Logan and Selene decided to head to the restaurant across the street to grab something to eat. Along the way, they could listen in on conversations, which would help them get a better understanding of the world.
They had heard a lot from Ethan, but most people preferred to "gather information" on their own rather than passively receive it.
"If it takes too long, just head back. You don't need to wait for me here."
"Got it."
Logan called Laura, then walked across the street with Selene. After watching them enter the hotel, Ethan turned around, nodded to the guard at the entrance, and prepared to go inside.
At that moment, a group of people came out one after another. They varied in height, build, and appearance, but every one of them exuded a powerful presence. Judging by their aura, these were not ordinary adventurers.
However, none of their expressions looked good. After passing by Ethan and walking through the gate, they greeted some people gathered outside, then led a few away.
Watching them disappear into the distance, Ethan guessed that these were the captains Brent had invited. But it seemed the talks hadn't gone well.
Stepping inside, Ethan didn't have to search for long. The room being used for discussions wasn't even closed. After walking forward a few steps, he spotted Brent seated with several others.
"As expected, quite a few people showed up."
Dozens had just walked out, but there were still more than ten left. Considering these were experienced adventurers, each with a crew, and factoring in that not everyone would arrive on the same day, Brent had likely gathered at least a thousand adventurers in total.
"Quite the operation."
Now Ethan was even more curious. What kind of trouble was Brent dealing with? Just how serious was it? Even without thousands of adventurers, a group of several hundred with a dozen large ships was already a formidable fleet.
As Ethan stepped into the room, he saw that it was a conference room. Brent was seated off to the side, and a large table sat at the center of the room, covered with something.
The sound of Ethan's footsteps made several people inside look up. Brent glanced over and was slightly surprised to see who it was.
"Ethan? You're here too?"
He didn't ask how Ethan had received the message. It had been a public transmission with no specific recipients. Anyone with a communication device could pick it up, so perhaps Ethan's ship had one installed.
"I heard the news and thought I'd come take a look. You in trouble?"
The other adventurers said nothing. They simply watched Ethan in silence. In their eyes, he looked a bit too young—no older than twenty-five. Adventurers his age weren't rare, but not many were exceptional. Most were still adapting to life on the sea.
However, anyone who had already made a name for themselves or built up some influence at that age either possessed extraordinary strength or had powerful backing.
Either way, not someone you mess with lightly. The veterans sitting here were no fools and weren't about to provoke Ethan without reason.
"So, what's going on?"
After a brief exchange with Brent, Ethan got straight to the point. He was curious about what kind of trouble had prompted Brent to call for help.
Ethan knew Brent wasn't weak. He still didn't know all of Brent's hidden cards, but considering the gear Cleo had used earlier, it wouldn't make sense for Brent to be any weaker than her.
"Come take a look first."
Ethan followed Brent to the long table, finally getting a clear view of what was laid out on it—a map.
"A map of this sea region?"
"Yeah. Focus on these two routes."
Brent had compiled this himself over the past few years. Ethan studied it and saw that the area around the central island didn't look unusual, but the two marked routes had a lot of notations.
For instance, areas where climate changes became more frequent, shifts in ocean currents, patterns in the frequency and location of floating islands, and the appearance of dangerous creatures.
The chart included confirmed data and speculative notes. The former had been tested multiple times, while the latter remained uncertain.
On this map, the part of the aerial route that Ethan hadn't traveled yet—what he considered the middle-to-late section of the northern route—had been highlighted in red.
"That red section... that's the problem?"
It was so eye-catching Ethan couldn't have missed it.
"Yes."
"What's there?"
Brent didn't look too good. After thinking for a moment, he gave Ethan an unexpected answer.
"I don't know."
"...What?"
Brent let out a helpless chuckle, then sighed and shook his head.
"I can't even get close."
Ethan thought he had misheard and looked back at the red section on the map. It wasn't even the furthest part of the route, just the middle to back portion.
"You can't get close? Haven't you been to that area before?"
"I have. I've gone even deeper in the past."
Now Ethan began to understand why Brent considered this a serious problem. Something unknown had appeared on this route and was now blocking further access. Brent couldn't proceed beyond a point he'd previously reached. That was definitely abnormal. And for someone like Brent, who had an "ideal," this kind of unexpected anomaly was deeply concerning.
"So you want to figure out what's going on?"
Ethan guessed Brent didn't just want answers. He also intended to eliminate whatever was causing the disturbance. Otherwise, there was no need to call for so many people.
Brent had always believed in unity, that only united adventurers could defeat the various threats out there. It wasn't surprising that he would try to rally others to help.
Brent didn't respond. He just sighed. Ethan glanced at the people still seated around them, then thought back to the ones who had just left. It wasn't hard to figure out why Brent looked so worn.
Clearly, Brent had quite the reputation. One message had summoned this many skilled adventurers. But that reputation only went so far. Most of them weren't willing to risk their necks helping him deal with this "trouble."
To them, it was probably just another strange island or some new monster appearing on the "suicide route." That kind of thing wasn't unusual, and not worth making a fuss over.
Or maybe they figured it wouldn't affect them directly. Even if the "northern route" became impassable, they still had other routes to use.
Why should they follow Brent into a dangerous situation?
If some new monster or island really became a serious threat, stronger adventurers would eventually deal with it. This world wasn't lacking in top-tier powerhouses. One of them might solve the issue on their way to the Sea of Storms anyway. Why should they stick their necks out?
Better to stay alive than to play the hero.
Even those who had stayed hadn't fully committed. Maybe they owed Brent a favor, or maybe they sensed a potential crisis. But they hadn't made up their minds.
Either way, it was clear Brent's plan to gather support hadn't gone as expected.
Ethan hadn't yet made his own decision, but he could understand why the others declined. Their reasons weren't hard to guess. Brent had hoped the idea of a "shared crisis" would unite independent, ideologically diverse adventurers—but that was a naive assumption.
Then again, that was just who Brent was.
At that moment, a man who had been sitting in the corner stood and walked over to Brent.
"I don't really see the point in what you're doing, but you did save my life. I won't reject your request. Still, my crew trusts me out on the sea, and I can't gamble with their lives."
Hearing that, Ethan thought another captain was about to refuse Brent.
"So I'll need some time. I have to make arrangements for them. After that, I'll head to the target area with you and see what's going on."
Brent nodded and personally walked the man out. When he returned, Ethan, who had been thinking quietly, gave a half-smile.
"That was the first one to agree?"
"Yeah." Brent sighed. "The first."
"Then I guess I'll be the second?"
Ethan thought it over. There was no harm in going along with Brent. In fact, he was quite interested in the strange phenomenon affecting that route.
Brent hadn't expected Ethan to agree so easily. But compared to the previous captain, he was a bit concerned Ethan might be making a hasty decision.
"Shouldn't you talk it over with your companions first?"
"I will. But I'm pretty sure they'll agree with me." Two immortal mutants, a vampire with incredibly strong vitality, and a mischievous god... Ethan didn't think any of them would refuse just because it sounded dangerous.
Especially that mischief-loving god. If he caught wind of any trouble, he'd jump at the chance to get involved just to avoid boredom.
"Then, welcome aboard, Captain Ethan."
(To be continued.)
***
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