From time to time, Baraz shared some information he knew about certain people in the Four Gods Sea.
Alka and the others would recall information they had gathered during their time in the Four Gods Sea, using these people's names.
Learning about the pasts of these legendary figures made their conversations even more enjoyable.
After all, even Baraz himself was a minor figure, barely a name known in this small area.
Learning about the legendary pasts of such distant, storybook-like characters was fascinating and novel.
The conversation between the two became quite enjoyable.
From time to time, loud laughter could be heard emanating from the house.
They continued their conversation until most of the food on the table had gone to Pororo's stomach.
Only then did they prepare to say goodbye.
"It was a pleasure speaking with you. You are truly invaluable friends. If you leave this island later, remember to come to Southern Cross Island. Reaching a target island is crucial."
With this, Balazs waved. A male member standing behind him stepped forward and handed him the object.
Balaz took it and handed it to Alka.
"It's just a small gift. Don't refuse. It's important to you, but it's nothing special to us. It's just a token of my appreciation."
Looking at the cloth-wrapped object in his hand, Alka nodded, not refusing.
Since he said so, it must be very helpful. Any further delay would be hypocritical.
"Thank you. We'll always remember your help."
"Haha, we're friends now. Helping a friend isn't something we shouldn't do."
Hearing this, Alka smiled.
"That's definitely my fault, haha."
"It's late now. Thank you very much for your hospitality. We'll take our leave."
Baraz didn't try to persuade him to stay, but nodded with a smile. "Of course, if you have the chance, you must come to Southern Cross Island. We'll meet again then."
"Of course. May the Virgin Mary bless you," Alka said, folding his arms in front of him.
"May the Virgin Mary bless you," Baraz returned the greeting.
Afterwards, Alka and the others left the place, heading towards the harbor.
Even after Alka and the others had left the house, Baraz stood there with his hands behind his back, lost in thought.
"Captain, what are you thinking about?" asked the first mate, who had been standing behind him.
"As expected of someone from the Four Gods Sea, you're truly impressive."
"Incredible?" The first mate scratched his head, somewhat puzzled.
He had indeed not met Alka's men, so what was so impressive about them?
But these people did have a way with their conversation.
Baraz glanced at him.
"If you could tell that, you'd be the captain."
"I'm really looking forward to our next meeting. Let's see how long it takes you."
With that, he left the room.
Looking at his captain's back, the first mate curled his lips in disdain.
"You're acting like a captain again."
...
At this moment, Alka and his companions said goodbye and left, walking through the town streets in the cool night breeze.
"What do you think of Balazs?"
Alka suddenly asked.
"He's not a follower of the Virgin Mary. He was just pretending just now," Shadati said suddenly.
"Why do you say that?" Alka was slightly surprised. He hadn't really noticed that.
After all, Balazs had merely folded his hands and performed the Virgin Mary ritual.
"When he folded his hands and prayed for the Virgin Mary's blessing, he didn't receive it," Sofia explained.
"Huh?"
Alka uttered a puzzled sound.
What did she mean? Just making a random gesture and praying for the Virgin Mary's blessing would actually result in her blessing? And how could that be seen?
Even Simon, who was standing beside her, looked at her with some surprise.
Isn't this a perfectly normal thing? How could one conclude from this that Balazs wasn't a devotee of the Virgin Mary?
All she could hear was Sofia's explanation: "I was once a candidate saint of the Church. You know, I almost became one."
Alka nodded. Sofia was being modest. She was capable of becoming a saint, but she simply didn't want to shoulder the responsibilities that come with it.
Then, she silently grumbled inwardly: If you hadn't punched the Archbishop, you might still be a candidate for Sainthood.
Inexplicably, she thought of Sofia's dark past.
However, it also indirectly proved that Sofia was once a core member of the Church.
"I don't know about other gods, but as long as you cross your arms and sincerely believe in the Mother Mother, you will receive her blessing when you pray."
"It's just that these blessings are invisible to you, and they're rare, but they're obvious to the clergy.
That's why, back in the Home Sea, many people didn't believe in the Mother Mother, just pretending to do so. Many clergy turned a blind eye.
When true believers in the Mother Mother need help, the clergy won't hesitate to help."
Hearing this, Alka nodded in sudden realization.
Simon, also nearby, said with some envy, "So the Virgin Mary is so merciful?"
This was something a believer in the Holy Machine Church couldn't even imagine.
How could one simply make a gesture and pray to the gods, asking for blessings, and actually receive them?
Alka had no idea about this.
To be honest, he didn't really care.
At this moment, a sudden shock struck him.
He wasn't a big believer in the Virgin Mary either. Could someone have figured it out?
He couldn't help but ask, "What about me? Did I receive any blessings from the Virgin Mary when I prayed on board the ship?"
Xadaiti looked at Alka, frowning, a strange look in his eyes.
"Of course, and quite a few."
"Really? Haha."
That's good, that's good. It's terrifying.
On second thought, he realized he'd been overthinking it. After all, he could even wield the Holy Sword, so how could he not be a follower of the Virgin Mary?
And he'd even received revelations before.
Come to think of it, was he really not a believer in the Virgin Mary?
Alka couldn't even guarantee that he didn't believe at all.
Be it the Virgin Mary's teachings, her deeds, or the kindness she displayed, Alka had no reason not to believe.
And the Virgin Mary Church had treated him well, treating him like one of their own.
So, he could truly be considered a follower of the Virgin Mary. After realizing this, Alka stopped worrying.
"Tell me about something else."
"His cooking isn't very good, much worse than Juanlu's," Porro suddenly said.
This made everyone stop in their tracks and look back at him.
"What's wrong?" Porollo asked doubtfully, seeing the looks they gave him. He then added, "Indeed, he's not as good, don't you think?"
"Indeed, he's not as good as Juanlu, but do you think it's appropriate for you to say that?" Simon, standing beside him, couldn't help but raise his steely left arm and pat Porollo's belly.
Porollo's belly was already quite bulging, so one could imagine how much of the food on the table had gone into his stomach.
At least two-thirds, and that's a conservative estimate.
Hearing this, Porollo pushed the hand away. It was so hard, it felt like a hammering iron rod.
He then argued, "Food shouldn't be wasted. We're guests, and we have to respect our host. There's no better way to show respect than to eat the food he's served."
It was a well-placed statement, leaving the others speechless.
"Simon, make a steel needle," Porollo said, patting Simon. "What?" he asked, raising his left hand and instantly producing a steel needle.
Porollo used it to shave his teeth.
"Tsk."
Simon rolled his eyes.
Porollo grumbled, "Next time something like this happens, you should let Jason accompany you. He's more suitable. This is the only way I can help you."
Alka glanced at him and shook his head helplessly. "You look more intimidating. And have you been learning bad things from Jason lately? Why are you becoming more and more like him?"
Especially that sly look.
"While I don't know his true intentions, what he's doing is at least beneficial to us. We do owe him a favor," Sofia said, getting down to business.
Alka nodded. That was indeed the case.
Whatever his motives, at least until now he had always had good intentions and was indeed helping them.
With this thought, Alka opened the object in his hand.
This was the gift Baraz had given them when they said goodbye.
After opening it, he discovered a flag and a book inside.
Alka picked up the flag and examined it.
It wasn't a regular flag, but rather a ribbon, with a rope tied to a flagpole at one end and nothing at the other.
A red line ran down the long blue strip. In the center of the strip was a cross.
"What does this flag mean?" Simon asked from the side.
Alka examined it. "It has spells on it, woven from some kind of spell material. The technique is unique and the workmanship is very detailed."
That was all he could make out.
"Let's take a look at the book first," Sofia suggested.
Based on their previous conversation, this book was clearly more important. Alka nodded, folded up the flag, and opened the book in his hands.
The book wasn't thick; it felt incredibly thin in his hand, only about a finger's thickness.
The cover was made of some kind of waterproof material, but judging by the material, it wasn't expensive.
"It's actually written in the common language of the Home Sea." Alka was surprised to see the title on the cover.
He only just remembered that they had been speaking the common language of the Home Sea throughout their conversation.
Speaking of which, besides their own language, the only language the islanders in the small town knew seemed to be the common language of the Home Sea.
Why the Home Sea language?
And not the common language of the Southern Storm Sea, or perhaps the other Four Gods Seas?
Even in his dreams, Alka hadn't found the answer.
The islanders' dreams said that the outsiders who frequently came to trade all spoke this language. In the merchant ship crew's dream, Alka didn't ask for any information.
Retracting his thoughts, Alka looked at the book in his hand.
It read "Broken Islands/Southern Cross."
Judging from the name, it seemed to be a book about the Broken Islands and the Southern Cross.
It was about the same thickness.
Alka flipped open the book and took a look.
"This contains some information about this area and the Southern Cross, the landmark island. It also includes navigational aids for the Vast Sea."
Hearing this, Sofia and the others' faces showed clear interest.
This might be their first step toward understanding the Vast Sea.
"Let's take a look when we get back. Lucilia and the others might be waiting impatiently."
Hearing this, they all nodded and quickened their pace toward the port.
They arrived at the harbor soon, where they found Jason waiting on the shore.
Seeing them approach, Jason smiled and waved.
Then, after checking them out to make sure they were all right, he joined the others on deck.
"So, what did that person invite you over for?" Jason asked.
"He saw we were new to the Boundless Sea and wanted to take this opportunity to make some friends."
"It's better to help someone in need than to add icing on the cake."
This surprised everyone.
"How did we get exposed?"
Alka and the others began to briefly recount some of the conversations at the banquet.
"So that's how it is! I never thought such details would be exposed," Julia muttered to herself.
She hadn't expected such a reveal.
"You said the book records some information about the outside world. Tell us quickly," Lucilia urged, jumping onto Alka's shoulder.
Hearing this, Alka looked at the others.
The others' eyes were also filled with curiosity.
After all, although they had been in the Silverless Sea for so long, they knew very little about its specific conditions.
Now that they had a channel to learn more, how could they not be curious?
"No problem. Let me take a look."
Alka opened the book and read carefully.
This careful reading revealed that the information he had previously obtained from his dreams was indeed somewhat one-sided and too fragmented.
Even this book only covered a small area and some characteristics of the sea in that area.
"In the Vast Ocean, nautical charts are completely useless. Due to its chaotic nature, the ocean here is constantly shifting, including the positions of islands."
"This also makes it difficult to discern the correct direction here, because even the ocean, even islands you've already visited, will reappear somewhere else shortly after you leave.
The islands that won't shift due to changes in space or currents are landmark islands. They're always there, forever fixed there."
"An island chain is a group of islands pulled together by a landmark island. They also shift, but they'll reappear around the landmark island at certain times."
As for the specific mechanics, I won't explain them here. That's a brief description.
For example, the chain of islands trailed by the Southern Cross Island is called the Broken Chain, and the island we stand on is part of it.
It returns to the Southern Cross Island every 30 to 60 days and nights, which is why merchant ships arrive during this period.
They must also leave before straying, otherwise they'll have to wait until the next return.
Otherwise, they'll likely be far away from the Southern Cross Island, requiring a great deal of time and effort to return.
After briefly explaining some of the important information written in the book, Alka took out the flag that Balazs had given him earlier.
"Although the location of the Signpost Island won't change, the people of the Infinite Sea have still created a tool to guide it: the Guiding Flag."
"This flag points to the Southern Cross Island. Simply hang it, and the tail of the flag will always flutter in the direction of the island."
After hearing Alka's brief account, everyone's expressions varied, but without exception, they were all somewhat surprised.
Even though they had already prepared themselves mentally, the chaos still left them somewhat bewildered.
"So, unless it's an island within a chain, once you leave, you'll likely never find it again?" Sofia asked nearby.
Alka nodded. "That's what the book says, if it's correct."
"Will it be an eternal journey into the unknown?" Julia muttered, then asked with some resignation, "So, are there really seeds of life here?"
The so-called seeds of life are essentially similar to the Church of the Holy Mother and the Church of the Holy Machine.
They are the gods of the Sea of Life, an organization formed by believers in life.
One of their tenets is to maintain the balance of nature and to sort out the chaos of the world.
And the merpeople carry this tenet to its core.