-class, or even B-class sea monsters, resulting in heavy casualties. It wasn't until the secret of awakening was deciphered on the Great Stone Tablet that they barely had the strength to fight back."

"But in the early stages, powerful Awakened Ones were extremely rare."

He said that scientific research cannot save humanity, but power can.

"Xuanwu brought back the news from the survivors. The survivors who had seen Xuanwu said that this sea beast was as long as an island, incredibly powerful, and ferocious, but extremely prone to sleep. In its light sleep state, it lacked any desire to attack. Therefore, he felt that Xuanwu would be easier to kill than ordinary S-class sea beasts. So he piloted Tunan alone and embarked on a journey to find Xuanwu."

"..."

After recounting the past, Chongwen looked at Shiming.

"Can I see that ship?"

Shi Ming hesitated for a moment, then reached into the beehive he carried with him and took out the [Sun Shooting] from the warehouse.

Its appearance is just as it was when it was first unearthed, except that it has lost the traces of corrosion and has been restored to its original state. However, from its appearance, it is impossible to tell that it has been promoted to a general, or even a third-level general.

Chongwen bent down and stroked the marks on it.

"Although it was small, it was a mainstay in the early days of the drifting era, protecting against sea monsters."

"Shooting down the sun..."

"Treat it well."

Shi Ming nodded.

This is his first drifting ship, and the starting point of his journey. One day it will be promoted to king-class, becoming the new king ship on the endless ocean!
The once cloudless Tu Nan, who once held the blue sky in his arms, will now take the sky as his target and drive forward to shoot down the sun!
"By the way, you said you also found a stone tablet near Xuanwu? What kind of stone tablet is it?"

The stele was discovered in the Scorpion King Pyramid.

However, to make it easier to explain, Shi Ming grafted it onto the vicinity of Turtle Island. Anyway, these details are unimportant, as long as it makes sense.

He dipped his finger in water and drew a complex symbol on the floor.

Upon seeing this symbol, Chongwen and Li Jiuyuan's pupils dilated once again!

They were extremely familiar with similar symbols!

These are mysterious characters on a large stone tablet discovered on Mount Everest. The mission of the Dayu branch of the Xirang Research Institute is to decipher the meaning of these characters using the powerful computing capabilities of the King-class drifting ship and a massive amount of pure crystals! Over the years, they have made considerable progress, but have only managed to decipher less than six hundred characters, barely managing to compile two lists of wonders from the Endless Sea.

This is already considered highly efficient.

It is said that the Eternal Stele of the Twelve Stars is a similar existence. The Twelve Stars have been studied for many years, but no results have been found. They can only regard that small stele as the eternal cornerstone of honor.

How many of those small stone tablets were there?
Chongwen's gaze shifted from nostalgia and sorrow to seriousness.

Li Jiuyuan knew that this meant he had entered work mode.

"Young Master Shi, may I take a look at that stone tablet?"

"Of course, but it's quite bulky, so I don't carry it with me."

The stele itself is meaningless to Shi Ming; the greatest gain is being able to read the inscriptions on it. To inadvertently come into contact with the colossal stele of the Breath of Earth, to read it, and without revealing his knowledge of the mysterious script, he must first cultivate a close relationship with the stele.

Find a suitable opportunity.

It's like having your name engraved on the eternal stone tablet of the twelve stars.

Shi Ming could not share the knowledge he gained from the stone tablet. He remembered clearly that not only the mysterious woman who taught him this language, but also the Eye of the Mortal World had repeatedly warned him that he must never reveal that he knew this script, or there would be great danger.

What danger? I don't know.

This world still holds too many secrets.

Always maintain a sense of awe.

Besides himself, Shi Ming also knew of a creature that clearly understood this language and could even speak a few words.

Lord of the Boiling Sea.

Back when he was about to kill the Three-Eyed Golden Crow in its lair, and when he used ten times the power to sever one of the Abyss Lord's evil tendrils, the Abyss Lord had said similar words and used such language to express its endless rage.

Perhaps the other ancient, holy-level sea monsters also understand.

(End of this chapter)