Eternal Night

Chapter 703 Nautical Chart, Permanent Pointer, Compass Clues

"...The ship's core?"

Wu Pifu asked.

The admiral immediately replied, "Yes, sir. Ships that start at level six will condense a core. As long as the core is intact, even if the entire ship explodes and sinks, it can be rebuilt with enough materials. It's just that the experience points need to be accumulated slowly."

Just moments ago, Wu Pifu grabbed the legendary ship Sea Ghost, which was sailing beneath the sea surface. But who knew that the next second the entire Sea Ghost would explode with tremendous force, like a small hydrogen bomb, almost like a small star. Even Wu Pifu's Immortal Martial Arts and Immortal Martial Internal Force were shattered. Then, a heavily injured humanoid figure took the opportunity to escape quickly and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

This situation was beyond Wu Pifu's expectations.

Because he was completely unfamiliar with the ocean currents of this world, he was unable to catch up and could only watch helplessly as the figure disappeared.

However, while that figure may have escaped, the remaining fleet cannot.

Fortunately, after witnessing Wu Pifu's strength, the group decided not to run away.

Xu Shilan asked curiously, "Is the person who was just now the one at the general level?"

Although the admiral found it strange, wasn't this common sense? But he still answered seriously: "Yes, either one's Haki can tear the sky apart, or one's Devil Fruit has reached the awakening stage, or one's sacrificial method can directly pass through the spirits. Reaching this level in any of these three can make one an admiral, or a sea king, or an island lord."

Xu Shilan glanced at Wu Pifu and continued to ask, "What about the Heavenly Phenomenon-level experts? Are they stronger than the three mentioned above?"

The admiral was filled with doubts, but the current situation did not allow him to think or ask too much. He could only honestly say, "Because of the existence of ocean current channels, except for legendary ships that can sail against the ocean currents, all ships can only follow the ocean current channels. However, once there is a Celestial Phenomenon level expert, not only can they sail against the ocean currents, but they can also change the direction of the ocean current channels in a short time, achieving 'freedom' in this world. Because they have changed the celestial phenomena, they can also be called Celestial Phenomenon level experts. This is a legend... I never thought that I would actually see it with my own eyes in my lifetime."

Wu Pifu looked at the sea and immediately seemed to be deep in thought.

Yes, he didn't even think of that.

Since they must sail with the ocean currents, why don't they just change the direction of the currents?
The Earth-Shaking Martial Saint and the Heaven-Shaking Immortal have long since reached the level of the Heaven-Shaking Immortal. When he unleashes his full power, he surpasses even ordinary Heaven-Shaking Immortals. He can even shake the heavens, so what are mere ocean currents?

Seeing Wu Pifu's expression, Xu Shilan immediately knew what Wu Pifu was thinking, but she continued to ask, "Then how did you identify the ocean currents and get to your destination?"

The admiral said, "Nautical charts are used in conjunction with permanent compasses. Nautical charts require the sacrifices and records of generations. The ocean currents may seem ever-changing, but some major currents always exist. The charts mark the major ports and the direction, distance, and location of the major currents. Then there are permanent compasses. In addition to the major currents, the ocean is unpredictable. New currents are constantly being created, or currents are disappearing. That's why permanent compasses are needed. They point to the nearest port and can help identify the direction of the current in which a ship is located."

Xu Shilan knew that this was the most important knowledge in the world, so she didn't hold back: "Give me your most detailed nautical chart, a permanent compass, and then send your navigators to teach me how to use it and how to identify things."

"Yes."

The admiral breathed a sigh of relief and immediately agreed.

Wu Pifu and Xu Shilan are currently on a Tier 5 battleship. The admiral and the entire remaining fleet are as obedient as rabbits. Even though they can receive a significant boost from the battleship while on a Tier 5 battleship, an ant that becomes ten times stronger is still an ant. The kind that can wipe out an entire colony with a single sneeze from a dragon, so how could they dare to make any rash moves?
Wu Pifu saw Xu Shilan go to learn nautical chart reading and the Eternal Pointer skill with the fleet's navigators. Before she left, Xu Shilan winked at him, and he knew what she meant through emotional perception.

Without mincing words, he asked directly, "What do you mean by 'legendary ship'?"

Just as the admiral was about to answer, Wu Pifu asked again, "A compass?"

The admiral was taken aback, his expression turning somewhat grim, but he was still about to answer when Wu Pifu asked again, "A level ten mythical ship?"

The admiral's expression changed drastically. He kept his mouth tightly shut and remained silent. Wu Pifu asked again and again, "Country? Land? Port? Admiral? Celestial Phenomenon-level? Devil Fruit? Sacrifice?..."

A barrage of questions followed, causing the admiral's expression to shift from drastic change to shock, and finally to numbness. Although he remained silent, Wu Pifu nodded to himself and then stopped asking questions, simply standing there waiting for Xu Shilan. About half an hour later, Xu Shilan returned with a smile, carrying a nautical chart and a glass ball the size of a fist. She nodded to Wu Pifu, who then supported her waist, preparing to take flight.

The admiral breathed a sigh of relief. Wu Pifu suddenly looked at him and reached out his hand.

The admiral looked puzzled, and Wu Pifu didn't stand on ceremony, saying directly, "Didn't you throw that thing to me before? But it was just a box. Now give me the thing."

The admiral's face was ashen, but he didn't have the courage to refuse a Celestial Phenomenon-level expert. He could only sadly take out a palm-sized wooden box from his pocket, look at it reluctantly, and finally slowly hand it to Wu Pifu.

Wu Pifu took the wooden box, turned around and took Xu Shilan back to the Gou Dan ship. As soon as they landed, he asked Xu Shilan, "Which direction is the nearest port to us?"

Xu Shilan took out the permanent compass and nautical chart and compared them. The compass immediately pointed in a direction.

Wu Pifu then faced that direction and said to the others and small animals, "Stand still."

Then, a burst of vital energy surged from the top of his head again, and a straight white plume shot into the sky. With his immortal martial arts inner force surging, he tore and pulled at the sea with both hands, and then struck out with a palm in mid-air, transforming into a giant dragon-shaped energy force with a diameter of over a hundred meters.

The dragon-shaped energy surged forward, penetrating directly beneath the sea surface. Instantly, the entire ocean boiled, and the ocean currents beneath the seabed were reversed. The waves carried the Dog Egg straight forward at an astonishing speed, reaching several thousand meters away in a short moment, and then getting further and further away, leaving the remaining fleet far behind.

The Dog Egg sailed forward with the new ocean current for more than an hour. Wu Pifu intended to continue changing the current and sailing forward, but Xu Shilan stopped him.

"Let me first explain the situation of this world so we all have a general idea, and then we'll head to the port to begin our exploration of this dream world," Xu Shilan said.

Wu Pifu nodded.

"This world has no complete landmass, only islands. The largest is a semi-connected archipelago composed of multiple islands. Although there are countries, there are more island city-states centered around ports."

"Besides the inhabited islands, there are also many uninhabited islands scattered throughout this ocean dream world. Most of these uninhabited islands are 'strange,' 'ruins,' 'horror,' or 'disaster.' As for what exactly they are, even the admiral himself is not quite sure."

"At the same time, all parts of the world follow ocean currents, just as we know before. Any ship or other vehicle must follow the ocean currents to move forward, so ships are very important in this world and are the core of everything."

"Ships are divided into ten levels. From the information I've gathered, the strongest ships in an island city-state are generally at level five or six. In an archipelago nation, which we call an Empire, the strongest ships are at level seven or eight. Level eight ships are called sub-legendary ships. The Sea Ghost we just saw was at this level, but because it's a very rare type of ship that's submerged, it's also considered a legendary ship. Then, level nine ships are the true legendary ships. Level ten ships are the legends of this world, known as mythical ships. They are said to be able to carry passengers to the realm of gods, the upper realm, the heavenly realm, etc., where they can obtain eternal life, infinite wealth and power. Anyway, they're just legends."

"There are three supernatural systems in this world: Haki, Devil Fruits, and Sacrifice Techniques. Also, if a supernatural being is on a ship, as long as the ship's owner approves, they can gain a power boost based on the ship's level. The Sea Ghost captain we saw before received the boost from the level eight ship, Sea Ghost."

"To gain the ship's recognition, one must go to the port and have the port's sacrificial superhumans arrange the ship array. Through a grand ceremony, one gains the ship's recognition. Once this is achieved, one becomes the ship's owner. It is said that each person can only have three ships recognize them as their owner in their lifetime."

"The conditions of the contract are much stricter. It requires exploring ancient ruins lost in the endless seas to find the chapter of the contract. Then you can form a contract with a ship. The ship that forms the contract will be able to share the power of the contractor, so that the ship and its owner can share their strength, which will cause a huge qualitative change in their strength."

"Experience points are needed for leveling up. Any ship can be upgraded by changing materials, increasing its size, and optimizing its structure. The maximum level is level seven. The experience points required for each level are different. To reach level eight (sub-legendary) and level nine (legendary), one needs to have a reputation that resounds throughout the sea, making countless people aware of the ship's fame, and achieving legendary battle achievements. Only then can one be upgraded to level eight or nine."

"Finally, there's the compass, which is even more advanced than the permanent pointer. Only level nine legendary ships can generate a unique compass belonging to that ship, possessing incredible and peculiar powers, each with different functions. It's also the core of the ship he just mentioned, and this thing..."

Wu Pifu tossed the wooden box in his hand: "Inside is a fragment of a compass, a core fragment of a level nine ship."

"And the Dream Compass we are looking for may very well be the core of a legendary ship in this world!"

(End of this chapter)