Chapter 4 This Ocean is So Fantastic
Quickly rescuing the two people who fell into the water, he then asked if there were any other survivors. After receiving a negative answer, Ethan quickly turned the boat around and sped away from this sea area as fast as possible.
His boat was too small; although there was still some distance from the storm's range, the mere aftereffects made him feel like his small boat could capsize at any moment.
It wasn't until he had sailed a good distance away and the waves gradually subsided that Ethan felt a little relieved. He looked back and saw that the storm didn't seem to be moving towards them, so he finally had time to examine the two people he had rescued—one was a slightly thin man, around forty years old, with a handsome face already marked by the passage of time; the other was around thirty, in the prime of his life, a fact confirmed by the well-defined muscles clearly visible through his soaked clothes.
"Thank you very much for saving our lives."
The older man, after drinking a few sips of water and recovering, immediately expressed his gratitude, then handed the wooden spoon he was holding to the person next to him.
It was evident that both were experienced sailors; they were very careful when drinking water, afraid of wasting any, even though they had just escaped danger and hadn't had water for who knows how long.
"You're welcome."
After the other person finished drinking the water, Ethan took the wooden spoon back and put it away, then inquired about their ordeal.
The two were indeed old sailors; the older one was named Wood, and the younger one was named Rodney. They had been exploring this sea area for several years and had accumulated some savings.
Wood owned a decent sailboat and had several good helpers. They had been working on this sea for several years and finally, a few days ago, made up their minds: to cross the Storm Sea and head to a new sea area.
It was only then that Ethan learned about the wonders of this world from Wood.
What this world was like was still unclear for now. Although Wood had been sailing for several years, he only knew that the ocean beneath them was called the Serene Sea, a relatively 'peaceful' sea area.
How big was the Serene Sea? Wood didn't know, only that it was vast! However, he was very sure that the Serene Sea was not without boundaries.
Around the Serene Sea, there were perpetual strong winds, storms, lightning, and thunder, like walls enclosing the Serene Sea within them. These stormy areas that tightly surrounded the Serene Sea were called the Storm Sea by everyone.
Compared to the edges, which were more dangerous, the closer one was to the center of the Serene Sea, the safer it was. There were no strong winds or waves, and the sea was rich in resources. For those who sailed the sea year-round, as long as they ensured a sufficient supply of drinking water, they didn't need to worry too much about food.
"Even if we can't find an island, we can find enough food from the sea to last until we return to Stat Island to restock supplies."
As for the issue of small islands that had always puzzled Ethan, he hadn't seen a single island, let alone a reef, since he set sail.
Regarding this, Wood said that although it was very strange and unbelievable, the most magical thing about the Serene Sea was these islands that appeared and disappeared suddenly.
"They might suddenly emerge, then quickly become covered with various plants and fruits in a very short time. Afterward, these plants would suddenly wither and die, and the entire island would sink to the bottom of the sea, never to be seen again."
These islands, which were said to suddenly emerge from the seabed and quickly become lush with vegetation and abundant with fruit, varied in how long they existed. Wood said the shortest he had seen only existed for a few days before sinking into the sea and disappearing.
It was said that throughout the Serene Sea, only Stat Island was an island that never sank, and its area was also quite large, almost becoming the center for everyone living on this sea.
Besides Stat Island, there were only a few places with a few very small islands, and they were very far apart from each other. The place Ethan lived before was one of them.
"So, you're saying that the people who left the island and went out to sea before all went to this large island called Stat?"
Unfortunately, Wood quickly gave a negative answer.
"It's a pity that although Stat Island is not small, it cannot accommodate so many people. Only a very, very small number of people can reside on the island long-term. Most people still have to risk their lives at sea, relying on finding those islands that suddenly appear and collecting the resources on them to exchange for what they need to sustain their lives."
Wood looked at Ethan: "Young man, judging by your appearance, you should have just left your hometown..."
"Yes!" Ethan briefly introduced himself, but he skipped over most of the details, only saying that his parents at home had passed away and he didn't want to stay, so he came out to explore.
As soon as he said this, he noticed that Rodney, who had been silent, showed a look of surprise as if to say 'this guy is an idiot', but he quickly controlled his expression. If it weren't for Ethan's recent cultivation of mental power which slightly enhanced his senses, he probably wouldn't have noticed.
Wood, however, smiled and said, "The young man is very brave, but although this Serene Sea looks good, drifting on the sea year-round searching for islands that suddenly appear at who knows when is not a very good life."
As for advising Ethan to stop dreaming and just go home and live a steady life, he didn't say anything like that, perhaps because he had seen too many young people with dreams?
"What kind of things are worth collecting on those islands?"
Finally having a general understanding of what this world was like, although Ethan felt it was a bit ridiculous, he had already encountered transmigration, and he had a magical compass in his hand, so it wasn't a big deal for this world to be a bit stranger.
"Food, minerals, wood... As long as you can carry it, almost everything you can see can be collected and exchanged for the resources you need on Stat Island, and you can even order ships, recruit sailors, and so on..."
Ethan understood; it meant that everything that could be found was useful. After all, in a world full of sea, one could say that everything was scarce, so naturally everything was useful.
Stat Island was like a town in an online game, helping adventurers transform the resources they found into what they needed and selling them back, maintaining the survival of everyone here in this way.
"It seems that there should still be rulers of considerable strength on this island." Without absolute strength, it would be impossible to make everyone act according to the rules he set.
Wood's basic enlightenment teaching for Ethan, the rookie newcomer, continued, and basic common knowledge about the Serene Sea was crammed into Ethan's mind.
He finally knew that this world indeed had no concept of east, south, west, or north. Their way of distinguishing direction was based on the direction the sun rose and set.
"If we sail in the direction the sun rises now, we can reach Stat Island. If you really want to make a living at sea, then I suggest you go to the Adventurer's Guild on the island and apply for membership."
"What is that?"
As Wood explained, Ethan gained a deeper understanding of this world.
The Adventurer's Guild provided some conveniences for adventurers making a living at sea, such as providing basic food, clothing, housing, and transportation; helping store supplies that were temporarily not needed and hard to sell, or selling these supplies on their behalf; it also provided an open trading platform; in addition, personal property could be stored in the Adventurer's Guild's personal account, and so on.
At the same time, the guild would also provide some conveniences to adventurers, such as prioritizing the provision of some rare supplies, and even prioritizing helping guild members repair or build ships.
"And when you have enough excellent crew members and a sturdy good ship, then you can try to cross the safest route of the Storm Sea, reach a new sea area, and take another step closer to the legendary endless land..."
Wood had mentioned before that he and his companions felt they were strong enough to attempt to cross the Storm Sea. Starting from Stat Island and sailing directly in the direction the sun set was the safest route through the Storm Sea.
However, calling it the safest route was only relative to crossing the Storm Sea from other locations—this route had smaller storms, weaker waves, and no lightning or thunder.
Evidently, Wood failed. Fortunately, they hadn't gone far into the Storm Sea, and he and Rodney thus saved their lives and held on until Ethan rescued them.
After talking for a long time, Wood leaned there and fell into a deep sleep. He and Rodney had been in the sea for who knows how long, and their strength had long reached its limit.
It was the extreme excitement and joy after being rescued that kept him in a state of arousal, allowing him to tell Ethan so much. Once this momentum passed, the feeling of fatigue surged uncontrollably, and he could no longer hold on, falling asleep like a dead pig.
Rodney also slept very soundly. Even though he was curled up and couldn't stretch out, there was no sign of him waking up due to discomfort.
The small wooden boat, which was not large to begin with, was already full of things, and now three people were squeezed in. Ethan looked around and decided to sit by the rudder, leaning against a pile of Sundries, and rough it out for the night.
The lesson of being cautious was always reminding him, and he didn't dare to relax and sleep soundly, so he simply used the excuse of making headway to sail through the night, only closing his eyes for a moment to rest.
The next few days were relatively calm. Ethan remained vigilant at all times, and Wood and Rodney seemed to have no intention of harming him. Wood continued to educate Ethan on basic common knowledge, and Rodney remained as taciturn as ever. The three of them on a small boat sailed directly to the largest unsinkable island in the Serene Sea: Stat Island.
The small boat found a place to dock in the bustling port of Stat Island, and the three people, finally stepping onto solid ground again, formally said goodbye.
"The kindness of saving our lives is hard to repay. Ethan, if you ever need my help in the future, you can leave a message for me at the guild, addressed to Wood, Captain of the Swordfish."
Most people in this world seemed not to have surnames, so to avoid mistaking people due to duplicate names, they would specifically add extra annotations. The Adventurer's Guild's method was to distinguish by the registered ship name.
"And take this thing; consider it payment for the food these past few days." As he spoke, Wood took out a small red stone and put it into Ethan's hand: "This is a fire attribute magic stone; it should be of some use to you."