Chapter 6 Danger is around
Ethan didn't get a clear answer on whether the Endless Land was just a misleading legend or if it truly existed.
After completing the membership process and receiving an inconspicuous pointer, Ethan was led to the lodging specifically for adventurers.
Although it was just a single bedroom and a small bathroom, for adventurers who had been drifting at sea for a long time, this environment was simply paradise.
Clean beds, free-flowing fresh water, and food they could eat until they were full.
"To provide these for free, this guild is even more powerful than I thought."
Recalling the mental energy fluctuations that emanated from the clerk when he used a magic stone earlier, Ethan knew that the perpetually smiling man was definitely not someone to be trifled with.
"What should I do next?"
Ethan took out the magic stone Wood had given him; this was the only thing he had that could be exchanged for resources. Besides that, he had the clothes and books Gu Yi had given him, neither of which were valuable and couldn't be exchanged for enough supplies to support him going out to sea.
"So... I have no choice, do I?"
The magic stone Wood gave him was his only hope for his next voyage. If he absolutely had to keep it, he could only rely on Water Creation and getting food from the sea, then hoping to find an island—or space-time energy—in the shortest possible time.
"Putting hope in the unknown like that, doing it once is enough."
Moreover, by reading the information provided by the guild, Ethan increasingly understood the survival rules of this world: adventurers collect resources, exchange them for items that can increase their survival chances, such as better ships, and then use a better foundation to find more resources, and then continue to improve their strength.
Such a cycle was the most basic rule of survival in this vast sea, and also the rule the Adventurer's Guild worked hard to maintain.
"Exchanging this magic stone for enough food is the bottom line. I don't need to prepare water... No, that would be too conspicuous, I still need to prepare some."
Having decided on the direction he would take, Ethan's mind raced, planning what he would do next.
"If possible, I should get a new ship as soon as possible. My small boat is too poor in both capacity and safety. A slightly larger wave poses the risk of capsizing—even if I don't drown, it will result in the loss of supplies."
What was uncertain was the price of ships in this world; perhaps it wasn't a goal that could be achieved in a short time. In that case, he would have to control his range of activity.
Looking at the pointer he had received earlier, the pointer issued by the guild seemed inconspicuous but had a very important function—it could point to floating islands within a certain range, making it easier for adventurers to find targets more quickly.
In addition, there was a knob on the outside of the box. With a gentle turn, the pointer would point in the direction of Start Island, allowing adventurers to find their way 'home' no matter how far they sailed.
Putting the pointer away, Ethan continued with the simplest mental energy training. Even though he saw no progress, he persisted because it was the only method he knew to make himself stronger.
"This world... may not be as peaceful as it seems..."
Danger, in fact, was not far away. And being a good person didn't mean everyone would treat you kindly.
"I hope I'm just being overly suspicious..."
After a good night's rest, Ethan didn't waste any more time and went straight to the guild hall to trade the magic stone in his hand.
He didn't choose the market because it was crowded and had too many prying eyes, and he lacked means of protecting himself, so he didn't know what might happen.
The guild was relatively much safer, even if he would lose out on the price due to the commission.
In fact, the situation was much better than Ethan had expected. The guild didn't rip him off; they even told him directly: this was a high-quality combat magic stone, which could be exchanged for enough supplies with plenty left over. If he simply exchanged it for food and water, it would be enough for Ethan to live comfortably on the island for quite some time.
"Can I exchange it for a ship?"
Ethan's question not only didn't draw ridicule but instead earned him admiring glances from the guild staff, who seemed to view him more favorably—it seemed the guild was indeed dedicated to cultivating better adventurers and was rather annoyed with those who were just idling away.
Although he didn't know what hidden purpose there was, the current situation was more advantageous to Ethan.
"How big of a ship do you need?"
Ethan thought for a moment. He wasn't planning on recruiting strangers because the matter of space-time energy was difficult to expose, especially when he lacked the ability to protect himself. So, if he was alone, he couldn't sail too large a ship.
"Not too big, one that can be sailed by a single person, mainly one that can withstand some wind and waves."
"Then a ten-meter long, two-deck single-masted sailboat will be enough," the clerk said, taking out a notebook from the side to check. "Is a used ship okay? If it's a used ship, besides a full load of food and fresh water, you can also exchange for some other things."
Ethan didn't consider for long. A used ship was fine, as long as it was sturdy and durable, as in his opinion, even this ship was just a temporary measure.
"As long as it's a good ship, new or used doesn't matter."
"Don't worry, any ship listed on our roster is definitely a good ship in normal use. Used ships with hidden dangers are recycled into timber."
"Timber?" Ethan's eyes lit up. "I have a small boat, do you buy them?"
"Of course! Should we include it in this transaction?"
He hadn't expected to not only get a new ship but also 'sell' his small boat in the process. While happy, Ethan also realized that the value of this magic stone was greater than he had thought.
Since he had sold it, he wouldn't regret it, but what he was concerned about was the term 'combat magic stone'.
"This world is indeed not so peaceful."
Inspection, transaction.
Ethan got his new ship, a sailboat about ten meters long, divided into two levels including the deck and the bottom. Although the length was similar to his original one, it was much higher and had a much deeper draft. From now on, after discovering an island, he couldn't just charge straight at it, but had to choose a suitable mooring spot; it had a single mast with one sail; the bow and stern were slightly higher, forming two cabins, each with a small door allowing him to enter.
These two cabins, besides being used to store supplies, could also provide him with a place to shelter from wind and rain. Although the space was cramped and he couldn't even stand up straight inside, it was much better than his previous open small boat.
Besides the new ship and a full load of food and water, for the remaining value, he chose some basic daily necessities, such as a stove with the function of a low-quality fire attribute magic stone, so that he could cook food at sea without the risk of burning down the entire ship.
When the transaction was completed and the guild staff had filled his new ship with food and water, he did not return to the lodging provided by the guild, nor did he stay on the ship overnight. Instead, he directly sailed away from Start Island in his new vessel, which had just been painted with the name 'Goddess of Dawn'.
While he was busy with the handover and loading supplies at the port, he had felt malicious gazes more than once. These gazes came from strangers he didn't know, and also from one of his 'acquaintances'.
"Rodney... I didn't see Wood, I wonder if they went their separate ways... or is Wood hiding deeper?"
He really didn't want to think the worst of people, but he had no room for error. The safest way right now was to leave Start Island early, disappearing from the sight of everyone who bore him ill will before they could react. The probability of being found on the vast sea was undoubtedly much lower.
Everything went according to Ethan's plan. Those who were tailing him didn't expect him to go out to sea directly. By the time some people reacted and went back to call for help to chase him, he was long gone.
The few who did react didn't have reliable ships to catch up with Ethan—these were likely those who were looked down upon by the guild staff for idling on the island. Unable to make a living, they developed malicious intentions and targeted Ethan. Unfortunately, once he went out to sea, they couldn't catch up with Ethan with their dilapidated boats. Although Ethan's ship was used, it was much better than their poorly maintained and repaired ones.
Only when Start Island was no longer visible and there were no ships chasing him on the sea did Ethan finally breathe a slight sigh of relief.
"Temporarily safe."
Next, he had to consider choosing a direction and then searching for the floating islands that could appear at any time.
But before that, he habitually summoned the space-time pointer, wanting to see if his greatest reliance had 'searched' for new targets.
The result did not disappoint him. The space-time pointer, which had been displaying 'Searching...' before, now showed an arrow again, pointing directly to his side-front. What made him even more overjoyed was that compared to the three arrows displayed in the pointer when he first went out to sea, this time there was only one.
This meant that the location of the space-time energy was not far from him, perhaps even very close.
"My luck suddenly improved. As expected, doing good deeds brings good rewards."
Before the thought finished, the floating island pointer he had casually taken out also began to turn, and then quickly locked onto a direction and remained fixed.
"Uh... constant shaking means no target, a fixed direction means a floating island has been found... When luck comes, you can't stop it."
Ethan was just about to struggle with which one to go to first when he found that the directions pointed by the two pointers were almost identical.
"This is good. I'll sail in this direction first and see which one I find first."
Although he muttered this, Ethan's heart still leaned more towards the space-time energy, perhaps because being able to travel between different planes gave him a higher sense of anticipation. So in the following days, he always adjusted his course according to the space-time pointer.
"There are so many different worlds. Even if I can't stay for too long, there are countless ways to make my life better in this world, and it even seems possible to live forever, become a higher level life form, or something like that!"
He wasn't sure how to find the Endless Land, but eternal life was equally tempting, and it seemed closer to him.
Even if dwelling on those things now was too unrealistic, it couldn't stop Ethan from letting his mind wander and ponder them in his free time.
However, when he found the scattered space-time energy and used the shuttle formation, and was then targeted by a group of women in leather armor aiming arrows at all his vital points, that thought was thrown to who knows where.