Ocean

A vast, boundless expanse of blue ocean.

The gentle breeze carried a salty tang.

Ripples stirred across the sea, and gulls occasionally swept through the high sky.

This was the Golden Route leading to the East. Ever since the great geographical discoveries, countless ships had sailed along it every day toward the mysterious East, bringing back porcelain, spices, silk, and other specialties. They unloaded them at the ports, where they were turned into lovely little things like gold and silver.

The sea was the cradle of dreams, holding treasures beyond count.

Every port had stories of lucky souls who had struck it rich overnight, inspiring ever more young people to take up the path of the Navigator. But they would never know that, besides its peerless treasures, the sea also held terrors beyond measure.

The storms of nature were only one danger. There were also gigantic Water Monsters, the races dwelling in the ocean, and even certain indescribable beings. Once enraged, any of them could capsize ships with ease and bring disaster.

Of course, the most frequent danger along the sea routes was still pirates.

They chased wealth and had a taste for rum and women. After making off with a big haul, they would carouse in dedicated Pirate Ports until the last Copper Geller in their pockets was gone, then set off on a new hunt, eyes bloodshot and howling like wolves.

For men of the sea, to be born at sea and die at sea was fate's arrangement.

Still, piracy was hardly a wonderful profession. Compared with sea merchants, pirates faced the same dangers from the ocean, and on top of that, the Royal Navy actively hunted them down.

On the Western Continent, the most powerful Maritime Nation was Ingsman. As the greatest beneficiary of sea trade, it