Conventional logic did not apply to the Dark Continent.
There might very well be creatures in the thick, foul-smelling lake water.
But Don Freecss strode into the lake.
His feet landed on the water as if on solid ground.
Looking closer, it turned out he was walking on air currents.
He released just the right amount of air currents as he walked, demonstrating monster-level control.
His pace was not urgent, but his speed was very fast, covering a great distance quickly.
Around him, the black, viscous lake water was deathly still, unchanged by Don Freecss's arrival.
Until Don Freecss had walked about one kilometer, the lake water suddenly began to boil, triggering a chain reaction that spread to the shore.
This sudden strange phenomenon did not slow Don Freecss's pace... he seemed to ignore the boiling water.
Then, strange fish, each with a tennis ball-sized head covered in dense bead-like tumors and slender bodies only the length of an index finger, darted out from the viscous water, aiming for Don Freecss walking on the surface.
Their numbers were as numerous as swarms of insects, gathering together, seeming to send waves rising from the lake.
Each of the strange fish darting through the air was covered in sticky lake water. Moving in swarms, they stirred the toxic air even more violently.
Fortunately, the green stone chip Don held in his mouth was used to resist the lake's poison. Even as the toxic concentration became extremely alarming, it caused him no trouble.
The strange fish pounced from all directions, yet beneath the brim of his hat, Don's face was as calm as water.
Without any visible action, he suddenly vanished from his spot.
The swarming fish missed their target and plunged into the lake.
Meanwhile, Don Freecss appeared in the air above the lake, still walking on air currents, heading straight for the floating plank settlement in the middle of the lake.
This way of using his ability was very similar to Law's Sky Walk.
From the air, looking down at the lake below, one could see countless strange fish rampaging, creating the illusion of live fish in a hot pan.
In a sense, this was a spectacular sight.
The swarms of fish churned the viscous water as they pleased, and a shockingly concentrated toxic mist rose up, brushing past Don Freecss's body.
Thus, Don Freecss ignored the rampaging fish below and accelerated.
After a while, he arrived at the floating plank settlement.
The wooden planks, made of some unknown material, floated firmly on the lake.
On the planks stood simple thatched huts, and on the wooden ground beside them, clusters of grass blades grew.
Don Freecss landed on a plank. When his feet pressed down, the expected rocking did not happen... it was as stable as standing on solid ground.
There were about fifty floating plank huts arranged in a circle. The planks were connected by plank bridges less than fifty centimeters wide.
The rampaging fish in the lake did not chase Don Freecss, lingering about ten meters away.
These floating planks seemed to have quite a deterrent effect on the fish, preventing them from approaching.
Don Freecss ignored the fish and carefully observed his surroundings.
This place seemed long abandoned... each plank had much green grass growing on it. Since Don Freecss arrived, there had been no signs of people.
After a moment, he withdrew his gaze and walked into the hut before him.
The interior was not large, but had all the necessary furniture.
The beds, tables, chairs, cabinets, and other furniture were made of materials similar to the planks, brown and black in color, and looked very simple, matching the hut's exterior.
Don Freecss wandered around the hut but found nothing.
Aside from the larger furniture, there was not even a single small item in the room.
A thoughtful look appeared in Don Freecss's eyes. From the room's arrangement, he could infer the habits of the people who once lived here.
Compared to highly intelligent Magical Beast races, he was more inclined to believe that the owners who lived here were human.
But for some reason, humans had abandoned such a good living environment.
The lake was filled with countless strange fish of high aggression.
The viscous lake water emitted a foul stench, and alarmingly, it contained toxic gas.
The harsh conditions even rendered the sky above a complete dead zone.
With all these factors combined, Don Freecss still considered this a good living environment?
Don Freecss did not stay in the hut too long. He left, crossed a narrow plank bridge, and went to another hut.
He investigated every single hut this way.
Unfortunately, in the end, he found nothing.
The people who once lived here had either moved away, taking everything they could, or had been wiped out, their belongings looted.
These were just guesses... any reason was possible.
Don Freecss, though disappointed, did not dwell on it. He rose into the air and headed towards the center of the stagnant lake.
After walking about ten kilometers, he encountered three more small floating plank settlements, but like the first, there were no signs of people and he found nothing.
He stopped on a plank, took out a pen and book, sketched the approximate outline of the stagnant lake, and without needing to calculate, marked the locations of the four abandoned floating plank settlements.
He always compiled a simple map of the places he visited and added a few lines of notes beside the marked spots to help recall what he encountered.
This recorded information would become material for his second book.
After recording the information habitually, Don Freecss put away his pen and book and continued deeper into the stagnant lake.
Along the way, there were strange fish rampaging everywhere in the lake, and he had yet to find any new species.
During a rest, Don Freecss caught one of the strange fish to observe.
Its head was crowded with tumors, no eyes visible, only a mouth filled with spiral teeth. Its body was smooth, slender, and covered with a thin protective layer of mucus.
In terms of shape, it resembled a greatly enlarged tadpole.
To test whether this strange fish was edible, Don Freecss performed a simple dissection. He found that the tumors on its head stored venom, which could be secreted as lethal poison through the spiral teeth via venom glands.
"Venom..."
Don Freecss tossed the fish corpse far away. Before it hit the lake, several other strange fish shot up and devoured their companion's remains.
"So, there should be more than one species in this lake."
Don Freecss silently speculated as he continued forward.
An hour later, he saw another floating plank settlement, but its scale was several times larger than any he had previously found.
Most importantly, there were people there.