The Sonia Sea.
"Whoosh—"
A powerful wind howled, filling the crimson sails completely and propelling the "Doe" forward at extremely high speed.
Behind this three-masted sailing ship, several other vessels followed closely at high speed as well.
Among them was even an iron-clad steam warship, loaded with cannons and billowing steam.
The entire fleet was pushing ahead at full speed toward the southwest, heading for the Rorsted Archipelago.
The captain is really incredible.
Filia stared at the billowing sails with admiration.
The wind over the Sonia Sea wasn't particularly strong today. The only reason a three-masted ship could move this fast was because the captain was using his own mystical abilities.
If only I could become a Beyonder too.
Clutching the item in his arms, Filia made his way to the bridge, where the helmsman stood.
A middle-aged man with a thick beard was working the wheel. When he noticed Filia coming up, he gave him a brief glance.
"Mr. Ruber."
Filia called out.
"What is it?"
Helmsman Ruber had an aged face. His right hand held the wheel while his left held a bottle of wine. He responded casually.
"The captain asked me to ask you how much longer before our ship reaches Blue Mountain Island?"
Blue Mountain Island was the main island of the Rorsted Archipelago. The capital, the "City of Generosity" Bayam, was on that island.
"Another dozen hours or so, if this damn wind keeps up."
Helmsman Ruber said while pouring a mouthful of wine into his mouth, wiping it with his hairy arm.
So we'll arrive in Bayam tomorrow morning.
"Alright, got it."
Filia said, placing the box he'd been holding at the man's feet.
"This is the Lanti the boatswain asked me to bring you. He says it's compensation for you staying behind to watch the ship this time."
"Hmph, small favors."
Ruber muttered under his breath. Filia just pretended not to hear.
The cool sea breeze swept across the bridge.
Being higher than the deck by a section, one could clearly overlook the entire ship.
Filia saw that the deck was quite deserted at the moment, with far fewer sailors.
Only some stiffly-moving flesh puppets were doing the most basic work, maintaining the sailing ship's condition.
The reason there weren't many people on deck was because—
Filia turned around and looked toward the rear of the ship, gazing at the warship they had captured.
He saw many sailors on it, learning how to operate the cannons from the naval soldiers they'd taken prisoner.
This was the captain's order, requiring them to master this warship as quickly as possible.
So most of the sailors, including the boatswain, had all boarded that ship.
Filia saw the gunner he'd been following. The man was caressing the cannon's thick barrel with an unusually tender expression.
The fleet was approaching Bayam without pause.
Inside the captain's cabin.
"Glug glug."
The liquid in the iron pot was dyed in three colors, gold, yellow, and red, distinctly crisscrossing without any sign of mixing into a single color.
Bubbles constantly churned within the liquid but couldn't escape, only bursting inside.
So this is the "Clown" potion?
Looks much better than the Secrets Suppliant pathway's.
Silas checked the liquid's condition.
Confirming it matched the appearance Klein had described, he used a ladle to scoop it out and pour it into a shallow-bottomed dish.
"Meow~ Meow~"
Luna impatiently tugged at his robe until he bent down to place the dish on the floor.
She immediately went over and licked it with her tongue.
Potions had peculiar aggregating properties.
After just a few licks, Luna had swallowed it all.
Soon, surging spirituality overflowed from within the black cat.
It straightened its tail, its eyes turned completely black, as if it had lost its soul and become a rigid doll.
This state lasted for several seconds.
Just as Silas was beginning to worry, Luna quickly regained consciousness.
She first shook her body, then opened curious eyes and began testing her abilities.
"Swoosh! Swoosh!"
The black cat leaped swiftly around the room at a speed far exceeding that of an ordinary cat, and her control over her body had become extremely powerful.
Silas watched as she darted around the room in all sorts of highly difficult poses, never once losing her balance.
"Alright, alright."
Silas waved his hand, using the shadow beneath Luna's feet to catch her.
He scooped up the black cat and held her face directly toward his own. "Well? Can you talk now?"
"Meow?"
Luna let out a confused-sounding cry. Her intelligence was clearly much higher than before, but she still didn't seem to have learned to speak.
Is it because the sequence is still too low?
Silas thought to himself and pulled open the captain's cabin door.
"Alright, stop making trouble for me. Go play outside."
"Meow-ow!"
Luna rushed out excitedly. Moments later, Darkwill's startled cry and the sound of flapping bird wings came from outside.
Silas didn't bother with it.
Instead, he closed the captain's cabin door again, sat back in his chair, and began resting with his eyes closed.
A new battle would begin in a dozen hours or so. He needed to be fully prepared.
————
On the land shrouded by eternal night, thunderous lightning continually illuminated the large expanse of buildings ahead.
"This is Afternoon Town."
Colin Iliad, the Chief of the City of Silver, a "Demon Hunter" of Sequence 4 of the Warrior pathway, carried twin swords on his back and pointed at those crumbling buildings.
This was the midpoint node connecting the Giant King's Court and the City of Silver.
Being relatively close, it hadn't taken the exploration team too long to get here.
But for some reason, despite being so close, the City of Silver had only begun sending personnel to explore this place after so many years.
We've arrived.
Derrick gazed at those buildings from afar.
He saw that this was a city built against a mountain, not small in scale at all.
Stone buildings had stood in the darkness for who knows how many years. Some were so tall they seemed like dwellings for giants, some were smaller, like the houses they lived in.
Some had already collapsed and decayed, while others still maintained their original appearance.
According to the records of the City of Silver, this place was the gate separating reality from mythology, where humans and giants lived intermingled.
During daylight hours, this place perpetually maintained an "afternoon" state.
No matter what kind of climate, nothing could change that rather intense illumination.
However, that was only recorded in mythology. Now this town looked completely devoid of any mythological feel.
Like the city-states the exploration team had seen in other places, it was utterly destroyed.
Mythology has ended. The era of the Lord, never to return.
Derrick sighed inwardly.
He instinctively glanced to the side of the team and found Elder Lovia also gazing distantly at those crumbling buildings, her delicate face showing no expression.
I wonder what she's thinking right now.
"Move out."
The Chief didn't give them much time to lament.
With one command, he led the exploration team into Afternoon Town. This pitch-black little town welcomed them in silence.
In the darkness, countless pairs of eyes seemed to be watching.