In other words, this departure might very well be a final farewell.
Luckily, I don’t have much attachnt to this place, Alka thought. Closing his eyes, he lay on the bed to rest. Listening to the cold wind outside the window, he fell into a slumber.
「...」
After a long voyage, they were about to reach their destination: Snowy Island. Alka stood at the helm, watching the island in the distance.
He waved his hand, and the bronze bell on the main mast swung from side to side, emitting a clear, crisp sound. The sound carried outward, and everyone in the captain’s cabin erged one after another.
"We’re almost there? Oh, this island is quite big, isn’t it?" Jason remarked, standing on the deck with his telescope focused on the distant island.
Lucilia nimbly hopped and climbed up Alka’s leg, all the way to his shoulder.
She’s a bit like a little monkey, Alka mused. Of course, I can’t say that out loud, or Lucilia will get angry.
"This is the largest island in the Extre Cold Triangle Zone," Chadite said, recalling the information in her mind. "It’s also ho to the largest tribe here. According to the last census, there might be five or six hundred people."
As they talked, the ship soon approached the waters surrounding the island. They spotted a very rudintary port, haphazardly constructed with sticks and planks, the joints fastened with so kind of vine. About two or three ships of varying sizes, all quite simple, were docked there.
Those must be the boats used by the island’s tribal residents, Alka thought. A few small wooden huts were visible at the port, and several tribal mbers dressed in thick furs were watching them warily.
Because the port used by the islanders was rather narrow, they had to circle around to find a suitable place to dock their ship. However, they were still so distance from the island itself.
They released the Swallowtail, letting it settle onto the sea surface.
Alka turned to the others. "This ti, Chadite must co along. She needs to survey the island’s terrain to make it easier for her to create the map."
Hearing this, Jason and Pororo exchanged a look and, after a brief discussion, decided to stay behind and guard the ship.
Julia, Chadite, and Alka would go ashore. There was no need for a larger group this ti, as their purpose was mapping, not an actual search for Treasure. At the very least, they had to complete the map so Alka could properly examine the information from the golden light before deciding on their next move.
As for Lucilia, she naturally went wherever Alka did.
The four of them—Alka, Julia, Chadite, and Lucilia—jumped onto the Swallowtail and swiftly rode it to the island. They dragged the small boat ashore.
Then, Alka, Julia, and Chadite headed inland, with Lucilia perched on Alka’s shoulder.
This island was quite different from the previous Icecap Island. Although still covered in snow, they could see the land, several mountain peaks clustered in the distance, and various plants and trees. It wasn’t like Icecap Island, which was nothing but an endless expanse of ice.
Alka turned to Chadite. "How do we proceed this ti?"
Typically, before they disembarked, Chadite would visually estimate the island’s shape while sailing around it. This allowed her to make a simple plan and survey the island quickly.
"This island is too large," Chadite replied. "We’ll circle it from the outside first, then head towards the center."
Hearing her, Alka nodded and gestured for her to lead the way.
They took a brief tour along the island’s edge. Despite the perennial cold and snow, they saw many animals, as there were quite a few cold-resistant plants and trees. Without these plants and small animals, the tribal residents on the island couldn’t survive.
Alka didn’t recognize any of these animals; they looked rather strange and were quite different from those of his forr world.
Co to think of it, I haven’t seen any books like an animal encyclopedia around here, he pondered. Are there no scholars to docunt these things?
For example, in one spot, he saw a creature resembling a horse but with a pig’s snout, boar-like tusks, and a scaly tail.
As expected of a fantasy world where Magic Power exists, Alka thought. Not every creature is like humans, whose Magic Circuits lie dormant. But anyway, judging by its appearance alone, it must be a very good pack animal. However, since this is an oceanic world, such a pack animal would hardly be of much use, nor would it beco widespread.
As they passed through a forest, there was a rustle in the branches. A creature resembling a fox, but with eyes like an eagle and two cat-like tails, was hiding in the foliage, watching them. Although its fur blended with the snowy branches, the creature was highly conspicuous to the three of them. Its eyes were clearly fixed on Julia.
Then, for so reason, it leaped a couple of tis between the branches and jumped directly into Julia’s arms. And Julia, quite naturally, raised her hands to catch it.
Seeing this, Alka couldn’t help but twitch his left shoulder. The doll Lucilia, who was sitting on his shoulder playing with a pinecone, nearly fell off from the sudden movent. She reached out her tiny hand and smacked Alka’s ear with all her might.
It was a pity; no matter how hard she tried, her soft little arm could hardly cause any real damage.
"What was that for?!" Alka exclaid, shaking his head.
Only then did Lucilia notice the little animal in Julia’s arms. At that mont, the animal was snuggling continuously into Julia’s embrace, making soft, endearing whimpers.
"What’s so strange about this?" Lucilia piped up. "Aren’t all rfolk like this?"
As soon as she said it, she saw Alka and Chadite staring at her.
"Alright, I forgot Julia is the first rfolk you’ve seen," Lucilia conceded. "They’re naturally attuned to nature. They constantly exude a captivating aura of Magic Power, as you’ve experienced yourselves."
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