NOVEL WEB Chapter 266: Chapter 266: The Truth of the World?
"Salvation?"
If it were just Brent, he might have been fooled by Beckford's words. But now Ethan was also present, and he knew what Beckford's subordinates had done.
"Turning people into undead counts as salvation?"
Beckford looked at Ethan again. He didn't refute Ethan's words, but instead turned to face him.
"Because their strength is too weak. If they were excellent and powerful adventurers like you, they certainly wouldn't have turned into such low-level undead."
Beckford's words were still devoid of emotion. Ethan wasn't sure whether this was Beckford's natural tone, or if the vessel he had chosen could only mechanically 'relay' Beckford's words without emotion.
"I sincerely invite you to join my group, and let us work together for the future of the 'true people' in this world."
Ethan's eyebrow twitched. He was very curious about what Beckford meant by "true people," so he immediately asked.
Unfortunately, the answer was slightly different from what he had expected. Ethan thought the "true people" might possess some kind of special bloodline or something similar, but Beckford's answer was actually based on "survival of the fittest." Only those with great strength were considered people by him. The rest were no longer viewed as human.
"Their greatest purpose is to provide assistance to those who are truly fit to survive."
"..."
For some reason, Brent felt a chill. In fact, he wasn't the only one who felt cold. The commotion here had already attracted everyone's attention, and many people had gathered. From Beckford's perspective, he could certainly see more and more adventurers arriving. Most of them were "worthless existences," and yet he continued to speak his thoughts openly in front of everyone.
"Perhaps you don't understand now, but once you truly discover the truth of this world, you'll think the same way I do."
Unusually, there was a slight emotional fluctuation in Beckford's words. Ethan knew these words were directed at him, and everyone present could sense the same.
"Are you so sure?"
"..."
This time, Beckford fell silent. It was unclear whether he didn't want to answer or couldn't, but as the translucent figure twisted, the undead finally shattered and vanished.
Even at the end, Beckford didn't reveal the so-called truth. Perhaps he wanted Ethan to discover it on his own?
Although Beckford didn't say much during his brief appearance, his words had a significant impact.
Brent was even a little lost about what they should do next. Everyone was pondering what the truth of the world could be that would turn such a powerful adventurer into someone like that.
"The Beckford back then was a bit arrogant, but he wasn't like this. What exactly is the truth of the world?"
Standing next to Brent were only Ethan and Brad. Up to this point, the core of this group consisted of the crews led by the three captains, plus a small number of scattered crew members from other captains who had been absorbed into the group.
Before now, Brent had been the leader. But now, Brent often looked to Ethan for advice on difficult matters. This was the respect Ethan had earned with his absolute strength, and Ethan didn't feel there was anything wrong with that.
When the three captains gathered to talk, the crew members would consciously keep a certain distance. Even if they didn't want to, Logan, who stood nearby, along with Brent's and Brad's trusted subordinates, would make them move back to a safe distance.
Brad, who had remained silent since Beckford appeared, finally spoke. His first words surprised both Brent and Ethan.
"The truth is... there is no Endless Land."
"What?"
Both Ethan and Brent looked at him in shock, unsure why he would say something like that.
Although the Endless Land had always been more of a legend than a confirmed place, it was still the driving force behind countless adventurers pressing onward to the end of the seas. Without the hope of reaching the Endless Land, why would anyone continue risking their lives to explore the next sea region?
Now Brad was saying the Endless Land didn't exist. That was like taking away the motivation of every adventurer striving for the unknown.
Without the Endless Land, was it still necessary for them to brave this deadly journey? Was it still worth risking ships and lives to cross the Sea of Storms? They could very well stay in this sea region and live peacefully. With their strength, they could live comfortably. Ordinary adventurers didn't even have the capital to compete with them.
"Why are you so sure?"
Brad remained silent for a moment, seemingly struggling with something, but in the end, he chose to speak.
"Because I came from the Sea of Miracles."
"Sea of Miracles?" Ethan had heard the name earlier from Beckford. "You mean the next sea region? It's called the Sea of Miracles?"
The natural first impression of hearing that name was that the sea must be full of various miracles. That's why it was named so.
However, Brad's first words directly refuted that assumption.
"Everyone in that sea region is constantly praying for miracles to happen..." Brad shook his head helplessly. "Only a miracle can save all the adventurers who don't know the way forward."
"Don't know the way forward?" Ethan immediately caught the key point. "There's no new sea region after the Sea of Miracles?"
"No." Brad shook his head. "The Sea of Miracles is the end. There are no new sea regions."
Ethan thought of the Sea of Storms that surrounded the Sea of Calm and their current sea region. "What's the area around the Sea of Miracles like? Is it also surrounded by a Sea of Storms? If so, has the storm become even more terrifying, to the point that no one can get through?"
He wanted to know more. If the Sea of Miracles was also surrounded by a Sea of Storms, then the idea that there was no way forward might not be entirely accurate. Perhaps it was just that these adventurers didn't have enough strength to break through the blockade. Maybe the Sea of Storms around the Sea of Miracles was no longer like the previous two, which had deliberately left a path open, but now required adventurers to charge directly into the most terrifying part of the storm.
However, Brad's answer made Ethan realize that the reality was far worse than he had imagined.
"Around the Sea of Miracles? Nothing... there's nothing!" Brad became a little agitated, possibly recalling something. His voice even rose a few octaves in excitement. "Nothing at all. No seawater, no land, not even air!"
His suddenly raised voice attracted the attention of some nearby people. Realizing this, Brad tried hard to control his emotions, took a few deep breaths, and regained his composure.
"Sorry, I was just remembering what it was like the first time I saw that place."
Brent didn't say anything. He understood. Discovering that everything he had yearned for was just a fleeting rumor... he would feel devastated too. In fact, he was already feeling that collapse right now.
Ethan was much more composed. He had too many trump cards and countless other worlds to choose from. Although, for now, he could only remain in a particular world for up to a year, as his mastery of the teleportation circle deepened, and his understanding progressed, he would eventually be able to fully integrate the circle into his own magic. At that point, he could remain in any world for as long as he wanted. So, the appeal of the so-called Endless Land was much weaker for him than for others.
Aside from that, Ethan was also very interested in Brad's description: no water... no land... no air...
"What is that? Space? But the edge of the sea is space..."
Ethan suddenly remembered that Loki had once told him this world was very similar to Asgard. And wasn't Asgard that kind of existence?
So this world was a flat plane, perhaps with a certain curvature, which made it appear as if distant ships emerged gradually from the horizon, just like on a spherical planet.
"A whole ocean, separated into several regions by storms... It doesn't sound like a good place."
Ethan had some vague guesses in mind, but without solid evidence, he didn't want to speak too soon.
However, regarding the environment suspected to be space, the absence of land and water was obvious. But how did Brad know there was no air?
When he asked this question, Brad immediately gave his answer.
"At first, I heard it from other adventurers, but I didn't believe it. So I specifically went to verify it."
"How did you do that?"
Brad's method wasn't complicated. In fact, it was quite simple. He just captured a few flying animals, went to the edge of the Sea of Miracles, and released them into the distance.
"To determine the specifics, I tied ropes to these animals so I could pull their bodies back and determine the cause of death."
Brad shook his head helplessly. "Aside from some cases of frostbite from the low temperatures, they basically died of suffocation... from lack of air. Also, these creatures didn't fall after dying. They just floated there until we pulled them back to a position near the sea surface, and then they suddenly dropped."
Listening to Brad's description, even with Ethan's limited knowledge of space, he could be sure that the edge of the so-called Sea of Miracles was indeed outer space.
"So, is the Sea of Miracles a ring surrounding this sea region?"
Brad visualized it in his mind and realized Ethan's description was very accurate. He also thought of the adventurers living in the Sea of Miracles, a cyclic ring—forever sailing along this ring, searching for the resources needed to survive.
(To be continued.)
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