7. Map Of The New World [Modern Warship in a Cultivation World] (Patreon)

“I know everyone must be exhausted; it’s been a long night. But right now, I think what we’ve found is important and needs to be discussed,” Imogen began, her voice crisp and professional as she addressed the assembled department heads and the two reporters in the warship’s meeting room.

“Lieutenant Sarah,” Imogen started, pointing to the ship’s Chief Medical Officer, a red-haired woman who appeared to be in her early to mid-twenties. “What is the condition of the boy we rescued?”

“Yes, ma’am. There don’t seem to be any projectile injuries on him: no bullets, no arrows, no darts for that matter, He has no major external wounds at all,” Sarah began, detailing the survivor’s status. “However, due to the sheer impact of the crash during the ‘water landing’ he appears to have fractured three ribs and suffered a sprain to his neck. His blood pressure is still critically low.”

She paused to ensure the room was absorbing the information, then continued. “The fractured areas have been set in place, and he is receiving intravenous fluids. We’ve administered pain killers, but his pulse is weak. He requires absolute rest for the time being. It will take time for him to regain consciousness.”

“So, his full recovery will take at least two months’ time” Imogen summarized. She nodded and tapped the table. “Let’s move on to the main issue. The young man will be restrained for the worst-case scenario, and one personnel will keep watch at all times.”

“I will see to that, Captain Doors” Lieutenant Sarah affirmed.

Imogen then turned to her Chief Affairs Officer. “Officer Nolan, please take the floor.”

Nolan stood as Imogen settled back into her chair. He directed his assistant to project an image onto the screen: a detailed map covered in unfamiliar, archaic writing.

“This is a map we recovered from the young boy’s belongings,” he began. “At first, we didn’t expect to be able to understand it, but…” Pax suddenly interrupted, noting the characters. “Jessica… tell the room what you just whispered to me.”

Jessica, slightly embarrassed by the sudden spotlight, nodded. “I… I think it’s Mandarin Chinese, at least very similar to it.”

Nolan looked surprised. “You know Mandarin, Miss Jessica?”

Before Jessica could reply, Pax interjected. “She lived and mainly worked in the history division as a reporter in the China branch of our network before she transferred to the criminal investigation division. She’s fluent.”

“I see. So you have experience with the language too,” Officer Nolan said with a smile. “Yes, just as Miss Jessica said. The language strongly resembles Mandarin, but an ancient, highly stylized variant. Even then, it’s not a one-to-one translation; it has its own unique quirks, making a full translation difficult even with my best efforts.”

Officer Nolan pointed to the image. “From what I can gather, this is a world map. The characters across the top represent the equivalent of what they call the ‘world.’”

“It says Mortal Realm,” Jessica supplied.

“That’s right, the map of the Mortal Realm,” Nolan confirmed, giving the room context. “An ancient, quasi-mythological word used in many Earth cultures to describe the physical world.”

“Hmm, Miss Jessica. Why don’t you come up here?” Officer Nolan offered with a welcoming smile. “I can go over the translation, and you can provide context where necessary. It would be an excellent idea to have a second opinion, especially since we are dealing with a language that is similar to ours but is clearly of this world.”

Though nervous, Jessica was encouraged by a slight nod from Pax and the approval in Imogen’s expression. She took her place next to Nolan.

“From what I can gather,” Nolan continued, pointing to the map, “they have four major landmasses, or what we would call continents.”

“The eastern-most continent has been marked with characters that translate to Absolution Friendship,” Officer Nolan began.

Jessica immediately interjected. “The root word does mean Friendship, but… I think in this context, it works more like Alliance, don’t you think, Officer Nolan?”

“That is a great interpretation,” Nolan conceded. “Okay, let’s call it the Absolution Alliance.”

“Then, it’s separated by a large channel from the central continent, which is marked as the Murim Alliance,” Nolan continued, pointing to the middle of the map. “The bottom portion of the map is separated by a physical line, with scribbled notes that translate to either ‘unknown region’ or ‘unexplored region,’ but it is also labeled simply as ‘non-human race.’”

“Finally, the western continent also seems to be separated by a channel and is labeled as the Sovereignties,” Officer Nolan completed his geographical rundown.

“It seems more like a political alliance map of the world than a strictly geographical one,” Officer William commented, and the room agreed, including Nolan.

“It certainly does. I was able to find from the marginal notes that each of these alliances is a network of smaller nations rather than a single, unified nation,” Nolan explained.

“That might be the equivalent of what we would consider political Blocs?” Imogen suggested, and Jessica confirmed the interpretation.

“If that is the case, then from what I understand from the notes: the Murim Alliance consists of twelve dynasties, and the Absolution Alliance has been denoted as having twenty-two ‘Sects,’” Officer Nolan concluded, the term ‘Sects’ drawing the room’s intense focus.

Jessica provided the final context: “In ancient history, a Sect is a type of governing body often based on a particular doctrine or teaching, usually religious or philosophical.” The room nodded, their minds reeling from the political structure of this strange new world.

“We don’t know if the battle we saw is confined to just two smaller nations, or if it involves the entirety of these Alliances,” Officer Nolan presented. “However, based on the map’s structure, we can safely conclude that the boy we rescued is from the Absolution Alliance region.”

Muttering immediately broke out as the officers discussed the implications of this discovery. Pax, ever focused on actionable intelligence, cut through the noise. “Anything else useful from the boy’s belongings?”

“We did find a few letters that appear to be poems, which initially seemed trivial but may be cause for concern,” Nolan replied, watching as several officers’ eyebrows rose skeptically.

Jessica instantly clarified. “If the culture is anything similar to Ancient China, soldiers carrying poems usually means they’re encrypted messages. It was a common way to carry secret orders through enemy territory without risking clear military documents.”

“So, it’s very likely the boy is a messenger carrying military intelligence from the very battle we witnessed on the horizon,” Officer Nolan finished, the implication chilling the room into silence.

“Thank you for the detailed work, Officer Nolan and Miss Mora. Please, be seated,” Imogen said, acknowledging their contribution.

As the two sat down, Imogen rose, her focus returning to the strategic reality. “What is important is that we now have a map, albeit of questionable quality. We have a rough geography. Our mission must now shift: we need to figure out how to navigate these new waters and find the Anomaly again. That is our only known way home.”

“First, we need to discuss supplies. We were only supposed to travel for a month and restock at Yokosuka Naval Base. Given our current situation, we don’t know how long it will take to find the Anomaly again. As such—”

Before Imogen could finish laying out her proposed supply strategy, the meeting room door flew open. A Navy medic, wearing his uniform hastily, burst in.

Lieutenant Sarah instantly stood, recognizing the urgency. “He was in charge of watching over the rescued boy. Report!”

The medic braced himself, his voice ringing with urgency: “Captain! The survivor has gained consciousness!”

Check out the map: