The current on the forward channel grew increasingly turbulent, its surging flow no longer resembling that of the ocean surface.
It felt more like a mountain torrent beneath a waterfall, its waves constantly crashing against each other as it raced forward.
On the surface, the Voice of Dawn slid back and forth, occasionally being lifted into the air by the waves before falling.
This exaggerated movement made everyone on board uneasy.
This was a test of the ship's sturdiness.
"We're almost there! Hang on, everyone!" Alka shouted, a rope tied around her waist.
They had been sailing in this turbulent current for most of the day.
It had been like this since before dawn.
"Why is the current getting stronger?" Jason couldn't help but wonder.
"Didn't I just tell you? The channel is getting narrower on both sides. The water flowing in is forced to squeeze and slam against each other, which is why the currents here are like this," Sofia said loudly from the side.
Then he continued, "This also means we're getting closer to the gate."
"Look ahead! Look ahead!" Lucillia, suspended in mid-air by ropes, shouted.
Everyone turned to look.
They saw an exaggerated scene ahead.
They saw... the edge of the world.
High above the horizon, two vertical slices of space, like walls, descended.
They didn't know how to describe these slices. The colors on them were incredibly colorful, yet they seemed transparent and colorless.
They were clearly there, yet it seemed intangible. As the sun shone, they began to reflect some light. They didn't know how to describe it. Although it was their first time seeing this scene, the image immediately emerged in their minds of a cut through space.
That was the boundary of the world.
As their speed grew,
the boundary, once so far away, narrowed, and the sea below surged ever more rapidly, waves crashing against the surroundings.
The crashing water rained down like raindrops, slamming into the deck.
These so-called raindrops were the size of fists, some even as large as heads.
They struck their heads and bodies, causing a painful sensation.
Luckily, the Voice of Dawn was strong enough, otherwise the waves and the turbulent waters would have shattered it.
And this, perhaps, was the final obstacle facing those seeking to reach the boundless sea.
And their attention shifted in both directions.
Because the boundary of that world was so close to them, it split the entire sky in two.
They couldn't see what lay beyond the boundary. Through it, they saw the same blue sky, but with a shifting color.
It all seemed like an illusion.
The two boundaries squeezed together, forcing the vast expanse of water in the once-wide channel to flow into this narrow channel.
With the boundary on either side, they seemed to see the starry sky through it.
This was the visual experience brought about by the shifting boundaries.
Two starry skies, sandwiched between azure skies, created a strange scene before their eyes.
This scene would likely remain with them forever, etched deeply into their memories.
"What's that?" Julia suddenly exclaimed, her eyes wide.
Everyone immediately looked around warily, but there was nothing. A fierce gale blew in once again.
This time, it was laced with a vast amount of magic, so dense they could clearly see it.
The magic tinged the wind with a blue-green hue, imbuing it with elemental hues.
The wind blew past them, leaving tiny wounds on their skin, dripping with blood.
Fortunately, despite the infusion of magic, the blades in the gale were still too small.
They could only cut through their skin.
Such wounds were harmless.
"The concentration of magic in these gales is too high," Julia exclaimed.
As the wind blew, a vast amount of magic blew in like a hurricane.
Before, it was a gale mingled with magic.
Now, it was magic mingled with the gale.
The concentration of magic power even squeezed out the oxygen in the air, causing their breathing to become rapid.
The runes on the ship automatically lit up due to the immense amount of magic power, as if someone was inputting it, activating it.
This same gust of magic power, like a gust of wind, came and went as quickly. After just a dozen seconds, it had completely passed through them.
Just from simply blowing through them, everyone could clearly feel the spirals within their bodies grow slightly more magical.
What a terrifying concentration of magic power.
"I never imagined that one day I would be carried through the sky by magic like the wind," Alka said as he descended from the sky, standing steadily on the deck.
"There's an elemental creature!" Julia exclaimed.
She finally understood the nature of the strange creature she had just sensed nearby.
As she finished speaking, the raindrops falling from the sky transformed into a stream of elemental water. Two whips of water whipped out and attacked them.
However, before they could react, Julia, wielding an ice crystal blade, unleashed two massive blasts of chilling sword energy.
Instantly, several water elementals on the boat were frozen into ice cubes, which were then smashed into pieces by the crowd.
"There are so many elemental life forms in the surrounding seawater."
Sofia pointed at the surrounding sea frost.
Everyone looked and saw life forms formed from various currents swirling around in the seawater, then merging into the water and disappearing.
The reason they were boiling at this moment seemed to be due to the recent surge of magical power.
Elemental creatures naturally feed on magical power.
This was their feast.
Every crash and surge of the sea revealed their forms.
They appeared densely everywhere.
The creatures that had just landed on their boat were merely carried high into the sky by the waves, falling like raindrops.
"The concentration of magic here is too high, causing the seawater to be filled with magic, making it easy for these elemental life forms to emerge."
Julia surveyed the situation on the sea and explained.
Alka looked at the elemental creatures.
He really wanted to sleep right now, sink into a dream, and see if these elemental creatures had any such thing as dreams.
However, the current situation didn't allow him to do so.
Although he could exchange with his dream self, that would prevent him from leaving his own dream. Being trapped, he naturally couldn't see what was happening outside.
It was somewhat of a pity.
As they sped along, the boundary between the two sides, originally at the horizon, narrowed.
Until they saw two towering mountain pillars suddenly appear in front of them.
The two towering mountain pillars, like giant spikes, were incredibly steep.
Like the doorframes of a gate.
And for some reason, the surrounding seawater had inexplicably calmed down, no longer as turbulent as before, though its speed remained undiminished.
"So that's the gateway to the outside world?"
Sofia asked, gazing at the doorframe-like peak.
It was clear that the currents were converging toward the center of the peak, forcing the boats to sail there.
As the boats finally stabilized, the ropes tied to them untied and flew back.
Everyone on the deck began to move freely.
"There seems to be someone on that mountain?" Jason said, gazing at the peak through his binoculars.
The sudden appearance of the peak caught their attention.
They must have just passed through some illusory barrier designed to block the view of the mountain, which was why they were so close the moment they saw it.
Due to the swift current, it took only a dozen seconds before they could make out the peak.
There was indeed a figure moving above it.
Suddenly, the Voice of Dawn braked suddenly, stopping on the surface of the sea.
The inertia of the speeding Voice of Dawn suddenly stopping sent them tumbling to the ground.
"What's going on? Why did the boat stop?"
Sofia stood up, quickly walked to the side of the boat, and looked down.
The sea below was unusually calm. The previously surging current had completely subsided.
Looking back, he could still see the currents moving behind the Voice of Dawn, but now they had calmed down.
It was as if something separated the two.
In the process, even the ship's rapid momentum was eliminated.
A sudden stop, like braking, occurred.
The crowd gathered on both sides and witnessed the situation.
At this moment, music began to play.
The Voice of Dawn asked him if he should continue.
"No hurry, let's observe the situation first," Alka said cautiously.
At this moment, a figure appeared from the bow, shouting something in an unknown language at Alka and the others.
Looking at the figure, Alka frowned. The figure's race looked so familiar. Wasn't it the same race as the girl who had come aboard and saved Pororo earlier? "Lucelia, what is he saying?"
Lucelia, listening intently, spoke up. "He said his clan leader wishes to meet with us, so we can wait and see if we can get through the gate."
Arka frowned at this.
"Ask him why."
As Arka spoke, the strange language echoed again.
"He said the one who saved Pororo is the clan leader's granddaughter, and he wants to meet us."
Arka frowned, then paused.
"Follow him."
As Lucelia spoke, the boat gradually began to move, slowly following the figure with a slender tail.
It slowly approached the steep peak to the left.
On a platform below the peak, an old man holding a trident waited for them.
This old man also had a human body, a snake tail, and four arms. Next to him was the young woman who had saved Pororo.
Seeing Alka and the others arrive, a hint of surprise crossed his eyes, and he smiled and waved to them as a greeting.
She didn't seem to expect them to be Alka and the others.
Everyone nodded politely.
The old man, swaying his snake tail, arrived at the edge of the platform. He looked at Alka and the others on the deck and spoke something in an unintelligible language.
"He thanked us for coming," Lucelia replied, turning around.
Hearing this, the old man paused for a moment.
Then he spoke again, "Thank you for coming and for taking the time to listen to a stranger's request."
Hearing the old man speak their language, everyone turned to look at him.
He seemed to have simply heard Lucelia's words and learned them. "Don't be surprised. It's just some little tricks."
Alka looked at the old man.
He gave him the impression of being an ordinary person, not even a toucher.
But that was clearly impossible.
Since he couldn't be an ordinary person, yet he displayed such traits, he was clearly not someone he could afford to offend.
It seemed he had to be more careful and polite.
Alka nodded politely and said, "It's your granddaughter who should be thanked for saving the crew on my ship."
"If there's anything we can do to help, we'll do our best."
He said the polite words first.
Hearing Alka's words, the old man smiled and nodded.
"I've been waiting for you here for a long time. My name is Maldo Whitescale. Our clan is known as the Naga, and we are the guardians of this gate."
"I've been waiting for you here because I have a very important matter, and I beg for your help."
Hearing this, Alka couldn't help but frown, though he had anticipated it.
Calling them over would definitely not be a problem.
But the problem was that they were so familiar with each other that they could be considered strangers.
After thinking it over, Alka finally said, "If we can help."
After all, they did owe someone a favor.
As long as the request wasn't excessive, Alka would be happy to repay the favor.
Maldo pulled his granddaughter up beside him and said, "This is my granddaughter, Matlisa Whitescale. I'm sure you've seen her."
"I implore you to take her with you, let her join you, and let her leave here."
What did he mean? Hearing this, Alka's frown deepened.
Why would they, out of nowhere, entrust their granddaughter to us? Alka completely couldn't understand.
After all, this was the first time he'd met the old man, and the first time he'd known of their existence.
Aside from the time the young woman came aboard to treat Pororo, they'd never had any contact.
Maldo, of course, understood how reckless and imprudent his request was. He explained, "I know it's a bit hasty, but I have no choice. We were punished by the Sea God and exiled here to guard the gate to the Infinite Sea."
"The Sea God is merciful. Every hundred years, a person capable of atonement appears among our tribe. She journeys to the Infinite Sea to cleanse us of our sins, yet for a thousand years, we've remained like this."
In other words, every member who has journeyed to the Infinite Sea to atone for their sins over the past thousand years has failed.
Of course, it's also possible that no atonement has occurred at all.
"This time, the one who redeems her sins is my granddaughter. I hope to entrust her to a trustworthy team.
But how can we know who among the teams that left the gate is trustworthy?"
"So why did you choose us?" Alka asked curiously from the side.
If you don't know whether others are trustworthy, how can you be so sure they are?
After all, there are many teams that pass through the gate to the Infinite Sea, at least one every ten years.
And there must have been a team that left before them.
It was the team that used the sea fish as a vehicle.
However, Alka had already guessed why. It was probably more or less related to Pororo.
The two were connected in so many ways.
For Alka...
Card's problem.
Maldo simply pointed at someone on the boat.
Everyone turned to look. He was referring to Pororo.
"You're the Storm Champion, right? I saw it a few days ago, that spiraling storm. I know someone is undergoing the Champion Trial. I imagine that person is you."
Pororo nodded, admitting it very frankly.
"Yes, I am the Storm Champion of the Sea."
Maldo nodded, looked at Alka, and said, "This is why we chose you. Although we were exiled here by the Sea God, it was because our ancestors committed an irreparable mistake.
We have believed in the Sea God for generations, and the Storm Champion is the one most worthy of trust. The Redeemer can be considered a Saint of the Sea God."
At this point, lines appeared on the girl beside him, and they emitted a faint blue light.
Watching the glow of the patterns, Pororo stared at her, his body also shimmering with blue lines.
Though the patterns on the two bodies were different, they clearly shared a similar style.
Arka was certain that, given the old man's knowledge of the Storm Trial, he could tell someone had passed it simply by looking at the swirling storm and the fluctuations of the trial.
Then the girl's coincidental appearance before them must have been intentional on the part of the old man.
Perhaps he realized that it would be impossible to pass the trial unscathed, and so he decided to send his granddaughter to treat Pororo, thus owing him a favor.
This was a pretty good guess, and the old man before him surely knew his intentions were too obvious.
He was betting that Arka and the others, or rather, Pororo, were not scumbags.
Of course, it was true that the girl had saved Pororo, and Arka and the others did owe her a great favor.
The brief treatment they had just given them had already hinted at the girl's abilities.
And this girl was a critically needed healer on board.
And they'd even regretted her departure.
It was right there at their fingertips... The decision was difficult.
Alka turned and looked at the crowd.
This was clearly not something he could decide alone.
Pororo was the first to speak out: "I agree with her coming aboard. She saved me, and she's a believer of the Sea God."
Julia thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
Everyone else followed suit.
"We already have a believer of the Four Gods on board, so adding one more wouldn't hurt.
Perhaps, seeing that we're believers of the Four Gods, they'll give us a little more protection on our future voyages."
Jason suddenly spoke.
Hearing this, everyone turned their gazes to him.
How should I put it? A unique train of thought.
This was a path they had never imagined.
Thinking carefully, it was indeed true.
Among the followers of the Virgin Mary were Alka, a natural-born follower who had received revelations from the Virgin Mary. No one would believe him if he said he hadn't been watched by the Virgin Mary.
There was Shadati, the former candidate saint, and Jason, whose magic transformed into holy light after touching a precious treasure.
All three of them could be considered members of the Virgin Mary Church, and their ties to it were incredibly close.
Among the followers of Life were Julia, the guardian of the order of the sea.
Mermaids were natural-born believers of Life, maintaining order for all life in the world.
Alka had actually always thought they would be followers of the sea.
Among the followers of the Wise, there was Simon, who had been gifted the treasure directly by God.
Hmm... you could say he personally consumed the treasure.
In any case, he had definitely been watched by God.
Needless to say, there were the followers of the Sea God, including Pororo, who had become the Storm Champion.
Although they didn't know the exact composition of the Sea God's Church, it was clear that a Storm Champion who had passed the trials was no small figure.
Adding a Sea God follower wasn't a bad idea.
Or rather, it was a great idea.
On the small boat, the four righteous gods stood behind them.
"Okay, we agree."