After watching the King of the Coastal Seas leave, Shano continued climbing up the rope ladder.
Before long, he reached the very top. Just as he grabbed onto the railing and was about to flip himself over, a dozen arms suddenly shot out toward him.
—Some hooked under his armpits, some supported the crooks of his knees. The boy was completely immobilized, like a freshly caught fish in a bucket, hoisted steadily above the cheering and whistling crowd.
"Eh? Wait, what are you doing!" he cried out in panic.
But no one answered. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Gart smiling as he lit his pipe again, puffs of tobacco smoke drifting his way.
The next second, Shano suddenly felt weightless—and was hurled into the air.
"Whoa—hey!"
"Stop that! Put me down!"
"Whoa—hey!"
"I'm scared of heights… no wait, I just ate! If this keeps up, I'm gonna throw up!"
"Whoa—hey!"
"This is getting ridiculous! Talk about biting the hand that feeds you! If I'd known, I should've let that Sea King eat the lot of you!"
"Whoa—hey!"
"Just eat me too while you're at it!"
…
No one knew how long it went on, but eventually, Shano was finally set down. The world spun around him, and he nearly stumbled straight to the deck.
Those old sailors, doing heavy labor for years, had arm strength that was no joke. He'd been tossed back and forth like a human pinball ride—it felt like riding a roller coaster for a full day.
He had gotten over seasickness quickly enough before, but right now, he felt the urge to lean over the railing and hurl again.
"Amazing, Brother Shano!"
Gart gave him a thumbs up, blowing out a smoke ring with a look full of admiration.
"You really had it hidden deep. I can't believe I doubted you before, treated you like some clueless kid. I must've been blind and senile! I don't even know if I should apologize first or thank you."
Just moments ago, things had been so hopeless and grim that even an old sea captain like him, who'd braved the oceans for decades, was ready to give up and die.
But this boy, despite his young age, had stayed calm and composed, reading the situation with precision and stepping up at the exact right moment, without hesitation.
Gart truly respected this youth from the bottom of his heart. Without even noticing, his way of addressing him had shifted from "kid" to "brother."
"Better start with the apology. No need for the thanks," Shano said as he rubbed his still-spinning forehead. "You make it sound like I was some bystander. I was on this boat too. I just acted to save myself."
"How can you say that, Brother!"
"Yeah, you saved this whole ship of people!"
"I swear I'll never forget you for the rest of my life!"
The crowd erupted again with loud chatter. Someone muttered, "Should we get back to the party?" and was quickly answered with voices like, "You idiot, we were already having a party!" and "That was way too small! Escaping death deserves a real one!" and "Exactly, it's gotta be way bigger and crazier!"
Soon enough, all the voices merged into one, echoing across the deck—
"Throw a party! Throw a party! Throw a party!"
"Alright!" Gart got hyped up too and slapped his thigh with a loud laugh. "Then everyone pitch in and get this party going again! No one leaves tonight—we drink till we drop!"
"Drink till we drop!"
The sailors scattered with cheers, cleaning the party area, hauling booze, slicing meat, putting the tables back together… Judging by their hustle, they'd have the whole thing set up again within half an hour.
Only Shano stood alone in the wind, thoroughly stunned.
No, this isn't right, is it?
We just got slammed around by a Sea King like it was using us as a cup. Shouldn't the first thing we do be checking for leaks in the hull? Or seeing if the keel's still intact?
...
The next day.
When Shano woke up, his head was splitting.
Was this… a hangover?
Harsh sunlight streamed in through the porthole. Looked like it was already noon.
He patted his aching skull, slowly recalling that last night, he'd ended up as the main star of the party—and had been plied with who knows how much alcohol by those enthusiastic sailors.
At first, he drank stiffly, but later… he went nuts. Face flushed red, arms slung around sailors' shoulders, dancing wildly around the campfire, singing nonsense.
What the heck, these people…
He was still underage, wasn't he? How could they let him drink?
As he threw on a crumpled jacket, Shano suddenly froze—this cabin, with velvet curtains, was absurdly large. His old bed could probably be used as a foot mat here. There was even a lemony scent wafting from the private bathroom.
Whoa, they upgraded him. This must be the best room on the whole ship, right?
Compared to the tiny, barebones quarters he had before, this was like going from economy to the presidential suite.
He opened the fridge, pulled out a can of cola, and cracked it open. The fizz of escaping carbonation, followed by the sweet and icy rush down his throat, brought his spirit back to life.
"Oh? Brother Shano, you're awake?"
A sailor passing by heard the noise and called out warmly from outside the door. "Are you hungry? What do you feel like eating? I can bring you something!"
"No need, thank you," Shano replied quickly. "You go ahead and do your thing. If I get hungry, I'll head to the dining hall myself."
"Alright, your call! If you need anything, just holler!"
Once the footsteps faded away, Shano collapsed into the sofa with a flop and eagerly opened his system menu.
Food? Please. He'd just scored a fat stack of points yesterday. The market refresh should be around this time too. Who has time to eat when there's shopping to do?
The deep-blue interface floated before his eyes. Shano skipped past the opening lines and focused on the last two rows.
[Remaining Points: 10,025]
Now he understood why some people liked grinning foolishly at their treasure piles.
Once you have a certain amount saved up, even if you don't do anything with it, just staring at your bank balance brings out a wave of joy and security, as if you're floating in the clouds.
Only after quite a while did he finally look away from the balance.
He turned his gaze to the right, and a new page instantly appeared—product images above, detailed descriptions and prices below.
If something caught your interest, you could add it to the cart. If not, just swipe down with a thought to browse the next one.
This was the trading market.
It refreshed ten random new items every month. As long as you had the points, you could buy whatever you wanted before the next refresh.
At first, Shano had thought it was a system-run store. But he quickly realized…
This was more like a multi-world version of online shopping. Aside from a few system-sold items, the majority were clearly posted by sellers from other worlds.
The stuff on sale? All kinds of weird junk. It was like every world had sent a scavenger to dig up treasures.
Swiping through them felt like opening a mystery box every time.
He really liked this part.
Every month when it refreshed, he'd rush in to take a look.
Too bad he used to be dirt poor. Couldn't afford anything. Just stared longingly most of the time.
Even if something was cheap, he had to weigh every option carefully. Most times he had to painfully pass.
In three years, he'd only bought a breathing technique and basic swordsmanship.
But now?
He was rich.
This time, he was going on a shopping spree. If he liked it, into the cart it went—no hesitation!
Only adults struggle with decisions. He was still a kid—he'd take everything!
With that, he focused in and started browsing the first item.