"The Western Continent? The Kingdom of Milanía?" After listening to Tiran's description, the captain lowered his head and rubbed his chin, showing a puzzled expression. "I've never heard of it before."

"It's possible that it's called something else, but it's definitely a continent outside of the Dawnland." Tiran replied, as she had never heard of a country like Dawnland being an island outside of the two main continents.

"There is indeed land outside of the Dawnland. Our ships usually go there except for explorers. We usually call it 'Icash'."

"Hmm, I've never heard of it. Does the East Continent or the West Continent have a name like that?" Tiran shook her head. "What about the countries there? Any distinctive religions or something?"

"I'm not sure. We only started trading with Icash in recent years. But there have been large-scale wars happening in Icash recently. Most of the goods we sell to them are military supplies, so we don't have much opportunity to learn more about it." The captain sadly shook his head, taking out a tobacco pipe from his pocket and lighting it.

War? Tiran was puzzled. The war on the Western Continent so far was only between Milanía and Maston, and she hadn't heard of buying supplies from foreign countries - both countries were first-class powers on the Western Continent, and the war had just started, so there shouldn't be any supply shortages. As for the East Continent, although there were hidden undercurrents according to Mo Yi, the Western Empire Chu, which controlled the entire continent, was still relatively peaceful.

So, here comes the question. Icash is neither on the East Continent nor the West Continent. Summing it up...

"I can't possibly have crossed again, right?" Tiran couldn't help but cover her face with her hands and sigh.

"So, any clues?" Shouye, who had been quietly listening for a while, asked curiously.

"It seems a bit puzzling," the captain slowly blew a smoke ring into the air and knocked his pipe against the railing. "But I've never seen hair color like yours before, Miss Shouye. Who exactly is this new friend you've made?"

"I was on a ship, but it got caught in a storm and drifted here halfway." Tiran answered before Shouye could speak.

"A shipwreck? That's interesting. I haven't heard of any incidents in the nearby waters recently." The captain looked at Tiran with great interest and said, "Miss, could it be that you come from some place we don't know?"

"Although I wish it were so..." Tiran forced a laugh. Yes, it would be okay if she had drifted to an unknown place by sea, but if she really crossed again, she would have no tears left to cry. A double crossing? She hadn't seen many people play it that way, and besides, she hadn't even rescued Aya yet!

But was it really possible? The East and West continents had established contact for a long time, and the surrounding sea maps between the two continents had been clearly drawn, updated in real time every year, and none of them marked any place like the Dawnland. The Eastern Star, which she had previously boarded, sailed on the transcontinental route. Even if there was a shipwreck, it wouldn't have drifted so far to an unmarked location on the sea map, right?

"In that case, Miss, would you mind accepting my invitation?" After a moment of contemplation, the captain extinguished his pipe and stretched out a hand towards Tiran.

"Invitation?"

"Yes, an invitation to set sail." The captain smiled brightly. "My ship and I were originally planning to deliver this batch of goods to Icash and then turn to exploration. What could be better than a chance to find this young lady's homeland?"

"Huh?" Tiran and Shouye both looked surprised.

"Don't make that expression, Xiao Shuoye. No matter what, I am a man who braves the waves. Who in our line of work doesn't have an adventurous spirit? It took me a long time to gather this group of brothers under my command. Those who are willing to sail with me on this expedition, we started off without a clear direction, but now we finally have one."

The captain grew more excited as he spoke and said eagerly, "If we really find it, we could leave a mark in the history books, right?"

Could it really be possible? Tiran pondered for a moment. Staying in the country of Dawn, where he was unfamiliar with the surroundings, didn't seem very meaningful. The chances of finding clues would be even greater if they sailed out to sea. Besides, they would have to go to the Icash continent first, and there might be some unexpected discoveries there.

"In that case, I won't hold back. Thank you, Captain," Tiran reached out and shook the captain's hand.

"No need to thank me, no need at all. Now, the cost of sailing is a total of four hundred gold coins. Miss, would you like to pay it all at once or in installments?" The captain's previously determined expression instantly transformed into a cunning one.

"Hey... Weren't you just talking about being a brave man who braves the waves?" Tiran's hand froze in mid-air, feeling somewhat speechless.

"Being a brave man is one thing, but going out to sea still requires money," the captain smirked and scratched his head. "I couldn't get financial support from the nobles I approached earlier, so I had to bring my brothers and earn money by sailing. We have to pay for repairs and equipment ourselves."

"You're quite cunning, Uncle Plank," Shuoye also rolled her eyes at Plank, but she wasn't too surprised. "After all, even as a captain, you're still a businessman."

"It's not about being cunning. Besides, embarking on a risky sea adventure, four hundred gold coins is quite reasonable as a joining fee. And as long as you pay, I guarantee you'll have the best conditions on the ship."

The captain winked at Tiran. How could a man with the appearance of a pirate blushingly make such a gesture?!

"Well, that's true," Shuoye looked at Tiran, nodding in agreement, "Most adventurers have some kind of support behind them. Like Uncle Plank, who is embarking on this journey purely for exploration, really needs a lot of preparation and a large amount of funds."

"Alright, even if I have to find a way to go to sea, whether to pay or not," Tiran hesitated for a moment before agreeing, "But I don't have any money right now, I'll find a way to give it to you when we set sail."

"Alright then, let's meet again in a week. My ship will depart in the early morning after the festival, at this berth."

...

Leaving the harbor dock, Tiran breathed a sigh of relief. Even though he didn't know if they would make any discoveries at sea, at least there was progress, right?

"Thank you so much for helping me out, especially since we haven't known each other for long."

"It's nothing, it's just great to be able to help," Shuoye seemed to be in a good mood.

"By the way, four hundred gold coins... how much is that? I have no concept of the value of money here," Tiran suddenly remembered this important matter.

"It's not something you need to worry about," Shuoye said, "That's why I said that the reward for being a temporary guard is generous. After the seven days, we'll each receive three hundred and twenty gold coins, and I can lend you some, so it will be enough."

"Borrow money?" Tiran pondered for a second and decisively shook his head. "No, that's not a good idea. I won't be able to pay it back if I never return. It's not appropriate."

"But there's no other way for you to earn four hundred gold coins in just a few days... uh, you're not planning to go rob someone, are you?" Shuoye looked at Tiran suspiciously.

"Of course not. Three hundred and twenty gold coins is just the basic reward, right? There's still a bounty, isn't there?" Tiran's lips curled up.

Hey, who was it that said they didn't care about the bounty? Shuoya laughed to himself, silently praying for the current top-ranked brother in the temporary guard team.

Sure enough, not long after, in the central courtyard where the temporary guards temporarily resided, the bearded uncle who had greeted them earlier was foaming at the mouth and lying on the ground, causing everyone around to fall into silence.

One punch knocked him down. Is that kind of speed even human?

"Oh wow, so the chief guard's reward is so generous?" The princess, who was also standing in the middle of the field, swinging her hands without much movement, couldn't help but exclaim after hearing about the reward.

With the bounty added, the total reward would be close to five hundred. Besides paying for the ship fare, there would be some discretion in its use.

Earning money from one's own work is satisfying – even though the so-called work so far has only been beating up colleagues.

"By doing this, I can get the highest reward. Who is in favor, who is against?" Tiran looked around and said, exuding an aura of a mob boss.

Just as the whole venue fell silent, the courtyard door was pushed open.

"Um, excuse me, is Miss Tiran here?"

The door opened completely, and a girl wearing a light green kimono appeared at the door. She timidly stuck her head in and, upon seeing Tiran standing in the center, smiled with delight before waving and running towards her.

"Miss Tiran! As expected, you're here!"

"You...are you Xuanzi? How did you know I was here?" Tiran was somewhat surprised, first making sure she didn't get the name wrong. Indeed, it was the girl who had brought her from the beach to the town.

She wasn't the only one who felt surprised; the other temporary guards also had similar expressions, though their reasons for being surprised were different.

"Miss Hiragi?"

Most of them took the initiative to greet Xuanzi, and after she nodded in response, she ran straight to Tiran. "Uncle Yamabiko told me you were here, and it turns out to be true! It's great to find a job."

"Where did you hear it from Uncle Yamabiko? I apologize for being rude...but who are you exactly?"

"Um, my father is sort of the mayor here?"

Wow, what luck this is, meeting SSR herself as the first person on shore, and she even let her escape. If she knew it was from such a prestigious family, she would have openly mooched off them for food and drink.

––Aya would definitely think that way, right!

Tiran clenched her fist. No, I'm not like Aya. I definitely need to be self-reliant, but there's still a subtle sense of regret.