Truth of the World?

"Save them?"

If it had only been Brent, he might have been bluffed by Beckford’s words. But Yinsen was here as well, and he knew exactly what Beckford’s subordinates had done.

"Turning people into undead creatures counts as saving them?"

Beckford looked at Yinsen again. He did not refute Yinsen’s words, instead turning to face him.

"Their strength is too lacking. If they were outstanding and powerful adventurers like you, naturally they would not become such lowly undead creatures."

Beckford’s words still carried no emotional fluctuation. Yinsen did not know whether Beckford himself was like this, or whether the vessel he had chosen could only mechanically ‘relay’ Beckford’s words in such an emotionless tone.

"I sincerely invite you to join my group. Let us work together for the future of the ‘real people’ in this world."

Yinsen’s brows twitched. He cared greatly about what Beckford meant by ‘real people,’ so he immediately asked.

Unfortunately, the answer differed somewhat from what he had expected. Yinsen had thought the so-called ‘real people’ might possess some special bloodline, but Beckford’s answer was actually Survival of the Fittest. Only the strong were considered human by him; the rest were no longer considered people.

"The greatest meaning of their existence is that they can provide assistance to those truly fit to survive."

"…"

For some reason, Brent felt a little cold. In fact, he was not the only one who felt that way. The commotion here had long drawn everyone’s attention, and many people had already gathered around. From Beckford’s perspective, he could naturally see the growing number of adventurers, most of whom were ‘worthless existences.’ Yet he continued speaking in front of everyone without the slightest reservation.

"Perhaps you do not understand now, but once you truly learn the Truth of the World, you will share my thoughts."

Rarely, Beckford’s words carried the slightest trace of emotion. Yinsen knew those words were directed at him, and everyone present knew it as well.

"You’re that certain?"

"…"

This time, Beckford was the one who fell silent. Whether he did not want to answer or could not answer was unclear. Then, with a distortion of the translucent figure, the undead finally shattered and vanished.

Even at the very end, Beckford had not revealed what that so-called truth was. Perhaps he wanted Yinsen to uncover it himself?

Beckford’s appearance and disappearance had been brief, and he had not said much, but his words had created a tremendous impact.

Brent was almost no longer concerned with what they should do next. Everyone was agonizing over what the Truth of the World could possibly be, something that had turned such a powerful adventurer into this kind of person.

"Beckford used to be somewhat arrogant, but he didn’t have this kind of personality. What exactly is this so-called Truth of the World?"

Only Yinsen and Blade stood beside Brent. By this point, the group was mainly composed of three factions: the crews under these three captains, along with a small number of scattered crew members gathered from other captains.

Before reaching this place, Brent had been the leader. Now, whenever Brent encountered difficulties, he liked to ask Yinsen. That was the respect Yinsen had earned through absolute strength, and Yinsen did not think there was anything wrong with it.

Whenever the three captains gathered to talk, the crew members would consciously keep their distance. Even if they did not want to, Logan and the trusted subordinates of Brent and Blade standing nearby would make them move far enough away.

Blade, who had remained silent ever since Beckford appeared, finally spoke. The moment he opened his mouth, Brent and Yinsen were both shocked.

"The truth is… there is no Endless Land."

"What?"

Both Yinsen and Brent looked at him in astonishment, unable to understand why he would say such a thing.

Although Endless Land had always been regarded as an unfounded rumor, it was still the driving force behind countless adventurers pressing onward toward the end of the sea. If not for the desire to set foot on Endless Land, why would they keep striving to break into the next sea region?

Yet Blade was now saying that Endless Land did not exist. That was equivalent to robbing every adventurer of the motivation to continue struggling.

Without Endless Land, was there any need for them to risk everything to challenge this Death Route? Was there any need to risk shipwreck and death to cross the Stormy Seas? They could remain in this sea region and live peacefully. With their strength, they could live very well. Ordinary adventurers simply had no ability to compete with them.

"Why are you so certain?"

Blade fell silent for a while, seeming to struggle with something, but in the end, he decided to speak.

"Because I came from the Sea of Miracles."

"The Sea of Miracles?" Yinsen had heard that name from Beckford before. "You mean the next sea region? It’s called the Sea of Miracles?"

When ordinary people heard that name, their first thought would be that the sea was filled with all kinds of miracles, which was why it bore that name.

But Blade’s first words denied that assumption.

"Everyone in that sea region is constantly praying for a miracle to happen…" Blade shook his head helplessly. "Only a miracle can save all the adventurers who have no idea where the road ahead lies."

"They don’t know where the road ahead is?" Yinsen immediately grasped the key point. "There are no new sea regions beyond the Sea of Miracles?"

"No." Blade shook his head. "The Sea of Miracles is the end. There are no new sea regions."

Yinsen thought of the Stormy Seas surrounding the several Seas of Tranquility and their current sea region. "What is around the Sea of Miracles? Is it also surrounded by the Stormy Seas? If so, has the Stormy Seas become even more terrifying, to the point that no one can cross it?"

He wanted to know more. If the Sea of Miracles was also surrounded by the Stormy Seas, then the claim that there was no road ahead needed to be questioned. Perhaps those adventurers simply lacked the strength to cross the Stormy Seas’ blockade. Or perhaps the Stormy Seas around the Sea of Miracles was unlike the previous two, which had deliberately left a passage for adventurers, and instead required them to directly challenge the most terrifying part of the Stormy Seas.

But Blade’s answer made Yinsen understand that reality was nothing like what he had imagined. The situation was far worse.

"Around the Sea of Miracles? There’s nothing… nothing at all!" Blade seemed somewhat agitated. Perhaps he had recalled something, because his voice rose several notches. "There’s nothing at all. No seawater, no land, not even air!"

His suddenly raised voice drew the attention of some people nearby. Realizing this, Blade tried hard to control his emotions. After taking several deep breaths, he calmed down.

"Sorry. I remembered what it was like when I first saw that place."

Brent said nothing, but he showed that he understood. To discover that everything one had eagerly hoped for was merely an illusory rumor—he would feel like breaking down too. In fact, he was already close to breaking down now.

Yinsen was much better off. He had too many trump cards, with countless planes available for him to choose from. Although he could currently only remain in a given plane for one year, as his control and understanding of the Traversing Magic Array deepened, he would eventually turn that magic array completely into his own magic. At that point, he could stay in any world for as long as he wished. The so-called Endless Land held far less attraction for him than for others.

Besides that, Blade’s description also concerned Yinsen greatly: no water… no land… no air…

"What is this? Outer space? But beyond the edge of the sea is outer space…"

Yinsen suddenly remembered that Loki had once told him this world resembled Asgard, and wasn’t Asgard exactly this kind of existence?

So this world was flat, perhaps with a certain degree of curvature. That would explain why, while sailing, distant ships appeared just as they would on a planet, emerging bit by bit from their highest points.

"An entire ocean, divided into several regions by storms… That doesn’t sound like a good place."

Yinsen had some vague guesses, but without real evidence, he did not want to voice them.

Still, the environment that seemed to be outer space was obvious enough. There was no land and no water, but how did Blade know there was no air?

After Yinsen asked his question, Blade gave him the answer directly.

"At first, I heard it from other adventurers, but I didn’t believe it, so I specifically went to verify it myself."

"How?"

Blade’s method was not difficult. It could even be called simple. He caught several animals capable of flight, went to the edge of the Sea of Miracles, and let the animals fly into the distance.

"To determine the exact situation, I deliberately tied ropes to those animals so I could pull their corpses back and determine their causes of death."

Blade shook his head helplessly. "Aside from some that suffered frostbite from the cold, most died of suffocation due to the lack of air… Also, after those creatures died, they did not fall. They floated there until we pulled them back near the sea surface, where they suddenly dropped."

Listening to Blade’s description, even with Yinsen’s limited knowledge of space, he could be certain that the edge of the so-called Sea of Miracles was outer space.

"So, the Sea of Miracles is a ring surrounding this sea region?"

Blade sketched it out in his mind and realized that Yinsen’s description was extremely accurate. Moreover, he thought of the adventurers living on the Sea of Miracles. They too were trapped in a repeating ring—sailing around it forever and ever, searching for resources that would let them survive.