CHAPTER 512: CHAPTER 254: CALL DADDY

After saying goodbye to some friends they had met on the island, the Dawn Sound, having lingered around the Broken Islands for over 160 days and nights, finally began to depart, sailing into the distance.

Standing on the ship, Alka held a ribbon adorned with a cross symbol. It was Balazs’s Guiding Banner.

As Magic Power flowed in, the ribbon fluttered continuously in one direction. Even when the breeze changed direction, it remained unaffected, not swaying with the gentle wind.

Thinking it over, Alka tied the ribbon to the ship’s wheel. This way, the person steering could see the direction the ribbon indicated, though they almost never steered the ship themselves. After all, the ship’s wheel was located in what was considered a relatively safe area on the vessel.

Alka propped his hands on the ship’s rail, watching the surrounding waves. They were finally embarking once more.

"How long will we be sailing on the sea this time?" Alka suddenly asked.

Upon hearing this, Chadite, who was standing beside him, replied, "According to the information from Balazs’s last visit, it’s generally between 10 to 25 days and nights."

"Such a wide range?" Alka turned his head and said in surprise. That range of fluctuation seemed rather exaggerated.

"Not really. It mainly depends on when you leave the Broken Islands. Although it’s linked and pulled by Southern Cross Island, the distance can vary during this ’pull’," Chadite said, spreading his hands with a hint of helplessness.

A Landmark Island would form a linking effect with surrounding islands, essentially binding them. Due to changes in ocean currents, these bound islands would occasionally detach but always return within a certain period. Then, they would fluctuate within a certain range around the Landmark Island until drifting away once more.

According to some books Balazs had provided, throughout the Endless Sea, most settlements dispersed outward from Landmark Islands. Although Landmark Islands were numerous, compared to the vastness of the Endless Sea, they couldn’t be considered abundant. Even counting the islands linked to them, they were merely a drop in the ocean compared to the entirety of the Endless Sea. Sailing without a destination, one might only encounter randomly drifting islands over the course of a year, or even many years.

"Alright, hopefully we won’t have to sail for too long," Alka rubbed his forehead and said.

Chadite looked at the sea, then at the Guiding Banner fluttering continuously on the ship’s wheel. He asked, "Are we heading directly to our destination this time? Should we stop anywhere in between?"

Alka shook his head. "No stops. We head straight to Southern Cross Island first."

He planned not to make any stops along the way and head straight to Southern Cross Island.

The ship’s supplies had long been fully stocked. The supplies in the ship’s storage were enough for them to live on for several years, even with their specially designed compressed holds. Moreover, who knew if, after landing on any intermediate island, they might end up even farther from Southern Cross Island? That was a risk that had to be considered.

At that moment, Jason walked up from the rear of the ship and said, "According to Balazs’s advice, it would be much better to visit Southern Cross Island first before heading elsewhere. There, you can gain a better understanding of the overall situation in the Endless Sea and avoid making certain mistakes."

"However, on Landmark Islands, it’s best to be cautious with the use of force. Those in power there despise anyone who disrupts order."

Hearing this, Alka suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, I still don’t know—what kind of organization governs Southern Cross Island?"

"I’ve heard it was a tribe that settled there and later developed and grew. Now, it’s essentially a small nation, complete with a royal family," Jason said thoughtfully. As for more specific information, there wasn’t much; intelligence concerning this aspect was limited.

As they spoke, the surrounding sea began to distort again, though the ship’s navigation remained unaffected.

"Here it goes again," Jason commented, observing the fluctuating sea. "As I recall, Balazs mentioned that such changes only occur in the Broken Sea Region."

The spatial disorder causing the sea to twist randomly was apparently not a phenomenon unique to the entire Endless Sea. It simply occurred because this particular region of space was quite chaotic.

Before long, the call for dinner echoed from the dining area. Everyone gathered in the dining room. Although it was the small dining room in the sterncastle, the room now appeared much larger than before; previously, it had felt somewhat cramped, but now it seemed exceptionally spacious. But looking from the outside, one would notice that the sterncastle hadn’t undergone any expansion; it remained its original size. A closer look revealed peculiar Spell symbols around the room and a few floating beads made from special materials.

Alka had just finished his meal when he heard a DING from the lookout post. This indicated something was happening outside.

Wiping his mouth, he headed to the deck. There, he saw a black dot emerging in the distance—another island.

"So soon? We only left a short while ago, didn’t we?" Chadite, standing nearby, commented with some doubt.

Logically, two islands shouldn’t be so close. They also hadn’t heard from Balazs about any other islands nearby. Their vessel had only been in motion for a few hours. Yet, with the black dot appearing ahead, they had no choice but to believe it.

Alka quickly scrambled into the lookout post, using both hands and feet, and peered through the window into the distance. As he looked at the peculiar island, Alka had a feeling it was somewhat familiar. The island didn’t fill his entire field of vision, but it occupied about half, extending towards the left edge of his sight.