Shi Ming and his group walked to the designated spot on the shore, patiently waiting for the boat that would take them back.
The Drifting Ship would only dispatch a boat to retrieve them if survivors were spotted. If not a single slave made it out alive, the ship's command would execute a different plan, finding more powerful individuals to explore instead.
In less than fifteen minutes, they saw a small boat speeding toward them from the distance.
Meanwhile, on the distant Drifting Ship, the captain lowered his binoculars.
"So, four of them actually made it. Looks like the dangers on the island are still within an acceptable range. That Nailu Ye is a real coward for not daring to come himself." The captain pulled a cigarette from a pouch at his waist and lit it. "COUGH, COUGH... Ptooey! This batch is absolute garbage. Once I've scraped this island's resources clean, I'm buying the highest-grade stuff!"
After a few coughs, the captain called over a crew member.
"Iron Tower went to the island to get those slaves. You go in his place and assemble the entire exploration team. Once the slaves are back with their intelligence report, if the danger is manageable, arrange the landing plan immediately. The longer we wait, the more can go wrong."
It wasn't that the captain was merely impatient; a New Island like this was a hot commodity. Proximity grants priority, and waiting even a single day had been an act of extreme, reluctant patience.
If they delayed any longer, other Drifting Ship factions might catch wind of it and arrive, which would only lead to more conflict.
"Yes."
The captain blew a smoke ring, flicked away the ash that had fallen on him, and stood up to gaze at the distant island.
'I've been patient for far too long. There has to be a sea beast hidden here, one that can allow me to evolve and awaken!'
'Uncle, you fought to get me this Drifting Ship. How can I possibly let you down time and time again?'
'A D-rank skill... it's just not powerful enough. I need a B-rank! Maybe even an A-rank!'
...
At the island's edge, Shi Ming and the others saw that the person coming to pick them up was none other than the exploration team leader.
The fit, capable leader, a man with short hair and thick eyebrows, stepped off the boat and sized up the survivors, his gaze lingering on Shi Ming for an extra moment.
"I'm surprised you actually made it back alive. And uninjured, at that. I hope your intelligence satisfies the captain."
"I'll do my best."
"And I hope my exploration team can gain a new official member," the exploration team leader added.
"That would be my honor."
The scar-faced man standing nearby felt his lip twitch.
'Damn it, he really knows how to kiss up and climb the ladder!'
"All right, get on the boat. The captain is waiting for your report!" The exploration team leader didn't ask about their specific experiences, nor did he even mention if the other five were dead. He simply urged the four of them onto the boat, turned it around, and headed back the way they came.
To him, none of that mattered.
Carrying out the captain's orders was all that mattered.
The exploration team leader stood ramrod-straight on the boat, remaining silent for the entire trip.
It was Shi Ming, however, who broke the silence.
As the other slaves watched, he walked over to the leader's side.
"Leader, this Drifting Ship is huge!"
"Leader, we usually just stay in the dark holds and cabins, so we never get a sense of how big it really is."
"Leader, is every Drifting Ship this large?"
Normally, given the leader's personality, he would never make small talk with slaves.
But he acknowledged Shi Ming's capabilities. This agile young man was far stronger than any of the apprentices he had trained on the Drifting Ship. A sense of appreciation for talent had begun to stir within him. Besides, Shi Ming's questions weren't crossing any lines, so he answered casually.
"You've never seen any of the larger Drifting Ships?"
"Drifting Ships come in all sizes. The largest in the world are as grand as small cities. There are seven of them, each belonging to one of the seven great powers. Ours was a gift to the captain from his uncle; it's considered one of the smaller models."
"A ship this big is still considered small?"
Shi Ming, showing no awareness of his station as a slave, pressed on.
"I've heard the smallest ones are only about the size of a canoe."
"A canoe? Can something like that even survive at sea?"
"You ask too many damn questions. How should I know? I've never seen one."
With that, the conversation came to an abrupt end.
But in just a few sentences, Shi Ming had already extracted the answer he was looking for.
'Drifting Ships come in all sizes, and the smallest are only as big as a canoe!'
'That canoe buried among the reefs on the beach... the one that looked ancient and had a researcher's notebook in it... could it also be a derelict, small-class Drifting Ship?'
...
Even though they were sailing against the wind, the boat was fast. In less than fifteen minutes, they had safely arrived alongside the Drifting Ship.
A crew member on the main deck lowered a rope ladder, and the group climbed up.
As soon as he had steady footing on the deck, Shi Ming saw the captain, first mate, second mate, other officers, and a number of crew members.
They were all gathered on the bow, as if holding a meeting.
"Captain, the four surviving slaves have been brought back."
"Good work."
The captain stepped closer, his hawk-like eyes fixed on Shi Ming and the others.
Shi Ming felt like he was being watched by a predator.
"You four. Report one by one. Give me a detailed account of your time on the island and any intelligence you've gathered."
"You, start."
The captain pointed at the bald slave.
"Huh?"
The bald slave, not expecting to be called on first, began to speak in a rushed, jumbled mess.
He stammered as he reported, recounting every trivial detail from the moment they landed. He described what they did first, where to find fruit trees, which fruits tasted the best...
After listening to him ramble on for some time, the captain frowned.
"You can finish later. Next."
Shi Ming sighed to himself. 'So this is what happens when you're bad at giving a report.'
The scar-faced man was next.
"Captain, we didn't encounter anything unusual during the day, but after nightfall, we were attacked by some kind of creature."
"Oh? What kind of creature? Was it powerful? Give me the details."
The captain's eyebrows twitched.
This was the topic he truly cared about.
The talk of fruits, plants, the rambling log of their landing... others might care, but he didn't!
He only cared about sea beasts!
Seeing he had the captain's interest, the scar-faced man elaborated.
"They're powerful, and there are a lot of them. They're creatures like moths, but as big as washbasins, with sharp fangs. Extremely dangerous! We also brought back the corpse of one."
At this, the scar-faced man glanced at Shi Ming.
It was Shi Ming who had brought back the Bloodthirsty Moth's corpse.
He had deliberately emphasized "we brought back" to try and share the credit.
The captain glanced at Shi Ming. "Give the corpse to the exploration team. You, keep talking."
Shi Ming's expression remained neutral as he handed the large leaf-wrapped corpse of the Bloodthirsty Moth to a nearby crew member.
The scar-faced man shot another glance at Shi Ming before continuing, his own expression unchanging.
"While I was exploring the island, I happened to discover the moths' nest!"
The captain straightened his back.
"Their nest is located on the western side of the island. Through my observations, I discovered they're a nocturnal species. They sleep all day and are inactive, only waking up at night to hunt! This means it's relatively safe to land on the island during the day!"
The bald slave stared at the scar-faced man in astonishment. 'How can you just take credit for the intel our leader discovered!'
Shi Ming, however, remained expressionless.
Right now, he was the fisherman.
"What's more, in that nest... there's a giant mother!"
'Good. The fish has taken the bait.'