The group returned to the Stone Harbor and towed their boat ashore, apparently intending to stay there for a long time.
The Voice of the Dawn couldn't be left at the harbor forever; it would have been a bit unfair to it to occupy space.
They towed it ashore and found a nice, secluded warehouse to store it, which would serve as their temporary home within the Stone Fortress.
They then made some minor modifications to the rented warehouse, quietly removing the ceiling and replacing it with a removable one.
It's important to remember that the Voice of the Dawn isn't just a ship now, it's also a living tree.
Basking in the sun and rain, whether on rainy or sunny days, brought the Voice of the Dawn joy.
After returning, they ate a meal and rested for the day.
Alka and the others gathered once again in the captain's cabin.
Looking at the crowd, Alka said, "Our mission this time is to find these three pieces of related information."
With a wave of his hand, a mirror appeared on the table, and some information began to appear on it.
Alka also began to narrate based on this information.
"[Cursed Sword] A blade-shaped treasure wielded by a former military noble family of the Saralan Empire, also the title of a general.
By the way, their current descendant is the head of the Demon Hunter Fortress and the Demon Hunter, the Demon Hunter Judge—Greyfar.
Get as much information as possible about this, preferably finding the last person to possess this sword.
[Lighthouse] This was once a landmark building in the Saralan Empire, symbolizing the empire's future and the path of eternal hope. This building should not have been destroyed, but hidden.
But we didn't I've seen information about this building's later history, so this is a key area for information gathering, but there's no need to rush.
I have some familiarity with the name "Moon Worship Cult." It seems to be a pagan cult that disappeared 300 years ago, but it doesn't seem to have done anything nefarious. You can also research this name.
It might be difficult to gather much information about this cult, so you could ask some island residents if they have any similar information flows or legends.
These three names represent a red crown-level treasure and two orange scepter-level treasures.
They are all needed now, and regardless of their suitability, they're useful. They're perfect for future exchange or trading.
Hearing Alka's words, several people nodded.
Searching for relevant information here doesn't necessarily require searching on the ship; you can find it in the taverns and libraries of Stonehenge Harbor, or even in the gathering places of the church.
For example, Simon could easily use his status to search for information within the Holy Machine Church, or even directly ask someone who might only know the relevant information.
After saying this, Alka seemed to have a thought and added, "By the way, you could also learn more about the Saralan Empire. It's always a good idea to learn more.
Remember to compile any information you find important into various key words and record them. I'll need to review them later."
This was Alka's idea. Often, the most basic information is expanded from various nouns.
Alka doesn't even need to know what these nouns represent; simply knowing them can potentially reveal very important information.
This most basic treasure information simply introduces Alka to the possibility of these treasures and related information.
How much help this will provide in finding the treasure is unknown, but it does give Alka a general direction.
All treasure information is derived this way, expanded from a single word or a few words.
Memorizing just these words was the most likely key to Alka's understanding of all the treasures.
After all, he couldn't possibly memorize all the information in his head.
After hearing Alka's words, everyone had a clear goal.
Now all that remained was action.
"Then let's stay here for the next month or two. After gathering more information, we'll figure out what to do next."
As everyone stood up and prepared to move, Alka patted Sofia on the shoulder and said, "Sofia, go collect some maps. There must be some detailed maps of that island."
Sofia nodded. "There will definitely be some, given the constant wars here.
But there's also a good chance we'll collect a lot of discarded maps."
Such maps could be useful, but Sofia knew Alka demanded high accuracy.
A map could be rough, but it had to be accurate.
"Yes, by the way, we can get the Vastva people to come out and explore this place more. It's quite a nice place."
After all, this place is a mixed bag, and almost every human subspecies can be seen here. In comparison, the Vastva's appearance is quite unremarkable here.
Of course, I'm talking about the Vastva people of today, who have slightly degenerated. If they were the Vastva people of the past, they would have been quite conspicuous.
However, it might be difficult for the Vastva people of today to return to their former appearance. After all, their former appearance was a gift from the gods and the blessing of treasures.
Those gods are no longer around.
Furthermore, this is a relatively dangerous area, with powerful external enemies. Their appearance doesn't affect their cooperation at all. As a result, despite their many differences in appearance, they remain relatively peaceful.
If they weren't united, they would have been shattered by these demons.
This atmosphere is perfect for the Vastva people to integrate into.
Coupled with the diverse gatherings here, the Vastva people will gain a deeper understanding of the world.
They will also be here for quite some time.
Alka is even considering establishing a gathering place for the Vastva people, as this place is quite pleasant.
Aside from the dangers, of course.
This is just a temporary experiment, and no decision is necessarily imminent.
Through enlightenment, touchers have begun to appear among the Vastva people.
It's time to come out and practice meditation. With the help of the magic gathering stone, within a few years, the Vastva people will have a group of powerful people reaching the third stage of the Dao.
Of course, they are not considered powerful in this place, but they already have the most basic foundation to gain a foothold in the Boundless Sea.
As they come out and learn more about this place, they can also choose where to establish their home.
After all, this was their own race's problem. Alka and the others could only offer assistance, not directly intervene.
After some thought and a decision, Alka, carrying Lucelia on his shoulders, headed towards the church.
Just as Simon and the others were going to look for information on the relevant Holy Machine Churches.
This place was so important, so temporary residences of various churches could be seen at every port.
Even the Sea God had a simple gathering place by the sea. It could barely be called a church.
"Is it busier than before?" Alka asked, observing the surroundings.
Lucelia also observed and nodded.
"It seems so. And there are more soldiers, right? We happened to run into a large group of soldiers outside when we came back earlier, training new recruits."
Unsure of what was going on, Alka arrived at the church fortress of the Holy Mother Church.
One of the two guards standing guard at the door was someone Alka had met the first time he came.
He clearly remembered Alka, and upon seeing him, he politely nodded and didn't attempt to stop him.
Alka walked into the church.
Inside, Purvis, whom he had met once before, was praying beneath the statue of the Virgin Mary.
Someone else in the surrounding seats bowed their heads in prayer: soldiers, civilians, even some laborers and mercenaries. A wide variety of people.
Alka could clearly sense that they were all believers in the Virgin Mary.
He found a seat at the back and closed his eyes.
Perhaps due to Alka's influence, Lucilia's faith also leaned more towards the Virgin Mary.
Lucilia's original faith was in life, after all, she had once come from the Sea of Life.
Following the priest's guidance, she also prayed. Amidst the darkness of his closed eyes, a flickering light appeared.
Sensing this light, Alka instantly felt a familiar feeling.
It came from the Mother.
This was a revelation from the Mother.
It had come again.
During Alka's first encounter with the Mother, he had briefly asked her about the revelation.
Simply put, the Mother didn't know what it represented; she simply asked him to take a look at a revelation that might be relevant to Alka.
Whether he could understand it and gain any enlightenment depended on Alka's own interpretation.
Alka had a feeling that even the Mother herself wasn't proficient in using this thing.
He even thought it might be some newly acquired ability of the Mother, since there was no mention of it in the canon or elsewhere.
Of course, this was a deeply blasphemous thought, so he dismissed it.
Alka slowly calmed down.
As he pondered, the flickering light expanded, transforming into a picture. It seemed to be somewhere underground, deep underground.
A simple palace had been built there.
In a space encased in crystal. Or rather, it wasn't crystal at all, but rather some kind of transparent glass plate.
A flickering point of light floated within this crystal space, as if sensing Alka's presence outside the frame.
The light condensed and flickered, revealing a male figure.
He had long black hair and looked good, yet somewhat ordinary.
He carried a faint intimidating air, even though he appeared amiable.
He wore light clothing and smiled and waved at Alka, who was outside the frame.
He slightly opened his lips and mouthed the words:
"Come find me soon, I'm waiting."
As he finished his mouthing, the image faded, and Alka, who was praying, opened his eyes.
By then, the prayer had long been completed.
The people who had been sitting around had long since left. Only Purvis stood beneath the statue, holding a book wrapped in iron, smiling at him.
Alka awoke as if from a dream, completely shutting off the thoughts that had been swirling in his mind. He stood up and walked towards Purvis.
"I just felt the presence of the Virgin Mary. She's watching you, isn't she?"
Alka nodded, without objecting.
Purvis simply inquired, smiling, and asked, "Are you just here to pray and seek the Virgin Mary's guidance?"
Alka shook his head. "Not really. I'd like to know if there are any books or materials stored here. I want to learn more about this place.
About the former Saralan Empire and its subsequent history..."
Hearing this, Purvis nodded.
"It seems treasure hunting teams need information support. It seems you treasure hunters are very good at gleaning what you need from this vast amount of information."
From Purvis's words, it was clear he had dealt with quite a few treasure hunting teams before.
This was also why treasure hunting teams were so happy to maintain good relations with various churches.
As he spoke, he led Alka and the others through a side door to the back.
While the fortress wasn't large, it couldn't be anything more than the prayer hall outside.
Entering the back, you could see several small rooms, likely used for resting or storage.
They arrived at a room, neither large nor small, but with a ceiling height of about seven or eight meters.
This place had clearly once been a tower or something, now converted into a small library, densely packed with various reference books.
A simple, seemingly shaky spiral staircase led all the way up.
"These are the materials and books, most of which are related to this place. There are also many books on demons. If there's anything I can help you with, feel free to contact me."
With that, Purvis smiled and prepared to leave! Alka seemed to have a thought and quickly stopped him, asking, "I see the atmosphere outside is very tense. What's going on?"
Hearing this, Purvis nodded with a serious expression. "According to intelligence from the front, the demon offensive has intensified. They may launch a full-scale attack, attempting to break through a certain area.
This kind of thing happens every few years, but sometimes the offensive is intense, and sometimes it's relatively easy.
These demons are constantly expanding their attacks, trying to find a flaw to exploit and then break through in one fell swoop."
Hearing this, Alka nodded, indicating understanding. This meant that the front-line offensive had intensified, so more personnel and supplies were needed.
"But don't worry. We already have ample experience dealing with all kinds of attacks."
Purvis said, and left. Alka and the others searched for the information they needed.
…
The sky was instantly covered.
Night fell.
Alka finally left the church library with Lucelia, entered the street through a side door, and soon returned to the Voice of Dawn.
The people on the ship had already returned.
At the table, everyone ate and shared some of the information they had gained that day.
Not only Alka, but Jason and the others also wondered why the atmosphere in the port city was tense.
"Should we go to the front lines?" Juanlu asked suddenly as he ate.
After all, except for Alka, who had previously been there for business, none of them had ever been to the front lines where the magic wall was located.
What exactly was there like?
Based on the conversation, Alka had a better understanding of the atmosphere and the corresponding full-scale offensive. After a moment's thought, he said, "Let's go to the front lines together sometime later and help defend against this attack. We'll provide whatever assistance we can."
Maintaining the entire demon-proof wall was a way to protect themselves. After all, if the demonic attack gained the upper hand, the Devouring Mouth would surely seize the opportunity to attempt to eliminate Alka.
Besides, they were also considered human, and their goal was to repair the world. To do that, these demons would ultimately have to find a way to get out.
Based on the conversation, it became clear that such a large-scale, full-scale offensive wouldn't be launched all at once.
It was a gradual process.
The demons would also begin to strengthen their forces and begin harassing and investigating the human situation. They would also send various scouts, using various rituals and methods to penetrate behind the city walls, survey the general situation, and wreak havoc there.
Only then would a large-scale attack be launched. After all, demons are almost undisciplined, and various problems would inevitably arise.
Even the three demon generals at the head had to spend considerable effort to rally these damn demons.
They even tripped each other up.
Not to mention arranging various attack directions and battle formations.
These were all extremely difficult tasks for the demons.
Of course, if the demons didn't have this chaotic nature, this place would have been captured long ago.
This chaotic nature is the essence of demons, and it is impossible to eliminate it.
This is also the reason they were able to defeat the larger force with fewer troops and hold their ground.
The battle might continue for months, until the fiercest siege finally erupts and the enemy is repelled. Only after severely weakening the demonic force will the situation stabilize.
This total duration might approach six months, a testament to the experience gained from resisting for so long.
The battles between humans and demons have already gone back and forth hundreds of times.
Both sides have faced critical moments.
A complete stalemate has settled, and without major challenges, it's difficult for either side to achieve any breakthrough.
According to Alka and his companions, this situation has persisted for nearly 200 years.
200 years ago, the demon-proof wall would occasionally advance or even retreat, undergoing various adjustments.
The demons would occasionally expand their range, or retreat when forced to attack.
After this back-and-forth, the situation stabilized from 200 years ago until today.
So, while the entire port city was tense, the atmosphere wasn't overly exaggerated.
After hearing Alka's words, several people nodded.
The fighting on the front lines wasn't intense yet, so they could wait a month or two before heading there. By then, they'd have a better understanding of the situation on both sides.
They could also learn more about the situation here first, so they could gain more intelligence when they arrived at the front lines.
After all, the descendants of the Saralan Empire's royal family were also at the front lines, as was Grayfar.
These were all targets for information.
After a satisfying meal and a few drinks, Sofia handed Alka some of the maps she'd collected today.
"Some of these maps are outdated, but they only show some specific situations. Some are of the wild source.
These maps are maps of demon-occupied areas that someone previously risked drawing."
Sofia had collected quite a few maps today, dozens of them, large and small. Upon seeing the maps, Alka was immediately intrigued. He rushed to the captain's cabin with a map and began to examine them carefully.
The others didn't follow him, each doing their own thing, not disturbing each other at this moment.
In the captain's cabin, Alka examined each map one by one.
Some of the maps were outdated, just as Sofia had said, and no light points appeared.
But half of the maps showed various light points.
Among them, Alka found a red dot within the range of a demon map.