NOVEL NEXT Chapter 179 Heading to the Gate Leading to the Outside World_3
Otherwise, someone like Alka would have been struck by lightning in other Churches, instead of being a primary focus for cultivation in the Church as he was now, although it was in secret.
Then Chadite was pulled aside by his father, who said something to him. Vanessa was also there, talking with them. Speaking of which, Vanessa and Andre had practically become a couple, lacking only a ceremony. Alka had asked before; Andre wasn't planning to remarry, and the two would just continue their ambiguous relationship. Alka remained skeptical about how long Andre could maintain this.
After bidding farewell, Chadite, his father, and Vanessa left the deck and stood on the port, waving goodbye to those on the ship. Watching the port recede further and further into the distance, Alka turned around and stood on the deck. He stretched out his hand and gave a gentle wave.
The sails dropped automatically. The largest canvas in the middle of the main mast had long been dyed blue, emblazoned with a large emblem: the logo of their Treasure Hunting Team, a golden pupil inside a silver Compass.
The melodious sea song rose with the wind; this joyful and uplifting tune was composed by Julia. During this time, the music-loving Julia and this former Music Ship were a perfect match. Often, their music could be heard together, turning one of the ship's rooms into a dedicated music room. With the song playing, Julia spun around a few times on the spot and began to sing passionately.
Alka went to the bow of the ship, controlling it to begin sailing at full speed.
"Set sail!"
「...」
There were still more than two and a half months until the day of convergence. They sailed for a month and a half, finally approaching the gate leading out of the Homeland Sea. The gate was located at the southernmost end of the Homeland Sea, in the central-southern area on the map. The sea conditions here were among the roughest in the entire region, which meant few people lived there.
Standing in the lookout room at the top of the main mast, Alka watched the raindrops fall. "It's raining again, huh," he couldn't help but say.
The entire lookout room was semicircular, perched atop the main mast. The ring area of the semicircle near the floor was made of transparent, hard glass. It was also a one-way mirror, allowing one to see out but not in. Alka had no idea how craftsmen made such a thing. Had their skill tree progression gone completely awry? Still, it perfectly met the lookout tower's observation needs.
Thunder rumbled around them, and raindrops constantly pelted the glass with a crisp sound. The entire sea turned dark, and huge waves made the Sound of Dawn rock back and forth on the Ocean's surface. This made the ship's motion exceptionally apparent to them.
Alka unfolded the map in his hand and examined it. According to predictions, the gate should be not too far ahead. However, the heavy rain completely obscured their vision, with visibility no more than one hundred meters.
At that moment, the door to the lookout room suddenly opened, and Chadite walked in, with Lucilia perched on his shoulder.
"Alka, I'm here to relieve you. Go down and rest."
Alka smiled at their arrival. "No rush," he said. "I just caught a strange creature the other day; I'll give it a try."
As he spoke, a mirror mask appeared on his face. A strange creature, resembling a mix between a frog and a crocodile, emerged from the mirror. Its most noticeable feature was its large eyes, the reason it was said to look like a frog. With the creature's appearance and the mirror mask's transformation, Alka's head morphed into that of the creature: a slender snout with sharp teeth, two huge eyes set upon it, and a tongue as slender as a snake that flicked out.
This creature was as bizarre as could be. Alka didn't know its scientific name, but the monster possessed decent power, reaching One Spiral, and had Magic Power within it. After a period of imitation and study, he discovered that the creature's eyes were incredibly powerful, capable of spotting finger-sized fish fry a kilometer away in murky seawater. This also allowed it to see great distances in foggy or rainy weather. Having mastered it, Alka naturally retained the simulation of this creature's head.
He then looked out the window with its giant eyes. His vision had changed; the world was now rendered in three colors: black, white, and green. This vision allowed Alka to see right through the surrounding raindrops and clearly make out the distant situation. An Island, appearing black in his sight, had come into view at the edge of his vision—their destination.
Their course hadn't deviated. From here, Alka could already see quite a few ships moored around the Island. After confirming their location, Alka withdrew from the simulated transformation, his head returning to normal.
Lucilia, who was now perched on his shoulder, watched Alka revert and couldn't help but say, "I think I've found something for me to do. How about we collaborate on creating an illustrated bestiary?"