The first week of the voyage went by smoothly, with no signifit events. There wasn’t much wind, so we mostly relied on the engine, but with the boat’s speed, it wasn’t an issue. The sea was calm, smooth as gss, with no waves. We were still in vaode, so we did little. I got started on processing the crabs, and Al wahe shells. After ing all the crabs, I had a stockpile of about three hundred fifty, maybe even four hundred kilograms of crab meat—they were huge.

  Al crushed the crab shells and took over the kit. The sound of the shells crag and grinding filled the air. After two days, he came to me with a worried look, his normally calm demeanor repced by a furrowed brow.

  “Would you be able to diagnose my dition while I e this potion?” he asked, holding up a small vial. The liquid inside shimmered in light pink and blue.

  “Sure,” I replied, curious. He drank the potion, and I cast Diagnose, but felt nothing unusual. I felt his skin ge, but it didn’t “ping” the spell because it wasn’t a disease. Then I used my fio examine his skin. It felt different, smoother. Running my fingers over it, I noticed it had the texture of polished bone.

  “What is this?” I asked, puzzled.

  “I have created a new potion using the crab shells,” Al expined. “It is called Exoskin Elixir. The skin bees rigid, depending on the position of the potion’s basigredient. This potion is crafted using various durable materials, but it is essential that they are derived franic sources rather than stones. For an unknown reason, tree bark is also unsuitable for a potion. The source must be anid derived from a previously living anism, excluding pnts.”

  I identified the potion.

  Exoskin ElixirA potion brewed from hard-skinned creatures. ption temporarily hardens the drinker’s skin, providing enhanced prote and resilience.

  I used appraisal. I already figured out that sometimes I got different information from each.

  Exoskin ElixirThis potion, crafted from various hard anic materials, grants the user a temporary hardened skin effect akin to an exoskeleton. It is ideal for adventurers seeking additional prote in battle. Each dose sts for approximately 2 hours.Price: 5 gold s per vial.

  “Nice!” I excimed, looking at him with raised eyebrows. “Why did you wao diagnose you while drinking it?”

  “I was uain about the effects and wanted you to heal me if somethi amiss,” he expined, rubbing the back of his neck.

  “Yeah, good idea. It’s always better to be safe. Hootions did you make?”

  “Twelve. Three for each of us,” Al said, handihree vials. “I possess an abundance of crab shells, but I am insuffitly supplied with the other materials. I will not sell this remedy; it is solely for our personal use.”

  “Thanks,” I said with a smile, accepting the vials.

  After a week of sailing, it felt like we had crossed a demarcation lihe wind grew stronger, and the air had a different “fvor.” I could taste it on my to was strange—we crossed an invisible boundary, with a calm sea and no wind on one side and wind and choppy seas oher.

  I asked Mahya and Al, “Have you entered anything like this before?”

  Al looked at me with inprehension, and Mahya tilted her head. “What?”

  “This extreme ge in ditions from one moment to the ,” I expined, gesturing around us.

  Mahya looked puzzled and said, “The wind picked up. You trol it; tell it to calm down if it bothers you.”

  “What about the fvor of the mana?” I pressed.

  They both stared at me, pletely bewildered. It was clear they had no idea what I was talking about.

  “Didn’t you feel the ge in the mana?” I asked, my eyes dartiween them.

  They both shook their heads.

  “Mahya, tell the boat to turn around and sail in the dire we came from,” I requested. It was cool that she could trol the boat by anding the core, while Al and I still had to steer it manually.

  Mahya turhe boat around, and we crossed the line again after two or three mihe wind disappeared, and the sea became utterly smooth. They both stood, looking around with the same expression of bewilderment and inprehension.

  “By what means did you detect it?” Al asked, looking around like he was trying to find the source of the phenomenon.

  “The mana fvor ged,” I expiapping my too emphasize.

  “Fvor?” Al repeated, sounding fused.

  “Yeah, you don’t differentiate between different fvors of mana?” I asked, lookiween him and Maya.

  “I am pletely unaware of what you are referring to,” Al admitted, shaking his head.

  “I’ve heard of it, but I have no idea how to do it,” Mahya said, shrugging.

  “I have a book from Lis that teaches it, but I could do it even before reading the book,” I said, thinking aloud.

  “Well, you’re a wizard. It makes sense,” Mahya said, nodding in uanding. “Do you o do something with it, or we tinue?”

  I waved my hand dismissively. “We tinue. I was simply curious.”

  After another week of sailing, we were about halfway to the main ti. The weather ged. It started raining and didn’t want to stop. On the first day, it was a gentle spray, which we loved, especially after the terrible heat on the isnd. On the sed day, the rain got stronger, and visibility decreased. It tinued non-stop for five days. Because of the rain, we had to stay in the boat’s saloon or in our rooms arapped. Rue was the only one who didn’t mind the rain; he spent most of the time on the back deck. I couldn’t uand it. Snow on his paws? No way. Rain all over his body? No problem.

  I tried to cheer everyone up with various tasty crab dishes, which were delicious, but by the sixth day of rain, even that didn’t help. The rain was s that our visibility was maybe teers from the bow of the boat. We had to slow down more and more until we were sailing at a speed of barely one knot.

  On the m of the seventh day, the rain still showed no signs of stopping. Mahya approached me, looking frustrated.

  “ you put the house on the sea so we all stretch s?” she asked, her voice carrying a note of desperation.

  I agreed, but was worried about just putting the core oer. I didn’t want to lose it, and I wasn’t sure the house could maintain stability in its usual three-story figuration.

  I removed the core and instructed it to vert the box it was in into a wooden surface. I threw my inftable boat over the railing and jumped into it. Pg the core oer, I instructed it to deploy the house, but smaller, wider, and lower, while holding my fingers crossed it would work.

  Well, it sure did. My house unfolded like befrowing from the core in stages. The e was a stunning two-story structure with enormous windows at the front, providing an unobstructed view of the sea. It had a sleek, modern design with a spacious baly ing around the front and sides. The back of the house had a solid wall where the bedrooms were located, providing privad prote from the elements.

  The living areas on the lower level were open and airy, with rge gss doors that let in the fresh sea breeze. The upper level had a more enclosed feel, with additional windows in the library that provided panoramic views of the o. Perched on a ptform supported by rows of pontoons, the house stood, elevated and safeguarded against the waves, preventing them from reag inside.

  I asked the house to grow some posts from the porch to tie the boat to. I helped everyone climb onto the baly from the boat, and Mahya just jumped from the boat into the house. I sed, she stored the boat. Well, that was one way of doing it.

  We spent three weeks at home drifting in the sea with torrential rain. On the sed day, I activated the protective shielding so some ship wouldn’t ram us with the poor visibility and made an amazing discovery. The shielding protected the house from rain. Now we could enjoy the balies and not be cooped up i was an exceptional bonus, and I sent a feeling of appreciation to the house. It didn’t respond, but I o aowledge its awesomeness.

  Acc to the map, we saere slowly drifting south, but it wasn’t a problem. Our inal pn was to sail to a pce called Ladjan, which was closest to Crystalspire, the capital of Crystalholm, about mid-titude of Crystalholm. This extended our voyage by three weeks, but we thought it would save us a longer jourhrough the ti. As we tio drift south, we got closer and closer to the southern tip of Crystalholm.

  Finally, after three long weeks, I felt a ge in the mana oernoon. It took me a while to uand what the ge was. I didn’t know the mana fvor of rain because it was very close to water, and I hadn’t takeime to get to know it ih. But little by little, this mana dissipated, and the rain got weaker and weaker. It messed with my head a bit. I always thought of the weather as something that depends on atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, and other stific factors. But here, mana trolled the weather. It was something new I had to get used to, and I started getting all kinds of ideas for developing as aal wizard.

  Towards evening, the rain stopped pletely, the sky cleared, and the sea became calm as if nothing had happened. Once Mahya took the boat out and everyone was on it, including me, I took a picture to dot this experience for posterity. Then, I headed back towards the house on the E-foil, gave an order to the core to close the house, and watched it fold back up.

  We checked the map and saw that we were very close to the ti’s southern tip. Acc to our estimate, it would take us about a week to ten days to get there. The current had swept us not directly south but in a southeasterly dire.

  After eight days of sailing, we finally arrived at a pce called Ram-Son, which, transted from Lumi, meant “Land’s End.” I joked to Mahya that I should leave her there since I picked her up at Land’s End in Engnd, so it only made seo drop her off at Land’s End in Lumis.

  She gave me the look, and shook her head. “You’re an idiot.”

  We sailed into the harbor in the evening, and it was the most fantastical harbor I could imagine.

  Sailing into the harbor of Ram-So like stepping into a fantasy he pce was amazing, with t buildings that looked like they came straight out of a storybook. Warm, golden lights from the buildings reflected off the calm waters, making everything look magical. Tall ships with big, billowing sails docked along the stone piers, adding to the picturesque view. The buildings were a mix of grand castles and quaint, medieval-style houses, with steep roofs and intricate woodeails.

  On the docks, nterns gave off a soft, weling glow, lighting up the cobblestohs where people were busy tending to their ships or chatting away. The salty smell of the sea and the mouth-watering aroma of food from nearby taverns made my stomach growl. But not all the smells were so pleasant; there were whiffs of rotten fish and damp wood, adding a bit of gritty realism to the otherwise magical se. It was like the harbor had its unique blend of sts, a mix of the good and the not-so-great that made it feel alive and real.

  Above it all, the castle spires stood tall against the evening sky, adding a touystery to the entire se. It was the most fantasy-world harbor I could imagine, and I couldn’t help but be in awe of its beauty and lively atmosphere.

  “Yes!” I said to no one in particur, throwing my arms up. “That’s what traveling in fantasy nd should be. Hmm, the isnd wasn’t bad either.”

  Again, Mahya gave me the look, shook her head, and said, “You’re an idiot.”

  “What? I’m appreciating the experience. What’s the problem with that?” I asked, genuinely fused.

  “It’s a stinky harbor. What’s to appreciate?” she retorted, crossing her arms.

  “It’s like from a storybook. It’s awesome,” I insisted, gesturing towards the picturesque se.

  Al came to my defense and said, “Please remember that his travels have been limited to a single world,” patting me on the back.

  Mahya shook her head but said nothing.

  We stayed for two weeks in Ram-Son. I learhat what I assumed was a castle was the city manor of the lord who ruled Ram-Son. After hearing this, my expectations for seeing the king’s castle soared. It should be something truly magnifit.

  Even though it was the rgest city at the southern end of the ti, it was essentially a rge fishing town with limited activities. Almost all the food in the restaurants was seafood, the inns were unremarkable, and there weren’t any attras iing enough to make us want to stay longer. I preferred to stay on the boat—it had plumbing—but Mahya and Al wao stay on nd and in an inn. After one night in the best inn iy, which was far worse than the inns on the isnd, they saw my point, and we relocated to the boat. Since Rue got over his seasiess after level ten, the boat wasn’t a problem anymore.

  Plumbing for the win!

  Lumis didn’t have the cept of weeks or months; their dar was based solely on seasons. However, they did have a sort of workaround. They used a decimal system and marked every tenth day on the dar as a day off. On that day, there was an enormous market iy’s main square, and the three of us used the opportunity to empty some more tents from our Ste.

  The market acked with people, and within an hour, I sold more than I had sold on the isnd in aire season. The line in front of our stands kept getting longer and longer. Al quickly ran out of potions and moved on to selling products from Earth. I stubbornly worked through all the stuff I had “collected” in Vegas; I wao get rid of it. Here, the little shampoo bottles and ptes with the MGM logo were a resounding success, but the biggest hit was the toilet paper with the jokes and prophecies. They couldn’t read it but appreciated the luxury. It was so popur that fights broke out when people realized I was selling the st packages. Rue had to growl to make them stop fighting.

  Despite the city’s ck of attras, we explored and made the most of our time. Ram-Son looked like a city from a fantastical past. We spent our days wandering the cobblestoreets, marveling at the historic architecture. The buildings were tall and narrow, with intricate details carved into their stone facades. Street vendors lihe sidewalks, selling everything from handmade jewelry to exotic spices, which I bought a lot of to experiment with.

  In the evenings, we found cozy taverns to rex in. The warm glow of dlelight and the soft hum of versations made for a perfed to our days. led a variety of local dishes, eaore delicious tha. The seafood was always fresh, and the local brews had a unique fvor that we liked and Rue fell in love with. He vinced me to buy him a few barrels “for the future.”

  One day, we stumbled upon a bustling square filled with street performers. Musis pyed lively tunes on stra fasating instruments while acrobats flipped and twirled through the air. We watched for an hour, captivated by the performances and the vibrant atmosphere. Rue, my dang dog, dao the music. At least here, there were no cell phoo record videos of him.

  As we watched, I felt a familiar it my fingers and couldn’t resist the urge. I discreetly looked around, making sure no one was identifyihen, and ged my profile to Bard.

  “I’m joining in,” I said, grabbing my guitar.

  Mahya looked at me curiously but didn’t stop me, and Al gave me an encing nod. I found a spot among the musis and started pying along. The crowd weled me with nods and smiles. Soon, the musigulfed me, and I let my fingers dance over the strings.

  After a few songs, I decided to share some of my own. I approached the band leader, guitar in hand.

  “Hey, do you mind if I py some of my songs?” I asked, hopeful.

  His eyes lost focus for a moment as he identified me. Then, with a big smile, he said, “We would be honored.”

  I nodded and took a deep breath. “Alright, this one’s called ‘Waves of Wanderlust,’” I said, activating my Harmonic Illusion ability.

  Strumming the first chords, I infused my voice with mana, transting on the fly. Mist swirled around us as a ship’s sail appeared, billowing in a phantom wind. The urmured in awe, eyes wide with wonder.

  When I hit the chorus, waves rolled around the stage, syng with the music’s beat. The rhythmice of light and water created a mesmerizing se. With the verse, seabirds soared overhead, each strum breathing life into the illusion. Stars twinkled above, perfectly aligned with the illusory o’s crest. The horizon stretched out, promising endless adventure, and the audience was fully immersed.

  I unched into the chorus again, the waves rising with the song’s energy, crashing as if we were all at sea. By the song's end, the mist cleared, the waves calmed, and the seabirds vanished into the night sky. The illusion faded, leaving the crowd in a state of awe.

  The appuse was thunderous. I grinned, bowing. “Thank you, everyohat was ‘Waves of Wanderlust.’ I hope you ehe journey.”

  Mahya gave a thumbs-up, and even Al looked impressed. Sharing my musid magic felt good, creating a memorable experience.

  I transitioned into “Celestial Tapestries.” The night sky above us filled with steltions and et trails. The croed as stars and ic bridges sparkled in the air. During the chorus, they stared i the celestial dance overhead.

  For the song, “Wings of Rebirth,” each chord jured the image of a phoenix rising from the pyre, its wings abze with hope, leaving trails of golden sparks. The audieched, mesmerized, as the phoenix burst into fmes, reborn with every chorus.

  Then came “Phoenix Flight,” with a phoenix s from the heart’s fe, its feathers glowihereally. The illusion ed around the crowd, telling a story of transformation and renewal.

  The energy from the crowd fueled me as I ended with “Rage of the Elements.” As I sang, the wind swirled, fmes flickered, and the ground hummed with power. The water rippled in time with the musid the elements themselves seemed to awaken. It was both arming and thrilling.

  When I fihe appuse was overwhelming. I felt a rush of satisfa, knowing I’d shared something special. We spent the rest of the evening enjoying the street performances and sampling local food.

  One evening, we splurged on a meal at one of the more upscale taverns. The interior featured rich wood paneling and plush seating. We ordered a feast of roasted meats, hearty stews, and freshly baked bread. Rue ate so much that he impressed all the patrons. Some even cpped in encement when it looked like he was slowing down. The meal’s highlight was a det dessert made from a local fruit that tasted like a blend of peaches and mangoes. It was the perfect way to our stay in Ram-Son.

  On our st day, we hit up the market one more time. The main square was alive with the buzz of haggling and ughter. I sold off some more items from my Ste and joined Al and Mahya for some shopping. Mahya and I found nothing iing, but Al found some pnts he was moderately happy about.

  As the su on our st day in Ram-So at a quiet spot overlooking the harbor. The sight of the ships gently bobbing oer, with the city’s lights twinkling in the background, was a fittio our adventure. We sat there in panionable silence, enjoying the view. Rue put his head on my p and said, “Adventures are fun.”

  After dark, we set sail out of the harbor and sailed for twenty minutes until we passed the st houses of the city. We dropped our E-foils into the water, got on them, Mahya stored the boat, and we surfed to the shore. After walking for half an hour, we reached the road, took out the bikes and my ATV, and drove away from Ram-Son. I had to admit that I enjoyed every minute iy.