CHAPTER 183: CHAPTER 144 CONVERGENCE_2

As the ship gradually appeared on the horizon, Alka began to examine it closely.

Speaking of which, Pororo’s detection range was truly vast. He was capable of sensing activity beyond the visible horizon, though this was limited to the sea’s surface. After all, he was a warrior of the sea; the sea’s surface was his domain. Once on an island, detection relied on Chadite’s silver ripple, which offered high precision and wide diffusion.

It was a ship interwoven with gold and green. The entire vessel emitted a faint, milky-white glow, making it exceptionally conspicuous in the night. As the ship sailed closer, Alka finally saw the emblem on its sails.

"Holy Mother Church?"

Alka never expected to encounter them like this. He hadn’t run into them in half a year, and now, just when he wished to meet a Church ship, one appeared. Could it be true, the blessing of the Holy Mother?

Thinking of this, Alka couldn’t help but glance at the Silver Metal Box strapped to his back. Speaking of which, I’ve been carrying this box for half a year; it’s almost fused with my back.

Even when sleeping, Alka would keep his hand wrapped around the chains on the box.

However, the Magic Power consumption of the Sword of Love stored inside was truly outrageous. Therefore, Alka didn’t like using this sword much. His fighting style mainly involved using various prepared cards, which consumed very little Magic Power. Thus, his body always retained enough reserves to handle dangerous situations. But once I use the Sword of Love, with my body’s Magic Power, it feels like a pump running at full speed to drain my internal Magic Power. That sensation is really uncomfortable.

So, Alka generally avoided using this sword unless faced with a crisis, like the encounter with the red Evil Spirit. Then, he would draw it without hesitation to meet the enemy. As for these pirates, honestly, they struggle to pique my interest in using the Sword of Love.

The reason they had fled was not because of the other pirates on the Prayer for the Dead, but because of his father. If his father hadn’t also been pursuing him, those pirates alone wouldn’t have been enough to make them scatter and flee.

Upon realizing it was a Holy Mother Church ship, Alka waved his hand, signaling Pororo to stop their vessel. Subsequently, a faint glow enveloped the entire Spell Ship as Alka activated the Energy Spell that provided Dark Element protection around its perimeter. This luminescence, combined with the Lighting Stones on deck, was quite eye-catching in the darkness.

Sure enough, the Church’s ship headed straight towards Alka and his companions. With it came a blue, line-drawn bird.

Seeing the approaching bird, Alka furrowed his brow. Someone familiar on board? Otherwise, why would a Sound Bird be sent over?

The blue, line-drawn bird flew over, attempting to perch on Alka’s left shoulder. However, Lucilia, who was sitting there, waved it away.

"Go away, go away, go to the other side. This is my spot."

The Sound Bird could only fly to his right shoulder, where it vanished beside Alka’s ear. It conveyed the voice it carried, delivering the message into Alka’s ears.

"Who is it?" Chadite couldn’t help but ask curiously from the side.

The Sound Bird’s communication had limitations. One either needed to know the person they wished to contact or have had prior interaction with them. If they had never met, the message couldn’t be conveyed. Of course, other mediums could also work. Communication between the Church and Alka had always been relayed through Andre and his companions. Chadite didn’t recall Alka knowing anyone else from the Church personally.

Alka turned to her. "It’s Jason," he said.

Hearing this, a smile spread across Chadite’s face. "Is it Jason? Does that mean Vanessa and Gami are safe?"

They still hadn’t received confirmation that Jason and the others were safe, only that the pirates hadn’t captured them.

Hearing this, Alka shook his head helplessly. "I don’t know about that," he said. "Jason didn’t say. He only mentioned he was on the ship and would rendezvous with us soon."

"That guy! Can’t he relay a simple message properly?" Chadite gritted her teeth, clenching her fists and shaking them twice in exasperation.

As the Church’s ship slowly approached, Alka and the others could see the situation on its deck. Jason was dressed in a white robe adorned with green, branch-like patterns. Beneath the white robe, what looked like Soft Armor was visible, and he had a Vibrating Stone Gun slung across his back.

This was the attire of a Church Knight; only they wore white robes embroidered with green branches. Besides Jason, there were about a dozen others on the ship dressed similarly. Even though Alka wasn’t particularly sensitive to Energy, he could tell these dozen or so individuals were likely Touchers. Each of them emitted a faint Holy Light, warding off the encroaching darkness. Each Knight was equipped with different weapons, and upon closer inspection, they appeared to form three well-coordinated small teams.

A middle-aged man stood at the ship’s railing, observing Alka. His attire was clearly different from that of the nearby Church Knights, looking more distinguished. He was likely the captain of this ship, or perhaps the leader of this contingent.

Before the ship had fully stabilized alongside, Jason leaped across, landing squarely on their deck. He strode over quickly, enveloped Alka in a hearty hug, and clapped him firmly on the back.