Upgrade?
Yes!
As he felt the Crystal Stones and ores before him dissolve and merge, Shi Ming was once again amazed by the miraculous power of the Brain of Creation. 'This ability to turn the worthless into the miraculous is simply incredible.'
After waiting for exactly five minutes, a system notification announced that the large-scale energy production unit had been successfully upgraded.
[A3-Type Energy Production Unit]
[Level: 2]
[An energy extraction unit with greatly enhanced performance. Its efficiency has doubled, capable of producing 200 Sea Crystal Stones per day in normal sea regions, with a 1% chance of producing a High-Level Sea Crystal Stone. At the same time, the unit's energy consumption has increased by 30%.]
[Upgrade requirements: 300 Sea Crystal Stones, 200 iron ore, 30 Sea Beast Blood Crystal Stones]
'Not bad, not bad at all.'
Shi Ming nodded to himself as he looked at the results.
'Sharpening the axe doesn't delay the work of chopping wood. Every investment pays off.' And it had. After this one upgrade, the energy production unit's efficiency had doubled!
Of course, the main reason for such a massive boost in efficiency was that the unit's base stats were terrible. It started at only level one, so there was significant room for improvement in its production capacity.
As for whether to upgrade it again?
'Of course!'
'This is an investment that can't lose!'
One upgrade cost 300 Sea Crystal Stones, but with the increased efficiency, he would make that back in just a few days!
Most importantly, Shi Ming had plenty of the Sea Beast Blood Crystal Stones required for this upgrade!
Back on Turtle Island, his first stop with the former exploration team captain, Iron Tower, had been a mining site on the island! That spot was also a wound on the giant turtle's back where many Sea Beast Blood Crystal Stones had formed. Iron Tower and his men had loaded at least fifteen crates onto the ship, and Shi Ming had secretly collected a good number for himself as well!
Now, all those resources were piled up in the ship's warehouse, and they all belonged to Shi Ming.
He had originally thought these Blood Crystals could only be traded to those who needed them in the future. He never expected to use them so soon!
Upgrade again!
The Spiritual Power consumed to upgrade the unit was far less than what was needed to upgrade the entire Wandering Ship, so Shi Ming felt no physical strain. After preparing the materials, he activated the Brain of Creation's ability once more.
The vaporized Blood Crystals, glowing with a faint red light, swirled around the massive device, lending the steel machinery an inexplicable beauty.
The time it took to upgrade from level two to level three was significantly longer than from level one to two.
Shi Ming waited for twelve minutes before the upgrade was complete.
His three daily uses were now completely spent.
He rubbed his slightly dizzy head and focused his attention on the production unit, immediately taking in its changes and perceiving the improvements from the upgrade.
[A3-Type Energy Production Unit]
[Level: 3]
[An energy production unit with exceptionally enhanced performance. Having been fused with the power of a formidable sea beast, its production efficiency has been radically overturned! In normal sea regions, it can now produce 300 Sea Crystal Stones per day! Additionally, the probability of producing High-Level Sea Crystal Stones has increased to 2%! In energy-rich sea regions, it may also occasionally yield impressive byproducts!]
[Upgrade requirements: 500 Sea Crystal Stones, 10 High-Level Sea Crystal Stones, 300 iron ore, 100 Sea Beast Blood Crystal Stones]
'Sure enough, investment brings rewards.'
After two upgrades, the old machine's efficiency had tripled! It could now produce 300 Sea Crystal Stones a day. Furthermore, based on the production probability, he could also expect an income of six High-Level Sea Crystal Stones every day!
At this rate, it would take less than 200 days to save up 1,000 High-Level Sea Crystal Stones.
Although that was still a bit long, at least Shi Ming now had a channel for producing High-Level Sea Crystal Stones.
In the later stages, upgrading many items with the Brain of Creation would inevitably require High-Level Sea Crystal Stones. Having a stable source was absolutely essential.
The only drawback was that after the unit's upgrade, the number of personnel required for maintenance had also increased.
The ship was currently short on crew, but producing Sea Crystal Stones was a top priority for Shi Ming. Therefore, he transferred some crew members from other posts to the energy production department to ensure its production efficiency could reach its maximum potential.
Of course, he also gave these crew members a "bonus."
At the same time, he issued a strict order: every single High-Level Sea Crystal Stone obtained here must be registered, reported, and personally handed over to him.
Anyone caught hoarding them would be severely punished without exception.
...
After properly handling the various follow-up matters concerning the energy production unit, Shi Ming left the second sub-level of the Wandering Ship. He returned to the captain's quarters, rested for a short while, and then began his daily physical and combat skills training session.
It was a habit he had cultivated for over a decade.
In his past life, he had never slacked off for a single day, except when he was on a mission.
The combat skills he was currently focusing on were primarily in two areas: hand-to-hand combat and swordsmanship. Hand-to-hand combat emphasized explosiveness and coordination, while swordsmanship focused on power and presence. It was a shame he was low on ammunition; otherwise, he could have practiced his marksmanship as well.
These were the fundamentals, whether for ordinary people or for the Awakened.
After training shirtless for a long time, he wiped the sweat from his body, rinsed off with fresh water, and then climbed into a restorative sleep pod.
Next was some long-awaited relaxation time.
As he felt the vitality returning to his cells, Shi Ming heard Old Yang knocking on the door.
Before he knew it, it was lunchtime.
The diligent cook had already prepared today's lunch. It was another exquisitely cooked blue trout, with three side dishes, a soup, and sea-grain rice, all brought over in an insulated container.
After training, it was the perfect time to replenish carbohydrates and protein.
Every piece of fish was cooked to perfection. Whether it was pan-fried, grilled, or the fish head used for the soup, everything was exceptionally delicious. This made Shi Ming increasingly satisfied with Old Yang. 'A cook who can master the captain's preferences is a truly good cook.'
BEEP.
BEEP BEEP.
Shi Ming had just swallowed his last piece of fish when the communicator on his desk, silent for a day, rang again.
He picked it up casually.
"Huh, they changed the encryption method?"
"Was that really necessary?"
After a long while spent decrypting it, the new message finally appeared before Shi Ming's eyes.
[Hello, newly appointed captain!]
[This is a well-intentioned warning! The Great Wilderness has learned of his nephew Chunyi's death and has dispatched three subordinate Silver-level Wandering Ships, equipped with a Gold-level "Ship Search Radar," to conduct a grid search of your sea region.]
[These ships have only two objectives: slaughter and recovery.]
[They will reach your sea region in three days at the latest. You must evacuate immediately!]
[Your potential ally.]
Shi Ming frowned.
'A potential ally?'
'Who the hell are you?'
He wasn't worried about retaliation from the Black Society.
The moment he took over this Wandering Ship, he had used its Gold-level Wandering Ship key to brute-force and reconfigure all of the ship's systems, including its remote tracking system.
The Endless Ocean was boundless. The Black Society would need more than just luck to find him.
The reason the Sakura had been able to show up the very next day to "pick up the scraps" was simply because they had been plotting it for a long time. Even the Turtle Island coordinates they'd revealed to Chunyi had been bait.
Even if the Black Society really did find him, he had trump cards he could use to escape.
What puzzled him was the motive of the person who had sent him this warning.
'Is it someone from the Sakura's side?'
'Or a political rival of the Great Wilderness?'