Endless Land

Adventurer's Guild, that was the official name of the guild Wood mentioned.

The guild's office was located at the end of the main street directly opposite the port exit. It was very conspicuous and could be seen as soon as one came out. The only confusing thing was that the huge building had several doors. With so many entrances and not even a sign, a complete rookie who didn't know anything would probably get a headache.

Fortunately, with Wood's guidance, Ethan knew he had to enter through the leftmost door. That was the place specifically for newcomers. Handling membership applications, arranging accommodation for new arrivals, and so on were all done there.

Wood and the others, on the other hand, were going to the hall most frequented by veterans to handle some matters. Their ship had sunk, and several crew members had died. They needed to report this and also retrieve their deposited property to purchase a new ship, etc.

Watching Wood and Rodney gradually disappear into the increasingly dense crowd, Ethan couldn't shake the feeling that Rodney seemed to be subtly stealing glances at him, and those looks were definitely not friendly.

"Is it because of the Magic Stone?"

Magic Stones were the most wondrous existence in this ocean and also the most difficult resources to obtain. As long as one found a piece, even if they didn't use it themselves, they could exchange it for many things they needed. They were the true hard currency of this world.

"A Fire Attribute Magic Stone... I wonder what exactly it can do?"

Besides circulation, the greatest value of Magic Stones lay in their miraculous effects. For example, the most useful one for adventurers was a Water Attribute Purifying Magic Stone. As long as they had one small Purifying Magic Stone and placed it in a wooden barrel storing fresh water, whether it was seawater or polluted dirty water, the Magic Stone would purify it into the clearest and cleanest water.

"It's a pity this one isn't a Water Attribute Purifying Magic Stone... I wonder what this Fire Attribute Magic Stone does?"

He carefully put away the Magic Stone and also tightened his backpack. It contained all his important belongings, primarily the large stack of books the Ancient One had given him.

He wouldn't dare leave these things on his completely exposed small boat. Who knew if someone might just take them.

Quickly entering the Adventurer's Guild's newcomer reception hall, Ethan found it much quieter compared to the main hall where people were constantly coming and going. He looked around and realized he was the only one there.

At the counter by the main entrance, there was only one young man standing. He was enthusiastically waving at him, "Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild! Are you here to apply for membership?"

"Ah! Yes!"

Ethan nodded and walked up to the counter.

"Excuse me, is there a membership fee or anything required to join?"

He had actually forgotten this question before. Having lived in this world for so long, he hadn't seen any form of currency or similar things. He had grown used to bartering and for a moment didn't remember that guilds and similar organizations usually charged fees.

"No, there isn't. However, a portion of resources will be deducted in the future when you store supplies at the guild, customize and repair ships, or conduct commission transactions."

Ethan nodded. So, they only charged for using their services. This was quite suitable for a penniless rookie like him.

"Actually, even though you don't need to pay anything to join, fewer and fewer newcomers are joining now." The young man opposite didn't know if it was because he hadn't seen anyone for too long, but upon seeing Ethan, he just kept talking on his own, "You're the first person to apply for membership in the past six months."

"Ah?" Although Ethan could see it was a bit deserted here, he didn't expect that no one had joined for half a year. Was it inappropriate for him to join so abruptly?

The clerk opposite immediately saw through Ethan's thoughts and quickly spoke to keep him there, "Actually, there are many benefits to joining the guild. We can provide better ships and allow you to recruit more experienced sailors—there are quite a few adventurers in the guild who have lost their ships or are on the verge of bankruptcy. Although their situation isn't great, they are experienced. Also, storing and consigning supplies can save adventurers a lot of time."

"In short, we will help adventurers solve all their worries so they can focus on exploring the sea and collecting resources."

"What's more, every time an adventurer returns from sea, even if they have no harvest, we will provide them with three days of free accommodation and food, allowing them to get the most adequate rest before embarking on a new round of adventures with a more refreshed state..."

After a long speech, Ethan felt that this guild was indeed quite decent, and there seemed to be nothing wrong with him joining.

"Then why haven't any newcomers joined for half a year?"

The clerk sighed helplessly, "Fewer and fewer newcomers are able to successfully reach Stat Island from their 'hometowns' now. Most of them are also conservative old fogeys who are unwilling to give up even a tiny bit of anything to the guild, thinking the guild is taking advantage of them."

Shrugging his shoulders, the clerk didn't hide the disdain on his face at all, "In my opinion, those people just want to muddle through. After finding resources on each voyage, they rely on those things to exchange for necessities, living day by day until they have almost nothing left before going out to sea again."

"That's still considered good; they at least save some for going out to sea. There are also some who won't go out to sea until they absolutely can't survive anymore, and because they don't have any extra resources on hand, they can only prepare some fresh water when they go out... Nine out of ten of those people never come back."

Ethan understood. Those who were unwilling to join the guild were likely similar to the people who had left his island before. They were not young, and after arriving here, they found life seemed to be worse, and they suddenly lost motivation—reaching Stat Island was already like picking up a life, so every extra day lived was a gain... If they couldn't survive, it was just losing something they should have lost long ago.

"Then how do they exchange the things they find for food and such?"

"Oh, you go out from here and turn right, follow that gravel path, and you'll see a market not long after. That's the largest market on this island; actually, even adventurers who have joined the guild go there to trade. Only things that can't be traded off quickly are sent here to the guild for storage or entrusted to the guild to sell on their behalf."

"Uh... I see."

"Well then, next I need to help you fill out some basic information."

Ethan nodded. He had already decided to join the guild. Putting everything else aside, the guild could provide a lot of information to help him understand this world better.

"Name?"

"Ethan."

"Age?"

"Seventeen."

"Gender?"

"...Male..."

"Height?"

"Uh... haven't measured..."

The clerk was extremely skilled at his job, measuring and filling out the form in one smooth motion.

"Ship name?"

"Uh... this..." Ethan hadn't named his ship, and after hearing the question, he was stunned for a long time. Finally, he pinched his forehead and casually came up with one, "Goddess of Dawn."

"Oh~ That's a good name."

After filling out the basic information, the clerk picked up a white Magic Stone from beside him. Without seeing him do anything, the Magic Stone emitted a blue light that scanned Ethan's face up and down.

Then he used the Magic Stone to scan the paper on which he had written Ethan's basic information again. Immediately after, the paper filled with basic information slowly disappeared.

Then, the clerk raised his hand and slammed the Magic Stone onto the table. With a crisp crack, when he lifted his hand, the white Magic Stone had transformed into a white strip about a finger wide.

It all happened so fast that by the time Ethan reacted, all he could do was shout internally, Can Magic Stones be used like that?

Then he saw the clerk gesture for him to extend his hand. The clerk placed the white strip onto his wrist with another slap, and the white strip wrapped tightly around Ethan's wrist, looking like a regular wristband.

"This will be your Guild member identification from now on." He then briefly explained how to use it.

The white wristband could be taken off freely and didn't necessarily have to be worn on the wrist. Because of its strong elasticity, it could also be worn around the neck, arm, or leg.

There was also no need to worry about losing it. Since the Guild had a backup of Ethan's information, if he lost his basic identification, he just needed to go to the hall to get a replacement.

"Oh, right. If you don't like white, we can also help you change the color, but that will require an additional fee."

"What do I need to pay to change the color?"

"A Magic Stone of the corresponding color."

"..."

Ethan remembered that his Fire Attribute Magic Stone was red. Although it wasn't as useful as the Water Attribute Purifying Magic Stone, it wasn't much worse. And here at the Guild, it could only be used to change the color of a wristband?

Uh... looks like I can't afford this service yet.

"It's okay, Magic Stones aren't as rare as you think." Having recruited the first newcomer in six months, the clerk was in a great mood and chatted with Ethan about many things: "Actually, the probability of Magic Stones existing on each floating island is over eighty percent; most people just haven't found them."

"Really?"

"Really. It's not much of a secret, actually, but the basic information about the Sea of Tranquility provided by the Guild doesn't include this point. That's because it's a form of screening..."

"Screening?"

"Yes, screening for more potential adventurers."

Ethan suddenly felt like he had discovered a big secret.

"What do they do after selecting the more potential adventurers?"

"Do what?" The clerk sensed Ethan's thoughts and gently shook his head. "It's not what you're thinking... The purpose of selecting potential adventurers is to help them grow quickly, so they can cross the Sea of Storms sooner and search for the Endless Land."

This was the countless time he had heard this legend: that vast, boundless land where millions of people could live and work in peace and happiness, was at the end of the great sea. As long as you could find it, you could live a happy and joyful life.

Could this really not be a deceptive legend?