When someone had mentioned a Mysterious-Iron Sailboat, silence descended on the port as everyone stared intently at the approaching fleet.
âA Mysterious-Iron Sailboat?â
âImpossible!â
To small Guilds and adventurer teams, sailboats were unattainable treasures, but that wasnât the case for the major powers on Starfall Island. Ordinary sailboats were nothing special, and Bronze Sailboats, at most, would earn a surprised glance.
For major powers, it was only a matter of time before they had their own Bronze Sailboats. Many of them already had clues and information that would lead to Bronze Sailboats, and as long as they had the strength and were willing to put in the time and resources to follow these clues, it wouldnât be difficult to secure a Bronze Sailboat.
Otherwise, so many powers wouldnât have acquired their own by now.
However, Mysterious-Iron ranked Sailboats were an entirely different story.
Not one power had found a single clue pertaining to Mysterious-Iron Sailboatsâ locations, much less acquired one. Although there was only one rank between a Mysterious-Iron Sailboat and a Bronze Sailboat, the difference between the two boatsâ strength was like the difference between heaven and earth.
A Bronze Sailboat had slightly stronger defense and firepower than an ordinary sailboat, but at Mysterious-Iron rank, its defense would undergo a qualitative transformation. At that point, a sailboat could block Great Lord ranked sea monstersâ attacks without losing any durability.
As players explored higher-level sea zones, theyâd encounter Great Lord ranked sea monsters more frequently.
Coming across two or three Great Lords at a time might not be an issue, but even a Bronze Sailboat would lose some durability during a fight with five or six Great Lords. Without multiple ships, long journeys at sea would be impossible, as would exploring dangerous sea zones.
âCrap! It really is a Mysterious-Iron Sailboat!â
âA Mysterious-Iron Sailboat! Our Guild could practically move unhindered through a Level 100 sea zone if we had one of those!â
âAmazing! Whose fleet is that? They actually sent a Mysterious-Iron Sailboat to lead it!â
The various major powers couldnât help their shock and curiosity as they watched the gradually approaching Storm Sailboat. Aside from the up-and-coming superpower, Giantâs Heart, they hadnât expected another power with the ability to field a Mysterious-Iron Sailboat to participate in this meeting on Starfall Island.
The Storm Sailboat glided to a stop by one of the portâs docks while the representatives quietly chatted amongst themselves.
As Immortal Lightâs members stepped onto the dock, many players quickly recognized Sinned Heart. His arrival caused an instant sensation at the port.
âSinned Heart? That Mysterious-Iron Sailboat belongs to Immortal Light?â
âImpossible! How can a Guild like Immortal Light have a Mysterious-Iron Sailboat? Our Guild has thoroughly investigated Immortal Light. That Guild doesnât even have a Bronze Sailboat, much less a Mysterious-Iron Sailboat!â
The various major powers that had cooperated with the Freedom Alliance for a while knew, more or less, details about their competitors, especially the powers that were on friendly terms with the Freedom Allianceâs upper echelons. Since Immortal Light received 10% of the Freedom Allianceâs resources, the other powers had paid particularly close attention to the Guild. Thus, all of these representatives knew how powerful Immortal Light was as a Guild.
However, none of them knew how to rationalize the Storm Sailboat they saw before them.
âNo, thatâs not it! I donât see Immortal Lightâs Guild Emblem on the sailboat!â It wasnât long before one of the players noticed something amiss. âMoreover, the person beside Sinned Heart looks like Zero Wingâs Ye Feng!â
The declaration inspired everyone to take a closer look at the player accompanying Immortal Heartâs Guild Leader.
âItâs true! Thatâs Zero Wingâs Ye Feng! If thatâs the case, then the Storm Sailboat must be Zero Wingâs.â
âZero Wing is stronger than even the rumors have made it out to be. It actually possesses a Mysterious-Iron Sailboat.â
âIt seems Immortal Light has come prepared!â
âSo what if Immortal Light has Zero Wingâs support? Strength is everything on the ocean, and Zero Wing is only a pseudo-superpower on land. How could it possibly contend with naval Guilds like ours?â
The various representatives sneered at Shi Feng and Immortal Lightâs members.
The status quo wasnât the same as it had been at sea. In the past, a powerful ship had been a significant asset to a power. After all, the various naval powers barely had enough ships to form a full fleet back then. However, even third- rate powers had their own fleets by now, not to mention first-rate powers.
âSo, thatâs the rumored Zero Wing? I hadnât expected it to have a Mysterious-Iron Sailboat as well. Itâs no wonder why it dared to provoke War Blood on Dragonheart Island,â a tall, handsome man some distance away from the port stated.
The man wore Giantâs Heartâs Guild Emblem, and a hint of interest flashed in his eyes when he saw the Storm Sailboat.
âA Mysterious-Iron Sailboat is quite powerful, but unfortunately, itâll at most offer some convenience when grinding sea monsters. A single Mysterious-Iron Sailboat isnât enough to affect the power struggle at sea,â a blue-haired woman added indifferently. âMoreover, Zero Wing has provoked Starlink, which Old Undying has nurtured. Its future is quite bleak.â
Although Zero Wingâs Storm Sailboat had indeed caused quite a commotion at Starfall Islandâs port, it was only a minor interlude to the Freedom Allianceâs announcement regarding how it would redistribute its resources among its partners.
Following which, the Freedom Allianceâs members guided the various representatives to a reception room in the Freedom Allianceâs Residence on Starfall Island. Once everyone had arrived, the Freedom Allianceâs twelve commanders entered and took their seats on the stage at the front of the room.
These expertsâ standards had clearly improved since the last time Shi Feng had attended one of the Freedom Allianceâs meetings. This was especially true for the First Fleetâs representatives, who sat in the center of the stage. Although the First Fleet had only sent two representatives, both were apex experts. The middle-aged man, the First Fleetâs commander, was particularly powerful.
The First Fleetâs commander only looked to be around 40, but Shi Feng could sense a wild energy deep within the man. He felt like a veteran mercenary that had seen countless battlefields before. He was also a Level 97 Berserker.
A young man with short hair stood behind the commander. The Assassin youth radiated a chilling aura, and even Sinned Heart, who sat quite a distance away, felt an intense pressure from this youth.
These two people alone would be more than enough to give the various superpowers a huge headache. It was no wonder why Silent Entropy, Passing Monarch, and the Freedom Allianceâs other commanders had been overtaken.
âSince everyoneâs here, Iâd like to begin with discussing our resource redistribution,â Flame Robber, the First Fleetâs commander, said as he swept his gaze over the gathered players. âThe resources under the Freedom Allianceâs control have changed, and more powers have begun to target us. Hence, we have decided to reexamine our current partnersâ strength to ensure the safety of our future benefits.
âThe method we will use to determine your strength is simple. We have stored some precious, non-bag space materials on Starfall Island, and weâd like you to deliver these materials to the Chaos Seaâs Ghost City. As long as you arrive safely with the materials, you will pass the test.â
The various representativesâ expressions twisted when they heard Flame Robberâs announcement. Even Sinned Heartâs expression turned dark.
Godâs Domainâs dark forces ruled over the Chaos Sea, and the players in the area were lunatics who only thought of slaughter. Dark Players in the Chaos Sea were particularly powerful; some of them could even control sea monsters, using them as tools for transportation and combat. In the Chaos Sea, even an expert fleet would suffer tremendously, and some would simply be annihilated. Most of the various superpowers tried to avoid the sea zone at all costs.
If Immortal Light, a Guild that was barely considered a first-rate power on land, tried to sail through the Chaos Sea, it was almost guaranteed that the journey would be a one-way trip.
âFlame Robber mustâve lost his mind, Big Sis Leaves! He actually set up such a brutal test! If we agree to this, weâll lose over 80% of our partners, including many of his own supporters! What is he thinking?â a Level 96 female Cleric asked from her seat with the Fourth Fleetâs members. As far as she was concerned, Flame Robberâs decision might weaken the other fleetsâ influence in the Freedom Alliance, but it would also weaken First Fleetâs.
âNo, he hasnât gone mad. Iâm afraid that Passing Monarch will get hit the hardest with this decision,â Hundred Leaves, the Fourth Fleetâs current commander, said as she watched Passing Monarch, who wore a similarly ugly expression. At the same time, she couldnât help but applaud Flame Robberâs determination. âPassing Monarchâs fleet consists of independent adventurer teams, none of which have any background or support from major corporations. Passing Monarch has gone to great lengths to strengthen Immortal Light as his supporter, but after this redistribution, heâll lose the Guild. If thatâs the case, Passing Monarch might also lose his position among the top five fleets in the Freedom Alliance during the next resource competition.â
While most of the Freedom Allianceâs fleet commanders celebrated Passing Monarchâs misfortune, the tall, handsome man from Giantâs Heart, who sat with the other representatives, shifted his gaze toward Shi Feng.
âWhat a pity. I had hoped I would get to see the power of a Mysterious-Iron Sailboat, but it seems that wonât be the case,â the handsome man said, sighing.
âI told you that a single ship means nothing at sea,â the blue-haired woman said, rolling her eyes. âLetâs get moving. Once the sun sets, the Chaos Sea will become far more dangerous.â
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The handsome man fell silent and followed his companion out of the reception room.
The other first-rate powers began to move, as well. They might not be a match for the various naval superpowers and wouldnât survive a direct clash with the Chaos Seaâs Dark Players, but if they were careful and lucky, they could pass this test.
âBrother Ye Feng, it seems this trip has been a waste of your time. I hadnât expected the Freedom Alliance to set up such a vicious test. However, I still intend to try. The Chaos Sea is the dark forcesâ territory, but with how vast it is, I might be able to avoid Dark Players if Iâm lucky,â Sinned Heart said, gritting his teeth. The Freedom Allianceâs resources were too important for Immortal Light to give up. He had to take this risk and try to pass the test.
âYou donât need to take everything on yourself, Brother Heart. Zero Wing is Immortal Lightâs major shareholder, and this matter involves resources that my Guild requires. Naturally, Zero Wing will participate as well,â Shi Feng declared, shaking his head. He then glanced at Flame Robber, who had stood and was about to leave the room.
Flame Robber had certainly played his cards well. Unfortunately, he had chosen the wrong opponent.