NOVEL WEB Chapter 142: Chapter 142
Ethan looked at the familiar deck and the vast sea, set his backpack aside, and sat down directly on the deck.
"I'm back."
Although he could stay in a plane world for up to a year, this was the first time he had remained in one for such a long period.
For a brief moment after returning, he felt dazed, as if he were still in the Caribbean Sea. It took him a while to fully realize that he had already left that world behind.
During his final days in the Caribbean, Ethan had successfully found the Sea Goddess, Calypso. After some time spent interacting with her, he came to a realization, Calypso was neither a nature god nor a god born purely from faith. Instead, she was a fusion of both concepts.
Humanity's fear of the ocean had led people to worship and pray to it, generating an immense force of collective willpower. Over time, this energy gathered upon the sea itself, and through the natural existence of the ocean, it condensed into a divine being—the Sea Goddess, Calypso.
Calypso's personality was as unpredictable and volatile as the sea. Part of this was due to the nature of the ocean itself, but an even greater factor was the beliefs of those who worshiped her. Their perceptions and emotions were unconsciously projected onto her, continuously shaping and influencing her temperament.
This also explained why Calypso's divine power was in such a chaotic state. The faith and willpower that sustained her constantly influenced her, yet she remained completely unaware of it.
Originally, Ethan had hoped to learn how to manipulate natural forces from Calypso, but it soon became clear that this was a pointless endeavor. Though she had been born from faith, she wielded her power as if she were a true nature god, her abilities functioned as mere instincts.
She wanted a storm, so a storm appeared.
Expecting her to explain how to channel external energy like a mage, or how to adjust mental fluctuations to influence the environment, was simply impossible.
"At least it wasn't a complete waste."
Through his interactions with Calypso, Ethan had gained insight into the mysterious power of willpower. However, this power had too many limitations, and he would never allow it to enter his body.
"The only viable approach is to collect faith that has nothing to do with me and then convert it into a specific energy form for use."
This method would result in significant energy loss, but as long as the collected energy was vast enough, that loss would be negligible.
The real issue was that Ethan himself couldn't generate or gather faith. If he wanted to harness this power, he needed to find an object or individual capable of carrying it, then extract the energy from them when necessary.
Of course, this was all theoretical. In practical terms, his best option would be to target objects that naturally accumulated vast amounts of faith.
Still, when combined with the Spring of Life, his journey to the Caribbean could be considered a decent success.
"I haven't found a way to enhance myself yet, but at the very least, I don't have to worry about my lifespan for quite some time."
Standing up, Ethan picked up his backpack and returned to his captain's quarters, contemplating his next course of action as he sorted through his belongings.
Since he couldn't immediately decide on his next step, he chose to take inventory instead.
After spending so much time away, traveling across different worlds, his sense of time had become somewhat distorted. The number of artifacts and items in his possession had steadily increased, making it necessary to properly organize everything.
Perhaps, in doing so, he would gain some inspiration for his next move.
Having spent over a year away, Ethan still remembered the structure and layout of the Goddess of Dawn, but some of the finer details had faded from memory. Worse still, upon seeing his ship, his first instinct was to think of the Black Pearl—a habit that needed to be corrected.
As he wandered the ship, he took the opportunity to inspect its inventory.
Beyond the various pieces of equipment, he found that the dozen magical cannons aboard the ship were now fully stocked with ammunition, capable of sustaining a high-intensity naval battle. If necessary, he could even use the core-grade magic stones as cannonballs.
Aside from magic stones, the ship's cargo mainly consisted of high-quality wood, these two resources were currently the most abundant aboard the Goddess of Dawn.
"Magic stones and wood can be traded for essential survival resources, aside from the necessary reserves."
After taking stock of the warehouse and checking the food and water supplies, Ethan confirmed that everything was well-stocked. He also found Auriel, whom he had nearly forgotten about. The little creature had found a corner and was sleeping soundly.
Casually grabbing it, Auriel merely glanced at Ethan before flopping onto his shoulder and continuing to sleep. Carrying the little creature on one shoulder, Ethan resumed counting the ship's supplies.
With more than enough provisions to sustain him on the journey, he could continue searching for another island. However, since there was no space to store additional materials, finding an island would be pointless for now. His next destination was clear—the Central Island.
"Didn't expect to settle on a goal so quickly."
Without stopping, Ethan continued taking inventory.
After cataloging the goods and provisions, he moved on to the weapons stockpile.
He had prepared a significant number of cold weapons, storing them on the ship alongside a smaller selection of firearms.
Compared to the ample supply of cold weapons, the number of firearms was considerably lower.
At the start, he had been limited in what he could carry, and frequent practice had depleted much of his stock. On top of that, when Arthur left, Ethan had given him some of his firearms. As a result, only a few rifles and pistols remained. While this was still sufficient for a while, the ammunition reserves had not been replenished. If Ethan were to engage in an intense battle, his remaining supply would be completely consumed.
"I haven't even used firearms that much, yet the ammo's already running low."
Not that he cared. Eventually, these weapons would become obsolete as his strength grew. Until then, he might as well make good use of them.
After finishing the stock inventory, Ethan moved on to organizing his personal weapons and gear.
Magic Suit:
Hooded Flame Cloak – Concealable appearance, provides underwater breathing.
Undergarment with Partial Defense Capabilities.
Bracers – Grants control over water elements.
Battle Belt – Contains multiple small storage compartments for magazines, grenades, healing potions, etc.
Magic Boots – Allows the user to walk on water.
Weapons & Equipment:
Battle Cross.
Magic Staff.
Merlin's Book of Inheritance.
Ring from Xul.
Space Storage Ring – Contains one cubic meter of storage space.
Storage Ring Contents:
Magic Musket – Fires freeze bombs, consumes magic energy, rechargeable with magic stones.
Beretta Pistol.
Automatic Rifle.
Ammunition & Grenades.
Multifunctional Box & electronic equipment made by Tony Stark.
Ethan's Homemade Magic Potions & Various Disposable Items.
In addition to these, he had:
A container for storing space energy.
The Spring of Life water he had just obtained.
A peculiar magic stone capable of automatically restoring energy.
For the remaining space in his storage ring, Ethan always packed some food and water as an emergency precaution.
The magic suit could transform into a pendant worn around his neck and could be freely switched between casual clothing and battle gear.
Archived but Preserved Equipment:
Guardian of Isendra.
A set of lightweight armor that allows the user to float on water.
Looking at the pile of items, Ethan realized that without proper organization, he could easily forget about half of them.
"The T-virus supply is completely gone."
The cigarettes had been used up, and the original formula was depleted, meaning he could no longer manufacture new ones. There were still a few cigars left, but he had nearly forgotten about them.
It was only then that he recalled the gear he had stripped from the assassin. Back then, he had been too focused on the mysterious magic stone, and most of his attention had been occupied by the magic stone-based equipment from the assassin's ship. As a result, he had completely overlooked the fact that the assassin's suit was a valuable piece of gear as well.
"So it's been sitting here all this time."
This particular tight-fitting suit was powered by a unique magic stone and had a certain level of flexibility, allowing it to accommodate different body types.
However, its protective capabilities were mediocre, it couldn't withstand even moderately powerful attacks. Unlike Wilson, who used magic stones to enhance his armor and energy defenses, this suit was focused purely on stealth.
"An assassin's specialized suit."
As for its specific functions, Ethan planned to study it later. For now, he set it aside and continued with his inventory.
By this point, most of the items had been accounted for, leaving only miscellaneous research materials, such as the magic stone-based equipment he was still analyzing.
By the time he finished, midnight had already arrived, and the moon hung high in the sky. But finally, everything was in order.
"I didn't realize just how much I had accumulated."
When he first set sail, all he had was a small boat. Now, his situation had improved immeasurably.
Taking a magic stone, he handed it to Auriel as a late-night snack. With everything finally settled, Ethan had a clear plan for what to do next.
Next Steps:
1. Return to the Central Island – Sell goods and restock supplies.
2. Continue researching the Spring of Life – Unlock the secrets behind gathering life energy.
3. Analyze the magic stone equipment – Focus on upgrading the Goddess of Dawn.
Main goal: Develop an ideal propulsion system for the ship.
4. After resupplying, continue sailing – Search for space-time energy and return to Paradise Island to visit Diana.
5. Head to the Marvel Universe – Find Tony Stark and study the self-replenishing magic stone to determine if it could serve as the primary energy source for his next-generation ship.
"Maybe I should try getting some Pym Particles from Ant-Man while I'm at it?"
(To be continued.)