Heading to the Depths

Bang!

Linsey stood at the bow of the ship, his Flintlock Gun blaring a loud bang.

As the gun fired, smoke billowed from the muzzle and the ammunition was released, Linsey's face was also covered in smoke and exhaust fumes.

"Cough cough cough—"

Linsey coughed twice.

Looking up again, not far ahead, a gray dove landed on the water after falling from the sky.

Linsey lashed out with her whip and dragged the pigeon's carcass back onto the deck.

The inconvenience of his left hand did affect his use of bows and arrows, but it didn't affect his use of firearms much.

Not to mention Linsey enabling the [FPS] module.

He can directly determine the shooting position by aiming, which makes him a sharpshooter who hits the target almost every time!

He wiped the soot off his face, then turned and handed the pigeon to Weikena beside him. "Good luck, we can have an extra meal tonight."

"Mr. Drake, your weapon is quite interesting." Weikena, who was standing next to Linsey, took the dove, but his attention was more focused on the Flintlock Gun. "I've heard that some craftsmen can make particularly powerful crossbows. Is this one as well?"

Linsey shook her head:

"This thing is called a gun, and it's different from a crossbow in principle."

Upon hearing that it wasn't a crossbow but a 'gun' he'd never heard of before, Weikena began analyzing the Flintlock Gun: "This thing looks good and saves effort, but it's very noisy. If I had to choose, I'd probably prefer a crossbow."

Place it in a low-magic world or a normal world.

The invention and emergence of firearms was undoubtedly a world-changing event.

But here...

Linsey thought about those awakened beings who could influence and interfere with the world at the Seventh Stage.

And the Eighth Stage, where the fighting could shatter the world.

With such exaggerated force as a backdrop, firearms, while effective, are not enough to overturn the entire social order.

Linsey looked at Weikena: "The voice is indeed a big problem."

"However, if the speed of a bullet exceeds the speed of sound, then there is no problem."

"The speed of sound?" Weikena looked somewhat bewildered.

The awakened beings in this universe are diverse and numerous, including skilled craftsmen and scholars who delve into technical knowledge.

They even have industry-standard units of measurement.

But things like the speed of sound are rarely studied, let alone by ordinary people like Weikena.

"Yes, the speed of sound." Linsey glanced around and pointed to the forest at the edge of the river. "Look, it's about 50 meters from here to that forest. If you multiply that length six or seven times, that's the distance sound can travel in one second."

Weikena scratched his head somewhat sheepishly:

"I...I've never heard of such a thing before."

When he looked at Linsey again, his eyes filled with anticipation—the anticipation of someone who has awakened.

"Mr. Drake, you know so much, just like those Life Scholar!"

Linsey saw through Weikena's thoughts.

Or rather, due to the uncertainty surrounding the birth of awakened beings, anyone can have such a desire.

He then asked, "By the way, Weikena, I haven't asked you yet, how old are you this year?"

Weikena immediately replied:

14.

Linsey calculated the time.

Although there are many types of calendars in this universe, the Source Material Tide every 10 years, which is quite stable and not difficult to calculate.

There should be about 4 years until the next Source Material Tide.

If we consider 18 years old as the standard for adulthood, then the year Weikena turned 18 was also the time of the Source Material Tide.

Weikena asked Linsey expectantly, "Mr. Drake, do you think I can become an Awakener?"

Linsey shook her head slightly:

"I can't judge such things."

"However, I've heard that powerful Awakened Ones can help others increase their chances of awakening. Since humans can do that, I think there must be other things in nature that can have a similar effect."

Upon hearing Linsey's answer, Weikena looked around.

The trees on both sides of the river were still restless, but after a few days, people's adaptability began to take effect.

He now looks at the forest with a sense of familiarity, and even feels that he can find some hope in it!

However, Weikena has experience living alone.

He quickly shook off that expectation and continued to ask Linsey with curiosity:

"Mr. Drake, how did you become an Awakened One?"

"..."

When Weikena asked her that question, Linsey remembered that she also had the setting of an Self-Awakening.

But before he could answer, familiar footsteps echoed from the deck behind.

Explorer Reze arrived at the bow of the ship.

He overheard their conversation, stepped forward, and ruffled Weikena's hair. "Kid, if you want to become an Awakener, my advice is to go to a big city."

"Ideally, it should be World Main City!"

"The number of Awakened in those places far exceeds that in ordinary areas, and their Essence is also more active. Whether it's by chance or by some other means, ordinary people have a greater chance of becoming Awakened."

Weikena looked somewhat downcast and nervous.

"But I've been in the Courtyard in the Forest since I can remember, and I've never left here."

Reze immediately proposed a solution and offered some suggestions. "Go to Remote Yue City; there are Teleportation Array available there."

"Over the next four years, you can save money by living frugally to afford the Teleportation Array; or you can try to join a merchant guild. In short—as long as you work hard, you still have a chance."

After exchanging a few words with Weikena, Reze's gaze shifted to Linsey.

The explorer's tone then turned serious. "This afternoon, I plan to have the fleet dock."

"We need to assess the current condition of the forest and also replenish our supplies."

Linsey realized:

"Need me to lead the hunt?"

Reze nodded and said, "That's right, thank you for your help."

Linsey waved her hand dismissively:

"Since you're in the team, you should contribute and take responsibility."

As she spoke, Linsey casually adjusted her Equipment Slot and put on a brand new set of armor.

[Armor: Snake Scale Armor]

[Provides basic defensive capabilities, offering good resistance to slashing and cutting damage, and also provides low-level poison immunity.]

The armor, woven from the scales of a serpentine Devil Beast, is of moderate value.

The fleet has also been attacked by Devil Beast in the past few days.

However, due to the fact that they were sailing on water, snakes were the most numerous among the attacking Devil Beast.

The materials they contributed allowed Linsey to successfully synthesize the [Snake Scale Armor], which provides direct immunity to low-level toxins, and does not contradict the [Forest Brooch]'s ability to increase toxin resistance.

That afternoon.

The fleet docked for rest and repairs as planned.

Linsey also led the Awakened into the forest to hunt.

The strange changes in the forest showed no signs of abating, just as they had a few days prior.

Linsey used his skills to identify plants during his hunt, and the information he obtained was generally consistent: neither the plants had worsened nor improved.

That night, Linsey led the hunters back with a full catch.

That evening, as he roasted the pigeons he had caught during the day, preparing to cook them with Weikena, his keen hearing allowed Linsey to hear a series of panicked and terrified sounds from inside the cabin:

"Wayne, what's wrong?"

"Someone come quick!"

Someone has been poisoned!