"Bubble Universes really are... beyond comprehension..."
Ryn sat on a lounge chair, looking at the scenery outside the balcony, sipping hot tea like a retired old man enjoying his golden years at home.
"Yes, each Bubble Universe has a relatively independent worldview. We can't completely apply the concepts from our original world to them."
Seele came over holding a box of pastries, placed them aside, and then gently began to massage Ryn's shoulders.
But before Seele could use the massage techniques she had just learned from the tree, Ryn grabbed her hand and pulled her into his lap.
Ryn playfully pinched Seele's soft, pink cheeks and chuckled, "You don't need to give me massages or anything. Making the lovely Seele do such things would be a terrible waste."
"But... but... I want to try and do something for Brother Ryn too..." Seele lowered her head, poking her fingers together guiltily.
Brother Ryn had helped her so much, but she couldn't repay him in any way. It wasn't fair, nor was it right.
But when she tried to take care of Ryn's daily life, he wouldn't allow it. Because the almighty Honkai energy was cleaner and more diligent than she was...
Ryn slid his hands under Seele's arms and lifted her high into the air. Looking at this charming little angel under the sun, Ryn smiled and comforted her.
"Seele has already done so much. As long as Seele is full of longing for life and is happy every day, that is the greatest repayment to me."
"Mm..."
Seele nodded weakly.
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Ryn felt that he was strong enough now to protect Seele even in the Previous Era, so he planned to take her on this trip to the Previous Era to solve the problem of the Stigmata Terminal and complete the time loop at the entrance of the Sea of Quanta.
But the Sea said it wasn't time yet. According to the normal timeline, the space-time passage hadn't opened, and Ryn should come back later.
However, Ryn was determined to take Seele, and Seele also wanted to return to the prime world to see Bronya, Mother Cocolia, and everyone at the orphanage.
The Sea, in a moment of weakness, agreed to their request for immediate time travel.
Then the Sea asked them to wait for a while; it had some matters to attend to first and would open the path to fifty thousand years ago for them when it returned.
Thus, Ryn and the Seeles arrived in a Bubble Universe to await the Sea's command.
The timeline of the Bubble Universe they were currently in still had a long way to go, so many living beings existed here.
But even so, the size of this Bubble Universe was no larger than a city where normal humans could live, and beyond the city lay an endless, deep sea.
What Ryn hadn't expected was that the Bubble Universe was extremely polite about their arrival. Not only did they arrange a small villa for them as a temporary place to stay, but they also covered all their living expenses.
In return, Ryn and Seele only needed to perform some simple tasks and jobs for them.
At first, Ryn thought it was a trap set up by the villagers. After all, according to a normal person's thinking, how could there be such a good thing falling from the sky.
Fortunately, Seele noticed Ryn's unusual vigilance and told him that such things were common in Bubble Universes, and he shouldn't apply the mindset of people from the prime world to the Bubble Universes of the Sea of Quanta.
Otherwise, Ryn would have been all smiles with the residents during the day and secretly investigating what they were up to at night.
In a brief conversation with the mayor, Ryn and Seele learned what the locals called their city—Jialan City.
But although it was called a city, Jialan City was actually more like an adventure town full of adventurers that Ryn had encountered in games.
This was a lonely island in the endless sea. The barren island's resources couldn't support the people of Jialan City, so the citizens spontaneously formed one adventure group after another to explore the endless sea for resources.
So in Jialan City, you could see a very unique and peculiar architectural style. Skyscrapers stood tall, yet there were also various small wooden houses like blacksmith shops, adventurer's guilds, and assembly halls that were out of place in a big city of steel and concrete.
Jialan City accepted Ryn and Seele, and Seele treated Jialan as a small vacation island, peacefully enjoying daily life here.
The mayor had originally assigned Ryn to help move things at the blacksmith's and Seele to help with farming in the fields, but Ryn directly refused.
"Mayor, don't let my appearance fool you, I'm a pretty good fighter! I want to be an adventurer! I want to explore new worlds! I want to be the King of the Pirates!" Ryn patted his chest and shouted proudly.
No matter how you looked at it, he was an existence that could single-handedly destroy a Bubble Universe. With this strength and ability, to go work as a brick-mover in a blacksmith shop instead of being a great demon king or a hero, how pathetic would that be!
A few drops of awkward cold sweat dripped down the Jialan City mayor's forehead as he said quite seriously, "Mr. Ryn, if you choose to go out to sea and become a pirate, don't blame us for expelling you and your partner from Jialan City right now."
"Hahaha... how could I! Just kidding, just kidding..." Ryn scratched his head awkwardly.
The thought of going out to sea as an adventurer got him so excited that he forgot this wasn't Earth, and the mayor had no idea who Pirate King Luffy was.
The mayor took a simple badge from a drawer and handed it to Ryn.
"This is a beginner's seafaring certificate. I am giving it to you now. As long as you show this certificate, the port will prepare the necessary ship and supplies for your journey.
However, this is limited to the first three voyages. After that, you will have to pay for the ship's upgrades, replacements, and maintenance, as well as supplies.
Additionally, you can upgrade the badge by passing certain tests. A higher seafaring certificate will allow you to purchase better ships and supplies, and will also unlock a series of rewards."
"Thank you, Mayor!" Ryn held the badge and bowed happily to the mayor, then cheerfully prepared to take Seele and the others out to sea to explore the Jialan Sea region, and even the endless sea.
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Ryn stood at the bow of the ship, a very old-fashioned telescope hanging from his chest, looking at the nautical chart in his hand and thinking about which adventure to take.
No, what kind of adventure is it to go to places that others have already thoroughly investigated? An adventure is only interesting if it's full of unknowns!
"Towards the unknown land, the depths of the endless sea. Ryn-Seele! Hoist the sails and set forth!"
Ryn, full of vigor, gave the departure command to his crewmate, Seele.
Dark Seele, with an expression like Cocolia had died, raised the tattered sail.
Following the sea breeze, the Ryn-Seele began to move forward, swaying and creaking.