Chương 40: Apparently, There’s a Beach in the Portal Menu

Matt had been a Delver for roughly six weeks before anyone informed him that Delvers had their own tropical island chain. He found out because Ethan sent him a message about a festival. Matt was sitting inside his trailer at Iron Junction, looking between his new Broadsword and a Marketplace search for Rings with Dexterity, Life, and enough Lightning Resistance to avoid dismantling the rest of his build. The Broadsword remained excellent. The Ring search remained offensive. Then his phone buzzed.

BLACK HOLLOW GROUP Ethan: IMPORTANT NEWS Matt looked at the message. That combination of capitalization and Ethan rarely resulted in anything important. Matt: That usually means the opposite. Three dots appeared immediately. Ethan: ASIAN REGION OBON / SUMMER FESTIVAL EVENT Ethan: LATER THIS MONTH Matt frowned. Matt: Okay? Another message appeared, this one from Chloe. Chloe: Paradise Archipelago event. Matt stared at the name. Matt: Paradise what? The chat stopped. For almost five full seconds.

Then— Ethan: wait Ethan: YOU DON'T KNOW PARADISE? Matt: No. Chloe: He's been a Delver for six weeks. Ethan: SIX WEEKS IS ENOUGH TO KNOW ABOUT THE BEACH Matt: Apparently not. Matt leaned back in his chair. He closed the Ring search. This had become more interesting than seven Dexterity. Matt: What is Paradise Archipelago? Ethan: Delver beach. Matt waited. Nothing else came. Matt: That explained almost nothing. Chloe: Special System destination. Delvers only.

Tropical islands, beaches, restaurants, markets, lodging, Crafters. No combat. Matt reread that. Then read it again. Matt: There's a System-operated tropical resort for people who fight monsters? Ethan: YES Matt: Why has nobody mentioned this? Chloe: Because most people learn about it before buying a trailer. Matt looked around the trailer. Truck outside. Equipment secured. Old swords under the bed. Crafting materials in labeled bins. A twenty-thousand-dollar Magic Find Belt in a drawer.

He had apparently skipped a cultural orientation somewhere. Matt: I had other priorities. Ethan: YOU BOUGHT A HOUSE WITH WHEELS Matt: Correct. Chloe: That is not a defense. Matt ignored that. Matt: What does the festival have to do with it? Chloe: Paradise runs regional events. The Asian-region Obon / Summer Festival starts later this month. Matt: Regional event, but everyone can go? Chloe: The theme is regional. Access isn't.

Ethan: FOOD Ethan: VENDORS Ethan: LIMITED ITEMS Ethan: FESTIVAL STUFF Matt: Very detailed. Ethan: THANK YOU Then Chloe sent the part that actually caught Matt's attention. Chloe: Universal comprehension activates during major events too. Matt: What does that mean? Chloe: Everyone understands everyone. Matt: Every language? Chloe: As far as anyone knows. Matt sat forward. The System could apparently solve one of the oldest logistical problems in human civilization. Temporarily. For a festival.

Matt: The System can do that? Ethan: only when it feels like throwing a party Matt considered that. Unfortunately, it tracked. Matt: And right now? Chloe: Normal languages. Ethan: MUCH FUNNIER Matt: Why? Ethan: you'll see Matt did not like the confidence behind that answer. Then Ethan sent: Ethan: Have you ever been? Matt: You already know the answer. Ethan: THEN WE'RE FIXING THIS Chloe: We're free tonight. If you want, meet us there. Matt checked the time. Iron Junction was already dark outside.

He had eaten a late lunch, hadn't started dinner, and had been preparing to spend the evening comparing Rings. He looked at the Marketplace. Then at the words tropical islands. That wasn't difficult. Matt: Right now? Ethan: RIGHT NOW Matt: I'm in Indiana. Ethan: Doesn't matter. Matt paused. Matt: That sentence usually does not apply to geography. Chloe: Use a Portal Scroll outside the Dungeon. Matt stopped. Matt: Outside? Chloe: Yes. Matt: I've never done that.

Ethan: WHY Matt opened the storage cabinet beside the door and looked at the stack of Portal Scrolls. Emergency extraction. Dungeon exits. Get out before dying. That was what Portal Scroll meant in his head. Matt: Because the emergency escape scroll seemed like something I should use inside the place trying to kill me. Ethan: IT HAS A MENU Matt: Apparently. Chloe: Use one outside. Select Paradise Archipelago. Chloe: Meet at Material Exchange 10.

Ethan: TEN Ethan: NOT ONE Ethan: PARADISE IS HUGE Ethan: DO NOT WANDER OFF Matt: I can count. Ethan: YOU ALSO DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT PARADISE Matt put the phone down. That was annoyingly strong evidence. ◆ He took one Portal Scroll outside. Iron Junction at night looked exactly as it had five minutes ago. Industrial lighting washed over the paved lanes. Trucks moved between freight buildings.

The Dungeon Gate glowed farther away beneath the rail structures, and the air still carried the dry smell of concrete, metal, and diesel. Matt broke the seal on the Scroll. He expected a Portal. Instead, a menu appeared first. PORTAL DESTINATION Local Return Point Iron Junction Camp Paradise Archipelago Additional destinations unavailable. Matt stared.

"… It was there the whole time." His phone buzzed. Ethan: yes Matt looked around suspiciously. Then remembered Ethan was nowhere near Indiana. Matt: I dislike this conversation. He selected Paradise Archipelago. The interface changed. PARADISE ARCHIPELAGO SANCTUARY DESTINATION Hostile Combat: PROHIBITED Delver-to-Delver Damage: DISABLED Hostile Skill Activation: RESTRICTED Open Portal? There were several things in that warning Matt wanted explained. He selected yes anyway. Mana flared from the Scroll.

A Portal opened beside the trailer. Not the emergency blue-white tear he was used to seeing inside a Dungeon. This one stabilized into a broad oval filled with glaring sunlight. Matt squinted. He looked at Iron Junction. Night. Then through the Portal. Day.

"…Okay." He went back inside long enough to lock up properly. Phone. Wallet. A small backpack. One spare Portal Scroll. Then he paused beside the equipment rack. The new Broadsword rested there. Matt looked at it. Then at the glowing tropical Portal outside.

"This is a beach." The sword stayed home. He did, however, grab one small bag of assorted Dungeon materials from a storage bin. Most of it was low-value stuff he had never bothered listing individually. Too cheap to justify Marketplace logistics. Too potentially useful to throw away. The kind of material that accumulated naturally when your house had storage compartments and you had a mild inability to discard anything that might someday have value.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. He slung the bag over one shoulder. Then stepped through. ◆ Sunlight hit him first. Real sunlight— No. Probably not real. Matt had no idea. It was bright enough that the distinction felt academic. He stopped just beyond the Portal and raised one hand against the glare. White sand stretched beyond a paved arrival plaza. Palm trees moved in a warm ocean breeze.

Farther out, impossibly blue water rolled toward a beach crowded with umbrellas, people, open-air shops, and buildings designed with absolutely no interest in looking like a Dungeon Camp. Behind him, Portals opened and closed continuously. In front of him, someone walked past carrying a surfboard. Matt slowly looked upward. The sun was high.

"It's night in Indiana." A gull—or something System-generated that had committed fully to being a gull—cried overhead. Matt narrowed his eyes.

"… That seems illegal." Nobody nearby cared. Apparently this was normal. He moved away from the arrival point before another Portal opened directly behind him. Then he noticed the crowd. And stopped again. Black Hollow had been busy. Iron Junction was enormous. Neither had prepared him for this. People moved through the plaza in every direction. Some wore ordinary beach clothes. Others had Guild jackets thrown over swimsuits.

A few were still in partial Dungeon Gear, apparently unwilling to waste time changing before arriving. Matt saw clothing styles he couldn't place, equipment designs unlike anything sold in the American Camps he knew, and enough different faces to make Iron Junction suddenly feel very local. A group passed him speaking Japanese. At least Matt assumed it was Japanese. He understood none of it. Another couple walked by speaking Spanish. That one he could identify. Still not enough to understand the conversation.

Then a family-sized group moved toward the beach speaking something else entirely. Matt watched them go.

"So much for universal comprehension." A System sign above the arrival plaza remained perfectly readable. WELCOME TO PARADISE ARCHIPELAGO MAIN ARRIVAL DISTRICT Beaches Dining Material Exchanges Global Market Crafter District Lodging Private Island Transit The signs remained readable. The people did not. Matt read the final line twice. Private Island Transit. Later. He opened the Group Chat. Matt: I'm here. Chloe: Exchange 10. Ethan: TEN Matt: Still can count. He followed the signs.

◆ The Material Exchange district looked less like a resort and more like a very clean international freight terminal that had somehow been dropped beside a beach. A long covered structure ran parallel to the arrival plaza. Numbered exchange stations occupied both sides, each with System displays, receiving trays, and waiting areas. Matt passed Exchange 4. Then 5. A man ahead of him emptied what looked like several bundles of monster hide onto a receiving surface. Golden light scanned them. A number appeared.

The materials disappeared. No clerk. No negotiation. No shipping label. Matt slowed.

"That's dangerous." For his free time. Not physically. He kept walking. Exchange 9. Then 10.

"MATT!" Matt heard Ethan before he found him. He turned. Ethan Parker was waving both arms like airport ground crew. Chloe Ramirez stood beside him with the patient expression of someone who had already decided she wasn't responsible for whatever he was doing. Matt smiled despite himself.

"Still loud." Ethan lowered his arms.

"You made it."

"I successfully counted to ten."

"Proud of you." Chloe stepped forward and held out a hand. Matt looked at it. Then ignored the hand and gave her a quick hug instead. She blinked once, then returned it.

"Good to see you," Matt said.

"You too." Ethan opened his arms dramatically. Matt looked at him.

"No."

"Wow."

"Good to see you too."

"I don't believe you anymore." The three of them moved aside from the Exchange entrance. Ethan looked Matt up and down.

"You look more like a Delver." Matt frowned.

"That sounds insulting."

"It wasn't." Chloe tilted her head.

"You do." Matt considered his clothes. Ordinary shirt. Jeans. Dungeon boots. Apparently the boots were enough. Ethan noticed the material bag.

"You brought stuff."

"Chloe said to."

"Perfect."

"That sounded suspicious." Ethan pointed toward Exchange 10.

"Monster trash becomes food." Matt looked at him.

"…Explain." Chloe did.

"Low-value Dungeon materials. Things you wouldn't bother selling through a national market. Paradise Exchange accepts most System-recognized drops and converts them into Paradise Coins."

"Another currency."

"Yes."

"Of course."

"You use it here for food, lodging, System shops, some market transactions, island services, things like that." Matt lifted the bag slightly.

"These are mostly things I never bothered selling."

"Exactly." Ethan nodded toward the Exchange.

"You have vacation money." Matt did not enjoy how convincing that phrase was. ◆ Exchange 10 had an empty station. Matt placed the bag onto the receiving tray. The System activated immediately. Soft golden light passed through the materials. One by one, the items appeared on the display. MATERIAL EXCHANGE Briar Husk Fiber Cinder Crow Feather Scrap Hound Plating Ember Hound Ash Fragment Conduit Eel Conductive Tissue Rail Goblin Scrap Token Miscellaneous Low-Grade Dungeon Materials All materials verified.

Exchange Value: 186 Paradise Coins Confirm Exchange? Matt stared at the total. He had no idea whether 186 was a lot. That was a new and uncomfortable experience.

"How much is that?" Ethan shrugged.

"Enough." Chloe was more useful.

"Dinner is easy. A few meals. Drinks. Cheap services. Not enough for anything serious in the Global Market." Matt nodded. That translated well enough. He selected confirm. The materials vanished in a brief flash. Another notification replaced them. PARADISE COIN ACQUIRED Balance: 186 Matt looked at his empty material bag. Then at the balance.

"…I was carrying restaurant money."

"Basically," Chloe said. Ethan nodded solemnly.

"Monster trash becomes tacos." Matt turned toward him.

"That may be the best economic explanation you've ever given me."

"Thank you."

"That was not a compliment."

"It still counts." Chloe checked the time.

"You haven't eaten yet, right?"

"Not dinner."

"Good." Matt frowned.

"Good?"

"Food first." Ethan was already walking.

"We planned this." Matt followed.

"You absolutely planned this." Neither denied it. ◆ Paradise Archipelago became stranger the farther they walked from the arrival district. The Material Exchange area had been functional. The beachfront was not. Restaurants opened directly onto white sand. Cafés sat beneath palm-covered awnings. A row of open-air shops sold clothing, food, small equipment, and things Matt couldn't identify from across the street.

Farther inland, taller buildings rose between tropical vegetation, while elevated paths and glowing transit gates connected different sections of the island. There were Delvers everywhere. Not people who might be Delvers. Delvers. Every person Matt could see had access to a place ordinary civilians could not reach. He noticed a large banner stretched over one street.

COMING LATER THIS MONTH ASIAN REGION OBON / SUMMER FESTIVAL Seasonal Vendors Regional Food Districts Limited Exchange Goods Event Markets Universal Comprehension Enabled During Festival Period Workers were already hanging lantern-like decorations beneath the awnings. Matt pointed.

"That's the event?"

"Preparation for it," Chloe said. They passed an intersection where Matt heard English from one direction, Japanese from another, Spanish behind him, and what might have been Portuguese from a group outside a café. Matt glanced at Chloe.

"And during the festival, all of this gets understood at once?" She nodded.

"Not translated exactly. You still hear the language they're speaking. You just understand what they mean."

"Everyone simultaneously?"

"As far as anyone has tested." Matt looked back at the banner.

"The System can erase the language barrier."

"Temporarily," Chloe said.

"And chooses not to for the rest of the year." Ethan spread his hands.

"Apparently Paradise believes translation is seasonal." Matt laughed.

"That is absurd."

"Wait until the festival." ◆ The diner was called TIDEWAY. Matt had expected something aggressively tropical. Instead, the interior looked like someone had taken an American roadside diner, added broad open windows facing the ocean, then replaced the parking lot with a beach. Booths. Counter seating. Chrome trim. Ceiling fans.

A menu offered burgers, grilled fish, fries, rice bowls, tacos, tropical fruit, several things Matt didn't recognize, and enough drinks to support poor decisions by people who routinely fought monsters for money. Ethan slid into a booth.

"This place is good." Chloe sat across from him.

"It's cheap." Matt took the remaining seat.

"Those are different recommendations."

"They can both be true." Matt opened the menu. Prices were listed in Paradise Coins. That made the 186 in his account immediately more meaningful. He ordered grilled fish, fries, and something cold enough that Perfect Temperature was unnecessary. ORDER TOTAL 23 Paradise Coins Balance: 163 No credit card. No dollar conversion. No tip screen asking him to select eighteen, twenty, or twenty-five percent while someone watched. Matt approved. Food arrived quickly. For several minutes, nobody discussed progression.

Ethan ate like he had been personally wronged by Academy nutrition standards. Chloe ignored him. Matt looked out through the open wall toward the beach. Palm trees. Blue water. Sunlight. It was still night in Indiana. He decided not to think too hard about that yet.

"Okay," Matt said eventually.

"Start from the beginning." Chloe took a drink.

"Paradise Archipelago is a Sanctuary zone."

"Meaning the combat restriction."

"Among other things. You can't damage another visitor. Hostile Skill activations are restricted. The System recognizes ownership for most items, so you can't just grab somebody's sword and run." Ethan swallowed.

"You can start a fight." Chloe looked at him.

"You cannot finish one." Matt nodded slowly.

"Useful distinction."

"No one sensible starts one."

"Also useful." Chloe continued.

"Access is limited to Delvers with Portal privileges. Different arrival districts connect into the main islands. There are beaches, hotels, restaurants, System exchanges, private businesses, markets, Crafter areas, event spaces." Matt gestured toward the crowd outside.

"There are this many people here on a normal day?"

"This isn't especially crowded." Matt stopped with a fry halfway to his mouth.

"This is not crowded."

"Not remotely," Ethan said.

"During a major event," Chloe added, "you'll understand." Matt looked outside again. A group of six passed the diner, talking animatedly in a language he didn't recognize.

"How many people can access this place?" Chloe shrugged lightly.

"Every Delver on Earth, theoretically." Matt lowered the fry.

"…Every Delver."

"As long as they can open the route." That changed the scale. Iron Junction was a major Camp. Black Hollow had felt like a temporary city. Paradise wasn't serving a state. Or a country. It was serving a profession. Globally. Matt leaned back.

"That explains the languages."

"Exactly." Ethan pointed a fork at him.

"And the festival translation." Matt nodded.

"So the event starts later this month, everyone comes here, the System turns on universal comprehension, and suddenly the entire planet can argue over food prices together." Chloe smiled faintly.

"That is one interpretation."

"It's the correct one." Ethan nodded approvingly.

"Now you understand Paradise." ◆ Matt finished most of his meal before Chloe mentioned the market. Possibly because she knew him. Possibly because she had hoped food would reduce the consequences. It did not.

"There's a Global Delver Market here too." Matt stopped chewing. Ethan looked at Chloe.

"You did that on purpose."

"I waited until he ate." Matt swallowed.

"What kind of market?"

"Physical trade. Some System listings. Crafters. Rare materials. Equipment. Skill Gems. Support Gems. Regional items." Matt's attention sharpened.

"Regional?"

"A lot of things don't move efficiently through normal national logistics," Chloe said.

"Especially rare items where the seller wants direct inspection, or goods that are expensive enough that buyers travel to them."

"That doesn't make sense if Portal transport exists."

"It does when you remember the limitation."

"What limitation?"

"You carry it in." Matt paused. Chloe continued.

"Paradise isn't a freight network. You can bring what you can personally transport through the Portal, within System restrictions. Nobody is moving truckloads of basic Bases here." Ethan grinned.

"But you might see one sword worth more than the truck." Matt slowly set down his fork.

"That sounds financially dangerous."

"It is," Chloe said.

"Very," Ethan agreed. Matt looked toward the direction of the market district even though he couldn't see it from the booth. High-value goods. Low transport volume. Global customer base. System-secured neutral territory. His brain started building the economics automatically. Price differences. Regional scarcity. Currency conversion. Hand-carried arbitrage. Rare-item liquidity. He stopped. His brain was already trying to turn the beach into a supply chain. Matt picked up another fry.

"No." Ethan narrowed his eyes.

"You're doing the spreadsheet face."

"I don't have a spreadsheet open." Chloe took another drink.

"That has never stopped you." Matt ignored both of them.

"What about Crafters?" Chloe pointed vaguely inland.

"Crafter District."

"Of course there is."

"Some maintain permanent shops. Others come for events. Paradise is useful because clients can come from anywhere." Matt remembered the note sitting in his planner. Meta Skills. He had seen the category several times while browsing B-rank listings after COPY's ceiling expanded, but he still hadn't properly investigated it. A global Crafter district seemed like an extremely efficient place to correct that. Tomorrow. Probably. Ethan watched his expression.

"No." Matt looked at him.

"I didn't say anything."

"You thought something."

"That is generally how brains work."

"Beach first." Matt glanced outside.

"It's nighttime." Both students stared at him. Matt remembered the sun.

"…Right." ◆ They paid and left. On the walk toward the beach, Ethan pointed across a landscaped plaza toward a row of glowing transit arches.

"Private islands are that way." Matt slowed.

"…Private what?" Chloe sighed.

"You found another thing he doesn't know."

"Private islands," Ethan repeated.

"You can buy one." Matt looked from him to the transit gates.

"You can buy part of Paradise."

"An island instance," Chloe corrected.

"Not one of the public islands."

"And then?"

"You build on it."

"How much can you change?" Ethan grinned.

"A lot."

"That is not a measurement."

"House. Beach. Terrain. Gardens. Workshops. Pools. Docks. Whatever the island package allows." Chloe added, "Some higher-end island licenses allow extensive environmental design." Matt stopped walking.

"Extensive."

"There's a famous private island built like a half-submerged ruin," Ethan said.

"You enter through an open temple above the water and most of the house is underwater." Matt stared.

"That sounds wildly impractical."

"It's Paradise."

"That did not answer the engineering concern."

"There's another one with a castle," Chloe said.

"Of course there is."

"And a Delver streamer has one designed like a jungle expedition camp."

"More reasonable."

"It has a waterfall through the living room." Matt reconsidered.

"Less reasonable." They started walking again.

"People actually live here?" Matt asked.

"Some do," Chloe said.

"Full-time?"

"Mostly. Internet works. Communication works. They Portal back to normal cities when they need something. High-level Delvers can afford to make Paradise their primary residence." Matt was quiet for a moment.

"So their house is technically outside normal geography."

"Basically." He thought about that. Then—"Taxes?" Ethan immediately pointed at him.

"There it is." Matt frowned.

"What?" Chloe laughed.

"We knew that would be your first question."

"It's a valid question."

"No one said it wasn't."

"Someone has to determine residency." Ethan was already walking faster.

"Beach."

"Property law also seems complicated."

"Beach."

"Insurance—""Matt."

"Fine." ◆ The sand was warm beneath his feet. Matt had removed his boots because walking onto a tropical beach in reinforced Dungeon footwear had finally crossed some internal threshold of absurdity. Ethan had abandoned his shoes entirely and was already ankle-deep in the water. Chloe walked beside Matt at a much more reasonable pace. The ocean stretched toward a horizon so clear it looked artificial. It probably was. Matt had no idea where the sun was. No idea whether the water connected to anything.

No idea what happened if someone sailed far enough. He was beginning to suspect Paradise contained an entire category of questions Delvers eventually learned not to ask unless they wanted to lose an afternoon.

"This is ridiculous," he said. Chloe glanced at him.

"Bad ridiculous?" Matt looked around. People swimming. A group playing something involving a ball and an unreasonable amount of shouting. Restaurants glowing along the beachfront. Music carrying softly over the sand. Beyond all of it, Delvers from countries Matt had never visited occupied the same beach without anyone carrying a weapon in hand.

"…No." That surprised him a little. Six weeks ago, he hadn't known this place existed. Six weeks ago, he had still been a logistics coordinator putting a coffee mug into a cardboard box. Now he was standing barefoot on a tropical beach that did not exist on any ordinary map because his profession involved walking through supernatural portals and killing monsters. Matt smiled.

"Definitely not bad." Ethan came running out of the water.

"So." Matt recognized that tone immediately.

"No."

"You don't know what I'm asking."

"Level?" Ethan stopped. Chloe smiled.

"Level?" Matt sighed.

"Seventeen." Silence. Ethan stared.

"…I hate you."

"That seems excessive."

"Seventeen?"

"You knew I was progressing."

"Knowing is different from hearing seventeen." Chloe nodded slowly.

"That was fast." Matt shrugged.

"I've been moving a lot."

"That is not how Levels work."

"It contributed." Ethan pointed toward him.

"We have school."

"You chose school."

"We chose professional training."

"You chose professional training with homework."

"That is different."

"Is it?"

"Yes." Chloe stepped between the argument before Ethan could manufacture a defense.

"New Gear?" Matt smiled immediately. That answered the question. Ethan noticed.

"Oh no."

"I made a sword today."

"What kind?"

"Level Seventeen Broadsword. Thirty-two to forty-nine Physical. One-point-six-one attacks per second." Ethan's expression changed.

"Okay, that's actually good."

"Thank you."

"Did you bring it?" Matt looked around at the beach.

"No." Ethan blinked. Chloe said, "Growth." Matt looked at her.

"I already had this conversation with myself."

"Still growth."

"I dislike both of you."

"That means he missed us," Ethan said. Matt did not deny it. ◆ They stayed on the beach longer than Matt intended. That was probably the point. No Dungeon route to optimize. No loot pile waiting to be sorted. No Resistance problem that had to be fixed before entering an unfamiliar Instance. His Ring still needed Dexterity. The problem had not disappeared. It was simply in Indiana. Matt found that surprisingly effective. Eventually the three started walking back toward the central district.

The sky had not visibly changed. Matt checked the time on his phone. It had advanced normally. Paradise had apparently decided that clocks could remain conventional even if sunlight did not. On the way back, they passed a broad elevated walkway overlooking another district. Matt stopped. Below them, hundreds of small storefronts and market stalls stretched through a network of covered streets. Signs advertised equipment, Skill Gems, Crafting services, rare materials, appraisal, and regional exchange goods.

A huge illuminated sign stood above the entrance. GLOBAL DELVER MARKET Rare Equipment Unique Items Skill Gems Support Gems Crafting Services Limited Exchange Goods Matt stared. He saw a weapon mounted behind reinforced glass in one storefront. Another stall displayed Skill Gems in individual security cases. A third had a queue outside a sign advertising specialized Crafting.

Farther down, someone had placed an item in a display case surrounded by enough System security effects that Matt assumed the price contained several uncomfortable zeros. His planner came back to him. Meta Skills. Dexterity Ring. B-rank access. Twenty-one copied Unique Skills. Ethan stepped into Matt's line of sight.

"No." Matt frowned.

"I didn't say anything."

"Tomorrow." Chloe joined him.

"The Market will still exist tomorrow." Matt looked down at the district. Then at his Paradise Coin balance. 163. There was still enough left to make browsing dangerous. He looked back at Ethan.

"You both understand that looking is free."

"No," Ethan said.

"It literally is."

"No emotionally." Matt considered arguing. Then looked toward the beach again. Six weeks ago, he had bought a truck because Delving seemed like a good excuse to travel. Now he had discovered a tropical archipelago outside normal geography where monster trash became currency, every Delver on Earth could theoretically meet for dinner, people bought customizable private islands, and the Global Market sold things that apparently weren't worth moving through ordinary logistics. He had a lot of questions.

Most of them could wait. Matt checked the market one more time. Then followed Ethan and Chloe.

"…Tomorrow." Ethan glanced back.

"That sounded painful."

"It was."