The liquidation of supplies, the sorting of spoils, and the division of the fruits of victory all proceeded smoothly. After parting with Cleo, Ethan cleared out the cabin of the Goddess of Dawn and scheduled a full round of maintenance and servicing at the shipyard.
This was something he always did after returning from a voyage. Although a thorough cleaning and maintenance cost a lot of money, it was the only way to ensure the ship remained strong and reliable, avoiding catastrophic failures at critical moments.
"Aren't you going to insure the ship?"
"I already did."
In fact, the shipyard had a great reputation. They didn't create problems just to force customers to return for repairs, nor did they ever cause trouble or tamper with ships during maintenance.
Ethan had never heard of valuables going missing or information about one's ship leaking during repairs.
Still, his ship carried more secrets than most. So, each time, he would take away the more important items and leave behind a special detection magic trap. It wouldn't hurt anyone, but it would alert him if someone tampered with something they shouldn't and help him track them down.
Knowing Ethan had taken these precautions, Logan no longer concerned himself with the issue. He began curiously observing the island.
He had been part of Ethan's crew and aboard Ethan's ship for quite some time, but this was the first time he had actually seen a city in this world.
"Looks a bit primitive, doesn't it?"
The buildings and the clothing worn by the island's residents looked older than what he remembered from his own era. However, the island's infrastructure was quite modern, with clean, well-maintained stone roads comparable to those in small modern towns.
"It looks like civilization is stuck in the pre-industrial age, but with magic stone technology, it still has some modern conveniences."
The situation was quite interesting. Not only did Logan become curious, even Selene—who had been quiet the whole time—seemed intrigued, frequently turning her head to look around.
To avoid attracting too much attention, she wasn't wearing her usual tight leather outfit. Instead, she had changed into more appropriate local attire. Her appearance reminded Ethan of a look from another film. If her hair were longer, curled slightly, and dyed brown, she would look quite different. Logan, who had also changed his style, appeared even more out of place by comparison.
"So what do we do now?"
"Not much. The ship will take some time to finish maintenance, so we'll be staying on the island for a while. First, we need to find a place to stay."
With more people in the group now, it wasn't as simple as finding a hotel and booking a few rooms. Considering their secrecy needs, Ethan decided to spend more money and rent a house with a private courtyard.
Such accommodations were common on the island. Most buildings were meant for adventurers, and the locals didn't need that many houses or facilities.
Given the varying needs of adventurer teams, it wasn't hard to find a hotel with a full courtyard for rent. They even offered recommendations based on team size.
After renting a modest-sized courtyard, Ethan waited for everyone to settle in before announcing a temporary break.
The island was fairly large. Anyone could go out and explore as they liked. If anything happened, they were strong enough to handle it themselves.
As for Loki, facing such a group of "ordinary people" didn't interest him at all. Ethan had already shown him a promising path forward. Now, whenever Loki had free time, he found a quiet corner and meditated, steadily strengthening his control over frost power.
No one knew his exact progress, but it was obvious. When he first obtained the scepter embedded with the Frost Energy Core, a cold wind blew wherever he went. Now, Loki could fully contain the frost energy within the scepter, with no signs of leakage.
As a mage, Ethan could sense that the core now held much more frost energy than when he had made it for Loki. When creating it, Ethan had prioritized safety, ensuring no energy could leak and harm those nearby.
The earlier leak had occurred because Loki had drawn additional power from the Casket of Ancient Winters and injected it into the core, exceeding his control limit at the time.
However, unlike his brother Thor, Loki wasn't reckless. Once he realized he wasn't ready to handle that much power, he stopped and resumed his training at the current energy level.
His calm demeanor lately showed that he had no time to think about anything else.
With that in mind, Ethan considered drawing more frost energy into the core of the scepter. That way, Loki would remain focused on training and less likely to stir up trouble.
"So, we're free to do what we want?"
"Also, feel free to buy anything you need."
Logan bit down on his cigar, then asked the question that had been on everyone's mind.
"Buy things? Like what? And how?"
Ethan covered his face. He had forgotten to explain that part.
In this world—at least in this sea region and the Sea of Calm where they had been previously—there was no unified currency. Most transactions were barter-based, with people trading the resources they had for what they wanted.
Even food and lodging were paid for with resources. But since Ethan was a registered adventurer with guild backing, he didn't need to carry large quantities of materials with him.
Logan and the others didn't have adventurer status. If they wanted to buy anything, they would have to directly trade items the seller found valuable. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to purchase anything.
"What a sad, backward world."
Loki couldn't hold back his sarcasm. Ethan agreed with him inwardly but didn't say anything. Instead, he suggested that Logan and he head to the guild together.
After a brief hesitation, Selene also expressed her desire to register an identity. Her attitude made it clear that she wanted to stay.
Ethan didn't refuse. Selene's ability was quite useful to him. In situations where information was lacking, her power to read memories could provide critical intel. It was exactly what Ethan needed.
Loki, however, refused outright. As the prince of Asgard, he disdained the idea of joining some strange guild and becoming a so-called adventurer. As for obtaining what he wanted? His solution was simple.
"I'll let you know if I need anything."
Then he turned back into his room with the scepter and shut the door to continue his training.
Ethan wasn't surprised. If Loki had enthusiastically agreed to join the guild, Ethan would have been suspicious and double-checked with multiple sources to see if Loki was planning something.
So Ethan took Logan, Selene, and Laura to the guild's office. There was no need to visit the central hall for membership registration. After processing their adventurer identities, Ethan also inquired about Brent's location and learned that Brent was currently staying at a hotel in the middle of the island.
Brent had deliberately left his location available because he had sent out recruitment notices to many adventurers. His goal was to meet with them and discuss plans, so leaving his address made it easier for them to find him.
"I'm going to meet an acquaintance. Do you want to come with me or wander around?"
Registering with the guild was quick and simple. The process took less than ten minutes. Ethan now planned to visit Brent and ask about the situation. He suspected Cleo might arrive after wrapping up her own matters, and they could run into each other again soon.
"We're not very familiar with this place, so we'll come with you."
Since Logan said so, Ethan didn't insist they split up. He took Logan, Laura, and Selene and headed toward the center of the island.
The journey went smoothly. Along the way, they checked out the local shops to see what was available. Even if they didn't buy anything right away, Ethan noted what they needed so they could return later after visiting Brent.
When they arrived at Brent's hotel, Ethan saw it was very lively, as expected. Brent was a well-known figure, and since he had left his contact information, many adventurers had shown up. There were scattered groups gathered outside the entrance—likely crew members or followers of other captains. The reason they didn't go in was not that Brent excluded them, but that there were too many people. To keep the discussions manageable, only the "captains" were allowed inside.
To avoid being disturbed by outsiders, Brent had even posted someone at the door. When Ethan attempted to enter, he was stopped.
The man didn't speak rudely or with disdain. He recognized Ethan.
"Captain Ethan, I'm sorry, but your companions can't come in right now. There are already too many people inside." He remained polite. "Our captain has reserved the hotel across the street. Your companions can wait there."
(To be continued.)
***
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