A few days later.
The sea breeze blew. Birds soared over the sea, tilting their heads to look at the mermaids swimming beneath the waves, wondering if they could catch such huge "fish."
Nidhogg stood at the bow of the ship, watching the group of mermaids, including the mother and daughter, Evelyn and Isma.
Sea God Island had been destroyed. The inhabitants who had originally lived on the island had accepted reality and were ready to follow Nidhogg and the others westward by ship to the so-called "Island of Fairies." But they murmured about it in their hearts.
The mermaids clearly knew the exact location of the Island of Fairies. So they volunteered to show Nidhogg and the others the way. This was their reward for helping to kill the Sea God.
From now on, without the mission of sealing the Sea God, the mermaids could truly be considered free in these seas.
It's just that Flora could travel back and forth in a day and night via the Dragon Path on the full moon. Now, the four ships had to sail for a whole month.
Such a long journey made many on the ships wonder: did the Island of Fairies really exist?
Finally, today, Nidhogg stood at the bow of the ship and saw the outline of an island in the distance—the Island of Fairies.
Without a "fated encounter with the island," it was impossible to find this island at sea, or even see it from a distance.
The so-called "fated encounter with the island" referred to the connection one had with this Island of Fairies, brought about by various relationships.
For example, you could get to know the skeleton knight, Flora, and Puck, wear the Berserker Armor, and use equipment enchanted by elemental spirits.
Soon, the news that they were about to arrive at the Island of Fairies spread across the four ships. Everyone joyfully gathered at the bows, wanting to see the scenery.
After seeing the island, everyone's previous doubts instantly vanished.
However, when the fleet entered the harbor of the Island of Fairies, the only ones who could actually go ashore in small boats were Nidhogg, Flora, Schierke, Ivalera, Guts, and Puck. The rest remained on the ships.
This was the agreement reached between Hanafubuku and Flora when they met on the night of the full moon.
Only these few could go ashore first, meet and talk with the Snow King and the Archmages, before deciding whether to stay or for the fleet to leave.
Escorted by the mermaids, the boat quickly reached the shore. Then the mermaids swiftly swam back to the four ships.
When Nidhogg and the others landed on the Island of Fairies, everyone looked curiously at this picturesque island—with its continuous trees, babbling streams, and a grand hall of flowers in the distance. It was truly beautiful.
The Island of Fairies had remained almost unchanged for millennia. Flora and Puck were familiar with this place. They weren't as surprised as Nidhogg and the others, who were all accustomed to seeing these landscapes.
Then Puck offered to fly ahead of the group to show the way.
Soon, Puck led the group to a hillside.
And on this hillside, it was covered with raised stones. On the stones were painted many spiral patterns.
"This is an enchantment, similar to the Spirit Tree Pavilion's." Flora explained. "Sometimes strangers unexpectedly come to the island. This enchantment makes them dizzy, and they turn back, unable to move forward."
Everyone listened and nodded.
At that moment, a burst of laughter came from a distance.
"Flora, we've been waiting for you for a month, and you've finally arrived."
Everyone turned their heads towards the sound.
They saw an old man in a magic hat and robe on the hillside, riding on the back of an old goat, slowly approaching.
"Godoferin, it's you. Please, lead the way." Flora smiled slightly.
The old man, called Godoferin, waited for his goat to stop before everyone. Then he looked at them all, finally meeting Nidhogg's gaze.
"Flora, introduce me."
"Alright." Flora took the opportunity. "This is Godoferin, one of the four great archmages of the Island of Fairies, the 'Rider.' By the way, he, like you, is connected to the skeleton knight."
"How can I compare with the other three great archmages?" Godoferin said modestly. "As for this lord, I know him. To be precise, my father knows this lord."
"A thousand years ago, my father, Weide, was one of the many subordinates of this lord. It could be said that this lord watched me grow up, learn magic, and become a mage."
"Flora was already the witch of Princess Sakura at that time. Flora was my senior, just like that lord."
Godoferin was very emotional about this.
After that, Flora introduced Nidhogg and the others to Godoferin one by one.
Godoferin nodded to Nidhogg:
"I can sense a strange power from you. It seems my intuition is not wrong. It will all depend on your Minor Erdtree later, whether you can convince the Snow King and the Archmages."
He also acknowledged Flora's apprentice, Schierke, and Schierke's little goblin, Ivalera.
After that, it was Puck's turn. Godoferin asked Puck, with a mix of anger and amusement, what he had been up to in the years since he disappeared.
Puck briefly recounted his experiences with pride and exaggeration.
Godoferin shook his head and laughed. Finally, he looked at Guts and the armor on his body.
"You're wearing this lord's armor... It seems you are fated to be with this lord. And Flora agrees with you."
"By the way, the dwarf master Hanar, who forged this Berserker Armor and the lord's current armor, is also on the Island of Fairies. Perhaps you'll have a chance to meet him next time."
The dwarf master who forged the Berserker Armor and the skeleton knight's armor?
Guts listened. He felt a little anticipation and longing for this Hanar.
"Alright, let's go now. King Hanafubuku and the Archmages should have received the news by now. They might already be waiting for you."
So, led by Godoferin, Nidhogg and the others easily passed through the stone barriers and ventured deep into the Island of Fairies. Along the way, they also saw the island's guardians—pumpkin heads, scarecrows, and tree people.
However, since Godoferin was here, the guardians naturally did not mobilize and all remained calmly in place.
Then they entered the forest and saw more and more elf-like creatures: unicorns, brownies, goblins, and so on. Not to mention the elemental spirits, which filled the place.
Puck even met his siblings—Pike, Pek, Pak, and Pol—and introduced them all to everyone.
The five goblins looked almost identical. The main difference was the hair on their heads.
One tuft was Puck. Two was Pike. Three was Pek. Four was Pak. Five was Pol.
After the five goblin brothers joined the team, the journey became more and more lively. They chatted along the way.
Ivalera couldn't stand it at all. But she couldn't make noise with the five of them, so she could only give way.
Finally, emerging from the forest guarded by the tree people, everyone stood before a cliff. In the distance, they saw a towering tree dancing with flashes of pink cherry blossoms, like snowflakes.
The beauty of this blooming flower amazed everyone.
"Let's go. Beneath that cherry blossom tree is our destination." Godoferin laughed.
So everyone continued forward.