The Rise of the Black Plain - Chapter 2668: The Moment of Departure

At no point in his presentation did Leger talk about the level of threats and dangers. But he didn’t need to. As a level 115 Supreme who had already passed through the Violent Sea twice, his fear of the journey to Uzira was enough to tell him that these were threats that could easily take his life.

The group of Minos and Tiolos understood this man’s warnings as they should, listening to him solemnly, anxious about the future ahead.

The years of travel across the Violent Sea didn’t seem so long when one was talking about a journey of a few years. Everyone in that group had lived for at least a few centuries; years were nothing to them. But a dangerous journey could make a brief interval of time seem interminable to the souls taking the risk.

Minos put away the map drawn by Leger, pleased to get some direction and recommendations near the start of his journey. He had gotten little in Armhands, so the little that this Supreme had informed him was enough to make him feel more relieved.

“Thank you for the information. Let’s be careful on our journey,” Minos said to Leger.

Tiolos asked. “By the way, when are you leaving?”

Leger looked the native of Zocarro in the eye and said, “In the next few days. I have one last matter to resolve and then I’ll be on my way with my group. But that said, I don’t recommend that you travel immediately after us.”

“What’s the matter?” Minos asked, while Tiolos had a curious expression on his face.

“On my way to Uzira, we traveled quite close to another crew going there. Amid the journey, however, we attracted several challenges and of the over 100 individuals, considering the two groups, less than 10 reached Uzira.

On the mainland, I learned that the more vessels traveling through the Violent Sea, the greater the chances of sea creatures and phenomena in the area turning against the travelers. This is a way of ‘protecting’ the continent from invaders from Oqia.”

He made a point of emphasizing the word invaders, clarifying that this was how the Uzira community saw the natives of Oqia and the aliens who lived on this continent.

Minos and Tiolos looked at each other, accepting the recommendation to leave a while after this group.

“When can we leave?” The level 116 Supreme asked.

“In a year. That’s enough. The first half of the journey is the slowest, but a year will be enough to get us a considerable distance from Oqia.” Leger suggested, soon gaining the agreement of his new allies.

“In that case, let’s get ready to leave a year from now.” Minos looked at his group, and no one there disagreed.

They weren’t in a hurry. They had been preparing for around 100 years, so waiting for another one wouldn’t change much. At the same time, this was the time they could finish their preparations in a place more suitable for their purposes.

“Well, that’s it, then.” Leger stood up, intending to leave to continue his business before his departure from the continent. “We’ll stay in the city for a few days and then set sail. Let’s talk again in Uzira. My group will wait for yours, then we’ll talk about the plans for afterwards when we’re all there.”

Talking more about Uzira wouldn’t make much difference to the group now and Leger preferred to keep certain information to keep its value in the future.

Minos and Tiolos said goodbye to the man and his group, staying in that area of the tower for a few more moments to talk to each other.

Tiolos asked Minos how he had changed so much and become so strong, and the man answered this and other questions from his ally.

Eventually, they would talk about each other’s journey to this point, as well as once again touch about this alliance with Leger.

“… I imagine your people are looking for men to join us on this trip, right?” Tiolos looked at Minos, his lips curling into an understanding smile. “I’ve already tried approaching some men at the local port, but it’s difficult to convince them. Not only that, these sailors are hard to read. Who knows if they really have experience of the Violent Sea or if they’re just storytellers…”

“Don’t you think you can get some good navigators?” Abby asked. “Even if their stories are inventions of idle minds, a few good navigators might be worth the investment.”

Minos agreed with his wife. “We have a year ahead of us, so we’ll see all the possibilities in front of us. In the meantime, we should worry about getting a capable ship.”

This city was known, among other things, for its naval wing, with large shipyards, building vessels for custom construction or ready for delivery.

Armhands was not a force specialized in navigation, so the group had only brought resources for the acquisition of their ship, without having brought the vehicle they were going to use.

“About that. There’s a place I should show you. The shipbuilders there are the best on the west coast, I guarantee it.” Tiolos said as he directed Minos out of that tower.

He already knew that Armhands would pay for a large part of this trip to Uzira, so he personally wouldn’t have to invest much, nor had he bothered to buy a ship in advance. He instead focused on making preparations, such as finding information, searching for allies and shipbuilding yards.

So the group followed Tiolos’ lead through the city, heading straight to one of the larger local shipyards, where they would have to choose their vessel.

They didn’t have many requirements in terms of boat models or appearance. What they wanted was something capable of safely and comfortably transporting a group of 40 individuals, and guaranteeing room for maneuver and defenses on the sea journey ahead.

Minos had a lot of resources on him and wanted the best in that shipyard. Willing to pay a sum that made even Tiolos look shocked, he ordered the vessel which, when ready, would be the most advanced in one of the largest shipyards in the western region!

The delivery time would be 10 months, enough time for the group to stay in the city and prepare for departure in just over a year.

So, after settling the all-important matter of the vehicle they would use to cross the Violent Sea, the group turned their attention to their other companions to talk about everything that had already been decided and the journey ahead!