The Second Kingdom Exploration, A Difficult Fleet (An extra chapter for the Alliance Leader "My Fate is Renewal")

The seaside in June was scorching sunlight, sudden wind and rain, and green life as far as the eye could see. In the emerald farmland, corn grew strong and tall, like upright Short Spears. And in the lush jungle, tropical flowers bloomed to their hearts' content, spreading branches and leaves that blotted out the sun; even the reed beds by the shore could rise over a person's head.

The tall reed beds grew along the edge of the mangrove swamp. They stretched from the seaside toward the inland south, following a little river for seven or eight li before meeting a long, narrow lagoon. Here, the distant sea and sky could be faintly glimpsed, while the nearby woods were dense and verdant. And on the riverbank where reeds and forest coexisted, there was a low, very inconspicuous camp.

Red Sparrows circled above the camp; they had smelled the scent of fresh food. Vultures also circled above the camp; they had smelled the scent of rotten food. Only from the height of the birds, looking down at the riverbank, could one see that the camp was actually not small, holding a full one or two hundred people. And in the thick reed beds by the river, four old Longships could be faintly seen. The moss clinging to their hulls showed that these conspicuous Longships had not sailed by the sea for a very, very long time.

"...This damned weather! Even the pumpkin mash has gone sour... And for the sake of hiding, we can't exactly light fires during the day..."

The low, crude camp spread outward, forming several large circles. Everywhere was damp moisture, and fleet warriors wearing only loincloths. In the innermost circle was an unlit fire pit. The old militiaman Chiwako was bare-chested, sitting beside the damp fire pit