“What did you say?!.. You’ve been to this level 4 island?!” The shocked fat man’s voice was slightly off-key, his expression incredibly vivid.

The other captains were equally astonished. They had just been warning him not to go to the islands and risk his life, and now he was saying he had already explored one?

“Why is there only a danger level on the island and no reward amount?” Charles asked his next question.

“Don’t change the subject! When did you go to that island? What’s there!”

Charles, with a slightly furrowed brow, leaned back slightly to avoid the fat man’s flying spit. “The Fotan religion asked me to retrieve something from the island. Is there a problem with that? Isn’t that how everyone explores islands?”

Elizabeth, no longer calm, blushed slightly, looking excited.

“Charles, you might not be aware of the steps involved in exploring islands since you’re new. Explorer missions are divided into many subtasks: first, exploring routes, then assessing the danger level of natives, and finally exploring and occupying the island. In the guild, each type of task has a different reward.”

“And you, a newbie, have somehow completed several of the initial steps. If you complete the next step of occupying the island, the entire island will be yours! You could be the next lucky one, the next governor!”

So that’s how it works, Charles thought to himself. No wonder the islands on the chart didn’t have a reward listed. The process of exploring islands is more detailed than I thought.

“Enough of that. N… Charles, what resources are on that island? Is it dangerous?”

After considering for a few seconds, Charles decided that the island was worthless and shared its information with them.

Upon hearing that the island had no food, no fresh water, and was filled with monsters that could erase human memories, everyone’s faces showed disappointment.

“Oh, another dead island. I thought I was going to witness history and see the fastest governor ever.”

“Yeah, without fresh water, there’s no point in occupying it.”

“If there were even a little resource, we could form an occupation fleet next.”

While others were discussing the topic, Charles pointed at the northernmost level 5 island on the chart and said to the female recorder beside him, “My ship will be ready to set sail in half a month. I need to explore this island.”

Elizabeth opened her mouth as if to dissuade him but ultimately didn’t say anything. The guy in front of her was not an ordinary newbie; his strength was hard to gauge.

After the recorder finished registering the task, Charles looked around at the suddenly silent captains. “Excuse me, gentlemen, do you know where I can get weapons?”

The last expedition had taught Charles a lesson. He needed to upgrade his ship’s combat capabilities; relying solely on revolvers wouldn’t be enough.

“If you’re looking for ordinary weapons, ask them,” the burly man pointed to the staff behind the counter. “The guild also deals in weapons. If the price is right, they can get anything.”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The recorder beside him said helpfully, “Please wait a moment, I’ll bring you the weapons list.”

Charles suddenly thought that the person who founded the guild was a business genius. The talk of doing it for all of humanity was just a facade; the real goal was the highly profitable arms business.

Soon, several catalogs were placed in front of Charles. Under various types of firearms, the price of bullets was also listed considerately.

The technological focus of the Sea of Earth seemed a bit off. Most of the firearms were outdated weapons from World War I. Whether more advanced weapons didn’t exist or weren’t listed was unknown.

“Charles, these things actually look good, but they’re not very useful, and there are many things on the islands that bullets can’t handle.”

The burly man’s words cooled Charles’ excitement. Yes, given the various anomalies on the islands, simple violence wouldn’t be of much use.

Charles didn’t think that switching his revolver for another firearm would have made any significant difference on the Golden Statue Island. Firearms couldn’t prevent memory alteration.

“What do you use, then?” Charles asked.

“We use human lives,” a hoarse voice came from beside him, and the enthusiastic atmosphere among the crowd began to cool.

The speaker was a middle-aged man with a dark complexion and a hooked nose.

He leaned forward, staring at Charles with his grey pupils.

“I know what you’re thinking. You’re hoping that we, the explorers, have some secret tricks. Yes, we each have different abilities.” He raised one hand, and a ball of blue flame flashed briefly in his palm.

“But even with our relics and their unique abilities, the mortality rate for explorers is still shockingly high. Behind every successful governor are thousands of deaths. You were just lucky last time. Don’t take it personally; reality is cruelty.”

Hearing this, Charles actually felt a bit more at ease. The Sea of Earth never showed mercy to humans.

He addressed the explorers in front of him, “Gentlemen, let’s talk more later when we have the time. I need to prepare the supplies for the voyage.”

As Charles walked out the door, the burly man wondered aloud, “What do you think he’s going to do up north? Is he really looking for that ‘Land of Light’?”

No one answered his question, and the hall fell into a brief silence.

Over the next half-month, Charles was busy preparing supplies, as well as training his body and practicing his marksmanship.

The Sea of Earth was cruel, but he wouldn’t give up his beliefs.

The days on land passed quickly, and before he knew it, it was already half a month later.

The brand-new exploration ship sat quietly in the harbor. Its streamlined hull, the black deck cannons reflecting the lights, and the sturdy body all made Charles’ eyes light up with a hint of infatuation.

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Charles said with excitement and anticipation.

“Captain, what’s her name? Surely you’re not going to call her ‘The Rat’ again?” Dipp asked, standing in front of five sailors.

Looking at the 125mm steel cannon on the foredeck, Charles pondered for a moment before saying, “The Narwhal. She’ll be called the Narwhal!”

After naming the new ship, Charles turned to look at the new faces. The Narwhal was not like The Rat, a cargo ship that could operate with any number of crew. As an exploration ship, she was fully staffed.

There was one boatswain, four sailors, one first mate, one second mate, one chief engineer, one first assistant engineer, one second assistant engineer, one cook, one assistant cook, and one captain, making a total of 13 crew members.

The crew members varied in age and height, all male, including some locals with rolled-in ears.

As Charles observed them, the crew members also looked at Charles with curiosity in their eyes.

A ship was different from land. Once at sea, the entire ship was a closed environment, and the captain was the king of the ship, controlling the fate of everyone on board. If a captain was unreliable, he could endanger everyone on the ship.

When they saw Charles’ face, their worries eased slightly. Although the captain with black eyes was young, many recognized him as an experienced captain.

“I believe everyone knows what we’re going to do on this trip. I won’t lie to you. Currently, the mortality rate for exploration ships at sea is one in five. If anyone wants to back out now, it’s not too late.”

No one in the crowd moved. Those standing there were not first-timers at sea. They all knew the risks of this journey, as well as the potential rewards of successfully exploring a new island.

If the captain became the governor of a new island, they, the crew, would also rise in status. Going to sea was a gamble, so why not gamble big?

“Very well, everyone aboard now!” Charles commanded.