Inside the 157th Branch's Training Center.
Smoker's jaw hit the floor—again.
The main training hall outside operated under double gravity, but the eight private chambers inside? Each one could freely adjust up to 20 times normal gravity.
If someone trained here consistently, their physical development would skyrocket. The effects were terrifying.
It left Smoker utterly dumbfounded.
Without hesitation, he stepped into the private chamber assigned to him by Luo Lan and, for the first time in ages, began to seriously train his body.
As time passed…
When night fell, Smoker's jaw dropped for a third time.
"H-Hina… Did you really mean what you just said?"
Smoker's entire body trembled.
What had he just heard?
That meat on the table—just eating it could boost your Dao Force by several dozen points the first time, even if you didn't train?
And afterward…
While the effects weren't as dramatic as the first time, eating it daily could still steadily increase your Dao Force by around 10 points per day.
If that was true, then what was the point of training?!
You could do absolutely nothing, just eat three meals a day, and still gain 3,650 Dao Force in a year.
That was already the average level of a Rear Admiral!
"Don't overthink it," Hina said, glancing at Smoker. "It's a special Sea King species. Every meal is one less in the future, so…"
She didn't bother explaining further.
Instead, she immediately joined the others and began devouring the meat with zero restraint or manners.
Just like she said—each meal was precious. Miss one bite, and you lose out.
No one had time to explain anything right now.
At the same table, Luo Lan could only offer a wry smile.
He muttered inwardly...
> "Actually… it's not limited like that."
If anything, future Sea Kings—especially kilometer-class ones—would yield even better effects than this one.
Besides, once he reached B-rank, who knows? He might be able to build a B-rank restaurant with powerful building traits.
If he could unlock food-grade traits like +3 or even +4, +5…
He had no worries. None at all.
Of course, Luo Lan kept that to himself. As far as everyone else was concerned, they were in an all-you-can-eat warzone, hoarding every bite like it was the last.
---
Time continued to pass.
A few days before Nami's half-month training ended…
A full 1.6 billion Berries was delivered back.
There were still nearly 700 million Berries left unresolved, not yet recovered in time.
But even just this 1.6 billion gave Luo Lan great peace of mind.
Honestly, just seeing Nami now made him nervous.
Bringing that little tyrant on board… was it really worth it?
Still, after some serious financial maneuvering, Luo Lan once again had 160,000 contribution points in hand.
And just in time—the construction team had finally reported good news: the port was complete.
So Luo Lan brought Ian, Hina, and Smoker with him to inspect it.
After all, when it came to military ports, Hina and Smoker were far more experienced than he was.
However, they had no idea what had been going on in the island's southern region.
They spent the entire trip asking the same question again and again:
"Luo Lan, did you really hollow out a mountain range down south to build a secret port?"
"And you're saying this thing spans over ten square kilometers, big enough to dock dozens of large warships at once?"
They weren't doubting him on purpose… but it sounded ridiculous.
Luo Lan just smiled wryly and didn't answer.
No amount of explanation would help now—it was better to let them see it with their own eyes.
But when they reached the island's southern region…
Even Luo Lan was stunned.
Where was the port?
All he saw was a mountain range!
Sure, he knew the port was inside that mountain—but even staring at it, he couldn't find the entrance.
Damn it. A total oversight!
He shouldn't have told the others, "No need to send anyone—just follow me."
Now it was just awkward…
Just then, the ground began to tremble.
A deep rumble echoed from the mountain ahead.
And the next moment—everyone was speechless.
A previously ordinary rock face split open, revealing a massive hidden passage.
"Ahem. That's the entrance. Follow me," Luo Lan said, clearing his throat and salvaging some dignity.
The others simply stared in stunned silence before following along.
---
A few minutes later…
Smoker had completely lost count of how many times his jaw had hit the ground since arriving at the 157th Branch.
Though this was built inside a mountain, the space was immense and brightly lit. There were over a dozen structures on shore, and five massive piers stretched two kilometers into the sea.
The entire port spanned 15 square kilometers—about 3% of the area of Rhode Island.
It was huge.
More importantly, this wasn't just a military harbor—it was dual-purpose, serving both military and civilian needs.
Otherwise, why would there be five massive warehouses on shore?
"Hina, does this port seem even better than the Navy Headquarters' own dock?"
"Mm. Hina thinks so too."
The group began exploring the site with awe.
Meanwhile, Luo Lan called up the system.
> "System, initiate the draw for building traits!"
[Ding! Traits drawn.]
[Building Trait 1: +1% automatic ship repair while docked.]
[Building Trait 2: -30% docking accident rate.]
Luo Lan's eyes widened.
Auto-repair? Seriously?!
But what did that "1%" really mean?
He quickly pulled up the detailed description.
And what he found blew him away.
According to the system, auto-repair normally starts at 0%. With this trait, it became 1%.
It didn't sound like much—but it was.
The system measured ship damage in percentages. For example, if a ship was damaged in battle and returned with a 72% integrity rating, it would go up to 73% after one day docked, 74% after two days, and so on.
In about 20 days, the ship would be back to full strength—without repairs.
Of course, for regular ships, Luo Lan felt this was a bit unnecessary. Once the shipyard was up and running, repairs there would be faster—maybe just a day or two.
But for his ship—the Danaan?
Forget it. Even a year or two down the road, there wouldn't be a single shipwright in the world who could fix it.
That thing was way ahead of this world's tech. Even with a system, he couldn't fix it manually.
But with this port's trait?
He could exploit the loophole!
The system didn't care about technological compatibility—1% repaired per day, no questions asked.
He'd never have to worry about the Danaan breaking down again.
It was perfect.
As for Trait #2… Luo Lan hesitated.
Did he really want to keep it?
Docking accidents were already rare. Reducing a 1% chance to 0.7%? Not exactly life-changing.
Was it worth using up a trait slot?
A moment later, Luo Lan made up his mind.
Not worth it!
> "System, reroll the second trait!"
[Ding! Building Trait 2 rerolled.]
[New Trait 2: Local sea condition control within a 3-nautical-mile radius.]
"Holy *#&%@!!"
Luo Lan couldn't help but shout.
---
A/N: If you want an early updates, you can visit my Ko-Fi as I update there much early.
Currently at Chapter 60 for free chapters on my Ko-Fi and at Chapter 165 for advance chapters.
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27