"Get on quickly, we don't have the whole day—we need to move before nightfall."
Feeling the frozen sea breeze striking my face, I look one last time at the nameless island before departing.
"Hmmm, I don't think I can keep calling it the Nameless Island, so from today onward your name will be 'Starting Island.'"
After giving Starting Island a silent farewell, I board the fishing boat waiting for me, carrying a leather bag containing books, various herbs, and coins.
The reason my bag contained books and various herbs was something I spent the past week on; in addition to waiting for the old man Yu to find a boat to get me off Starting Island, I had been sitting in my house reading the books stacked on the lower floor.
Since I learned how to read from Li Chen in cycle zero—which proved that it wasn't that difficult—I thus reached a level that at least allowed me to try reading the books in my house.
All of them bore titles such as:
[Basics of Alchemy for Beginners]
[A Concise Encyclopedia of the Most Important Herbs in the Sea of Pain]
[The Difference Between Poisonous and Beneficial Herbs and How to Distinguish Them]
and other books related to alchemy, as it is called in this world.
Thus, throughout the past week I was busy learning the basics of alchemy and experimenting with different recipes using the herbs stored in my house, and although I cannot call myself an alchemist, I at least possess knowledge of the fundamentals.
However, none of that was important. The most important thing that happened to me when I returned home after meeting the old man Yu was that
the granddaughter of the old woman who used to take Dawnflower petals from me died from the cold.
After that, the old woman died from grief over losing her granddaughter.
"Sigh~"
"Is this what can be called causality?"
Who would have imagined that ignoring the old woman could lead to her death and her granddaughter's death?
Although it can be said that I was ultimately the reason this happened, whether it occurred unintentionally, or my influence was faint, or my relationship with the old woman and her granddaughter was weak—to the point that I don't even know what her granddaughter looked like—
or because of all these reasons, I felt a strange sense of detachment from their deaths, to the extent that I didn't even attend the funeral because of the cold weather.
"In any case, I'll give the old woman Roseflower petals in the next cycle, just as I did in the previous two cycles. That's the only thing I can do for her."
"Alright, it's time to depart."
Suddenly, while I am lost in my thoughts, I feel the small fishing boat begin to sail, in sync with the words of the fisherman accompanying me toward Whale Head Island.
"By the way, Brother Zhou, how long will it take us to reach Whale Head Island?"
Looking toward Zhou Yongwu as he steers the rudder, I ask with anticipation, since being in the middle of the black sea—about which it is said that touching even a single drop can cause pain like one's hand being burned (I actually tested this out of curiosity)—is uncomfortable.
Zhou Yongwu, who has the face of a middle-aged man with a messy beard and tangled black hair like seaweed, replies indifferently without even looking at me:
"If the wind speed stays as it is now, we might arrive before sunset."
After saying this, Zhou Yongwu returns to focusing on steering the boat, ignoring my presence, and likewise I take out one of my books to pass the time by reading.
"This reminds me of my days on Earth, when I spent most of my time reading web novels."
And thus the journey passed smoothly without any problems.
---
"So, this is Whale Head Island?"
Upon seeing the approaching island, I feel puzzled as to why it is called Whale Head Island, as it looks like nothing more than an ordinary island similar to Starting Island, but larger, with a real harbor—unlike the one on Starting Island.
After stopping at the harbor and getting off the boat, I bid farewell to Zhou Yongwu, who had accompanied me for the past few hours.
"Until we meet again, Brother Zhou. I hope fate brings us together once more."
Bidding farewell to Zhou Yongwu, who docked his boat and headed somewhere on Whale Head Island, I begin wandering around the harbor, looking for someone to ask about the place.
"I hate this feeling of being lost and knowing nothing."
After wandering for a bit, I find an old man sitting in front of a small jewelry table.
Approaching the old man adorned with dozens of finely crafted bracelets and necklaces made from various materials:
"How much is this?"
I point to a bracelet made of what looks like black pearls.
"Five copper coins."
The old man, happy to see a customer buying something, says the price quickly, and while I am not concerned with the price, I hand him five copper coins from my leather bag while asking the question I came for:
"Sir, you seem to be a local of the island?"
The old man, after stashing away the copper coins, appears ready to answer my questions.
"That's right."
"Then sir, as you can see, I come from a remote island, so I don't know much about Whale Head Island or the nearby islands. I wanted to ask whether there are any cultivation sects on Whale Head Island or the surrounding islands."
Contrary to what I expected, the old man looked as though he had anticipated my question, as he replied simply:
"There are no cultivation sects on Whale Head Island or any nearby islands. The closest concentration of cultivation sects is on Dead Giant Island, which is a month's journey away. If you want to go there, you're in luck—I know an honest and trustworthy captain heading there, and I think he wouldn't mind taking on an extra passenger if you're willing to pay a small fee."
The old man draws a faint smile as he finishes his sentence.
However, instead of focusing on the old man, my mind is occupied with something else.
"Dead Giant Island? For some reason, the name gives me a foreboding feeling."
Ignoring my random thoughts, I show a silver coin to the old man.
"I truly hope the captain you know is as trustworthy as you described."
"Oh, don't worry, my young friend. He's a man renowned for his honesty and fairness throughout the entire Sea of Pain."