Endless Ocean: Escape Starting from a Canoe

Chapter 91 The "Secret" in the Torn Notebook (Third Update!)

[The tattered notebook]

【Level: 1】

[A notebook, lost in the ocean by an unknown person, is made of a special material that has remained undamaged despite being submerged for many years. Unfortunately, the writing on it has been completely eroded and is illegible.]

Upgrade Requirements: 3 Sea Crystals, 1 Wood, 1 Squid Ink Sac

Sea crystal is the most common material, and the ink sac of cuttlefish, along with the carcasses of cuttlefish that Shi Ming hunted, are still left on the ship.

Comparatively speaking, wood is actually scarcer in the ocean... Fortunately, the exploration team brought back quite a few shrub branches from Turtle Island last time, and branches can be considered wood, right?
If they can't be used, Shi Ming can also dismantle some of the old tables and chairs on the ship.

All materials are complete, upgrade is available!
A small notebook consumes far less mental energy than upgrading a drifting ship to a higher level.

Just one second!
Upgrade complete.

[A perfectly intact notebook]

【Level: 2】

[A notebook, lost in the ocean by an unknown person, is made of a special material and has remained undamaged despite being submerged for many years. Under the influence of a mysterious force, the secrets recorded within it have surfaced. Perhaps one day these secrets will come in handy?]

Unable to upgrade again.

Shi Ming scratched his head.

A secret, okay, let me see what the secret is.

Furthermore, if we operate in this way, can we exploit a bug?

The idea is to destroy materials that the Creation Brain cannot identify, then repair them using the Creation Brain, thereby determining the item's purpose. Of course, this method also has its drawbacks. If the item is damaged and there are no materials needed for upgrading, then a perfectly good item will be lost for nothing.

It can only be said that there are both advantages and disadvantages.

Moreover, it might not work.

Shi Ming opened the notebook as his fingers touched the material with a special texture.

After reading two pages, he discovered that it was a travelogue written in an international language.

The handwriting is delicate and appears to be that of a woman.

【…】

The pyramids. The sunken pyramids are like underwater tombs, eerily solemn. Not even fish or seaweed grow here; it seems like a place of death, with only the lonely pharaohs and sphinxes buried in their tombs. Our exploration here yielded nothing unusual; instead, we were awestruck by this deathly beauty…

[Mammoth Cave. There seems to be no trace of powerful creatures here, but the energy detected by the detectors is definitely abnormal. Alas, it's a pity we searched for thirty days, even using ourselves as bait, but found no clues. However, the mystery of Mammoth Cave fascinates me; I absolutely love this place...]

【Mount Fujio. The cherry blossoms here are truly enchanting... But, damn it! The yakuza chased us away before we even started exploring!】

……

[The Challenger Deep. It's deeper here than before. Pitch black...]

[Earth's lungs. ...]

……

[Mount Everest. The mysterious stone tablet with 33,000 characters was discovered here. Unfortunately, we were too late; just two months ago, the Xirang Research Institute moved it entirely! Humph! This should be an opportunity shared by all humanity; how could they monopolize it? How despicable!]

……

We found a green gem on Mount Everest. It looked so delicious that my partner ate it and then froze. Luckily, a researcher from the Xirang Graduate School saved us; he took three days to recover.

……

Big secret? Where is the secret?
Upon first reading, Shi Ming thought it was a travelogue.

But as he read more, he realized that the author of the travelogue seemed to be deliberately exploring some place, and also seemed to be looking for some item.

He and his companions searched for sunken landmarks around the world in the early days of the wandering era, twenty-eight years ago, but even at the end of the travelogue, their tone remained regretful, as if they had never been able to find what they were looking for.

What is she looking for?

Treasure? Sea monster? Serendipitous encounter? It's impossible to know for sure.

The author's writing style is quite good, and his descriptive ability is excellent. The records of these landscapes are also very detailed.

As Shi Ming reads, it feels as if he is actually there.

He put the travelogue away.

Travelers who could explore the endless ocean depths in the early days of the Age of Wandering must have been extraordinary.

This travelogue may indeed hold some unknown secrets.

Is it just that I haven't discovered it yet?
With one last upgrade opportunity remaining today, Shi Ming used it on the Hundred-Faced Sea Lizard Mask.

He upgraded the mask, which could disguise his identity, from level two to level three.

【The Mask of the Hundred-Faced Sea Lizard】

【Level: 3】

[The mask, made from the skin of the Hundred-Faced Sea Lizard, offers excellent camouflage, capable of fooling most detection devices—an essential tool for concealing one's identity! Now, its camouflage duration has been upgraded to two hours! And it's even harder to detect!]

Upgrade Requirements: 100g Lizard Blood, 50g Grade B Sea Beast Flesh.

If he takes on missions to slay sea monsters in the future, he will likely need to use this mask.

Be prepared.

Because, frankly, he felt that he would be a terrible mercenary in this world, especially when it came to missions like hunting sea monsters—when killing sea monsters, his right arm could easily drain their strength.

The blood was there, but it couldn't awaken anyone.

Which employer could tolerate such an outcome?

We spent money and put in the effort, and the results of slaying the sea monster are going to be taken by cows?
They're certainly good at ripping people off.

……

The twelve stars.

Ocean Hunters Association.

"Your Excellency Wright, the Association does indeed have two samples of B-grade sea beast blood recently, but they are currently stored at the [Fire Seed] branch. If you need them, we can expedite their delivery."

"Well, that's troublesome."

Wright de Albert, a senior A-rank Awakened, is sitting in the Hunter Association's VIP room with his apprentice, Ize, who is wearing a red hood.

Upon hearing that the staff here could help them obtain two samples of Grade B sea monster blood, Ize breathed a sigh of relief.

Her eyelashes under the red hood looked much smoother.

Although it was a bit expensive, it cost her an extra 50 Dome Crystals.

But none of this matters.

If she can obtain what they promised, and then gather another portion of B-grade sea beast blood, she can collect 12 portions of B-grade sea beast blood to solve her physical problems and completely control the power of beast transformation.

Then, you can go hunt that powerful A-rank sea monster.

At that time, she will be able to become a double A-level Awakener.

Even on the Twelve Stars, he is one of the best among the younger generation, second only to the three S-class Awakened on the ship.

"Sir, we also need to issue a commission."

Wright put down his tea and spoke to the staff member beside him.

"Please speak, Mr. Wright."

"This mission is extremely dangerous, but the reward is absolutely worth it. The only requirement is that we need an A-level Awakened."

(End of this chapter)