Chapter 224: Chapter 220: Arrival at Fujing Mountain! The Eye of the World’s Reminder

The young man in the photo was his older brother.

His older brother, Shangwu, had died on the Endless Ocean while searching for the powerful sea beast known as the Black Tortoise.

This Master from the Xirang Research Institute was named Chongwen. True to their names, the two brothers had chosen different paths at a crossroads in life. More than twenty years ago, Shangwu left Dragon Country alone, piloting the Gold-class drifter ship, number 360. He was never heard from again. At first, Chongwen clung to a sliver of hope, but the death notification from the Celestial Net Chip Terminal was a splash of cold water to the face.

[Chip Deactivated.]

[Feedback: Deceased.]

In those days, humanity was still far too weak to contend with the beasts of the sea.

Death was an unavoidable Destiny for many pioneers, the somber backdrop of the era.

So many years had passed in the blink of an eye.

Now a middle-aged man, Chongwen gazed at the old photograph. Memories flashed through his mind like a spinning lantern. Time could dull the sharpest emotions, but distant memories only grew more vivid, leaving him with a deeper sense of loss upon recollection, like the sharp tang of aged vinegar on the tongue.

"Master?"

"Hm?"

The student saw his Master staring blankly at the photo frame and knew he was lost in memories of the past again.

"Master, I’ve thought of something. Our research with petri dishes and scopes is all just theory. This Sea-Rising Cherry Root looks remarkably similar to Snow-Crested Jade. If we could just slice off a tiny piece of this marvel and have an Awakened ingest it, we could observe the physical changes and understand its properties much faster, couldn’t we?"

Chongwen’s expression turned grim at these words.

"Laboratory Rule 721: Unverified oceanic marvels are not to be used in human trials."

"Besides, this Sea-Rising Cherry Root is extraordinarily hostile to biological tissue. If an Awakened were to ingest it, the danger would be impossible to predict."

"We are not the Vortex Country."

The young researcher didn’t give up. His eyes burned with intensity.

"What if there’s a willing volunteer? Our experiments have hit a bottleneck, and we have no leads. Continuing like this, who knows how much time we’ll waste. Master! I volunteer to be the test subject!"

"Your physical conditioning is only B-rank. The outcome would most likely be disastrous."

"There’s no time!"

"The research has only just begun. I will find another way."

The young researcher lowered his head in disappointment.

’Scientific research requires more than just a spirit of sacrifice. It needs the courage to burn the boats, the resilience to risk everything on a single bet, and the determination to keep running headfirst into a wall.’

’But his Master... he wanted too much.’

’It made him timid, hesitant.’

...

...

...

The Xirang Research Institute was accelerating its research on the Sea-Rising Cherry Root to provide scientific and technical support for its Awakened. Meanwhile, Renhuang was also making intensive preparations, bracing for any incidents that might occur in the near future.

Anyone could see the storm brewing over Fujing Mountain.

The time before Lighthouse’s arrival would be the last chance for opportunists. There were many ambitious people in the world: shadowy organizations and fearless lone operatives who would stop at nothing to claim the treasure.

Even if that treasure was nothing more than a single line in an intelligence report.

In a location unknown to them, Shi Ming had already arrived in a familiar stretch of sea.

He had tolerated no delays during his voyage, heading straight for his destination. Time was limited; every minute saved was another minute of certainty gained. While organizations like Renhuang and the Black Society were little more than roadside distractions to him now, a hidden Lighthouse Awakener was supposedly present, someone rumored to be incredibly powerful.

According to intelligence from the Secretary General of the Twelve Stars, this individual was one of Lighthouse’s top combatants.

Their status was higher than Miss Yan’s.

Shi Ming had previously read the S-rank skill intelligence recovered from Miss Yan. Lighthouse currently possessed intel on ten skills. Of those, they had complete information—both the skill and its corresponding sea beast—for six. The highest-ranked of these was the Abyss of Devouring, from the Deep Sea Leviathan, ranked #25.

Shi Ming had witnessed a version of the Abyss of Devouring—suppressed to A-rank—when facing Edward, who possessed the "Roulette of the Naked Eye," and even then, it had been terrifying.

However, its risk could be mitigated to some extent by sealing one’s senses to avoid being pulled into the abyss.

In addition to the six skills with complete sea beast data, Lighthouse also had intelligence on four other skills whose beast of origin was unknown, making their source untraceable. They were:

The #7 ranked "Black Hole,"

the #19 ranked "Infinite Matriarch,"

the #34 ranked "Lightless Heat Death,"

and the #99 ranked "Death Ground."

Shi Ming had acquired the latter two. Based on the principle that S-rank skills are unique, it was safe to assume Lighthouse didn’t have any Awakened possessing them.

Therefore, their so-called top combatant was most likely an Awakened who possessed the #25 Abyss of Devouring. There was a smaller chance they had either Black Hole or Infinite Matriarch. Of course, the possibility of a dual S-rank Awakened or some other hidden power unknown even to Miss Yan couldn’t be ruled out.

’In any case, I must be cautious.’ 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

The situation on Fujing Mountain was treacherous and unpredictable, yet this would also be the calmest it would be for some time.

The real storm was yet to come.

BEEP.

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

With the expedition imminent, the channel had been very busy lately.

[Lighthouse: The expedition date has been confirmed by the King’s Ship Council and will officially commence in five days. During Lighthouse’s expedition, "Divine Comedy" will take its place guarding the Columbia Sea. "Michael" will act as the vanguard, departing within 48 hours. "Jinshan" and other Gold-class drifters are to maintain mobility and await further orders on standby.]