Chapter 375 - 373: Hidden Danger
Chapter 375: Chapter 373: Hidden Danger
After going back and forth for a long time, and catching two Lanternfish in the process, Faye Yardley finally saw the full silver object. Just as she suspected, it was a Silver Treasure Chest.
But as Faye Yardley tried to retrieve the Silver Treasure Chest, she discovered that her side of the sea was separated from the other by a thin, membrane-like barrier.
If she forced her way through to get the chest, she would break this membrane.
She held a relentlessly struggling Lanternfish up to the membrane and let go. The moment it was free, the Lanternfish didn’t swim forward but instead veered to the left and quickly fled.
’Did the fish sense the resistance, or do they just like to dart sideways after being caught and released?’
’And what would happen if I destroyed this membrane?’
’She didn’t know how far she’d gone, but she was definitely near her island. If destroying this barrier brought disaster to the island, Faye Yardley wouldn’t do it for a mere Silver Treasure Chest.’
Just as she was thinking this, a pitch-black fish head suddenly shot out from behind the Silver Treasure Chest. It stared straight at Faye Yardley with blood-red, bell-like eyes.
From Faye Yardley’s perspective, the head was even emitting black smoke—the very picture of a monster, and a deeply unsettling one at that.
The two stared at each other. Suddenly, the fish opened its massive mouth, and a torrent of writhing black tentacles shot out toward Faye Yardley.
But they were softly repelled the moment they touched the membrane. The creature couldn’t break through, not even when all the tentacles from its maw sharpened into spikes.
Faye Yardley didn’t even move, just watched quietly.
’It seems to be like a beginner’s protection period. No pollutants can appear around a newly claimed island.’
Gazing at the monster fish that was still trying relentlessly, Faye Yardley glanced at the Silver Treasure Chest behind it. After making sure the system had recorded the location, she huffed and swam straight up to the surface.
With the appearance of that strange fish, wisps of black smoke had also started to materialize, a clear sign that a source of pollution was nearby.
’Am I the kind of person who’s desperate for a single Silver Treasure Chest?’
’Still, I’ve marked the location. Ordinary people can’t get here; even those with good physiques couldn’t descend this deep without professional equipment. For now, I’m the only one who could possibly break that membrane.’
’Since I don’t want to break it, and the other side can’t break through no matter how hard it tries, the island’s safety is guaranteed for the time being.’
’But it’s a potential threat, after all. I just don’t know if I’ll be able to find this place again using the system’s coordinates once I’m back on the surface.’
’If I can, I’ll take care of the danger over there ahead of time.’
By the time she returned to the raft, it was already past three in the morning the next day—almost her usual wake-up time.
So, Faye Yardley took a shower, changed her clothes, and went to the kitchen. She opened the fridge, took out a glass of iced soy milk, and took a sip. ’Ah, so refreshing.’
Faye Yardley didn’t expect that Wyatt Thorne and the others would have already started work so enthusiastically before the sky had even fully brightened.
Knowing she had arrived, Wyatt Thorne had come to the dock shortly before 5 AM. It seemed a whole group was waiting for her. If Faye hadn’t spotted them when she went out and headed to the dock to meet them, there’s no telling how long they would have waited.
Once again, she was swamped with the island’s administrative affairs. It gave Faye Yardley a massive headache; ’I’d rather be back at sea quietly fishing for treasure chests.’
Of course, that was just a thought. She still listened intently to their needs regarding all sorts of island matters. ’There are less than two thousand people, and there are already so many issues.’
’If the population grew to over ten thousand, would the problems multiply as well?’
The mere thought of it made Faye Yardley’s head throb.
’I wanted all these people so they could govern themselves, so why am I the one responsible for everything?’
’This is completely unreasonable.’
Wyatt Thorne understood Faye Yardley quite well by now. Seeing her zone out, he knew what she was thinking and couldn’t help but chuckle. ’The Island Master really is just a kid,’ he thought. ’She’s still too young and has no desire for power.’
’But that’s precisely why I’m even more motivated to train her to become a proper leader.’
’After all, Faye Yardley isn’t just the Island Master; she’s incredibly powerful in her own right. Most importantly, she retains a fundamental goodness in her heart. She’s not a bloodthirsty person.’
The morning passed, leaving Faye Yardley feeling dizzy and overwhelmed.
’Unbelievable. A tiny island, just over a thousand people, so why are there so many problems?’
After discussing matters, she treated everyone to lunch in a vacant house at the dock. Then, upon returning to her raft, Faye Yardley felt so dazed that she just flopped onto the sofa in the main living room, not wanting to move.
"Sister, are you okay?"
Faye Yardley shook her head. "I’m not okay. I feel like my head is going to explode."
Willow Yardley brewed a cup of golden Flower Tea using Flower Dew and brought it over. "Sister, drink some Flower Tea to relax."
"Thanks, Willow. I mean, there are so few people on this island, how can there be so many things to deal with? They want me to keep building houses, and they said the research on cars is progressing quickly—modifying them is no problem, but we don’t have the resources to build them from scratch yet. And of course, they said a lot, a lot more... good grief, a whole morning! How could they possibly have so much to talk about?"
Faye Yardley sincerely felt that being a good Island Master was just too difficult.
’And this is with a leadership team helping me manage things; in reality, I didn’t even do that much.’
’I feel more like a mascot around here.’
’My strength is also the source of the islanders’ confidence and peace of mind.’
’Sure enough, Nora Nash was right. To be an Island Master, you just have to be powerful.’
’As for everything else... if you’re not happy with how things are going, you can just replace the management team.’
Faye Yardley drank her Flower Tea, shook her head to clear it, and then said, "I can’t take it anymore. I’m going to the training room. They shouldn’t have any more business for me today. If anything comes up, just take a note for me. Also, tell Kingston and Lucy White to come back early. We don’t want the raft to leave with them still on the island."
"Don’t worry, sister. Those two know what they’re doing," Willow Yardley said with a smile. "You’re really learning to worry about others now."
Faye Yardley’s eyes widened in shock. ’No way. Did I get brainwashed in just one morning?’
’That’s terrifying. No wonder leaders like to hold meetings.’
After just over an hour in the training room, Faye Yardley heard a system notification: [Agility +1].
All that time training had finally paid off.
As long as training was effective, she naturally had more motivation and interest to keep going.
She trained even harder until her time was up, emerging from the training room drenched in sweat.
By now, the raft had already entered The White Mist Zone.
"Lucy White, how long has the raft been in this white mist?"
Lucy White came bouncing over. "Sister, you’re out! We entered this mist zone about five or six minutes ago."
"Did you lead another team to hunt beasts on the island this time?"
"Mhm! Kingston and I each led a team. Hehe, and my team beat his in the end!"
"You’re amazing, Lucy White."