After getting disappointed in the Humane Kingdom, Jacob didn't stay for long and left toward the border river. He was going to check the second hideout in the scanner before he ventured on his journey toward the Rare Plains.
The path led toward the Rare Plains was quite far from the Common Plains.
These two places were separated by an ocean called the Star Ocean and the border river was the only source that connected with the Star Ocean in the Common Plains.
However, the border river is also known as the Common River. It was also quite huge as it runs all over the common plains, and finding a correct pathway that directly led toward the Star Ocean was easier said than done.
The Common River not only connect with the Star Ocean but also led to the Rarer Region and even Epic Region if someone was daring enough to start that voyage.
However, without a map, one would only be wasting time and might even end up back where they started.
But just the boats needed to travel in the common river and enter the higher region were quite hard to make much less a boat that could travel in the star ocean which was filled with beasts.
Not only does one needed resources, but also subsequent strength to travel toward higher regions much less crossing the star ocean.
That's why Jacob was hoping to find these skulls' means of transport which was probably quite fast since they could cover years of distance in months.
After he saw the map and some details on the star network about the star ocean, he knew just how difficult and dangerous it was to travel in the star ocean especially crossing two plains.
Because there was a strange gray fog between the border of two plains which the natives called the 'Despair Fog'.
This fog wasn't poisonous but it affects others' six senses, and the strange thing about it was the stronger a person is the greater this fog will affect their senses.
Navigating in the despair fog was almost impossible without special equipment. It spreads over miles, and there was no way around it if someone wanted to cross the boundary between plains.
That was also the reason very seldom someone tried to enter the common plains, it simply wasn't worth it.
As for the common plains, they were even more miserable since it was most difficult for them to cross into the rare plains.
When Jacob got all this information and the map, he was quite worried about how he would be going to cross to the other side. It was then that he thought about how these skulls were to keep coming here without any problem.
So, all he had to do was to find their means of transport which should be in the uncommon region because they should've come straight here without making any stop.
But if he didn't find any means to transport in this hideout as well, then he would have no choice but to go toward the epic region first and build a ship himself.
Or he could just wait around the common rive until the reinforcement of the killer skull society arrives and then snatch their means of transport.
It would naturally make the Killer Skull Society's leader hate him to the core, but he knew this time there might not be just a 1-star being present, they might even send an extraordinary so wasn't willing to take this risk.
Nevertheless, Jacob was quite confident in this second hideout which was close to the common river.
Following the safe and short route, it took Jacob a mere week to cross the rainy mountain ranges this time, and if he didn't need to stop occasionally, the time would've been much shorter.
Afterward, Jacob just needed to follow the scanner's direction which was a few miles away from the dark city and deep within the forest.
Jacob finally stopped in the middle of nowhere, this place was surrounded by trees like any other part of the forest, no one would even think that there was a hidden hideout underneath.
Just like last time, the scanner was the key to open this place and the same function activate the moment Jacob came inside its range.
Although he didn't know how they made these hideouts or they were here, to begin with, he didn't think much about it since they were no use to him after he left this place.
After he unlocked the door which also led to an underground passage but unlike the last hideout, it wasn't a spacious lab but a warehouse!
When the light was up, Jacob was astonished when he saw high-tech firearms, gears, scopes, and cold weapons, there were even those red liquid explosives as well as a blue color one.
Half of the warehouse was filled with weapons, and on the other side was something that made Jacob's smile widen.
There was a small black ship without sails!
Jacob couldn't help but exclaimed, "Jackpot!"
He quickly approached the black ship which didn't have any sails, it looked completely ordinary.
The interior of this ship was also quite plain, there was a large ship cabin separated into two floors.
Jacob headed toward the upper floor which was clearly the control room of this ship, and when he saw a large screen and a black screen panel below the screen he knew this wasn't a typical ship.
Curious, he tried to turn the black screen panel below the large screen, and the moment he touched it, the panel lit up before a string of words appeared.
"Star Watch serious above A-10 model required to activate Black Ship AEER-9322"
Jacob cocked an eyebrow, 'So, even if someone found this hideout and this ship they won't be able to use it without a high-tech Star Watch. It also means this ship is not ordinary.'
The next moment, a black star watch appeared on Jacob's wrist, and the promotion changed on the panel.
"Star Watch Model A-11 has been detected!"
"Connecting with Star Watch…"
Jacob's Star Watch also lit up as a promotion appeared that this ship was trying to connect with it, and after he gave the confirmation the panel suddenly changed, and many functions appeared.
A new black color ship icon also appeared on his watch.
Jacob first saw there was a power meter on the side which was still 75% filled. Then there was the control panel, but what drew Jacob's attention was the Map of Routes.
When he activated it, the big screen above was also activated, and an already installed map with a route appeared.
Jacob's eyes narrowed when he saw the route of this map, and quickly opened the map he was given by A-9999.
After studying it carefully, 'They're the same!'
Jacob's eyes went cold, from the start, he suspected that these map routes were probably wrong, but he never thought they were not wrong but trap!
If he had followed this mapped route, he would've bumped into A-995's party, and it would be game over for him.
Jacob then sneered, and after searching in the map menu of the black ship, he found the option to reinstall a new map and route. He could even navigate remotely, but he wasn't an idiot.
All he had to do was to open that black ship app on his watch and then install a new map in his watch which he already had bought from the star network.
Then Jacob accustoms himself to the controls of the black ship, he wasn't planning on leaving unless he knew this boat was completely safe.
What worried Jacob the most was which power this ship ran, and he was astonished when he found it ran on batteries and they could be charged on their own while moving on water.
It made Jacob again reevaluate the foundation of Killer Skull Society, and his urge to leave became even more hurried.
It took him half an hour to master everything on the black ship, and now he just needed to take it into the water, and he would be ready to sail!
Jacob also doesn't forget about all those weapons and equipment in the warehouse.
He changed into a new black gear and changed every weapon he deemed useless with the new ones and stored them into his pendant while the ones with less use to him, were loaded all in the ship which had more than enough space.
They were probably shipped here in the same way as well.
When Jacob was done emptying the warehouse. He tried picking up the black ship which was probably over two hundred tonnes, and he succeeded!
Jacob again has a deeper understanding of his strength and just how scary a rare-tier-8 physical strength was.
Thereupon, Jacob put the black ship inside the raging common river, but the water current didn't affect it at all since it had already been activated.
Jacob was content with this ship, and without any hesitation, he embarked on it.
He looked at the uncommon region with a reminisced look and mumbled with a faint smile, "Live life with no excuses, travel with no regret!"
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End of First Volume: A Delightful Curse!