Chapter 577: The White Stones
“Hey, where’s the cargo?” Captain Cat asked the crew, his tail twitching impatiently.
“Ah… Sorry!”
“We’ll get it right away!”
Two crew members hurriedly scrambled to prepare the small boat.
“Wait… I guess it can’t be helped. Sorry, but we’re running behind schedule,” Captain Cat said, glancing at Soleil.
Come to think of it, we did bring supplies, didn’t we?
“It’s fine. Overall, the maintenance here is progressing remarkably well,” Soleil replied, her gaze fixed on the changing scenery.
“Let’s head back to the ship. This place has started to feel the influence of the Spirits,” Haulon said as he returned from deeper inside.
Construction sites can be dangerous, after all.
“Ah, is that passage over there finished? There wasn’t a specific unloading area mentioned, but would that work?”
“Yes, that’s fine,” Captain Cat and Soleil exchanged words while Dinoss, perched on Captain Cat’s shoulder, seemed a bit unsure about where to stand or face.
And so, we moved to the sailing ship.
The panic on board had settled down with Captain Cat’s return.
“Bring the ship closer. We’ll unload there.”
With that command, the crew fell silent, but no one voiced any objections as the work began.
“The depth of the sea is fine, but I wonder if everything else is okay. It doesn’t seem like there’s anywhere to tie the ropes,” the crew members cautiously proceeded with their tasks.
“Is there anything we can use as a mooring post?”
A mooring post… Is that the one where the sailor is resting with a pipe? As I thought that, several sturdy protrusions appeared at the eroded cliffside. They were made of stone, not iron.
“…” Captain Cat squinted his eyes.
Ropes were thrown from the side of the ship, and some caught on the mooring posts, pulling the ship closer. Normally, there would be people on the mooring side, right? But the crew seemed quite experienced.
They mentioned they also embark on adventurous voyages, so it’s possible they dock at uninhabited shores… Captain Cat isn’t a pirate or anything, right? But then again, attacking enemy nations would make them a legitimate navy, wouldn’t it?
The line between navy and pirate in this world is too blurred, making things complicated. It’s not just pirates; even on land, it’s hard to tell if it’s a checkpoint or a bandit ambush.
The ship was brought alongside the cliff, and a plank was laid down. Agile crew members jumped across first, retying the ropes to secure the ship.
There weren’t any large waves, but I felt a bit anxious about the ship hitting the cliff. It seemed like the ship was prepared for such impacts, though.
Still, seeing those thick ropes flying through the air was exhilarating and amusing. The tying was done in no time, which was impressive. There must be specific ways to tie knots, right? I didn’t catch it in their swift movements, so I’ll have to look it up later.
While the cargo was being unloaded from the ship’s hold, I waited in a spot that wouldn’t get in the way. —They say I was caught wandering around and dragged into the captain’s quarters.
“What’s this?” I asked, noticing various strange tools inside.
There were things for drawing sea charts and a navigational astrolabe—an astronomical observation instrument, which I had seen before.
“This is a Nocturne. It measures time more accurately at certain angles between the axis star and the Time Star,” Captain Cat explained.
“Oh, really?”
The axis star is like the North Star here, remaining fixed in the northern sky. The Time Star rotates around the axis star like the hands of a clock, so while it shifts with the seasons, its position gives a rough estimate of the time.
So, it’s a tool that provides a more precise measurement of time. By the way, during the day, there’s a sundial version, which also has various markings, numbers, and symbols.
There were other tools with fine markings and symbols. Planning a route seems like a hassle. If you just guess, you might end up running aground on a reef or facing other troubles.
“What’s this?” I asked, spotting a tool that looked cool but seemed complicated to use. Just then, I noticed a nearly transparent crystal plate.
“This is a Sunstone. It helps locate the sun or stars on cloudy days,” Captain Cat explained.
“Isn’t that commonly used in the northern seas?” Haulon peered in.
“Yeah, it’s usually sunny here,” Captain Cat replied.
So, it seems Captain Cat operates in the northern seas as well.
“The Traveler’s Stone used by the northern people to seek the sun. I’ve heard it’s a color variant of the Traveler’s Stone that Esha from the Wandering People carries, but I can’t tell if it’s the same just because the color is different,” Retze chimed in, looking closely.
“Is that really a thing?”
“There’s also the opaque light blue stone that the Wandering People Atlas wears, and in Nakahara, the Moonstone is quite popular,” Retze informed me.
“Different stones are called that?”
“They’re charms. They’re relatively easy to obtain in their respective regions, and they carry some positive connotations, so they’re used.”
Stone language… Is it like flower language?
As I listened to the differences between wandering and roaming, and how to use the tools here, the unloading was completed, and we set sail. There were no thieves around, not even a soul, so the cargo was left covered with a tarp. The only ones approaching were the seabirds.
“…Next time I come, it’ll probably be even more different,” Haulon gazed at the fortress with a distant look, as if reminiscing about the past.
Just half a day ago.
The Stone Spirits, from the tiniest ones to those whose forms were recognizable, trembled with joy at the revival of the White Goddess, overflowing with the power they had gained from her influence. I had also given my magic power to help raise the goddess.
Seeing the Spirits, who had been so lethargic and resigned to fading away, now brimming with motivation was both heartwarming and made me want to rein them in a bit…
Well, it’s good that the excess power didn’t go in a strange direction and cause large-scale geological upheaval but remained on a smaller scale.
The white stones, just like my island, stretch all the way from Kavil to the Talia Peninsula. I could sense their eagerness to participate, which was a bit troubling.
I won’t say anything, though, as it might be unwelcome!