A purple sight welcomed Noah as soon as he climbed to the main deck.
A dazzling purple halo illuminated the air, giving a peculiar shade to the environment.
'This should be the Coral halo that Cody mentioned, it is indeed striking.'
The archipelago was formed on top of the exoskeleton of an immense pack of magical beasts, the Purple corals, which naturally created a sturdy purple shell as a form of protection.
The pack had long died but the exoskeleton created by its specimens remained.
As time passed, terrain began to accumulate on top of that huge exoskeleton, ultimately becoming the foundation of the archipelago.
The magical beasts had died but their shells still radiated a purple light, illuminating the sea around it with a bright purple halo.
"You'll become used to it, it's barely noticeable on the ground."
Cody spoke some last words to Noah before he began to shout orders to his sailors, he had to unload the contents of the ship to sell his goods, that was his profession after all.
Noah understood the meaning behind his words and jumped off the ship without even saying goodbye, his eyes curiously wandered on the scenery of the port.
According to the information previously learned from Cody, this port was on one of the islands controlled by the faction from the Papral nation.
It was one of the poorest and smallest islands though, its only purpose was the trade of the goods that had to be sold in the richer markets in the internal parts of the archipelago.
Cody's shipment wasn't that precious, rank 3 creatures could be found anywhere in the sea, the market of the archipelago was full of those resources.
That's why their prices were low, beasts of the water, wind, and light element were quite common there, those in the human ranks at least.
'I should find a way toward the important markets, I don't think that this place has what I need.'
Noah could feel the precarious situation of the island from the scenery on the port.
Barracks and simple-looking wooden habitations were sparsely built on the terrain, sailors with their top exposed or wearing loose robes could be seen running everywhere near the many ships that filled the port.
They were weak, mostly rank 1 cultivators, those in the second rank were either captains of their ships or managers that handled the situation in the port.
As Noah walked away from the shore toward the center of the island, the purple halo diminished, leaving only a shade of its color that the terrain couldn't block.
The scenery didn't change much as he entered the deepest parts of the island, only a few better-looking buildings attracted his attention at times.
'This should be an area for the commoners of the archipelago, I can spot a few non-cultivators between its inhabitants.'
The sea was a danger zone, preventing any commoner from sailing from the continent toward those islands.
Also, the archipelago was a land colonized by cultivators, it was obvious that its citizens would have access to rank 1 cultivation techniques at least.
When Noah reached the other side of the island, he could clearly witness the vastity of the archipelago.
Hundreds of islands surrounded by a purple halo unfolded themselves in front of his eyes, they had different shapes and dimension but they all seemed inhabited by a large number of cultivators.
'I wonder how they protect themselves from the waves of magical beasts, I didn't see any soldier here.'
Noah pondered about the new environment when the sight of a cultivator wearing an eye-catching yellow robe stopped his train on thoughts.
It was an old woman with white hair combed in a simple bun, her face carried the marks of her age and she stood silently with her eyes closed next to a small formation.
Noah neared the woman, his gaze swept the formation many times as he tried to understand its purpose.
'It should be something related to the movement field but I can't understand its specifics.'
His rank 3 sea of consciousness made it possible for him to read the purpose behind the symbols on the ground but its true meaning was still obscure, only inscription masters of the attunement method would be able to understand that aspect of the formation.
"This must be your first time here, welcome to island two hundred and six."
The elderly woman opened her eyes and spoke to Noah when he became too close.
'Did they give a number to each island?'
"I'm trying to reach a market able to satisfy my needs, could you please help me with this matter?"
Noah bowed as he said those words, suppressing his curiosity for when he reached a better place.
The woman smiled and pointed the formation while giving a brief explanation.
"This formation can transport you to a bigger island controlled by our country. I suggest you take this teleportation matrix for island one hundred and seventy where you can find another formation for the market on island one hundred and thirty-two. This may seem confusing at the beginning but our transport network is envied even by the continent, you just have to become used to it."
Noah nodded and moved his gaze toward one of the islands in the distance.
There were only a few kilometers of water between the two, flying there wouldn't be hard.
"What prevents me from simply swimming to travel through the islands?"
The woman didn't seem bothered by Noah's question, she seemed used to solve the doubts of the newcomers.
"The Purple coral is a precious material that can't be found on the continent and its also a natural deterrent against the assault of magical beasts. Many cultivators have tried to bring a piece of the coral back on the continent in the past so the authorities here have jointly decided to forbid the traversing of the sea. You can move between the islands only through the teleportation matrix of the various factions."