Chapter 1764: Chapter 347: The Harsher the Living Conditions, the Better the Life
"So, I was once truly the lord of Far Shore Island?"
Under the sea, Ian awoke from the illusion, whispering to himself.
This time, the illusion didnât last long and only consisted of a few scenes, allowing him to detach from it quickly.
But even just a few scenes greatly surprised Ian... Actually, it wasnât entirely unexpected, after all, Ian had guessed this possibility.
He was even called Chehalorvo by the Azure Star, proving that that âIanâ never claimed Silverpeak Domain, nor even Harrison Port.
This was quite interesting, as Ian recalled and sensed, then understood the reason.
Apparently, this Ian didnât defeat the Worm Nest in the South Sea Great Labyrinth, nor chose to become the Nest Master in this world line.
Supposedly, he was still in the period of looking for methods to conquer the Worm Nest.
Eventually, Harrison Port was destroyed by the spreading Worm Nest, and Embrace Light Archbishop intervened, turning the entirety of Harrison Port and the surrounding Great Redwood Forest into a sea of flame, while The Empire deployed three legions to clear the Southern Sea.
Only Ian remained, and along with the survivors like Green Tide, they came to Whale Song Cliff, wandering ceaselessly, and were ultimately hired by the urgently understaffed Far Shore Island. After numerous adventurous battles, he caught the attention of Azure Star and became the disciple of this generationâs Far Shore Island Fifth Energy Level powerhouse, Gride.
The Fifth Energy Level of Far Shore Island is rather unique; it doesnât limit any inheritance, whether bloodline or true form. The only requirement is strong spirit energy talent, and then to inherit the âAzure Starâs Crown,â which is the foundation of Far Shore Islandâs master throne.
Compared to bloodline true form, the master throne of spirit energy inheritance wins by not needing to cultivate offspring. As long as there is an individual in your faction meeting the criteria, they can inherit it.
Moreover, strong spirit energy can see through minds, and any qualified inheritor can generally be trusted with the inheritance, not to mention that spirit energy users with firm mindsets rarely deviate from their original intentions and devote themselves wholeheartedly to leading Far Shore Island in persistent construction and strengthening their side.
Indeed, some believe that the Azure Starâs Crown carries the powerful spirit energy suggestion of the previous generations of Far Shore Islandâs Fifth Energy Level, and regardless of who it is, as long as they meet the criteria and wear the Azure Starâs Crown, they are twisted into a perfect Philosopher King, striving for Far Shore Islandâs future.
"Itâs becoming more alike."
Ian thought so. If crossing space-time inheritance was technology freeloaded from the City of Knowledge, then brainwashing himself, memory alteration, and the screening of critical belief nodes most likely originated from the Azure Starâs Crown?
The Guiding Star being a crown is likely because of the Azure Starâs Crown.
But it doesnât matter; anyway, Iâve freeloaded plenty enough stuff. If I had to delve into it, perhaps Iâve visited and taken charge as the leader of every country in the Whole Terra.
Besides...
Master of Illusions?
Illusions, spirit energy... and combined with the Domain of Void being known in former era civilization as âIllusion Realmâ... Ian couldnât help but speculate.
For others on Terra Continent, it might be hard to imagine; however, for Ian from the Star Era, whether itâs the Dreaming Potion or Azure Starâs final mention of the Master of Illusions, it leads him to one possibility.
"Could it be that Far Shore Island, to alleviate population pressure, allows people to fall asleep and live in the Domain of Void? Since not everyone possesses a soul, nor does my Heart of Terra imprint everyone to connect and enter the Domain of Void from the start, they require the catalysis of the Dreaming Potion?"
Ian guessed so, quietly waiting for Azure Star to leave in the distant sea.
Along the coast of Far Shore Island.
"Are you saying a Crystal Dragon followed us all the way and only left near the shore?"
The Fourth Energy Level powerhouse Dark Vortex had yet to return, and the fleet commander was shocked upon hearing Azure Starâs hint: "For that Glazed-Glass Dragon to follow us all the way without us noticing? Impossible, itâs at most Third Energy Level; the Origin Matter Radar couldnât have failed to detect it..."
[Itâs not a big deal.]
On this, Azure Star seemed rather unfazed: [Itâs likely an Imperial agent, possessing special prowess in stealth and tracking isnât unusual.]
[Not to mention, what you hold indeed attracts dragons.]
Saying this, Azure Star raised her hand, looking at the stream of light preserved in a crystal box.
This spirited woman with ice-blue hair and light-purple eyes sighed: [Seeds of Terra... the most crucial âEcological Seedâ to activate the âEcological Transformation Deviceâ... If operated properly, it can convert a planet into an ecological seed with Terraâs environment.]
[Itâs more than enough to transform a New Continent. Finally, our Far Shore Island can acquire land of its own!]
The fleet returned to port, and Azure Star, with the Seeds of Terra authority in hand, headed back to the island.
After confirming the absence of danger, Ian took a detour and slowly approached the port on the other side of Far Shore Island.
This is a civilian port, with clusters of ships filling the calm waters on both sides of the port, forming two markets. From afar, the blue sea surface appears to be covered with a thin layer of white steel, reflecting a faint glow under the moonlight, exhibiting a serene beauty.
Suppressing his presence, Ianâs glazed scales camouflaged like a chameleon to mimic the texture of the seawater, slowly approaching the port.
Upon direct observation, Ian found that the living conditions on Far Shore Island were indeed extremely harsh, far exceeding his imagination.
In the center of Far Shore Island stands Mount Sudante, a supervolcano that reaches a height of 5,700 meters. The massive mountain range divides the entire Far Shore Island into east and west, and this supervolcano is not dormant; it is âerupting.â
Yes, since a thousand years ago, this volcano has always been in a state of âgreat eruption.â Back then, the ancestors of Far Shore Island suppressed it with the support of major forces on Terra, and the uplifted crustal plates that were about to burst formed todayâs Far Shore Island.
It sounds a million times more terrifying than standing over a nuclear warhead. If this thing were to explode, it wouldnât just be a pimple on the face of Terra Planet; it would be monkeypox or a boil. If it were the primitive era, the mantle pillar beneath Far Shore Island could perhaps create an entirely new continent, or at least an archipelago.
Today, however, Mount Sudante is restrained. Half of the mountain is covered by a metal structure, and the lava rivers gushing out from its crater are the source of the âhigh-energy origin rock minesâ extracted by Far Shore Island. These are aggregates of various origin quality minerals from the planetâs mantle, which, when refined slightly, become precious sublimation raw ores.
Although residents live on this perilous island because of the mantle pillar, they gain vast amounts of materials due to the terrain. If not for this, Far Shore Island could never have built a massive fleet comparable to, or even surpassing, the Seven Cities Alliance of Fiery Flame Land with the power of a single island.
The entire island, due to frequent terrain changes that make deep mineral veins protrude, is essentially a large mining area.
To obtain resources, the residents of Far Shore Island live along the coast regularly, entering the islandâs depths when necessary, mining veins while braving extreme heat, oxygen shortage, terrain collapse, and lava eruptions.
The temperature inland is also extremely terrifying. Ian sensed from afar that just approaching the interior raised the temperature to seventy-five degrees, and getting closer to the lava-rich mining area exceeded a hundred degrees, with occasional eruptions of hot water vapor and various toxic heavy metal fumes, and essentially no oxygen.
Those who go mining there must rent heavy, near-exoskeleton armor mining equipment blended with spacesuits, carrying oxygen tanks and water to work in such extreme conditions.
Some of Far Shore Islandâs residents are Descendants of the Sea, some humans, some Dwarves, and a small number of Elves. However, the ethnic groups here are specialized; for instance, the Dwarves are called âGray Dwarvesâ or âDeep Rock Dwarves,â possessing a certain Spirit Energy talent for sharply sensing the dangers buried in the earth strata.
The high-temperature spirits are called âCrimson Elvesâ or âLava Elves,â with bodies covered by an extremely smooth, heat-resistant crystalline membrane, allowing them to endure high heat, even survive falling into lava unscathed for a short while.
As for humans and Descendants of the Sea, they also have special adaptations but are not as exaggerated. Generally, Descendants of the Sea are responsible for purifying the water sources around Far Shore Island for drinking and industrial uses. After all, Far Shore Island is essentially a constantly erupting volcano, and the surrounding seawater and islandâs rain lakes are little different from acid rain lakes, unusable without purification.
Lurking at the harbor basin, Ian listened to the exchanges of people at the market and along the street, quickly sketching an outline of this state based on the Far Shore Island intelligence he gathered in the past.
"An extreme state-planned economy..."
Ian mused.
For those living on Far Shore Island, the âFarshore Isle Construction and Development Partyâ led by Azure Star is the only leader and the support they rely upon for everything.
Energy, food, drinking water, clothing, household appliances, safety, upward mobility, housing, daily necessities, or tools of labor, even daily entertainmentâall provided by the Construction Party, which is the Far Shore Island authority.
There are no private companies here; everything is controlled by the Far Shore Island officials. People earn their wages from officials, only to return them all to the officials, who use all resources to develop new homes for more residents.
This is an odd system. Even Azure Star in it is merely a central figure and head of military force. Should an Azure Star ever attempt to use Far Shore Islandâs wealth for personal desires, this already fragile country would soon collapse.
Luckily, or perhaps because, once ceremoniously crowned with the Azure Starâs Crown, each Azure Star dedicates themselves to Far Shore Islandâs development.
Originally, Ian thought such a society would be arduous, but from what he sees now, ordinary Far Shore Island residents lead quite the adequate lives, chatting and laughing, with ample supplies, and people even setting up equipment on the street to watch chess games, seeking leisure and happiness.
Indeed. With Azure Star leading by example and minimal corruption, working hard is one thing, but resources are enough to go around.
People work diligently daily; there is enough to eat and wear. The authorities provide medical care if sick, education is available directly for offspring, and the officials are accountable for any accidents. If one possesses potential as a Sublimator or Spirit Energy User, they may even become the next generationâs Azure Star. Although the ground beneath is notoriously perilous, merely living is sufficiently promising.
Due to harsh living conditions, the lives of Far Shore Island residents have improved, making Ian quite thoughtful.
âThe worse the living conditions, the better the living conditions become.
Itâs quite the double paradox.
Yet, Ian also sharply noticed that even in this harmonious port, there are peculiarities.
Aside from a few bustling blocks, the port and ship clustersâ living areas are utterly silent.
Aside from the âbreathing soundâ of sleeping people, no sound is heard.
Ian quietly crept closer, observing intently.
Then, upon seeing a Far Shore resident consume a potion and enter a âdream,â he unveiled a knowing expression: "So, this is the Dream..."
"Indeed, the enjoyment derived from the dream world is the key to maintaining stability on Far Shore Island."