Cave Refuge

The acquisition of Contribution Points from the Maritime Bureau is very simple; even clocking in within already explored areas can earn the corresponding points.

However, this type of clocking-in within explored areas can only be done once per person per area. Some clever individuals, to ensure they earn points on each return,

do not clock in within explored areas unless they return without points due to unexpected incidents, then they specifically clock in to obtain points.

After all, no one can guarantee that every outing will result in the successful gain of points, so even the Maritime Bureau, knowing about this trick, has not blocked it.

It should be known that each time a Pioneer sets out, it is not as if they were a fisherman fishing near the shore. Spending a long time overseas, no one knows what unexpected events they may face; hence, this indirect benefit from the Maritime Bureau helps Pioneers avoid returning empty-handed and worrying about the safety of their assets back at the base.

Moreover, there's no need to elaborate on listing the Inheritor's name, even before the natural disaster, going out to sea with a ship still held certain risks, let alone now, as Pioneers heading to unknown waters to draw Sea Charts, the dangers are indescribable.

Under normal circumstances, if no clock-ins occur in any area within half a year, or if the disappearance extends beyond a year, the Inheritor can proceed to the Maritime Bureau to carry out inheritance procedures, transferring all the registered fixed assets of the Pioneer at the Maritime Bureau into their own name.

Of course, the only assets protected and registered by the Maritime Bureau are fixed assets, and after these fixed assets are documented, the Maritime Bureau will send personnel to verify to ensure clear ownership.

Indeed, the Maritime Bureau does not perform these tasks for free, but they do not take money; instead, they acquire the corresponding Contribution Points, thereby pushing those already registered as Pioneers at the Maritime Bureau to sail far and map the outside world.

After registering as a Pioneer, through the newcomer information distributed by the Maritime Bureau, Dong Tianyu also understood that even among Pioneers there's a hierarchy.

The status of a Pioneer is not determined by their combat power, nor by how many Contribution Points they possess from the Maritime Bureau.

The most revered among the Pioneers are those who frequently travel to unknown areas to chart Sea Maps. Because they often wander in unknown waters, although they acquire a considerable number of Contribution Points each time, the loss of personnel is also the highest.

Next are those Pioneers responsible for verifying and supplementing Sea Chart information. It should be known that although previous Pioneers had already outlined the basic information of unknown waters, they do not stay long in the areas that have been charted.

Therefore, subsequent detailed exploration is needed for those areas that have been initially mapped.

Although the Contribution Points gained for detailed exploration of these areas are not as high as those for exploring unknown regions, the advantage lies in their lower risk. Moreover, since the former does not meticulously inspect every small island within the area, they often 'find loopholes' and obtain many unexpected gains.

The lowest-ranked Pioneers are those who only operate within already explored safe waters, primarily transporting goods produced at overseas material points.

Rather than calling them Pioneers, they better fit the description of a transport squad, as their sea outings, apart from earning minimal points at convenient checkpoints, hardly have other sources of Contribution Points.

Although turning in special items obtained from the sea can also earn Contribution Points, with designated safe public Waterways and point-to-point routes, such rare fortunes are almost impossible for them to encounter.

If Dong Tianyu had wanted stability at the outset, he wouldn't have chosen to settle at the Magic Capital Base; if seeking safety and stability, choosing a military-managed camp and quietly farming there would have surely been more tranquil.

So after registering and obtaining the Pioneer status, Dong Tianyu did not accept any offers from others, and first returned home to inform his parents that he would be leaving for a long time again.

Upon Dong Tianyu's departure once more, Father Dong and Mother Dong didn't say much, since they knew that Dong Tianyu would eventually leave. For him to have stayed with them so long this time was already somewhat surprising to them.

In fact, they were also aware that since Dong Tianyu often went out in the past, they had gradually become accustomed to a world of just the two of them. Having Dong Tianyu accompany them every day during this period actually made them feel somewhat unaccustomed.

After bidding farewell to his parents, Dong Tianyu went to the Maritime Bureau to register his departure information. Thereafter, under the guidance of the Maritime Bureau staff, he summoned from the Sea of Consciousness his Companion Spiritual Treasure, which had not emerged for a long time.

Even after the flood receded, although a large number of Pioneers continuously went out to the sea, none of the Pioneers discovered the whereabouts of the Mysterious Ships.

That is why, at this time, apart from the merchants who had preemptively stocked up Mysterious Cores, few others stockpiled Mysterious Cores in large amounts.

However, even those merchants who hoarded large amounts of Mysterious Cores cannot gather enough to match a Companion Spiritual Treasure capable of branch evolution unless several merchants combine forces.

For this reason, the grade of most survivors' Companion Spiritual Treasures has stagnated nowadays. Any Pioneer who possesses a Companion Spiritual Treasure that has undergone several evolutions is basically guaranteed to become the leader of the Pioneer squad.

Indeed, unless those with significant backgrounds, most who have brought their Companion Spiritual Treasures to branch evolution are mighty in battle themselves.

After all, as soon as people realized that Companion Spiritual Treasures could acquire Special Abilities through branch evolution, the market price of Mysterious Cores soared.

Cultivating a Companion Spiritual Treasure to the stage of branch evolution consumes a substantial amount of Mysterious Cores, thus the survivors who managed to elevate their treasures to this stage at the end of the flood obtained those Mysterious Cores mostly from their own hunting efforts.

Although the Mysterious Realm is immensely dangerous, there is still an upper limit to its peril. Once one's strength reaches the Path Entry Realm, the only constraint slowing down the collection speed of Mysterious Cores is the time consumed in searching.

Although those survivors who evolved their Companion Spiritual Treasures usually possess a strong spirit of adventure, because there isn't only one coastal base like the Magic City Base, although Companion Spiritual Treasures at branch evolution stage are not entirely unique, they are still relatively rare.

Moreover, most Companion Spiritual Treasures that reached branch evolution mostly opt for Bearing, an evolutionary branch that grants their owner a Storage Space.

Even if they haven't selected the Bearing evolutionary branch for their Companion Spiritual Treasure, most would choose either Sturdy or Wave-Breaking. Only a very few survivors would pick the Submersible Navigation branch, like Dong Tianyu.

For this reason, when Dong Tianyu summoned his Companion Spiritual Treasure on the dock, and others saw that Dong Tianyu's Companion Spiritual Treasure did not appear on the sea surface but only exposed an entryway above it, everyone turned their curious gazes over here.

Thus, under everyone's attention, Dong Tianyu directly entered his own Companion Spiritual Treasure.

Although Dong Tianyu could also leave directly using Sword Control, according to the reminders received after registering at the Maritime Bureau, it is better to leave the Magic City Base by ship from the dock.

Whether riding his own Companion Spiritual Treasure or taking another's, the manner of departure is not crucial, but it is best to follow the set procedure for leaving. This way, should any issues arise later, the investigation can be supported with proof from the scene.