Land at Last

After confirming that this was a new route, Edmund did not relax. He knew that although this would allow him to complete the bounty, it would not bring him the greatest benefit.

He had a hypothesis: after comparing the route maps, Edmund believed that this new route was not only undiscovered, but also shorter than the original route, and that their fleet would reach the eastern part of the Tears of God's territory much faster.

Over the next few days, Edmund threw himself into his work, directing the fleet eastward while constantly avoiding potential thunderstorms.

Under Edmund's leadership, the fleet advanced steadily, much to the surprise of Gilles and Texera, who were also amazed by Edmund's dedication.

In their view, Edmund had already made a great contribution to this voyage. If he were a commoner, even if Edmund had turned back to the kingdom, no one would have blamed him, because he had fulfilled the impossible bounty and found a completely new route. Based on this achievement, he was promoted by the king to a true noble baron.

But Edmund remained calm and focused on his work, using a star chart every night to check his position and adjust his course.

Texera and Gilles were genuinely impressed by this extremely serious attitude, and their attitude towards Edmund became even more friendly.

The observant Edmund also noticed that the two squadron commanders were now carrying out his orders more decisively, without any of the delays they had shown before.

Edmund was smart; he knew it was his job, that he was seen by them, and that he had gained their approval. But Edmund was not complacent; instead, he continued to put more energy into his work, wanting to do it even better.

Thus, on the sixth day after their fleet had broken away from the previous thunderstorm group, Edmund was working in the ship's cabin, revising his new course by referring to the navigation chart.

At that moment, Bertley suddenly rushed into the cabin, startling Edmund. Bertley's mouth opened and closed. "My lord, my lord..."

Edmund was puzzled when he saw that Bertley kept calling out "Sir" but couldn't say anything more.

Just as he was about to ask Bertley what exactly was going on, Bertley finally spoke, "Land! We're going to find land!"

Now it was Edmund's turn to be caught off guard. Edmund suddenly stood up from his chair, pushed open the door, and rushed out.

When Edmund reached the deck, he saw the soldiers and sailors cheering happily, all pointing to the sky not far away, where a flock of seabirds were circling overhead, seemingly searching for food.

Edmund felt a surge of excitement; Edmund knew all too well what this meant: the presence of seabirds meant they were not far from their nest.

Seabirds cannot live on the sea for long periods of time; they need land to rest, settle down, and reproduce. This place must not be far from the land. Although it is not certain whether it is an island or the mainland, at least the direction is definitely right. Edmund once again confirmed that his choice was correct.

At that moment, Bertley also came to the deck. He ran to Edmund's side and said excitedly, "Captain, we succeeded! You are about to complete that bounty."

Edmund simply smiled and patted Bertley on the shoulder. "It's not finalized yet. Who knows if this is an island or the mainland?"

"So what if it's an island? Having an island means we're not far from the mainland." Bertley admired Edmund's cautious attitude, but Edmund's constant self-deprecation was a bit discouraging.

Edmund noticed that Bertley seemed a bit down and realized that his words might have been a bit too negative. After all, not everyone was like him. As the First Mate of his flagship and a trusted subordinate, Bertley had to be mindful of his feelings.

Edmund said, "Bertley, it's up to you now."

Bertley was a little confused when he heard this, but Edmund quickly continued, "From now on, we will take turns on duty. I will personally go up to the lookout tower to observe the sea conditions in the distance, and you will take over when I rest. It may be tiring, but you are the only person I can trust."

Hearing Edmund's words, Bertley was overjoyed, feeling as if he had eaten honey. He quickly replied, "Leave it to me, Captain, it would be my honor!"

Edmund looked at Bertley, whose face immediately lit up with a smile, and couldn't help but smile wryly to himself. Logically speaking, Bertley was two years older than him, so why did he look the older one?

Just as Edmund was about to climb up the mainmast to the watchtower, Bertley suddenly spoke up, "If we can find land tomorrow, that means we've been three days faster than on the previous route since we set off. Does that mean we've found a newer and faster route?"

"Of course, I share the same expectation, but this requires us to work more diligently and carefully observe to find land in the distance."

"Yes!"

And so the two began taking turns on watch; when one went up to the lookout tower, the other would go back to the cabin to rest.

However, they may have been heading in the wrong direction. After sailing for a day and a night, closely following the direction the seabirds had left, they still hadn't found any land.

Just as Edmund and Bertley finished their shift change, Edmund rubbed his sore eyes. The long hours of intense eye use, coupled with the direct sunlight reflected off the seawater, made him very uncomfortable, and his vision felt a little blurry.

Just as he took off his coat and was about to go to bed, Bertley burst in without knocking again. This time, Edmund didn't wait for Bertley to speak before realizing what had happened. He grabbed his shirt and ran out in his shorts.

But when Edmund ran up to the deck and looked into the distance, he saw nothing. Just as he looked at Bertley, who was following behind him, with a question in his mind...

Bertley suddenly pointed to his head, and Edmund realized that he should have climbed up to the observation deck to get a better view.

Sure enough, when he and Bertley climbed to the observation deck, Bertley pointed southeast, against the sunlight, a shadow appeared on the distant sea.

"Land, no doubt about it; clouds can't create such a shadow."

Edmund said excitedly, his voice becoming increasingly high-spirited.

Bertley trusted Edmund's judgment, and he immediately shouted from the lookout, "Everyone, adjust the sails immediately and head southeast. Bosun, have the rowers in the hold row with all their might, and tell them that everyone will have a glass of ale for dinner tonight."

On a ship, alcohol is the most precious thing. Fresh water is easy to spoil if stored for a long time, and although it is drinkable, it is still disgusting. But ale is not like that. After drifting at sea for a few days, drinking a glass of ale will definitely make you tremble with joy.

Sure enough, under Bertley's mobilization, the sailors and rowers on the flagship unleashed astonishing power, and the ship's speed became incredibly fast, pulling far ahead of the fleet behind.

Seeing this, Edmund was worried that the extended fleet formation would lead to disjointedness and cause unnecessary trouble, so he quickly reminded Bertley.

Although Bertley was somewhat disappointed, he understood the role of their flagship and began to control the ship's speed, waiting for the rest of the fleet to catch up.

Standing on the lookout tower, Edmund looked towards the bow of the ship. The shadow grew larger and closer. "There's no mistake, it's land," Edmund excitedly muttered to himself.

Although he couldn't see it very clearly, he could make out the details. It should be a coastline full of reefs, which was basically the same as the terrain of the western coastline of the Grand Duchy of Vera recorded by the Raine Kingdom Navy.

Thus, in Edmund's eyes, the land grew larger and larger until it completely blocked the horizon.

At this moment, the sailors also spotted the land in the distance. They all knew what this meant: they could finally reach the shore. Although only nine days had passed since they left their home port, the terrible climate of the Tears of God Inland Sea still made them feel like they were living through years. Now that they were about to reach the land, they could not only get a good night's sleep, but also no longer have to endure the nausea of drinking the stale water on the ship.

The sailors' cheers reached the hold, and then the rowers joined in, and gradually the cheers echoed from the other ships in the fleet.

The cheers of the entire fleet echoed across the sea. Even the seabirds flying above the fleet tilted their heads to look at the people below, wondering why they were screaming so loudly.