After seven days, Raine finally arrived at the edge of the Beast-class sea. Upon arrival, his radar detected two naval warships approaching their direction. Gradually, the warships came closer to Raine's ships and signaled with flags, indicating to hold fire. Though Raine wasn't one to shoot first upon seeing people, he prepared for any contingency and waited for the other side to come closer.
"Attention, vessel ahead! We strongly advise against entering the Beast-class sea alone," someone from the navy ship spoke through a loudspeaker.
Raine grabbed the loudspeaker and replied, "We are aware of the risks. We're on our way to the Truman Islands."
"We have warned you. If you insist on entering, you will bear all the consequences," the warships turned around and left after a brief pause.
Raine was taken aback, "I can't believe the navy actually came to remind us not to enter the Beast-class sea."
Trueking explained, "Captain, Beast-class waters are treacherous and unlike any other waters. The navy arranges ships in the border area to notify passing vessels."
Raine acknowledged the truth that the beast-class sea was indeed different. Even a mere entry was worthy of a warning. However, it wasn't long until he witnessed the true face of the beast-class sea.
Ahead of them, the sky was overcast with massive waves and a downpour of torrential rain.
"Goodness gracious, I once thought the beast-class sea was merely a formidable enemy, but now I see that the weather is also immensely severe."
"Captain, inclement weather is an everyday occurrence in the beast-class sea. Regular ships cannot endure it; those that are able to persist long-term are typically reinforced," explained Trueking and the others, who were more knowledgeable about the area.
Naturally, Raine's ship was not intimidated by such weather, and the crew took refuge inside the cabin as they continued on towards their destination, braving the towering waves.
The following two days were equally tumultuous and tempestuous.
However, despite the intense weather conditions, Raine and his crew persisted in their training, simply relocating their practices indoors.
The originally planned two-month journey ended up taking four months due to the severe weather. Nonetheless, Raine's skills continued to skyrocket at an alarming pace during this time.
Interestingly, Raine kept checking White's data several times, only to see that it remained at level 1. It seemed that the guy had not yet undergone its mutation, although it had certainly grown in size.
Surprisingly, Raine also encountered three skirmishes during their voyage. Two of them were between two F-class fleets engaging in combat, while the third involved a battle between an F-class sea monster and a certain bounty group.
Witnessing such intense fights taking place amidst the turbulent storm was truly beyond Raine's expectations. It became clear to him that the beast-class sea posed much greater dangers compared to the human-class sea.
Despite the excitement, Raine did not intervene in these fights. For one thing, the harsh weather made it difficult to recover anything from a sunken ship. Moreover, his primary objective at the moment was to find a way to rescue Shobe.
After four long months, Raine and the group finally arrived at the Truman Islands.
The islands were a series of four adjacent landmasses, each connected by submarine foundations to prevent them from being washed away by the powerful ocean. The walls surrounding each island were massive, dwarfing even the largest island Raine had ever seen, Solomon Island.
Avril looked on in awe at the grandeur of the Truman Islands, which were deserving of their reputation as part of the beast-class sea. The islands were much larger than any Raine had visited before, including Solomon Island. The dock was crowded with many large ships, including warships exceeding 100 meters in length.
As Raine and their crew disembarked, they couldn't help but notice the curious gazes of the people around them. Some murmurs could be heard, speculating about their presence in the beast-class sea with a ship that seemed to belong to a bounty group.
"Goodness gracious, a bounty ship in the beast-class sea? Has their captain lost their mind?" exclaimed one person.
"Perhaps they were attacked by another fleet, and this is the only ship that remains," offered another.
"No, look at the ship. There's not a scratch on it," replied a third.
"It's nothing out of the ordinary. There are always those who are unaware of the dangers of the beast-class sea and end up losing their lives," concluded another.
Despite the comments, Raine and their crew paid no mind and proceeded to make their way onto the island.
Their first destination was the slave market, which, although smaller than its counterpart in the human-class sea, boasted exorbitant prices for the slaves sold within.
These slaves were either skilled crew members or advanced-level mutants.
Due to the considerable amount of time that had elapsed since the takeover of Sea King Island, they only managed to procure ten Sea King Islanders on this trip, all of whom were stage 3 mutants.
"If you're interested in purchasing all ten, I could offer you a discount. The original price is 1000 black pearls, but for you, I could lower it to 950," the salesman pitched to them eagerly.
"Excuse me? 1000 black pearls?" Raine questioned in disbelief. Trueking informed him that in the beast sea, the term 'pearl' generally referred to black pearls. Daily necessities and items that required pricing with white pearls needed to specify as such.
One hundred white pearls were equivalent to one black pearl, meaning that 1000 black pearls amounted to 100,000 white pearls!
It was evident that the price for a stage 3 mutant was exceptionally high.
"I will take all ten for 900 pearls, but I wish to pay with white pearls," Raine countered.
"Very well. Since they are the last batch, I can accept 900 white pearls. However, we do not accept white pearls here, so I will take you to the pearl merchant to exchange them," the salesman relented.
Raine was overcome with a sense of melancholy as he had previously believed himself to be quite affluent. Possessing over 2 million pearls, he considered he is VIP in the human-class sea. However, he was taken aback when he discovered that the people here held a great disdain for white pearls.
Upon completing the transaction, Raine instructed his men to escort the newly acquired Sea King Islanders back to their ship while he continued to explore the area with his crew.
Although the Truman Islands comprised four separate landmasses, there was only one central island from which missions could be issued: Truman Island. These missions were considered to be of F-level difficulty and predominantly focused on tasks other than transportation.
The merchant banks operating in this region wielded a great deal of power and had their own transport fleets, rendering the assistance of outside parties unnecessary.
As Raine and his crew traversed the square, they came across a gathering of individuals not far away. Intrigued, they made their way over to investigate and found a large poster affixed to a blackboard. A staff member sat before it, with several posters in hand, as individuals approached him either to register or inquire about the contents of the posters.
The poster announced the imminent appearance of a new island and called upon individuals to join Truman's army in capturing it, promising a substantial reward.
"Captain, I shall acquire one of these posters for you," Avril stated confidently as she approached the staff member and requested one of the posters.
Raine took hold of the poster and was taken aback by its contents.
Entry requirements: Firstly, the fleet must have a rank of no less than F5, including but not limited to bounty corps, merchant fleet, naval formations, etc. Secondly, the participating ships must not be less than 90 meters in length, must have a maximum speed of no less than 25 knots, must have a minimum of 100 guns and a minimum crew of 500. Thirdly, all participating ships must obey the Truman military arrangements once enrolled in the formation.
Note: Points will be calculated according to the role and performance of each ship, and the final pay will be given in the form of pearls. Any ships that violate the rules will be punished and their pay deducted. The final interpretation of this announcement belongs to the Truman Islands military.
As Raine read through the announcement, he was struck by shock and disbelief. "Holy shit, what kind of colossal battle are they planning? And my ship doesn't even qualify for registration...!" he exclaimed, his expression aghast.
After seven days, Raine finally arrived at the edge of the Beast-class sea. Upon arrival, his radar detected two naval warships approaching their direction. Gradually, the warships came closer to Raine's ships and signaled with flags, indicating to hold fire. Though Raine wasn't one to shoot first upon seeing people, he prepared for any contingency and waited for the other side to come closer.
"Attention, vessel ahead! We strongly advise against entering the Beast-class sea alone," someone from the navy ship spoke through a loudspeaker.
Raine grabbed the loudspeaker and replied, "We are aware of the risks. We're on our way to the Truman Islands."
"We have warned you. If you insist on entering, you will bear all the consequences," the warships turned around and left after a brief pause.
Raine was taken aback, "I can't believe the navy actually came to remind us not to enter the Beast-class sea."
Trueking explained, "Captain, Beast-class waters are treacherous and unlike any other waters. The navy arranges ships in the border area to notify passing vessels."
Raine acknowledged the truth that the beast-class sea was indeed different. Even a mere entry was worthy of a warning. However, it wasn't long until he witnessed the true face of the beast-class sea.
Ahead of them, the sky was overcast with massive waves and a downpour of torrential rain.
"Goodness gracious, I once thought the beast-class sea was merely a formidable enemy, but now I see that the weather is also immensely severe."
"Captain, inclement weather is an everyday occurrence in the beast-class sea. Regular ships cannot endure it; those that are able to persist long-term are typically reinforced," explained Trueking and the others, who were more knowledgeable about the area.
Naturally, Raine's ship was not intimidated by such weather, and the crew took refuge inside the cabin as they continued on towards their destination, braving the towering waves.
The following two days were equally tumultuous and tempestuous.
However, despite the intense weather conditions, Raine and his crew persisted in their training, simply relocating their practices indoors.
The originally planned two-month journey ended up taking four months due to the severe weather. Nonetheless, Raine's skills continued to skyrocket at an alarming pace during this time.
Interestingly, Raine kept checking White's data several times, only to see that it remained at level 1. It seemed that the guy had not yet undergone its mutation, although it had certainly grown in size.
Surprisingly, Raine also encountered three skirmishes during their voyage. Two of them were between two F-class fleets engaging in combat, while the third involved a battle between an F-class sea monster and a certain bounty group.
Witnessing such intense fights taking place amidst the turbulent storm was truly beyond Raine's expectations. It became clear to him that the beast-class sea posed much greater dangers compared to the human-class sea.
Despite the excitement, Raine did not intervene in these fights. For one thing, the harsh weather made it difficult to recover anything from a sunken ship. Moreover, his primary objective at the moment was to find a way to rescue Shobe.
After four long months, Raine and the group finally arrived at the Truman Islands.
The islands were a series of four adjacent landmasses, each connected by submarine foundations to prevent them from being washed away by the powerful ocean. The walls surrounding each island were massive, dwarfing even the largest island Raine had ever seen, Solomon Island.
Avril looked on in awe at the grandeur of the Truman Islands, which were deserving of their reputation as part of the beast-class sea. The islands were much larger than any Raine had visited before, including Solomon Island. The dock was crowded with many large ships, including warships exceeding 100 meters in length.
As Raine and their crew disembarked, they couldn't help but notice the curious gazes of the people around them. Some murmurs could be heard, speculating about their presence in the beast-class sea with a ship that seemed to belong to a bounty group.
"Goodness gracious, a bounty ship in the beast-class sea? Has their captain lost their mind?" exclaimed one person.
"Perhaps they were attacked by another fleet, and this is the only ship that remains," offered another.
"No, look at the ship. There's not a scratch on it," replied a third.
"It's nothing out of the ordinary. There are always those who are unaware of the dangers of the beast-class sea and end up losing their lives," concluded another.
Despite the comments, Raine and their crew paid no mind and proceeded to make their way onto the island.
Their first destination was the slave market, which, although smaller than its counterpart in the human-class sea, boasted exorbitant prices for the slaves sold within.
These slaves were either skilled crew members or advanced-level mutants.
Due to the considerable amount of time that had elapsed since the takeover of Sea King Island, they only managed to procure ten Sea King Islanders on this trip, all of whom were stage 3 mutants.
"If you're interested in purchasing all ten, I could offer you a discount. The original price is 1000 black pearls, but for you, I could lower it to 950," the salesman pitched to them eagerly.
"Excuse me? 1000 black pearls?" Raine questioned in disbelief. Trueking informed him that in the beast sea, the term 'pearl' generally referred to black pearls. Daily necessities and items that required pricing with white pearls needed to specify as such.
One hundred white pearls were equivalent to one black pearl, meaning that 1000 black pearls amounted to 100,000 white pearls!
It was evident that the price for a stage 3 mutant was exceptionally high.
"I will take all ten for 900 pearls, but I wish to pay with white pearls," Raine countered.
"Very well. Since they are the last batch, I can accept 900 white pearls. However, we do not accept white pearls here, so I will take you to the pearl merchant to exchange them," the salesman relented.
Raine was overcome with a sense of melancholy as he had previously believed himself to be quite affluent. Possessing over 2 million pearls, he considered he is VIP in the human-class sea. However, he was taken aback when he discovered that the people here held a great disdain for white pearls.
Upon completing the transaction, Raine instructed his men to escort the newly acquired Sea King Islanders back to their ship while he continued to explore the area with his crew.
Although the Truman Islands comprised four separate landmasses, there was only one central island from which missions could be issued: Truman Island. These missions were considered to be of F-level difficulty and predominantly focused on tasks other than transportation.
The merchant banks operating in this region wielded a great deal of power and had their own transport fleets, rendering the assistance of outside parties unnecessary.
As Raine and his crew traversed the square, they came across a gathering of individuals not far away. Intrigued, they made their way over to investigate and found a large poster affixed to a blackboard. A staff member sat before it, with several posters in hand, as individuals approached him either to register or inquire about the contents of the posters.
The poster announced the imminent appearance of a new island and called upon individuals to join Truman's army in capturing it, promising a substantial reward.
"Captain, I shall acquire one of these posters for you," Avril stated confidently as she approached the staff member and requested one of the posters.
Raine took hold of the poster and was taken aback by its contents.
Entry requirements: Firstly, the fleet must have a rank of no less than F5, including but not limited to bounty corps, merchant fleet, naval formations, etc. Secondly, the participating ships must not be less than 90 meters in length, must have a maximum speed of no less than 25 knots, must have a minimum of 100 guns and a minimum crew of 500. Thirdly, all participating ships must obey the Truman military arrangements once enrolled in the formation.
Note: Points will be calculated according to the role and performance of each ship, and the final pay will be given in the form of pearls. Any ships that violate the rules will be punished and their pay deducted. The final interpretation of this announcement belongs to the Truman Islands military.
As Raine read through the announcement, he was struck by shock and disbelief. "Holy shit, what kind of colossal battle are they planning? And my ship doesn't even qualify for registration...!" he exclaimed, his expression aghast.
