Chapter 416: Chapter 408: King Ship Summit
On the Emergency Life-saving Island, simple tents had been erected.
Shi Ming and the core figures of the six great King-level Wandering Ships sat around a round table, beginning a rare "King Ship Summit"—an event seldom seen since the start of the Wandering Era.
The last time these Founders had all gathered was thirty years ago.
The setup inside the tent was very simple.
One table,
seven chairs.
Including recorders and the personal guards or secretaries of the various Founders, a mere fifteen people were participating in the meeting. There were no additional security measures.
But without a doubt, this was the most secure meeting in the Endless Ocean.
There were at least seven S-rank Awakened within the tent. No organization or beast would dare to challenge them. Even if the number one S-rank beast, possessor of the [Desperate Celestial Kingdom], were to attack, it would be a one-way trip, serving up its core on a silver platter.
With the exception of [Lighthouse] and [Black Gold], all the other King-level Wandering Ships had their Founders attending in person, each bringing a single attendant or assistant. Not every Founder was a powerful S-rank Awakened, but all of their attendants were.
This made Shi Ming’s Eye of Destiny particularly active today.
[S-Rank Skill: Chronicle of Ages, Rank 9...]
[S-Rank Skill: Eclipse Moon Image, Rank 35...]
[S-Rank Skill: Terminal Bloom, Rank 21...]
[S-Rank Skill: Dark Forest, Rank 46...]
[...]
Representing [Da Yu] was still Elder Zhou. Accompanying him to the meeting this time was a newly Awakened named Luo Jian, who had been bathed in the blood of the Moonlight Ripple Beast slain by Shi Ming and Rong Bing. He was a young warrior from a wild ship background, now only seventeen years old. Even before Awakening, his physical constitution had far surpassed that of an ordinary person.
As for [Twelve Stars], Abraham also brought a brand-new face. The Wooden Guard who possessed the "Pupil of Evil" skill did not come. Following behind him was a young, blonde woman whose skill was [Terminal Bloom]. She was a hidden S-rank Awakened from the Twelve Stars who specialized in healing and would provide some necessary assistance to Fire Seed on this trip.
The representative from the Africa Sea Area’s [Black Gold] was still their Second Commander, Xivier. Although the First Commander and Founder, Beyoncé, had returned, she had been away from maritime affairs for many years, so Xivier remained in charge of major political matters.
Attending from the Ice Sea’s [Katyusha] was its Founder and Legendary Armament Chief, Vladimir. The story of this leader was known by all in the Endless Ice Sea, and even across the entire ocean. Under his leadership, Big Ivan’s countless wandering ships were a unified, ironclad bloc in the Zero-Degree Ice Sea. He was accompanied by Katyusha’s strongest expert, Petrovsky, an S-rank Awakened who possessed the skill [Chronicle of Ages].
As for [Lighthouse], Trellin had already stepped down as Chief Governor. The one attending the meeting this time was their new Governor, Anatoli. Standing behind him was the Awakened codenamed "Angel," Olivia Angela.
Finally, [Fire Seed] was the host.
The King-level Wandering Ship, Fire Seed, had sunk, but the spirit of Fire Seed lived on.
There were three main topics on the agenda for this summit, all of them matters of the highest priority in the Endless Ocean. Shi Ming had refused the seat of chairman, but he was unquestionably the core of the meeting.
First, "the Net" had been severely damaged.
Although it could still slightly influence its derivative sub-terminals, its effectiveness was greatly diminished. This meant the Celestial Net System could collapse at any moment.
In the long run, this was undoubtedly a good thing.
However, it was important to note that for certain unruly elements, the Damocles’ Sword hanging over their heads had vanished. In the short term, order on the Endless Ocean might become unstable. Therefore, in the coming period, Shi Ming needed the major King-level Wandering Ships to step up and assume their duty to maintain stability.
The ruling power of the King Ships had already far surpassed what it was in the early days of the Wandering Era.
Even without the Celestial Net, they now barely possessed the ability to establish and control a new order, as well as to supervise and punish. Once the sea beasts were further culled and hunted, and maritime infrastructure was restored, a new era would arrive as scheduled.
Second, joining forces to deal with the crisis of the Unceasing Water.
In this regard, intelligence support was paramount.
Shi Ming presented some information he had gathered from the Nirvana. Of course, he had also mixed in some extra intelligence obtained from his Eye of Destiny. This allowed him to use the Nirvana as a plausible source for the information without revealing his ability.
"Everyone,"
"This is the data I retrieved from the Nirvana."
"Thanks to the help of Black Gold Commander Beyoncé, I was able to translate it."
"First, we need to understand that the formation of the Endless Ocean was no accident. Thirty years ago, Rui Liang of the Dark Star Race, the captain of Wandering Ship 001, activated the Unceasing Water. This revived the wondrous object from its slumber, causing its power to erupt, drastically affecting the climate and resulting in continuous torrential rains and massive floods."
"The growth of the Unceasing Water is exponential."
"It’s estimated that in thirty years, it will have a massive impact on the ocean’s ecosystem. Fifty years from now, the situation will have become irreversibly dire. To solve this problem, we need to find a substance or energy that can counteract it, to neutralize or seal the Unceasing Water’s volatility and return it to a state of dormancy."
Shi Ming only revealed the "damming it" approach.
He didn’t mention "bailing it out."
This wasn’t an attempt to conceal intelligence.
The "bailing it out" route had already been opened up and would serve as a guaranteed fallback plan; there was no need for the major King Ship factions to waste their efforts on it. The "damming it" path, on the other hand, relied more on scientific research capabilities. The King Ships’ research institutes had a far greater advantage in this area than Shi Ming. Focusing all their power on one path made it easier to achieve a different kind of breakthrough.
Besides, only when faced with a crisis can humanity cooperate to the fullest and unleash its infinite potential.
"Thirty years ago, we had a vague feeling that Rui Liang might have ulterior motives. Therefore, we each continued with our own research projects without stopping. Da Yu, holding a geographical advantage, even established the Xirang Research Institute on Mount Everest. The [Artificial Earth] project has also achieved some results,"
said Zhou Huaijin, who was dressed in a formal Tang suit.
"It’s just that our understanding of the true Unceasing Water is still insufficient."
Shi Ming took out six small vials.
"This is the [Source Water] of the Unceasing Water, which I collected from deep within the Earth’s Lung. Its composition is fundamentally similar to the seawater that fills Da Yu’s Jiuzhou Platform, but it is far more concentrated. You could call it liquefied Pure Dome Crystal."
"Artificial Earth is a good direction."
"But there is also significant room for improvement."
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