Upon hearing Alka's agreement, Maldo's expression showed obvious joy, and he smiled and nodded.
"Let me say my final goodbye to my granddaughter."
He turned and spoke to Matresa in their unique language.
Matresa then looked slightly surprised, frowning, clenching her fist to encourage herself, and nodded.
Maldo extended his hand, and a tiny point of light followed his fingertips, touching Matresa's forehead.
This point of light carried a certain knowledge, and when Matresa opened her eyes again, she could clearly hear the conversation between Alka and the others.
Maldo then removed a ring from his finger and handed it to Matresa.
The ring's features were very distinct; Alka knew at a glance that it was a pocket ring.
"Go, child, say goodbye."
Matlisa nodded, twisting her serpent tail and swimming quickly toward the top of the mountain.
She was probably saying goodbye to her people and friends.
After watching Matlisa leave, Maldo turned to look at the crowd and said.
"Entering between these peaks is the road to the vast ocean, but this road is not safe."
"As a token of gratitude, I will coat your ship with a protective film, blessing it and allowing you to pass safely."
Hearing this, Alka nodded. "If possible, of course."
Having an extra layer of protection was naturally a good thing.
Maldo took out his trident, azure magic wrapped around it, and pointed the tip of the trident at the side of the ship in front of him.
Alka and Simon deliberately took a step forward to ensure they could see clearly. To prevent the stranger before him from tampering with the ship's protective coating.
Although his granddaughter would be aboard later, who knew?
As the magic surged, it didn't cling to the ship, but slowly expanded in all directions, forming a film-like substance that enveloped the entire vessel.
An aquamarine emblem was imprinted on the side of the ship before disappearing.
Looking at it, Alka turned slightly to look at Pororo, who nodded.
He felt the blessing of the sea god within the emblem; Maldor hadn't lied.
"Is there anything you want to tell us about the Infinite Sea?" Alka suddenly asked.
Although there was "Dreamland," much of that book was hidden.
So Alka wanted to ask if the race guarding the gate to the Infinite Sea had any more information.
No amount of news is too much for the unknown sea.
"The Infinite Sea,"
Maldo said, looking up slightly at the sky.
"That's a completely different sea. My only warning to you is, never view that ocean with the same perspective you have on the world today.
It's a completely different, utterly chaotic place."
Seeing Maldo's expression, Alka couldn't help but ask, "Have you ever been to that sea?"
"No," Maldo shook his head.
"This is a piece of advice everyone who ventures into the Infinite Sea must know."
Alka nodded, not asking any further questions.
While waiting, everyone turned their gaze toward their destination.
The water flowing between the two peaks was no different; it simply naturally stagnated ahead.
The water here was as calm as the surface of a lake.
A thin, almost invisible mist seemed to separate the two peaks.
The mist was so thin, yet it seemed to completely obscure their view of the interior.
Just then, a figure swam swiftly down from the peak.
It was Matresha, who had already said her goodbyes and prepared herself.
After hugging her grandfather and the man who stood beside him, who looked like a guard, she slowly made her way to Alka's ship.
"My name is Matresha. Thank you for offering to carry me to the Infinite Sea."
"Compared to saving our crew, this is nothing," Alka said with a smile.
Then she exchanged greetings with the others on board and quietly remained on the deck.
"If you're ready, you can continue on your journey," Maldo said, gazing at the others on board.
Alka took a deep breath and reached the bow, gazing at the area obscured by a thin mist.
Unable to resist a smile, he turned to the others and asked, "How's it going, everyone? Are you ready?"
"Yes, I can't wait."
"Come on, let's go."
"..."
Listening to everyone's words, Alka turned and gazed ahead again, his eyes growing more determined.
"Okay!"
"Sound of the Dawn! Set sail!"
As Alka gave the order to advance, the ship began to move.
The calm sea surface was split by the bow, splattering in both directions.
Slowly, it sailed toward the thin mist.
On the stone platform beneath the mountain peak, Maldor and his guards watched them leave.
Looking at his granddaughter waving at him from the deck, his eyes were filled with reluctance. "Don't worry, Chief. She's the best among us. She'll definitely end the punishment we bear."
"Ah... I hope so," Maldor muttered.
The guard next to him also showed a hint of confusion and asked, "But why, Chief, would you entrust her to this completely unfamiliar team?"
If the Storm Champion was the leader of this ship, he could understand.
Clearly not, so why would he place such trust in this team?
He didn't understand.
He had seen countless teams of all kinds in his life.
There was nothing special about Alka's team. The only special thing about them was the Storm Champion.
The trials they were undergoing were within their sight.
But he still didn't understand.
There were so many options before; this team wasn't special enough.
"Why?" Maldor said, looking at the trident in his hand.
"I made a prophecy... This is the best opportunity."
"A prophecy? Then, Chief..." the guard said, somewhat surprised.
Prophecy itself doesn't provide clear instructions, but it can help people make the best choices.
Using such techniques carries serious consequences.
The chief is already quite old.
Maldor waved his hand. "Alright, this is a necessary sacrifice. No need to dwell on it."
Then he drew a semicircle with his right arm across his chest.
"May the sea god bless them."
The guard beside him also offered a blessing.
At this moment, Alka's ship was very close to the foggy sea, almost within reach.
Everyone on board held their breath.
They were finally about to reach their final destination.
The stern of the Dawn's Voice passed through first, piercing the pale white mist, followed by the mast, and then the people on board.
When everyone was completely immersed in the mist...
They were enveloped in the pale white mist.
Aside from the ship's surroundings, nothing outside was clear, as if they were passing through some invisible region.
The fog enveloped them, shrouded the sea, blocking their vision and allowing them to see further into the distance.
This strange area caused Matresha, leaving her home for the first time, to move slightly closer to Julia.
As the fog thickened,
Even the scene on deck became slightly blurry.
The fog had already spread to the ship, obscuring even the closest objects.
This forced her to cling completely to Julia, until she finally couldn't hold back any longer, wrapping her four arms around hers in a tight hug.
Julia looked at the nervous new member next to her, smiled, and patted her shoulder to reassure her.
"Don't be afraid, we'll protect you."
Matlisa pursed her lips and nodded, "Yes."
The increasingly dense fog drew everyone slightly closer to the center of the deck, eventually gathering around the flowerbed in the middle of the deck.
This allowed them to get close enough to see their teammates' situation.
"The fog is getting thicker. Won't we end up not being able to see the people next to us?" Pororo stretched out his hand and waved at the growing mist, as if trying to disperse it.
At this moment, strands of silver thread shot out, wrapping around everyone's wrists.
"Hehe, now we're not afraid anymore!" Er, sitting on Sofia's shoulder, said with a grin.
Everyone glanced at the silver threads on their wrists and nodded, not rejecting the idea.
This was indeed a good idea.
However, contrary to their expectations, as the ship moved forward, the thick fog did not thicken again, remaining unchanged.
And so, they remained in low visibility.
There was no light, no wind, and the lowered sails remained motionless, hanging steadily on the mast.
The entire ship's progress depended entirely on the Voice of Dawn's own actions.
As time passed, the originally slightly wary group relaxed and gathered around the flower bed.
"How far is this?" Jason asked, leaning back in his chair.
Alka calculated the time.
"We've been in this fog for over an hour now, and it's not what I expected."
Arka had imagined they would experience all sorts of dramatic scenery, perhaps even some danger, before reaching the Infinite Ocean.
She hadn't expected to sail through this vast sea of white mist for so long after passing through the gate, seeing nothing and only continuing forward.
"We seem to be passing through the membrane of the world... perhaps," Julia said, a little uncertainly.
Hearing her words, the others turned to look at her. Sofia asked, "Why do you say that?"
"This fog and the surrounding environment aren't at all like the slightly chaotic route ahead. Instead, they're incredibly solid, like a barrier to the world.
Of course, this is just my conjecture. There's no evidence to prove my conjecture's truth."
"But whether it's the map, the records I saw in the church before, or even what Maldor just said, don't they all indicate that the Infinite Sea is an extremely chaotic region?
The rules there are definitely chaotic, and there's not much order, which is clearly inconsistent with here. This area seems to be intercepting that chaos."
Everyone nodded at Julia's words. Although they didn't fully understand, Julia had once fulfilled her duty as the maintainer of the sea's order in the Sea of All Beings.
Compared to everyone else, she had a keener sense of subtle changes in the surrounding magic power, the magic power content, and changes in the surrounding environment.
Even when the surrounding environment changed too drastically, she had to intervene to maintain it.
So, in a way, she was a professional.
And yet, these changes were barely noticeable to the others.
Another half hour passed, and the surroundings remained unchanged. The thick fog still enveloped the ship.
Seeing this, Juanlu stood up and said, "It looks like we won't be able to leave for a while. I'll go get you some food."
With that, Juanlu headed towards the kitchen.
Since breakfast, they had been on high alert.
Perhaps a delicious meal would offer some relief, filling their stomachs and replenishing their energy.
The silver thread still connected him.
Until the silver bell rang, signaling dinner, the surroundings remained unchanged.
After feasting and drinking, everyone once again waited on deck.
"How long will this take? I hope it doesn't come as a surprise, at least give us some time to prepare." Jason muttered idly, leaning back in his chair.
Not long after he finished speaking, the entire ship began to shake violently.
Everyone immediately stood up.
A gentle breeze began to pick up, and the previously calm sails began to swell with the breeze, instantly increasing the ship's speed.
However, the speed increased, and they could feel the ship's direction beginning to change, and the surrounding fog was slowly thinning.
A dripping song came from the bow, the sound of dawn, trying to tell something.
Alka listened, turned to the others and said, "Be careful, hold on tight, there's a whirlpool ahead!"
Hearing this, everyone immediately grabbed whatever was around, and ropes flew out one after another, tying them up and securing their bodies to prevent them from being blown away.
Matresa, having just arrived, was clearly feeling out of place, but Julia beside her was offering her simple instructions and guidance.
The boat began to move rapidly to the left, accelerating.
Only after the dense fog completely cleared did everyone notice their surroundings.
They were at the edge of a massive whirlpool, and from their position, they could see its center in the distance.
It was pitch black, and nothing could be seen clearly.
All they could see was the surrounding water flowing continuously into it. The immense pull of the whirlpool made it impossible for their boat to move.
They could only passively be pulled away.
"Damn it! What do we do now?" Jason asked, somewhat panicked.
Arka looked at the whirlpool, then at the membrane covering the boat.
"Perhaps... that's the path to the endless sea."
Hearing this, everyone turned to look at him. "Huh?"
"See that membrane? Isn't that what Matresha's grandfather is doing to protect us?"
Looking at the membrane, everyone could only hold their breath and steady themselves.
At this moment, Sofia stared at the sea and suddenly froze.
The first to notice something was wrong was Er, who was sitting on her shoulder, and he kept pushing her head.
"Sofia, what's wrong with you? Hey! Wake up!"
Hearing Er's somewhat anxious voice, everyone around looked over, only to see Sofia staring blankly at the sea.
She opened her mouth.
"Mom?"
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
The corners of her eyes slipped.
However, when everyone followed her gaze, the sea remained swirling wildly; nothing appeared.
Julia and Matlisa, who had just uploaded, immediately began to check on Sofia's current condition.
However, Pororo also reported the same changes as Sofia.
He also stared blankly at the sea.
"Cousin? Why are you here?"
His cousin was none other than the deceased Sankaka.
However, this time, when Jason, Alka, and Lucelia looked, they actually saw the figure of the swordfish-man Sankaka on the sea.
He was swiftly moving across the surface, occasionally leaping into the air and smiling at them.
Alka rubbed his eyes, but when he opened them again, he saw more than just Sankaka.
His parents in this body; Hammer, who had greeted him and had a close relationship with him when he first boarded the Sea Fist; Matt, the cook; and Lipoka, with whom he had the least interaction.
All of these figures appeared on the surface of the sea, looking at him.
These were all people he had known and who had died since he arrived in this world.
Why were they here?
Where did this hallucination come from?
Arka turned and looked at everyone.
He realized that everyone on the ship had fallen into the same state as Sofia, staring blankly at the swirling sea, their mouths slightly open, mumbling something to themselves.
It was over.
Clearly, this was some kind of large-scale hallucination.
But Arka had no idea what was causing it.
Seeing this, Arka immediately controlled the Dreamcatcher on his chest to surface.
A vast pink mist quickly spread out, completely enveloping everyone and dragging them completely into a dream.
Everyone immediately closed their eyes and fell into a deep sleep, their bodies limp as the ropes bound them tightly.
"Voice of the Dawn, hurry! Shake them!"
At Alka's words, the ropes binding them began to sway rapidly.
Then everyone jolted awake, opened their eyes, and looked around warily.
Only after seeing their eyes clear again did Alka breathe a sigh of relief.
This method worked.
Then everyone realized they had just fallen into some kind of illusion.
"Alright! Now's not the time to think about this. Hold on tight, we're going in!"
Alka's voice rang out.
While sinking into the illusion, the ship was about to be completely pulled into the whirlpool.
Everyone turned their heads and realized they were about to be sucked into the dark abyss along with the spiral.
"Ahhhhhh!"
Screams rose one after another, then faded completely.
The Voice of Dawn vanished at the center of the vortex.