The three ships finally docked just after sunrise.
Heavy ropes were thrown.
Anchors secured.
Wood creaked as sailors rushed across the decks preparing to unload supplies.
For the first few moments, the port barely reacted.
That surprised Jax.
After everything he had heard about the Dark Continent, he expected something more dramatic. More dangerous. More openly hostile.
Instead?
It looked like every major port city he had ever seen.
Workers shouted over cargo.
Merchants argued over prices.
Dock hands cursed at each other while hauling crates.
Fishermen unloaded catches from overnight trips.
The smell of saltwater, oil, spices, alcohol, fish, and sweat filled the air.
Busy.
Alive.
Normal.
The only major difference was the people themselves.
Demonfolk.
Beastkin.
Horned races.
Scaled races.
Winged races.
Some looked mostly human.
Others looked like nightmares that somehow learned bookkeeping.
But nobody seemed especially alarmed by anyone else.
That fascinated Jax.
The group exited the ship together.
Immediately, a few eyes lingered.
Not on the Vixens.
Not on Emberlyn.
Not even on Pixelle and Lexi in their larger forms.
The looks centered on Jax.
A pure human.
That apparently was unusual here.
Not feared.
Not hated.
Just… uncommon.
One large reptilian dock worker openly stared before muttering to another:
"What do you think he is?"
"No clue."
"Maybe a siren?"
"He doesn't have scales."
"Could be hiding them."
Jax heard every word and just smiled.
"Morning," he greeted casually while walking past them.
The reptilian man blinked.
"…Morning?"
The response seemed to completely throw him off.
Jax didn't care.
He simply kept walking like he belonged there.
That confidence alone confused people more than his appearance.
Most outsiders arrived cautious.
Guarded.
Nervous.
Jax walked through the port like a tourist at a vacation resort.
Nyxian leaned closer to Emberlyn.
"He always does this."
"Does what?"
"Adopts places."
"That is not a thing."
"It absolutely is."
Meanwhile Bunny had become distracted by fried food skewers being sold from a street cart.
"Jax! They put meat inside bread and then fry the whole thing!"
"…That honestly sounds amazing."
"It IS amazing!"
Pixelle floated beside Lexi while looking around nervously.
"This place smells weird."
"It smells like fish."
"It smells like fish fighting demons."
"That too."
Emberlyn watched all of them with growing disbelief.
The Vixens adapted to situations absurdly fast.
Most people arriving on the Dark Continent for the first time would be tense.
Suspicious.
Careful.
Instead Bunny was already buying food.
Nyxian was openly flirting with local women just to annoy Jax.
Llandra was calmly studying architecture.
Zee was quietly fascinated by the medical herb stalls.
And Jax…
Jax was talking to literally everyone.
Within twenty minutes he had already learned:
where local trade districts were
which docks charged unfair fees
where sailors drank
which routes were dangerous
which local gangs to avoid
and where the best grilled meat supposedly existed
"How does he do that?" Emberlyn muttered.
Llandra answered instantly.
"He's incapable of minding his own business."
"That's not a skill."
"For him it is."
Eventually Jax made his way toward the dock authority office.
Or what passed for one.
It looked more like a heavily reinforced shack covered in paperwork and empty bottles.
Inside sat the dock master.
Or rather—
The three-headed dock master.
Jax stopped in the doorway.
"…Well that's new."
The creature looked like a tiny Cerberus.
Its body was only about the size of a medium dog.
Unfortunately each head was nearly as large as the body itself.
All three heads turned toward Jax simultaneously.
"State-state-state your business-business-business."
The heads spoke in sequence.
It took Jax a second to process.
Then another.
Then another.
"…Okay I think I got it."
The middle head narrowed its eyes suspiciously.
"Got-got-got what-what-what?"
"The rhythm thing."
"…Most-most-most outsiders-outsiders-outsiders scream-scream-scream first-first-first."
"That feels rude."
One head tilted.
"You-you-you are strange-strange-strange."
"Thank you."
The dock master stared blankly.
Jax smiled.
They were already getting along wonderfully.
Within minutes Jax had learned the creature's name was Trivak.
Or technically all three heads collectively were named Trivak.
Apparently each head used to have different names, but they argued too much and simplified it.
That somehow made perfect sense.
Jax leaned casually against the desk.
"So here's the situation."
He placed a bottle of Pixie Mead onto the table.
"I've got luxury alcohol, spices, refrigeration units, specialty goods, and some other products I'm interested in trading."
Three heads blinked simultaneously.
Then one sniffed the bottle.
Then another.
Then the third.
"…Alcohol-alcohol-alcohol?"
"The good stuff."
Trivak immediately produced a tiny cup.
Each head took turns drinking from it.
The reaction was immediate.
All six eyes widened.
Then the three heads slowly turned toward Jax in unison.
"…You-you-you magnificent-magnificent-magnificent bastard-bastard-bastard."
"Good?"
"Good-good-good?!"
One head slammed the desk.
"This-this-this could-could-could start-start-start wars-wars-wars."
"Excellent."
Emberlyn buried her face in her hand.
"He's networking already."
Nyxian grinned proudly.
"He does that."
Trivak immediately became dramatically more cooperative.
Within an hour Jax had already:
sold several shipments of Pixie Mead
arranged distribution contacts
secured local currency exchange
rented inland transportation
negotiated temporary storage
and somehow become drinking buddies with the dock master
All because of one gifted barrel.
Emberlyn watched the transactions happen in stunned silence.
"…You bribed him with alcohol."
"I prefer 'relationship building.'"
"You weaponized booze."
"I prefer 'accelerated diplomacy.'"
Trivak interrupted loudly.
"He-he-he is welcome-welcome-welcome anytime-anytime-anytime!"
Jax gave a thumbs up.
"See? Professional relationship."
The profits alone were absurd.
Dark Continent markets apparently valued luxury imports far higher than the United Kingdoms.
Especially alcohol.
Especially Pixie Mead.
Jax mentally recalculated future trade routes instantly.
"Oh this is going to make disgusting amounts of money…"
Llandra sighed.
"That look again."
"What look?"
"The merchant look."
"I don't have a merchant look."
"You absolutely do."
The next issue became transportation.
Unfortunately the large dimensional caravan systems simply would not fit properly into local wagons without modifications.
That disappointed Jax immensely.
Still—
Barb's portable dimensional transport units worked beautifully.
So the group spent several hours dismantling and reconnecting systems onto a new inland carriage convoy.
Even Emberlyn helped.
Though mostly by yelling at workers aggressively until they moved faster.
"You squid-brained anchor lickers move like sedated turtles!"
Jax looked impressed.
"You somehow insult creatively."
"Thank you."
"That was not a compliment."
"It absolutely was."
By late afternoon they finally departed the port.
Their new convoy rolled inland along massive stone roads cutting through dark forests and crimson hills.
And honestly?
The Dark Continent looked beautiful.
Different.
But beautiful.
Huge black trees towered overhead.
Purple-leafed vegetation lined the roads.
Massive flying creatures drifted through distant skies.
Villages appeared surprisingly peaceful.
Children played outside homes.
Markets bustled.
People lived normal lives.
Jax stared quietly through the carriage window.
"This really doesn't feel evil."
Emberlyn crossed her arms.
"I told you."
"You also threatened to rob us."
"That's unrelated."
"No it isn't."
"…Fair."
As the convoy rolled deeper inland, the Vixens gradually relaxed.
Even Pixelle stopped complaining.
Though only briefly.
"I still miss Solmere."
"You miss being worshipped."
"That too."
Lexi looked out the window excitedly.
"This feels like another world."
Jax quietly answered:
"Maybe it used to be."
That thought lingered heavily afterward.
Because somewhere out there—
Beyond the roads.
Beyond the forests.
Beyond the cities.
Were answers.
About Adam Lightbringer.
About barriers.
About summoned heroes.
About why the system kept pushing Jax forward.
And for the first time since arriving on the Dark Continent—
Jax truly felt it.
Adventure.
Real adventure.
Not war.
Not politics.
Discovery.
And judging from the grin slowly forming on his face—
That was infinitely more dangerous.