At the same time, in the waters off the edge of Violet Island in the Northern Continent, the Morning Star floated four nautical miles from shore.
The noon sun beat down fiercely upon the vast sea and the primitive, wild coastline beyond it. Light churned amid the breaking waves, jagged rocks lined the shore, and the forests of Violet Island grew lush and dense—Modir stood at the edge of the Morning Star's deck, guiding Mage Eyes as they prowled near the coast. The images sent back by the magical eyeballs appeared directly in his mind, along with their readings of the magic and Shadow Power near the shoreline.
Noon was when Shadow Power was at its weakest. If something on that island truly lay concealed by shadows, this was the best time to find it.
Footsteps approached from beside him. Without even turning his head, Modir identified the newcomer by her aura and casually said, "Everything is still normal for now—the next landing party should be ready to depart, right?"
"Yes," Victoria replied respectfully. "It is noon now, the scheduled time for exploration. Have you found anything on the island?"
"Nothing." Modir shook his head. "The Magic Environment is completely normal, there is no trace of Shadow Power, and there are no hidden anomalies or Secret Realm entrances along the outskirts. At the very least, the coastal area should be safe. In addition, the detection devices placed on the shore last night have not sent back any abnormal signals or images. I believe the situation is as I judged it—the 'power' that caused the Plander fog incident has completely faded away. We can begin operations deeper within Violet Island."
Victoria gazed toward the opposite shoreline and spoke after a moment's thought. "An entire kingdom was nothing more than a god's