Chapter 288: Please Name the Island
Faye Yardley didn’t really have any "direction" to adjust. She hadn’t even eaten that bowl of Illusion Fish from before. Ludo had said the Illusion Fish could help people find their way forward, but that wasn’t exactly the problem she was facing now.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t find her direction; she was simply adjusting to the discomfort brought on by the disparity in her body’s Attributes.
’After all, she had so few of them. She had to be frugal.’
Calming her mind, Faye Yardley found an empty spot in the small garden, sat down cross-legged, and began her Cultivation of the Health Care Scripture.
’She had to admit, it was ironic. Hailey Miles had tried to kill her, and in the end, it only resulted in Faye obtaining the incredibly practical and useful Health Care Scripture.’
Pushing aside all distracting thoughts, Faye Yardley calmed her mind and quickly became immersed in her Cultivation.
Bramble branches quickly descended, encircling her in a protective barrier.
Meanwhile, the people who had received the system confirmation were on edge. After carefully reading the terms and agreeing, there had been no further response.
Waiting was, at times, truly agonizing.
Wyatt Thorne sized up the man-high crate beside him for a long moment before speaking. "We can only take this one crate to the island. Don’t stuff it with bulky things like quilts. We can just have Commander Pierce of the First Legion bring those over for us later."
"Grandpa, you’re trying to get our Pierce to do your manual labor?" Barrett Thorne said as he packed potions, Body Refining Pills, and other similar items into special containers.
"And why not? He has to help deliver all our quilts and clothes anyway. If we only bring this little bit with us, life on the island will be tough."
"So after we get to the island, we really won’t have our backpacks? Or the system?"
"Of course. Didn’t I have you read the notice out loud to everyone? And now you’re asking such a dumb question."
Barrett Thorne chuckled. "It’s just... it’ll be hard to get used to."
"What’s there to get used to? We all lived just fine before we had any of this ’system’ and ’backpack’ business." Wyatt Thorne patted his chest. "But being able to keep this strong body of mine is truly a joyous occasion. The same goes for you. Once you’re disconnected from the system, the only thing that’s truly yours is your own body. Don’t get too reliant on external aids."
Most of the people who, like Barrett Thorne, were saying it would be a difficult adjustment were the younger ones. After all, having a backpack made everything so much more convenient. You never had to lug bags around when you went out, and you could even take enemies by surprise.
"Oh, and pack two fishing rods for me. And buy some needles and thread from the Trading Market. I wonder if these rods will still be able to catch fish without hooks or bait once we leave this place."
Barrett Thorne shook his head. "Definitely not. I’ll buy some extra-large needles and bend them into hooks ahead of time. That’ll make it easier for you later, Grandpa."
Leo Sloan thought this was a wonderful opportunity. His entire family could reunite on the island, including his wife, whom he hadn’t managed to find out on the vast ocean.
Even if they lost the conveniences of the system, he believed that as long as his family was together, their lives would only get better.
"Dad, let’s use one crate for food and tools. I’ll swallow my pride and ask the group leader to help us transfer our clothes, shoes, and quilts. Since we’re losing the system, furniture blueprints and the like probably won’t be usable anymore. We need to hurry and buy everyday tools from the Trading Market—spatulas, hoes, shovels, axes, everything."
As he spoke, Leo Sloan started packing away any weapons they might need. They couldn’t forget all the different medicines, either. The system-made medicine was extremely effective, and it would likely be much harder to acquire more in the future.
’He couldn’t just keep bothering the group leader for everything just because he knew her.’
’Once they were on the island, he’d just be a regular person.’
"While we’re still on the raft, everyone should hurry and take another Basic Body Refining Pill."
At his words, both Mr. and Mrs. Sloan grimaced, but they knew their son was right. Even their young granddaughter would need to take one.
But the pain it caused wasn’t something one could simply endure.
"We can’t arrive on the island only to find out our family is the weakest one there. Besides, once we’re there without the system, a strong body will be more important than anything."
Leo Sloan picked up his daughter. "Our Annie is a brave little girl, right?"
"Mhm," the little girl nodded emphatically. "Very brave."
Many people longed for the chance to go to the island and live a life on solid ground. This was especially true for those with aquaphobia; it was a miracle they hadn’t been scared to death already.
Whatever their reasons, the people who had agreed to move to the island were all busy, nervously preparing the belongings they would take with them.
As for what would happen to their rafts, that wasn’t something they had to worry about.
「The night passed quickly.」
Faye Yardley’s eyes snapped open at 4 a.m. sharp on the 12th. She hadn’t expected to have spent the entire night sitting outside in Cultivation.
The results were, of course, excellent. She felt clear-headed and brimming with energy.
The instant she opened her eyes, Bramble retracted its branches.
Gazing at the sliver of light on the horizon, Faye Yardley stretched lazily. "Today is going to be a beautiful day."
「By 6 a.m.」, Faye Yardley was eagerly inviting Master Veridian over.
"Master, I’ll be counting on you for the next part. Just tell me what materials you need."
"This is about to be your territory, so of course you’ll be the one providing the materials. Speaking of which, aren’t you going to reimburse me for the materials for that larger Array last time?"
Faye Yardley blinked. "Master, what are you talking about? If your experiment hadn’t succeeded last time, I would have just found another way to get an Array blueprint. Then I’d provide the materials and let the system finish it with one click—perfectly, without any mistakes."
Master Veridian laughed in exasperation. "So I was just your backup plan? Fine, should I just leave now?"
Faye Yardley quickly grabbed the Master’s arm and laughed. "No, no, please don’t! I’m counting on you for everything, Master. Here, look, this is the second version of the town plan. Take a look and just let me know if there’s anything else you need me to do."
As for the matter with the Psionic Elephant herd, she wasn’t even going to bring it up. Faye was dead set against reimbursing him for anything. ’I gave you a place to run your experiments, and you didn’t even pay me a facility fee,’ she thought.
In truth, Master Veridian had no intention of actually leaving. He was just starting to get a feel for arranging Arrays and had some new ideas he was eager to test.
On the raft, all he could do was sketch out ideas; there was no room for any practical application.
"This second version isn’t substantially different from the first. It’ll do," Master Veridian said after looking it over. "Alright, let’s head to the island. You’ll need to lend a hand, too."
Faye Yardley had originally thought the task would take two or three hours at most, but once they started, they ended up busy for seven full hours.
Once the Array was successfully laid out and two Energy Stones were placed within it, the Array visibly activated. A flash of white light flared out before quickly fading away.
[Island Master Quest 6 complete. Congratulations, player, on completing the Island Master quest chain. You are now the Island Master of Island No. 3333. Please name your island.]