The Goddess of Dawn moved cautiously around the isnd. Out of an abundance of caution, Ethan kept the ship at a safe distance, allowing him to observe the isnd's general features through his telescope.

  "Drop the speed a little more," he said.

  The galleon crewed by female adventurers was doing the same thing. Previously, the rger ship had been ahead, while Ethan's Goddess of Dawn followed at a fixed distance. Now, both vessels circled the isnd carefully, keeping their distance from each other to avoid any potential conflict.

  Ethan made sure not to reduce his ship's speed to match theirs entirely. Instead, he shifted the course slightly inward.

  "Move a little closer to the isnd," he instructed.

  Ethan intended to maneuver the Goddess of Dawn clockwise around the isnd, creeping closer with each loop to cautiously test the strange ndmass.

  This approach would take more time, but it offered a key advantage: if they detected anything dangerous, the Goddess of Dawn's speed and maneuverability, combined with the current course, would allow them to accelerate and flee immediately without the need for complex adjustments.

  Caution was essential when dealing with the unknown.

  With this approach, the Goddess of Dawn slowly closed the gap with the rger galleon and eventually overtook it, shifting from trailing behind to leading the way.

  From this position, Ethan could clearly see the activity on the galleon's deck without needing a telescope, including the wary gnces of the female crew.

  "They know who we are," Ethan murmured.

  As the Goddess of Dawn passed the galleon and created some distance, Ethan noticed the rger ship increased its speed slightly, maintaining a fixed gap while also creeping closer to the isnd. Their intentions were clear, they had the same pn as Ethan: keep the isnd at arm's length while investigating it.

  The galleon's crew was cleverly letting Ethan's ship act as the pathfinder, giving them more time to react if something went wrong. From a purely strategic standpoint, it was a smart decision. With its heavier dispcement and slower maneuverability, the galleon wouldn't be able to adjust course or accelerate as quickly as the Goddess of Dawn.

  In a dangerous situation, Ethan's ship could likely escape unharmed, but the galleon might not have the same luck.

  "Judging by how cautious they are, even with their clear advantage in firepower and numbers, they must know exactly who we are and have a good understanding of our strength," Ethan specuted.

  "But if they're deliberately letting us lead, does that mean they know something about this strange isnd?" Arthur asked.

  "Possibly," Ethan replied.

  Ethan's time in the Sea of Calm had been retively short. Despite borrowing books from the Adventurer's Guild to fill in the gaps in his knowledge, there were still countless things in this region that weren't documented, information that could only be learned through personal experience or passed down orally among adventurers.

  The strength of the galleon's all-female crew was undeniable. To acquire such a ship in these treacherous waters, they must have spent considerable time sailing the Sea of Calm. It stood to reason that they would have a deeper understanding of this area, especially regarding unusual phenomena like this strange isnd.

  Even if they hadn't personally encountered such an isnd before, they might have heard rumors or stories about it from other adventurers.

  And even vague rumors were better than Ethan's complete ck of knowledge.

  As the ships continued to circle the isnd, they completed three loops. Each time they got closer, the strange fluctuations emanating from the isnd grew stronger. For Ethan, whose sensitivity to energy as a magician was well-honed, the sensation became increasingly unsettling.

  "This energy reeks of death and decay," he muttered.

  Using his telescope, he studied the isnd more closely. There was no sign of life, no pnts, no animals, nothing. Yet it didn't seem like a newly surfaced ndmass.

  The entire isnd was covered in bck soil and jagged rocks. The ground looked dead, entirely unlike the vibrant, life-filled soil of other isnds Ethan had explored.

  "I didn't think the Sea of Calm could produce an isnd like this," Arthur said, clearly unsettled.

  "This pce… it feels like something straight out of a legend about evil," he added.

  Ethan didn't respond immediately. Instead, his attention was drawn to a new ship that had appeared on the horizon. Earlier, it had been too far away to bother with, but now it was heading directly for the isnd. Ethan was curious to see how this newcomer would react.

  "Could it be that ship that fled earlier?" Arthur asked, recalling the smaller ship that had panicked upon seeing the galleon. "Maybe they didn't want to give up on the isnd entirely and are trying to avoid the galleon while sneaking in to gather supplies."

  It wasn't an unreasonable theory. Isnds in the Sea of Calm were rare, and opportunities to resupply were few and far between. The crew of the fleeing ship might have been desperate enough to try again.

  "No, the sails are different," Ethan said after a closer look through his telescope.

  Arthur didn't have a telescope and could only make out that it was a clipper simir to the Goddess of Dawn. But Ethan could see the finer details. The yout of the sails on this new ship was different.

  While it primarily used spinnakers like the previous ship, its auxiliary sails were configured to prioritize a bance between speed and stability. In contrast, the first ship had emphasized extreme speed above all else.

  In fact, the new ship's sail configuration was closer to that of the Goddess of Dawn, which banced speed with control, mainly because Ethan wasn't confident enough in his sailing skills to handle an overly aggressive design.

  "Wait… it's not slowing down," Ethan noted with surprise.

  As the new ship drew closer, Ethan had expected it to follow the same cautious approach as he and the galleon, slowing down and carefully observing the isnd.

  Unexpectedly, the ship rushed straight toward the isnd, cutting across the path of Ethan's Goddess of Dawn before slowing down to dock. It finally moored beside the isnd, taking advantage of one of the deep-water harbors scattered along its coastline.

  Ethan had already noticed a few of these harbors during his earlier observations. If he or the galleon behind him wanted to nd, both ships would find suitable berths.

  Such convenient harbors were unusual, as if they had been deliberately pced to make docking easy for adventurers. The thought sent a chill down Ethan's spine, making the isnd seem even more unsettling.

  "Well, someone just volunteered to scout ahead for us," Ethan remarked dryly.

  He and Arthur stopped the Goddess of Dawn, dropped anchor, and left a safe distance between their ship and the shore. Standing on the poop deck with his telescope, Ethan watched as the other ship's crew disembarked. A few individuals, armed and carrying tools, began heading into the isnd's interior.

  Thanks to the isnd's barren ndscape, there was nothing to block his line of sight. Ethan could clearly observe the group's movements as they ventured deeper into the isnd.

  Whether intentional or not, the group didn't linger near the shore. Instead, they continued walking innd until they gradually disappeared from view.

  "They seemed to be carrying mining tools," Arthur pointed out. One of the individuals had a pickaxe slung over their shoulder—an obvious clue.

  "If they brought a pickaxe, the only thing they're likely looking for is ore," Ethan replied.

  "Maybe this isnd is rich in minerals? That would expin why there's no vegetation here," Arthur suggested.

  It made sense. Many ores were inherently toxic, hindering pnt growth. If the isnd had an abundance of such materials, it wasn't surprising that no pnts could survive there.

  "Magic stone, maybe?"

  Ethan and Arthur both came to the same conclusion. Magic stones were one of the most unique and valuable resources in this world.

  "That energy... it reeks of death and decay. Could there be magic stones infused with undead power hidden on this isnd?" Ethan specuted aloud.

  For now, it was only a theory. To confirm it, they would have to set foot on the isnd themselves. But for the moment, Ethan and Arthur simply observed. Even after a while, nothing noteworthy happened on the isnd.

  "Wait... something's off about that ship," Ethan said suddenly, narrowing his eyes.

  Arthur gnced at him. "What do you mean?"

  "I don't know... It just looks different somehow," Ethan replied, frowning as he tried to pinpoint the issue.

  Both men grabbed their telescopes and began scrutinizing the docked ship. At first, neither of them could identify anything specific, but Ethan's unease only grew.

  After what felt like an eternity, they finally noticed it.

  "The ship... it looks older," Arthur said hesitantly. "Like it's aged somehow."

  Arthur wasn't entirely confident. Ships at sea naturally sustained wear and tear, and it was possible he was imagining things.

  Ethan, however, was certain. "No, it's definitely aging. Look at the sails. They're starting to show signs of deterioration. I made a point of examining them earlier, and while they weren't brand new, they were intact. Now they're starting to fray."

  Arthur took another look and reluctantly nodded. "You're right. But how is this happening?"

  "It must be that strange energy," Ethan replied. "Those fluctuations are undoubtedly caused by powerful negative energy. It's what's giving this isnd its eerie properties, and it's affecting everything that comes near it, living or otherwise."

  Ethan wasn't unfamiliar with such phenomena. In some worlds, powerful negative energies, like the infamous fel energy produced simir effects.

  The thought made him pause. Was it really worth the risk to nd on this isnd?

  As he debated the decision, he noticed movement from the galleon behind them. The rger ship, still holding its position offshore, had unched a small boat. A group of people was rowing directly toward the Goddess of Dawn.