Lis hugged Mahya and told her quietly, "Take care of John; he'll be lost for a while."
"Don't worry, he's my friend too."
"Also, take care of yourself and keep learning and progressing, but don't do stupid things anymore. Think before you act."
"I promise, Sensei," she replied w...
2024-06-16 10:22:03 +0000 UTC View PostAccording to my calculations, our voyage from Arno Atoll to Hawaii should have taken three or three and a half days at the most, but no one told the ocean that, so it was unaware of the fact and did as it pleased.
In the initial two days, the wind kept changing direction. At first, I tried ...
2024-06-15 18:50:12 +0000 UTC View PostAbout an hour after we sailed from Guam, a fog started. Initially, the fog appeared as scattered pockets with areas of more visibility. But gradually, the fog became thicker and thicker until it seemed as if we were sailing through milk. The wind completely stopped, and a creepy silence enveloped...
2024-06-14 14:36:32 +0000 UTC View PostSteering was boooriiing!
I tried to keep reading while steering the helm, but it was impossible. Although I could split my mind, I couldn't split my eyes. Trying to come up with something else to occupy myself with, I remembered my Storage. In Shimoor, I used to sort through it occasionally...
2024-06-13 12:38:48 +0000 UTC View PostWhen I woke up, something felt different, but it took me a minute to figure out what; I didn't feel the engine's vibration. When I went to the saloon, I glanced out the window and saw that we were in a marina, which completely confused me. I saw Mahiya sitting on the front deck of the boat, appro...
2024-06-12 17:09:14 +0000 UTC View PostIt felt like déjà vu, but in a weird, backward way. Mahya and I retraced our steps from two days ago and arrived at the same spot where we had previously stored the boat. It took almost five hours before there were no boats or ships around, but finally, the river was clear. I was SO&nb...
2024-06-11 17:22:29 +0000 UTC View PostWe were on the other side of the Gate for eight days, and ten days passed on Earth—the skip wasn't bad.
When I presented Alfonsen with the plants I had collected, his eyes widened in awe. "Where did you find these magnificent specimens?" He asked, his voice full of admiration.
"Beyo...
2024-06-10 12:57:24 +0000 UTC View PostAt breakfast, Mahya said to me quietly, “Cast Privacy, please.” After I did, she continued, “I think we should stay here for a few days. Fusing all the crystals will take time and mana, and we can regenerate on the other side of the gate.”
“You are welcome to stay and use the Gate...
2024-06-09 17:05:22 +0000 UTC View PostWhile standing by the Gate in the morning, Mahya exclaimed, "Shit, we forgot Lis's advice about getting better armor. John, would you mind lending me armor again?"
I handed her the armor she had previously used and asked Alfonsen, "Do you have armor?"
He replied with a "yes" and retri...
2024-06-08 17:24:49 +0000 UTC View PostI wanted to store the boat, but there were people around all the time, so finally, we locked the boat tight, paid extra at the marina for additional security, and took a taxi to the outskirts of Shanghai.
Opting for a more adventurous mode of transport, we took out our bikes and set off, Ru...
2024-06-07 10:56:57 +0000 UTC View PostThe morning we planned to leave Shanghai, I had a great surprise waiting for me—a message from Lis.
___________________________
TR. LM
"Inventor, Versailles, Hungry, Clueless"
Hello, my dear friends. I hope you are well.
First and foremost, the D...
2024-06-06 19:54:17 +0000 UTC View Post
Authors note
I uploaded two picture collections to the Traveler's Photo Album collection and even figured out how to do it without spamming your e-mail.
So, if you like the scrap-book, head over there to see.
_------------------------- 2024-06-06 15:17:37 +0000 UTC View Post
On our first day in Zhenjiang, Mahya first dragged us to a baby wipes factory and bought a ton of wipes. No, I'm not exaggerating; she bought one ton of baby wipes.
"Why do you need so much?"
"I converted the Clean Spell to an engineering skill. I need something to clean with, and the...
2024-06-05 14:30:41 +0000 UTC View PostI was sitting on the deck, enjoying the sunset, when Mahya approached me.
"Did you make the list that Lis advised you to make of everything you need to do?"
"No ... why do you ask?"
"I need you to add something when you finally make the list."
"What?"
"Some kind of w...
2024-06-05 08:38:25 +0000 UTC View PostI had just spent a thousand mana to learn another book's language to find more information about familiars, when I heard Mahya cursing, "Stupid, archaic piece of junk!"
And when I heard Rue shouting in my mind, "Fix! Fix!" I went to investigate.
"What happened?"
"We were watchin...
2024-06-03 15:58:29 +0000 UTC View PostI was channeling Restore into the boat's body when Mahya came to me and asked, "Did you check the archive today?"
"No, not yet."
"You should."
"A message from Lis?"
"No."
I opened the Archive and saw the message she was referring to.
______________...
2024-06-03 11:39:28 +0000 UTC View PostAuthors Note
I had some requests to have a visual representation of the ritual John preformed with Stretch/Rue.
Finally, I managed to create something. So, if you're curious, head to chapter 52 and look at the bottom.
___________________________________________________
In the initial days following Lis's departure, Mahya and I felt sad and down at the hotel. To process my emotions, I played my guitar but didn't sing or learn new songs. He was my first real friend ever, and I had no experience with saying goodbye to friends. My wife's death broke me, and this go...
2024-06-02 13:36:14 +0000 UTC View PostWhen Rabban crossed the Gate, a metal cage dropped from above and locked him in. Despite his efforts to retrieve a weapon, he encountered difficulties accessing his Storage. Something was blocking his mana usage, and he sensed a field of some sort. Despite his attempts to access the Archive, he w...
2024-06-01 16:10:16 +0000 UTC View PostWe used the E-foils to get to Yangshuo, and it was FUN!
We sped down the river at a high speed, frightening some fishermen. Rue nearly collided with a boat, which I believed was intentional to express his feelings towards them. Meanwhile, Alfonsen showed impressive athleticism by performing...
2024-05-31 21:27:25 +0000 UTC View PostHi everybody,
It’s not part of the story, so if you’re not interested, don’t read.
Last week, I experienced firsthand that “friends are awesome.”
For three years now, I have been working as a translation subcontractor for an Israeli start-up company for Internet adver...
2024-05-31 14:50:46 +0000 UTC View PostI continued working with Lis, teaching him all my Healer spells. After each spell, Lis usually needed a day to regenerate before we would move on to the next spell. During his breaks, I continued to practice with stones and had five stone balls in my fruit basket—or maybe now it was my “stone...
2024-05-31 10:59:37 +0000 UTC View PostI was very excited to show everybody my stone ball; they were impressed and thoroughly examined it.
“Excellent, let’s try teaching spells,” said Lis excitedly, rubbing his hands.
We went outside, and Lis said, “Show me the parts of your personal information that have spells....
2024-05-30 08:52:40 +0000 UTC View PostLis managed to find a local who was willing to take us on his boat along the Li River in search of a suitable parking spot for our houses. Fortunately, he had studied Chinese for all his Tai Chi books, a skill we didn't prioritize as most people spoke English.
When Rue saw the boat, he yell...
2024-05-29 13:40:35 +0000 UTC View PostAfter Alfonsen finished with Human Rights, I had him read the Magna Carta, the Constitution of the United States, and the United States Bill of Rights. After he finished reading each document, we talked about it, I answered his questions and helped him understand how it applied to the system of g...
2024-05-28 15:32:03 +0000 UTC View Post
