It was later than expected. There were still two and a half months left until the Day of Convergence. At this time, the Dawn Sound was still docked at the Great Cathedral.
"Is everything ready? Is there anything that hasn’t been prepared yet?" Alka asked, sitting at the head of the round table in the captain’s cabin. In front of him lay numerous maps and documents, and a giant map of Home Island was posted on the wall behind him.
Hearing Alka’s words, Chadite took out a list. She began checking with Jason, item by item, against the list. On the ship, Chadite was primarily responsible for itemizing and calculating supplies, as well as managing communal funds. She was essentially Alka’s first mate.
"Materials and tools for ship maintenance?"
"Adequate cannon maintenance tools and some ammunition?"
"Food, water, and medical supplies?"
The two continued , checking item by item to ensure nothing was overlooked. Their destination was unknown, so adequate preparation was obviously necessary. And the only guide they had was the book *Land of Dreams*.
But the problem was that many details were not described in the book; after all, at only about a hundred thousand words in total, it was too short. From the protagonist’s perspective, it described a bizarre and fantastical world, yet even this account was very vague. It was evident from the book’s beginning—whether an intentional choice by the author or simply poor writing—that it plunged directly into the Endless Sea. However, Alka and his crew still had a long voyage before reaching it. What they would encounter along the way was completely unknown.
And even after reaching the Endless Sea, they wouldn’t know much. This was because the author had clearly been reserved in the book, narrating the story as if from an observer’s standpoint. A great deal of information was not conveyed at all, or was merely glossed over. The descriptions mostly focused on local scenery, harsh environments, and their peculiar experiences. Much of the useful information required them to painstakingly unearth it through their own analysis and conjecture. Without actually reaching these places, they couldn’t know if the information was truly useful. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by novel✦fire.net
But they had no choice but to use this book as their guide; at least they weren’t venturing into the completely unknown. They were at the beginning of the entire C-shaped world and had to travel a semicircle to reach the true entrance of the Endless Sea. They would have to pass the ’gates’ of all worlds during this journey. On such a long sea route, who knew what they might encounter, or if there would even be places to resupply. So, these most basic supplies had to be perfectly accounted for. They had checked them several times, and Alka and the others would also cross-check. This was all to ensure no omissions in their supplies.
"Energy Stones? Have the Energy Stones been replenished?"
"Replenished. We spent almost all our savings on those."
Among the many supplies were quite a few Spell Materials. Besides the personal materials each individual needed, there were also many materials required by the team, including Energy Stones. On ordinary Spell Ships or lower-level ones, the onboard [Mana Gathering] Spell is usually enough to solve the problem. But for Alka’s ship, Energy Stones were essential, providing the crucial Energy needed in emergencies. It was also where they spent most of their funds. They had deliberately traveled to the source to purchase these Energy Stones, ensuring that even in a mana-void environment, they could use this Energy to power the Sound of Dawn at full load for over a year at sea.
As Bobby put it, Alka and his team might be overly cautious, but Alka naturally didn’t think so.
"All done. No omissions. We can set sail now."
Hearing Chadite’s words, Alka nodded.
Then, everyone left the captain’s cabin and went to the deck.
On the deck at that moment, Bobby, Andre, and Vanessa were all waiting for them. Everyone went up and hugged them goodbye one by one.
When Alka and Andre gave each other a light hug, Alka heard Andre whisper in his ear.
"Brat, take care of my daughter, or I’ll pray to the Holy Mother to punish you."
Hearing Andre’s words, Alka nodded helplessly and smiled. "Don’t worry, don’t worry, I’ll certainly take better care of her than you could. And given your level of faith, maybe the Holy Mother will punish you instead."
"What did you say? Brat, just wait until I become a Cardinal..."
"Yes, yes, don’t worry," Alka interrupted him, laughing.
Andre had joined the Church entirely because of Chadite’s mother, and it was precisely because of her that Andre had become the leader of the Church’s Secret Treasure Hunting Team. Although Andre had remained in the Church even after Chadite’s mother passed away, the true depth of his faith in the Holy Mother was debatable. His faith certainly couldn’t compare to that of a true bishop. However, the Church was rather pragmatic and didn’t place high demands on the faith of certain individuals. It wasn’t necessary to be a fanatic or anything of the sort; a little faith was enough, as long as one’s conduct aligned with the doctrine. Andre belonged to this category.
This also demonstrated the Holy Mother Church’s generous and open-minded philosophy. It emphasized the unity of knowledge and action. One cannot have only faith, nor can one be without it.