The notes ended abruptly here, with no further information.
It was as if their author had simply vanished.
Although the researcher hadn't written down any years, Shi Ming judged from the history of the Wandering Era that the notebook was at least twenty years old. For it to have survived so long in the humid seaside environment, protected only by a wooden box and a canoe, without a single bit of damage—its material had to be extraordinary.
He had also gleaned a great deal of useful information from the notes, such as details about the Great Flood Era,
and, more importantly, he had confirmed the method for how humans could "awaken"—
By bathing in the blood of a sea beast, one could awaken and inherit its abilities. The blood of different sea beasts would awaken different abilities. The more powerful the beast, the more powerful the awakened ability!
Back in the captain's office, the captain had vaguely hinted that bathing in Beast Blood offered a chance to awaken.
He wouldn't blindly trust the information the captain had given him.
But if another source could corroborate it, its credibility would increase significantly. The notebook author's records did exactly that, serving as the perfect confirmation.
'The potential of this Eye of Intelligence is truly limitless. It can help me so much!'
'I wonder if there are any powerful sea beasts on this island. If there are, with my [Arm of Power], I might be able to beat the captain to the punch and awaken an ability in secret!'
He put the notebook away and marked the canoe's location using a coordinate system so he could find it again quickly. Then, he left the beach and swiftly vanished from the coastline.
It was time to explore this mysterious floating island.
The island's vegetation was lush and diverse, with an abundance of plump berries. And yet, there were no signs of animal life. That's right—there weren't even any insects on the plants or berries!
Overripe berries simply fell to the ground, becoming fertilizer for their parent plants. There were no tracks or droppings from birds or beasts on the ground. Aside from the sound of wind rustling the leaves, it was eerily quiet.
This made Shi Ming all the more vigilant.
He didn't dare eat any of the brightly colored fruit, nor did he need to. The other slaves, however, had no such reservations.
The captain had tacitly permitted them to sample the island's food first.
Whenever Shi Ming ran into other slaves, he saw their mouths smeared with pulp as they greedily devoured the succulent berries. Such a delicacy was a rare treat, and the supply was endless. If they hadn't been risking their lives on this exploration, food like this would have never been for them.
Shi Ming didn't try any, nor did he stop them.
He continued to explore the island cautiously—not for the captain, but for himself.
The system had assigned Shi Ming three tasks.
First, kill three hostile creatures.
Second, awaken.
Third, obtain his own drifting ship.
To complete these three tasks, he had to make the most of this opportunity to explore New Island.
In the blink of an eye, three hours had passed since he set foot on the island.
During those three hours, he had been exploring nonstop, save for a few brief rests.
He had also become the only person to venture this deep into the island.
Caution and diligence were his companions.
Soil, vegetation, terrain, rock composition... he carefully observed every detail. New Island's silence was eerie, and the exploration had been suspiciously easy. This only made him more cautious as he ventured deeper. Finally, the shrubs and trees began to thin out. Near a wide fissure in the rock deep within the island, he caught the faint, foul stench of blood and rot.
He also heard the sound of something squirming.
GURGLE,
GURGLE.
'Something's here!'
He quietly peeked his head over the edge and looked down into the fissure.
The first thing that met his eyes was a sea of fiery red.
Below, in the chasm, was a fiery-red liquid that looked like lava, but he couldn't feel the slightest bit of heat from it.
Then, Shi Ming's gaze fell upon the creatures within the red liquid.
That's right—for the first time on this island, he had seen living animals!
Countless fat worms were swimming and writhing inside!
Each worm was as thick as a baby's arm and would be thirty to forty centimeters long if stretched out. They looked exceptionally plump, practically bursting with fluid.
And near the edge of the "lava" by the rocks, rows upon rows of brown pupae were lined up. Densely packed and stuck to the rock wall, they were still, like items on display. A quick glance revealed there were at least several hundred of them!
Even with Shi Ming's composure, his Adam's apple couldn't help but bob a few times.
A scene like this could easily overwhelm anyone with trypophobia.
Not only that, but clinging to the rock face above the brown cocoons were countless red moths, each the size of a goshawk. The moths had sharp fangs and claws, clearly a species with formidable fighting power. They were all dormant at the moment, appearing to be nocturnal. Shi Ming felt a small sense of relief that it was daytime, and that he had been so cautious.
In such a quiet environment, the slightest disturbance could cause an unnecessary commotion.
Facing so many fanged moths alone would be disastrous.
He fought back his visual discomfort and carefully observed the scene below in the chasm.
Within the red pulp, aside from the worms, he could also see faint white membranes. Beneath the rock where the moths clustered, he could vaguely make out thick, pillar-like objects that looked like giant bones buried in the earth.
Furthermore, the closer he got to the chasm's edge, the stronger the smell of blood and rot became.
It was a familiar smell.
The smell of rot from a large creature's untreated external wound.
He frowned. There were no injured creatures here.
'No, wait. These worms and moths all look like scavengers!'
'Could it be?'
A bold hypothesis formed in his mind.
He tensed his body, lying motionless above the fissure. His pupils focused with extreme alertness as he stared at the place where the rock was split. The layers there were distinct: the top layer was undoubtedly sedimentary soil and rock, but beneath it was a thick, unknown material that didn't match any geological type.
Overall, it looked rather like a giant turtle shell covered in accumulated rock.
'A turtle shell?'
'Membranes? Red liquid?'
'Squirming carrion worms?'
A wild theory surfaced in his mind, feeling more and more real.
'A bold hypothesis requires careful proof!'
'What if this isn't a natural rock fissure, but a wound on the back of some colossal creature—a giant turtle, for instance?'
'Then the red liquid below isn't lava, but a festering, maggot-infested sore.'
'This island might not be an island at all, but...'
In that instant, a fire seemed to ignite in Shi Ming's deep-set eyes. The fiery-red blood markings that snaked from his arm to his chest seemed to radiate an irrepressible yearning...
Xuanwu!!!
The Xuanwu from the notebook—the one the researcher was looking for! It was very likely the island itself!!!
...