CHAPTER 98: CHAPTER 97: DARKNESS STRIKES

As Jasmine spoke, a large pile of thick, paper-like things floated up from the box, covered with a fair amount of dust. They drifted in front of them. Only then did Alka realize these weren’t paper, but rather pieces of some kind of animal hide. These hides had been fashioned into something like paper canvases, with maps clearly drawn on them. Stored in the box, the maps seemed to be very well preserved; despite being slightly old, the illustrations were still clearly visible.

Jasmine said, "I used to be the president of the Alliance’s Chuck Commerce Association. These are internal nautical charts of the Alliance, along with various safe routes."

"They used to be confidential," she continued, "but now that the Alliance is gone, they’re useless."

Alka took them and looked them over. The largest map depicted a detailed chart of the entire Realm of Pitch Darkness, marked with many safe routes and some secret passages. Every island and even some treacherous waters were clearly marked. It was, one might say, extremely detailed—the most detailed nautical map Alka had ever seen. The smaller maps below were even more detailed charts of specific areas, small islands, or particular routes. They were so clear that even reefs that might damage ships, areas with poor sea conditions, and places where Sea Beasts were spotted were marked. Anything dangerous that could affect navigation was noted, even with dates and times indicating when certain paths could be sailed faster.

Seeing this, Alka was certain this information had once been confidential. Creating such detailed maps wasn’t something a small faction could achieve; it would have required countless manpower, resources, and an immense amount of time. If these maps had belonged to the Blood Gold Alliance, pirates possessing them could have moved through its territory unhindered, pillaging everywhere, and would have been incredibly difficult to annihilate.

Alka blinked; blue and white specks of light flickered out, accompanied by a golden glow.

Jasmine examined her box again and then turned to say, "If you all really succeed, there are some Magic Items I used to use in here. They’ll all be yours."

Upon hearing this, Alka and Jason instantly perked up.

"No problem, just wait for the good news," Jason said. Finishing his words, he gave a gentlemanly nod to Jasmine. "Well, we’ll take our leave now."

The three then backed away, still facing the Spiritual Body. Jasmine flashed a bright smile and waved at them until she disappeared into the darkness.

"Slow down, Alka, she has something to say to me," Lucilia’s voice came. Then, she instantly transformed into a cloud of smoke and flew into the darkness.

Alka slowed his pace. In less than ten seconds, Lucilia flew back and re-entered the necklace. While Alka and the others were still retreating, Lucilia’s voice reached him.

"She released that previous wave intentionally. She sensed another Spiritual Body similar to hers above us."

So that’s why Lucilia could detect the wave? That explains what she said the moment we came in. Alka thought.

"She also thanked me for my help... and said that if she successfully returns to the embrace of the Holy Mother, she’ll give me some gifts of gratitude. She said I’ll definitely need them."

Alka nodded silently, indicating he understood. Now is not the time to respond.

The three returned to the spot where they had descended and climbed back up.

"This time, we must have made a major contribution, hahaha!" Once up, Jason patted the dust off himself and couldn’t help but laugh.

Alka shook his head helplessly. "Don’t get excited too soon. Wait until we actually have it in our hands before celebrating. Otherwise, if joy turns to sorrow, it won’t be pleasant."

"So, do you think what she said is true?" Jason asked, turning to the other two.

As they spoke, the three headed out of the estate.

Gami thought for a moment and said, "She’s certainly a believer in the Holy Mother. As for whether it’s true or not, we have to go there anyway, so why overthink it?"

"That’s true," Jason agreed.

"But how did she know about the Alliance’s downfall? Didn’t she say she died the moment of the explosion?" Alka wondered.

"I don’t know. I haven’t studied souls," Gami replied. "And she didn’t say she was trapped in that tunnel, only that she was trapped in this dark sea area."

"Forget it. Let’s just be cautious. We planned to go to that island anyway; this just speeds things up," Alka concluded.

By the time they finished speaking, the three had already reached the outside of the estate.

Looking at the pitch-black world, Alka controlled the Mirror Surface to reflect the light of the Lighting Stone, then turned to the other two. "Shall I send the message to Andre now?"

"Go ahead," Jason nodded. "You’re more proficient with this Spell than I am."

Alka’s mouth moved soundlessly as specks of blue light flickered in his hand, which he rubbed together. With his silent words, blue threads appeared in the air, forming a Flying Bird that soared into the distance.

The range of the Voice Bird Spell was limited, generally increased by the amount of Magic Power infused and proficiency with the Spell. Jason wasn’t sure of their current distance from Andre, so he let Alka cast it. Alka regularly practiced such functional Spells for daily use and was quite proficient with the Voice Bird Spell. He was confident it could transmit a message within this enclosed area.

"Then let’s go to the port and wait for them," Jason suggested.

The other two didn’t object and headed back the way they had come.

「...」

They returned to the place where they had landed earlier. The group found a rock and sat down to wait. Jason held the pure gold Civilization Staff he had found earlier, waving it around.

Suddenly, the staff in his hand clattered to the ground. Hearing the sound, the other two immediately looked at him. Jason was blinking his eyes incessantly and shaking his head continuously. He forcefully slapped his ears.

"Oh no, the darkness has invaded his mind!" Gami said urgently, observing the scene.

Alka was just about to get up and approach when Jason raised his hand, stopping them. He shook his head. "It’s okay. I just started hearing the singing."

Saying that, he fumbled at his belt, took out a slender Potion the size of a finger, unplugged the cork, and tilted his head back to drink it.

Seeing this, the other two relaxed and sat back down. This Potion had been specially prepared for them by Vanessa before they left the ship. Its purpose was to temporarily restore their mental faculties and dispel the darkness invading their minds. The Potion worked very quickly and conveniently, but it had certain side effects. It possessed a slight toxicity, making it unsuitable for ordinary people, who would require more detailed treatment from Vanessa. Touched ones like them, however, had no such concerns. The slight toxicity wouldn’t significantly harm their bodies; a little Meditation could flush it out through the circulation of their Magic Power.

If it weren’t for the fact that sailing in the Realm of Pitch Darkness could take two to three months, Andre might have even considered leaving the lower-ranked members behind.

As the Potion took effect, Jason closed his eyes, sitting dazed for a minute. Then, he opened his eyes, slowly exhaled, and visibly relaxed, settling back onto the stone.

"So, this is what it feels like to hear the murmuring?" he mused. "It’s really quite peculiar. A bit like a Sea Demon’s song, but it got increasingly unpleasant towards the end."

Hearing this, Alka couldn’t help but turn to look at him. "You’ve heard a Sea Demon’s song?"

Jason shook his head. "Of course not. If I had, would I still be alive now?"

"But, you might not believe this," Jason continued, "I’ve actually heard a Mermaid’s song."

PFFT! Gami couldn’t help but snort with laughter.

Seeing Gami’s reaction, Jason shrugged helplessly and shook his head. "See? I haven’t even started, and you don’t believe me."

What does that mean? Is a Mermaid such an incredible creature? Initially, after seeing the Merfolk, I thought Mermaids might also exist in this world. After all, knowing this is a world of oceans with various races, I figured Mermaids wouldn’t be that unusual. But judging by their reactions, my thoughts might be off.

Gami laughed. "You’ve heard a Mermaid’s song? Let me ask you, where in this world would you find a Mermaid?"

"That’s why I said you might not believe it," Jason replied. "Although I don’t know where the song I heard back then came from, I just felt it was a Mermaid’s song. The feeling was very peculiar."

As he spoke, Jason himself couldn’t help but smile and shake his head. "Saying it like this does sound strange, haha. But the song was truly beautiful; I still remember it vividly."

He then waved his hand, changing the subject, and turned to Gami. "What position did you hold in the Church before?"

"Preparatory Saint."

"A Preparatory Saint, huh? That’s not bad. Before I boarded the ship, I also thought about becoming a Saint," Jason remarked.

Alka knew about Saints. Ever since learning that the Stone Mother was the Holy Mother, he had intentionally sought out information about the Holy Mother Church. Saints were roughly equivalent to technical personnel within the Church, holding a status comparable to a Regional Bishop. These so-called technicians were individuals with special skills, such as being very powerful in combat. Even the Church’s armed personnel, the Palace Knights, could be called Saints. Andre was a Saint.

"I heard Chadite used to be a Preparatory Saintess," Jason suddenly recalled.

Chadite was a Preparatory Saintess? This was the first I’d heard of it; Chadite had never mentioned it. Alka was somewhat puzzled.

Gami nodded. "Yes, she was. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have become a Touched one so early on. A Saintess’s status in the Church can be on par with an Archbishop, holding a special, transcendent position."

"And she isn’t one now?" Alka asked curiously.

Gami shook his head. "Not anymore. That’s why she came to Captain Andre’s ship."

Jason also asked curiously, "Why? Is there a story behind it?"

"I heard," Gami said, "that she caught the Archbishop off guard and knocked his teeth out."

The two fell silent. Gami continued, a lingering fear on his face, "She stormed back, wanting to vent her anger on us, muttering something about how she wouldn’t be some damn Saintess and that she wanted to go to sea, or something like that."

"Later, she really left. You have no idea how happy we were then."

Was Chadite really that violent back then? Honestly, I can’t quite imagine what Chadite was like at that time. The contrast is too extreme. In my impression, Chadite is always cheerful, gentle, and considerate. She’s very good at looking after others. The only thing about her related to ’violence’ is her fighting style.

"The ship is here!"