novelraw Chapter 448 - 232 First Stage Completed_3
Chapter 448 - 232 First Stage Completed_3
"We also visited two Drifting Islands. Later, during our journey, we happened to pass near here, so we returned," Bai Shi replied succinctly, without delving deeper into the conversation.
Based on the intelligence gathered last night, the so-called Landmark Island is an island in the Endless Sea that will never move due to environmental changes; it will always be there. Just like a landmark fixed at a location to indicate direction, it’s called a Landmark Island. A Drifting Island, as its name implies, moves randomly, though it’s not the island itself that moves, technically speaking.
"The Southern Cross? I’ve never been there, but I feel like I’ve heard of it somewhere," Alka responded.
Upon hearing this, Chadite and the others remained expressionless. Only Pororo couldn’t help but turn his head to glance at Alka. Seeing no reaction from the others, he quietly turned his head back. He pursed his big lips, swallowing the questions he wanted to ask. Why can these people lie without a flicker of guilt?
"It’s normal if you haven’t heard of it; after all, that island seems quite secluded."
No one knew the exact expanse of the Endless Sea. Within such vast waters, it was natural for many Landmark Islands to exist.
The conversation about the outside world ended abruptly there.
After a while, Bai Shi stopped and vaulted onto a giant tree. Once he descended, he addressed the group, "Wait here for a bit. I’ll go ahead to check the situation and see if we need to detour." With that, he disappeared into the small woods.
Alka and the others stopped and waited where they were.
Pororo, seeing Bai Shi leave, finally couldn’t hold back and asked, "What did he mean by what he just said?"
The others nearby also looked curiously at Alka; they hadn’t known he had ever sailed the Endless Sea. He had only shared the intelligence gathered last night with Jason, who happened to be by the campfire that morning, and hadn’t yet told the rest of the group.
"Last night, in the Dream Realm, I wandered around the bubbles of those merchant ship members and collected some intelligence about the outside world along the way," Alka then briefly explained, sharing the information he had gathered.
The group nodded in understanding, having now gained some awareness of the Endless Sea. They only resumed their journey after Bai Shi returned.
...
Daylight receded as if a curtain had been drawn, and night fell.
Figures could be seen sprinting rapidly in the distance. The Hunters on the watchtower saw this and nocked arrows to their bows.
At this point, Alka and his group finally spotted the first watchtower.
"HUFF, HUFF, HUFF!" Bai Shi panted heavily, resting his hands on his knees.
The Hunters on the watchtower spotted them. One of them spoke to Bai Shi in a language the others didn’t understand, apparently scolding him. Bai Shi chuckled, said a few words, and then led Alka and the others slowly towards the town.
"We finally made it back before nightfall; I was nearly scared to death," Bai Shi said with lingering fear.
Alka and the others, though aware there was danger, hadn’t personally experienced just how perilous the night could be. Therefore, they did not exhibit overt fear. From Bai Shi’s demeanor, however, the dangers of the night seemed far more terrifying than they had imagined.
Simon curiously asked from behind, "Have you ever stayed outside at night?"
Bai Shi nodded. He paused for a good while before responding, his voice tinged with somberness. "Yes. The situation back then was similar to today; we were slowed down by demonic beasts. Our team had four people at the time. In the end, only two of us made it back, and one of them had lost a hand."
Evidently, Bai Shi, standing before them now, was the only one from that incident who had returned relatively unscathed.
There was no need to dwell on the topic, so everyone fell silent.
At the town entrance, they saw Jason, Juanlu, and Lucilia. They appeared to be arguing with the gate guards about something.
"We need to go out! Don’t you understand us? What? Are you going to keep us locked up?"
"Friends, leaving at night is prohibited, even for guests. It’s very dangerous outside; this is for your own safety."
"You..."
Just as Jason was about to say more, he spotted Alka and his companions approaching. Joyful relief washed over the faces of Jason, Juanlu, and Lucilia. Jason hurried over with Lucilia and Juanlu, asking, "What happened? Why are you back so late? If you were any slower, we might have rushed out to find you."
When night fell and Alka’s group hadn’t returned, Jason, Lucilia, and Juanlu had grown extremely worried. It was during this anxious wait that they also learned from the townsfolk just how dangerous the outside was at night. This knowledge made them unable to stop themselves from wanting to go out and search for Alka.
Alka had just arrived when he received a blue-lined Flying Bird.
"We ran into some unexpected trouble, but fortunately, we reached the boundary watchtower just as night fell," Alka said, placing his hand on Jason’s shoulder to reassure him.
Afterwards, Alka apologized to the nearby guard for the disturbance. Then, the group bid farewell to Bai Shi and led Jason, Juanlu, and Lucilia back to their rented cabin. Looking at the food still simmering on the small stove, it was evident Jason’s group had been about to leave in a hurry.
They spread out and settled around the campfire.
"So, the First Stage objective is considered complete," Alka said, sitting by the campfire and looking at Chadite. "How are the records? Are they complete?"
Chadite nodded. "Although many hazardous areas today weren’t perfectly explored, it doesn’t significantly affect the overall mapping." Many of today’s dangerous areas covered too wide an expanse. Even though they circled them, they couldn’t map them out completely. However, it wasn’t worth putting themselves in danger for such minor omissions in the survey.
Upon hearing Chadite’s response, Alka nodded. "That’s good. Once the map is completed, we’ll plan our next course of action."
The group nodded without objection, as this was a well-established plan they had already agreed upon. Simon and Matilda, who had just joined, naturally didn’t voice any opinions on these proceedings, instead observing and learning silently, though they weren’t entirely sure of the reasons behind all this.
Alka then turned to Jason. "Organize the information you’ve gathered."
"Sure, no problem."