The group made their way down the mountainside, eventually arriving at the bank of the North River.
As he got closer, Colin saw flags emblazoned with the Weston Clan’s crest fluttering on the cargo ships in the river.
The vessels looked like Ordinary cargo ships, with no heavy weaponry on their decks. Their shallow draft indicated they weren’t carrying much cargo.
"Are you the ones the boss is waiting for?"
A man dressed like a captain shouted as they approached.
"Yes!"
"Have those Orcs stand over there. If I recall, Mr. Colin should have a ring to prove his identity, right?"
Colin waved at the surrounding Orcs, signaling for them to stay put.
He walked up the gangplank to the deck himself. Several sailors carefully examined the rings on his hand: Weston’s Smoothness and Glory New Blood.
Only after his identity was confird did the captain allow the Orcs to approach and board the ship.
"I have a friend who should still be waiting for in Mokewick. When we leave, can we have their ship join us?" Colin asked.
The captain shrugged. "We’re already transporting Orcs. That’s hardly an issue. We’ll just send soone to find them and tell them to follow us."
"Great. Their ship is called the Super Long-Distance Explorer."
With that said, Colin finally relaxed completely.
’Everything is settled now. All that’s left is to wait until we’re back in Thousand Masts City.’
This trip had really pushed them to their limits. The Orcs had run out of food, and his necklace was depleted of energy. This was even with many of the elderly Orcs voluntarily eating less. If they had been delayed by another day or two, they would have had nothing left to eat.
Colin leaned against the ship’s rail, watching the Orcs file onto the ship one by one across the gangplank.
He quietly drew a sharp breath.
The captain looked over, confused. "What’s wrong?"
"No, it’s nothing," Colin said quickly.
’It’s a bit morbid to think about, but this suddenly reminded of the infamous triangular trade...’
After that, the fleet set off.
After stopping near Mokewick and finding the Super Long-Distance Explorer, the fleet of three cargo ships set a course for the Endless Sea.
Even from a distance, Colin could tell from its draft that the Super Long-Distance Explorer was heavily loaded with cargo. ’The captain of that ship will probably make a huge profit when he gets back,’ he thought. ’It makes the luxurious treatnt we enjoyed on board back then worth it.’
After the cargo ship entered the Endless Sea, Colin left the deck and went into the cabin.
It was quite peaceful here. Most of the Orcs were still on deck, curiously watching the landscapes not covered in snow. The ocean was a novelty to them.
Colin was also quite relaxed.
He simply took out a book and sat in a corner of the cabin to read.
’On the way here, it was just our squad and a few Guards on the ship,’ Colin thought. ’Now the fleet has an extra hundred Orcs.’
’If any Sahuagin or Pirates show up, I probably won’t even have to lift a finger.’
A while later, Ale ca down as well.
The young woman didn’t say anything, simply sitting down next to him and taking out a book of her own to read.
’Speaking of which, I finally have so free ti.’
’Judging by this Half-Elf’s behavior so far, she seems trustworthy,’ Colin mused to himself. ’Maybe I should talk to her about Silent? That information might be helpful in researching the Ancient Empire of Ora Kaim.’
"Ale, there’s sothing else I wanted to talk to you about regarding the Ancient Empire," Colin began.
Ale looked over at him. "What is it?"
Colin then told her the full story of how he had acquired Silent.
After finishing, he asked, "What do you make of it?"
"Silent? Sword Chant? Hmm... I’m sorry, Mr. Colin, but I don’t have a clue." Ale frowned—a rare change in her expression.
"Is that so?"
Ale said, "But I will write to my elders and ask. They might know sothing. I think this is undoubtedly a good thing for you. It’s not unheard of for items imbued with the souls of predecessors to appear among the Elves, so there’s no need to worry too much.
"After all, unlike other intelligent beings, the soul of every Elf returns to the Main God’s Divine Kingdom after death, only to later return to the Mortal World. Their births and deaths are like a cycle. Because of this, items held by an Elf for a long ti are more likely to beco vessels of inherited mory. The power of souls resonates, you see."
Hearing this, Colin relaxed a little.
The cabin swayed, and ti slowly passed.
The sound of footsteps echoed around them.
As dusk fell, the Orcs, having had their fill of fun on deck, started coming down into the cabin.
"It’s story ti! Who wants to hear the thrilling adventure story of the great Black Giant Root Squad?!" the boisterous voice of the Gno rang out.
Colin looked up and saw the fellow making a ruckus while standing on two stacked crates. The surrounding Orcs heard him and slowly gathered around, sitting on the floor.
Although speaking the Common Language was difficult for them, they had no trouble understanding what others said.
’The mbers of the Black Giant Root Squad are spread out among the cargo ships, so I bet the other ships aren’t lacking for stories either. Besides, I could use a break.’
Colin stretched and stood up, intending to walk over.
Then Ale, who was sitting beside him, also stretched just like him and stood up to follow behind.
The two of them silently stood at the edge of the crowd.
Just then, Kase walked over.
He asked, "Why are you two standing in the sa pose?"
"Huh?" Colin paused.
He glanced to the side and saw that Ale was also standing with her arms crossed, just like him.
Ale said with a deadpan expression, "A coincidence."
"A coincidence, then," Kase said with a yawn. "Good, I’ll listen to the story too. I’m the best storyteller in the whole tribe, so I can give this little guy a few pointers."
At that mont, Colin suddenly rembered a question he’d been curious about.
"By the way, where is your child?"
"My child?" Kase scratched his head.
"Don’t tell ... you don’t know?"
"It’s not that. I just don’t know how to tell you." Kase pointed at the crowd of Orcs. "Over there."
Looking over the heads of the Orcs, Colin could see Orelia mixed in with the Orc children. For so reason, the little girl had quickly befriended them, and many of the female Orcs were taking special care of the Tiefling.
In any case, Colin guessed it was because she was so small and thin that the Orcs treated her like a child.
Kase pointed impatiently. "Where are you looking? Over there."
Colin searched again more carefully before he saw the little Orc Kase was pointing at.
The young Orc did look a bit like Kase. And while he wasn’t particularly tall, he was quite sturdy—perhaps a bit too sturdy for a child of only a few years old.
"Well, I never would have guessed if you hadn’t pointed him out," Colin said. "The two of you don’t interact at all."
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