The Destroyer's Fleet set sail toward the northeast.
That was where the astrolabe directed them, and that was where they would go.
Aldred and his wives were in the command room with Burchard steering the mothership. They were sailing near the shore, and on their left was the nation of Trelder.
Beside it, in the north was the Republic of Selia. That was where the Shardmind lived. But these two nations were not part of his destination.
Well, not really. His destination lay on a small island. It was actually part of Trelder's territory but had enormous autonomy.
It took them less than a minute to arrive, but docking was quite a hassle. The island was called Obern Island, and even though it was located right in front of the rich and powerful nation of Selia, its economy was very low and the cities here were primitive.
Aldred's fleet had arrived at a port in a city called Dirik City. Supposedly, this was the place where the third phase should begin.
The port side of the ship opened like a gate, and a wooden bridge came down with magic.
Aldred, his wives, Bartrem, and the soldiers walked down and stepped foot onto the dock.
In the distance, children were staring at his mothership with big open mouths. They were in awe of its sheer size and magnificence.
Unlike other cities, there were no guards or some authority figure to greet them.
Aldred and his entourage walked to the city. Some people looked at him, but they did not say anything and kept walking.
"The city is not that primitive," Aldred said.
"It's primitive to the world's standard," Stella said.
"So where do we go next?" Rachel asked.
Aldred summoned his astrolabe, but its direction went all over the place. "This thing cannot point to the exact location. We should find clues. Stella, do you have any idea?"
"Well, rumor said that the third phase will happen in the sky."
Aldred looked up. "I see nothing but clouds and blue sky."
"Maybe it has yet to begin."
"Can we trust rumors anyway?"
"Rumors can always be trusted most of the time. It's how the world trying to tell us something."
"What do you mean most of the time?"
"Some large organizations can spread false rumors, further confusing us from the real information. But I know which one is fake and real, so no worries in that regard."
"That's good. Okay, let's find a place to eat. I want to try the local food."
They walked around the city and finally found a place called The Jester's Pub.
They sat down at a table and began ordering some food.
What Aldred noticed the difference in this city from other cities was how diverse the race was. There were elves, dwarves, vampires, winged men, bugbears, and even the leonines.
Most cities he visited did have a diverse population, but not as much as this.
The atmosphere was very calm as well, with humans and leonines chatting with each other as if they were long-time friends.
When the food arrived, Aldred and his wives ate together while listening to the people around them.
"Hey, did you hear? The Necromancer is in the act again." A vampire whispered to a group of dwarves.
"Again? Who got the curse this time?"
"I heard it was the new widow."
"Damn! She just lost her husband a week ago, now she got cursed. What an unfortunate life."
"What is her curse?"
"I heard she becomes extremely terrified of darkness. The other day, she almost burned her whole house to scare away the night."
"Pitiful. Have the women in town helped her?"
"Well, my wife is going to visit her tomorrow with her friends. They are going to bring a lot of torches and mana gems for her."
"That's good." The dwarf nodded a bunch of times before he drank his beer.
Aldred sighed after hearing that conversation. "There is no clue about the third phase."
"Be patient, Aldred. The opportunity will come." Stella patted his shoulder.
Mira fed Krista while she was sitting on her lap. "Will we find any clue by listening to the locals here?"
Zafrina elegantly cut the meat. "That's how most people do it. When the phase begins, the locals will find something unusual or weird. And they will talk about it with the other locals. Our goal is to listen to that unusual thing."
"That's not how we find the first two phases." Mira wiped the stain on Krista's lips.
"Every phase is different. My family has sent a lot of people to document as many challenges of the treasure hunt. And this kind of challenge has happened a number of times."
Mareona sipped her orange juice. "Does every big family like you do that?"
"That's probably the case." Zafrina nodded.
"Maybe we can find more clues in another place," Aldred said.
"Let's look around after we are done eating." Ivette grabbed a handful of food and chomped it all down.
After they were done eating, Aldred left a big tip on the table and left.
A local noticed the big tip on the table and smiled. "There's a rich man visiting our town."
"That guy with a lot of guards and wives? You should have seen his ship. It was so big."
"How big?"
"Bigger than your house. I think, even if all of our houses were put together, that ship will still be bigger."
"Really? Let's go out and see it."
After leaving the pub, they walked around the street for a few minutes, trying to listen to any rumors.
They did not find anything, however, but they found a stone obelisk on top of a hill.
"That is the shrine of Azar." An old lady approached them with a hunchback. Black goo leaked out of her left eye, but she kept her sweet smile.
"Sorry for this unsightly eye." The old lady grabbed a cloth and covered her left eye. "It's from that damn Necromancer. You all should be careful as well. I don't want to see any pretty faces to be destroyed like mine."
Mira put Krista down and approached the old lady. "Let me help you."
The old lady shook her head. "No need, young one. There is no cure for this curse. I have no hope anymore."
"In the Gospel of Foido, hope always exists even in the darkest of pits."
Mira pointed. "Holy Golden Stream."
Golden water came out of her finger and enveloped the old lady before it entered her left eye. A few seconds later, the black goo vanished, her skin complexion became healthier, and all of her bodily pain disappeared as well.
The old lady stood up straight and was in disbelief at what just happened. Tears dropped as she looked at Mira in deep gratitude.
"Thank you! How can I repay this debt?"
"There is no debt to pay. But if you want to, you can read this Gospel." Mira gave her a thick book with the symbol of Zalous, the God of Hope, on top of it.
The old lady grabbed her hand. "Such a beautiful woman with a beautiful heart. Is the man behind you your husband?"
"We are not formally married, but I already consider him as my spouse."
The old lady looked at Aldred with a smile. "Please take care of this beautiful lady with love and compassion."
"I will." Aldred nodded with a smile.
