Chapter 211: The Secret of Island 32 of the Blue Bird Archipelago (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 211: The Secret of Island 32 of the Blue Bird Archipelago (1)
The island was located in the Blue Bird Archipelago, a chain in the North Sea of the Huphester Alliance.
It had earned the lovely name "Blue Bird Archipelago" because its cluster of roughly one hundred large and small islands resembled a flock of birds in flight. In reality, the land was far from suitable for human habitation.
Storms frequently battered the islands, and the area was plagued by lightning strikes, resulting in constant rockfalls and fires. Furthermore, the surrounding currents were so treacherous that even reaching the mainland was no simple feat.
Consequently, the archipelago held no value as a residential area, let alone a military outpost. In truth, the Blue Bird Archipelago served only as a low-end tourist destination during the winter months when the lightning strikes were less frequent.
Its owners were a motley crew: commoners with romantic dreams of "owning an island," suitors attempting to impress their lovers with the "gift of an island," or swindlers posing as wealthy outsiders with land they’d bought for a pittance.
The "Contractor," presumed to be one of Joshua’s subordinates, was traveling between the Huphester Alliance mainland and Island 32 of the Blue Bird Archipelago every day.
“The Compass is only exposing him because he’s frequenting an island.”
The Compass—the sacred object Jin and his companions had seized after six months of hard work—did not provide the exact location of a Contractor on the mainland.
If there were twenty Contractors within the Huphester Alliance, twenty red dots would simply appear in the center of Huphester’s map. It was impossible to know exactly where on the continent those twenty people were.
Islands, however, were a different story. Even if the land belonged to the Huphester Alliance, a red dot would appear right in the center of the specific island a Contractor was on.
When it came to islands, the Compass could track a Contractor with near-perfect precision.
“That’s correct, Young Master. The red dot only moves when the Contractor visits an island. Since we've confirmed the island is owned by Joshua under a borrowed name, I believe it warrants an investigation.”
“The chances of this being a coincidence are low.”
“Indeed.”
“For now, tell the Seven-Colored Bird members to keep a close eye on it. Have them gather information on the Blue Bird Archipelago as well. If we head there immediately, it might arouse suspicion.”
“Do you think Joshua knows about the Compass?”
“There’s no way to be sure. But we can’t rule out the possibility that he’s colluding with Kinzelo or the Zipple, so it’s best to be cautious.”
“So you think it could be a trap?”
“It’s unlikely, but possible. If Joshua is in league with a faction that knows about the Compass, he would know about its superior tracking capabilities on islands. He might be intentionally luring me, the thief who stole it, into a trap.”
“Then for the time being, I will have them continue monitoring his movements. I’ll also send a few Seven-Colored Bird members to the Blue Bird Archipelago. I won’t have them infiltrate Island 32 directly, but they can scout the surrounding area.”
[Myaaa.]
As their conversation wound down, Shuri rubbed against Gilly’s leg affectionately. Shuri seemed to have taken a great liking to Gilly; ever since their arrival in Tikan, the giant cat had been especially adorable around her.
“Oh my, aren’t you a cutie? I was a bit startled at first by how big you are, but you get prettier every time I look at you. By the way, do you really intend to give this little one the surname Runcandel?”
“Well, we already have Nabi Runcandel. Shuri Runcandel has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?”
At that, Murakan, still in his cat form, climbed onto Shuri’s head and tried to snuggle into Gilly’s arms. Jin instinctively grabbed Murakan by the scruff of his neck and set him back down on the floor.
“Also, construction on my room starts today. It’s a bit cramped for Shuri to stay in.”
“True, it must be stifling for her to stay inside the Red Jade all the time.”
Poof!
Murakan released his transformation, his eyes sparkling.
“Then until the construction is finished, I can just share a room with Strawberry Pie, right?”
“What kind of nonsense is that? Why would you share a room with Gilly just because my room is under construction?”
“Is that how it works? Aren't you expanding my room too? It’s been feeling a bit cramped lately.”
“Even if we were renovating your room, this mansion has plenty of empty rooms. There’s no reason for you and Gilly to share one. Get out, you brat.”
Murakan transformed back into a cat and swiped his paws rapidly, batting uselessly at Shuri’s foot. Shuri responded by giving Murakan a full-body bath with her large tongue before batting him around like a toy.
“Pfft, ahaha.”
As Gilly burst into laughter at the sight, Jin just shook his head.
* * *
A month passed while the companions focused on their respective duties and personal training.
The Contractor indicated by the Compass still hadn't left the Blue Bird Archipelago, and Jin finally decided to pay a visit.
“Trap or not, I’m curious enough to go. I think I’ve been cautious enough by now.”
He judged the likelihood of it being a trap to be low.
Publicly, Joshua was the Next Patriarch of Runcandel. The idea of a man like him colluding with the Zipple or Kinzelo felt like excessive paranoia. That would be tantamount to the Garden of Swords turning traitor, something that could never happen while Cyron was watching with his sharp eyes.
They might have a few spies planted in each other's camps, but they wouldn't be close enough to share core intelligence like the existence of the Compass.
“Are you sure it’s alright to take only Lord Murakan? If it is a trap, there’s no telling what dangers await.”
“Even if it is a trap, the Blue Bird Archipelago isn't part of the Lutero Magic Federation. If things go south, I can just escape on Murakan’s back. I’ll have Shuri with me, too.”
While flying on a dragon was extremely dangerous in the Zipple-controlled Lutero Magic Federation, the situation was different in the Huphester Alliance. As long as a dragon didn't commit an act of aggression, the entire nation wouldn't mobilize to kill or capture it—unless it was known to belong to the Zipple or was a wanted creature.
Furthermore, in Jin’s case, there was no problem even if he was seen flying on a ‘Black Dragon.’ Though it was unofficial, Murakan had already been acknowledged by his father, Cyron—the supreme ruler of Huphester.
“Wouldn't it be better to bring Lady Quicantel as well?”
“There’s no need to go that far. She seems busy teaching Enya magic lately. The two of us will go quietly. I hope the construction is finished by the time we get back.”
And so, Jin, Murakan, and Shuri headed for the Blue Bird Archipelago.
Since they had to travel within Huphester, they took more care with their disguises than usual. Shuri stayed inside the Red Jade, which had been fashioned into a necklace, while both Jin and Murakan dyed their hair blue.
“The Gold Snow Tribe’s items are quite impressive. Maybe I should talk to Sir Casimir about starting a proper business with these? Securing the goods shouldn't be difficult.”
“It would certainly be profitable.”
After passing through several teleport gates (Murakan vomited the entire time), it took them three days to reach Naska Port, the closest port to the Blue Bird Archipelago.
At the port, Seven-Colored Bird members had already docked a fake merchant ship. The ship carrying the group set sail that night, but it didn't head straight for the archipelago. If they went directly, it would be troublesome if the Seven-Colored Bird’s involvement was discovered later. Moreover, since it wasn't tourist season, most of the islands in the Blue Bird Archipelago were currently closed.
Once the port had completely vanished from sight, Jin and Murakan decided to swim the rest of the way under the cover of darkness.
Before leaving the ship, Jin used the Compass to confirm the Contractor was still on Island 32, then sent the artifact back to Tikan.
[Mya!]
The actual swimming fell to Shuri.
Jin and his companions had been impressed by Shuri’s extraordinary mobility since their return from the Black Sea, and that mobility wasn't limited to land.
Splash, splash!
Shuri cut through the archipelago's notoriously rough currents with ease. Thanks to her, the two of them reached the islands without so much as getting wet.
They arrived at Island 7.
“Finding Island 32 is going to be a chore.”
“It’s night, so let’s just fly and find it. How long are we going to spend wandering around like this?”
Without a guide, it was difficult to tell which of the hundred-odd islands was number 32. Just as Jin was thinking they might spend the whole night searching, Shuri began drawing in the sand.
[Mya, mya.]
To their surprise, the casual drawing she made with her claws was a map of the archipelago.
“Huh.”
“Whoa, furball, you’ve got some interesting tricks. Have you been to these islands before?”
[Nyan.]
During her time as the Witch Heluram’s cat, Shuri had traveled so extensively that there were few places she hadn't been. In the process, she had naturally memorized hundreds of maps.
Of course, the world map had been updated over a thousand years as the terrain changed, but fortunately, the Blue Bird Archipelago was almost identical to what Shuri remembered. It was so precise that it was nearly identical to the paper map they had brought.
“This is Island 32. Can you find it?” Jin asked, pointing at the map.
[Mya.]
Shuri nodded.
“I really need to treasure you. Let’s go, Shuri.”
They were able to find Island 32 immediately.
Island 32 was among the smallest in the Blue Bird Archipelago. It was similar in size to the deserted island in Viment where they had once fought their decisive battle against Andrei.
After sending Shuri back into the Red Jade, they immediately began scouting.
By then, rain had begun to pour. The notoriously foul weather of the Blue Bird Archipelago had arrived to welcome them.
Rumble, craaaack!
Thunder and lightning tore through the eerie darkness, accompanied by gale-force winds that threatened to uproot the island's trees. Given the environment, not even a small cottage was in sight.
“What shitty weather.”
The moment Murakan grumbled, Jin felt a powerful vibration from his waist.
“Hey, kid. Your sword. What’s wrong with it all of a sudden?”
The Sealed Lightning Sword, Sigmund.
The divine sword of the Pluto Tribe, a gift from the Fighting God Ban, was resonating with something.
Jin drew the sword to examine it and saw mysterious patterns appearing across the entire blade.
“...I don't know.”
“Wait, those patterns. I’ve seen them somewhere before. Is it Paitel’s crest? No, it’s a bit different from Paitel’s…”
K-crack!
One of the bolts of lightning that had been striking continuously finally swallowed a giant tree right in front of them. The tree shattered as if hit by a bomb and collapsed. In the next moment…
What came into view was a single, towering stone monument.
The same patterns now glowing on Sigmund were also shining on the monument.
“This… it’s a God’s Tomb!”
“What?”
“Now I get it. Kid, your sword is…”
Just as Murakan was about to continue, both he and Jin widened their eyes.
Sword energy flew toward Jin.
Wind magic flew toward Murakan.
Jin swung Sigmund to deflect the sword energy, while Murakan deployed his spirit energy to block the magic.
‘It’s them!’
Kuzan and Beris. Taimun Marius’s hounds. Jin was certain even before he saw their faces.
But just as they were about to counterattack, a sharp bolt of lightning struck Murakan’s spirit energy shield. Unlike the lightning that had destroyed the tree, this was not natural.
It was lightning conjured by Julian, the Contractor of Paitel.