"That ind isn''t peaceful or deserted. The signs of life on the ind though aren''t from humans. It is full of ferocious beasts that are always out for blood and the conditions of the ind are extreme. Not everyone can survive in such intense and extreme weather conditions. There are even rumors that anyone who dares to anchor their ship at Greend suffers a catastrophe sooner orter. Some of the most seasoned captains of the marine world are terrified of the ce and avoid it like the gue. Therefore, think twice about what''s good about this ce and whether you want to risk the lives of your people in order to stay there."


    Of course, no matter what she said to him, Zach didn''t budge from his stance regarding Greend. After some serious discussion on the topic, Zach''s intention to at least try became set in stone. He had fallen in love with the advantages that the isted ind could bring to him.


    First of all, it was exceptionally protected from all sides even if some hostile agency tried to attack him. The natural protection that the ind provided him on all sides was far better than most of the security measures he or the Windsor family could take on his behalf.


    Secondly, the roaming ferocious beasts were akin to breeding guard dogs if he could somehow be able to traverse the length of the ind without having to confront them in battle.


    Thirdly, there were no influential families in the vicinity to ruin his appetite with their greedy faces. He wouldn''t have to keep looking over his shoulders if he chose Greend as his home because there would be no human around him within the confines of the ind.


    The ind would solely belong to him and he could choose not to allow any unwanted person into his private property.


    Lastly, there was no one to stop his progress since he could develop on his own in this ce and train his people while implementing all the ideas in his grey matter. Ever since he came to this world, he had been itching to use the knowledge from his previous world to make this ce better suited to his taste. The only reason he had been holding back was because he was afraid of attracting unwanted attention like he did when he initiated the transportation project utilizing trucks.


    "Looks like you have made up your mind already. I don''t think there is anything I can say that might affect your decision at this moment but please reconsider it. That ind really is very dangerous. I am telling you this for your own good." ra still warned him repeatedly about the dangers of the ind since she was already aware of the situation in that ce. She didn''t want Zach toe to harm due to a single bad decision.


    ra knew that Zach cared a lot about his people but she couldn''t understand why he wasn''t willing to move to a safer area in order to protect them. Instead he was opting to move house to the most dangerous ind in the vicinity of the entire Byzantium city.


    Zach only nodded seriously in response to ra''s repeated warnings because he knew that she was only looking out for him and his people and didn''t have any ulterior motive.


    ra sighed heavily at his half-hearted response. Since he wasn''t willing to change his mind, she thought that Zach might reconsider it if he saw the dangers of the ind with his own eyes.


    Therefore, she persuaded him to visit the ind first before finalizing his decision. And if he could maintain the same stubbornness even after visiting the ind then she would help him get the ce to the best of her ability.


    Zach couldn''t agree more and readily asked her to arrange transportation for the two of them. He didn''t want to dy this matter any longer because people of the Smith family were getting more and more restless by the day. They needed something to do; something productive so they would have a reason to get out of their lodgings and to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This would also help ease the psychological burden that they had been under for the past few months.


    …


    The carriage dropped off Zach and ra right in front of the water body that enclosed the ind Zach had his eyes on.


    The carriage driver whispered something to ra before departing with the carriage and left ra and Zach alone. Zach couldn''t help but stare at the carriage driver as he departed.


    Feeling his difort, ra provided the exnation that Zach was looking for.


    "He will be back by the time we are done. The horses are quite tired after the uphill journey so he has gone to tend to them at the nearest inn."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Zach nodded and felt relieved. He was still somewhat cautious after what happened to him in Elizabeth city.


    "How are we going to get across to the ind?" Zach asked as he kept staring at the destination thaty floating in the water quietly.


    "How else? By a boat of course." ra naturally rolled her eyes at such a dumb inquiry that questioned her intelligence.


    Zach ignored her overly exaggerated reaction and moved towards the cockleshell that was supposedly being used as a boat by the people here.


    The cockleshell was in fact half of a giant bivalve mollusk that was capable of floating on the surface of the water. The boatman standing on the shell was holding a long stick with a t surface which he would probably use as an oar to steer and move the boat across the river.


    Zach didn''t find it very strange as it was a magical world to begin with. And the giant cockle shell was probably a product made from the remains of some giant mollusk like aquatic beast that was easy toe across and subdue.


    Under ra''s guidance, Zach stepped on top of the shell and the boatman began to paddle towards the ind. Fear was evident on the boatman''s face as he was incapable ofpletely hiding it. Therefore, Zach didn''t ask him anything about the ind or its reputation. He didn''t want to terrify him any further especially when they were in the middle of the water.


    While the boatman was busy paddling, ra seemed to be lost in her thoughts as she didn''t even look up from herp the whole time. Zach even wondered if she was prone to sea sickness.


    The boat moved across the surface of the sparkling water in silence as Zach put all his attention on the ind.


    The ind was rich in forestry; almost the whole perimeter that was visible to him was enclosed by sky high trees that looked sturdy and green. The ind was pulsating with life like it was a living organism. Everything looked vibrant and verdant but there was no beauty to it no matter how much Zach tried to look for it. Since it was an uninhabited ind, Zach had expected it to be full of wild natural charm and beauty but the ind was far from it. The forest looked as if it had outgrown its natural boundary and trees and vines were spilling out of the ind. Some vines were even growing out of the water before arching up along the wide tree trunks. No matter where Zach looked, he found only chaos. Zach could see how such a ce could be quite harsh for human survival. It was to the extent that it made him want to believe the things that ra had told her about the ce earlier.


    This was truly an uninhabited ind. Even though this ce was so close to the city and had good prospects, no one had its ownership. It wasn''t that no one had the same idea as him before. It was only that no one had been able toy a im to this ind. The degree of danger posed by the ind increased several levels in his mind as soon as that thought struck his mind. But his expressions didn''t betray what he was thinking in his mind.


    When they touched the shore of the uninhabited ind, the boatman was sweating like ice in peak summer. Of course, the sweat wasn''t due to the heat but because of the fear wing at his heart from within. He would rather give his soul to the reaper than to suffer the horrors of the ind.


    As soon as ra and Zach got off the cockleshell, the boatman turned his boat around and paddled off into the distance. His speed was at least double the speed at which he had taken them to the ind. After a while, the boatman stopped in the middle of the water and shouted towards them to hurry up with their business.


    "WAVE your hands when you want to leave and I wille closer to fetch you."


    Before epting the job, the boatman had made it clear that he would neithernd on the ind nor would he wait by the ind shore. He would only be responsible for taking them to and from the ind when they wanted.


    Zach respected his cautious nature and didn''t negotiate with him. He had learned the various advantages of being cautious during the previous few months.


    Zach didn''t let ra take the lead this time as they headed towards the heart of the ind from the periphery. He knew that she was just as ignorant about the ind as he was. Therefore, he couldn''t let her take the risk on his behalf even though she was quite capable on her own.