Therefore, scholars from the Church believed the Treasure had possibly been lost there, causing a significant impact in the area. They had sent numerous expeditions, gathering a lot of information, but the Treasure itself had never been definitively found. Recalling Alka and his group’s treasure-hunting achievements in the Realm of Pitch Darkness, the Church had assigned this task to them. It didn’t matter much whether they completed it or not.
After hearing Chadite’s words, Alka shifted his attention from the map.
"No problem," Alka replied. "That area is currently extremely cold, with little chance of recent changes. Besides, the Church sends people to investigate every ten years or so. So this information should be quite reliable. It’s enough for me."
Thinking of Alka’s treasure-hunting abilities, Chadite nodded. She had only asked casually. She had no doubts about Alka’s capabilities. Their time together in the Realm of Pitch Darkness had firmly convinced her not to doubt Alka’s treasure-hunting intuition. His ability was on a completely different level from ordinary people.
Before long, everyone had gathered in the living room and picked up the documents to review them. This was their upcoming objective, and everyone needed to familiarize themselves with it.
Seeing that everyone was almost done reading, Alka addressed them, "It’s still early. You should all go and prepare. We’re heading to an extremely cold region this time, so make sure you have adequate clothing."
"We plan to depart tomorrow at noon. Any objections?"
Everyone shook their heads. They had rested for over a month and were fully recovered and ready for action.
Seeing no objections, Alka nodded, clapped his hands, and dismissed them.
Julia and Chadite took the doll, Lucilia, into town to buy winter clothes. As for Alka, he simply asked them to buy some for him as well; he had other materials to prepare.
Everyone began their preparations for the next day’s departure.
「The next day at noon.」
Alka arrived early at the port, directing dockworkers to load supplies onto the Spell Ship. The necessary supplies for an ocean voyage had to be well-prepared. Previously, he wouldn’t have worried about such matters, as others would naturally have taken care of them. Now that he was truly a captain, there were many more things to concern himself with.
Only after these tasks were sorted did Chadite and the others arrive, fashionably late, followed by Andre and Vanessa. It seemed they were there to see them off, Alka thought.
He watched as everyone boarded the ship, carrying large bags.
"Why didn’t you all buy Pocket Rings?" Alka asked.
A standard 1x1x1 Pocket Ring was very cheap, at least for them now. The cost to expand the space inside a Pocket Ring increased significantly with each successive expansion. Therefore, this standard-sized Pocket Ring was the most economical, costing between 50 and 100 Golden Sails. It shouldn’t have been a difficult purchase for any of them.
Although they had acquired a fortune in the Realm of Pitch Darkness, not all of it had been sold off yet. However, a good portion of their wealth had been kept as currency and already distributed among them at the time.
Responding to Alka’s question, Chadite explained, "It’s too much of a loss to buy Pocket Rings here. Our journey will take us past Cloud Carving Island, the birthplace of Pocket Rings. They’re much cheaper there."
Hearing this, Alka nodded. Although he didn’t know the exact price difference, if Chadite could convince everyone to wait, it must be worth it.
Seeing Andre waving at them from the port, Alka smiled and waved back.
"Safe travels! Take care!" Vanessa shouted.
Andre then called out to Alka, "You rascal, take good care of my daughter!"
"Haha, don’t worry," Alka replied.
With that, Alka waved his hand. The sails unfurled, and the Spell Ship slowly pulled away from the berth.
Alka stood at the bow. At some point, a captain’s hat had appeared on his head. He had long wanted to do this.
"Raise the sails! Full speed ahead!" Alka declared.
Blue stripes materialized on the hull of the Spell Ship, and the sails, inscribed with secret spells, began to draw in the surrounding wind.
The ship surged forward quickly, cutting through the water and leaving a trail of white spray.
Alka returned to the deck and, looking at the map in his hands, began to plot their course. They would sail south, pass through the Blood Gold Alliance’s territory, and then head straight for the Extreme Cold Triangle Zone. They were already in the southern waters of the Homeland Sea, so they weren’t too far from the Extreme Cold Triangle Zone. According to his route plan, the journey would take at least a month, and that was factoring in time for mid-course resupply and other stops.
Looking at the map, Alka thought for a moment. I should visit home first, he decided. His father’s ashes were still with him; he needed to bury them with his mother. It would also be a good chance to visit Aunt Marsi and the others.
Satisfied after planning all this, Alka nodded.
"So, how does it feel being a captain? More troublesome than you imagined?" Jason asked, approaching Alka from behind and patting his shoulder with a smile.
Hearing Jason’s words, Alka didn’t try to hide it and nodded. "Indeed, it’s much more troublesome, and there are many more things to worry about."
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he looked at Jason.
"You can cook, right?" Alka asked. "I remember we don’t have a chef on board at the moment. So, I’ll leave the cooking to you. Good luck!" With that, Alka patted Jason’s shoulder again and turned away, giving Jason no chance to refuse.