Chapter 374 ·Trading Island of Yellow Sand
Chapter 374: Trading Island of Yellow Sand
“Welcome, my lord.”
When Zhou Ming arrived on the deck, the captain hurriedly led his crew in greeting him.
“Who is in charge?”
After giving them a brief glance, he noticed that quite a few crew members had undergone genetic modification.
However, most of them had only undergone physical enhancement, with nothing worthy of his attention, so he directly asked who was in charge.
“My lord, I am the captain of this cargo ship, the Changhong. You may call me Li Dafu.”
The captain, who had spent more than ten years making a living at sea, respectfully introduced himself. There was none of the imposing manner he had displayed earlier when shouting at his crew.
“I've come traveling from the Alliance, and I'm not very familiar with the situation in the Cloud Mist Sea. Find a quiet place and give me a detailed introduction to the Cloud Mist Sea.”
Zhou Ming did not conceal his origins too much and directly made his request.
“This way, my lord.”
Hearing that the Transcendent before him had come from the Alliance, the captain was not particularly surprised. After all, such a thing had happened before.
Led by Captain Li Dafu, Zhou Ming followed him into the finest cabin aboard the cargo ship, where the captain began introducing the situation of the Cloud Mist Sea.
An hour later, Zhou Ming rode Colorful Scales deeper into the Cloud Mist Sea, and by then he had already gained a general understanding of the region.
Within the Cloud Mist Sea, which spanned several thousand li, there were nearly a hundred islands inhabited by the Blue Star Human Race. Their technological level lagged several decades behind that of the Alliance.
Five major powers jointly ruled these waters.
They were Black Tortoise Island, Black Wind Island, Rainbow Island, Giant Whale Island, and Iron Battleship Island.
Each of these five powers possessed Transcendent experts. Together, they established the Cloud Mist Sea Blue Star Human United Council, abbreviated as the United Council.
It was they who led the Overseas Human Factions to submit to the Tidal Empire, offering various materials unavailable within the Tidal Empire in exchange for the right to survive and receive protection in the Cloud Mist Sea.
In addition, Zhou Ming also learned the reason behind the abnormalities of the Cloud Mist Sea from Captain Li Dafu.
Several centuries ago, a Legendary Vampire Duke from the Night Council had fallen in this sea.
The resentment left behind after his death had lingered over these waters ever since, eventually merging with the very world itself.
As a result, the Sea Beasts of the Cloud Mist Sea became far more frenzied and bloodthirsty, while Beast Tamers found it difficult to advance from Apprentice Beast Tamers to Professional Beast Tamers.
It should be known that the Blue Star Human Race living in the Cloud Mist Sea numbered approximately ten million.
Under normal circumstances, there should have been around one million Apprentice Beast Tamers. However, that was only the ideal figure. In reality, there were only about half that number.
Even so, there should still have been close to two thousand Professional Beast Tamers. Yet in reality, there were only a pitiful seven to eight hundred.
As for Transcendent experts, even when combining all five major powers, there were fewer than twenty publicly known.
That was only because the five major powers monopolized most of the Cloud Mist Sea's resources and had mastered methods of avoiding the effects of the lingering resentment, allowing them to cultivate nearly twenty Transcendent experts.
The reason why the Tidal Empire tolerated the Overseas Human Factions was precisely because the unique environment of the Cloud Mist Sea had already limited their potential for development.
For that very reason, none of the powers in the Cloud Mist Sea prohibited genetic modification. Instead, they also developed a corresponding system.
However, according to the intelligence provided by Captain Li Dafu, the greatest level of power currently obtainable through genetic modification was only comparable to that of a High-tier Sea Beast.
Moreover, reaching that level required undergoing numerous genetic modification procedures. If even one of them failed, the result would be death.
Therefore, the choice made by most people was simply to consume Genetic Enhancement Potions while practicing martial arts, just like the crew members aboard the Changhong.
As for Zhou Ming, he described this type of genetic modification with two words—Puzzle.
Through one genetic modification surgery after another, different pieces of the puzzle were completed. Once the final piece was in place, a qualitative transformation would occur.
Zhou Ming found this unique modification concept highly interesting and intended to study it thoroughly when the opportunity arose.
Even if it proved useless to him personally, it could still enhance the strength of his camp.
For example, people like Lu Tao and the others, after advancing into Snake Blood Guards, could only improve their strength through various combat techniques.
If he could master a puzzle-like genetic modification method, the strength of Snake King Fortress would undergo a qualitative transformation.
As for Yellow Sand Island, where the Trade Fair was held, Zhou Ming had also learned its location from Li Dafu.
It was a barren island near the northern part of the Cloud Mist Sea, covering dozens of square kilometers with relatively flat terrain.
However, because vegetation was sparse and the entire island was covered in yellow sand, no humans lived there.
Following the sea chart provided by Li Dafu, Zhou Ming rode Colorful Scales around the waters controlled by the five major powers and successfully arrived several dozen kilometers away from Yellow Sand Island on the following day.
The once-desolate sea was now filling with ships of every size, gathering toward Yellow Sand Island like flocks of birds returning to their nests.
Because the sea was shrouded in mist, many neighboring ships continuously sounded loud signals to alert one another and avoid accidents.
As the ships approached Yellow Sand Island, they gradually slowed down, eventually forming a moving city upon the sea.
“It seems quite a number of forces have gathered for this Trade Fair.”
However, Zhou Ming also knew that the true protagonists of this Trade Fair were the forces possessing Transcendent experts.
Not wishing to attract attention, he immediately recalled Colorful Scales, who had concealed his aura, into the Beast Space.
This also counted as letting him get some fresh air.
The next moment, Zhou Ming's figure became indistinct before completely disappearing into the mist-covered sea.
Before long, Zhou Ming reappeared on a remote stretch of coastline on Yellow Sand Island.
The scenery surrounding Yellow Sand Island was now clearly visible before him.
Apparently, the force hosting the Trade Fair had employed various methods to keep both Yellow Sand Island and its surrounding coastline free of mist. He guessed that the other inhabited islands were probably the same.
As he walked toward the central region of Yellow Sand Island, all kinds of rugged buildings gradually came into view, most of them constructed from sand and stone.
Even so, the place still radiated a prosperous atmosphere.
“Black Jade Pearl.”
Just as Zhou Ming arrived at a crowded area, a cry of surprise suddenly rang out.
“Whose luck is that good? They actually opened a Black Jade Pearl.”
As the nearby passersby exclaimed, everyone in the vicinity rushed toward a three-story stone building.
“I didn't expect someone here to be running a shell gambling business.”
The moment Zhou Ming heard the words “Black Jade Pearl,” he immediately understood what had happened.
At the bottom of the Cloud Mist Sea grew a special type of shellfish known as the Hundred Spirit Clam.
This shellfish was extremely unique, capable of nurturing pearls of various qualities within its shell.
Ordinary pearls could only be used as ornaments, but some pearls possessed special effects and could even benefit Transcendent experts.
However, before the shell was opened, it was extremely difficult to determine the quality of the pearl inside. Even Transcendent experts could not guarantee a successful appraisal every time, which was precisely why shell gambling had become such a gambling business.