Lord: Sequence Master

At Blackstone Port's Blazing Shadow Trading Company, Rosen used half of his remaining spiritual crystals to purchase a few extraordinary items.

Among them was the Breadfruit Tree Seed, an extraordinary item not even reaching Sequence 9. Once planted and nourished by his spiritual energy, the tree could grow to a meter high and bear over a dozen breadfruits, each the size of a human head. These breadfruits, modified by wizards, were highly nutritious and could meet all of a person's dietary needs.

"If only I had this earlier," Rosen thought, reflecting on the times he had to sketch food in the Mysterious Study Room to stave off hunger.

Besides portable, ready-to-grow food, Rosen also acquired a Sequence 9 Nautical Compass, a Sequence 9 Direction Finder, a Sequence 9 Storage Backpack, and a Standard Spiritual Realm Survival Kit.

The Nautical Compass was essential in case pirates tried to kill him and he needed to swim back to Blackstone Port. The Direction Finder was crucial for orienting himself within spiritual realms. The Storage Backpack allowed Rosen to blend in. Although he had the Mysterious Study Room and could transfer items through the Rose Castle in Masadora, not having a backpack when everyone else did would raise suspicion.

The backpack was filled only with the Survival Kit, which included antidotes, purification potions, healing elixirs, and other useful supplies, many of which were products of the Doctor Sequence. While the Wizard Sequence could also create such potions, doctors had long since monopolized the market due to their superior control over cost and effectiveness.

With the Storage Backpack on, Rosen felt it only weighed about a third of its contents, demonstrating its limits. The backpack had ten times the storage space and reduced weight by two-thirds, making it affordable and mass-producible, though far inferior to higher-level storage equipment. If not for the fact that only those who had awakened their spiritual energy could use it, it might have been available to the general public.

After finishing his shopping, Rosen returned to the tavern and had the owner buy him a ticket for the Black Shark. The last voyage of the Black Shark had seen all passengers perish, so the ticket price was considerably lower this time. Additionally, the pirate factions of Blackstone Port were concerned that consecutive wipeouts would damage their reputation, making the next trip usually safer after such an incident.

Rosen soon received his ticket, which included the sailing schedule and the rules of the Black Shark.

All passengers would be confined to the lower deck, and forbidden from leaving their quarters. They had to manage their eating, drinking, and waste within their cabins, and the use of any extraordinary abilities onboard was strictly prohibited. Violating any of these rules would result in immediate elimination by the crew of the Black Shark.

Rosen understood these conditions. It was clear that the Black Shark was protecting the coordinates of its spiritual realms from being leaked.

Even the lower-ranked crew members were probably under similar restrictions.

After staying at the tavern for two days, Rosen woke early one morning, packed his storage backpack, donned a hunter's outfit designed for jungle exploration, and made his way to the port where his ship ticket indicated boarding would take place.

As the salty sea breeze brushed past him, Rosen observed the Black Shark, the vessel he would soon board.

It was a three-masted ship equipped with both sail power and steam engines. The ship's interior likely had other power sources as well. Rosen knew that all ships required multiple power methods because certain areas of the ocean could render specific forms of propulsion useless.

For instance, there were regions where there was no wind, where water could not boil, or where fire couldn't be ignited.

Without multiple means of propulsion, a ship entering such areas would become stranded.

As more hunters approached the Black Shark, waiting to board, Rosen discreetly observed the other passengers.

They were all clad in hunter's attire, fit for jungle exploration, though it was difficult to discern their exact extraordinary sequences. Most, however, were likely part of the Hunter Sequence, as the Black Shark primarily explored spiritual realms rich in Hunter Sequence resources. The most valuable of these were Hunter Sequence Skill Crystals.

There were about twenty passengers in total, and many of them were already forming teams for the upcoming exploration.

Several people approached Rosen to team up, but he politely declined.

In the end, three teams were formed, and three other individuals, like Rosen, chose to remain solo.

Teaming up offered greater safety, but it also came with risks of betrayal, not to mention the need to consider whether one could outrun one's companions in case of danger. As a result, not all passengers were keen on joining groups.

The solo travelers either had confidence in their abilities or believed they were safer on their own.

As more and more extraordinary individuals gathered at the port, nearly a thousand could be seen waiting by the time over a dozen pirate ships were docked. These extraordinary beings were clearly not all locals from Blackstone Port but had come from nearby inland cities.

"Why aren't we boarding yet?" a young man with brown hair grumbled impatiently.

"It is a bit strange," his teammate remarked with a frown. "Usually, we board right away. This is the first time I've seen so many people waiting at the port."

"You just haven't experienced enough," another teammate chimed in casually. "I've seen this happen a few times before. It's probably because something dangerous, like an extraordinary sea beast, has appeared near Blackstone Port. These pirate ships are likely preparing to sail together to hunt the beast."

He continued, "You don't normally see so many pirate ships setting sail at once. No wonder ticket prices are lower than expected."

As the possibility of imminent danger dawned on the newcomers, some grew excited with anticipation, while others felt nervous and apprehensive, already contemplating their escape plans in case of trouble.

Although the odds were low, Rosen too considered the possibility of the Black Shark sinking and thought about how he might survive.

As the passengers weighed their options, pirate crews descended from their ships, organizing the boarding process.

Rosen handed his ticket to one of the pirates in charge of inspecting them. The tall and thin pirate tore the ticket in half, handing Rosen one portion to keep. Rosen pocketed it carefully—losing the ticket would lead to significant trouble aboard the ship.

He followed the other passengers down into the lower deck, finding his assigned cabin and unlocking the door.

Immediately, energy fluctuations sealed the door from the outside. The cabin was essentially a confined cell, with the only comfort being that the pirates couldn't see what was happening inside. Unless someone used extraordinary abilities, the cabins were essentially iron coffins.

Rosen checked the bedding, satisfied that it was new, then placed his storage backpack down and lightly pressed a hand to the cabin wall.

Soon, the door to the Mysterious Study Room appeared, visible only to him. He opened it and looked through the window inside, hoping to catch a glimpse of the outside world. However, instead of the port or the sea, all he could see was darkness, indicating that the cabin was encased within the Black Shark's hull.

No wonder the intelligence reports had described these cabins as iron coffins, which could even be jettisoned by the pirates if necessary.

Rosen had hoped to observe the situation outside through the window, but now he realized he would have to stay in his cabin and wait patiently.

He could only hope that the voyage would proceed smoothly without any incidents.

(End of Chapter)