"Thanks, I'll go when I have time."
Charles had just finished speaking when his expression immediately soured—not because of Elizabeth next to him, but because the auditory hallucinations in his head had started up again.
His face twisted as he began thumping his forehead with his wrist, each hit harder than the last.
Elizabeth quickly noticed Charles's odd behavior, her eyes wide with shock. "My goddess, how long has it been since you rested?"
She pulled a green, jelly-like substance from her bosom and handed it to him. "Quick, eat this. It'll help."
Charles hesitated and glanced at her, but eventually took it and swallowed it in one gulp.
A cool sensation slid down his throat. The whispers in his ears remained, but the maddening restlessness vanished.
"Thank you. What is this?" Charles's gaze toward Elizabeth grew noticeably friendlier.
Elizabeth chuckled softly. "You're welcome. I don't actually know what it is, only that it can ease the Futan God's whispers. If you want more, you can dig some up on Redwood Island—but don't eat too much. It's addictive, you know."
Redwood Island… Charles silently committed the new place name to memory.
The brawny, muscular man from before had somehow appeared behind them. He slapped Charles's right shoulder. "Newbie, if the Futan God's whispers are already affecting you this much, you ought to take a break."
Most of Charles's wariness melted away. He wasn't sure why, but he could sense that these people meant him well. He hadn't felt this kind of obvious goodwill in a long time.
Elizabeth shot a glance at the staff member who was still busy, then grabbed Charles and pulled him toward a nearby sofa.
"Come with me. I'll tell you some things that most people don't know."
Charles tried to refuse, but the burly man threw an arm around his shoulders and half-dragged him forward.
"Don't be shy! As the old saying goes, if you want to survive at sea, you have to make friends."
By the time Charles realized what was happening, he had already been pushed onto the sofa, where seven or eight oddly dressed Captains were sizing him up with curiosity.
Their eyes showed inquisitiveness and some confusion, but no hostility.
Elizabeth plopped down right next to Charles, her soft body leaning against his.
"Do we seem a bit too enthusiastic? Heh, the sea is a dark enough place. We might as well be friendly when we're on land," Elizabeth said.
"It's certainly unexpected. This is nothing like what I researched at the museum," Charles admitted, finally relaxing.
Hearing his words, a chubby man with round eyes glared and shouted, "What do those books say about us, huh? A bunch of legal pirates? Money-crazed lunatics with no regard for their lives? People who say that kind of stuff should be fed to the fish! If I ever become Governor, I'll have the tongues cut out of anyone who talks like that!"
Elizabeth shot the fat man a glare before turning back to Charles with a smile. "This is basically the gathering spot for the Coral Island Explorers. You can exchange information here from now on."
So this is a social club for the Explorer Captains, Charles realized.
"What kind of information is traded? Intelligence on islands?"
"All sorts. Islands, shipping routes, relics—any useful information can be shared. You never know, something you can't handle might be something someone else has a solution for. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. We'll be happy to answer them for you."
She had hit the nail on the head; Charles did indeed have a question on his mind.
After a few seconds of thought, Charles posed his question. "Does anyone have any clues about the Northern Bright Land?"
The impact of his question was greater than he expected. The sound of chairs scraping across the floor filled the air as everyone scooted away from him as if he were carrying a plague.
Even Elizabeth moved to the other end of the sofa, her brow furrowed. "You're not one of those from the Light God Sect, are you?"
Charles forced a laugh. "No, I'm not. And I don't worship any God."
Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief, patting her ample chest. "That makes sense. You don't look like one of those fanatics."
The tense atmosphere immediately dissipated, and everyone began chattering at once.
"You scared me for a second. I don't want anything to do with those lunatics. The Land of Light? Why are you asking about that?"
"If you mean that old legend, I've heard a ballad about it. I can sing you a part of it. 'On the Northern Island high, a stairway to the Light you'll find. Eternal brightness and... ah, what comes next? Sorry, I forgot the rest.'"
"It's a legend. How would we know anything about it? We're not Gods."
"Newbie, you've got a strange sense of humor."
A trace of disappointment crossed Charles's face. He had thought that these well-traveled Explorer Captains might have a clue, but it seemed the humans here had lived in the Abyss-Sea for so long that their true homeland had faded into a distant legend.
While everyone was still discussing, a woman from behind the counter came over, holding a stack of books.
She smiled warmly and said, "Mr. Charles, you are now a certified Explorer. For the first three years, any islands you discover will be protected by the Explorer Association. Please take this as your certification. Now, allow me to explain the missions."
The stack of books in her hands unfolded, revealing themselves to be sea charts filled with densely packed text.
"For any exploration mission registered with the Association, resources like food and fuel will be reimbursed. Different danger levels come with different rewards."
Charles took the sea charts and examined them carefully.
He saw that along the edges of the explored territory, the uncharted darkness was divided by white lines into cake-like slices, each marked with a reward amount.
What surprised Charles was that scattered islands within the unexplored sea were already marked, including the Golden Statue Island he had previously visited.
A slender, pale finger reached over and pointed at the sea chart. Elizabeth's seductive, magnetic voice sounded in his ear. "Charles, you're new, so I'd advise you to spend a few years charting the seas first. Once you're more experienced, you can start exploring islands."
Although she had a point, Charles thought differently. He pointed at Golden Statue Island and asked, "What does this number mean?"
The island was marked with a bright red 4.
The chubby man interjected, "That's the danger rating. A fully explored island is rated 0. For the rest, the rating increases by one every time a Captain fails to return from it. A Level 4 island like that is out of the question for a newbie like you. Go chart the seas for a couple of years first."
Elizabeth shot him a look, then leaned close and whispered in Charles's ear, "Ignore him. I think you have a lot of potential. You could probably explore that island within a year."
"I've been there before," Charles said offhandedly.
Instantly, all conversation stopped. Everyone stared, wide-eyed, at the young man before them.