Endless Ocean: Survival Begins with a Dugout Canoe

Chapter 292 - 285: The Deal with Shiva

Nearing midnight.

[BEEP]

A message came through the "Let There Be Light" channel.

Aside from the occasional emergency, the Lighthouse organized a council meeting every week. "Let There Be Light" possessed the only instant communication technology on the Endless Ocean. This allowed the Lighthouse to constantly monitor all movements of the eleven major drifting ships under its command, providing the most timely guidance, direction, and support. In turn, these eleven ships became its flexible arms and eyes, making many of its operations twice as effective.

The last few council meetings had been noticeably shorter.

There wasn’t much to report.

This was because the Lighthouse had left the Columbia Sea, where it was originally stationed, and temporarily transferred jurisdiction of its main base to the Divine Comedy. To prevent potential enemies from taking advantage of the vacuum, the other Gold-class drifting ships had also suspended most of their operations, reducing their activity and remaining garrisoned in the old-world sea regions of America.

’We’ve made too many enemies. There’s no other choice.’

’And we’ve lost three S-rank Awakened in quick succession.’

’The gap in our combat strength is just too large. For now, we have to lay low and keep our heads down.’

Shi Ming read the reports in the channel.

Divine Comedy: "Sir, the arrangements for Catherine, the leader of the Snow Country, have been properly made. We have already promised to provide her with the necessary aid and have signed the ’Avenger’s Agreement’ on the Statue of Liberty Floating Island. However, Catherine has heard that her *Moon’s Shadow* is being sold in the Sea of Soaring Dragons. She hopes the Lighthouse can intervene and purchase the *Moon’s Shadow* for her."

Lighthouse: "Foolish!"

Lighthouse: "Her failure was precisely due to her short-sightedness. What use is an Admiral-class Ship that has lost its foundation, even if we were to spend several thousand Pure Dome Crystals to buy it? The Sea of Soaring Dragons is Da Yu’s territory. To tow it, an Admiral-class Ship would have to go there personally. At this stage, it is not advisable to have any dealings with Da Yu."

Lighthouse: "Based on the principle of placating an ally, make a verbal promise to her of a brand-new Admiral-class Ship. But similarly, this is not a free gift."

Divine Comedy: "Understood."

After the meeting ended, Trellin rubbed his throbbing brow.

Whether in terms of influence or reserve combat power, the Lighthouse was currently at a thirty-year low. But that didn’t matter. The Holy Hall Research Institute’s work on the Great Black Heaven Dragon and the Immortal Evil Eye had already yielded preliminary results.

The doctor had fused the cells of the Great Black Heaven Dragon and the Immortal Evil Eye together, using the Wonder, "Scales of Justice," to strike a balance and obtain a new, fused power.

If the experiment was successful, they could make rudimentary use of this fused power to fill the gap in their high-end combat strength.

This was only the beginning.

And with further research, he had reason to believe that the skills of this Nine-headed Giant Dragon would ultimately belong to the Awakened of the Lighthouse.

When that day came, the vision of making the Lighthouse great again would finally be realized.

...

Shi Ming also put away his Yellowstone Communicator and began to plot.

"The *Moon’s Shadow*... the ’Avenger’s Agreement.’ Interesting."

He didn’t care about any Avenger’s Agreement.

’Just a bunch of clowns.’

’Speaking of the *Moon’s Shadow*, three potential buyers have recently emerged: Luzon from the Philippines, our neighbor Da Min, and Shiva. None of their offers have met my expectations, but it’s best to sell it off as soon as possible. The Admiral-class Ship is nothing but an empty frame right now, and I even have to pay people to watch over it. It’s a complete liability. Selling it off will at least let it serve some purpose.’

For an old-school Admiral-class Ship like Shiva, they had ways to make the best use of it.

As for the Great Black Heaven Dragon that the Lighthouse was secretly plotting to acquire...

Shi Ming had his own plans for that as well.

He had already eaten most of the Sea-Rising Cherry Root. The few remaining roots were now only good for steeping in water. The Nine-Headed Dragon Pattern on his chest and abdomen had fully formed before fading away, hiding itself within his body. The resonance with his Destruction Origin Power was completely established, and 500 points in both Physical Strength and Endurance were within reach.

It could be said that he now met the physical requirements to bathe in Dragon Blood and obtain its skills.

All was ready, waiting only for the east wind.

And now, Da Yu’s commission was that final gust of wind!

With this push, his Arm of Power could be upgraded to Level 3. By then, the Fallen Sanctuary would have surely finished its fusion as well. Although it was only a fledgling Holy Hall-class power, by relying on his Arm of Power and Ah Jian, who had fused with the Infinite Mother Body, Shi Ming was confident. Even if the Lighthouse interfered as an enemy, he could still forcibly slay the Great Black Heaven Dragon and claim the Nine-Headed Sanctuary!

The Great Black Heaven Dragon, a prize he had been planning to take for a long time, would be his.

...

...

...

「In the early morning.」

The sun had not yet risen.

A Gold-class drifting ship that had traveled a long distance appeared on the horizon. It was the *Ganges*, here to negotiate a deal with Shi Ming. Since Shi Ming and the *Ganges* were already acquainted, Shiva had authorized the *Ganges* to handle the entire transaction.

They knew full well that this existing relationship would greatly increase the chances of the deal’s success.

Shi Ming saw Singer and Eliza from afar and gave them a distant wave.

These were his moneybags.

As an Admiral-class Ship, the wreck of the *Moon’s Shadow* was valued between 3,000 and 6,000 Pure Dome Crystals. On the Endless Ocean, such a large-scale transaction was extremely rare. Every single one was newsworthy.

Eliza and Shi Ming looked at each other, her eyes shifting slightly.

She sighed internally.

The first time they met in Europe, Shi Ming was near the Twelve Stars, selling a B-rank sea beast. Even with just a single glance back then, she had sensed this young man was no ordinary person. However, time was short, and she hadn’t had the chance to build a better relationship. Instead, she had relied on her own "artistic talent" to fabricate a spot for him on "The Must-Eat List of the European Sea Region." A description of just under a hundred words had sent the imaginations of Europe’s noblewomen and young ladies running wild, their faces flushing and their hearts racing.

The second time they met was in the Sea of Yellow Sand. The trapped *Ganges* once again escaped disaster thanks to Shi Ming, and Captain Singer also had a narrow brush with death, avoiding the fate of being turned into raw material.

Now, at their third meeting, he had uprooted the entire base of the clandestine organization Snow Country, the *Moon’s Shadow* itself!

’What an extraordinary man!’

She regretted it more and more. Why hadn’t she seized the opportunity when they first met, back when he was still unknown?

’What a pity, what a shame!’

A moment later, the *Ganges* arrived at the trading sea and docked with the Da Yun. The *Moon’s Shadow*, far larger than both ships, was moored behind them. The daily stabilization fee it incurred was as high as three Dome Crystals.

"Shi Ming, we meet again."

After a moment of pleasantries, the two began their negotiations.

Shi Ming’s bottom line for the *Moon’s Shadow* was over 4,000 Pure Dome Crystals, but Shiva’s offer was only 3,200. Their reasoning was sound: the ship had lost its sailing core. To bring it back, an Admiral-class Ship would have to tow it personally, which would require significant extra effort and resources.

Moreover, buying it could mean facing retaliation from the Snow Country.

After a round of haggling, they finally settled on a price of 3,800 Pure Dome Crystals.

Once the agreement was signed, Shi Ming accepted the deposit.

"Miss Eliza, I hope the *Moon’s Shadow* will shine brightly in your hands."

"That is its inevitable destiny."

Eliza tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

By completing this transaction, she would also enter Shiva’s core leadership. As far as she knew, Shiva possessed an unused Sailing Crystal Stone, suspected to be Admiral-class. After the great maelstrom appeared thirty years ago, their shipbuilding industry had suffered, preventing the Peacock Country’s second Admiral-class Ship from being launched.

Now, the opportunity had finally arrived.

In the future, this *Moon’s Shadow* would have a brand-new name: Great Treasure Brahma Heaven.