Beautiful short hair moved around in the wind of the ocean as Ning stood on the deck of the ferry that was taking him to an island called Deepskull. It was apparently in the shape of a skull and had thus gained the name.
The ferry had picked him, and the rest of the people up at around 11 am and had only been on the move for 2 hours. According to the sailors, the journey would take them about 5 hours in total, so Ning still had 3 more hours to spare.
Most of the people remaining in the city had decided to move as well, only leaving behind the 2 sects. Ning was sure that the two sects couldn't survive without the other people in the city and would soon have to move as well. That would be the end of Starsight city.
"At least the forest will prosper now," he said to himself.
"Doctor Ning?" a timid voice came from behind him. It was a middle-aged man holding a 6-7-year-old girl on his arm.
"Yes?" Ning asked.
"My daughter's fever isn't going down at all. Would you mind looking at her?" the man asked.
"Yes, sur—"
BOOM
A large column of water shot up as a giant octopus monster revealed itself, wiggling its multiple limbs around. Ning looked at the octopus and checked's its cultivation.
He turned around to look at the terrified man and said, "Just a moment." A sword appeared out of nowhere on his hand and soon it started glowing yellow.
He put little force on the ship, and instead mostly used Qi to suddenly jump towards the octopus.
"Wha— " the man looked in shock. However, the shock didn't last long as in a single swing, Ning cut the octopus monster in half.
He manipulated his qi to bring himself back and landed on the ship deck. "Ok, let's check on your daughter," he said.
He quickly felt her temperature, checked if she was sweating, and looked for overall injuries.
"She's fine. It's just a normal fever. Just make sure she drinks lots of water and gets a lot of rest. She will be fine," Ning said.
The man was relieved, "Thank you, doctor," he said and went back into the cabin of the ferry.
Ning stayed outside and looked at the expansive ocean. "I wonder if I traveled through these places last time I was here? Probably not right?" he thought.
Soon he saw land faraway. It was around 4 in the afternoon so the time was correct. "We are finally here," he thought.
As the ferry got closer, Ning could see several people on the beach. Somewhere running around having fun, some were laying down nets to fish, while some were simply swimming in the ocean.
These people were unaware of the tragedy that took place on an island close by, but it was better for it to be that way. Not everyone needed to be aware of the tragedies around them.
The ferry went around the side and docked to the north side of the island.
The island was oriented such that the right eye of the island was towards the north, and the left eye was towards the south. The ferry docked next to the right jaw.
Ning and the rest of the people walked out. There were people ready to take the mortals to a temporary location, while the cultivators were given free reigns.
"Urghh, I wish I could learn about the city quickly," he said as he sighed to himself.
"Hey mister, you want to learn about the city?" A kid said from behind him. Ning turned back and saw that it was a small kid in a simple t-shirt and trousers like clothes.
"Yes, I want to learn about the city," he said. "Are you going to ask for money for that?"
"Of course," the kid's eyes went wide in excitement.
"How much do you want?" he asked.
"Ummm… uh…. 5 silver coins," the kid asked.
Ning didn't understand if the kid was trying to ask for more than he was worth, but he didn't care. "Do a good job and I will give you a gold coin," he said.
The kid's eyes changed from excitement to surprise, but he quickly shook his head. "No, no, no. I can't take a gold coin. Just give me 5 silver coins," he said.
'Hmm… is he really not scamming me? Or is there some other reason why he is refusing to take the money?' he wondered.
Ning took out a silver coin and tossed it to the little kid. "Start talking."
The kid nodded very forcefully and asked, "What do you want to know about first?"
"Geography, city, sects, different powers, stores, anything you can say. If you can give me a lot of information, I will even give you some additional silver coins," Ning said.
The kid started speaking. The Deepskull island was separated into 3 sections, the Jaw, the Right Eye, and the Left Eye.
The Jaw was the major residential area where everyone lived. It was where most of the mortals farmed and grew crops.
Just above the jaw on the way to either of the two eyes was the market area. Shop, guilds, and other such places were there.
Then came the two eyes. Both of the eyes were private properties of the only two sects of the island.
The Right eyes held the sect called the Blue Dragon sect. They were a normal sect that taught any and everything that a cultivator could want to learn. They were only good enough and what they did but that was enough for the different disciples to want to join them.
The Left eyes held the sect called the Red Tiger Sect. They were a bunch of barbaric fellas who did nothing but cultivate their bodies to the extreme. As such, they were one of the only sects in the scattered isles where everyone was a body cultivator.
Ning found both of these sects very interesting.