CHAPTER 453: CHAPTER 354 FRACTURED ISLES, SONG OF THE SIRENS_2

"Well done, Miss Delia. Navigators truly are a captain’s right-hand."

Compasses can work all day without rest, but Navigators cannot. Under normal sailing conditions, a simulated Sentry with various abilities can take over their post. The Navigator profession trades combat ability for more auxiliary transcendent abilities. Even at a Low Sequence, they are considered the best support. Sentries can signal obstacles, issue crisis warnings, and detect underwater reefs. They can even maintain constant contact with nearby lighthouses, providing helmspeople with assistance for positioning and course corrections. By the Middle Sequence, even auto-piloting is not a problem.

Byron knew that Black Sorcery could extract the souls of Navigators or sailors to create artificial Cursed Objects to aid in navigation.

Delia beamed. "Thank you for your praise, Captain."

"After the successive validations by the May Wind and the Ocean Throne, this route that indeed leads to the New Continent will soon become firmly established. Not only will seagull messenger 9526 and others start to establish a postal network, but the lighthouses along the route will also be constructed one after another under the auspices of the Federation. The person directly in charge is my father. By then, the Law Network will descend upon the Doldrums, suppressing various Evil Spirits and Bizarre entities, and this entire route will be much safer. Those merchant ships and whaling ships, even without the firepower of The Golden Deer, can travel safely in company as long as they adhere to taboos."

Having finished her work for the day, Delia immediately went off with the eager Jacqueline.

"At home, Father and Mother are strict. After starting work for the Federation, I can only wear the uniform every day; I’m not free at all," Delia said. "If it weren’t for the Senator’s good reputation, Father wouldn’t have agreed to let me aboard. Only after leaving home can I wear my favorite clothes. Jacqueline, you are such a good person! Oh, wait for me, the pendulum is showing... this way. Ha, this is indeed my room! I didn’t get lost this time; I’m quite impressive. I brought some clothes to change into. How about we share a bed tonight? Just the endless supply of fresh water alone puts The Golden Deer ahead of ninety percent of sailing ships. It’s too wonderful!"

"Sure!" Jacqueline replied. "Delia, let me tell you, spider silk worn on the legs keeps you warm in winter and protects you from the sun in summer. Plus, it’s very durable. It feels smoother than silk, absolutely amazing to the touch! Here, feel my thigh and see for yourself. Didn’t I tell you it’s great? You have to let me feel yours later too, okay?"

"No problem. After all, we’re all girls..." Delia responded.

Although Byron admitted he could not at all comprehend what they meant by ’smooth,’ there was one thing he couldn’t deny. Despite Jacqueline being a woman herself, her skills in wooing women were exceedingly well-polished. With just a few words, she effortlessly captured the young lady’s weakness, catering to her tastes, and on their very first day of acquaintance, progressed to sharing a bed. Impressive!

His eyes briefly flickered to Violet, who had been by his side helping steer the ship.

Being persistent and taking the initiative is something I really should learn from her, Byron thought. Even including my past life, I’ve only ever been experienced in theory. Despite having ’learned’ abundant ’knowledge’ from so many ’teachers,’ those learning materials always skipped the step of romance. I simply don’t know how.

At that moment, the Sailing Logbook in his right eye suddenly updated automatically:

"Milestone complete: Stepped into the Southern Hemisphere."

It was The Golden Deer, racing along. Occasionally, it let the "local snake," Little Snail, activate Vortex Transmission in the safe waters ahead, reaching the equator in just a day’s time. But here, they were entering waters unfamiliar even to Little Snail, who dared not teleport recklessly.

Moreover, Byron produced a suddenly dimmed Crystal Skull from his pocket. It was Number 12, the Polaris Deity. Relying on the commanding power of the Number One Crystal Skull around his neck, Byron could maximize the power of all Thirteen Crystal Skulls without needing to chant.

The ability of this skull was "Instant Map." Over a wide area, it could observe the stars to precisely pinpoint the holder’s location, ensuring they never got lost. (This ability was limited to use in the Northern Hemisphere, as the North Star doesn’t reach the Southern Hemisphere.) They had just crossed the equator and entered the Southern Hemisphere when this ability suddenly became ineffective. From then on, the only thing they could rely on was the Navigator, a sort of human radar.

Within a smaller range, it could communicate with the spirits of the earth. This created a precise, instant map of the terrain and personnel distribution within a few kilometers, transmitting it directly into the holder’s consciousness. The closer they got to the homeland of the Tenor People, the larger the scouting range and the more detailed the information. Conversely, the farther away from Yucatan Island they were, the smaller the scouting range and the sparser the information. In completely unfamiliar territory, the map’s range could shrink to just a few hundred meters.

Once in the Southern Hemisphere, the usable abilities of this skull were halved, but it was still powerful enough for many adventurous activities.

The next moment, both the Lighthouse Sentinel and the Polaris Deity sent him a warning: "Be careful of the reefs; be sure to avoid them."

Soon, with the surging waves in front of them, Byron could clearly see streaks of white foam connected in a line on the surface of the distant sea. This indicated that there were either shoals or reefs below. An accidental collision could result in minor grounding or, at worst, water ingress and sinking.

Byron became increasingly cautious while sailing.

Before long, the ocean’s topography changed dramatically. A series of pitch-black islets popped into sight at the limit of his vision. Some glowed with flowing light, some were dull and lifeless, and some seemed vibrant like a fairyland. Byron, however, avoided each one from a distance, having absolutely no interest in drawing closer for a better view.

Violet, who had been by Byron’s side all the while, caught sight of them. Recalling information she had read in the Key of Omniscience at the public library, she blinked her large eyes with curiosity.

"Byron, do you think these islands were really part of the New Continent once?" she asked. "It’s hard to imagine what level of power could tear apart half a continent."

Earlier Naturalists who came here had spent a lot of time conducting repeated explorations and published numerous academic papers to argue their case. Shattered continental shelves exist beneath these waters, making it very likely that this area was once part of a vast expanse of land.

Transcendents of the Tower Sequence deduced that perhaps one day in a distant epoch, the sudden appearance of a Zero-level World Rift caused a powerful eruption of Source Material to lead to the disintegration of part of this continental shelf. This event not only created a huge cluster of fragmented islands but also pushed the remaining entire continental plate southward.

It was also because of this discovery, combined with ocean current directions, that the first explorers to arrive at the Celestial Orbital Belt asserted that a vast landmass must exist to the south.

Furthermore, on these islands, known as the Shattered Isles, many strange Secret Realms have emerged due to that event, rooted in human history and myths. Each island has its own specific rules and hosts unknown dangers. There may be treasure, but more likely, there are Bizarre entities that devour lives. If they were in the Bantaan Archipelago, each one would be a forbidden zone.

"Perhaps," Byron said. "If we see the New Continent with our own eyes, these questions might be answered. But there’s no need to explore these islands without a clear gain from the unknown."

The farther one travels from the Old Continent, the more the ecosystem diverges from the real world and approaches mythical tales, Byron mused. The creatures active here are almost as they were in the legendary Mythological Era.

Living beings that had supposedly been extinct on the Old Continent since before the Silver Era were occasionally sighted:

"The Harpies, who like to abduct robust sailors in groups to find breeding partners and continue their species.

The Abyssal Maw, which can create a massive vortex in the seawater and swallow everything with an open mouth.

The Whale Island, as large as a small isle, which drags both ships and people into the water when they attempt to dock.

And Beauty, which can lure sailors with enchanting songs before consuming their flesh..."

Byron had only just started reflecting on Violet’s topic when, suddenly...

AHH~ AHH~ AHH~

A distant song began to echo in his ears. It sounded like the beautiful call of a dolphin, with no specific lyrics, yet it seemed to pierce through the soul and resonate directly with the heart.

Immediately afterward, an islet they had passed just a few minutes before appeared once again in front of them.