“Thanks, I’ll come by when I have time.”

  As soon as Charles finished speaking, his expression soured—not because of Elizabeth beside him, but because the auditory hallucinations in his mind had started again.

  With a twisted face, Charles began to knock on his forehead with his wrist, each knock harder than the last.

  Elizabeth immediately noticed something was off with Charles, her eyes widening in surprise. “My goddess, how long has it been since you last rested?”

  She pulled out a green, jelly-like substance from her chest and handed it to him. “Hurry, eat this; it can effectively relieve your symptoms.”

  Charles hesitated for a moment but ultimately took it and swallowed.

  A refreshing sensation slid down his throat; the whispers in his ears persisted, but the irritation began to fade.

  “Thank you, what is this?” Charles looked at Elizabeth with a friendlier gaze.

  Elizabeth chuckled lightly. “No need to thank me; I don’t really know what it is. I just know it can alleviate the whispers of the Furtan God. If you want more, you can dig some up on Redwood Island, but don’t eat too much; it can be addictive.”

  Redwood Island… Charles mentally noted this new location.

  The burly man from before had somehow moved behind them, giving Charles a pat on the shoulder. “Newbie, if the whispers of the Furtan God are affecting you this much, you should take a break.”

  Charles felt much of his wariness dissipate. Though he didn’t know why, he could sense the goodwill from these people. It had been a long time since he felt such obvious kindness.

  Elizabeth glanced at the staff member still operating the machinery and pulled Charles toward a nearby sofa. “Come with me; I’ll tell you some things that most people don’t know.”

  Charles wanted to refuse, but the burly man wrapped his arm around Charles’s shoulder, guiding him forward. “Don’t be shy; as the old saying goes, if you want to survive at sea, you need to make friends.”

  By the time Charles realized what was happening, he was already seated on the sofa, being curiously scrutinized by seven or eight oddly dressed captains.

  Their gazes held curiosity and confusion but no hostility.

  Elizabeth plopped down right next to Charles, her soft body leaning against him. “Do you think we’re a bit too enthusiastic? Hehe, the sea is dark enough; we should be friendly on land.”

  “It is a bit unexpected; it’s quite different from what I read in the museum,” Charles relaxed a bit.

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  Upon hearing Charles’s words, a round-eyed fat man exclaimed loudly, “What does the book say we are? A bunch of legal pirates? Money-crazed lunatics? People who say such things should be fed to the fish! If I become a governor, anyone who speaks like that will lose their tongue!”

  Elizabeth shot the fat man a glare and turned back to Charles with a smile. “This place is a gathering spot for the explorers of Coral Island~. You can exchange information here in the future.”

  Charles understood; this was a salon for exploration ship captains to communicate.

  “What kind of information can be traded? Island intel?”

  “Anything and everything—islands, routes, relics. Any useful information can be shared. Who knows, what you can’t figure out, someone else might have a solution. If you have any questions, feel free to ask; we’ll help you out,” she said.

  What she said hit the mark, and Charles had a question in mind.

  After pondering for a few seconds, he asked, “Does anyone have any clues about the Northern Land of Light?”

  The weight of Charles’s question was greater than he had anticipated. The sound of chairs scraping against the floor echoed as everyone instinctively distanced themselves from him, as if he were carrying a plague.

  Even Elizabeth moved to the other side of the sofa, her brows furrowing. “You’re not one of those Sun God cultists, are you?”

  Charles chuckled awkwardly. “I’m not; I don’t worship any deities.”

  Elizabeth sighed in relief, patting her ample chest. “That’s true; you don’t look like one of those lunatics.”

  The previously tense atmosphere relaxed immediately, and everyone began to chatter.

  “You scared me! I don’t want to deal with those lunatics. The Land of Light? Why are you asking about that?”

  “If you’re asking about that legendary song, I’ve heard it before. Let me give you a line: ‘On the Northern Island, there lies a ladder to light, eternal brightness and—’ Oh, sorry, I forgot the rest.”

  “How could we possibly know about the legendary stuff? We’re not gods.”

  “Newbie, you’re quite humorous.”

  A hint of disappointment crossed Charles’s face. He had hoped that the well-traveled exploration captains might have some leads, but it seemed humanity had been at sea for so long that their true homeland had become a distant legend.

  Just as everyone was discussing, a woman from behind the counter approached, holding a stack of books.

  With a smile, she said, “Mr. Charles, you are now a qualified explorer. Here’s your certification; please take it. Now, let me introduce you to the task details.”

  As she opened the stack of books, Charles realized they were nautical charts filled with dense text.

  “Any exploration task must be reported to the association, and food and fuel will be reimbursed. The danger levels vary, and so do the rewards.”

  Charles took the charts and began to examine them closely.

  He could see that along the explored edges, the uncharted dark areas were divided into smaller sections by white lines, each marked with a reward amount.

  To Charles’s surprise, several scattered islands were marked in the unexplored waters, including the Golden Statue Island he had visited before.

  A slender, pale finger reached over, pointing at the sea area, and Elizabeth’s sultry voice rang in his ear. “Charles, since you just arrived, I advise you to explore the waters for a few years first; get familiar before venturing to the islands.”

  While she was right, Charles didn’t think so. He pointed to the Golden Statue Island and asked, “What does this number mean?”

  A bright red “4” was marked on the island.

  The fat man interjected, “That’s the danger level. Explored islands are rated at 0. If a ship doesn’t return after an exploration, the danger level increases by 1. For a level 4 island like this, you shouldn’t even think about it as a newbie. Go explore the sea for two years first.”

  Elizabeth shot him a glance and leaned closer to Charles, whispering, “Don’t mind him. I think you have great potential; you could explore that island within a year.”

  “I’ve been there.” Charles’s casual remark caused an immediate hush around him, and everyone stared wide-eyed at the young man before them.