"What kind of power?" Aldred asked.
"I don't think I am qualified to tell you."
"I see. So it's better for me not to use this ring?"
"Yes."
"I agree as well," Stella said. "When she touched the ring, I felt something terrifying leaking out."
"If you think it's terrifying, then it must be true. You're a Diamond Rank after all."
"Let's not talk about this anymore."
...
Aldred and his wives sailed for months on the open water, killing monsters and dumb pirates who thought they could take on a gigantic fleet with two motherships and more than a hundred warships accompanying it.
Aldred showed no mercy and cleansed them on the face of this planet.
Months later, they saw a lot of fleets entering the Persley Strait. The strait was a narrow canal for ships to pass through. There were some tensions in the air, but not one moved their cannons, so Aldred didn't do anything.
He was amazed by the design of their ships, though. All of them were unique, and he even saw some sentient races he had never seen before. One of those races had a crystal on their forehead, and they were looking very attractive and elegant with their unique clothes.
"That's the Shardmind people," Stella said.
"Shardmind?"
"Yes. Look at the crystal shard on their forehead. They can amplify their power using that."
Aldred squinted his eyes. "I notice the females have a smaller shard than the males."
"That is normal. The male's shardmind tends to be bigger, but the desirable one is a square, blocky-shaped one. That crystal can give them powerful physical strength. As for the female's, the smaller and narrower one is better. Not only does it lure in a potential mating partner, but it gives the female powerful control over spell and the elements."
"So smaller is better for the female and bigger and larger for the male."
"Yes. In their race, most males don't even think about being a magician, and females don't even consider strengthening their physique. They were designed to fit in a specific role, and they long had accepted it."
Aldred nodded and noticed that their physique also matched the size of their shard. The males who got large shards also had taller heights and bigger bodies. Meanwhile, the females who had narrow and small shards had a petite and slender bodies.
"Can those shards be strengthened or do you get them from birth?"
"It depends on their talent, but everyone got a small shard when they were born. The age of 15 to 21 years old is when they can reach their peak. After that age, it's unlikely for their shard to become smaller or bigger."
"I saw some females who have long and narrow ones."
"Those are the most talented. The vertically long and narrow shards on their forehead usually mean that they can easily reach Diamond Rank as long as they grow old enough."
"So you can already see their potential at an early age, huh?"
"Yes. It's why the Republic of Selia is one of the strongest nations out there. It even stands shoulder to shoulder with Ceraisian Empire in military might."
"Why is that the case?"
"They can allocate their resources much better since they know which one has the better talent."
"That makes sense."
"They are also very ambitious," Zafrina joined in. "One of my dad's spies got a hold of their plan to attack the west and conquer Yevileria."
"The bugbear nation? Can they do that?"
"The spy got this information a decade ago, so they are probably preparing for war."
"If they conquer Yevileria, won't that mean their border would be next to Ceraisian?"
"Yeah. If I know anything about Ceraisian, it is that they wouldn't let another major power stay close to them."
Aldred talked about the geopolitical situation as their ships sailed to the Great Lake.
The Great Lake was a gigantic lake that bordered three large nations. On the north was Hofnmoen, also known as the nation of the Lizardfolk. They are once a timid race with their short and weak bodies, but because they live near the ice orc, they evolved into something bigger and more ferocious.
Now the Lizardfolk was powerful and brave, and fighting is part of their culture.
Just like the Ceraisian, war is in their blood.
Their nations weren't as strong as Ceraisian Empire, however, so they couldn't really wage war against anyone since their neighbor was the mighty Duria.
But that didn't stop them from joining the treasure hunt.
Their ship sailed past, and Aldred was amazed by its design. The ship looked and felt like a giant lizard as it moved its feet back and forth like it was swimming.
They were fast as well.
"The Lizardfolk can be said to be the fastest nation on water, though they lack the firepower needed to dominate the ocean," Stella said.
Aldred chatted for some time before he pulled out the astrolabe. It now pointed to the west which was the direction they sailed, but a few hours later, the arrow pointed down.
Aldred saw the other fleets also stopping here, so he told Burchard to stop the fleet.
Aldred walked to the edge of the ship and looked around. The people on other ships did the same thing. They were all wondering why the arrow pointed down.
"Maybe our destination is below the water," Zafrina said.
Stella summoned her magic mirror and tried to see what was below them, but nothing appeared in the mirror. "There's something that blocks my spell."
Aldred saw people ordering their subordinates to swim down below to check the situation.
"Send the golems down there," Aldred said.
Numerous fighter golems dived into the water.
Aldred closed his eyes, trying to connect his mind with the golems, but it failed. He couldn't see anything, but he could still feel the existence of his golems.
"I will send my clone down."
Aldred summoned his clone, and it entered the water immediately.
Now he sat and waited for something to happen.
