Swords, magic, and martial arts

Rhodes tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, not because of the ship's constant rocking, but because he kept thinking about what he had learned from Messiah during the day—that he hadn't actually saved the female knight at all.

He lay there for a long time without feeling sleepy, and he was too embarrassed to sit cross-legged and meditate in front of so many people.

He quietly got up from the bed and put on his shoes.

After gently closing the door, he walked toward the stairs leading to the deck.

As soon as he stepped onto the deck, a cool breeze blew in his face, making Rod much more comfortable than he had been in the stuffy room.

"How did you get here?" Rhodes recognized the captain's voice.

"I couldn't sleep, so I came up here for some fresh air," Rod replied, turning around.

This ship looks somewhat similar to the Jackdaw from a game I played before, made by a company that gave away games with bugs, but it wasn't flying a black flag.

The similarity is that the rudders are all on the deck, with no shelter overhead, so you have to stand on the deck to control the ship's direction regardless of wind or rain.

He originally thought that such silly designs only appeared in games, but he didn't expect to see them in this world as well.

"Looks like you and I both enjoy spending our evenings on deck enjoying the breeze." The captain sat on a wooden barrel next to the helm.

Unlike at sea, the rudder on a river doesn't need to be moved much; only occasional minor adjustments are required.

They are now going downstream, and the wind is just right. With the help of the current and the sails, the boat is moving quite fast.

Rod also found a wooden barrel and sat on it.

"It's alright, but I can't sleep," he replied dismissively.

"Haha, I really like that about you. I don't know how a young man like my nephew can sleep at night," the captain laughed heartily.

Rhodes didn't know how to respond to that. If they were close, Rhodes would definitely say something strange.

"I don't know your name yet. My name is Quentin," the captain said again.

"Rhodes".

Rod almost blurted out, "Why don't you call yourself Cuenca?"

"I used to know several people named Rod."

"There are indeed many people with this name."

"Are you also going to Gulfstream City for the tournament?" Quentin picked up a jug of wine from the ground and took a sip.

Driving a boat after drinking is not a good idea. A captain's cup of wine brings tears to his loved ones' eyes.

"What kind of competition?" Rod asked, even from this distance he could smell the alcohol, it smelled like wine.

"You didn't know about the Gulfstream City's tournament held every five years?" Quentin asked in surprise.

"I don't know." Rhodes shook his head.

"Well, I saw you brought a horse, so I thought someone was going to participate in a jousting tournament." Quentin took another sip of his drink.

"None of us have been knighted," Rhodes replied.

In this world, a knight is a noble title and also possesses a small fiefdom.

"The 'knight' I'm referring to is just a colloquial term. This knightly tournament is open to all riders, whether free riders or hired cavalry, as long as you have a horse and armor." Quentin took another sip of his drink. "I think you guys should give it a try. You have four people; just find one more to join the team tournament. The prize money for the team tournament is quite substantial, I think it's ten thousand gold coins. If I were a few years younger, I would definitely participate."

Rhodes looked Quentin up and down, who was drinking like he was drinking water. He figured Quentin was definitely no more than forty years old and in his prime. His strength hadn't declined yet, and he had more experience than younger people. Now should be the time when he was at his best.

"I still remember that year, when I became the unarmed combat champion of Sea Salt City..." Quentin sat on the wooden barrel, holding a wine jug, and showed a look of reminiscence. "Countless noble ladies cheered for me, and quite a few people confessed their love to me, but unfortunately, I ruthlessly rejected them all."

Does everyone who loves to drink love to boast? This reminded him of Baron.

"And then?" Rod asked again.

"After that, I used the prize money I won to buy this boat. Don't be fooled by its current location on the river; it was originally a sea vessel. My dream when I was young was to conquer the sea, but then some unexpected things happened." Quentin picked up the flask and drank all the liquor in it in one gulp.

"You ran into pirates, and then you got shot in the knee?" Rhodes asked.

"No, I encountered a storm and the ship almost capsized. By the grace of the sea god, we survived. After that, I decided to hone my boating skills on the inland rivers before conquering the sea," Quentin said.

"It's a pity that by the time your sailing skills improved, you were no longer young, and time had smoothed out your edges?"

"Little brother, you really know me too well. I should have met you sooner." Quentin stood up excitedly from the barrel, walked up to Rhodes, and patted him on the shoulder.

Rhodes nearly fainted from Quentin's strong smell of alcohol, but he forced himself to speak, "What do you think it means to conquer the sea?"

"Of course, to the end of the sea," Quentin replied without hesitation.

"Do you believe that if you sail your boat in one direction, you can eventually come back?"

Although Rhodes didn't know if he was on a planet, he was always very curious.

"I don't believe it, even though I'm illiterate," Quentin shook his head repeatedly.

"So what do you think lies at the end of the ocean?" Rod asked.

"Of course it's the World Barrier, it should be the same as the one in the far north of Nord," Quentin said matter-of-factly.

"What is the World Barrier?" Rhodes asked curiously. He remembered that the friend of the tomb's owner had asked him to head north, saying that he was needed, but he had been too busy to go.

He had previously planned to travel north to see what the far north was like after sending Weber home to retire, but after so many things happened, he had almost forgotten about it.

"It's a very tall black wall, so tall that even dragons can't fly over it. If you have the chance, you should definitely go and see it. Apart from a very few bored adventurers, only people like me, born in the far north of the Arctic Province, have ever seen it," Quentin said.

"This so-called world barrier has always existed? Then why hasn't it become common knowledge?" Rhodes asked again.

"No bards would go to places like that. There's not much money to be made there, and no well-known legendary figures. And when adventurers tell these stories, others just take them as jokes, and they end up as mysterious tales in taverns. My hometown is just too cold; in winter, you can't leave the fireplace at all," Quentin explained.

There was a lot of information tonight. Rod hadn't expected that this world didn't seem to be a planet. There were many things he couldn't understand, such as how the sun and moon moved in cycles.

Or is the so-called world barrier actually similar to the walls in Attack on Titan, designed to protect the creatures within? If so, who created it? And what was it meant to defend against?

Rhodes couldn't figure it out; he could only wait for the opportunity to see for himself...

……