Chapter 177: Chapter 177: Landing on the Island, and the Pressure Follows
No wonder Kyle Lewis’s mother was so cautious and insisted on speaking face-to-face. After all, they weren’t even "friends" and couldn’t have a private call.
They added each other as friends, and with that, the matter was settled. Faye Yardley agreed to join the expedition, but she still needed to prepare.
She also needed to gauge the mother and son’s combat ability.
If she was really going to act as a bodyguard, she had no experience protecting people—only being protected.
So, it would be best to go after her brother obtained his qualification.
Failing that, she also considered asking Zephyr Sterling to join them.
Leah Chandler didn’t object to her bringing someone else, but she said the group couldn’t be too large, and if Faye Yardley were to invite someone, she would have to provide the Invitation Card herself.
The Token could bring a team of at most five people to the special island, and they already had three.
"Don’t worry, Ms. Chandler. I’ll call an expert. The main thing is that I need to test your combat abilities. How about you each try attacking me? Also, what weapons are you used to using?" Faye Yardley was more concerned with their actual fighting strength. "Or we could test your running speed first. If you can’t win a fight, you should at least be able to outrun it."
"Let’s test our running speed then. I don’t know how to demonstrate anything else, and as for combat power, I basically have none. My best weapon is a High Level long spear, and I’m not very good with it. I also have a Basic Long Blade, but I’m even worse with that than the spear," Leah Chandler said calmly, without hiding anything.
Kyle Lewis scratched his head. "I-I’m not much better than my mom. I used to be terrible at sports, and I’ve only improved a little by exercising every day since I got here."
Faye Yardley didn’t see any issue with this. Exaggeration would have been far more dangerous. "Alright, get ready," she said. "Start running around the raft. Use your top speed, and let’s see how long you can keep it up."
A short while later, Faye Yardley returned to her own raft. She checked the time; it wasn’t even eight o’clock, which meant her brother and the others hadn’t left yet.
Besides, given Kyle Lewis and his mother’s combat awareness, a delay of two or three days wouldn’t change much.
She still needed to find outside help. At the very least, she needed someone who could help keep an eye on the mother and son while she was fighting.
She called Zephyr Sterling and asked if he was free in the next day or two, as she wanted to hire him for an island expedition.
Zephyr Sterling was straightforward and said he was available anytime.
With his agreement, Faye Yardley got two 8-hour Invitation Cards from Eleanor Jonas, simply having the equivalent value in supplies deducted from the dividends she was owed.
She had to admit, having powerful backers made things incredibly convenient.
After a moment of thought, Faye Yardley sent two Basic Body Refining Pills to Leah Chandler, along with the 8-hour Invitation Card.
Leah Chandler’s response was swift. "Faye, you’ve given us too much. Besides, these Basic Body Refining Pills must be incredibly rare. We can’t take them."
"Improving your strength is what matters right now. Just consider it my payment to get on the island."
"We’re already taking advantage of you just by having you agree to come along. This..."
"Alright, alright, don’t drag this out. If you two are stronger, I’ll have less to worry about. After you take the Basic Body Refining Pills, you have to do your best to stay conscious. Enduring for three minutes will maximize the benefits."
"Okay, thank you. In that case, after we get to the island, everything you find is yours. You don’t need to give me a share."
Faye Yardley reminded her, "Add Zephyr Sterling—he’s ranked 7th on the personal combat power leaderboard. He’ll be going with us. Let’s plan on departing today. You and Kyle should take the Body Refining Pills as soon as possible, then get your things ready."
Leah Chandler wasn’t an indecisive person, so she nodded and agreed immediately. "Then let’s depart at eight-thirty."
After hanging up the call, Faye Yardley began her own preparations for the island, also letting Zephyr Sterling know about the plan.
She had to bring the Exorcism Wind Chime she’d just unboxed. An exorcism item was perfect for a cursed island.
Weapons, medicine, and food were all essential.
"Bro, send me some Hemostatic Pills. You should have produced a bunch since this morning, right?"
Ethan Yardley received the message and sent over 10 portions without asking any questions. Along with them came some bamboo and meat buns made by Rainie Yardley.
The Arrows she prepared the day before yesterday were still unused, so she didn’t need to restock this time.
She also packed some windproof rope and Anti-collision Foam Balls.
Then, Faye Yardley went to her workbench to make some torches.
’Fire always brings a sense of security and warmth. I should probably buy a few Fire Pits to keep in reserve, too.’
Faye Yardley even prepared several outfits for all four seasons. Although she would likely only be on the island for eight hours, it was always better to be overprepared.
They said they’d leave at eight-thirty, and at eight-thirty on the dot, they left.
’This is so different from an Ordinary Island Entry Order. Using the Token teleports you there instantly, with no waiting period.’
Leah Chandler’s raft was only Level Five. It wasn’t large, but it was kept very clean and tidy.
"You’re here. I’ll invite you to the party first. Once you accept, I’ll use the Token."
After Faye Yardley and Zephyr Sterling accepted, a temporary party indeed appeared in the system.
The moment Leah Chandler confirmed she was using the Island Entry Order, the scene instantly shifted.
The once-bright sky instantly became gloomy and overcast.
A thick fog surrounded them, obscuring their view of the environment, but the air was filled with the nauseating stench of decay.
Kyle Lewis couldn’t help but remark, "This environment is awful. The visibility is so low it’s practically zero."
Faye Yardley said, "Wait a second. Let’s hang the Anti-collision Foam Balls on the raft before we pull ashore."
As she spoke, she took out four of the foam balls from her backpack, and everyone helped secure them to the side of the raft that would face the shore.
This time, Leah Chandler didn’t say anything polite. Some debts didn’t need to be settled right away.
System-made items were always fast to install. They had all four foam balls secured in under two minutes, and the raft made contact with the island’s dock.
Faye Yardley took out masks, handed one to each person, and put her own on.
"This dock is pretty well-maintained. Does that mean the people on this island use it often?" The part of the dock Kyle Lewis could see looked to be in good condition and was rather clean.
Once the raft was docked, Zephyr Sterling was the first to step ashore. The moment he did, he felt his body grow heavy—the gravity here was stronger than elsewhere.
"Be careful. This place isn’t normal."
Faye Yardley jumped onto the dock as well and grunted in agreement. "It’s not just something you can see now; you can feel how strange it is. I feel completely off, like I’m carrying two extra versions of myself on my back."
’Looks like I’ll have to add gravity training to my regimen when I get back.’
Leah Chandler and her son had a different experience from the other two. They felt slightly constrained but didn’t have any other uncomfortable sensations.
"Looks like it’s relatively friendly to ordinary people," Zephyr Sterling commented. ’If the two of them felt like they were carrying two extra bodies, they’d probably have trouble just walking.’
’Perhaps on this island, the stronger you are, the greater the constraints.’
Moreover, once they stepped onto the dock, the stench of rot and decay in the air actually subsided.
