BDSMST -Chapter 200 Finale: A New Journey, Among Stars and the Sea

As the clamor of the “Universal Harvest Festival” faded with the receding tide, Woniu Village returned to its unique, orderly bustle. Yet in the air lingered the faint warmth of celebration and a sense of farewell.

At dawn, the harbor was still shrouded in sea mist. The new generation of “Explorer” ships lay quietly at anchor—ten in total, each larger and sleeker than the first fleet. On both sides of the hulls were auxiliary water wheels designed by Gu Xuan, and the masts had been improved. The sails were furled, giving the ships the look of slumbering giants, ready to set out at a single command.

Bai Ling’er, clad in a sharp, deep-blue navigator’s uniform with a command blade at her waist, stood on the deck of the flagship, issuing final orders to the lined-up sailors below. Her voice was clear yet steady; years of battling storms had stripped away any adolescent hesitation, leaving a confident, commanding presence.

“This voyage is long and the path unknown. Among you are experienced sailors and first-time voyagers. But I want you to remember: once you step on this ship, we are a family in the same boat! Trust your comrades, trust your compass, and trust the ship beneath your feet! Do you understand?”

“Understood!” The hundreds of sailors replied in unison. Their voices surged like a torrent, startling the seabirds.

From the high observation platform, Jiang Suishui’s family watched silently. The twins, seeing such a massive fleet for the first time, clung to the railing, wide-eyed with curiosity.

“Mom, the ship is so big!” the daughter exclaimed in her sweet, small voice, pointing to the enormous vessel below.

“Brother, is the ship leaving now?” the son tugged at Gu Xuan’s sleeve, looking up.

Gu Xuan crouched to explain patiently: “Not leaving, setting sail. They are going to a very, very faraway place to discover new continents and chart new maps.”

In his hands was a uniquely designed brass instrument, a more complex sextant he had improved. It could not only navigate by the stars but also combine the sun’s shadow and an hourglass to measure speed with greater precision.

“Sister Ling’er,” Gu Xuan handed the device to a sailor boarding the ship, “give this to the fleet’s cartographer. I’ve recalibrated the scale so errors near the equator are minimized. Also, tell her that the ten hand-cranked signal devices on board have all been checked, with spare parts prepared, and to maintain them on schedule.”

“Understood, Young Master Xuan,” the sailor said respectfully, cradling the instrument as if it were a treasure.

From the deck, Bai Ling’er spotted them and waved, her face lighting up in a radiant smile. Jiang Suishui returned the gesture with a nod. There was no need for more words—the fleet commander she had raised could handle everything herself. Trust was the best farewell.

“Their destination this time is south of the ‘Sea of Mists,’ marked on the charts,” Gu Yan said, standing beside Jiang Suishui, eyes on the fog-shrouded expanse. “The climate and resources there are unlike anywhere we’ve known. If successful, they’ll bring back the sap of a tree called ‘rubber’ and the bark of the ‘cinchona’ tree, which cures malaria.”

“Risk is inevitable,” Jiang Suishui said, looking down at the eager young faces, “but exploring the unknown is humanity’s instinct. All we can do is build the sturdiest ships, draw the most precise maps, and stock the necessary provisions. The rest is up to them.”

The ship horns sounded long and resonant, signaling the start of the voyage.

Sailors loosened the moorings, the massive sails billowing in the sea breeze. The ten ships slowly departed, forming a disciplined V-formation, cutting through the waves toward the east.

On the dock, villagers who had come to see them off waved their arms and called out blessings:

“Fair winds!”

“Return safely!”

Jiang Suishui held the twins, Gu Yan held Gu Xuan, and the family of five watched quietly as the fleet, carrying countless hopes, gradually vanished where the sea met the sky.

“Mom,” the daughter suddenly spoke, pointing to the vast ocean, “what’s over there?”

Jiang Suishui smiled but didn’t answer directly. She turned to her eldest son: “Xuan’er, tell your sister—what’s over the sea?”

Gu Xuan squinted against the wind, his gaze passing over the harbor, over the fleet now tiny black specks, toward a more distant, profound unknown.

“Over the sea are starry skies we’ve never seen, maps we’ve never drawn, stories we’ve never heard, foods we’ve never tasted,” the boy said clearly and confidently, without a hint of uncertainty. “And countless worlds, like our Woniu Village, waiting to be connected.”

Gu Yan looked at his son with deep pride in his eyes.

Jiang Suishui bent to kiss her daughter’s forehead and caressed her son’s cheek. She turned to Gu Yan, the man who had given her a home and helped turn a dream into tangible reality.

On the distant horizon, the last ship’s mast tip disappeared. But everyone knew this was not the end.

“What are you thinking?” Gu Yan noticed her gaze and asked softly.

Jiang Suishui withdrew her eyes from the horizon, sweeping over each member of her family: her eldest son, the curious twins, and the husband who would always be her strongest support.

A smile brighter than the rising sun spread across her face—not a smile of achievement, but one of boundless anticipation for the future.

She turned toward the vast ocean that had swallowed the fleet, reaching out her hand and pointing ahead.

“I’m thinking,” she said, her voice light and full of strength, like a newly unfurled sail, “about our next chapter.”