The group dispersed at the port, each busy with their own tasks.

  Charles first went to the bank to deposit one million Echoes into his account before rushing to the shipyard.

  His heart raced as he made his way there; it had been a long time since he felt such excitement, almost like the thrill of confessing to a girl for the first time.

  Inside the steel shipyard, Charles was greeted by an old man accompanied by two attendants; he was the owner of the shipyard.

  “Hello, sir. What can I do for you?”

  “I need an exploration ship.”

  Upon hearing that Charles wanted an exploration ship instead of a cargo or fishing vessel, the old man displayed a look of surprise.

  “Are you sure you want an exploration ship? Have you applied to the Explorers' Association?” he hesitated to confirm again.

  “Not yet. Can’t I buy a ship without applying?”

  Wood picked up on the customer's slight displeasure and quickly explained, “No, no, of course you can! I just wanted to confirm, as there are fewer and fewer adventurous souls like you these days.”

  Discovering a new island can be immensely profitable, but behind every success story are thousands of failures.

  The advent of turbines allowed humanity to venture into more unknown seas, making it easier to search for new homes. They once thought they were on the verge of conquering the ocean.

  Unfortunately, humanity is not the main character here; the islands that are easy to explore are few, while many others are fraught with danger, bizarre natives, and deep-sea mysteries that serve as harsh reminders.

  More and more exploration ships went missing, and countless people lost husbands and children. Death eventually cooled humanity's fervor, and slowly, people stopped viewing exploration ships as heroes, instead referring to them in private as fools seeking death.

  Wood recalled that the last person to purchase an exploration ship did so five years ago, and that individual had predictably died at sea.

  “Sir, what kind of ship do you need? Please, tell me.”

  “Not too big, within 70 meters in length, powered by a Glorious turbine, and with a 125mm rifled cannon on the bow,” Charles rattled off his requirements.

  He had been preparing for this for a long time, and he had already memorized the configurations of various exploration ships.

  The transaction proceeded quickly. An hour later, Charles saw the exterior of his new ship.

  The streamlined white hull was lined with rivets, significantly thicker than that of the Mouse.

  A thicker smokestack indicated the powerful capabilities of the turbine.

  At first glance, it might seem like just a larger, refurbished version of the Mouse, but the industrial beauty of the cannon on the bow immediately distinguished it from a second-hand cargo ship.

  Length: 65 meters, width: 10 meters, draft: 5.5 meters.

  “This ship was originally ordered by the governor's navy, but they are not in a hurry. If you need it urgently, I can prioritize it for you.”

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “I’ll take this one. When can it be launched?”

  “The interior facilities you need are not yet ready. If you expedite it, it will take about half a month to launch. The total price is 3.5 million Echoes.”

  Charles silently calculated the amount. “I have just enough in my account. Selling the Mouse will provide enough resources for the next exploration.”

  “Alright, get it sorted out quickly. I’ll come to pick up the ship in half a month.”

  After leaving the shipyard, Charles headed straight for the Explorers' Association.

  Once he had the exploration ship, he would join the Explorers' Association, a loose organization present on every human island. Its members are all captains of exploration ships.

  Of course, joining isn’t mandatory; it’s just something beneficial that Charles wouldn’t refuse.

  Once he became an explorer, the vast array of nautical charts within the association would be available for free. These charts could cost a fortune outside, and there were additional benefits to being part of this organization; he had done his homework on it.

  However, becoming an explorer came with its drawbacks. Members must explore at least one island each year; failing to meet this requirement would result in losing their explorer status.

  But for Charles, this downside was negligible, as he was already here to explore islands.

  The Explorers' Association was not far from the dock area, and its striking white stone building was hard to miss.

  Charles glanced at the ship insignia hanging at the top of the building and stepped inside.

  The interior was spacious and echoing; he could hear the sound of his own footsteps.

  Apart from a few counters in the distance, only a handful of men and women sat scattered on sofas to the left, triangular hats on the tables indicating their shared status with Charles.

  As he observed them, they also curiously scrutinized the unfamiliar face at the entrance.

  After quickly deciphering the words above the counters, Charles approached the leftmost one. Just as he was filling out the application form with a quill, a pale arm wrapped around his neck.

  “Whoa.” Charles instinctively reached for his waist, the barrel of his revolver pressing against the belly of the person behind him.

  A slightly hoarse female voice whispered in his ear, “Relax, newbie. This isn’t the sea; there’s no danger here.”

  The person released Charles’s neck and pulled over a chair, crossing her legs as she sat beside him.

  The newcomer was a striking woman with bright white hair, long legs, and a deliberately revealing figure.

  If it weren’t for her imposing height of nearly two meters, any man would have wanted to get closer to her.

  More than her beauty, Charles was concerned about the wooden staff at her waist, which seemed to be her weapon. Women at sea were rare, but those who survived were no ordinary individuals.

  “Is there something you need?” Charles asked as he holstered his gun.

  “I haven’t seen a newbie in a while. Come, let me introduce myself. I’m Elizabeth, captain of the Black Rose. What’s your name, darling?” The towering beauty asked with a hint of a smile.

  Charles didn’t respond, focusing instead on filling out the application form. The harsh conditions at sea had left him disinterested in interacting with strangers.

  However, the woman beside him didn’t seem to take the hint and continued talking.

  A waft of fragrance surrounded him as Elizabeth leaned in closer, brazenly peering at Charles's application form.

  “Charles? What a nice name. Ah, that place isn’t very important; just write something down.”

  From the sofa in the distance, a burly man laughed loudly, “Elizabeth, when I came here for the first time, you weren’t this friendly.”

  Elizabeth shot him a disdainful glance. “You’re not like him. I don’t want to sleep with you, so why would I help you?”

  The burly man didn’t get offended; instead, he laughed along with his companions.

  “Scritch.” Charles accidentally punctured a hole in his application form.

  He had suspected the woman’s motives were not pure, but he hadn’t expected this; a woman who made her living at sea was indeed exceptional.

  Ignoring Elizabeth beside him, Charles quickly finished and handed it over.

  The staff member took the application and began operating the various gears of the machine with practiced ease.

  Elizabeth didn’t care that the man next to her was ignoring her; she continued talking to herself.

  “Charles, since it’s your first time here, let me introduce you. The Explorers' Association’s role is actually quite simple: to assist us in finding new islands.”

  “Of course, this isn’t free. Once you join the association, any captain who becomes a governor must also establish a branch of the Explorers' Association on their island.”

  Charles interrupted her, “Thanks for the reminder; I already knew all of that. No need to remind me.”

  “Hmm? It seems Mr. Charles did a lot of preparation before coming here. Do you have time later? Want to come aboard my ship for a visit?”