I Don't Agree to the Terms

Chapter 662 - 357: The primary quality of a sea ship is its sturdiness, the kind that can’t be smashed.

"Done, if I swing this thing to smash someone, it feels almost as handy as the Azure Dragon," Gu Shanhai said, looking at the palace he had renamed the Five Elements Sect.

The first requirement is it has to be tough, durable enough to bash people without falling apart.

"Next, I’ll randomly pick a poor sap to loan my island to," Gu Shanhai selected a target on the map.

"This one’s not bad, I choose you," he soon spotted an island that looked quite promising—though it was on the small side.

Its shape was the primary appeal—there was a protrusion that seemed perfect for a handle in Gu Shanhai’s hands.

Using a boat just for transport would be a waste; it’d be better if it could double as a weapon.

Not to mention, the Azure Dragon weapon already doubles as an Alchemy Furnace and a toolbox—if Gu Shanhai let an island only serve as a boat and a shield, he’d surely add more functions to it.

With a casual flick of his long sleeve, he swept up a third of his own ship and teleported over.

He couldn’t possibly ride over on Little White, now could he? Little White was currently busy practicing navigation and reading sea charts, as it would be steering the boat soon.

It’s only natural for a mount to take on more duties.

After arriving at the island, the scene bustling before him was quite lively.

"Found you," Gu Shanhai spotted the island’s controller in an instant and easily dispatched him.

Ask? No need for questions—action was all that’s necessary.

After the deed, he was about to dispose of everyone when he felt an invisible force trying to seep into his body; yet, it was blocked by the Magic Domain.

"What’s this?" Gu Shanhai was puzzled but upon analysis, he found this force was actually the island’s control rights.

It was akin to certain rule privileges.

Gu Shanhai reached out to grasp it and sealed it away.

"No wonder there’s been no word of this," Gu Shanhai had no clue that joining the Royal Family would grant him island control abilities, which included but were not limited to rainfall, soil fertility, plant growth, and so forth. In other words, once he was part of the island’s Royal Family, the entire island’s fortunes were in his hands.

However, there was a significant problem; whoever killed a member of the Royal Family would gain this control right. Therefore, any new ruler would guard this secret closely.

Otherwise, it would be like putting themselves into danger.

"Player Island must be the same, though it’s unclear who holds these privileges."

"But then again, where does this miraculous power to control islands come from?" Gu Shanhai wondered.

"Could it be this power that’s blocking signals from the Ocean God?"

There were many questions in Gu Shanhai’s mind, but no matter, he would have plenty of time to research.

He then directly transferred the control rights to his own palace.

That’s right, not onto himself; the origin of this thing was unclear, just like the Divine beings. Why keep it on himself?

Of course, it’s better placed on the ship—this way, nothing would affect him directly, and he could research it using his control over the ship.

The fusion process went smoothly.

"So that’s how it is. No wonder the Royal Family needs the locals."

Gu Shanhai also found out that using these privileges wasn’t without cost; it depended on the locals to provide energy. Each use of a privilege demanded different energies, so the more locals there were, the more energy the Royal Family gained, and the more powerful the privileges and functions they could wield.

"The idea is nice, but it’s a pity these islands are like chicken scraps - not significant enough to make it to the big table."

If it were a continent rather than islands, they would truly be useful. Gu Shanhai had calculated that in this world, the largest island would only be around five hundred thousand square kilometers, which was indeed enough to sustain the locals. But to support the Transcendent was wishful thinking.

The Transcendent are mostly retired and require vast resources, so each island can only support a limited amount, insufficient to form an effective force.

The real bulk of resources came from the sea.

Some members of the Royal Family tried to develop the sea too, but of course, they didn’t succeed.

Gu Shanhai knew the reason; the Royals couldn’t venture into the sea. That’s right, once you’re a member of the Royal Family, stepping into the ocean meant that even a whiff of sea breeze could be deadly, and if they fell into the water, they likely couldn’t get up and would be swallowed by the sea.

It seemed like a side effect of obtaining the island privileges.

It was nearly the same for the locals, as they had renounced their sea identity. If they were to re-enter the sea, similar fates would befall them.

Sea dwellers adrift had far fewer restrictions but were each ambitious. The Royal Family didn’t dare use them; without means to control these sea dwellers, the sea folk could offer Tribute to the Ocean God and obtain various magical powers to become Transcendent.

However, that’s not to say they were entirely defenseless; the Royal Family could bestow the power of the island on the locals to make them Transcendent, but the required energy was simply too great.

Infusing the power of the island wasn’t a leap to the skies but a need for multiple layers to gradually get stronger.

"Besides being able to block signals from the Divine, the rest seem rather insubstantial. It seems the island’s secrets are no match for the existence of the Divine."

Through his observations, Gu Shanhai identified several problems, and thus, it was the sea rather than the islands that constituted the mainstream. The islands were merely waypoints for the sea dwellers.