Sea of the Watchers

On the sea level of the Sea of the Watchers, under the afterglow of the setting sun, a large wooden ship was slowly sailing away from Harrell Port. Although not very prosperous, it was already considered one of the best ports on the eastern coastline of the Shurima continent.

On the ship, Jia Ruo wore a rough cloth vest, and the muscles on his exposed arms were clearly visible.

Compared to four months ago when Neeko found him, he had gotten much darker, his skin now a vibrant wheat color. His height had also increased a bit. He was originally 1.75 meters tall, but now he was over 1.8 meters.

This was thanks to Neeko. She had transformed into Jia Ruo's original appearance, making the changes obvious in comparison.

Jia Ruo's temperament had also shifted from refined to sunny. However, his beard, which hadn't been shaved in a long time, was a bit messy, making him look more mature, or perhaps, like an uncle.

A month ago, after bidding farewell to Nidalee, he and Neeko had headed east.

It took them over twenty days to reach the coastline.

Upon reaching the coast, guided by fishermen and passersby, they traveled south along the coastline for eight days, finally arriving at Harrell Port.

In the port, relying on Neeko's abilities, they easily found this merchant ship, which was about to set sail for Ionia's most prosperous capital city: Placidium.

Neeko could clearly sense the inner thoughts of the ship's captain. This middle-aged man with a large beard and a fierce appearance harbored no ill intentions.

When she and Jia Ruo approached the captains of other ships heading to Ionia and made their request: they hoped to hitch a ride to Ionia and work alongside the sailors as payment.

Most captains refused out of caution.

Of the few who agreed, some intended to empty their wallets once they were on board (even though they had no money) and then kick them off the ship.

Others, more sinisterly, planned to sell them to slave traders in Bilgewater, a place with no rules to restrain them.

This captain, however, simply felt that his ship was short-handed and that accepting their request wouldn't be a loss.

He was practically a great benefactor.

"Jia Ruo..."

A young man who looked eight parts like Jia Ruo tugged at him. "Finally, we don't have to walk anymore. Neeko's feet are about to break."

Undoubtedly, this was Neeko.

As for why she transformed into this appearance – they claimed to be brothers venturing out into the world.

Jia Ruo was currently being directed by the first mate to hoist the wide and sturdy ship's sail. While exerting himself, he said, "Yeah, at least we won't have to sleep outdoors anymore."

Jia Ruo somewhat missed their old campsite. Along the way, they had endured hardships and slept under the open sky, leaving them both exhausted and in need of rest.

Jia Ruo tightened the beast-hide wristband on his right wrist.

It was made by Nidalee from the hide of a Shadow Wolf. Although it looked rough, it was sturdy and reliable. The fragments were perfectly fitted into the grooves on the inner wall of the wristband. When the wristband was tightened with thin leather straps, there was no need to worry about the fragments falling out.

This time, when heading to Ionia, Jia Ruo not only wanted to help Neeko find her people but also had other intentions: Ionia was filled with various sects and numerous experts, making it the perfect place for him to find a master who could guide him to become stronger.

Whether seeking the way home or a better life, gaining strength is the prerequisite.

Although he was also practicing mana control and had gained some insight into plant magic, Neeko wasn't human after all, and her abilities were entirely innate. She could only offer Jia Ruo a little of her experience.

And for any power to be better utilized and applied, it must be passed down through techniques and professional guidance.

The merchant ship had already begun to sail smoothly, aided by the sea breeze blowing from the continent towards the ocean at night. This was also why the captain chose to depart in the evening.

"Dinner's ready!"

The cook called out loudly. Both large pots were filled with thick soup made from dried meat and vegetables.

Jia Ruo and Neeko each received a large bowl of soup and a loaf of bread about the size of a forearm.

Vegetable soup was only available for these first few days after setting sail. During the long voyage that followed, the only way to supplement vitamins would be with oranges.

The bread was very hard, as most of the moisture had been removed to extend its shelf life.

Jia Ruo and Neeko walked to the bow of the ship with their food and began to enjoy their dinner in the salty sea breeze.

The early summer evening was already a bit muggy, and Jia Ruo enjoyed the coolness brought by the sea breeze.

The more than twenty sailors on the ship preferred to eat with their captain, sitting on wooden crates on the deck.

They had had enough of the sea breeze over the years.

"Jia Ruo, I can't eat anymore."

Neeko still had half a bowl of soup left, and had only taken a few bites of her bread.

In contrast, Jia Ruo's appetite had grown significantly compared to when he was on Earth. His soup bowl was already empty.

Jia Ruo stuffed the last small piece of bread into his mouth, the difficult-to-chew bread puffing out his cheeks.

He looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to them. Jia Ruo and Neeko exchanged bowls, and he also took Neeko's bread.

"You have such a big mouth."

Neeko gently poked Jia Ruo's bulging cheek.

It should have been a heartwarming scene, but with her current appearance, Jia Ruo always found it a bit strange.

A moment later, Jia Ruo walked over to the cook.

"Brother, can I have some more?"

"Of course, there's plenty!"

Jia Ruo took back his refilled bowl of soup. This time, he and Neeko sat down with the sailors.

The sailors loudly bragged and boasted, but more than anything, their thoughts were on women.

Few sailors who went to sea were married; no woman was willing to marry a sailor who spent most of the year drifting at sea.

The main reason, however, was their poverty.

Although the captain of this ship treated them quite well, sailors who drifted at sea for at least two or three months at a time would spend their entire wages as soon as they disembarked. In every port, more or less, openly or secretly, there were red-light districts and casinos.

Every sailor would indulge their desires and release their stress there until their wallets were emptied and they were kicked out by the boss or thugs.

Most sailors were like this, so they couldn't save money and repeatedly went through this cycle: work on the ship, get paid, disembark, spend it all, and then get back on the ship.

Sailors who could control themselves could become small farm owners or open small shops after seven or eight years on the ship.

But after all, very few people with such willpower and awareness would end up as sailors, so this was ultimately just a minority.

Jia Ruo drank his soup, half-listening to the sailors' chatter.

Suddenly, he heard something that piqued his interest.

"I say, Noxus has been fighting Ionia for so long, why are we still heading to Ionia?"

"Tch, we're going to Placidium. Noxus has only pushed to the western coast of Ionia, it's still far away."

"I heard that too," a third sailor interjected. "I heard Ionia has plenty of experts. Some kind of saintess, right? She dispersed Noxus's warships with a wave of her hand. Those warships must be bigger and sturdier than our merchant ships. And there's some kind of Sword Saint who single-handedly routed a whole legion of Noxus!"

"So what? That Sword Saint's village was completely massacred by Noxus, tch..."

The first sailor picked up the conversation.

The sailors talked at length, completely unconcerned about the tragedy unfolding in that land, merely competing over who knew about more powerful figures.

Seeing Jia Ruo glance their way, a bare-chested man grinned, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth. "You're the little brother who boarded the ship to Ionia during the day, right? When we get to Bilgewater, we'll show you the ropes."

Jia Ruo hastily shook his head and got up to return the wooden bowl.