The night sky was a sea of stars, but tonight, unusually devoid of any unusual celestial bodies, it was a rare sight.
Not even a few shining stars could be seen, plunging into a darkness so intense it was almost impossible to see.
Jason lit up several lighting stones from his pocket ring and hung them around the boat.
"It's been ages since I've used these things. I really miss them," Pororo said, gazing at the lighting stones hanging everywhere as he slowly swam beside the boat.
"Yes."
Julia sat on the edge of the boat, her beautiful tail gently swaying in the water.
The swamp was unusually quiet.
Not even the slightest sound of wind could be heard, and the chirping of insects was unlikely.
The endless swamp vines, combined with the night sky, seemed so tranquil. It seemed as if a gentle shout could carry far away.
Aboard the steadily sailing Flying Swallow, Alka sat at the bow.
An invisible barrier of magical energy surrounded him, and a combination of several crystals and a magic-gathering stone floated above his head.
Alka was meditating for the day.
Feeling the pull of magic in the air around him.
Among the group chatting late into the night, Simon suddenly said, "Is Alka about to break through?"
Sofia nodded. "He should be breaking through to 24 spirals."
"That's fast," Jason's voice came from behind the group.
While everyone was chatting at the stern, they could see a huge platform connected to the tail of the Swallow.
The entire platform was concave and integrated into the tail of the Swallow. From its structure and the underwater propeller at the rear, it was clear that it was Simon's masterpiece.
The booster system on the swamp could also expand their resting area on the water.
While creating a resting place for the crystal dragon, the idea came to them, and they also created a booster.
This allowed them to sail a little faster in this area, primarily by connecting the large platform behind them to the Flying Swallow, giving it greater buoyancy.
This way, the booster could travel quickly on the water without worrying about rubbing against the vines in the water.
The crystal dragon was now curled up on it.
Jason rested on its back.
Urulius even used one of his wings to cover Jason.
"It's a bit fast, really. It's only been 20 days since the last breakthrough, right? 20 days?" Juanlu asked uncertainly.
"19 days, less than 20 days," Lucelia replied.
Jason leaned against the crystal dragon's back and shook his head helplessly. "I really can't understand why it's so fast. Is it some kind of medicine?"
The distance between them and Alka had widened.
The gap had already grown to around five or six spirals, and it was only going to widen.
The people on the boat were generally still around 18 or 19 spirals.
That was still a small number; some, like Matlisa and Juanlu, had already exceeded eight spirals.
"I heard his strength in his dreams has increased so much that it's dragging down his real-life strength as well.
They said the situation would ease a lot by the fourth stage," Sofia explained.
"Ease? Is that the right word?" Simon grumbled.
It made him sound as if he'd been cursed, weakened.
If this was some kind of weakening curse, then don't hesitate to attack him.
"For Alka, this should be considered a reprieve. After all, I heard him say before that reality and dreams are too disconnected, and that it could lead to irreversible accidents," Lucelia said nearby.
Everyone spent the night on the boat, chatting idly and passing the time.
Until someone said something.
"Want to play cards?"
"Let's play!"
"Add me."
"I want one too."
"Then I..."
"With so many people, whoever loses gets to take turns, and there's money to be paid."
As he spoke, he glanced at Jason, who was smiling awkwardly beside him.
Everyone was rich now.
He was the only one who was still poor. Not only was he poor, he was also deeply in debt.
It was all about investing in the future.
He mentally encouraged himself.
...
Feeling his strength had perfectly solidified through a breakthrough, Alka concluded his meditation for the day and slowly opened his eyes.
The sound of people chatting rang in his ears, their voices a bit excited.
It's so late, aren't you going to rest?
Listening carefully.
"Royal bomb! You're out of cards, right? You're out of cards, right? Last two."
"Haha, give me the money, and you'll keep owing me. That's about a gold sail today."
Hearing the shouts, Alka shook his head helplessly. He wiped away the sweat from his meditation and shut down the magic gathering stone and the machine it was built on.
Just then, he saw Lucelia, sitting at the helm, flipping through a thick book that was larger than she was.
"You're not going to play?"
"Hmph, I'm not playing. Boring games." Lucelia snorted softly, continuing to read the book in front of her.
Hearing this, Alka couldn't help but smile, thinking back to Lusilia's card skills.
She'd obviously lost too much and was no longer in the mood.
Without saying anything more, he sat down beside her with a smile. He pulled the map from his pocket ring and, following the directions he felt the flower fairy had given him, examined the distances on the map.
"How long have we been sailing?"
Hearing Alka's question, Lusilia continued flipping through the book and replied, "Six days."
"Six days already? Well, then we should be here now. We should reach the island in two days.
It happens to be a key connection point to the giant tree habitat. It should be a fortress."
Alka said, examining it carefully.
The map in his hand was no longer the one Sofia had copied earlier. Instead, it was a more professional and detailed map given to them by the Land of Fragrance, clearly drawn by the locals. It even had some routes marked on it.
One of the more suitable routes was the one he was heading for.
This island was likely a fortress, given the chaotic nature of the Giant Tree's habitat.
They didn't expect to be able to keep those cultists out, but at least they could make it harder for them to get there.
...
After two days of sailing, they were finally reaching the final island and entering the Giant Tree's habitat.
"We can already see soldiers patrolling the area," Simon said to the crowd below from the sky.
He was sitting in his specially constructed flying chair, scouting the distant sky.
They spotted the soldiers, and soon after they advanced, the soldiers spotted them too.
They were riding on reptiles, weapons in hand, heading towards them, especially considering their group looked so strange.
After all, a group with such a diverse cast of races—how could it not be strange?
"What are you... Wait, are you that team, the one with Alka?"
The captain, who had been about to question them, took a closer look at their situation and suddenly remembered something.
Alka walked out and nodded.
"I am Alka."
"So it's you gentlemen. Come with us," the captain said, leading them towards the island.
"We have received a letter from the Land of Fragrance. Thank you for your help to our homeland."
"Of course, it's what we should do."
Alka smiled.
The conversation along the way was very friendly, and they arrived at the island before them with remarkable ease.
Just as Alka had expected, this island was indeed a fortress. The surrounding walls were also made of vines.
However, these vines weren't as vibrant green as the ones they'd seen on the walls of the Emerald Fortress. Instead, they were tinged with a faint, dark gray.
They looked even dirtier.
"Welcome to the Gray Vine Fortress. Just ahead is the chaotic giant tree habitat. Would you like to rest up in the fortress for the night?
We've been traveling for so long. Why don't we continue tomorrow? It's already late at night."
The soldier said, looking up at the sky.
The sky tonight was filled with many bright stars, but none of the giant ones that often appeared.
It had been several hours since nightfall.
After hearing the captain's words, Arka thought for a moment and nodded.
"Then we'll trouble you."
"It's no trouble, no trouble. It's our pleasure. Sirs, please follow us."
The captain smiled and led them into the fortress. After a brief conversation, he brought them to a central room.
However, it was a fortress after all, so there wasn't a large room where they could all rest. Instead, the surrounding rooms had been cleared out for them to rest.
"Thank you so much for troubling you."
"No, sirs, please rest, even though it's not very comfortable here."
"It's quite good, much better than sleeping in the open, isn't it?"
"Haha, sir, you're right."
Everyone quickly returned to the room prepared for them to rest.
Although you couldn't expect the beds in the rooms of this fortress to be particularly comfortable, a warm room was certainly much better than resting on a boat in the swamp.
At least it was enclosed, shielded from the cold and damp.
It was early in the morning, before daybreak.
Everyone had already woken up one after another, and soon after, the curtain of the sky was torn apart.
Several soldiers brought some breakfast to their rooms.
"Enjoy your meal."
It might seem simple and normal, but for a fortress, the care they showed to these newcomers was truly exceptional.
After finishing their meal, they gathered themselves and walked outside, preparing to leave the fort and continue towards their destination.
"Are you all ready to leave?" asked the squad leader who had brought them here yesterday.
Alka nodded. "Yes, after all, we have a mission to complete."
"Then let me share some intelligence we have ahead of us, so we can help you."
Hearing this, Alka didn't refuse, and there was no reason to.
Leaning against the wall, he listened to the captains' stories.
"Go forward, past the emerald green belt. You'll reach the Broken Reef, where a large number of scum who lost battles and managed to survive gather.
Please, gentlemen, do not pity any of them. No one living there is innocent.
They live on the edge, so you may not encounter them, but if you do, be careful."
Alka nodded, understanding, though he didn't understand the situation.
"Next to it, there's a larger, more chaotic area. Most people call it the Burning Shipyard. There are several pirate groups, some cults, and groups of exiled scum.
There are also criminals of all sizes here, many of whom sneak in to plunder nearby villages.
Although it's chaotic, this place is close to the edge of the giant tree habitat. Therefore, there aren't any particularly powerful ones."
The captain shared all the information he knew. "Thank you. Your information is very important to us."
"Of course, it's great to be able to help you."
Arka nodded and said goodbye to the soldiers around him. They boarded the Swallow, which had already been moved forward by the soldiers, and continued their journey.
Arka sat on the deck.
He looked at the markings on the map and the area roughly drawn by the previous soldier.
"At our current speed, it will probably take us half a day to cross the border, and then we will reach the Emerald Green Belt here."
Heka pointed at the emerald green boundary line on the map.
It's called this because it's a long strip of emerald green trees.
The environment inside is complex and home to many dangerous creatures, making it dangerous to walk through.
But fortunately, although the Emerald Green Belt is long, it's not wide.
It usually takes two or three hours to cross. Unless you're extremely unlucky, there generally aren't many dangers.
"After passing through here, this is the Broken Reef. It's crowded and cunning, but it's not dangerous." Simply put, it's an area where disabled people gather.
You can't expect much combat power in this area.
However, according to their plan and this area, they rarely get too close and shouldn't encounter the people above.
It's more about the large area that also includes the Broken Reef, which is quite large.
Compared to the route they've taken, it would take six or seven days to cross it directly.
It's equivalent to the area from the Fragrance of Fragrant Aroma to the border corner.
According to the markings made by the soldier captain just now.
Three more notorious pirate groups that require attention are located at the edge of this area, towards the sea.
After all, they're still pirate groups, and they still need to leave the shore to survive by robbing. They needed to be particularly vigilant regarding the several scumbag forces and cults in the area.
The leaders were all at the fourth stage, but most of their subordinates were barely at the third stage.
So they posed a threat, but not a significant one. They just needed to remain vigilant.
Alka felt the flower fairy's guidance.
He drew a straight line on the map in this direction.
This line cut directly through the area, heading towards an unknown region further back, and then reached the seashore.
With luck, they might reach their destination within this area. If they were unlucky, they would have to head to another, less-known region.
As the captain of the soldiers put it, this place was just a corner.
Mainly, the location and environment there seemed unfavorable, so few were willing to come here to reinforce.
The fact that these evil forces had been driven here meant that the area further back was definitely a tough target.
This is a bit of a problem.
…
It was night, and the daylight had just been covered by a curtain.
Stars and luminous bodies hung high in the sky, adding a touch of light to the darkness of the endless sea.
The boat Alka and the others were on could already see rows of dark shadows in the distance.
Those rows of dark shadows stretched all the way to the
The invisible direction seemed to be the Green Belt.
They were about to cross the border.
"Keep your spirits up! Let's get to the Green Belt first, then find a place to rest," Alka said, gazing into the distance.
While this area might be dangerous for others, it was also a relatively safe place for them to rest.
After all, they weren't ordinary people, and with the puppet girl on guard, there was nothing to worry about.
Soon, the Flying Swallow, piloted by the group, reached the perimeter of the Green Belt.
Alka looked at the trees, whose roots extended deep into the water and were tightly entwined with the vines below.
He looked up.
"Why are these trees so tall?"
The trees were generally over ten meters tall, with some even exceeding twenty meters, densely packed together and stacked on top of each other.
The trees themselves resembled vines, intertwined and intertwined, making them appear incredibly dangerous.
"Forget it, let's go in first. Be careful to stay hidden."
After Aka finished speaking, Jiu and her team had already flown into the forest.
In an area with severely limited vision, Simon couldn't perform effective reconnaissance.
He had to leave it to Team Nine of the Puppet Knights and Team One, responsible for sentry duties.
The entire process was orderly.