Chapter 65

Once again, they returned to the Sea of Calm.

Although Ethan hadn't acquired any new items or profound knowledge during this journey, the gains were no less significant than before.

His growth in strength and the "upgrade" of the space-time Orb were both results of cumulative effort. Originally, Ethan had thought that reaching this level before leaving the Sea of Calm would already be a fast pace. Now, his goals had been achieved ahead of schedule.

"It's just that staying in planar worlds for such long periods… how much lifespan do I even have left if I keep doing this?"

Standing before a mirror, Ethan studied his reflection. His face, now sharper and more mature than before, made him fall into deep thought.

When he left the Sea of Calm for the first time, it had only been about a year since he gained this ability. But adding the time spent within the planes, more than two years had passed.

Youth grows quickly, and with diligent effort, the now almost nineteen-year-old Ethan had shed much of the boyishness that once clung to him.

He was thankful that he had gained this ability while still inhabiting a young body. If he had been in his previous life's body and failed to resolve the issue of lifespan early, a few more shuttles might have been all it took for him to discover that he didn't have enough time left to make progress.

Returning to the deck, he found Arthur deep in thought, frowning over the same issue.

Compared to Ethan, Arthur seemed even more troubled by the question of time. If he returned to Camelot already in his thirties, how would he explain it to his father, even if Merlin could accept it?

"Don't stress too much," Ethan reassured him. "Merlin wouldn't have sent you with me without a plan. He must have a way to deal with this."

For mages, there were many methods to extend one's lifespan. While most came with side effects, someone like Merlin shouldn't have much trouble devising a solution with minimal drawbacks.

Ethan also saw Merlin as a potential lifeline. When the time came, he fully intended to learn some sort of life-extending magic from him. Even if it couldn't grant immortality, it should at least help prolong his physical peak, buying him precious time to advance his abilities.

"There should be a way," Arthur finally said, though his tone suggested he was trying to convince himself as much as Ethan.

With no better options, Arthur set the issue aside for the moment and turned his attention to other matters.

Having just returned to the Sea of Calm, both he and Ethan had plenty to do, organizing their belongings and checking the state of the Goddess of Dawn.

Previously, Ethan had confirmed that every planar journey sent them back to the exact moment they had left. However, this particular trip had taken much longer, and it seemed prudent to double-check if anything had changed.

To his relief, everything aboard the Goddess of Dawn remained exactly as it had been when they left. Even the food and water were still fresh, showing no signs of spoilage.

"It seems no matter how long we spend in another plane, this magic circle always sends us back to the instant we departed," Ethan concluded.

He glanced down at his left hand. The space-time Orb had reverted to its familiar form, devoid of energy. The only new addition was the small anchor icon glowing atop the light sphere—representing the space-time coordinates of the DC universe.

"This should be pretty advantageous for you, right?" Arthur asked.

"Of course."

The benefits were numerous, but Ethan didn't bother listing them all.

"During this time on Paradise Island, I've made steady progress," Ethan said. "You must have gained a lot as well."

Arthur shook his head helplessly. "At this point, I can only gain experience through actual combat. Pure training only helps consolidate my foundation…"

Moreover, practicing with modern firearms had been inconvenient on Paradise Island. For one, ammunition was limited, and for another, the noise would have been disruptive. At most, Arthur had managed to introduce Diana to the concept of firearms, ensuring she wouldn't be caught off guard by them in the future.

"That's a shame. Honestly, I think you could develop yourself in the direction of a Paladin. Your mental strength is impressive, it's already strong enough."

"Paladin? That might be worth considering."

Having been Ethan's companion for so long, Arthur had heard many of his offhand musings about other concepts and ideas. He'd even taken the time to read some of the books Ethan had mentioned and had a basic understanding of what a Paladin was.

Previously, Arthur hadn't given the idea much thought. He'd been confident in the path he had chosen and saw no need to deviate from it. But now, after seeing so much and realizing how far he was from true strength, he was beginning to reconsider.

What troubled him most was that, unlike Ethan, Arthur couldn't clearly see where his future lay. His only obvious role seemed to be inheriting the throne and becoming a good king. But as for personal power, his current trajectory already seemed to have a clear endpoint and he wasn't satisfied with it.

Humans are driven by desires, and exceptional people like Arthur often have far greater ambitions than most. It's one thing to not know what lies beyond, but once you've seen the possibilities, how could you ever settle for mediocrity?

"Even if you don't want to become a Paladin, you can always accumulate magic power and use it to enhance your physical abilities. That way, you can keep improving your combat effectiveness while still maintaining your melee-focused fighting style."

Between the two options, Ethan personally favored the latter. While Paladins were strong and had versatile abilities, their reliance on unwavering beliefs could sometimes push them into zealotry. That path didn't seem suitable for a young man destined to inherit a throne.

"That's a good idea," Arthur agreed.

He already had several pieces of equipment imbued with magic, and using them had noticeably boosted his combat prowess.

"But how do you channel magic into yourself? How do you accumulate it? I suppose Merlin would have to teach me that," Arthur added thoughtfully.

For a magician, channeling magic to enhance one's own body was second nature. When a magician's power reached a certain threshold, their magic would naturally begin to enhance their physical attributes, requiring no extra effort.

Some advanced magicians would also cast self-enhancing spells on their bodies, though that usually came after their magic had reached a considerable level.

Either way, these methods weren't practical for Arthur, who wasn't a magician at all. And with Ethan's current abilities, he wasn't strong enough to help Arthur cultivate such power either. Besides, relying on external help for that kind of enhancement often hindered the potential for future growth.

"Well, at least I have a direction now," Arthur said, a hint of optimism in his voice.

Ethan adjusted the boat's course to better align with the wind, then turned on the island pointer to check for any nearby floating or sinking islands.

"Huh? There's actually a new island nearby," Ethan said, surprised.

Before setting sail, he had checked the pointer, but at that time, it had been spinning aimlessly with no destination in sight. He had simply chosen a random direction to sail.

Unexpectedly, not long after setting out, while casually chatting with Arthur, the pointer picked up an island.

"Either we just entered the pointer's range, or we happened to stumble upon the birth of a new island," Ethan speculated.

"It's more likely that we entered the search range," Arthur said, glancing at the pointer. "The chances of encountering a newly formed island are incredibly low."

"And… it looks like we're not the only ones who spotted it," Arthur added, pointing toward the horizon.

In the distance, another ship was visible near the sea's edge.

It was much larger than the Goddess of Dawn. Judging by its three masts and the number of sails, it was likely similar in size to Brent's ship, a formidable vessel in the Sea of Calm.

There weren't many ships of that size in these waters. This likely meant the adventurer captaining it was a powerful individual, someone Ethan would need to take seriously.

"I just hope it's not another group of pirate-like adventurers," Ethan muttered.

For some reason, nearly all the adventurers he had encountered aside from the kindly old man he met early on had behaved more like thieves.

"I feel the same way," Arthur agreed.

At sea, distances could be deceiving. When Ethan and Arthur first noticed the ship, the other party had likely spotted them as well. But even after both sides became aware of each other, it would take a long time before they could make out each other's details.

It wasn't until later in the day, after much sailing, that Ethan finally managed to get a clear view of the ship through his telescope.

"It's a large sailing vessel, almost identical in structure to a galleon," Ethan observed.

The complex arrangement of sails and rigging indicated a significant need for manpower. From that alone, Ethan deduced the ship likely had a large crew.

In the Sea of Calm, any captain who managed to gather such a sizable crew usually had a certain level of fame or strength.

Many adventurers, after experiencing the dangers of this world, abandoned the idea of exploring alone.

Those with ambition would form their own crews, striving to become leaders and carve out a name for themselves.

Others, less ambitious or simply hoping to survive, would join an established, powerful captain. As a result, the size of a crew often reflected the strength of its leader, stronger adventurers naturally attracted more followers.

Ethan, by comparison, was an anomaly. With just two people aboard the Goddess of Dawn, he lacked the manpower to handle larger ships and had steadfastly chosen to journey alone. Carefully selecting his companions and roaming the seas as a lone adventurer made him something of a rarity in this world.

As the two ships continued toward the same destination, the gap between them gradually shrank. Ethan was able to make out more details of the other vessel.

"The other ship has magic stone cannons," he noted.

He could see three cannon muzzles on the upper deck, all trained in their direction. Given that galleon-class ships were the pinnacle of sailing battleships, this one was likely a multi-deck design, meaning there could be even more cannons hidden below.

"This ship is much stronger than the Fire Hand," Arthur remarked, his tone serious as he assessed the other vessel's combat capabilities.

He was already strategizing how they might respond if the other party turned hostile when Ethan noticed something unusual.

"Wait… is their entire crew made up of women?"

***

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