Chapter 955

Anton liked the fact that Ekios and his family would not enter the cottage while he was there. They would only do so when he was away, allowing them to maintain the house in his absence.

That meant Anton could preserve the sense of solitude that the cottage provided.

He didn’t need servants. He could clean anything he wanted with a wave of his hand, and he didn’t need anyone to serve him food or drinks since he had more than enough in his inventory.

The only reason he wanted someone living at the cottage was that he assumed that, as a Traveler, there would eventually be times when he would leave it alone for years. He didn’t want the place to look like an abandoned haunted house after being neglected for too long.

Anton did need to think about how Ekios and his family would support themselves while staying in the house behind the Librarian’s Cottage.

He had given them enough funds to last for years, but what if there came a time when he was gone far longer than anticipated?

He called Ekios and his family again. He wanted to discuss ways they could continue managing the cottage without having to rely on funds from him.

Perhaps they could establish some kind of business using the surrounding land.

“I don’t know how much your cousin told you about Travelers, but the reason I wanted to speak with you is that there might come a time when I’ll be gone for years and years. I originally planned to set up an account in Traveler’s Haven so that a member of your family could come there once a year to collect funds for maintaining the cottage. I also recommend that you make use of the surrounding land so your family can earn additional coins for whatever you want to spend them on,” Anton told Ekios.

“I’ll follow your directions, and I’m glad you told us about using the land. We’ve already started using the land surrounding our house, and we found that the soil is healthy. We were farmers before we reached Remuth, so we know how to work the land. I imagine we’ll be able to grow all the food we need. There should even be enough surplus to sell. Since everything we grow will be primarily for our family, the land alone should mean that we won’t need any additional coins from you,” Ekios said, his wife nodding in agreement.

“If that’s the case, I won’t set up the account. I think it would just create an unnecessary headache for both of us. I’ll simply allow you to use the land as much as you want,” Anton said.

“That’ll be fine. Besides, you’ve already given us plenty of funds. You told us that the money you gave us was supposed to last for three years, but we’ve already studied the markets and the prices of various goods. We realized that even if we were generous with our spending and made sure our family could eat as much as we wanted, the funds you gave us could last for half a decade. So you don’t have to worry about your house. I’ll make sure our family takes care of it for you, even if you’re gone for hundreds of years,” Ekios said with a smile.

Ekios also mentioned that his cousin had told him that, since the Librarian’s Cottage had become well known as the home of a Traveler, it was under the protection of the Remuth government.

A new route had even been added to the patrols used by the local guards, bringing them near the cottage to ensure that the areas surrounding the park where the Librarian’s Cottage was located remained peaceful.

That was the influence of one of the magical organizations in Remuth.

Anton was a little touched. Even though Ekios probably hadn’t meant it that way, he had essentially committed his family line to protecting the Librarian’s Cottage.

Anton wouldn’t hold him to that promise, though.

If there ever came a time when Ekios’s family had to leave or found themselves facing trouble, then so be it.

Besides, early in his career as a Traveler, Anton would probably return to the cottage frequently. The issue of being gone for decades at a time would likely only arise once he had reached a rank and level of power that allowed him to travel the multiverse.

After Ekios and his family left, Anton remained at the cottage for a little longer.

He wanted to make sure he was fully prepared for his next mission.

He still had an enormous amount of food and drinks in his inventory, so supplies would not be a problem. His habit of purchasing prodigious amounts of the best food and drinks whenever he reached a city had contributed to the ridiculous quantity he now possessed.

Even though he wasn’t as diligent about playing his Diablo II System as he once was, he still played it for at least an hour every day.

That ensured he had enough resources that he could use when necessary, such as Full Rejuvenation Potions and the best health and mana potions. He could use them to keep his life and mana completely restored.

He didn’t even have to physically consume them.

He only needed to click on them in his inventory, and their effects would immediately be reflected in his body in the real world.

Anton thought that was probably one of the most powerful advantages his Diablo System had given him.

He also made sure he had dozens of the magical items he had created.

Their uses were practical, and they could make any place he stayed more comfortable. He could also use them for trade if the need ever arose.

After a while, Anton completed all the preparations he wanted to make.

However, it was already late, so he decided to begin his mission the following day.

He wasn’t sleepy yet, so Anton relaxed by watching a couple of movies.

He wasn’t in the mood to watch anything that would make his blood boil, so he decided to watch a chick flick.

Anton searched the internet for recommended chick flicks and stumbled upon 50 First Dates.

He liked the movie so much that, by the time it ended, he had already categorized it as one of his favorites.

He decided to recommend it to his sister the next time he visited Rose Manor.

Since he was still in the mood for something light, the internet recommended Practical Magic.

He enjoyed that movie as well and realized that he had neglected a genre that contained some genuinely enjoyable films.

Anton decided that he would start watching more romantic comedies.

The next day, Anton left his cottage and used the Anchor and Gate spells to travel to the uninhabited island that served as the starting point for his search for the Purple Corals.

The mission log included the coordinates.

The moment he arrived on the small island, Anton was astonished by its beauty.

The beach was pristine and covered in white sand.

He thought such a sight was unusual. Beaches that clean usually required constant maintenance by human hands, so he wondered how this particular beach had remained in such perfect condition.

He summoned all his wolves and commanded them to search the entire island for any signs of life.

After a while, they reported that the island was indeed small and completely uninhabited.

Looking out at the ocean, Anton felt a little apprehensive about traversing its depths, even though he had done so before.

He didn’t delay any longer and cast the Underwater Breathing spell.

He also activated the long-duration buffs provided by his Diablo II characters that would protect him from various dangers. He deliberately chose only those with extremely long durations.

Although Energy Shield was extremely useful and, combined with his huge collection of mana potions, could make him virtually invincible, he couldn’t use it because the spell was incompatible with Underwater Breathing.