On the Endless Sea.
It was already the eighteenth day since Zhao Ya and his group had set out, yet as far as the eye could see, there was still only the boundless and vast ocean.
The sea surface mirrored the sky’s scenery, and sailing through it felt as if the entire world had been destroyed, leaving only this Black Ship, incredibly desolate.
In the control room, Shi Bolong hummed a tune, drinking wine as he sat in a wheelchair.
Beside him, Zhao Ya was studying a thick collection of navigation charts.
Shi Bolong glanced over for a while before he couldn’t help but say, "Sir, this navigation chart collection was added as a bonus when we bought this Black Ship from the Celestial Secret Sect. Most of the information in it is already outdated and doesn’t provide much reference value for our current voyage, so you don’t need to keep looking at it."
For everyone making a living on the Endless Sea, besides the ships, this sea route information concerned their very lives.
It’s no exaggeration to say that a detailed and accurate navigation chart is invaluable.
Especially information about those remote, less-traveled sea routes, which is worth a fortune.
This is because the Endless Sea is incredibly mysterious and perilous, and sailing without any reference can be extremely risky.
Plus, unlike on land, maritime information often changes, which makes navigation data precious.
This navigation chart collection that the Celestial Secret Sect included as a bonus mainly consists of common routes, and given how much time has passed, it’s hardly valuable.
Without lifting his head, Zhao Ya said, "I know, I’m just browsing."
Even though expired nautical information is useless for navigation, it was very useful to Zhao Ya.
He could discern a lot from it.
For instance, the structure of this world and how many worlds those busy sea routes connect.
Hearing this, Shi Bolong smirked but said nothing further.
After looking for a long time, Zhao Ya finally lifted his head and let out a deep breath.
This thick nautical chart collection, which he had read entirely, gave him a deeper understanding of the outside world.
But the more he understood, the more he felt incredulous.
Because this world was truly immense.
Every sea route in this navigation chart connects to numerous worlds, each not smaller than the region Beyond the World, and some prosperous grand worlds are unimaginably vast.
And this was just the tip of the iceberg of the Endless Sea; areas neither recorded nor reached remain unknown.
Therefore, having received complete scientific education, Zhao Ya found it hard to imagine how large a planet must be to support so many worlds.
Logically, planets have a maximum size, beyond which they become stars.
However, Zhao Ya quickly dismissed this thought.
This world obviously couldn’t be measured by the standards of his previous life.
If it could, the Endless Sea alone couldn’t exist.
"Where are we now?" Zhao Ya asked.
Shi Bolong glanced at the positioning on the Water Screen, "We’ve left the no-man’s zone; in a few days, we’ll reach the nearest sea route."
The Black Ship sailed incredibly fast, and coupled with this being an ideal time to set out—with calm winds and no obstacles—it had smoothly sailed out of the Wuyang Sea’s mist.
Since reaching the Endless Sea, they hadn’t met any rampant sea monsters or even large waves, which was why they had left the no-man’s zone so quickly.
"So we’re about to reach the first world, right?" Zhao Ya asked.
"That’s right, let me see what the first world is... Ah, it’s the Lower Mountain Fierce Tiger Realm, a world dominated by Horizontal Body Refining Technique, affiliated with the Great Cheng Garden Treasure Mountain, with mid-low strength," Shi Bolong recited information he clearly knew well.
This was also the reason Zhao Ya hadn’t been in a hurry to eliminate him.
After all, as a Disciple of the Wuyou Longevity Palace who had roamed the sea for so many years, his experience was incredibly rich, far beyond what Zhao Ya could gather by researching.
For instance, now Shi Bolong not only knew what the first world they would reach was, but also its backers, specialties, and strength levels.
This would provide tremendous convenience for future voyages.
Of course, this didn’t mean Zhao Ya was less vigilant of Shi Bolong.
On the contrary, over these days of contact, Zhao Ya’s vigilance towards Shi Bolong hadn’t diminished but increased.
Because the more he got to know him, the more he realized Shi Bolong was no ordinary person.
Not to mention, after Zhao Ya had broken his limbs, Shi Bolong bore no resentment; instead, he spent each day cheerfully sipping wine in his wheelchair.
The very fact that he could endure this showed he was no ordinary person.
Yet Zhao Ya didn’t show hostility; instead, he appeared very friendly, as if he’d relaxed his guard against Shi Bolong.
Shi Bolong behaved similarly.
Both knew each other’s thoughts well, yet they tacitly avoided mentioning it, maintaining the fragile harmony on the surface.
Just then, there was a knock at the door, and the Snake Woman entered with a tray.
"Sir, it’s time to eat!"
"Just put it there."
"Yes!"
The Snake Woman bowed her head respectfully, placing the food on the table before preparing to leave.
At that moment, Shi Bolong manipulated his wheelchair to the table, glanced at the food, then gave a meaningful look at the Snake Woman.