"Looks like we're about to set sail."
Mona also turned her gaze toward the enormous ship by the shore.
[Your civilization is about to embark on its first voyage.]
[After decades of technological progress, your civilization has reached the sea today.]
The civilization's technology tree has unlocked: Navigation.
[You have obtained: Light of Technology ×30]
After quietly glancing over the message,
he took in all the preparations for the voyage.
This enormous ship embodied the wisdom and hard work of two generations.
All the redwood they had stockpiled over the past century had gone into building it.
Though fallen, dead redwood no longer possessed the magical power to ward off disasters, it was still more resistant to seawater and sturdier than ordinary wood, so they had used it to build the ship's hull.
Some parts and components of the ship were made from the latest Black Stone material.
The exceptionally sturdy Black Stone Anchor was one such example.
There was no need to go to great lengths to find a suitable place to drop anchor.
Ned would control the Shell Insects on deck and have them carry the heavy Black Stone Anchor down into the seabed's mud and sand, where they could find a suitable spot to anchor.
That way, there was no risk of the anchor getting stuck.
The only thing they had to worry about was how to haul the Black Stone Anchor back up with the winch.
The ship's provisions included Tree Cassava, dried salted fish, and charcoal.
Long-lasting food and supplies like these were essential.
Of course, the ship carried even more fresh water this time.
But it wasn't ordinary fresh water.
It was Holy Water.
Ever since the Holy Rain had fallen, the people had carefully collected the rainwater granted by the gods in clay jars.
With Holy Water on board,
the pressure of having enough fresh water for the voyage eased considerably.
Just one small spoonful could meet their water needs for two or three days.
Everything was ready.
On the first day of the dry season, just after the rainy season had ended,
a particularly cool, refreshing morning,
before the morning light had yet to break across the sea,
the wind quietly began to blow.
The Warriors quietly sailed the enormous ship away while their sleeping Tribe dreamed on, leaving their home behind.
There was no grand, rousing send-off on the shore.
Only Boer and a group of guards stood witness as the Warriors departed.
"Chief Boer, why not let the Tribe come and see these brave explorers off?"
The guard gazed longingly at the men standing aboard the ship, their faces filled with fearless joy.
He deeply admired these Warriors,
who dared to venture into the mysterious sea.
If he was honest,
he, too, longed to explore the mysterious ocean.
But he couldn't overcome his fear of the sea.
He would rather die on the island,
on this island protected by the gods,
than die in that treacherous ocean.
That was why he admired these brave people so much, and why he was puzzled that the chief hadn't let the others come to see them off.
This might be the last time they ever saw them.
Boer watched the enormous ship recede into the distance and smiled faintly.
"Because these Warriors don't need a sad farewell."
"I believe they'll return safe and sound, and bring back hope."
A fierce wind swept across the shore.
Beneath the blazing sun, amid the howling wind, the great Sailing Ship cut its ropes and finally began to drift away from the island the people had never left—the island bestowed by the gods.
The island slowly became a line.
Then,
it became a black speck.
At last,
it gradually vanished from sight.
Although some of them had already taken the great ship on a trial voyage,
when the day finally came,
the feeling of setting out to greet a whole new world was completely different.
Setting out wasn't as easy as they had imagined.
The Tribe members, who had been too excited to sleep for days, fumbled and stumbled as they worked the helm and sails, trying to steer the enormous vessel through the waves. They had little experience.
Even Blair, who was usually calm and collected, was overwhelmed while directing everyone.
After all, no one had ever truly sailed successfully across the open sea.
No matter how much theory they knew, they were bound to encounter countless situations that had never been covered once they put it into practice.
Fortunately, the ship eventually steadied.
Once they had everything moving according to plan,
the sweat-soaked men finally rested on deck.
As if by tacit agreement, they gazed out over the ocean,
watching the flecks of gold sway with the waves,
and the dazzling light shimmering across the water.
They were all swept up in the sight.
This was the scene they had always longed to see.
Unfortunately, these rough men didn't know what words to use to describe such a view.
After all,
they had only just created a written language. Even faced with the most magnificent scenery, their vocabulary was almost nonexistent.
"The weather's really nice today."
"Yeah, it's a beautiful day."
"The sea is so beautiful."
"Yeah, it really is."
After taking turns expressing their heartfelt admiration for the sea,
the Tribe members soon thought of their people back on the island, now out of sight.
They hadn't expected homesickness to hit so quickly.
"Kana's probably only just waking up now. She'll be sad when she realizes I left without a word."
"She's already turned you down so many times!"
"She'll definitely accept me when I come back from this voyage."
"Give it a rest. You'll probably be the first one to sink beneath the waves and feed the Sea Monsters."
The Warriors burst into laughter.
These fearless people didn't shy away from talking about death and disaster.
That day,
the Prophets had told the people that the gods had taken the great God-Chosen back to the Heavenly Kingdom.
Since then, the devout believers had become much less afraid of death.
They didn't truly believe they could go to the legendary dwelling place of the gods, as the mighty God-Chosen had.
But it still inspired them.
The Warriors hoped they, too, could be like the God-Chosen, devoting their whole lives—even their lives themselves—to a great cause.
When that day came, even if they couldn't reach the Heavenly Kingdom, they would at least be able to tell themselves they had nothing to be ashamed of before the gods or the souls of the heroes in the heavens.
Before long,
the people chatting animatedly realized that the main character who should have been part of their conversation was nowhere to be seen.
The men talking about everything under the sun soon turned toward the God-Chosen.
After boarding the ship, he had acted unlike himself, showing none of his usual excitement.
Ned simply kept his eyes tightly shut, his expression grave.
He had pushed his insect-sensing ability to its limits.
The Rot Spirit Dragonflies in the sky, the Water Mosquitoes over the waves,
and the Shell Insects beneath the sea—all of them were within his perception.
The ship was now following the safe route previously explored by the Shell Insects controlled by the Rot Spirit Flower.
Only he, with his ability to control insects, could tell whether the ship had strayed from its course or whether any Sea Monsters were lurking nearby.
Everyone's lives were now effectively in his hands.
That left him no time to admire the vast ocean he had dreamed of seeing.
After sensing something again and again,
Ned finally let out a breath of relief and loosened his grip on the Rot Spirit Staff.
At the same time,
the Shell Insect beneath the waves leaped out of the sea and drove the tip of its enormous claw into the thick, sturdy hull, then slowly climbed back onto the deck.
Just as they had thought,
there seemed to be no more Sea Monsters in the waters nearby.
Since the Messenger of the Gods hadn't stopped them from going to sea,
perhaps all the Sea Monsters in the ocean really had been wiped out in that battle.
Besides,
the insects had also brought him a message.
The news filled him with excitement.
Ned's expression immediately brightened.
"You seem confident you can find the direction of that island in this vast ocean?"
The priest Moro had clearly guessed what Ned was thinking and asked in surprise.
"Have you read my mind again?"
"Your expression gives it away. I don't need to read your mind to know."
Priest Moro chuckled.
Ned didn't confirm or deny it. He simply raised a finger to his lips, keeping the secret.
One by one, the men asked him about it, curious.
Ned just smiled at their questions and said,
"It's a secret."
"When the time comes, the secret will be revealed."
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