Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 596: Arrival

Chapter 596: Arrival

Douglas didn’t know when but he sensed that they had reached their destination after so long at sea.

It felt like eons had passed, leaving his already fragile mind in absolute shambles.

He had grown used to the emptiness and in fact, seemed to relish it.

Looking out the only window in the tiny cubicle he was kept in, he found that the Lightbringer had just closed its doors, ushering in nighttime.

Just then, he heard footsteps and a moment later, the door to his room was opened, revealing a brightly smiling Sayda.

"We have arrived." She said as she approached him, helping him to his feet. "I’m sure everyone is dying to meet you."

Douglas parted his lips, hoping to speak but whatever Sayda had placed inside of him, rid him of whatever it was he wished to say, ensuring that he remained an empty vessel.

Noticing this, Sayda softly remarked. "Come, I’ll introduce you."

And so, they stepped out of the small cabin with Sayda helping Douglas as he had lost feeling in his legs.

They made their way out of the ship, only to find themselves not too far from a sandy beach.

One-eyed Johnson was waiting at the deck, staring at Douglas with a pitiful gaze while completely avoiding eye contact with Sayda.

His senses, honed at sea by several dangerous encounters allowed him to mark out Sayda as a dangerous person.

So for Douglas to be held captive by her, he could only pity the fellow.

The Douglas standing before him, who resembled an emaciated beggar, contrasted greatly with how he had first appeared when he saw him back at Ra’as.

"You did well," Sayda remarked before proceeding to mutter a spell in deviltongue, causing Johnson’s ship to vibrate.

"What did you do?" Johnson inquired alarmedly, worried that she had done something bad to his dear ship.

Sayda smiled. "Don’t worry, I only blessed your vessel. Take it as a parting gift from me to you."

Unsure of how to feel, Johnson muttered. "Thank you."

Then, he added, "A boat is waiting to take you ashore."

Sayda said nothing else as she pulled Douglas along, quickly making her way towards the boat which was helmed by two of Johnson’s deckmates.

They helped row the boat to the beach where a group of women, wearing black sarees along with veils that covered their faces, were waiting to receive the party.

Sayda got off the boat along with Douglas, approaching the women as she remarked. "Sisters, I have returned."

"Mother will be proud. You have done well." One of the women replied in a hoarse tone before adding. "Come, we have a long journey ahead of us."

And so, the group went on their way, trekking through the sand toward an oasis not too far away.

***

The journey from Ra’as to Henos, from the port of Matamis to Baymouth, took a total of 60 days, ensuring that by the time Alex and the others arrived, they were more than exhausted and wanted nothing more than to get some well-deserved rest away from the waves of the Azure Seas.

Baymouth, a natural harbor situated to the east of the continent of Henos, was controlled by Pheripolis, one of the 12 city-states that made up the Solomon Alliance and also the city-state that claimed to have the strongest naval fleet on the continent which didn’t mean much considering the number of inland rivers in Henos, a continent of mostly valleys and gullies, did not have that many inland rivers connecting to Baymouth.

Regardless, the citizens of Pheripolis held their title with pride as it also allowed them to trade with external powers, which ensured that they were one of the wealthiest city-states, rich in gold, silk, and many more exotic items.

In any case, the city-state was to be the first stop of Alex and the others before they would continue their journey towards No-man’s-land, taking an airship that would stop them at the enigmatic area known simply as the Boundary which was said to be the area bordering No-man’s-land where the mythical City of Tomorrow, the divine kingdom of the Goddess of Automation was located.

Unfortunately, the trio quickly found themselves in a bit of trouble due to the current state of Athena which was devoid of captain and first mate.

Unlike the Enclave, who had been more willing to let them go after hearing what they had to say, the authorities at Baymouth were more strict, not because they were being careful.

It was simply a result of something known as corruption.

They needed a bribe and they wouldn’t turn a blind eye until they had gotten what they wanted.

After a bit of discussion, they settled on the price of a hundred gold coins, which was a lot, but considering they didn’t have the currency used in Pheripolis, they had no choice but to let go of the huge sum.

Ana sighed as they stepped out of the building they’d spent the better part of the day in.

They had arrived in the late hours of the morning but ended up wasting the entire day all because Alex was trying to haggle for a lesser bribe.

"How much do we have left?" Alex asked.

Due to constraints, they were only able to carry so much gold in their backpacks.

Ana might be disgustingly rich in Ra’as, but in Henos, they were one wrong decision away from being broke, or at least that’s what Alex thought.

Ana replied. "A little over a hundred thousand."

"We will have to be careful with how we use it. We can’t exactly waste time setting up a business."

"If only the island was still available, we could have sold a few of Victoria’s potions to make more money." Ana remarked.

Alex sighed. "Unfortunately, that is not the case. We’ll make do with what we can."

Meanwhile, Ulysses stood at the side, unsure of what to make of the duo.

Due to his family’s unique goal of exploring the entire world, they had to experience the constraints of hardly ever having money.

In his eyes, a hundred thousand was enough to take them around Henos a couple of times.

Truthfully, the minds of the rich and poor operated on different wavelengths.