Max and Sophia Slowly sailed towards the island and reached the domain of the island lord who rule the island.
Unlike the clear chaotic ocean which he has travelled so far, Max found that the ocean water here is still and clear with minimal waves which allowed smother travelling of the ship without any up and downs.
There are also lot of colorful fishes which aren't present in the chaotic ocean, and many were not afraid of the ship and started swimming along sided the ship joyfully
As Max observed the ocean and jotted down details, the system interference activated, sending him a notification about his arrival in the island territory. It also cautioned him to follow the rules set by the lord of the island.
Breaking the rules and causing chaos will lead to the expulsion of ships and their captains, while committing crimes will result in the ship being confiscated as punishment, and the offenders being captured as slaves of the lord.
Bellow there are also rules which were clearly indicated:
1) Any kind of violence is prohibited
2) Any kind of malicious act that could possess threat to the lord's domain is prohibited.
3) Taxes were to be paid by the ship captains only when they sold their goods, and the amount was to be standardized regardless of the range of goods being sold on the island.
4) Ship captains are not allowed to move on the island after night 10'o clock without the permission of the island lord and cooperate in maintaining the security of the island.
5)Every ship captain has to register in the island exploration guild upon entering the island or leaving the island.
6) Good must be sold only to the merchant guild which the regional lord has set up and registering in the merchant guild as merchants can decrease the amount of tax to be paid after the sale of the goods on the island.
The rules are crude yet precise, as ship captains have no way to determine what actions might harm the island lords or benefit the island; everything relies on the interpretation of the island lords.
If one day island lords don't like you and you have to pack up and leave and never return to the island as you might become a slave, the next you come here.
Of course, there will be cases where island lords make false accusations, but ship captains can compel the system to intervene and judge the case based on the facts. If the island lord loses the case, he will have to pay a hefty price to the ship captain, and if the case and damage are severe to the ship captain, he might even lose the island he owns to the ship captain.
This will allow the ship captain to handle pressure caused by the island lords who has many resources at their disposal, as the system relies on both island lords and ship captains in the chaotic sea to achieve its purpose. If every ship captain loses their ship and becomes a slave due to false accusations, there will be no free adventurers left in the world. It will turn into an island lord system, solely focused on the lords who cannot leave their islands.
Soon Max noticed his message bar flash and read Sophia's message, indicating she had received a notice about entering the island lord's territory from the system, along with the rules to be followed there. She also expressed unease about the rules, as they were never clear and always depended on the island master's interpretation.
Max said a few words to calm her and reassure her that the system has strict rules that the island lords cannot bend. If a lord is unreasonable, they can request the system to judge the case, which might provide the right answer, but it would mean severing ties with the lord of the region from that point on, which might be the best decision.
Sophia paused for a moment, realized that Max was right, and felt a sense of calm. She thanked him for clearing her doubts and looked forward to meeting him in person on the island.
Max glanced at the ship cruising alongside him at a certain distance, smiled, ended the chat with Sophia, and began to peacefully observe the ocean.
Perhaps due to the strong wind blowing since this morning, the ship surged forward at an incredible speed, covering 100 kilometers in just one hour and bringing the island into view.
It was a small island capable of housing a large city with a population of 100,000. Surrounded by forests, the city sat on an elevated surface over 500 meters above sea level.
Max and Sophia did a round trip around the island and found that the Docks were constructed on all sides of the island, accommodating tens of thousands of ships on the ocean.
Soon, they chose the east dock as it was relatively the largest dock and provided a direct passage to the city, avoiding the need to dock elsewhere and travel through the jungle to reach the city.
As they approached the docking areas, Max and Sophia used the ship's console to fold the sails, reduce the ship's speed, and align it with the dock's designated markings for parking. They then moved in the designated direction.
As the ships entered the dock area, Max noticed they were automatically docked without him having to control the entire operation, which left him feeling satisfied.
Max threw the anchor to secure the ship to the dock, stepped off, and took a deep breath of the earthy scent he had missed while traveling on the ocean. He savored the fresh smell of land and the firm feeling of standing on solid ground again.
Max noticed that Sophia had also disembarked from the ship and was walking toward him. As he watched her, he realized she was even more beautiful in person than she appeared in the photo.