Humanity Embarks on the Age of Great Navigation! The Birth of the First Raft!
The financial storm in the underworld has swept through every corner of the Nine Netherworlds with the opening of the "Western Paradise Bank".
Deep within the Reincarnation Metaverse, the evolution of human civilization has quietly reached a crossroads that will determine its fate.
Ever since Suiren Shi and Youchao Shi traded a roasted fish for a stone house, the spark of trade has completely ignited the entire beginner continent.
The interactions between the two tribes became increasingly close.
However, a wide, rushing river acts as a natural barrier, hindering the scaling up of trade.
Initially, the tribe relied on the best young swimmers, who carried bundles of goods across the river in stitched-together animal skin air bladders.
This is not just a battle against rapids, but a gamble with one's life against a virtual behemoth lurking underwater.
It's become commonplace for "deliverymen" to transform into white light and return to the respawn point.
On this day, a young man named "Zhou" was sitting by the river, looking gloomy.
He was the most capable "deliveryman" in the Suiren Shi Tribe.
Just half an hour earlier, a shipment of "Clan Chief's Special Seven-Colored Scale Fish Deluxe Packages" that he was responsible for escorting was overturned by a huge crocodile shadow underwater when it was only a few meters away from the opposite bank.
The goods sank, sales revenue plummeted, and he still had to grit his teeth and face the raging fury of Youchao Shi's "customers."
"How can we cross the river safely?"
Zhou held his head in his hands, scratching his hair in frustration, his gaze aimlessly sweeping across the river.
A huge, withered leaf, swept up by the current, swirled and drifted into the distance.
Zhou's gaze suddenly froze.
He stared intently at the withered leaf.
The leaves... can float on water.
What if... it were a piece of wood much larger and much stronger than a leaf?
Can a person also stand on a piece of wood?
Once this thought enters your mind, it grows like wild grass, impossible to eradicate.
The boat seemed to be possessed, and plunged headlong into the forest on the shore.
He found a giant log that had been blown down by the storm, and with all his might and the help of a few companions, they managed to push the heavy log into the river.
"Thump!"
The log was thrown into the water, creating a huge splash. It bobbed up and down a few times before finally floating steadily on the surface.
It really floated up!
Zhou let out a suppressed cheer and was the first to scramble onto it, using both hands and feet.
The log beneath his feet was extremely restless, constantly rolling around as if it were alive. His legs trembled, and he desperately spread his arms to maintain his balance. He fell seven or eight times, swallowing a bellyful of water, before he could barely stand still.
He picked up a long branch and, mimicking his own paddling motions in the water, clumsily propelled the current.
The log began to move forward slowly and shakily at a desperate pace.
It's not even as fast as swimming.
But... he no longer needs to immerse his entire body in the icy river!
This means the risk of being spotted by aquatic monsters is greatly reduced!
When the boat, navigating this rough "single log," took twice as long as swimming and arrived at the other side in a disheveled state, all the Youchao Shi clan members who witnessed this scene were speechless with astonishment.
A whole new world was being opened to them, through a crack in the door.
The boat's success is just the beginning.
A log, only able to carry one person, and it wobbles precariously.
What if we tied many logs together? Wouldn't that make it more stable and allow it to carry more people and goods?
He immediately took this still immature idea and went to find the most intelligent craftsmen in the Youchao Shi clan.
These master architects, who possess an innate, almost animalistic intuition for "structure," were immediately ignited by Zhou's idea.
They found the toughest vines and tightly bound logs of similar thickness together, using mortise and tenon joints for initial fixation, forming a raft that was much flatter and larger than a single log.
To prevent the goods from slipping, they also installed simple railings around the raft.
A brand new creation was born.
When a dozen or so tribesmen stood on the raft and found that it had only sank slightly and remained as stable as Mount Tai, thunderous cheers erupted from the shore!
A few days later, as they were testing the massive raft, a gust of wind blew by.
One of the tribesmen instinctively spread out the huge animal hide he used to cover the goods, trying to protect them.
The next moment, something incredible happened!
The massive raft, as if propelled by an invisible hand, sped across the river at a speed far exceeding that of human paddling, thanks to the wind!
In that instant, the boat and all the craftsmen were stunned.
Immediately following was an indescribable ecstasy!
They realized that the wind, too, is a form of power!
They immediately erected a tall wooden pole in the middle of the raft and hung the huge animal hide on it.
When the first raft, though simple, already possessed a "hull," "railings," and "sail," carrying goods and the hopes of humanity, crossed the great river with an air of triumph.
The entire Metaverse resounded with a deafening roar!
[World Announcement: Congratulations to player "Zhou" and the Youchao Shi Craftsman Team for successfully creating a brand new concept – 'Sailing'!]
[World Log: Humanity Officially Enters the 'Age of Great Navigation'!]
[World Announcement: The new life skills 'Shipbuilding' and 'Navigation' have been unlocked! Players can now try building more advanced ships and exploring wider waters!]
[World Announcement: Player "Zhou" has achieved the 'Wave Rider' achievement, rewarded with the unique talent 'Wind Affinity'! Also rewarded with 200,000 'Merit Star'!]
The underworld, the River of Forgetfulness.
The enormous dragon head lay listlessly in the murky river water, spewing bubbles that seemed to carry a hint of resentment.
Ancestral Dragon's "Rapids Ride" Water Park has been deserted ever since the Metaverse became popular, and its daily income is not even enough to cover the expenses of its Shrimp Soldier.
He was considering simply closing down the business and turning the vast River of Forgetfulness into a "seafood buffet hot pot city," which would be a way to make use of the waste.
Just then, rows of golden characters pierced the sky, causing his lantern-like dragon eyes to suddenly light up with a dazzling divine light!
Sailing?
Shipbuilding?
Explore the waters?
This... this is practically Great Dao tailor-made for my Dragon Clan race!
A surge of pent-up frustration and boundless ambition, mixed with the lightning bolt of "business opportunity," exploded in his mind!
"Roar--!!!"
The Ancestral Dragon suddenly emerged from the River of Forgetfulness with its sky-covering dragon head, letting out a roar that shook the nine netherworlds!
The entire underworld trembled violently at that dragon's roar!
The voice held a madness and desperation, a willingness to stake everything!
"Pass on my orders!"
"River of Forgetfulness Water Park is hereby closed for rectification, effective immediately!"
"Our Dragon Clan, with everything we have, is establishing a brand new company!"
"Let's call it... 'Four Seas Reach' Waterway Transportation Group!"
"That old codger Fuxi is playing in a virtual world, good! Very good!"
"Laozi will control all the rivers, lakes, and seas in this virtual world!"