From the Fountain of Youth in the Caribbean world, Ethan had copied a natural magic circle. Although he hadn't fully analyzed all the secrets of this circle, he had at least grasped part of its principles.
If he were asked to gather life energy from a completely ordinary environment, he might not be able to do it. But with a clear objective, he could still extract life energy and store it in another form.
There were still many issues. Since Ethan hadn't truly mastered this magic, a portion of the life energy would inevitably be wasted—more than just a little, in fact.
But in the face of such a vast amount of life energy, should he just do nothing? It was impossible to simply discard it.
He couldn't absorb it directly either, as he wasn't capable of taking in such an enormous amount. Even if he managed to absorb it into his body, he wouldn't be able to utilize it effectively, and it would end up going to waste.
Relatively speaking, it was better to convert it into the "Spring of Life" and store it. Even if most of it would be wasted, it was still better than returning empty-handed.
Diana and Logan both knew what Ethan was doing, so they quietly watched him work. Only Cleo didn't know what was going on.
When Ethan took out the thick book again, Cleo guessed that the captain of the Goddess of Dawn was preparing to use that strange magic stone device for some unusual method.
Cleo had never seen a book-type magic stone device before. He had only heard about such items, but most of the ones he'd heard of were used for recording and storing data. He had never heard of one being used in this way.
Aside from marveling at how vast and mysterious the world was, filled with things he had never known or even heard of, he had no doubt that the abilities Ethan used did not originate from this world.
Maybe it was because the world held too many strange phenomena, but most people weren't surprised, or even curious, about unfamiliar abilities. Just because they hadn't seen something didn't mean it didn't exist. It only proved that their knowledge was limited.
Having lived in this world for quite some time, Ethan gradually discovered this truth. That's why he could use all kinds of methods without concern and didn't need to worry about being exposed.
The magic circle for gathering life energy was very complex. Ethan worked for a long time and ultimately completed only a simplified and inferior version.
The only optimized feature was the circle's activation speed. The moment Ethan completed it, the immense life energy was drawn in by the circle and gradually condensed into drops of pure water, which then formed a ball of liquid.
This water was composed of the purest life energy. Its effects surpassed even those of the springs Ethan had collected earlier.
If the previously collected spring water from the Caribbean world could replenish vitality equivalent to fifty years with just a small sip, then the current batch could restore vitality equivalent to one hundred years with the same amount.
Though vitality wasn't the same as lifespan, having sufficient vitality could increase one's lifespan limit, and it could also keep the body in peak condition for a long time, an incredibly practical benefit.
Moreover, with such a massive reserve of life energy, Ethan could produce a large number of "blood bottles" to ensure survival for himself and his companions when facing powerful enemies.
So even if the island contained no other resources besides life energy, Ethan still felt like he had struck gold.
Of course, he wasn't the type to hoard everything for himself. After collecting the life energy and bottling the refined Spring of Life, he took out a full bottle and handed it to Cleo.
According to what Cleo had said earlier, all the resources on the island belonged to Ethan, and he would only take what Ethan didn't want. But since the entire island had nothing but pure energy, and Cleo hadn't made any requests, even when he saw that Ethan had the ability to collect and take the energy, he didn't ask for a share.
He had kept his word and stood firmly by Ethan's side in the previous battle, never backing down. This left a good impression on Ethan.
For people like that, Ethan was never stingy. He specifically filled a large bottle of Spring of Life water and handed it to Cleo.
"This is what you deserve."
Ethan stopped Cleo from declining, then walked over to the "body" left behind by the embodiment of life not far away. He pulled out a box and extracted the pure spiritual energy that had yet to dissipate. S~eaʀᴄh the nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
By now, the most valuable things on the island had been cleared out by Ethan. The island had completely become a barren land. Although there were still some plants remaining, Ethan knew that before long, they too would wither and die. After that, the island would be truly empty.
The group returned to the surface and chatted about how the green grass looked different from before as they strolled leisurely toward the shore.
This trip could be considered a complete success.
Both Ethan and Cleo were very satisfied with their gains.
Cleo didn't know how Ethan planned to use the Spring of Life. As far as he knew, the Fruit of Life could extend the life of adventurers, and it was highly valuable to them.
Yet what he had received from Ethan was something even better than the Fruit of Life. So when he was actually given a full bottle, he couldn't believe it.
He wasn't completely unmoved, it was just that he had kept his promise and didn't want to go back on it, so he had held himself back from saying anything. When Ethan handed him a full bottle of spring water, he even suspected he was hallucinating.
After safely storing the bottle, the group finally arrived at the edge of the island and prepared to part ways. Cleo returned to the Eternal, while Ethan boarded the Goddess of Dawn.
Presumably, both parties would rest for the night and leave the island the next morning, either continuing their voyage along this route or returning directly to the Central Island.
Since the cooperation had gone smoothly, Cleo made a solemn promise: "If you need help, just leave a message in the guild. As soon as I get word, I'll come find you immediately."
"If the time comes, I won't hold back."
Ethan didn't have many acquaintances in this world. Only a few had really interacted with him, and only three had left a lasting impression.
Helena, who led a group of women across the sea and refused to submit to any man.
Brent, who had a good reputation in the Sea of Calm and surrounding regions.
And now Cleo, with whom he had just collaborated.
Compared to Helena and Brent, perhaps only this newly met Cleo could be called a friend.
Watching Cleo board the Eternal, Ethan, along with Diana and Logan, returned to the Goddess of Dawn.
As soon as he got back on the ship, Ethan headed straight for his workshop. The Spring of Life water didn't require further processing for now, but the extracted spiritual energy had been collected too hastily and needed follow-up work.
He also had to carefully examine the spiritual energy to make sure there were no hidden dangers before he could safely store it away.
By the time he finished all this and left the workshop, the moon was already high in the sky.
Surprisingly, neither Diana nor Logan had gone to their rooms to rest. They were sitting on the deck, enjoying the cool sea breeze and watching the starry night sky.
When Ethan came out, Laura was already asleep on Logan's leg, while Diana and Logan quietly drank and chatted.
"What are you two talking about?"
"The night sky in this world doesn't look any different from Earth's, does it?"
Ethan sat down on the deck. He had never really paid attention to such things. To him, the night sky looked the same. Besides, this wasn't Earth. He hadn't learned how to identify constellations or navigate by the stars. Out here in this sea, they were either wandering around aimlessly or sailing straight ahead using the pointer. There wasn't much worry about getting lost.
"Honestly, if it weren't for the lack of familiar constellations, I'd think this was Earth."
Diana had been looking for a long time but couldn't find any constellations she recognized. Even the few that looked familiar turned out to be different upon closer inspection.
Logan wasn't interested in these topics and didn't know much about them anyway. He was just drinking and enjoying the breeze. Besides, Laura liked listening to Diana's constellation stories, so he stayed by her side. In the end, Laura fell asleep. Even if he wanted to leave, he couldn't.
"Is everything taken care of?"
"There's no problem. Just being cautious." Ethan looked at Diana—Zeus's daughter—and as the conversation touched on constellations, he couldn't help but think of that world. "Speaking of constellations, I know a world of Olympian gods where the goddess Athena holds eighty-eight sets of armor, each named after a constellation and possessing immense power."
"Oh? That sounds really interesting." Diana might not care much for clothes and dresses, but if the topic was weapons or armor, she became especially intrigued. "That sounds fascinating. I'd love to see them with my own eyes."
"There'll be a chance." Ethan had only casually brought it up, but he didn't think it would be difficult. Even if he couldn't reach that world, he could always create a version himself.
He believed that as his strength continued to grow, even a copy wouldn't necessarily be inferior to the original. But another question lingered in his mind.
"Which one suits Diana?"
(To be continued.)
***
For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on patreon to read 30+ advanced chapters: /Blownleaves.