Gah-oh~
Gah-oh~
A white mist hung over the azure sea as several seagulls wheeled back and forth through it.
Below them, a narrow boat drifted leisurely along. There were four figures aboard, two standing and two sitting.
A closer look revealed that they were Araki and Hozuki Mangetsu.
As for why there were four figures, naturally, they were clones.
After all, they could hardly row the boat themselves, could they?
Use [Shibuki]?
Wouldn't it be embarrassing if someone saw them?
Would they have to chase down and kill every witness afterward?
To avoid such trouble, they decisively used the Clone Technique.
"How is it? How much farther?"
Araki unfolded the nautical chart in his hands and roughly calculated their current position.
They had sailed southeast the entire way. By now, they had passed Red Province Island and the Land of the Sea, entering an unfamiliar stretch of ocean.
On the map, it was an area covered by the fog of war.
Although the Land of Water was shrouded in mist year-round, one kind of mist was not the same as another.
Hozuki Mangetsu, meanwhile, periodically reached down to scoop up seawater and drink it, though no one knew what he was doing.
Then, after taking another mouthful of seawater, Mangetsu's eyes lit up. "This is the place!"
"We're here?"
Araki had his clone stop the boat as he asked curiously, "How did you locate it? Don't tell me you distinguished it by the taste of the seawater?"
"That's right!"
Mangetsu grinned, his sharp teeth gleaming as he looked rather pleased with himself.
"Wherever there are mineral veins beneath the sea, the water carries a faint metallic taste. If you taste it carefully, you can tell."
"Really?"
Half believing him, Araki scooped up some water and tasted it as well... Other