“Thanks, I’ll visit when I have the time.”

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

Charles, with a twisted expression, began to tap his forehead with his wrist, each tap heavier than the last.

Elizabeth immediately noticed Charles’ unusual behavior, her eyes widening in surprise.

“My goddess, how long have you been without rest?”

She pulled out a green, jelly-like substance from her chest and handed it to him. “Quick, eat this. It’s effective in relieving the symptoms.”

Charles hesitated for a moment before taking it and swallowing it in one gulp.

A cool sensation slid down his throat, and although the whispering sounds were still there, the irritation dissipated.

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

Elizabeth chuckled. “You’re welcome. I don’t know what it is either, but I know it can relieve the whispers of the God Fotan. If you need more, you can dig some up on Redwood Island. Just don’t eat too much, it’s addictive.”

Redwood Island… Charles mentally noted the new place name.

The muscular man from earlier had somehow moved behind them, and he clapped Charles on the right shoulder. “Newbie, if the whispers of God Fotan are affecting you this much, you need to rest.”

Charles’ guard was lowered significantly. He didn’t know why, but he could sense the kindness these people had towards him. It had been a long time since he had felt such obvious goodwill.

Elizabeth glanced at the staff member who was still working and pulled Charles towards the nearby sofa.

“Come with me, I’ll tell you some things that not everyone knows.”

Charles was about to refuse, but the burly man wrapped an arm around his shoulders and steered 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 being pushed onto the sofa, surrounded by seven or eight captains in odd costumes, all eyeing him curiously.

Their gazes were filled with curiosity and doubt, but there was no hostility.

Elizabeth sat down beside Charles, her soft body leaning towards him.

“Are you surprised by our enthusiasm? Well, the sea is dark enough. We’re friendlier on land,” Elizabeth said.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“It is a bit unexpected. This is different from what I learned in museums,” Charles relaxed.

Hearing Charles, a fat man widened his eyes and shouted loudly.

“What do those books say about us? A bunch of legal pirates? Madmen who value money over life? People who say such things should be fed to the fish!! If I ever become a governor, anyone who says such things will have their tongues cut out!!”

Elizabeth glared at the fat man and then turned to Charles with a smile. “This is a gathering place for explorers on Coral Island. You can exchange information here in the future.”

Charles understood. This was a solon for explorer captains to communicate.

“What kind of information do you trade? Intelligence about islands?”

“All kinds of information: islands, routes, relics. Any useful information can be shared. Maybe someone else has a solution to a problem you can’t solve. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. We’ll do our best to answer them.”

She had hit the nail on the head. Charles did have a question in mind.

After a few seconds of thought, Charles asked his question. “Does anyone have any clues about the Northern Land of Light?”

The reaction to Charles’ question was stronger than he expected. The sound of chairs scraping the floor filled the room as everyone moved away from him, as if he had some kind of plague.

Even Elizabeth moved to the other side of the sofa, her eyebrows furrowing. “You aren’t one of the Sun God worshippers, are you?”

Charles gave a dry laugh. “I’m not. I don’t believe in any gods.”

Elizabeth sighed in relief, patting her ample chest. “That’s good. You don’t look like one of those fanatics.”

The tense atmosphere immediately eased, and everyone started talking animatedly.

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

“If you’re asking about the legendary song, I’ve heard it. Let me give you a verse: ‘Situated on the northern island, there’s a ladder leading to the light, eternal brightness and…’ What was it? Sorry, I forgot how it goes.”

“How could we know about those legendary things? We’re not gods.”

“You’re quite humorous, newbie.”

A hint of disappointment flashed across Charles’ face. He had hoped that these experienced explorer captains might have some clues, but it seemed that having stayed in the Sea of Earth for so long, even their true homeland had become a distant legend.

While everyone was discussing, a woman from behind the counter, holding a stack of books, walked over.

She smiled and said, “Mr. Charles, you are now a qualified explorer. Here’s your certificate. Please hold on to it. Now, let me introduce you to the mission content.”

As she opened the stack of books in her hands, it became apparent that they were charts filled with dense text.

“Any exploration mission that is reported to the guild will have its food, fuel, and other supplies reimbursed by the guild. The rewards vary depending on the danger level.”

Charles took the charts and began to examine them closely.

He could see that along the edges of the already explored areas, the unexplored dark regions were divided into several small sections with white lines, like slices of a cake, each with a reward amount listed.

To Charles’ surprise, the scattered islands in the unexplored seas were also marked, including the golden statue island he had previously visited.

A pale finger reached over and pointed at the sea area. Elizabeth’s sexy, magnetic voice sounded in his ear. “Charles, since you’re new, I advise you to explore the seas for a few years and get familiar with it before tackling the islands.”

While she made a valid point, Charles disagreed. He pointed to the golden statue island and asked, “What does this number mean?”

The island was marked with a bright red ‘4’.

The fat man interjected, “That’s the danger level. Islands that have been explored have a danger level of 0. Each time a captain doesn’t return from an exploration, the danger level increases by 1. For a 4-level island like this, don’t even think about it as a newbie. Explore the sea for a couple of years first.”

Elizabeth glanced at him and whispered into Charles’ ear, “Ignore him. I think you have a lot of potential. You’ll be able to explore this island in no more than a year.”

“I’ve been to this island,” Charles said casually, and the talking around him instantly stopped. Everyone stared at the young man in front of them with wide eyes.