“Woo~~”

  As the sharp whistle of the ship echoed, Anna was completely captivated by the unique island before her. At its center stood a giant mushroom, as large as a mountain peak, its broad cap shimmering with a faint blue glow, standing out starkly against the dark backdrop.

  Leaning over the ship’s railing, Anna peered at the mushroom. “What a spectacular sight! If only I had a phone, I could take a selfie.”

  As she spoke, the commotion below caught her attention. She looked down to see the people from the lower hold starting to disembark.

  Turning back to her servants, she commanded, “Get everything ready; we’re going down.”

  A dozen beautiful women stood neatly behind her. “Yes, Mistress!” they replied respectfully.

  The crowd disembarking at the Crown of the World was sparse. Aside from the lower-hold passengers, only Anna and her entourage were present. Compared to the bustling Coral Island dock, this place felt lifeless, with very few laborers around.

  Anna's several large trunks monopolized the few workers available at the dock.

  “Be careful with those; they contain very valuable items. You wouldn’t be able to pay for them if you sold yourselves,” Anna’s maid, Martha, warned the laborers.

  “Don’t worry, esteemed guest. It’s not every day we get business like this; we’re just as nervous as you,” the laborers replied, their faces covered with cloth as they hurried to carry the boxes.

  As Anna slowly made her way onto the dock, she heard a series of coughs that started as a few sporadic sounds but quickly escalated to hundreds of people coughing in unison.

  A boy tugged at his mother’s sleeve. “Mom, my throat itches. It really itches.”

  At that moment, several merchants rushed into the crowd, brandishing thick cloth and masks, each trying to outdo the other in their sales pitches.

  “Face masks for 35 echoes, masks for 40 echoes! Come quickly; too much exposure to the spores of the Crown of the World isn’t good for you!”

  “Exactly! There’s a saying here: you can go out without clothes, but you can’t go without a mask!”

  Most of the impoverished lower-hold passengers had little money, and aside from a few parents buying masks for their children, the majority simply pulled clothes from their bags to cover their mouths.

  One salesman approached Anna, holding a mask with a smile. “Madam, yours is too thin. Try this one instead. Three layers of spider silk from Spider Island; it can block 90% of spores.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Anna removed her veil, revealing her stunning beauty, leaving the salesman momentarily dumbfounded.

  She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and smiled slightly. “Mmm, a sweet scent. I’m starting to like this place.”

  “Sweet? How can it be sweet?” The puzzled salesman took off his mask and inhaled deeply, only to break into a series of sneezes before hastily putting the mask back on.

  Outside the dock was the port area, where the buildings, with mushrooms growing on their roofs and corners, looked dilapidated. Only a few people wandered the streets, a stark contrast to other islands.

  The people of the Crown of the World bore no significant difference in appearance from those elsewhere, except that they all wore masks or cloths covering their mouths and noses.

  As the impoverished lower-hold passengers stood helplessly on the street, a middle-aged man in a blue uniform approached, flanked by a dozen subordinates, holding a brass megaphone.

  The rotund man brought the megaphone to his lips and began to announce, “I know you may have heard about the wonders of the Crown of the World on other islands. Yes, the flyers aren’t wrong! As long as you have hands and feet, Governor Tucker will not only lend you farming tools but also provide seeds. When the rye is harvested, after the governor takes his 50% tax, the rest is all yours!!”

  The crowd erupted in excitement, rushing toward him.

  “Don’t push! Form a line and come one by one!”

  Martha, covering her nose with her scarf, looked at Anna in surprise. “Mistress, I thought they were just making empty promises, but they really are giving away land! There are still such good people in the world.”

  Anna shook her head slightly. “Silly girl, how could such a good thing be true? Look over there.”

  Following her pointed finger, Martha saw a row of neatly arranged fields outside the port area, where masked farmers bent over, carrying oil lamps as they worked, resembling fireflies scattered among the trees.

  “Wow, the rye here grows so tall! The yield must be impressive.”

  “This place is fertile precisely because of the land of the Crown of the World. However, this is both a blessing and a curse. The spores here can enrich the soil, but they pose a significant threat to human health.”

  Anna began walking toward the main road leading to the fields.

  “The longer people stay here, the more their lungs will be eroded by the spores of the Crown of the World. Once their lungs fail, their lives will come to an end. This fertile rye is watered with human blood.”

  At this point, Anna suddenly chuckled. “The Dewa tribe may indulge in cannibalism for fun, but when it comes to the art of eating people, humans are the true experts.”

  “Cough~ cough!! Cough cough!!”

  An elderly man crouched on the street coughed violently, pulling down his mask to desperately inhale, but the spores in the air only worsened his condition.

  Seeing his reddened face, a hint of fear crossed Martha’s face.

  “Are you regretting bringing them here?”

  Hearing Anna's voice, Martha hurried to catch up, shaking her head with determination.

  “I’ve been by your side since childhood; my life exists for you, Mistress. Wherever you go, I will follow, even if you want to eat me. I would gladly do so!”

  Anna smiled slightly, reaching out to stroke her maid’s soft hair, her gaze akin to that of someone admiring a small cat or dog.

  “Why would I eat you? You’ve been with me for so many years; you’re practically family.”

  Martha’s face lit up with excitement. “Don’t worry, Mistress. I will serve you to the best of my ability until my lungs give out!”

  Anna pulled her up and walked toward the fields outside the port area. “Don’t worry; you’re someone I chose with great care. I can’t let you die like this. There’s a place in the Crown of the World where you won’t have to endure the torment of the spores, and that’s our goal.”

  As she spoke, Anna leaned slightly to gaze toward the top of the Crown of the World, where scattered lights twinkled.