Ethan stood up and picked up a pair of binoculars that Eleanor had given him. With the help of the binoculars, Ethan quickly found his target.

“Wooden debris? Is it a shipwreck caused by a storm?”

After searching near the wooden debris for a while, Ethan saw two people clinging to planks and waving continuously. Seeing this, Ethan no longer hesitated, adjusted the direction of his boat slightly, and sped toward the two people in the water.

Chapter 4: This Ocean Is Too Fantastical

He quickly rescued the two people from the water, then asked if there were any other survivors. After receiving a negative answer, Ethan immediately turned the boat around and left the area as fast as possible.

His boat was too small. Although he was still some distance from the storm, even the aftershocks made him feel as if his little boat could capsize at any moment.

Only after sailing far away, when the waves gradually subsided, did Ethan feel a bit more at ease. Looking back and seeing that the storm didn’t seem to be moving in his direction, he finally had time to observe the two people he had rescued—one was slightly thin, about forty years old, with a still-handsome face already marked by the passage of time; the other was around thirty, in the prime of his life, his well-defined muscles clearly visible through his soaked clothes.

“Thank you so much for saving our lives.”

The older man, after drinking some water and catching his breath, immediately expressed his gratitude, then handed the wooden ladle to the person beside him.

It was clear that both were seasoned sailors, drinking water very carefully, afraid to waste even a drop, even though they had just escaped danger and hadn’t had water for who knows how long.

“You’re welcome.”

After the other man finished drinking, Ethan took back the wooden ladle and put it away, then asked about their ordeal.

Both were indeed veteran sailors. The older one was named Wood, and the younger was Rodney. They had been sailing these waters for several years and had built up some assets.

Wood owned a decent sailboat and had a few good helpers. After working on this sea for years, they finally made up their minds a few days ago: to cross the Sea of Storms and head for new waters.

It was only now that Ethan learned from Wood about the wonders of this world.

What exactly this world was like was still unclear. Although Wood had sailed these seas for years, he only knew that the waters beneath their feet were called the Calm Sea, a relatively ‘peaceful’ region.

How big was the Calm Sea? Wood didn’t know, only that it was vast! But he was certain that the Calm Sea was not boundless.

All around the Calm Sea, there were year-round raging storms, thunder, and lightning, like walls enclosing the Calm Sea. These stormy regions that tightly surrounded the Calm Sea were called the Sea of Storms by everyone.

The closer to the edge, the more dangerous it became, while the closer to the center of the Calm Sea, the safer it was. There were no big winds or waves, the sea was rich in resources, and as long as they ensured enough drinking water, food was not much of a concern for those who sailed here year-round.

“Even if we can’t find an island, we can get enough food from the sea to last until we return to Stat Island to resupply.”

As for the question Ethan had always wondered about regarding islands, after setting out to sea, he hadn’t seen even a single reef, let alone an island.

To this, Wood explained that although it was incredible and hard to believe, the most amazing thing about the Calm Sea was these islands that appeared and disappeared without warning.

“They might suddenly emerge, then in a very short time become covered with all kinds of plants and fruits, and then just as suddenly, the plants wither and die, and the whole island sinks to the bottom of the sea, never to be seen again.”

These islands, said to suddenly rise from the sea and quickly become lush and full of fruit, existed for varying lengths of time. According to Wood, the shortest he had seen lasted only a few days before sinking beneath the waves and vanishing.

It was said that throughout the Calm Sea, only Stat Island was a permanent, unsinkable island, and it was quite large, almost becoming the center for everyone living on these seas.

Aside from Stat Island, there were only a few other very small islands, and they were far apart from each other. Ethan had previously lived on one of these.

“So, those people who used to leave the outlying islands by boat all went to this big island called Stat?”

Unfortunately, Wood quickly gave a negative answer.

“Sadly, although Stat Island is not small, it can’t accommodate so many people. Only a very few can settle there long-term. Most people still have to make a living adventuring at sea, relying on finding those suddenly appearing islands and collecting resources from them to trade for what they need to survive.”

Wood looked at Ethan: “Young man, judging by your appearance, you must have just left your hometown, right…”

“Yes!” Ethan gave a brief introduction of himself, but skipped most of the details, only saying that his parents had passed away and he didn’t want to stay, so he set out to make his own way.