The King-level Wandering Ship came to a halt, ceasing all movement.

Just moments later, powerful sensors detected the whale bones on the seabed. Abraham, the First Secretary-General of the Twelve Stars, personally issued an order to the three Grand Generals, along with the two S-rank Awakened.

He then issued a separate order to Wright.

This Abraham was a legendary leader.

In the past thirty years, his decisions had rarely been wrong.

Since they were in the same sea region, the orders were transmitted quickly. Wright merely glanced at the two different directives, and his eyes widened involuntarily in disbelief.

Elizabeth, wearing delicate gauze gloves, personally entered the battlefield, grabbed Quert’s thick arm, and forcibly dragged him away. As she left, she gave Shi Ming a thoughtful look.

The two S-rank Awakened exchanged a glance, then turned back toward the Twelve Stars without a word. One transformed into lightning, the other vanished into a light mist.

The tense, sword-drawn standoff vanished like snow on a hot stove.

Shi Ming was puzzled. ’They’re being this reasonable?’

He put away Ragnarok.

Wright spoke up.

"Long time no see, Brother Shi."

"The First Secretary-General says he would like to discuss a collaboration with you privately. The compensation will absolutely be to your satisfaction. We can hold the discussion on the Fontainebleau, or you can designate another location."

"A collaboration?"

’No, seriously, man.’

’Your Secretary-General’s decision-making... talk about a sharp turn.’

’One second, he’s bearing down on me in a King-level Wandering Ship like he owns the world. The next, he wants to discuss a collaboration? Did he even bother to ask if I’d agree?’

"It was all a misunderstanding. The Twelve Stars have no enmity with you, Brother Shi."

"We are merely friends with a common goal."

Wright more or less understood the Secretary-General’s choice.

A young man like Shi Ming—unaffiliated, with no ties and no organization, immensely powerful, and who acted as he pleased—was not afraid of trouble. He was ruthless enough to kill S-rank Awakened from the Lighthouse without a second thought, completely unafraid of any retaliation. He could certainly do many things that they couldn’t conveniently do themselves. He was worth recruiting.

This was especially true for matters involving the Lighthouse.

The S-rank Awakened of the Twelve-Star Alliance all had factions and organizations to protect. Not one of them dared to offend the Lighthouse.

In this day and age, extraordinary individuals were hard-nosed and had no weaknesses.

But they, despite their high positions, were actually covered in vulnerabilities.

[The Eye of the World saw the orders.]

[It also saw Secretary-General Abraham’s urgency and anxiety.]

[His goal lies beneath Fujing Mountain in the Yinping Sea Region, but no one in the Twelve-Star Alliance is willing to offend the Lighthouse, so the plan has been shelved. As early as half a month ago, he was secretly searching for reliable Mercenaries, but now, with the critical time approaching, he still has no candidates.]

[Perhaps your killing of two S-rank Awakened from the Lighthouse has made him take a fancy to your audacity.]

[Trust those you employ, and don’t employ those you distrust.]

[Abraham is very bold and knows how to seize an opportunity.]

[But in this game, you are the one in control.]

...

...

...

In an area a dozen or so nautical miles from the Twelve Stars.

A small wooden boat bobbed on the water.

It wasn’t even a Wandering Ship, just an ordinary, run-of-the-mill boat made of red pine. It had no mechanical, steel, or non-wood components, assembled using a modified mortise and tenon structure. In this day and age, only a few collectors would bother with such an ostentatious but impractical toy.

The boat was seven meters long and had no fancy amenities.

There was only a meeting space with a few chairs.

Shi Ming sat in the guest of honor’s seat.

Across from him sat a robust, white-haired man in his fifties. Beside the man stood a meticulous, stone-faced Awakened.

"Hehe, Brother Shi."

"I’ve long heard from Wright’s apprentice, Yize, about the battle at Olympus, so I know a little about your character, Brother Shi. As you said, S-rank sea beasts are a common enemy of humanity. The Twelve Stars can only welcome their demise."

"In the early days of the Wandering Era, the Twelve Stars had a Wanted Order system."

"Those who killed a B-rank sea beast were rewarded with 30 Dome Crystals."

"Those who killed an A-rank sea beast were rewarded with 100 Pure Dome Crystals."

"Killing an S-rank sea beast should, by rights, be rewarded tenfold."

"Rest assured, Brother Shi, you won’t be shorted a single crystal."

Before even discussing the collaboration, Shi Ming had already received a reward of 2,000 Pure Dome Crystals.

’It seems,’ Shi Ming thought, ’the "collaboration" to come is going to be far from simple.’

Shi Ming knew that the so-called Wanted Order from the Twelve Stars had been abandoned twenty years ago. The tough Secretary-General was only bringing it up now to show his sincerity.

He accepted this gesture of sincerity without hesitation.

’Why not?’

’This and the collaboration are two separate matters.’

"Sea beasts are the common enemy of humanity. Secretary-General, if you have something to say, please be direct. If it involves killing sea beasts, I have plenty of experience in that area."

"Hahaha, young people are so straightforward. However, our collaboration doesn’t involve killing a sea beast."

Abraham looked down, habitually reaching for a teacup.

He loved Eastern jasmine tea and Da Hong Pao, a taste that hadn’t changed in decades. Unfortunately, it was difficult to find the most authentic Da Hong Pao now. Jasmine tea, on the other hand, could still be cultivated in large quantities, though its price had increased more than a thousandfold.

He realized there was nothing on the table.

He withdrew his hand and continued.

"This collaboration is a personal commission from me. It does not represent the position of the Twelve Stars."

"Oh?"

Shi Ming was a little stunned, yet it was also within his expectations.

As the Secretary-General spoke his first word, the light inside the boat seemed to dim significantly. This was the manifestation of a skill called "Lightless Dark Box," which could physically block all forms of tracing like spying, audio recording, and video recording. Unless one could copy a spiritual imprint, nothing that happened here would be documented.

Abraham continued.

"Brother Shi, are you aware of why the Lighthouse has had no reaction, not even issuing a public bounty or a warrant, after you killed their Miss Yan and... Shadow? Why has no one else come to bother you? You should know, the strongest expert in the Lighthouse possesses the 13th-ranked S-rank skill and is one of the top combatants in the world."

"Half a month ago, they all went to Fujing Mountain in the Yinping Sea Region. They have no time to spare for other matters."

"And that’s not all."

"The Lighthouse plans to leave the Great Western Sea Region soon, under the pretext of collaborating with the Vortex Country, and launch an expedition to the Yinping Sea Region. They will rely on the power of a King-level Wandering Ship to completely seal off the Fujing Mountain ruins. At that time, no third-party forces or individuals will be able to enter within a three-hundred-nautical-mile radius of Fujing Mountain."

"Fujing Mountain is not in the sea region governed by Da Yu, but it is a partner of the Lighthouse. According to the Endless Ocean Convention from 30 years ago, Da Yu cannot obstruct research cooperation between the Lighthouse and its partners."

"Unless they’re prepared to go to war."

Shi Ming frowned.

’A blockade?’

’The Great Black Heaven Dragon is going to be sealed off?’

"You want me to go kill the sea beast under Fujing Mountain?"

’That’s a Holy Hall-level Sea Beast!’

"No."

Abraham smiled.

"I just want you to sneak into the depths of Fujing Mountain before the blockade and retrieve a small tissue sample from that sea beast."

"That’s all."

"I won’t hide it from you, that sea beast is indeed extremely dangerous, but it is currently in a state of deep sleep. The Twelve—oh, no, I will provide you with all the intelligence on it, as well as any necessary—and unnecessary—support. After you succeed, I will also invite you to become my personal, trusted partner."

"This will bring all sorts of conveniences."

"And one request of your choosing."

"..."

"The moment I saw you, I was reminded of myself when I was young. This era already belongs to your generation."

"I sincerely hope we can build a deep friendship, for..."

"...our mutual benefit."