The sea breeze blew gently, and the waves rolled softly.
A three-masted vessel crossed the sea via a secret route known to few, cutting through the hazy mist and salty wind as it approached Maruyama Dock in the north of the Land of Water from the northwest.
The ship was not moving quickly, yet the bare-chested sailors, belts cinched around their waists, bustled back and forth between the deck and the hold.
They repeatedly hauled on the ropes, calling out work chants that only they understood to provide the captain and helmsman with information and ensure they would not lose their bearing at sea.
Only after the entire ferry, through everyone's efforts, had traced a crooked course across the water—avoiding one by one the hidden currents, whirlpools, and reef traps before finally leaving those perilous waters—did the exhausted sailors tilt back their heads and sing joyful songs, letting hot sweat run down their necks and collarbones, leaving faint salt stains on their sturdy bodies.
...In truth, they had every reason to celebrate.
After all, not every fleet had what it took to conquer raging currents and the countless traps nature had placed around that narrow route!
Having survived that life-or-death voyage, the sailors could not help but begin imagining how they would spend the generous pay from this trip.
They were even more eager to get ashore and properly console the stomachs that had suffered for the past month at a familiar tavern.
Yet as the lingering Solan tune was shredded by the sea wind and carried in fragments to Kushimaru Kuriarare's ears, the wielder of Nuibari, who had spent his life walking the line between life and death, felt not the slightest joy or carefree ease.
On the contrary, amid those hoarse, broken rhythms, Kushimaru Kuriarare, with his yellow