Chapter 647 599: The Ocean of Tomorrow (Grand Finale)

Amidst the boundless azure, a common Silver-class ship leisurely sailed across the ocean at a relaxed pace.

The *Tomorrow's Star*.

A young woman in a blue hat walked to the edge of the deck, holding a wooden stick with a pink ribbon in her left hand and a large megaphone in her right.

"Hello, everyone."

"The location we are about to reach is Turtle Island. This isn't an ordinary floating island; it's a living island. It is the slumbering S-class beast, Xuanwu, and there is quite a legendary story about it—"

"A legendary story involving the Grand Patrol Envoy."

The sea breeze was cool and gentle.

The tour guide, using a megaphone, vividly recounted the legend of Black Tortoise Island to the tourists. The ship she was on, the *Tomorrow's Star*, was a tour vessel belonging to a travel agency from the Dragon Country. It was currently the turn of spring and summer, a time when the pleasant sea temperatures made it the busiest season for the tourism industry.

Soon, the *Tomorrow's Star* arrived near Turtle Island.

Led by the tour guide and relevant staff, the tourists disembarked in an orderly fashion onto the living island. Most of them were from the Dragon Country, a mix of seniors over sixty, spirited youths, and wide-eyed children.

The island's ecosystem was very well-preserved.

Just as it had always looked.

However, the hibernating behemoth had never woken up. Biologists confirmed on multiple occasions that it was, in fact, still sleeping peacefully. Not only were there no signs of impending death, but the quality of its sleep seemed to be improving.

"Up ahead is the 'Xuanwu Blood' attraction."

"These blood-red crystals you see are Sea Beast Blood Crystals that formed from Xuanwu's wounds. In the early days of the Wandering Era, a single one of these Xuanwu Blood Crystals was valuable enough to be exchanged for three to five slaves. Of course, there are no longer any slaves on the Endless Ocean. Everyone is equal now, just as they were during the Golden Era on land thirty-five years ago."

For the elders in the group, her words stirred memories of their youth.

The children, however, were less moved by this. One little boy, only about seven years old, reached out his small hand, wanting to touch the red Blood Crystals nearby.

"Miss, I heard these Blood Crystals hold the power of sea beasts! If you get their power, you can awaken awesome skills!"

He blinked his eyes innocently.

The tour guide looked over at him, smiling as she shook her head.

"Xuanwu's power was already absorbed by the Grand Patrol Envoy."

"There's no special power left in its body now, and the residual energy in the Blood Crystals is extremely faint. They can't grant any power-ups. However, every member of our tour group will receive a free 1:1 scale replica of a Blood Crystal as a souvenir. As for becoming an Awakened, the best path is to study, train, and get into the top sky academies established by the Six Great King Ships."

The little boy retracted his hand in disappointment.

The tour continued.

No one noticed that at the very back of the group, a young man of about twenty-four or twenty-five was watching these familiar scenes with rapt interest, seemingly overcome with emotion.

It was as if no one could notice his existence at all.

He stood before the Blood Crystals for a long time before finally looking away.

'The place where the dream began.'

...

...

...

The young man was Shi Ming.

Only five years had passed since he first set foot on Black Tortoise Island. Now, upon his return from the cosmos, the state of the Endless Ocean had changed dramatically.

At first, artificial landmasses were rapidly constructed.

But soon, experience from the cosmos introduced humanity to the more advanced concept of "floating islands." There was no need to destroy or alter the existing marine ecosystems; one only had to look to the sky to embrace a brighter future.

The sea, the land, and the sky islands.

Human civilization hadn't developed in a savage, unrestrained way. Instead, it had naturally conquered the sea, land, and air. A small contingent even turned their gaze toward the vaster universe, yet they didn't rush forward recklessly. Their progress was steady, measured, and incredibly down-to-earth.

After thirty-one years of the Wandering Era, humanity had come to understand what it truly needed.

It wasn't to soar to the heavens overnight.

It wasn't to conquer the universe.

It was the small, certain moments of happiness.

A solid present, a bright and shining future, the motivation to strive, and companionship for the journey—that was more than enough.

...

As waves of emotion washed over him from revisiting an old haunt, Shi Ming took a moment to check on this Xuanwu's fate.

Without any interference, it would end its slumber and begin to awaken in ninety-three years.

"Hahaha."

Shi Ming muttered to himself, 'I wonder if it'll be shocked by its missing power when it wakes up. Will it be vexed that a mighty S-class beast, once a ruler of the seas, has become a human tourist attraction—the mascot of the Endless Ocean?'

But compared to the other S-class sea beasts defeated in battle against humanity, this creature's fate was about as good as it could get.

...

In the Sea of Mist, the sunken *Huangshi* had also been salvaged.

Even with the rapid advancement of technology, this Golden Ship, which had been submerged for many years, could no longer be used. Instead, it had become a museum commemorating the Wandering Era. It was placed by itself on a floating island and, after being restored by the Lighthouse organization, became one of the "New Top Ten Landscapes of the Endless Ocean."

Of course, it no longer resembled its former self from when it was sunk at the bottom of the sea.

Shi Ming traveled east in his canoe, the *Sun-Shooter*.

With his power, he could reach any corner of the Endless Ocean in an instant. But now, he was just an ordinary tourist, piloting a mundane-looking canoe, drifting alone upon the waves.

In the European Sea Region, the splendor of the Titans had never faded. The Pantheon was still visible amid the sparkling waves, standing silently atop Mount Olympus, its peak not far from the sea's surface. Upon its stone pillars and murals were engraved myths from a distant age.

To its north, the Twelve Stars remained as sublime as ever.

Thanks to rapid technological development, "housing prices" on the Twelve Stars had plummeted. The once-exorbitant price of five hundred Pure Dome Crystals no longer held any appeal. Only a few nobles and old money, obsessed with the former glory of the King Ship suites, treated them as collectibles, hoping their value might appreciate with age like fine wine.

But clearly, that was never going to happen.

The Eternal Stele, which represented the highest honor of the Twelve Stars, had already been moved to the floating island *Undying Radiance*. A new name was now engraved upon it: Yize de Albert.

Continuing east from the European Sea Region and past the floating island of Sky Garden over the seas of Mesopotamia, one would find the still-powerful Great Maelstrom. As the only remaining treacherous zone on the Endless Ocean, humanity had decided to preserve it after numerous discussions. Its level of danger was now considered negligible.

Further east was the Sky Vault Pillar.

Mount Everest.

Drifting with a clear mind and relaxed body, time lost all meaning. Before he knew it, it was six in the evening. The light of the setting sun spilled across the sea and the mountain's peak, the magnificent vista of the "sunlit golden mountain" reappearing once more.

"Whew~"

'Back when I was busy, always being pushed from one thing to the next, I never realized the meaning of travel. It's about finding the little details that resonate with your soul.'

'The more weary you are, the more soothing it becomes.'

On the other side of the Sky Vault Pillar, the Sea of Soaring Dragons was as peaceful as ever.

The sun sank into the sea as night began to fall, reflecting the stars on the ocean's surface. Shi Ming leaned back against his wooden canoe, hands pillowed behind his head, gazing at the twinkling night sky. It was as the old poem said: so drunk on the view, one forgets the sky is in the water, the boat of pure dreams sailing upon a river of stars.

He watched, lost in the sight.

The universe was infinite, but only on this ocean could he feel truly free, letting his mind and body go slack without a shred of vigilance, as if he had returned to a safe harbor.

Home is where the heart is.

The *Sun-Shooter* drifted on its own. At some unknown hour of the night, Shi Ming suddenly heard a familiar sound.

He snapped out of his reverie and heard the sound of fireworks coming from an ordinary ship in the distance. He looked up to see colorful explosions rising over the sea, bursting and blossoming into all sorts of shapes. They joined with their reflections on the water's surface, accompanied by the sound of children's heartfelt laughter drifting from the deck.

A moment, and yet an eternity.

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[End of Main Text]

PS: The novel is finished! *tosses confetti* I'll post my closing thoughts in a couple of days. There will still be some extras and an afterword. I'll officially mark the book as "completed" after the afterword is posted. Thank you all for your support on this journey~