"Understood." Ian put away the Token.
He took a leather pouch from his Dimension Ring and placed it on the table.
The pouch opened to reveal exactly one thousand neatly arranged High Level Magic Stones.
Each one emanated pure Energy fluctuations.
Derek swept his Spiritual Power over them and confirmed everything was in order.
"A pleasure doing business with you, Lord Gray Moon."
"Likewise."
Ian stood up, ready to leave.
As he reached the door, Derek suddenly spoke.
"Is this your first time going to the Central Continent, Lord Gray Moon?"
"Yes."
"Then... I wish you good luck." Derek’s voice held a complicated tone.
"The Central Continent is completely different from the East Coast."
"It’s larger and more prosperous, but also... more brutal."
"Thank you." Ian nodded and walked out the door.
After leaving the Giant Sail Alliance, Ian didn’t wander around the port.
He walked along the street for twenty minutes and found a remote inn on the west side of the port.
The inn wasn’t large—a three-story stone building with an outer wall covered in vines.
The innkeeper was an old Wizard at the Level One Liquification Late Stage, with graying hair and cloudy eyes.
Ian requested the innermost room on the top floor.
He pushed open the wooden door. The room was not large, but it was clean and tidy.
It contained a bed, a desk, a chair, and a simple washstand in the corner.
The window faced the sea beyond the port, offering a view of the distant, azure Endless Sea.
After setting up a Sound Insulation and Warning Barrier, Ian took several items from his Dimension Ring.
A dark gray Bone Dagger, its surface carved with the badge of the Withered Council.
A black Magic Staff entwined with Resentful Spirits, and several other Witchcraft Tools stained with thick Death Qi.
All of them had been seized from Wizards of the Withered Council.
These items couldn’t be sold directly.
They were too conspicuous.
On the East Coast, anything from the Withered Council was a hot potato.
But the materials within... were very valuable.
Ian sat cross-legged and held his right hand over the Bone Dagger.
In his Sea of Spirit, the pale gold Crystal Core slowly rotated.
The Limit-Breaking Effect of the [Bloodline Purification Technique], "Spirit Devourer," slowly activated.
An invisible suction force emanated from his palm.
From the surface of the Bone Dagger, wisps of gray-black Death Qi were forcibly stripped away and drawn into Ian’s palm.
The Death Qi was cold and viscous, carrying intense negative emotions.
Despair, resentment, madness...
But under the devouring and transformative power of the [Spirit Devourer] ability, these negative emotions were rapidly purified and stripped away.
Only the purest "Essence of Death" remained.
One drop, two drops, three drops...
Finally, all the Death Qi condensed into three thumb-sized drops of dark gray liquid.
They floated in Ian’s palm, emitting fluctuations of pure, dense Death Energy.
Pure Essence of Death.
This was a top-tier material for refining certain special Potions or for cultivating Death Witchcraft.
It should fetch a good price on the Central Continent.
Ian took out three special Crystal Bottles and carefully decanted the essence into them.
Then he moved on to the next item.
Time passed in silence.
Outside the window, the sky gradually darkened.
The port’s lighthouse lit up, its deep blue beam sweeping across the sea’s surface, guiding ships navigating at night.
Ian finished processing all the Witchcraft Tools and put away the refined materials.
He walked to the window and gazed at the distant Endless Sea.
The sea was vast and boundless.
At the edge of his vision, where the sea met the sky, he could faintly make out a few early-rising stars.
That was the direction of the Central Continent.
’A journey of about three months, accompanied by over twenty Level Two Wizards. Two Level Three Great Witches standing guard. And unknown dangers...’
Ian slowly clenched his fists.
His knuckles let out a faint crack.
Beneath his skin, a Jade-like Radiance flowed, and pale gold star patterns faintly appeared and disappeared.
’The powerful physique of a Level Two Wizard, the tempering from the [Furnace Body Tempering Skill], the enhancement from the Star Spirit Blessing... Right now, I’m strong enough to withstand ordinary Level Two Witchcraft head-on. But it’s not enough. On the Central Continent, Level Four Morning Stars are just the backbone. Level Five Radiant Moons, Level Six Bright Suns, and even the legendary Level Seven True Spirits... The road ahead is still long.’
"Ian," Gaga emerged from the shadows and landed on the windowsill. "Are we really going to take that big boat, gaga?"
"Yes."
"Can’t we just fly there ourselves?"
"The Endless Sea is too far," Ian said, shaking his head. "At your top speed, it would still take you several years to fly there."
"Besides, the sea is fraught with peril. Without the protection and supplies of a ship, it would be difficult to arrive safely."
"Oh..." Gaga nodded, only half-understanding.
It looked out at the sea, a hint of longing flashing in its small eyes.
"The Central Continent... what’s it like, gaga?"
"I don’t know," Ian answered truthfully.
"But the Tower Master said it was once the heart of the Wizard Civilization."
"Larger, more prosperous, and more dangerous."
"Oh..." Gaga was silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up.
"Will we get stronger there?"
"We will." Ian’s voice was calm, yet it carried an unquestionable certainty.
"We have to get stronger."
’Although the path of a Wizard... has never been a smooth one.’
Outside, the night deepened.
The light from the port’s lighthouse cast a long ribbon of light across the sea.
Like a road leading to an unknown future.
Ian withdrew his gaze, returned to the bedside, and sat down cross-legged.
He closed his eyes.
Within his Sea of Spirit, the [Starry Sky Festival] began to operate.
The pale gold Crystal Core slowly rotated, drawing cold Star Energy from the Void to temper his spirit and Soul.
He had half a month until he boarded the ship.
’I have to seize every moment to raise my Realm and be ready for anything that might happen.’