"My name is Lark, and I'm an employee of the Golden Trout Merchant Guild. My president would like to meet you."
As he spoke, the man looked up, smiled at Alka and the others, and asked, "Would you all be so kind as to come?"
Hearing this, Alka narrowed his eyes slightly.
The others nearby also turned their gazes to Alka, awaiting his decision.
Thinking back, their only encounter with this caravan was last night.
Alka had clearly sensed that two members of this merchant fleet were stronger than they were.
The rest of them didn't pose a threat to them.
So, should they go?
Alka couldn't help but ponder.
He mainly didn't understand the guild president's purpose in inviting him. Could it be that their identities had been exposed?
After all, if they truly managed to escape the Four Gods Sea, they would surely have a treasure with them.
With their current strength, possessing the treasure was inherently dangerous and unsafe.
But then they thought, if the Chamber of Commerce president intended to harm them, such a blatant invitation would only alert them.
And refusing would not be a good idea.
He nodded.
"No problem. Lead the way."
With this, Alka turned to look at his teammates.
"Let's split up. Simon, Pororo, and Sofia, you three will follow me. The rest of you will wait on the ship."
Hearing Alka's words, everyone frowned, but didn't refuse. They simply nodded and split into two teams.
Julia and the others headed towards the port.
Sofia and the other two followed Alka.
"Then, distinguished guests, please follow me. The venue is in this small town." He specifically mentioned the location to reassure Alka and the others.
If the banquet were held on a merchant ship, Alka might have needed to think twice before accepting.
Alka and the others followed the merchant captain named Lark.
"Did we meet yesterday?" Alka suddenly asked.
The lak, walking in front, turned slightly, smiled, and nodded. "Yes, we met yesterday at the town gate. The leader was our merchant president, and it was then that he wanted to meet you."
"Oh, that's your merchant president," Alka said, as if suddenly enlightened.
He was somewhat certain that the merchant captain might have seen something of concern during their encounter.
Then he asked, "You are indeed a man of extraordinary bearing. Is that ship docked at the harbor your Chamber of Commerce's merchant ship?"
Lake nodded.
"Yes, the Golden Trout is our Chamber of Commerce's merchant ship and also our office. We primarily trade here in the Broken Island Chain."
Broken Island Chain...
Alka had never heard of the term, nor had he learned its meaning from these people's dreams.
But tonight he found out.
He still knew too little about the common sense of the Infinite Sea.
It couldn't be helped. It was difficult to obtain information you didn't know about in a dream.
After all, if you asked too broadly, the people in the dream wouldn't answer. You had to ask very carefully.
While chatting, they had already arrived at a large triangular house.
"Everyone, please come in."
Two guards in soft armor stood on either side of the doorway. Judging by their race, they weren't island residents.
But ordinary humans.
I pushed the door open and walked in.
Upon entering, I realized this place was completely out of place with the rest of the town. It was too bright.
The town's lighting consisted of candles made from some kind of fish oil. While very flame-resistant, the flames they produced were dim.
The room's lighting consisted of floating crystal balls, reminiscent of the light stones used long ago.
The light they emitted had a hint of warmth, giving the room a warm feeling.
A long table sat in the middle of the room. The captain I'd met earlier sat at it, smiling at Alka and the others.
The table was long enough to accommodate more than a dozen people, and it was fully plated.
"Please take a seat, everyone. I hope you won't blame me for my sudden invitation, but I'm glad you've graciously accepted it."
Seeing the Chamber of Commerce president approach and speak with a smile, Alka nodded and also offered a polite smile.
Although it was indeed a bit sudden, both the invitation and his current behavior showed Alka and the others ample respect and courtesy.
After all, Alka knew the man before him was certainly at the third stage.
Much stronger than them.
The Chamber of Commerce president approached and saluted Alka with his arms folded.
Seeing this gesture, Alka was slightly stunned, but immediately reacted and crossed his arms as well.
Behind him, Sofia did the same, though Pororo and Simon used different etiquette gestures.
"My name is Balazs, the wandering Balazs, president of the Golden Trout Merchant Guild. Nice to meet you all."
"Arka, leader of the Compass Eye Treasure Hunting Team. They're my team members."
"..."
Behind him, Sofia and the others also introduced themselves.
"Haha, everyone, please take a seat. Standing like this really makes me feel so rude," the guild president said with a smile.
Arka and the others also nodded with a smile and took their seats.
You even saw a stool specially prepared for Pororo's enormous size.
After taking his seat, he clapped his hands softly. People gradually placed various delicacies on the table.
A member of the guild picked up a jug of wine from the side and poured a glass for everyone present.
"Please enjoy, everyone. These are unique delicacies made with ingredients from the magical beasts of this island. They're not easy to find outside."
Baraz said with a smile. He then randomly cut a piece from the leg of the largest, unknown beast in the center, placed it on his plate, and then cut off a smaller piece and popped it into his mouth.
After finishing his meal, he took a sip of the wine from the glass beside him.
Seeing this, Alka and the others began to taste the food.
"I wonder what President Baraz invited us here for?"
Alka asked directly after taking a bite.
Baraz smiled and said, "Of course I want to get to know you all and make friends. As the president of the Chamber of Commerce, friends are very important resources."
He suddenly changed the subject: "Of course, I also want to give you all a little advice."
"Advice..." Alka narrowed his eyes slightly. At this stage of acquaintance, this was not a nice word.
"Don't get me wrong. If I'm not mistaken, you all must have just arrived at the Vast Sea." As soon as he finished speaking, the entire restaurant fell silent. Only the sound of Pororo chewing remained. Alka and the others didn't react at all, continuing to eat their food. After chewing his food, Alka chuckled and asked, "Why do you think so, Guild Master Baraz?" The Guild Master, sitting across from him, shook his head and smiled. "You're new to the Vast Sea and may not be familiar with the conditions here. While it's certainly not apparent from the outside, there are certain characteristics that only those who have recently arrived in the Four Gods Sea region of the Vast Sea possess." "And you, precisely, possess these characteristics. This is very unfavorable and dangerous, so I hope you'll forgive my sudden offense." Since he had spoken so bluntly, Alka had no more reason to pretend. He asked directly, "What characteristics?"
"You're all still in the second stage, but your magic response is so stable. This is quite unusual."
Baraz didn't hesitate and spoke directly.
"That's it?" Alka had no idea that it wasn't anything else that gave them away, but the excessive stability of their magic.
"Haha, my friend, many things are revealed through such small things," Baraz said with a smile.
He then explained, "I don't know what the Four Gods Sea is like, but I've heard it's incredibly peaceful and tranquil, making it very desirable."
"So I admire your adventurous spirit, willing to leave a peaceful place and venture into this dangerous Infinite Ocean. It's for this reason that your magic is so incredibly stable."
"For those who live and grow up in the Infinite Ocean, the first two stages are when their strength increases fastest. Their strength is constantly increasing, leaving them with no time to stabilize their magic. Only when they reach their limit do they have the opportunity to return and begin to refine their magic."
No wonder.
Hearing this, Alka suddenly had a sudden realization, and he couldn't help but think back to their recent experiences in the small town.
The strength displayed by the Toucher Hunters in the small town was so easily detected.
Alka had always assumed that his increased strength had made him more perceptive. After all, it wasn't so easy to detect others' strength back in the Home Sea, but at that time, Alka's strength was only at the first stage.
Unexpectedly, it was because the magic power of the people of the Vast Sea was so intense and obvious in the early stages.
He couldn't help but think of the mayor, whom he had met once, and Balazs before him.
When he saw them, Alka could hardly sense the fluctuations of their magic power.
Only the hint of danger he sensed from them through the Dreamcatcher made Alka realize that their strength must be far greater than his own, probably at the third stage.
With this in mind, Alka humbly asked, "Then how can we conceal such movements?"
Upon hearing this, Balazs shook his head with some regret and said, "Friend, forgive my ignorance, I don't know of any solution yet. After all, this is the influence of the environment you were born into and raised in, and it's not easy to change.
However, once your strength reaches the ninth spiral, such appearances will no longer need to be concealed."
The implication was that reaching the ninth spiral, the perfection of the second stage, was a watershed.
Upon arriving here, even those who grew up in the Vast Sea would begin to organize their magic and calm it.
At this point, Balazs suddenly chuckled and said, "Actually, I've noticed it's mainly because there are so many of you. Everyone's magic is so stable, which is quite strange."
After all, discovering one or two is normal; there are always individual cases, but a large number of such cases would be too conspicuous, and would inevitably lead people to think in other directions.
"So, my friends, I suggest you stay on this island for a while. While there are often outsiders here, the frequency is very low. As long as you don't act aggressively, you won't be easily discovered. It's not too late to leave once you've safely grown your strength to the Nine Spirals."
At this point, Balazs's expression became unusually serious.
"I admire you for coming to the Vast Sea, but this place... isn't as good as you think."
He shook his head helplessly.
Alka nodded. He would seriously consider the proposal. After all, safety was paramount.
Looking at Balazs, he expressed his sincere gratitude, "Thank you. Thank you very much for your help, my friend."
"Haha, you're too polite. After all, I have my own selfish motives. To be honest, you're the first people from the Four Gods Sea I've met."
"Are there few people from the Four Gods Sea?"
"Of course there are few. For this vast, endless sea, it's far too few. But there are many famous people."
"Famous people?"
"Of course. Salmorro, the Great Thief, Levis, the Wave of War, Barrow, the Flesh and Blood Disaster, and so on. These are all well-known figures in the Infinite Sea. They all come from the Four Gods Sea."
"Salmorro..." Sofia whispered softly beside him.
Alka turned to look at him and asked, "Do you know this person?"
At this question, Balazs's eyes lit up, his face filled with curiosity.
Not only him, but the surrounding Chamber of Commerce crew members also pricked up their ears to listen.
To them, this was an unattainable legendary figure, a figure of legend.
Sofia nodded, then raised his voice slightly, saying, "I've seen him in church records. He left the Home Sea approximately 280 years ago. He's in the record because he stole something from the church and, in a panic, was pursued by church soldiers and ran towards the open gate."
Hearing this gossip, the surrounding Chamber of Commerce members nodded in understanding.
Balazs, with a look of sudden enlightenment, said, "No wonder his relationship with the church is so bad. Even now, we hear that he goes to some of the church's churches to steal... uh, take things."
He hadn't expected such a connection, let alone such a precarious situation for such a renowned figure. It felt as if the legendary figure was even closer.
"Speaking of which, I've heard of this Barrow before," Simon said from the side.
The words brought a touch of surprise to everyone's faces.
They hadn't expected to hear the story of two legendary figures here.
"He was a conciliatory figure among the apostates. He didn't align with the Church's ideals, but he still believed in the Wise Ones.
What led to his apostasy from the Church was his research on flesh and blood. His most outrageous act was imbuing a house with flesh and blood, transforming it into a living monster. It was for this that he was judged by the Church and subsequently fled."
Even after all this, is it just because he doesn't align with the Church's ideals? And he still believes in the Wise Ones.
So, what kind of things are you producing in that sea area?
Alka couldn't help but grumble.
Adding flesh and blood to a house—just the sound of it makes one's scalp tingle.
After hearing this story, Balazs across from him, his eyes lit up, and he said with a look of triumph, "Is there another story like this? Barrow is now the leader of a very well-known cult within the Church of the Holy Machine. I remember it was called the 'Emerald Ruby' Cult."
"A cult within the Church of the Holy Machine?" Simon repeated with some confusion. He had no idea such a group existed within the Church of the Holy Machine.
Unless, as a member of the Church of the Holy Machine, he still had secrets he didn't know about. But judging by Balazs's expression, this wasn't a secret.
"Yes, the Holy Machine
"The Church has many pagan cults affiliated with it—cults that don't align with it but still believe in the Wise. They're also part of the Church of the Holy Machine," Balazs explained.
"How could that be?"
Simon was completely shocked. He hadn't expected his church to become so open after arriving in the Vast Sea.
After regaining his composure, he quickly asked, "What about those pagans who don't believe in the Wise?"
"I haven't heard of them, but there are indeed many evil cults and organizations that frequently launch various actions and wars against the Church of the Holy Machine. Of course, they don't just target the Church of the Holy Machine." At this point, Balazs's brow furrowed in disgust, and even a hint of hatred could be seen in his eyes.
At this, Simon nodded in understanding.
That's good. At least for now, he could accept the situation. It didn't shatter his worldview.
Cults and such were fine.