I have to get lucky right away.

Chapter 365 How could a newcomer at sea not encounter any unexpected events?

If someone keeps telling outrageous stories, you might just assume they're bragging. But when you discover that one of their stories has come true, you have to consider whether their other stories, which may not even sound as outrageous, are also true.

Jack was in this state of mind at that moment. Looking at the underground city in front of him, which was even more luxurious than the aristocratic district in his hometown, he was still shocked, even though he was somewhat prepared.

"It's actually a pre-civilization mountain refuge!"

Just as Jack was fully embracing the bewilderment of a country bumpkin entering the city, George, who had seen the world, exclaimed in surprise.

"A mountain? How does this look like a mountain?" Jack's lips twitched at his words, but George retorted:
"Everything above sea level that you can see now was a mountain a thousand years ago."

"..." Upon hearing this, Jack realized his foolishness. They were underground on the island; things might have been different a thousand years ago. To ease the embarrassment of his blunder, he changed the subject:

"Anyway, let's find a place to register first!"

As Jack finished speaking, he suddenly felt a little flustered. George was also somewhat surprised to see his friend suddenly become so hesitant.

"What's wrong? Do you need to go to the bathroom?"

"No, I was wondering if registering for Seeker requires a fee?" Jack said after a long while, looking rather embarrassed. If he didn't have money for food, he could just eat for free, but he couldn't possibly register for free, could he?

George paused for a moment upon hearing this, then burst into laughter:
"Is that all? Even if we don't mention that you saved my life, we're already partners in the same boat. How much would it cost to register? I'll cover it all!"

“No, at most you can pay for it yourself! Old York said that you must keep your financial relationships clear at sea. The better the relationship, the clearer the accounting must be, otherwise problems can easily arise at crucial moments!” Jack replied seriously. Seeing this, George didn’t say anything more, nodded, and went to find a place to register.

Fortunately, the underground base itself was entirely owned by the Land Seekers. After asking a few questions, the two successfully registered a small Land Seekers group called "Phantom".

……

"This piece of junk costs three hundred dollars?" Flipping through his first high-tech gadget, Jack couldn't help but feel a pang of regret for his entire fortune.

George was speechless at his appearance.

“I already told you I’d lend you the money to buy a 5,000 one first. Of that 300 yuan, at least 290 yuan will be used for features like security, anti-tracking, anti-eavesdropping, and waterproofing. The remaining 10 yuan is the cost of the equipment…”

As George began to ramble on, Jack shook his head and said:

"Don't you have a better terminal? We only need one with all the functions. Having another one would be a waste. As for a better one, we can talk about it later when we make money."

"Fine, fine!" George didn't understand Jack's spending habits, but he wouldn't expect others to be like him just because he was extravagant.

The refuge in Torila is designed to meet the daily living needs of two thousand people. This daily living is not like those shacks, but rather a comprehensive facility that ensures living space, mental health, entertainment, fitness, and many other aspects of life. It can almost be understood as a modern, high-end community.

George looked around, wanting to buy everything he saw. Jack tried to pull him back, but after a few minutes, he also started to reach for his wallet—luckily, he didn't have any!

"There's quite a lot of free information. Hmm, there are quite a few ruins under development nearby. Which one should we go to first?" To quell his burgeoning shopping desire, Jack shifted his attention to the intranet that the Land Seeker terminal could connect to. Fortunately, the memories contained in the Earth Fragment included textual content; otherwise, he probably wouldn't even be able to understand how to use the internet.

“We’re still too weak. Let’s go to the ‘kindergarten’ first.” George had also grown up listening to stories about the Seekers of the Land, and his first thought was to go to Yharnam Island, which was known as the Seekers’ Kindergarten.

Upon hearing this, Jack immediately offered a different opinion:
"It says here that since the previous Moonlight Battle, the Sea God's Domain has strictly controlled the area around the lawless zone and does not recommend that newcomers go there. On the contrary, the Emerald Islands are touted as an enlightenment place that every seeker of land should visit once in the recommended route... By the way, where are the Emerald Islands again?"

"..." George was about to complain when a strong tremor suddenly rang out. The underground base, which had been as bright as day, suddenly flashed with a blinding rainbow light, and the alarm sounded—

"This island has been attacked by an unknown force. We are now issuing a defense assistance mission. Capable association members are encouraged to participate at their discretion. Newcomers should leave through the designated passage. This base provides refuge facilities. If you are not confident of escaping, you may stay on this island temporarily... To reiterate, this island..."

Seeing the previously leisurely land seekers suddenly become serious, George felt his blood boil and immediately rolled up his sleeves to join the defense.

Seeing this, Jack quickly reached out and grabbed him, saying:

"What are you doing, you weakling who can't even get up after getting shot? Get out of here!"

“But my ability is for defensive support…” George wanted to argue a bit more, but Jack simply picked up his friend and, ignoring his cries, headed along the designated path marked by the association, saying as they went:

"You don't know anything! Torila has been a base for the Seekers for at least a hundred years. Do you really think the surrounding families don't know that? They can't take it over, so they don't touch this place, understand?"

"So what? If it's a sure win, then why..."

"Are you stupid!" Jack realized that this young master's problem wasn't just being spoiled, and quickly explained:

"They haven't touched it all this time, and now they're suddenly attacking. Either the attackers are incompetent, or they have a new trump card and are absolutely certain of victory! If they were incompetent, they couldn't possibly mobilize on this scale, so it can only be that a master has come. They're not confident they can hold this place, understand?"

“Understood.” George listened to Jack’s clear and logical analysis and calmed down. The two of them, along with more than a dozen seekers who believed they were powerless to fight but had the ability to escape, rushed into the special passage. Before long, they appeared in a seemingly natural, enclosed cave.

"This is a dark harbor..."

Jack looked at the dark space, the water that occupied half of the cave, and the stone wall in the distance where only a little light could penetrate. He realized that the exit was beneath this water and hesitated for a moment about whether to go out.

However, while he hesitated, no one else wavered. One of the land seekers dove into the water and swam toward the light, and the others followed suit.

“Use your abilities to create a layer of disguise, not an illusion, but the kind where you hide the ship,” Jack whispered, then explained, afraid George wouldn't understand:

"They said it was to let the new recruits escape, but it was actually to draw the enemy's attention, so it was impossible for them to be safe."

"Ah!" George seemed to have just realized the dangers of the world, but he still quickly cast a spell.

The air bubble Jack created fell into the water, and the two figures disappeared simultaneously. By continuously reducing the amount of water in front of them, the two were propelled forward by the seawater...

(End of this chapter)