CHAPTER 170: CHAPTER 140: POWERFUL ABILITIES

On the way back, Alka looked at the bodies he had previously placed by the roadside.

He thought for a moment and said, "I should bury them. After all, we should thank them."

Without the efforts of these Explorers, they wouldn’t have achieved their current gains.

Letting them rest in peace was the only thing Alka could do for them now.

After burying the bodies, the group arrived at the port.

They looked at the Spell Ship docked before them.

Its length was similar to the Sea Fist they had previously boarded, but it was noticeably a size smaller: narrower in beam, lower in profile, more antiquated, and with more years of service.

Of course, it could have been poorly maintained, but that seemed unlikely.

"Are we using this ship?" Pororo walked over, patted the hull, and then asked the group.

Alka nodded. "Of course, we’ll use it. It’s too extravagant to leave it here; after all, it’s a Spell Ship."

You could drag it out and sell it as is for several hundred Golden Sails. The Sea Fist wasn’t even Andre’s own; it was sponsored by the Church.

Though it felt wrong to think it, this ship could now be considered theirs.

With that, the group boarded the vessel.

The layout of this ship wasn’t much different from the Sea Fist.

The open deck was similar, except slightly narrower, and still featured a poop deck where the captain’s cabin and other superior rooms were located.

This must be the standard shipbuilding plan.

Below, the first level was the gun deck, a normal layout for such ships.

However, an obvious difference was apparent here: the Vibrating Stone Cannons were the same model standard to the Blood Gold Alliance Navy.

This model was one level lower than those on the Sea Fist.

Moreover, these Vibrating Stone Cannons lacked Spell transmission links, meaning they couldn’t be controlled by a single person to fire all at once.

They had to be manually operated by the crew on board. The Spell’s automation solution was clearly quite basic.

Amidships on the gun deck were the crew’s hammocks, just like the layout on ordinary merchant vessels.

This indicated there had been a considerable number of ordinary crew members on this ship, a fact corroborated by the dismembered remains scattered across the island.

The mess hall, occupying the entire stern of the gun deck, looked somewhat dingy; paradoxically, this made it seem more normal.

Only one small room in the galley was enchanted with a freezing preservation Spell, used to keep food fresh.

But its small capacity meant limited storage, suggesting it too was reserved for the ship’s important members.

There was no library or workshop, only a storage area for lumber and tools for ship repairs.

Directly below the gun deck was the hold, where numerous provisions were still visible—mostly legumes and some alcohol.

Some water barrels and food items were also present, already starting to smell slightly foul.

Chadite briefly inspected the ship’s Spell systems.

No autopilot—a definite minus. But it has protective Spells, which is good. The acceleration Spell is there, though not high-level; acceptable. Automatic sail control Spell that self-adjusts to the wind—excellent.

Although overall it was a bit worse than the Sea Fist, it was still acceptable. As long as the sails didn’t require manual control, it wouldn’t take many people to operate this ship.

A typical sailing ship requires the most manpower for its huge masts, massive sails, and maddeningly complex rigging.

This automation was also the most financially demanding aspect of a Spell Ship; automated sails were often the most crucial component of the entire vessel.

"Let’s moor the Flying Swallow alongside this ship," Alka said. "We can’t abandon the Flying Swallow."

Pororo nodded at Alka’s words. The materials, cost, and Spell etchings on the Flying Swallow were all top-tier.

Its only drawback was its small size.

But in terms of true value, the Spell Ship beneath their feet might not necessarily surpass the Flying Swallow.

Together, the group maneuvered the Flying Swallow out, tying it to the Spell Ship’s side to serve as a tender.

This caused the entire Spell Ship to list slightly to one side, forcing them to shift some supplies to the opposite side to rebalance it.

Fortunately, however, the seas in the Realm of Pitch Darkness were generally calm, plus they had a safe passage.

Acquiring a new ship and a Treasure left everyone feeling somewhat exhilarated.

Alka stood on the deck, the ship’s controls in hand, and waved.

"Set sail!"

「...」

A gold-and-green ship was swiftly sailing on the waters of the Realm of Pitch Darkness.

The vessel emitted a faint Holy Light, dispelling the elements in the darkness that could sway one’s mind.

At this moment, this Holy Mother Church ship had already reached the outskirts of the Realm of Pitch Darkness and was about to enter the central region.

Consulting the main chart revealed their course was taking them directly towards Alka’s group’s current position.

"Six months," the captain of the Church vessel, who also led the Church Knight Squad, remarked with some emotion. "They finally decided to use the Holy Artifact. It truly wasn’t easy."

A clear sense of relief was evident in his voice.

They had been sailing in the Realm of Pitch Darkness for half a year. During this time, they had not only engaged the Prayer for the Dead Pirate Gang but had also been relentlessly searching for Alka and his companions.

But this treacherous place was vast and dark; finding anyone here was like searching for a needle in the ocean.

Whether they would encounter them depended entirely on Providence; if they did, it would surely be an arrangement of destiny.