After going into the sea, I met the witch.

He gritted his teeth, filled with resentment.

For three consecutive days, his travels ended tragically with his death at the hands of the Rathalos. The monster seemed to have its eye on him, not only frequently circling and hunting above the Ancient Forest, but also appearing at lightning speed whenever the Rathalos leader sensed the disturbance after he finished fighting other special species, as if he were a "thief".

Thanks to this, Ryan gained a good understanding of the Rathalos leader's habitual moves, and the time he could last went from a few seconds at the beginning to nearly a minute later.

Unfortunately, the gap in strength between him and the Rathalos leader is still enormous. Although he has survived for a while, defeating the Rathalos leader is still almost impossible.

"call……"

With a long exhale, Ryan looked inward and his gaze fell on the two new trophies that had appeared on the mast of the [Nameless Ship Carving] deep inside his body.

Those were the "medals" he earned after defeating the Firebird and the Great Wild Boar King!

Its names are [Loot: Fire Monster's Beak] and [Loot: Broken Giant Fang].

The Firebird is a bird-dragon species that is several times larger than the Firebird. Unlike the "slender" Firebird, this creature is quite massive, which means that although it has wings, its flight ability is not very good. It can only fly for a short while before having to land.

In addition, its body is covered with scales, and its beak is quite huge, almost like a giant hammer. Ryan was hit by it during the battle, and the feeling was quite intense.

As for the other monster, the Great Wild Boar King.

This creature is an enlarged version of a wild boar, with a terrifying shoulder height of nearly three meters. Keep in mind, that's just shoulder height! Those massive, white tusks, when they charge, are like a knight's lance, invincible.

Ryan dared not confront it head-on, and could only use a roundabout and constantly changing tactics to force the Great Boar King to stop its charge, and was finally able to hunt it down.

[Loot: Fire Monster's Beak]: A bronze-grade loot, the large beak of a fire monster, its pale yellow body bearing deep sword scars. It comes with the special skill [Attack Lv.1]: Increases all damage dealt by 5%.

[Loot: Broken Giant Tusk]: A bronze-level loot, the Great Wild Boar King's prized tusk, a symbol of his might. Comes with the special skill [Stamina Lv.1]: Increases maximum health by an additional 5%.

The loot obtained from hunting the Firebird and the Great Wild Boar Queen comes with special skills that are all very simple and straightforward in effect.

The former immediately improved Ryan's combat effectiveness, while the latter, the so-called "vitality," simply put, made Ryan harder to kill.

Aside from the spoils of war, Ryan's biggest gain from these three days of travel was that his travel clone's level was raised once again.

-

[Level]: 8 (46%)

[Spiritual Value]: 15635 → 25635

[Spirituality]: 2.5

[Physical Strength]: 12.66 → 16.16

【战利品】：深红之角（匠心lv.1）、电之针（属性抵抗lv.1）、鱼龙心鳞（火属性抵抗lv.1）、火伞之冠（集中术lv.1）、火怪之喙（攻击lv.1）、折断的巨獠牙（体力lv.1）

-

The advancement of his travel clone's level led to a further increase in Ryan's main body's strength.

His physical attribute increased from 3.43 to 4.33.

Although its spirituality remains the same at only 1.3, its powerful physique has allowed its combat strength to surpass that of a first-tier being.

If the enemy judges his strength based on the strength of his spirituality, his fate will surely be tragic.

"call……"

With a sigh of relief, watching the morning light stream in through the porthole, Ryan got out of bed, tied his greatsword, and then left the room.

The bright sunlight shone on his face the moment he opened the door, and the calls of seabirds brought a long-lost sense of liveliness.

Upon reaching the deck, Ryan immediately spotted Freyne standing at the bow of the ship, with Cecilia beside her.

After several days of recuperation, the knight girl's complexion was no longer so pale, but the sense of aging in her eyes did not lessen at all; on the contrary, it seemed to be getting worse.

Ryan felt a pang of sadness, but he quickly composed himself and stepped forward.

Good morning, Lady Freyne.

Good morning, Miss Cecilia.

"Morning~"

Freyne smiled, seemingly in an exceptionally good mood today: "Mr. Ryan, we'll arrive at the Whirlpool Islands in ten more hours?"

“If the records on the nautical chart are correct.” Ryan walked to the bulwark beside the two women and looked out at the sea.

After the initial excitement of a long sea voyage, all that remains is boredom.

The thought of arriving at the Whirlpool Islands soon made even a guy like Ryan, who had a rich "nightlife," feel relaxed.

"What are the plans after we arrive at the Whirlpool Islands?" Ryan asked.

Upon hearing this, Freya pursed her full lips and shook her head: "The intelligence is unknown, so how can there be any plan?"

Ryan said in a deep voice, "Lady Freyne, it is foreseeable that as the Moon Wolf incident unfolds, a large number of pirates will gather on the Whirlpool Islands. Those with low bounties in the near-shore areas are not a problem, but I'm afraid that the big pirates outside the near-shore areas will also come after hearing about it, wanting a share of the pie."

"Given the threat from the Black Knights... we need to proceed with caution if we want to plot against Moon Wolf."

“I understand,” Freyne nodded gently.

“By the way, Miss Cecilia,” Ryan turned his gaze to the knight girl beside him, “once we arrive at the Whirlpool Islands, try not to expose yourself to others. In your current condition, you absolutely cannot take action again.”

“…” Cecilia kept her head down and remained silent for a few seconds before nodding slightly.

After their conversation, the two women returned to the captain's cabin, while Ryan remained on the bow deck, ensuring the ship was on the right course while practicing his Storm Sword Technique.

Time passed little by little.

As the sun moved from east to west, and its golden afterglow spread across the entire sea, Ryan's gaze finally fell upon the outline of a vast archipelago shrouded in a light mist.

In the distance, other ships could be seen sailing towards the archipelago from other directions.

"Whirlpool Islands..."

Before anyone knew it, Freyne appeared beside Ryan, gazing into the distance alongside him, her voice filled with excitement.

"Yes, the Whirlpool Islands, we're almost there."

Ryan repeated himself, confirming Freyne's words.

Chapter 68 The Whirlpool Five Islands, the Three Great Pirate Crews

Under the soft moonlight, a fifth-class sailing cruiser slowly sailed into the harbor.

From the moment they saw the Whirlpool Islands to their arrival at the port, the Black Rose took several more hours.

By the time they had anchored and secured the boat, it was already late at night.

The harbor under the moonlight was not dark; streetlights were placed every few meters, making the place brightly lit.

Ryan and Freya stood on the bow deck.

Ryan's gaze swept over the numerous pirate ships in the harbor, his expression slightly grave.

A rough estimate suggests that there are at least a dozen pirate ships docked at this port. And the Whirlpool Islands certainly don't only have this one port. One can imagine just how many pirates are gathered on the Whirlpool Islands at this moment.

"This is getting a bit troublesome..."

Ryan muttered to himself, then looked at the witch beside him: "Lady Freyne, after we finish resupplying, let's sail the Black Rose away from this port. I remember you can walk quickly on the sea? Let the ship stay far away, so that if anything unexpected happens, we'll have room to maneuver."

Freyne also noticed the surrounding scenery and nodded: "That's how it should be."

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Ryan."

“It’s what I should do.” Ryan shook his head slightly, then disembarked alone.

The situation on the Whirlpool Islands is currently unknown, and it is inconvenient for Freyne and Cecilia to show themselves for the time being. The work of supplying provisions and gathering initial intelligence can only be carried out by him alone.

Of course, to ensure his safety, Freya gave him a special dark blue crystal.

This is a one-time use item made by Freyne. Once infused with spiritual energy, it can deploy a powerful, all-around protective shield that is virtually impossible for a first-tier professional to break through in a short time. At the same time, Freyne, sensing the shield being activated, will immediately go to provide support.

The port was quieter at night, as the laborers who made a living there had all gone home to rest.

In the distance, in the market area of ​​the port, Ryan saw many multi-story wooden houses, one of which had a sign that looked very familiar to him.

—Black Agate Chamber of Commerce.

The Whirlpool Islands are the last transit point for those heading to the deeper parts of the ocean from the outer sea area, so it is only natural that large chambers of commerce would set up operations there.

Ryan didn't have a good impression of the Black Agate Merchant Guild, but he didn't hate it either.

Although the Black Agate Merchant Guild's style of doing things is as ruthless as its name suggests, it is at least trustworthy. As long as you pay, it will give you what you want.

Having just arrived at the Whirlpool Islands, contacting the Black Agate Merchant Guild to resolve the baggage issue, followed by purchasing some intelligence, would be a pretty good option.

Fifteen minutes later, Ryan emerged from the Black Agate Shop amidst the enthusiastic greetings of "Welcome back again" from a young woman named Stacy, the manager of the Chamber of Commerce.

"It's so dark, it's really too dark."

Ryan couldn't help but grit his teeth.

Supplying supplies is a minor issue, costing very little money, but the loss of intelligence is quite alarming.

£500 for basic information and current intelligence on the Whirlpool Islands. No bargaining.

Keep in mind that the fee a Master of the Copper Hammer would receive for crafting a low-level artifact is only 1000 pounds!

Although it pained him, Ryan knew the importance of having the right tools to do things well, so he reluctantly bought the intelligence under Steward Stacy's gaze, who saw him as a "fat sheep."

Fortunately, this intelligence was worthwhile.

Walking along the wooden street, Ryan recalled the information provided by the Black Agate Merchant Guild.

The Whirlpool Islands consist of five islands: one large and four small ones, with the four smaller islands surrounding the central Mingjin Island.

The four small islands are: Tide Island in the north, Suliu Island in the south, Baisha Island in the west, and Wanggui Island in the east.

The island names are not easy to remember, so Ryan simply remembers them as North Island 1, South Island 2, West Island 3, and East Island 4.

As for the port where the Black Rose is currently docked, it is located at the very front of North Island 1.

The place where Moon Wolf was first discovered was Mingjin Island, right in the center of the Whirlpool Islands. The North 1 Island where he is now can only be considered an outpost.

Mingjin Island is very large, with a small, dormant volcano in its center. Surrounding the volcano is a vast forest called "Mingjin Forest," which is home to many monsters.

It is worth mentioning that, affected by the Moon Wolf incident, a large number of monsters have gathered in the Forest of Sounding Gold, and many sea monsters have also appeared in the bay between the four islands in the east, west, south and north and Sounding Gold Island.

Reaching Mingjin Island is extremely difficult; even a first-tier professional could risk their life.

Besides geographical intelligence, Ryan also valued the power intelligence provided by the Black Agate Merchant Guild.

After this period of fermentation, attracted by the Moon Wolf and the likely existence of treasure, a large number of pirates gathered on the Whirlpool Islands.