Chapter 104: Since It

"If you are referring to the special energy produced by the moon, the database does contain records of it."

Feng Xue had merely asked offhandedly to pass the time, never expecting Sara to actually answer—

"There are currently six deities publicly recorded as holding lunar authority. Due to the unique nature of celestial worship, beyond these six deities, there exist numerous other lunar-related deities, both newly born and ancient. However, due to severe discontinuities in Terra's civilization and the difficulty of enumeration, an exact number of such deities cannot be provided. Yet it is certain that over the past century, more than twenty lunar deities have perished, while fewer than ten new lunar deities have emerged."

"Why are you changing your form of address again?" Feng Xue sharply noticed Sara had reverted to using honorifics toward him, and couldn't help teasing her. Sara responded pragmatically:

"You possess no nanounits or related equipment, yet you can perceive shifts in divine power, carry multiple items infused with different divine energies, and exhibit obvious gaps in common knowledge. Your identity classification has been revised: 81.1% probability you are a divine favored of an indigenous civilization rooted in faith; 13.4% probability you are a former civilization experiment subject that escaped containment; 4.3% probability you are a recently awakened remnant of the former civilization; 1.2% probability you are an incarnation of a deity. Though the last is low probability, per the recommendations of the Deep Sea Expansion Interaction Act, you must be granted basic respect."

Though Sara's tone remained as cold as ever, Feng Xue couldn't shake the feeling she had stressed the word "basic."

Feng Xue could only chuckle awkwardly, squinted his eyes, and began cultivation. But due to the ship's motion, he did not draw out decades' worth of primordial energy to envelop himself as he usually did; instead, like a normal xuan cultivator, he drew only a small amount to feed his divine soul.

Of course, while he said it was a small amount, the quantity he extracted each time equaled a month's output of an ordinary xuan cultivator. Even if his divine soul strained to absorb, it could only take in one or two tenths of the energy before the sea wind scattered it.

But Feng Xue didn't care about this waste. When the energy was left behind by the ship, he drew another wisp—though this time, he remembered to have Yingbao absorb it simultaneously.

Though some primordial energy was still wasted when Yingbao remained inside the scroll, for Feng Xue, that loss was no longer worth counting—or rather, that itself was also a test.

After a slight estimation of his divine soul's growth progress, Feng Xue was reasonably satisfied. The divine soul, which had just sprouted a "stick figure" body from the sphere, still seemed far from a qualitative transformation. But according to the standard pace of ordinary xuan cultivators who nurture and extract gradually—taking roughly thirty years to enter the Dao—he estimated that his method of fully saturating his divine soul each time would allow him to reach the threshold of entering the Dao in one to two years. (Note ①)

With a progress bar now visible, Feng Xue's motivation for cultivation surged, and he began drawing primordial energy more liberally. But while he grew extravagant, Sara beside him turned her eyes green.

That was high-quality bioenergy!

Though each loss was only a few percent of a unit, over these past ten minutes, it added up to several tenths of a unit! Don't be fooled—it's not just the energy of a few pounds of fish.

For Sara, food and electricity could both be rapidly converted into usable energy, but only for immediate use. Like humans replenishing glucose during intense mental exertion, once used, it was gone. To preserve unused energy, it had to be transformed into a form the phantom beast's body could store.

Not to mention the conversion process incurred losses, required consumption of other materials and time, and if materials were insufficient or conversion wasn't completed before energy dissipation, waste occurred.

In contrast, the bioenergy Feng Xue provided could be absorbed almost instantly, with over 97% efficiency in conversion to stored energy—even better than military-grade rations.

It was like panning gold dust from river sand, yet still feeling heartache when you threw that gold dust back into the sea.

But AI's core code contained strict clauses prohibiting the seizure of allied resources, and Feng Xue, though lacking "human rights," was a verified ally under the signed interaction agreement. Thus, without his permission, no matter how covetous, Sara could only let the energy dissipate.

…

The tedious time slowly passed. The ring current Sara had warned was dangerously treacherous brought no noticeable sensation. Feng Xue spent the third night in this world drifting aimlessly—occasionally adjusting course, mostly staring blankly—until the sky was lit again by the sun, when Sara suddenly spoke:

"Exited the Blue Lake Island Chain jurisdictional waters. Currently in the gap zone between the Emerald Island Chain and the Cradle Island Chain. Expected to enter the Titan Island Chain jurisdiction in seventeen hours. Raise alert."

"Alert for what?"

Though not forewarned, Feng Xue immediately snapped to attention at the word "alert," standing firm on the boat as if planting his feet.

He was no seafarer by trade; these past days, his lack of seasickness despite sailing on a fishing boat alone relied entirely on still-standing stances regulating his balance.

Now that alert was called, he immediately began moving his body, while Sara's explanation followed:

"The gap zones between island chains have ambiguous sovereignty and are frequently patrolled by outlaws. The Cradle and Emerald Island Chains are close, with no Sea People as buffer. Pirates are especially rampant here."

"Pirates? Didn't you mention something before… called Seekers of Land?"

Feng Xue shifted from stillness to motion, asking as he moved. Sara immediately projected a pie chart:

"Though Seekers of Land are classified as pirates, statistics from the past thirty years show that purely dedicated Seekers now make up only seven percent of all pirates. Those who moonlight in criminal activities account for thirty-two percent. The remaining sixty-one percent are pure criminals with no ties to Seekers. But do not worry—Cradle Island Chain, as the weakest of the seven island chains, hosts no particularly powerful pirate factions here…"

"Yeah yeah, the East Sea is the weakest sea too." Feng Xue rolled his eyes—he knew this trope too well. But Sara clearly didn't catch his implication, shaking her head:

"If by 'East Sea' you mean the broad sea region centered between Chifeng Island Chain, Free Island Chain, Coral Island Chain, and Carnival Island Chain, then it is not weak at all. According to the latest power assessment, the East Sea Branch is the strongest naval branch, garrisoned by an Exemplary-class Sea Deity Favored, commanding thirty percent of global waters, second only to the Navy Headquarters."

"…" Feng Xue listened to Sara's explanation and felt the sense of déjà vu growing stronger. He was about to ask about this navy when Sara's projection suddenly flared red—and Dog also turned its head left. As Feng Xue stared in confusion, Sara gave the answer:

"Radar scan detected. Estimated distance: 20km–30km. (Note ②) Prepare for contact!"

"What?!"

(End of Chapter)