Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 549: Rules of sea travel

Chapter 549: Rules of sea travel

Alex left Lionclaw tavern early the next morning, dressed in a black suit with a hat and a pair of gloves, carrying a cane in one hand and a brown suitcase in the other, marking him out as a distinguished fellow from a rich background.

Ana wore a white sundress and a white hat that shielded her face from the unforgiving rays of the Lightbringer, holding a fan in one hand while Ulysses wore a white shirt with suspenders and a pair of brown khaki trousers while carrying both his suitcase and Ana’s as well.

To outsiders, they resembled a traveling couple accompanied by a servant boy, seeking to explore the open sea which was the image Alex wished to paint.

Together, the trio made their way to the port while Ulysses regaled him with tales of the sea and Ana listened closely in excitement.

"There are several rules that one has to know when embarking on his first journey across the Azure Seas." Ulysses began with Alex replying.

"Pray tell."

"The first and most important rule is fear the Oceanic Enclave."

"They are the ones that rule the sea, right?" Ana asked at the side.

Ulysses pursed his lips. "I wouldn’t say rule the sea, but they are the most dominant force at sea. No one has managed to beat them in sea combat as far as I can tell."

"I see." Ana nodded, having learned something new.

"Well, anyway, as it is said among seafaring circles, the fear of the Enclave is the beginning of wisdom. Even if they misbehave, it would be best to not go against them as it would not end well for us land dwellers."

"Understood. What else?" Alex inquired.

"Unless necessary, do not fish when you are deep within their territory. Sea creatures, both normal and mutants, are regarded as children of the Goddess of the Sea, and so killing them is the same as disrespecting their goddess. They might allow you to go the first and second time if you were careful enough but the third time would most definitely be met with retribution."

"Noted."

"And, yes, do not attempt to swim out in the ocean."

"Who would be foolish enough to do that?" Ana couldn’t help but ask.

Ulysses shrugged. "There have been people and they were all unequivocally swept away by the sea. But not just them, because there have been times sailors have been forced to abandon ship for various reasons. There haven’t been any recorded survivors from such incidents."

"If that’s all, then there won’t be an issue." Alex calmly remarked.

"Well, there is one more."

"Hmm?"

"In a supernatural sense, the Azure Sea could be regarded as a pseudo dimension separate from the landmasses in Eventide."

"How so?" Alex raised a brow.

"According to research, it’s known that dimensions that overlap with our world, like the Spirit World and DreamWorld, are cut off at sea. Apparently, in these dimensions, what represents the Azure Seas is a chasm that stretches as far as the eyes can see with a faint red glow at the bottom. The chasm is referred to as the Crimson Depths and is said to be the reason the Azure Seas is separate from the rest of Eventide."

"Quite intriguing."

Ulysses nodded. "It is but it does have severe implications for Mystics."

"Like?"

"Like, long-range teleportation is forbidden."

Alex frowned as he glanced at Ulysses, prompting the latter to explain.

"It’s not that teleportation is completely null, but attempting it over a long distance would have one ending up underneath the sea, which mind you, is the worst place for a land dweller to be."

"I see."

"Also, try not to utilize Abilities as they attract Mutants. Finally, Domains with connection to fire and heat would be severely affected at sea."

"Noted." Alex nodded.

Some of the rules were quite strange but were still manageable so there was no need to worry.

Considering Captain Vissarion was said to be an experienced sailor, there was no reason to be overly worried.

But just to be safe, he began to prepare potential battle strategies should he be forced to make a move.

Just then, Ulysses facepalmed. "Oh my gosh, I forgot the most important rule."

"Huh?... I thought the most important rule was the fear of the Oceanic Enclave is the beginning of wisdom?"

"That’s the first; the second is do not, and I mean it, absolutely do not touch a Mystic of the Storm Wheel with your bare skin. If they ask you to touch them, decline as nicely as you can and run or do so with a piece of thick clothing. They are bastards that would not hesitate to end you should you accidentally touch them."

"That’s quite troubling," Ana muttered with Alex proceeding to add the new piece of information to his combat strategies.

Just like that, they continued to converse until they arrived at the port, the cries of seagulls inundating the loud crashes of the waves against the seashore.

The fishy smell present within the city seemed even more pungent at the harbor causing Alex to applaud humanity’s ability to adapt.

He quickly found Captain Vissarion, considering his ship was one of the largest at the docks.

Named Athena, it was a behemoth of steel optimized for sea travel, serving as both a cargo ship as well as a travel ship for the elite, giving off an imposing aura that left one awed in its presence.

"Wow," Ana muttered in disbelief as this was to be her first time seeing such.

Alex was also quite impressed as it reminded him of the ill-fated Titanic back on Earth.

The ship was already boarding with several people dressed in expensive attire accompanied by servants and the like.

He quickly made his way over to where they were boarding, with Ulysses asking around for Captain Vissarion before the named fellow arrived.

He was an averagely built, middle-aged man with brown, red hair and tanned skin, dressed in a long black jacket and a pair of trousers made of an unknown material with tall boots.

"Are you Alexander Regulus?" The man asked.

"I am." Alex calmly replied.

"I am Captain Vissarion, John told me you’d be coming. Hope you’ve got coin else you’d be staying with the beggars."

"Don’t worry, I have coin."

"Good, then you may head in. A place has already been prepared."

With that, Captain Vissarion turned and left while Alex and company moved to join the boarding passengers.