DOTM: Chapter 267/269

Chapter 267: The Sky’s the Limit

"A ring?"

Hearing that the next sea region was actually like that, even the ambitious Brent felt a bit disheartened. He was now beginning to understand why Beckford had changed so much.

"There isn't even a central island like this one?"

"There is." Brad finally offered some relatively good news. "As long as you break through the Sea of Storms along this route, it won't be long before you reach the only unsinkable island in the Miracle Sea."

According to Brad's description, if they pushed through the Sea of Storms following their current route and adjusted their heading slightly to the front right, they could reach that island.

Ethan sketched it out in his mind and realized that Stat Island in the Sea of Calm, the central island in their current sea region, and the Miracle Island Brad described were all perfectly aligned. There was no way that was a coincidence.

Thinking about these things now was pointless. They didn't need to worry about the next sea region yet. The problem they needed to solve was the land beneath their feet.

The three of them fell silent for a moment, shifting their focus back to the immediate trouble. Brent stopped dwelling on the bleak future and was now more interested in figuring out what Beckford was really trying to do.

"Ethan, you said Beckford has been turning people into undead creatures?"

"Yes."

Ethan briefly mentioned meeting Wilson in the Sea of Calm and Christine's situation. Both of Beckford's subordinates had been transformed into undead creatures, retaining their original memories and intelligence while also possessing considerable combat power.

Ethan wasn't sure about Beckford's own condition, but based on how easily he could use undead as avatars, his control over death energy was definitely high. He just didn't know if Beckford was like some necromancers he had encountered, only affected by death energy and appearing somewhat 'unpleasant' compared to normal people, or if he had already fully become an undead creature.

"What exactly is he trying to accomplish by turning everyone into undead?"

Ethan, arms crossed, was also pondering this question. At first, he thought it was because undead creatures were easier to control, but now it seemed things weren't so simple.

"Undead don't need to eat, drink, or breathe."

The more he thought about it, the more it seemed that these two points were key. Brad and Brent were both excellent adventurers and immediately grasped the implications.

"In other words, if Beckford succeeds, his reliance on resources will be greatly reduced, maybe even completely eliminated. Perhaps that's why he said he was saving people?"

Brent still found the idea too insane. Turning people into immortal monsters, avoiding the need for food and water—could they still be called human? How was this any different from killing them?

"That's why he said only the strong are qualified to survive. Because under this transformation, those who aren't strong enough will completely lose themselves. Only the strong can retain their self-awareness."

Brad also understood Beckford's thinking. While he felt there was some logic behind it, the idea was still deranged and completely unacceptable. Few normal people would agree to become undead monsters unless they were on the verge of death and desperate to extend their lives.

Limited by their knowledge, neither of them considered it further.

Ethan was different. Even setting aside his experiences in countless worlds and the knowledge he had absorbed, just based on memories from his previous life, he knew Beckford's plan wouldn't be that simple.

Undead creatures didn't need to eat, drink, or breathe. They could enter the ocean to explore the vast underwater world and extract resources from the seabed for Beckford's use.

More importantly, if they no longer needed food and air, then space exploration was no longer impossible.

"Has he already set his sights on the vast cosmic space?"

It was just a guess, but he himself would make that choice. After hearing Brad's description of the Miracle Sea, he had already revised his earlier plans.

The Prinz Eugen would be his last surface vessel. He wouldn't ask Tony Stark to help him build a Bismarck-class warship. Instead, he would aim directly for space. His new ship should be a space battleship.

Thinking of this, Ethan suddenly looked up at the sky. If the Miracle Sea was like this, he might as well go straight into space.

"What's wrong?"

"I was just thinking, what's up there in the sky?"

"In the sky?" Brad found Ethan's question strange and didn't quite understand what he was thinking. He casually replied, "In the sky, of course, is the Sky Wall. What else could there be?"

"Sky Wall?"

Ethan had been wondering: Magic Stones possessed all kinds of abilities and immense energy. It was impossible that no one had researched flight. Had no one ever considered bypassing the Sea of Storms by flying above the clouds?

Once someone did that, more adventurers would surely turn their attention skyward, and the idea of venturing into space wouldn't seem so far-fetched.

But judging from Brad's reaction, it seemed no one had thought about that—until he heard the term "Sky Wall" from Brad.

"What is that?"

Brad looked at Ethan and saw that this powerful young captain genuinely didn't know. So he gave him a simple explanation.

Only then did Ethan learn that at roughly the same altitude as the clouds, there existed an invisible wall, blocking some adventurers' attempts to bypass the Sea of Storms from above. In the eyes of the people of this world, that was simply the nature of the sky. In their understanding, the limit of the sky was this invisible but tangible wall. So they had no concept of outer space. In their perception, the world was just the area between this ocean and the Sky Wall.

Of course, these were all conclusions Ethan pieced together from Brad's explanation. Judging from Brent's reaction, his interpretation was likely correct.

"So that's how it is."

The sky had a limit. Staying airborne required constant energy. You couldn't avoid severe weather like storms and heavy rain. Encountering such conditions was even more dangerous than sailing on the sea. No wonder no one wanted to develop toward the 'sky'.

"But the sky having a ceiling, that's a problem."

There was a barrier in the sky, but was there one around the world? Brad couldn't answer that, because no one would ever test what lay beyond the edge of the ocean. Letting a few flying animals scout it out was about the limit. No one would venture there themselves or even go farther, just to check whether a barrier existed.

Before they realized it, the conversation had drifted again. Ethan and the others refocused their attention on Beckford. Now that they roughly understood Beckford's motive, the next question was: Why did he suddenly create such a strange island?

"Although I don't know how he did it, it was probably to block the passage to the Miracle Sea."

By isolating the Miracle Sea from the previous two sea regions, Beckford could use his overwhelming strength to slowly deal with the adventurers in this sea region and accumulate power. When he reached a certain level, he could then turn to confront the more powerful adventurers in the Miracle Sea.

It was a very logical guess, and Ethan also believed it was highly probable.

Brad rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then looked off into the distance. Finally, he whispered to Ethan and Brent, "I think I know what method Beckford used to create this island. If you want to destroy it, you'll need Captain Ethan's pet to help."

"Auriel?" Ethan immediately understood. "You mean, this island was created using that special kind of Magic Stone?"

"Special Magic Stone?" Brad was stunned for a moment before realizing what Ethan was referring to. "You mean a Magic Heart, right? It's a special Magic Stone that can restore its own energy."

Ethan finally knew what that type of Magic Stone was called. Its full name was Heart of Magic Stone, abbreviated as Magic Heart. This Magic Heart was a higher-level energy source than ordinary Magic Stones. According to Brad's description, to live well in the Miracle Sea, a high-level Magic Heart was essential.

In the Miracle Sea, although weather didn't shift dramatically within a single day like on the previous two routes, it wasn't a calm and safe sea like the Sea of Calm either. Relying solely on sail power would make survival very difficult, so powered propulsion was essential.

But that required a large number of Magic Stones. Only by acquiring a high-level Magic Heart could this issue be completely resolved.

"More importantly, with a Magic Heart, you can build your own ironclad warship. It's much safer and more reliable than wooden sailing ships."

Brad also explained why he had come here from the Miracle Sea. His original purpose was to find a creature like Little Owen.

Magic Hearts were so important that many adventurers did whatever they could to obtain one. But Magic Hearts weren't easy to find.

Coincidentally, there was a relatively easy way to find Magic Hearts: certain special creatures that fed exclusively on Magic Stones. These creatures had a unique ability that allowed them to easily locate Magic Stones, and even Magic Hearts.

Brad had come here from the Miracle Sea this time precisely to find such a creature.

"Why not look in the Miracle Sea?"

Didn't the Miracle Sea have such creatures?

"This kind of creature isn't hard to find, but it's not easy to catch."

In the Miracle Sea, such creatures often evolved to become extremely powerful. Forget catching one as a pet—just surviving an encounter with one would be considered lucky.

"Of course, you don't necessarily have to keep it as a pet. This creature has a crystal-like organ inside that can be used to create a device specifically for detecting the location of Magic Hearts."

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but Brad suddenly felt a chill envelop him.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 268: Ethan’s Blessing

Brad turned his head to look around, finding everything normal. He could only assume the chill that had momentarily enveloped him was a figment of his imagination. Still, he remained vigilant, constantly observing his surroundings.

Ethan knew exactly what had just happened. When Auriel heard Brad talking about turning one of its internal organs into a device, it had subtly expressed its displeasure.

Continuing their earlier conversation, Brad explained why he had come to this sea region in search of creatures like Auriel.

In the Sea of Miracles, these creatures grow very quickly. By the time adventurers discover an island where one of them exists, it has already reached maturity and possesses powerful combat capabilities.

Most adventurers even have to actively avoid or retreat from them, and some of these creatures will even counterattack.

Ethan recalled how Auriel had ambushed him when it was still tiny. If Auriel had been larger—not even by much, just around his own size—it would have taken significant effort to deal with. At that time, Ethan's combat power wasn't particularly strong.

Compared to the Sea of Miracles, the probability of these creatures appearing in this sea region is much lower. However, due to some unknown rule, their growth rate is suppressed here. For example, when Ethan reached that island, Auriel was only the size of a small kitten.

If it had been the Sea of Miracles and such a creature appeared on an island that was already "fully developed," it would definitely have matured.

"So when you saw Auriel, you tried to buy it?"

Brad gave an awkward laugh. At the time, he hadn't just wanted to buy it. If Ethan hadn't quickly demonstrated his formidable strength, he would've even considered finding an opportunity to snatch the pet on the island. In this world, adventurers felt little moral hesitation about backstabbing others to steal treasures.

Ethan thought for a moment, then waved to Auriel in the distance. The little creature had been perched on Laura's head or shoulder. Although it was very close to Laura, the not-so-dull Auriel still knew who was in charge.

Summoned, Auriel immediately ran over, then climbed up Ethan's pant leg all the way to his shoulder. After giving Brad a fierce glare on the way, it obediently squatted beside Ethan's face.

"Can you sense the island's Magic Heart?"

Auriel lowered its head and remained silent for a moment, seemingly sensing something. Ethan could feel a faint, almost imperceptible fluctuation spreading from Auriel's body, radiating outward continuously.

After waiting a moment, Auriel raised its head again and shook it at Ethan.

Although it couldn't speak, Auriel could transmit its thoughts through mental fluctuations. Even Brent understood what it meant.

"It seems it's not nearby. We'll need to search around the island for a while."

Auriel's sensing range wasn't enough to cover this massive island, and their current location clearly wasn't where the Magic Heart was. Ethan thought for a moment. Their movements after landing had basically remained near the island's perimeter. The Magic Heart should be deeper toward the center.

But he wasn't in a hurry to go further inland. Instead, he made another suggestion.

"We should return to the coast first."

Everyone present already had a clear understanding of the island's situation. Without a certain level of strength, even moving around posed a huge threat. The pervasive negative energy was constantly eroding their bodies. The longer they stayed, the worse the effect.

From wounded crew members gradually turning undead, to some uninjured ones beginning to show early symptoms, continuing to roam the island was basically sending them to their deaths.

"Let's send everyone off first, then concentrate a group of elites to search for the Magic Heart."

Brad also agreed. He had come to this sea region to find creatures like Auriel, not to burn through his fortune. Veteran crew members who had followed him for years were the most valuable assets to a captain.

"Now that Beckford has his eyes on us, can we retreat smoothly?"

"No matter how many obstacles we face, we must return to the ship first."

Ethan's words gave Brent and Brad great confidence.

Ethan's previous magical attack had left a deep impression. In their eyes, no matter what trouble they encountered, nothing could withstand Ethan's power. Under his spells, all obstacles would turn into ice and snow.

What they didn't know was that Ethan's attack wasn't something he could use casually. Although it hadn't consumed his own magic power, the arcane energy stored in the Arcane Spring had been nearly exhausted. The reason he hadn't put the staff back into the storage space was to let it slowly recover arcane energy.

Moreover, that blizzard had also heavily taxed Loki. Although there had been no backlash this time, another attempt would almost certainly result in one. And given Loki's personality, he wouldn't risk himself again for a group of insignificant people.

Considering this island could only trap ordinary people, not Loki, he had even less reason to act without restraint.

However, Ethan believed Beckford wouldn't have time to deal with them for now. Otherwise, the one who appeared earlier wouldn't have been an undead clone, but Beckford himself.

Many people had come to the island. After being separated, many captains were still here with their crews. Beckford had likely appeared because Christina was instantly killed by Ethan, and he had come to investigate.

After realizing that Ethan and the others were hard to deal with, Beckford would shift his focus to easier targets. Once those were dealt with, he would then turn back and concentrate on Ethan.

Although this was somewhat unfair to the other captains, it did buy Ethan's group valuable time, allowing them to return to the coast relatively safely.

Since they had taken a roundabout route, although they had reached the coastline, they were still some distance from where their ships were anchored. However, walking along the coast made everyone feel more at ease.

Compared to the island's interior, the negative energy near the sea was noticeably lighter. The conditions of some crew members who had shown symptoms even improved slightly.

They didn't realize that this was due to Selene's secret efforts. The vampire, who had lived for centuries, had been secretly anxious after witnessing one companion after another turn undead.

After reaching the coast, when everyone began drawing water from the sea and using purification magic stones to extract fresh water, Selene suddenly had the idea of infusing the power of Holy Light into the fresh water to suppress the negative energy in everyone's bodies.

The method was simple and crude, lacking technical refinement—perfect for Selene, who had mastered Holy Light but wasn't particularly skilled at using it. Moreover, Holy Light naturally suppressed negative energy. Even if it couldn't eliminate it entirely, it could delay the transformation into undead.

Given everyone's current state, as long as they left this place, the negative energy within them would gradually dissipate in a normal environment. At worst, they'd suffer a serious illness. Compared to losing oneself and turning into an undead creature, that was nothing.

Selene ensured that everyone drank the specially "enhanced" fresh water. Only then did she breathe a long sigh of relief.

She wondered if it was just because she had used it more, but Selene felt that the Holy Light within her seemed to have grown stronger.

"Because your actions just now aligned with the Way of Holy Light."

Ethan had seen everything Selene did and had noticed the change in her Holy Light energy even before she did. He naturally knew the reason, and this was also a key reason why he had always been hesitant to truly incorporate Holy Light into his own body.

This energy was inherently extreme. Although Holy Light had no requirements or restrictions on the user's identity—even undead could become followers of the Holy Light and use its power.

The user's character and actions determined their compatibility with Holy Light. This directly affected their mastery and the strength of their spells.

Ethan didn't consider himself a person of noble character. If he were to use this kind of Holy Light energy, he suspected he might not even be able to unleash half its power.

However, some individuals with righteous hearts could amplify its strength many times over. This massive disparity deeply frustrated Ethan, so he had always been researching a personalized version of Holy Light—one that shared similar effects but didn't have such strict character constraints and could function normally.

While it was a bit regrettable that this Holy Light lacked the original's terrifying burst potential, Ethan didn't see himself as some "Child of the Plane" and didn't expect all benefits to fall to him. Being able to unleash Holy Light's effects without following the "Way of Holy Light" was already quite good.

Even so, he didn't dare to integrate this energy into his magic power too early. Because Holy Light's energy attribute was relatively extreme, if he carelessly converted it into his core magic power before fully understanding it, it could immediately transform all his magic into Holy Light energy.

In that case, he definitely wouldn't be a mage anymore. He could consider becoming a priest or paladin instead.

Of course, Ethan wouldn't let that happen. But that didn't stop him from temporarily acting as a substitute. After finally reaching the location where the warships were anchored, Ethan gathered everyone and announced that he would bestow a blessing upon them.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 269: Re-equipped

"Blessing?"

Brent and Brad didn't understand what Ethan was up to, but given the strength Ethan had shown and the reliability of his suggestions along the way, they didn't raise any objections and even actively helped gather everyone together.

Ethan watched as everyone assembled. He held the Holy Light Cross he had secretly removed earlier in his hand, preparing to use its power for a large-scale blessing spell. However, he awkwardly discovered that to use the energy on such a large scale, he needed to perform a special 'ritual.'

Looking at the crowd, Ethan finally chose a direction facing the sea, then knelt on one knee, his upper body upright, holding the cross tightly in both hands before his chest.

Everyone was confused about what Ethan was doing, but it wasn't long before a golden light began to emanate from his body, growing brighter with each passing moment.

What was magical was that this light wasn't dazzling at all. Everyone instead felt a warm, comfortable sensation, as if they were basking in sunlight.

Especially the adventurers whose bodies had been eroded by negative energy and were showing obvious symptoms, they felt as though their bodies were recovering under the illumination of this light. Their limbs, which had been cold and gradually losing sensation, regained feeling.

Because the sensation was so miraculous, many thought it was an illusion. But when they looked at the people around them, they found that companions who had previously appeared pale and sickly, almost terrifyingly so, were now visibly recovering.

"Your complexion looks much better."

"So does yours! You looked so pale just now I was afraid you might suddenly lunge and bite me."

"You think I wasn't worried about the same thing?"

"Ah, I can feel my hand again."

"And I'm not constantly freezing anymore…"

"..."

The crowd's conversation became lively. The situation was too miraculous. As Ethan continued to pray, the golden energy on his body slowly spread and floated into the air like golden clouds. Once the golden clouds enveloped everyone, they began to rain down golden light, allowing the adventurers to bathe in a rain of Holy Light.

It didn't last long, no more than ten minutes. When Ethan stood up again and turned around, he found that the previously noisy voices had all disappeared. The adventurers were now looking at him with strange expressions.

Even Brent and Brad were looking at him a bit oddly. For some reason, he suddenly thought of those fanatical believers.

"I didn't accidentally turn them all into believers, did I? This technique doesn't have that function."

He really hadn't intended to do that. He performed the blessing on this group of people for one reason: to eliminate future worries.

These people wouldn't be going into the depths of the island with them but would remain aboard the ships near the shore, keeping watch over their vessels. If their condition deteriorated and they were attacked while lacking elite support, they would likely be wiped out—and if the ships were destroyed, Ethan would have a serious problem on his hands.

Moreover, he had some ulterior motives. Although he hadn't completely mastered Holy Light energy, after using it for a while, he had gained some insights and mastered a few small tricks. If this group took the ships and fled while Ethan was away, he could use the residual Holy Light traces on them to track their location.

Simply put, it was a way of leaving an undetectable mark on the group.

Regardless of the reason, he had never considered developing believers in the Holy Light. That was absolutely not on his agenda. Even if these people suddenly knelt to worship him as a god, Ethan—who was firmly committed to cultivating and strengthening himself as a mage—would decisively refuse.

If he developed followers and ascended to godhood through faith, wouldn't all his previous training be in vain?

Cough, cough.

With a light cough, Ethan subtly drew Brent's attention. Then, as if nothing had happened, he began discussing the next steps.

"The crew's current condition is stable enough to ensure the safety of both themselves and the ships. Next, we should make preparations and head into the island interior."

Business came first. Although Brent had many questions in his mind, this clearly wasn't the time to ask. Who knew if Ethan's earlier move involved some secret of his? Seeing Ethan unwilling to elaborate, Brent decisively shifted the topic to what needed to be done.

"We won't need too many people this time. Judging from the earlier situation, I'm probably the only one suitable from my crew."

Brent had quite a few crewmembers, and their combat abilities weren't bad. They were all excellent sailors. However, on this island, pure individual combat power was more important. While a few others aboard were skilled, they were clearly a tier below him.

Furthermore, for the sake of retreating safely, he couldn't bring all the elites. After careful consideration, it seemed best for him to go alone.

Brad had the same idea, but his situation was slightly different from Brent's. Brent was fully equipped, while Brad still had some trump cards he hadn't revealed. He needed to return to the ship to change gear.

"So you'll have to wait for me a bit."

"No problem, go ahead."

Ethan looked at his own group. Both Logan and Selene were quite strong. As for Loki, there was no need to say more, on Ethan's ship, Loki's strength was definitely ranked first, even stronger than Ethan himself.

Although everyone's strength was considerable, the ships still needed to be guarded. It seemed someone should remain behind.

However, Ethan had no intention of leaving anyone behind. He planned to take all his companions with him and head into the island interior together.

"I'll have to trouble you to look after my ship."

Brent was very surprised that Ethan was taking everyone with him. He could understand the others, but Laura didn't look very old. Was she also going to such a dangerous place?

What he didn't know was that being with Ethan was the safest place to be—far safer than staying here.

Staying here carried the risk of being attacked. Even retreating to the sea didn't guarantee safety,they had been attacked by undead sharks upon arrival, which proved the surrounding waters were not secure.

Retreating farther out would be safer, but doing so would cut off the retreat path for those still on the island. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, the ships would try to stay near the island—at most, anchoring at a point from which they could observe the shoreline.

With such limited movement range, and the possibility of sudden attacks, plus the top combat power going inland, this area wasn't safe by any means.

If something went wrong with Ethan's group, he could immediately use interplane travel to escape to another world. They could even take their time in that world to figure out a solution and return later to resolve the issue.

His crew all understood this, so when Ethan made the suggestion, Logan and the others naturally thought it was for the best. Only Brent, not knowing the inside story, found it hard to understand.

"They're all solid companions. Just the three of us wouldn't be enough. If we encounter an endless army of undead, we might not be able to hold out."

Hearing this, Brent felt it made sense. With just three captains, if they encountered real trouble, no matter how strong Ethan's magic was, there wouldn't be enough time or space for him to act effectively.

"You're right," Brent said, then turned to call out to two others. "Perrin, George, gear up and come with me."

"Captain, you've made a very wise choice."

One of the men Brent called out to seemed thrilled to be chosen and immediately began preparing his gear.

This time, given the environment, everyone needed to prepare enough clean water, purifying magic stones, and other supplies. They also had to bring sufficient food. Even without thinking too deeply, they all knew that nothing on the island could be safely eaten, and no one knew how long they would remain there, so provisions were essential.

Ethan and his team also replenished supplies. Mainly, Logan had used up some ammo in the previous skirmish. After resupplying on the ship, he handed out refilled bottles of fresh water to everyone.

Once the preparations were complete, Brad returned.

This time, Brad was no longer wearing the same armor as Brent. His current gear resembled the set Ethan had previously acquired.

However, compared to the extremely form-fitting set Ethan obtained, Brad's armor appeared more heavily defensive.

It still resembled armor overall but had a more modern feel. Parts like the chest plate and arm guards didn't look like pure metal but more like composite materials.

That wasn't all. Brad also had something on his head that resembled a helmet or headgear, complete with protective lenses. Ethan didn't believe it was just for show.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"It's alright. We were doing our own prep work. You came back at the perfect time."

Brad glanced at the packs everyone carried and knew they weren't just being polite. They had indeed spent the time organizing gear and supplies.

"This is my assistant, Liz."

Only then did Ethan notice a woman standing beside Brad, dressed similarly. Her armor was more slender and streamlined than Brad's and resembled the one Ethan had obtained earlier.

"She'll be joining us in the island interior."

(To be continued.)