Drift Of The Multiverse: [Marvel] [Resident Evil] [DC] [Bleach] [DB]

Chapter 230 - 230: Brent's Expedition

"You can count me in."

Just as Ethan expressed his desire to join, another person in the room stood up. Compared to the others, this man appeared quite unremarkable. His appearance was so plain that he would easily blend into any crowd.

He was of average height, about the same as Ethan. There was nothing particularly striking about him, yet he had received Brent's invitation and was standing here, which proved he was a capable adventurer. Because of that, Ethan didn't underestimate him. Instead, he observed him for a moment out of curiosity, wondering if there was anything special about this adventurer.

Noticing Ethan's gaze, the man didn't react with displeasure. He simply returned a friendly smile before continuing to speak with Brent.

"I need to go back and make arrangements for the crew under my command. I'm not sure how many will stay."

By "arrangements," he meant filtering out those unwilling to join the expedition, then paying them a severance fee or something similar.

In reality, captains within an adventuring team held enough authority that they could often decide the next plan of action without consulting the crew.

However, when faced with such clear and significant danger, more considerate captains would inform their crew in advance, explain the risks involved, and let them decide whether to follow or leave.

Those who chose to leave were essentially withdrawing from the team. Since adventuring teams typically distributed their earnings upon return, any severance payout was entirely up to the captain's personal sense of responsibility and wasn't mandated by any rule.

It was clear these two captains were planning to make arrangements for their teams, showing that they were both kind-hearted and valued their subordinates.

"If it's too difficult, you don't have to agree."

"I just think that some things really do need someone to deal with them. If this turns into a huge problem, and no one steps up, it could become a disaster for every adventurer in this region."

The plain-looking middle-aged captain finally shared his thoughts.

"It's best to report it to the guild. If we can't handle it ourselves, the guild will hopefully recognize the danger and recruit powerful adventurers to solve it."

"Thank you for the reminder, Captain Bruno." In fact, Bruno assumed Brent had already reported it, but Brent didn't act as though he had given it much thought.

Bruno and Brent nodded to each other. After saying goodbye to Ethan, Bruno left.

The remaining few people also made their decisions. In the end, none of them agreed to join Brent's temporary expedition team due to various difficulties.

One captain's ship had been severely damaged in their last adventure. It barely made it back and was now completely scrapped. Although he had ordered a new ship, it would be a while before it was ready. Naturally, Brent couldn't wait that long.

Brent expressed his understanding. It was an unavoidable situation and had nothing to do with a lack of willingness to help.

Another adventurer had lost many crew members recently. With only newly recruited sailors left, he couldn't risk such a dangerous operation. Relying on an unfamiliar crew for something this dangerous introduced too many uncertainties.

Even if the captain himself were willing, Brent wouldn't allow him to participate. In the end, they could only part ways.

One by one, everyone left until only Ethan remained. He chatted with Brent a while longer and learned more about what Brent had seen.

"The ocean currents and waves in that area have gotten much more dangerous. They're almost as bad as those in the latter part of the sea. My ship had already been sailing for a while and was in poor condition. In that kind of environment, I didn't dare go in too deep. I could only observe from the edges."

"Did you see anything?"

"There might be an island."

"Might be?"

That word "might" wasn't very reassuring. Was Brent unable to confirm if it was really an island?

"The area was so large that from a distance, I even suspected I was looking at a stretch of endless land."

Ethan was shocked. How big would an island have to be for someone to mistake it for a continent from afar? Regardless, it was definitely much larger than the central island. For such a massive island to suddenly appear on their route...

"Is the entire route blocked?"

"I'm not sure. I tried to go around it, but it didn't work."

"It didn't work? Were you attacked?"

"No. It's just that the ship was in poor condition at the time." Brent shook his head and carefully recalled the details. "Also, the sea conditions were especially bad, so I had to turn back."

After a few more questions, Ethan also bid Brent farewell.

He knew Brent would be staying for a while. Aside from waiting for replies from other captains, he also wanted to give them time to prepare.

Many people, like Ethan, had just returned to the island. Their ships needed repairs, supplies had to be restocked, and some even needed to recruit new crew. Without enough time, there was no way to set sail again.

After leaving Brent's rented residence, Ethan looked around the street again. The scattered adventurers were gone. He was the last captain to leave, and only Selene was still waiting for him.

"What about Logan?"

"Since you never came out, he took Laura back first."

Ethan looked up at the sky. The entire sky had turned yellow. It wouldn't be long before nightfall.

"Let's go back."

Selene didn't ask how it went. She was enjoying her new life and didn't care much about what came next.

"Have you eaten?"

"I drank the artificial blood you made this morning."

It was clear Selene didn't like the stuff. Even mentioning it made her frown. If she didn't need it to survive, she wouldn't even want to look at it.

"I told you, I'll figure out a way to adjust your physique so it no longer rejects normal food. Just hang in there for now. I'll try to solve this soon."

Selene hadn't expected Ethan's earlier words to be serious. But now it seemed he really intended to help her. Whether or not it was possible, she didn't know.

"It's not that hard."

As if sensing her thoughts, Ethan almost patted his chest to reassure her.

"Thanks."

The two didn't continue the conversation and quietly returned to their residence.

The place Ethan had rented wasn't large, but each room was fully equipped and had its own yard—enough for the entire team.

Since he hadn't eaten, Ethan bought some simple food on the way back, filled his stomach, and went to his room.

What he needed to do was, of course, prepare a pool of warm water, add a drop of potion, and soak in it overnight.

While Ethan was getting everything ready, someone knocked on his door.

"Logan?"

Everyone in the building was part of his team. The only ones who'd come to him would be his own crew. Logan's visit wasn't surprising—he was here to stand guard.

"All set?"

Since Diana left, Logan had voluntarily taken on the role of guard for safety reasons. At the moment, he was the only one suitable for it.

Laura was still a child. Loki was the one they needed to guard against. Selene, being new to the team, couldn't be entrusted with this role either.

If Loki wanted to harm Ethan, Selene wouldn't be able to stop him at all—not that Logan could either. But with his immortality, Logan could at least buy Ethan some time.

"I knew you'd be ready soon."

Logan nodded, then placed a chair at the intersection between the bathroom and the room door, allowing him to keep an eye on both directions.

He could've sat right at the bathroom door, but he had no interest in Ethan's body, nor in watching the entire process. As for what might happen to Ethan...

After so many days of continuous strengthening, the likelihood of something going wrong was very low. So his main duty was to guard the front door.

"Mind if I smoke a cigar?"

"Do whatever you want."

Ethan didn't mind. Logan had already pulled out a cigar, sat down, and rested his feet on a cabinet nearby, fully taking advantage of his height.

Logan's behavior might seem too relaxed, even careless. If someone unfamiliar saw him, they'd probably be annoyed.

But Ethan knew that if anything actually happened, Logan would be more reliable than any professional bodyguard. Being immortal, he could afford to be relaxed. He had endured countless serious injuries, and although he never truly died, he came close often enough. The pain was still very real.

Although Ethan had never experienced it himself, no sane person would enjoy that sensation. Logan was definitely mentally sound, so there was no way he liked dying again and again.

"I just have one request."

Just as Ethan was about to lie down in the pool, Logan spoke from outside.

"What?"

"When you come out, please make sure you're dressed."

"..."

Ethan silently lowered himself into the pool. Before submerging his head, he gave Logan a very clear answer.

"Don't worry. I don't have the habit of showing off my body to others."

Especially when the other person is a man.

(To be continued.)

***

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