Danger Lurks Nearby

Was Endless Land merely a deceptive legend, or did it truly exist? Yinsen had received no clear answer.

After completing the registration and receiving an inconspicuous pointer, Yinsen was led to accommodations specifically provided for adventurers to rest.

There was only a separate bedroom and a small bathroom, but for adventurers who spent long periods drifting at sea, the place was practically paradise.

Clean beds, freely available fresh water, and enough food to eat until they were full.

"To provide all this for free, the guild is even more powerful than I thought."

Thinking back to the Mental Power fluctuations that had leaked out when the clerk used the Magic Stone, Yinsen knew that the ever-smiling man was definitely not someone to be trifled with.

"What should I do next?"

Yinsen took out the Magic Stone Wood had given him. It was the only thing he had that could be exchanged for resources. Other than that, he only had the clothes and books The Ancient One had given him. Neither was worth much, and neither could be traded for enough supplies to support him at sea.

"So... I have no choice, do I?"

The Magic Stone Wood had given him was his only hope for his next voyage. If he insisted on keeping it, he could only rely on the Water Creation Spell and food gathered from the sea, then hope to find an island—or Space-Time Energy—as quickly as possible.

"Putting my hopes in the unknown is something I only need to do once."

Moreover, after reading the materials provided by the guild, Yinsen increasingly understood the rules of survival in this world: adventurers gathered supplies and exchanged them for items that could improve their chances of survival, such as better ships. Then, with that stronger foundation, they searched for more supplies and continued improving their strength.

That cycle was the most fundamental rule of survival on these seas, and it was also the rule the Adventurer's Guild worked hard to maintain.

"Exchanging this Magic Stone for enough food is the bottom line. I can skip preparing water... No, that would stand out too much. I still need to prepare some."

Having settled on a direction, Yinsen's mind raced as he planned what to do next.

"If possible, I should replace my ship as soon as I can. My little boat is far too poor in both capacity and safety. A slightly larger wave could capsize it—then even if I don't drown, I'd still lose my supplies."

What he did not know was the price of ships in this world. Perhaps that was not something he could achieve in a short time. If so, he would need to limit his range of activity.

He looked at the pointer he had received earlier. The guild-issued pointer looked inconspicuous, but it had an important function—it could point toward Floating Islands within a certain range, allowing adventurers to find their targets more quickly.

There was also a dial on the outside of the box. With a light twist, the pointer would indicate the direction of Stat Island, allowing adventurers to find their way "home" no matter how far they sailed.

After putting away the pointer, Yinsen continued the most basic Mental Power Training. Even though he could not see any obvious progress, he persisted, because it was the only method he knew of to make himself stronger.

"This world... may not be as peaceful as it looks..."

Danger was not actually far away. And being a good person did not mean everyone would treat you kindly.

"I hope I'm just being petty..."

After resting well for the night, Yinsen did not waste any more time. He immediately went to the Guild Hall to trade away the Magic Stone in his possession.

He did not choose to go to the market because there were too many people there, and he lacked the means to protect himself. Who knew what trouble he might run into?

The guild was relatively much safer, even if the commission meant he would lose a little on the price.

In fact, things went far better than Yinsen had expected. The guild did not cheat him. They even directly told him that it was a high-quality Combat Magic Stone, one that could be exchanged for a great deal of supplies with plenty left over. If he simply traded it for food and water, it would be enough for Yinsen to live comfortably on an island for quite some time.

"Can I trade it for a ship?"

Rather than drawing ridicule, Yinsen's question earned approving looks from the guild staff, as if they found him more pleasing to the eye—apparently, the guild truly was dedicated to cultivating more outstanding adventurers and was rather tired of those who merely muddled through their days.

Although he did not know what hidden purpose they might have, the current situation was more advantageous for Yinsen.

"What size ship do you need?"

Yinsen thought for a moment. He did not intend to recruit strangers, because it would be difficult to conceal the matter of Space-Time Energy, especially while he lacked the ability to protect himself. Since he would be alone, he could not handle too large a ship.

"It doesn't need to be too big. Something one person can operate, mainly capable of withstanding some wind and waves."

"Then a ten-meter, two-deck single-masted sailboat will be enough." The clerk took out a notebook from nearby and began checking it. "Would a used ship be acceptable? If you choose a used one, aside from a full load of food and fresh water, you can also trade for some other things."

Yinsen did not consider it for long. He did not care whether it was used or not, as long as it was sturdy and durable. In his eyes, even this ship would only be a temporary measure.

"As long as it's a good ship, new or used doesn't matter."

"Don't worry. Any ship we put on the list is definitely a good ship fit for normal use. Used ships with hidden issues are all reclaimed as lumber."

"Lumber?" Yinsen's eyes lit up. "I have a small boat. Will you take it?"

"Of course! Shall we include it in this transaction?"

He had not only obtained a new ship, but had also "sold" his little boat along with it. While Yinsen was delighted, he also realized that the Magic Stone was worth far more than he had imagined.

Since he had sold it, he would not regret it. What concerned him was the term "Combat Magic Stone."

"This world really isn't that peaceful."

Inspection, transaction.

Yinsen received his new ship: a sailboat around ten meters long, divided into two levels with a deck and a lower level. Though it was roughly the same length as his old boat, it was much taller and had a far deeper draft. If he found an island in the future, he could not simply charge straight toward it, but would need to choose a suitable place to anchor. It had one mast and one sail. The bow and stern were slightly raised, forming two cabins, each with a small door that allowed him to enter.

Besides storing supplies, the two cabins gave him somewhere to shelter from wind and rain. The space was cramped, and he could not even stand upright inside, but it was still far better than his previous completely exposed little boat.

Besides the new ship and a full load of food and water, he used the remaining credit on some basic necessities, such as a stove powered by a low-quality Fire Magic Stone. That way, he would no longer need to risk burning down his entire ship whenever he lit a fire to cook at sea.

When the transaction was complete and the guild staff had filled his new ship with food and water, he did not return to the accommodations provided by the guild, nor did he stay overnight on the ship. Instead, he directly sailed his new vessel, freshly painted with the name Goddess of Dawn, away from Stat Island.

While he had been busy handing over his old boat and loading supplies at the harbor, he had felt hostile gazes more than once. Some came from unfamiliar strangers, while others came from one of his "acquaintances."

"Rodney... I didn't see Wood. I wonder if they went their separate ways... or if Wood is hiding himself more deeply?"

He truly did not want to think the worst of people, but he had no room for mistakes. The safest option now was to leave Stat Island as soon as possible and disappear from the sight of everyone hostile toward him before they could react. On the vast sea, the chances of being found would undoubtedly be much lower.

Everything went just as Yinsen had planned. The people watching him never expected him to head straight out to sea. By the time some of them realized what was happening, returned to call for help, and tried to give chase, he had long vanished from sight.

The few who reacted quickly had no reliable ships capable of catching Yinsen—these were probably the people the guild staff despised, those who loafed around on the island all day. Unable to get by any longer, they had developed malicious intentions and set their sights on Yinsen. Unfortunately, once they were at sea, the rotten boats in their hands could not possibly catch him. Though Yinsen's ship was used, it was still better than their poorly maintained and unrepaired wrecks.

Only when Stat Island had completely disappeared from view, and no pursuing ships could be seen on the sea, did Yinsen finally let out a small breath of relief.

"Temporarily safe."

Next, he needed to choose a direction and search for Floating Islands that could appear at any time.

But before that, he habitually summoned the Space-Time Pointer again, wanting to see whether his greatest reliance had "searched" for a new target.

The result did not disappoint him. The Space-Time Pointer, which had previously displayed "Searching...," showed an arrow once again, pointing just ahead and to the side of him. What delighted him even more was that, compared to the three-layered arrow it had displayed when he first set sail, this time there was only one.

That meant the Space-Time Energy was not far from him—indeed, it could be said to be very close.

"My luck suddenly got better. Sure enough, good deeds are rewarded."

Before the thought had even faded, the Floating Island pointer he had casually taken out began spinning, then quickly locked onto a direction and stopped moving.

"Uh... Constantly spinning means there's no target, while pointing steadily means it has found a Floating Island... When luck comes, nothing can stop it."

Just as Yinsen began wondering which one he should visit first, he discovered that the directions indicated by the two pointers were almost identical.

"Well, that makes things easy. I'll sail this way first and see which one I find first."

Although he said that, Yinsen still leaned more toward the Space-Time Energy. Perhaps the possibility of traveling through different planes filled him with greater anticipation. Thus, over the following days, he constantly adjusted his course according to the Space-Time Pointer.

"There are so many different worlds. Even if I can't stay in them for long, there must be countless ways for me to live better in this world. Maybe even immortality and becoming a higher form of life aren't impossible!"

He had no idea how to find Endless Land, but immortality was equally tempting, and it seemed much closer to him.

Even if such thoughts were far too unrealistic at the moment, Yinsen could not stop his mind from wandering over them whenever he had free time.

But when he found the scattered Space-Time Energy, activated the Teleportation Array, and was then targeted by a group of women in Leather Armor aiming bows at every vital point on his body, that thought was thrown somewhere far out of reach.