This Ocean Was Too Fantastical

Yinsen quickly hauled the two people who had fallen into the water aboard, then asked whether there were any other survivors. After receiving a negative answer, he immediately turned the boat around and sped away from those waters.

His boat was too small. Though it was still some distance from the storm itself, even the aftereffects made him feel as if his little boat could capsize at any moment.

Only after sailing a long way, when the waves gradually subsided, did Yinsen relax slightly. After looking back and confirming that the storm did not seem to be moving in this direction, he finally had time to examine the two people he had rescued—one was a somewhat thin man in his forties, his fairly handsome face already marked by the passage of time; the other was around thirty, in the prime of his life, his well-defined muscles plainly visible through his soaked clothes.

"Thank you very much for saving our lives."

After taking a few sips of water and recovering somewhat, the older man immediately voiced his thanks, then handed the wooden ladle to the other man.

It was clear that both of them were veteran sailors. They drank with great care, afraid of wasting even a drop, despite having just escaped danger and not knowing how long they had gone without water.

"You're welcome."

After the other man finished drinking, Yinsen took back the wooden ladle and put it away before asking about what had happened to them.

The two were indeed veteran sailors. The older one was called Wood, while the younger one was Rodney. They had spent several years making their way through these waters and had accumulated a modest fortune.

Wood owned a fairly decent sailing ship and had several capable companions. After working at sea for years, they had finally made up their minds a few days ago: cross the Sea of Storms and head for new waters.

Only then did Yinsen learn from Wood just how extraordinary this world was.

For the time being, it was unclear what the entire world looked like. Although Wood had spent years at sea, all he knew was that the ocean beneath them was called the Sea of Tranquility, a relatively "peaceful" stretch of water.

How large was the Sea of Tranquility? Wood did not know. He only knew that it was enormous. However, he was certain that the Sea of Tranquility was not boundless.

Around the Sea of Tranquility were perpetual gales, torrential rains, lightning, and thunder, enclosing it like walls. These storm regions that hemmed in the Sea of Tranquility were known by everyone as the Sea of Storms.

The closer one got to the edges, the more dangerous it became. By contrast, the closer one got to the center of the Sea of Tranquility, the safer it was. There were no great winds or towering waves, and marine resources were abundant. As long as they ensured they had enough drinking water, food was not much of a concern for those who spent their lives sailing at sea.

"Even if we can't find an island, we can get enough food from the sea to last until we return to Stat Island and resupply."

As for the islands Yinsen had been wondering about, he had not seen an island since setting out to sea—not even a single reef.

Wood explained that, though it sounded unbelievable, the most remarkable thing about the Sea of Tranquility was precisely these islands that appeared and vanished without warning.

"They may suddenly rise from the sea, then become covered in all kinds of plants and fruit in a very short time. After that, the plants suddenly wither and die, and the entire island sinks beneath the sea, never to be seen again."

These islands, said to suddenly emerge from the seabed and rapidly become lush with vegetation and covered in fruit, existed for varying lengths of time. According to Wood, the shortest-lived one he had seen lasted only a few days before sinking beneath the sea and disappearing.

It was said that throughout the entire Sea of Tranquility, only Stat Island never sank. It was also quite large, practically becoming the center of life for everyone living on these waters.

Other than Stat Island, only a few places had several tiny islands, and they were far apart from one another. Yinsen had previously lived on one of them.

"So the people who left those islands and went to sea in the past all went to this large island called Stat?"

Unfortunately, Wood quickly gave him a negative answer.

"Sadly, though Stat Island is not small, it still cannot accommodate that many people. Only a very, very small number can settle there permanently. Most people still have to make a living by adventuring at sea, searching for those islands that suddenly appear and collecting supplies from them in exchange for what they need to survive."

Wood looked at Yinsen. "Young man, from the looks of you, you must have only just left your hometown..."

"Yes!" Yinsen briefly introduced himself, though he skipped over most of the details. He only said that his parents had passed away, and he had not wanted to stay behind, so he had come out to make his way in the world.

As soon as he said that, he noticed Rodney, who had remained silent until now, showing an incredulous expression that practically said, This guy is an idiot. However, Rodney quickly regained control of his expression. If Yinsen had not been cultivating Mental Power these past few days and slightly strengthened his senses, he probably would not have noticed.

Wood simply smiled. "Young people have courage, but while the Sea of Tranquility may look decent, drifting at sea year-round in search of islands that might suddenly appear at any time is hardly a wonderful life."

He did not say anything like telling Yinsen to stop dreaming and hurry home to live an honest life. Perhaps he had seen too many young people carrying dreams in their hearts.

"What kinds of things are worth collecting from those islands?"

Now that he roughly understood what this world was like, Yinsen felt it was rather absurd. But he had already encountered transmigration, and he even had a miraculous pointer in his hand, so it was no big deal if this world was a little stranger still.

"Food, minerals, timber... As long as you can carry it, nearly everything you see can be collected and taken to Stat Island in exchange for the supplies you need. You can even commission ships, hire sailors, and so on..."

Yinsen understood. Everything that could be found was useful. After all, in a world filled with nothing but ocean, one could say that everything was scarce, so naturally everything had value.

Stat Island was like a town in an online game, helping Adventurers turn the resources they found into the things they needed, then selling them back to them, sustaining the lives of everyone here in this way.

"It seems this island must have rulers with considerable strength." Without absolute power, there was no way to make everyone follow the rules they had established.

Wood continued his beginner's lesson for this rookie, pouring all the basic knowledge about the Sea of Tranquility into Yinsen's head in one go.

He also finally learned that this world truly had no concept of east, south, west, or north. They determined direction by where the sun rose and set.

"We're currently sailing toward where the sun rises, and that will take us to Stat Island. If you truly want to make a living at sea, then I suggest you apply to join the Navigator's Guild once you reach the island."

"What is that?"

With Wood's explanation, Yinsen gained an even deeper understanding of this world.

The Navigator's Guild provided Adventurers who made their living at sea with various conveniences, such as basic food, clothing, lodging, and transportation; storing supplies they did not need for the time being and could not easily sell, or selling those supplies on their behalf; and providing an open trading platform. In addition, personal property could be deposited into individual accounts at the Navigator's Guild, among other services.

At the same time, the guild also offered Adventurers certain benefits, such as priority access to rare supplies and even priority repairs or construction of ships for guild members.

"And once you have enough outstanding crew members and a sturdy enough ship, you can attempt the safest route through the Sea of Storms, reach new waters, and take another step closer to the legendary Endless Land..."

Wood had mentioned earlier that he and his companions had only attempted to cross the Sea of Storms because they believed they were strong enough. Setting out from Stat Island and sailing in a straight line toward where the sun set was the safest route through the Sea of Storms.

However, calling it the safest route only meant it was safer than crossing the Sea of Storms elsewhere—there were smaller storms, weaker waves, and no lightning or thunder along this route.

Clearly, Wood had failed. Fortunately, they had not ventured too far into the Sea of Storms, allowing him and Rodney to keep their lives and hold on until Yinsen rescued them.

After talking for so long, Wood leaned back and fell asleep. He and Rodney had floated in the sea for who knew how long, and their strength had long since reached its limit.

Only the extreme excitement and joy of being rescued had kept him in a heightened state, allowing him to tell Yinsen so much. Once that feeling faded and the fatigue surged up uncontrollably, he could no longer hold on and fell asleep like a dead pig.

Rodney slept just as deeply. Even though he was curled up and unable to stretch out, he showed no sign of waking from discomfort.

The small wooden boat had already been piled high with things, and now three people were crammed inside. After looking it over, Yinsen decided to spend the night sitting beside the rudder, leaning against a pile of miscellaneous items.

The lesson that one must always guard against others kept him vigilant. He did not dare let down his guard and sleep soundly, so he simply used the need to travel as an excuse to sail through the night, only closing his eyes briefly whenever he found the chance to rest.

The next few days were fairly peaceful. Yinsen remained alert at all times, while Wood and Rodney did not seem to harbor any ill intent. Wood continued teaching Yinsen basic knowledge, and Rodney remained as taciturn as ever. The three of them sailed straight to the largest unsinkable island in the Sea of Tranquility: Stat Island.

After finding a place to dock their small boat in Stat Island's bustling harbor, the three men finally set foot on solid ground again and formally said their goodbyes.

"The debt of saving our lives is hard to repay. Yinsen, if you ever need anything from me, leave me a message at the guild. Just say it's for Wood, captain of the Swordfish."

Most people in this world seemed not to have surnames, so to avoid confusing people with the same name, they would deliberately add extra identifiers. The Navigator's Guild distinguished people by the names of their registered ships.

"And take this as well. Consider it payment for the food these past few days." As he spoke, Wood took out a small red stone and stuffed it into Yinsen's hand. "This is a Fire Magic Stone. It should be of some use to you."