I was channeling Restore into the boat’s body when Mahya approached me and asked, “Did you check the Archive today?”

Pausing, I glanced up, noticing her unhappy expression. “No, not yet,” I said, still focused on the task.

“You should,” she insisted, her tone hinting urgency.

“A message from Lis?” I asked, straightening up, hoping for some news.

She shook her head, her lips pressing into a thin line. “No.”

I opened the Archive and saw the message she was referring to.

Tr. RVF

“Frozen-Tail”

I need your help urgently. Someone captured me after I crossed the Gate to Dirt, and they are currently holding me in captivity. They drugged me and examined me. Don’t go through the same gate as I did; they will capture you, too. They have a force field that nullifies magic and cuts off access to mana. I believe they converse in a language known as English, and an earthquake occurred recently. Maybe it will help you locate me. Try to find the blue–

Not good.

I checked the news sites on my phone, and the words “6.3-magnitude earthquake in Nevada” glared back at me. My gut tightened with worry as I set the phone down.

“I know what army base is holding that person,” I said, leaning forward, fingers tapping restlessly on the deck.

“You want to go save them?” she asked.

“We should,” I said, then hesitated. “But it’s going to be problematic.”

“Why?” Her brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of my hesitation.

“If they can nullify magic,” I explained, rubbing the back of my neck, “I have no idea how we can get them out.”

“Go in, fight our way through, and get them out,” she said, shrugging as if it were the most straightforward solution in the world.

“No!” My hand shot up in protest.

“Why not?” she asked, her confusion deepening, her eyes narrowing as she searched my face.

“Those are good people who joined the army to protect their country,” I said, my voice firm. “If I see soldiers, I thank them for their service, not fight them. Rather than accusing them, I understand they’re doing their job to protect their home from aliens. I don’t know that person and don’t owe them anything. Yes, they are a Traveler, and we should get them out, but not for the price of killing a whole bunch of innocent soldiers who are only doing what they think is best.”

“But they’re holding them captive!” She exclaimed. “They’re not that innocent!”

“From what I know about the army, probably only the top brass or whatever they’re called know about it, not the regular rank and file. If I catch one of the commanders that know about it, I’ll stick a probe up their ass so far up it will come out of his nose to give them a taste of their own medicine. But killing soldiers who don’t know anything about it feels wrong. Especially since they’re holding them in an enormous base––we’re talking about thousands of soldiers with guns. We won’t get out alive.”

Mahya looked like she wanted to argue, her lips parting as if to speak, but then she sighed, her shoulders slumping as she nodded in reluctant agreement. “Yeah, I can see your point,” she said, her voice soft.

“Alfonsen!” I called.

He exited the saloon and asked, “You called for me?”

“Yes. Do you have the Mana Shield spell?”

“Of course,” he answered, looking too proud of himself for the question asked.

“What level is it, and how much can it withstand?”

He looked thoughtful for a moment and said. “The current level stands at five. While I have not conducted any direct testing, the historical knowledge within my family’s archives suggests it should withstand a minimum of three, if not four, crossbow bolts or two to three sword strikes.”

I turned to Mahya, “So two, maybe three bullets. My shield will take one bullet before shattering, and you don’t have a shield at all.”

“We’ll be invisible,” she pointed out.

I shook my head and counted on my fingers. “One, those are soldiers that work around a Gate. I’m sure they have a way to overcome the invisibility. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have captured them. I don’t know ... thermal imaging goggles, infrared goggles, or something similar. Two, the minute we’re in the mana suppression field, our invisibility will drop, and we’ll be shot or captured. We need a solution for the magical suppression. Without it, we don’t stand a chance on a base with thousands of armed soldiers.”

Alfonsen looked between us, crossed his arms, and asked, “Why do you look so unhappy?”

“Check the Archive,” Mahya answered, her tone flat.

“Are we going there?” he asked, his brow furrowing.

“John is not sure how we can get that person out if they can nullify mana, and he doesn’t want to hurt the soldiers,” she explained, her tone serious.

“Use Rue,” Alfonsen suggested with a casual wave of his hand.

My eyes widened in shock. “No way! They’ll shoot him!” I exclaimed.

“Not for the rescue,” Alfonsen clarified. “But to channel mana. Should Rue remain outside while you enter, their field will be unable to neutralize his mana. You can channel mana through him into yourself.”

Trying to wrap my head around the idea, I blinked in confusion. “I have no idea what you are talking about. I have a book about familiars, but there was no mention of channeling mana through one. How do you even know this?” I asked.

“In Mirbit, the master of the wizard tower maintains a bird as their trusted familiar,” Alfonsen explained. “According to my father, his personal mana reserves are relatively low. However, he compensates by drawing on external mana through his familiar, which makes him a formidable force. Consequently, I have been advised to exercise caution around him.”

“Do you know how he does it?” I asked, my mind racing with possibilities.

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“No,” Alfonsen admitted, shaking his head. “The workings of wizard magic are peculiar and diverge from conventional practices.”

“I’ll look through my books and maybe find something,” I said.

“Additionally, I have the ability to concoct a potion that induces sleep,” Alfonsen offered, his tone matter-of-fact.

“You have the plants for it?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes. A substantial amount. During my expedition in the realm I crossed from to this world, I acquired numerous plants that have proven to be excellent ingredients for crafting sleeping potions. I will need additional resources, which I am confident can be sourced from Earth. In addition, I surveyed the plant encyclopedia you provided and found several that show potential,” he said, his eyes lighting up with enthusiasm.

“Well, China is known for its herbal remedies; we should check some herb shops,” I suggested, turning to Mahya. “You’re an engineer. If I manage to channel mana through Rue, do you think their nullification field will nullify it?”

Mahya frowned, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “I don’t know,” she admitted, her voice laced with uncertainty. “We’ll have to experiment.”

“How?” I asked.

“I don’t know yet,” she said, shaking her head slowly. “Let me think about it.”

“Do you want to change our plans and go there immediately?” Alfonsen asked, his tone cautious.

I paused, searching inwardly for that familiar feeling of urgency that had guided me twice before. But all was quiet, no sense of urgency or direction tugging at me. Mahya’s gaze bore into me, waiting. I closed my eyes and searched deeper, trying to find that thread of connection to the source of the rebukes or the urgency I felt before—still nothing. I activated my Luck and thought of the Traveler—still nothing—not even a tug of direction.

I mentally asked, “Do we need to rush to the rescue?” and felt something, but it was so fleeting I couldn’t discern it. I asked again, “Do we need to rush to the rescue?” This time, it was a bit more concrete—a feeling of disinterest or neutrality. Basically, it was telling me, “Do whatever you want.” Or that was how I interpreted it.

“No,” I finally said, shaking my head. “My intuition is entirely silent. There is no urgency. Besides, if they captured the Traveler and holding them captive, I don’t think they’ll kill them out of the blue. If they wanted to kill them, they would have done it immediately. And I still need to find a book to figure out how to channel through Rue and verify it won’t hurt him.”

Rue sent me a strong feeling of trust, his presence warm and reassuring.

“Thanks, buddy,” I murmured, reaching down to scratch his ears, feeling a surge of affection.

“Are you certain?” Alfonsen asked, sounding concerned.

“Yes,” Mahya answered before I could, her voice steady. “You can trust John on this. I asked him once why he looked for me in Tír na nÓg, and he told me he knew somebody needed help. Also, when Lyura got hurt, he knew about it and knew it was urgent. Until we got to her, he was nervous and jumpy. If he says it’s not urgent, you can trust him it’s not.”

Alfonsen stared at me, a mix of awe and confusion on his face. “The phenomenon of wizard magic is quite peculiar,” he muttered, shaking his head.

When we approached Tongling City in Anhui province, I rechecked my feelings to see if it was okay to stop and go sightseeing for a bit or if we should hurry, but everything was quiet. I didn’t even get a fleeting feeling this time after repeatedly asking.

We moored in the Tongling marina, and finally, my sailboat didn’t look out of place. It was as pretty and whole as the other yachts and boats. It cost me over 80,000 mana, but she was perfect. This thought stopped me short. The last time I checked, my regeneration was twelve mana units per minute, or 720 units per hour. It took me almost 13 hours to regenerate to full. But in four days, I spent over 80,000 mana. The math didn’t add up.

“We must check the mana level at the next Gate. I think it went up,” I told both of them.

“Not good,” Mahya muttered, her brow furrowing. “I know Lis said it’s safe to fly until the mana reaches level 8, but I’m unsure if I want to risk it with mana level 7.”

Alfonsen nodded emphatically, his eyes wide, and said, “Is there no way for us to proceed with sailing to every location?”

“No,” I replied firmly, crossing my arms.

“Why not?” he asked, sounding whiny.

“From China, we need to go to Tibet, but it’s landlocked, and no rivers go there,” I explained, my fingers tapping rhythmically on the table.

“What about a train?” asked Mahya, tilting her head.

I checked on my phone and said, “There is a train, but it takes about 50 hours.”

“Are we in a rush?” She asked, her eyes searching mine.

I re-checked my feelings, closing my eyes to focus. After a few minutes of rigorous searching and trying to get an answer from the system, I said, “No. There is no rush on the Traveler front. But we also need to get to the US. I’m unsure we can sail the Pacific Ocean on such a small boat.”

“Why not?” Mahya asked, frowning slightly.

“It’s the largest ocean in the world, with various sea conditions,” I said, holding up my phone for emphasis. “Freight shipping from China to the US takes twenty to thirty days. We’ll sail slower, so it might take us six weeks. Are we experienced enough for such a voyage?”

“What’s your sailing level now?” Mahya asked.

“Three.”

“Mine too,” she said with a determined nod. “I think it will reach level five at least before we head to Tibet. It’s perfectly fine for an ocean crossing. Besides, we have magic, access to the Spells and Skills list, and a ton of Ability Points. We’ll be fine.”

Alfonsen looked hopeful and gave me puppy-dog eyes that were even better than Rue’s, his expression pleading silently.

“You can always park your house on the ocean for a day or two so we can have more space,” Mahya suggested, her eyes bright with enthusiasm. “Maybe we can even leave it out and connect it to the boat with a chain. You have the pontoons, after all.”

“Yeah, but if I ‘park’ it on the ocean before the pontoons finish inflating, the house will sink, or at least take in water,” I said, my tone practical.

She looked puzzled, her brows knitting together, and said, “Inflate them before you take it out. You’re the dungeon master.”

Huh?!

I was thoroughly confused. “How?! The Storage keeps everything in suspension.”

“It’s your magic, your Storage, and your core,” she said, her tone as if explaining something obvious. She held her hands, palms up, like asking, ‘What’s not clear?’

“I think I’m missing some data,” I said, scratching my head in confusion.

“Only some?” Mahya teased, laughing as she nudged me playfully.

“Would you kindly elaborate on the term ‘dungeon master’?” Alfonsen asked.

“Oh, you don’t know,” Mahya said, glancing around and looking very uncomfortable. She glanced at me with an apologetic expression, and I gave her a slight nod.

She looked Alfonsen in the eye and said, “Don’t tell anyone, but John’s house has a core, and we performed the Ritual of Connection. We are trusting you with a big secret. Don’t disappoint us.”

“I vow that I will refrain from doing so,” Alfonsen said, his voice serious.

“Let’s talk about it later,” I interjected, sensing the need to change the subject. Mahya was still looking very guilty. “Right now, we need to go buy some herbs—I even found a place that sells them—do some sightseeing, and then continue. We’ll have plenty of time to talk on the way.”

First, we went to buy herbs, and Alfonsen got excited about some herb called Valerian. His eyes lit up as he said, “Using this, I am able to formulate a potion that does not require oral consumption. Merely throwing it at someone will suffice to induce sleep.”

“I just got a great idea,” Mahya exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with inspiration.

“Are you sure it’s great?” I asked her, raising an eyebrow in mock skepticism. I had to repay her for her comment about “only some.”

She stuck her tongue out at me and said, “It’s super great––you’ll see.” With a dismissive wave, as if shooing away an annoying fly, she continued, “While shopping for paint arrows, I saw small paint guns. Let’s buy a few guns and a big supply of paintballs. We’ll make a hole in the paintballs, empty the paint, and cast clean. Then, we’ll fill them with the potion, and you’ll cast mend on them. This way, we’ll have a sleeping potion gun to put people to sleep.” She demonstrated by shooting a finger gun at me.

Unfortunately for me, it was a fantastic idea. I sighed deeply, admitting defeat. “Yeah, okay, it’s a good idea,” I said, nodding appreciatively.

From there, we went to a prominent aluminum manufacturer. I was confused, but Mahya informed me that aluminum would be precious in mana worlds. She knew best, so I just shut up and bought a massive supply of aluminum sheets.

We found a place to buy the aforementioned guns and bought twenty, just in case, as well as 500,000 paintballs. The seller looked dazed when we left.

From there, we went to visit the Tongling Grand Canyon. It was beautiful, but with the name, I was expecting something more significant or impressive. Sure, an incredible underground river was weaving through the base, and the waterfalls were stunning, cascading down the cliffs like something out of a postcard. The greenery was lush, clinging to the rocky walls to add some life to the place. But honestly, while the visit was enjoyable for a few hours, the size was disappointing compared to the Grand Canyon in the US. The cliffs here were more modest, and the scale didn’t have that jaw-dropping effect I’d hoped for.

Mahya and Alfonsen weren’t too keen either; they shared my underwhelmed vibe. Rue, on the other hand, fell in love with the waterfall. He stood under it, wagging his tail like it was the best shower of his life, and we practically had to drag him away.

He was unhappy with us and showed his displeasure by repeatedly shouting, “Bad! Friend!” into our minds and pelting us with dog water.

After two days in Tongling, we returned to the boat and continued sailing.