Navigator: I Have a Legendary Exploration Log

"I refuse!"

Sartre swiftly rejected the bald old man's proposal.

The rapid shift in the balance of power between the two sides caught Chalice off guard for a moment.

"Your refusal is nothing; I'm asking him."

As Jack spoke, he turned his gaze back to Cherries.

"Young man, are you willing to work for me?"

Chalice wanted to refuse outright, but Sartre had already spoken.

"He refused too. Old man, don't think you can boss this person around just because you have the association's backing."

Sartre crossed his arms and sneered, "You have no shortage of trustworthy captains, so why do you insist on finding others to do the work?"

"Because some of the dirty work needs to be done."

Chalice had expected Jack to spout some grand, impassioned rhetoric or some high-sounding moral blackmail.

Unexpectedly, this elderly man, who held a very high position in the Navigators' Association, would be so direct.

Jack said in a relaxed tone, "I know you don't want to get too involved with the association, and you don't want your students to repeat your mistakes."

"But have you ever thought that this is no longer that crazy and free golden age? Nowadays, if you set sail without power or background, you will sooner or later become someone else's harvest."

"Governors from all over the world, the Church of the True God, cross-island trading companies and even various secret societies... all kinds of forces are spread throughout the sea. You can go wherever you want and live however you want just by sailing a ship."

"Stop joking..."

Jack stared at the two of them and earnestly advised, "You're not some greenhorn who's never been to sea and only knows how to daydream."

"To become a bronze captain at such a young age is indeed quite capable. But there are many ships and captains in this sea area, and the one thing that is not lacking is talent."

"Sartre, why were you so disheartened back then, giving up even the Silver Badge you'd pursued for so many years and choosing to retire? Do I need to repeat the reason? Did you want him to suffer the same hardships you went through?"

Sartre was speechless for a long time after the bald old man spoke words of deep sorrow.

Chalice stood like a lackey.

He was very curious as to why Sartre would give up his beloved sailing career and even sell his beloved ship to him almost for free.

But all these years.

Sartre never mentioned the disagreement from back then.

Chalice simply didn't have the energy to dig deeper.

After all, he had many things he was curious about, but what he was most curious about was how to get back...

Nowadays.

Jack himself recounted Sartre's predicament back then.

Chalice then took the opportunity to raise his own questions.

"What hardships did you endure?"

Jack glanced at Cherries and said softly, "The reason is simple."

"The captain brings benefits, but he also takes away the benefits of others."

"The underlying nature of this world is conflicting interests. Without a formidable background, even if you can handle the things in the sea and return with a full catch, you may not be greeted with cheers, but with guns and cannons."

"If we consistently refuse to join any faction and merely register our membership in the Navigators' Association..."

Jack concluded, "The Black Iron Captain has too little to fight for; the association can protect it and doesn't care."

"But the higher the level, the more attention and vigilance the association will place on you. After all, you are only nominally cooperating and are not deeply integrated with the association."

"Bronze and even silver-class captains are fine. As long as it doesn't involve significant interests, other forces will tolerate it to some extent out of respect for the association."

"But a Gold-level Navigator means a Tier 3 Extraordinary Captain, which is the pinnacle of the low-sequence and also the level of an Extraordinary who is about to transform into a mid-sequence."

"Gold-level navigators can serve as governors on some remote islands, or run for the position of leader of a certain force on medium-sized islands such as Simon Island and Maro Island."

"No power can tolerate an uncontrollable Tier 3 Extraordinary being appearing on their territory, especially a captain who also has the abilities of a navigator."

Jack emphasized at the end, "These forces also include the Navigators' Association."

"so……"

After a moment of silence, Chalice spoke, "If I want to break through to the second or even third tier of Extraordinary, will I be intercepted and killed by you or other forces along the way?"

Jack looked into Cheryl's deep gaze and slowly shook his head.

"No, no, no... young man, although we do things unethically, don't think too badly of us. After all, we weren't born killers..."

Jack calmly explained, "We will only block the path to promotion for free captains like you, and not by force, but by secretly cutting off the clues and materials."

"Without joining a faction, you can't advance to the third rank."

"Those extraordinary individuals below the third rank pose no threat to us..."

Chalice opened his mouth, but in the end only uttered one sentence.

"A clever tactic..."

"Don't blame me, child. If you were in this position, you would have made the same choice."

Jack frankly admitted, "If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn't even get to see me, let alone hear me explain these unspoken rules that have been in place for decades."

"You don't need to rush to tell me your choice. You're a smart person; you should be able to make a wise decision..."

Sartre lowered his head, making it impossible to see his expression.

Chalice also kept his head down.

But then he suddenly asked softly, "What if I don't join a faction, and I don't advance my ranks here?"

"I'll go to other islands, even more distant islands! Surely there will be places where we can trade freely?"

"Free trade... Ha!"

Jack couldn't help but shake his head with a chuckle. "It's good for young people to have dreams, but the good thing is that we're all intertwined, and that's also where the bad lies."

"Do you think the governors are at odds with each other? Do you think the churches and merchants in different places don't exchange information?"

"As long as it's an island belonging to human civilization, it's very difficult to escape these rules, except for those barbaric areas outside of civilization..."

"Do you really want to go to the Misty Sea in the east, or even the Dark Sea further east? Don't be silly... Even third-tier extraordinary beings might not dare to go to those seas!"

"But if you want a promotion, you have to cooperate with us. What's wrong with cooperation?"

"Stop talking..."

Sartre raised his head expressionlessly.

Chalice was startled to realize that the old man, who had just been joking around with his old friend, seemed to have suddenly aged.

The back hidden beneath the captain's uniform is not bent.

But it exudes a sense of decline and hunchback, unable to stand upright.

"I agree to your terms, you old bastard. Get me a ship! And bring me that damned badge!"

Sartre’s tone carried an undeniable certainty.

"Buddy... I know you've retired, and I don't mean for you to take any more risks..."

Jack tried to dissuade him, saying, "You are my friend, how could I possibly harm him?"

"You should just enjoy your retirement. I'll assign him low-risk tasks, Sartre. You don't need to do this..."

"An experienced captain is always more valuable than a rookie, right? Besides, a second-tier extraordinary being is definitely more valuable than a first-tier extraordinary being..."

Sartre chuckled, but his laughter lacked warmth.

"Could a mission that I'd risk my life for grant him the possibility of reaching the third tier?"