Drift Of The Multiverse: [Marvel] [Resident Evil] [DC] [Bleach] [DB]

This sea was indeed much larger than the Sea of Calm. According to Philip, after leaving the Sea of Calm, Ethan had not deviated much from his course and had been heading toward Central Island.

Yet, it had taken nearly a month after rescuing Philip and the others before Ethan finally saw Central Island. This didn't even account for the time he had sailed alone beforehand. Given that, even if he took the Sea of Storms passage straight to the island, the journey would still be long and if he suffered heavy losses in the storms, he might not even make it.

With someone familiar with the area guiding him, Ethan quickly found the pier at Central Island.

According to Philip, there was no need to worry about finding a place to dock. The island had multiple docks in four different directions, and all of them offered berthing services for a small fee.

"It's not like the Sea of Calm, where there's only one dock, and the guild controls nearly everything," Philip explained as he helped guide Ethan into port.

He then went on to describe some key differences between this place and the Sea of Calm.

"The docks here have different owners, but the guild still holds some authority. The docking fees vary depending on the size of the ship and the services you choose."

In short, better locations and better services meant higher prices.

Unlike the Sea of Calm, where adventurers were constantly pushed to go out on expeditions, here, as long as you had enough resources, you could stay indefinitely. If you ran out, however, you'd have no choice but to leave.

"Now, let's settle the property transfer."

Since this was an established rule, the process was fairly common, and the guild had dedicated a small hall for handling these transactions.

This separate hall ensured privacy, no outsiders could observe the transfer, which prevented potential disputes from arising.

Although the guild maintained a neutral stance on conflicts between adventurers, they still took measures to reduce the likelihood of them happening.

—

Ethan followed Philip into the hall, and the property transfer proceeded smoothly. In truth, the resources didn't belong to Philip alone, they had been part of the Advance's collective assets. Typically, only the captain had full control over the ship's resources.

However, since Philip as the first mate testified that the Advance had been destroyed, and that all surviving crew members were present, the guild quickly verified the claim and transferred half of the assets to Ethan's name.

"What if someone betrayed their captain?"

Ethan asked as they walked out.

"What if someone falsely claimed that their captain and crew were dead, just to seize all the property for themselves?"

Philip shrugged. "It's happened before. In those cases, the guild compensates the legitimate crew members first, then puts a bounty on the traitor. Anyone, guild member or not, can claim the bounty by delivering their head or corpse."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't that cost the guild a lot?"

Philip smirked. "They solved that problem by making an example of a few traitors. After that, no one dared to try it again."

—

With the transfer completed, Philip led Ethan on a tour of Central Island, answering his questions along the way.

"In the past, there were a few adventurers who thought they could get away with fraud. The bounties weren't high enough to attract the strongest fighters, so they managed to roam free for a while."

"But then the guild doubled the bounty." Philip chuckled. "One ship's worth of loot wasn't enough? They offered two ships' worth. Still not enough? Four ships. Eventually, even top-tier adventurers were tempted."

"With people like that hunting them down, those fraudsters could no longer return to Central Island to maintain their ships or resupply. In the end, they were hunted down and cashed in for the bounty."

Sure, scamming the guild could make you rich overnight.

But was a moment of wealth worth certain death?

Most adventurers weren't that stupid.

They risked their lives at sea every day to live, not to throw their lives away.

Still, Ethan considered another scenario.

"What if someone silently amassed enough power and resources," he mused, "then after pulling off the scam, immediately sailed into the Sea of Storms?"

"As long as they were strong enough to survive the bounty hunters, they could shake off their pursuers by diving straight into the storm."

Philip shook his head. "That wouldn't work."

"Why not?"

"Because who's to say the guild doesn't have influence in the next sea?"

Ethan paused, realizing the implication.

The guild's reach could extend far beyond this sea. Someone who worked tirelessly to survive the storms and reach the next region might find themselves walking straight into even worse revenge.

The thought alone was chilling.

"So," Philip concluded, "if you want people to follow your rules, you need enough strength to make them comply."

The guild was a perfect example of this philosophy.

Yes, their system had loopholes but anyone who dared exploit those loopholes was eliminated.

—

Central Island was massive, and Ethan spent a long time familiarizing himself with the area near one of the guild offices.

Philip explained as they walked, "The island has a guild office in each direction, handling basic services and providing essential facilities."

"The main headquarters is in the central district. That's where the most important facilities are located. If you ever need to handle major business, you'll have to go there."

"Major business?" Ethan asked. "Like what?"

Philip gestured ahead. "For example, if you complete a large-scale commission for the guild, you need to go there to turn it in and claim your reward."

He didn't go into detail about what kind of commissions the guild issued.

But whenever a mission was posted, it would be displayed prominently at all guild offices.

Ethan figured he would see them soon enough.

Another key difference from the Sea of Calm:

The guild no longer provided lodging.

Instead, adventurers had to find their own accommodations at privately-run taverns and inns.

If you have money, you can live well, eat well, drink well, and enjoy life. If you don't, you'll have to settle for a cheap inn or even sleep in a corner of a tavern.

After spending most of the day walking around with Philip, Ethan saw both sides of Central Island, from elegant, comfortable establishments to the slums, where filth covered the streets and rats scurried about, completely ignored.

From Philip's perspective, with Ethan's strength and status, there was no need for him to go anywhere near those places. What Philip didn't realize was that if it weren't for half of the Advance's assets, Ethan wouldn't have had any spare money at all.

Thanks to that wealth, Ethan wouldn't have to live frugally.

They found a restaurant and sat down for a proper meal. Once the meal was finished, it was time to part ways.

"Thank you for everything, your guidance, your lessons."

Ethan was the first to speak once their plates were empty.

"And also, thank you for taking such good care of the Goddess of Dawn."

Despite all the knowledge he had acquired, Ethan had never had formal training in many aspects of seafaring, especially when it came to the maintenance and upkeep of a ship. Over time, Stephen and Sean had taught him through their actions, keeping the Goddess of Dawn in pristine condition.

"She's a fine ship," Stephen said. "Just like her name—a goddess. I hope you'll treat her well."

To seasoned sailors, a ship was like a wife. And to them, Ethan's Goddess of Dawn was worthy of her divine name. After spending so much time aboard, Stephen and Sean had grown attached to her, maintaining her as if she were newly built.

"I will."

Ethan felt a twinge of guilt as he said those words.

He remembered the other ships he had abandoned without hesitation each of them bearing the same name.

But this one… this was different.

This Goddess of Dawn was custom-made, built with everything he had. It was his ship, truly his, and he was determined to take care of her not just that, but to equip her with everything possible to make her both beautiful and powerful.

—

Philip, Sean, and Stephen gave Ethan one final word of thanks for saving their lives, then left the restaurant together. They had their own matters to attend to, retrieving the spare ship, performing maintenance, and recruiting a new crew before setting out on their own journey.

Ethan remained seated for a while before finally getting up and booking a room at the hotel, paying for the meal before heading to his lodging.

The environment was decent, not luxurious, but clean and well-kept. The location was ideal, positioned between the areas he had explored and those he had yet to visit, allowing him to continue familiarizing himself with Central Island.

More importantly, when Ethan used his spacetime orb, he detected spacetime energy nearby. For convenience, he decided to stay here.

However, something unexpected happened.

As Ethan was being led to his room, he used his body to obscure the spacetime orb, and the needle shifted violently, reacting to his movement.

That meant the source of spacetime energy was very close.

Using the excuse of checking different rooms, Ethan searched carefully and eventually found the energy source. However, directly absorbing it would cause too much commotion, so he refrained from doing so in front of the hotel staff.

After checking in, securing his belongings, and making sure no one would disturb him, Ethan began extracting the spacetime energy.

As the process started, he found himself at a crossroads.

"What should I do?"

"Travel to a new world and continue my adventure?"

But then, he remembered his promise to Hippolyta to visit Paradise Island.

Ethan didn't struggle with the decision for long.

He prided himself on being honest and trustworthy.

Since he had given his word, he would honor it.

Using this spacetime energy, he would go to Paradise Island and see things for himself.

***

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