"You know, Balu, we can only tell the direction by guessing, at least for now," Argyle said, while packing up the scroll. "There's no need for you to climb up here. Besides, it's useless to ask an idiot anyway."
"Hehe, I can help you to catch some fish, as well as help with all the heavy labor on the boat. I can even help you to clear away all of your doubts and any obstacles, once we land on Rork Island."
Balu, fully aware of his shortcomings, replied with an extremely innocent smile. Then, rubbing his bald head, just as he was getting ready to jump into the sea to catch some fish, he suddenly pointed and yelled at the sky, "Argyle, look at the sky! It's a bridled tern!"
Argyle heard the words and raised his head, looking excitedly at the grayish brown bird, which was gliding in from the West and heading towards the East at several meters above seawater. He then said, "It really is a bridled tern! This species cannot fly for long distances, which means that there must be an island nearby for it to land on! Also, it must be on its way home, as it was flying from West to East just now! So, what are you waiting for, Balu? Row the boat!"
"Aha!" Balu shocked Argyle with his awfully loud voice. He had shouted out after seeing Balu moving to the side of the boat, turning over, and then jumping into the boat!
Dong Dong….
He then stomped into the cabin via a few huge steps. It had not even been five seconds since he had entered the cabin, when the middle of the wooden boat deck suddenly retracted, immediately being replaced by two lengthy wooden small boats.
"HeYo... HeYo…"
Balu sat in the middle of the hull, rowing the wooden paddles quickly with his two hands, just like a windmill on a windy day. The boat, under Balu's direction, unexpectedly burst out at a lightning speed, then began to closely tail the slowly-gliding bird.
About half an hour later, Argyle, who was steering the rudder, said with extreme excitement, "Balu, the island can be seen from here already! I bet with my life, this land is certainly Rork Island! Oh Balu! We have reached Rork Island! It's finally time to go aboard the Hurricane Bird!"
"Didn't you say that we needed to sail for a few more days to reach the island?" The sound of Balu's dull growling could be heard, coming from below deck.
"I'm no voyager, you idiot. How am I supposed to know?" Argyle lashed back.
"Argyle, you shall address me as 'Sky Knight' from today onward! Please don't call me an idiot ever again!" Balu, who had just run out from the cabin, said this as he grinned, his mouth open wide.
"Haha, very well then, Sky Knight! Then, you shall address me as "The Sky Magic Caster" from now on!"
The sailboat, driven by the wind, slowly drifted toward the land. Balu, who had run out of patience, jumped right into the chest-high seawater, dragging the sailboat to the shore behind him, like a little toy.
"Ah! At long last! I can smell the aroma of the earth once again!" Balu rushed to the shore like a maniac, then lay down on the ground, rolling over and over, until he finally got up after a total of 20 seconds!
......
"Argyle, please start a fire. I am going to get something to roast!" said Balu, who had finally calmed down from his initial excitement. Since their landing, he had already fixed the sailboat to a big tree and brought back two big armfuls of branches.
"Try and get your hands on some delicious fruits for snacking, as well!" yelled Argyle, while opening up a rectangular red wooden box with a smiling face. The box was filled with all kinds of cutlery, which had been crafted out of pure silver. There was even a set of fancy goblets!
"No problem. The forest is like my wife, as I can find out whether the fruit is tasty with my eyes closed!" Balu left, rushing into the forest.
Argyle, who was in charge of starting the fire, first stacked the arm-thick branches in a square. Then, without any indication of any tools being used, he gently moved his hand over the top of the branches, which immediately lit up brightly, as if they had been soaked with gasoline!
Having successfully started the fire, he then pulled out a silver goblet from the wooden box. He raised the goblet up it in front of him, as if he was toasting the moon.
At that moment, a chemical reaction instantly took place in the air around him, as a huge mass of visible water vapor condensed together, forming a vortex, before squeezing itself into the goblet.
"I can smell the activity of an adult wild boar!" said Balu, with his nostrils rapidly sniffing around and his eyes closed.
He pursued the scent, taking large strides, until he stood in front of a boar. The boar was busy biting into some kind of plant. Balu's loud noisy pursuit had alerted the wild boar, which had a mane that was harder than steel needles. Instantly on the offensive, the boar entered an attack position, followed by an angry grunt.
Grooooin...grooooin..
Even with all this pomp and fanfare, Balu somehow totally ignored the boar. The plant, which was slightly taller than himself, was what had captured his attention instead. He selectively glanced at the plant, as there were many little red fruits hanging down from the plant.
The wild boar, which was huge, flashed its decaying teeth at Balu, then started a barbaric charge towards him, accompanied by a fierce roar.
Bang!
A dull yet massive sound suddenly broke out between two of them, but Balu's eyes were still fixated on the plant. When the boar crashed onto the ground, a pool of red blood slowly spread from the side of its face onto the ground.
...
"Argyle, where are the Hurricane Birds? Let's go get them, once we are done digesting the food in our stomachs!" Balu, now fully stuffed, was laying on the ground lazily, gazing up at the sky.
"Let me check it out, then!" Argyle, who was sitting on a mattress made of buckskin, took out a yellowed pamphlet, which he then began flipping over and over, saliva on his lips.
"Shzz…"
Balu, who was lazing around until just moments ago, abruptly changed his expression, putting his ear onto the ground with a focused and serious look. After five seconds, he jumped up from the beach and said with a serious face, "Argyle, a giant wild creature is approaching!"
"What size is it?" Argyle packed up the pamphlet and asked calmly. Tracking and searching were natural talents of Balu, so his judgment on such things was never wrong.
"It is very, very big!" said Balu, while arming himself with the black chrysanthemum broadsword. "It is coming in from the North West, so it would take about thirty breaths to get here."
Bang… Bang… Bang…
Their faces were more tense than ever, as the sound of a giant creature's steps were heard, getting closer and closer. Later, the sound grew so loud, the land under their feet even shook from the immense shockwaves.
"Oh, Argyle, what in the world are we seeing? Is it a black scale monster that is ten times bigger than a land dragon?"
"Dang it! This thing is too big to be taken on. It would be the end for both of us, should this be a special type of magical creature," said Argyle.
"You never know what it really is, until you have fought it!" Balu pulled on his golden nose ring, his overly nervous finger nearly tearing it out of his nostril!
Growl....
The black scale creature showed up thirty meters in front of them, accompanied with an ear-splitting growl. Its eyes looked like they despised all weaklings. Their gaze made Balu burst into a whim of near madness in his mind, as his eyes became cold and sharp, like a knife.