Sergio fell asleep.

In fact, he couldn't tell if he was asleep or awake. Even with his eyes closed, he could see—with another pair of eyes.

He could see the path they were traveling. The road opened in the rocks, and light came through the cracks, and the elves were still carefully carving every inch of the rock, trying not to show any traces of carving...... They always love it.

But the expressions of these elven craftsmen were not immersed in the peace or even joy of work. They were tired, tired and gloomy, with haggard countenances and a strange sparkle in their eyes, as if they were here, not of their own volition...... But there are no shackles on them.

He saw the rock retreat, the road moving forward slowly, saw it complete and abandoned, saw the rock collapse into the sea in the erosion of the wind and rain, revealing traces like gnawed wounds, saw white shadows drifting like ghosts, abandoned roads silently restored to the secrecy of the first construction, and the faces he tried to see were always blurred in the misty light and shadow.

For a while, the sound of the waves disrupted everything. He could only see the sea, the sea that could not be ignored, the endless blue, the eternal waves, the splashing waves and the roaring thunder, proudly and mightily occupying his whole world.

Then he woke up in a jolt, one gaze taking the place of another. The rocks stretched out into a huge dome above them, enclosing a calm side of the water, and the huge three-masted galleon was moored above the water, slowly retracting its black sails.

A pair of strong arms lifted him from his horse, and the setting sun cast in his eyes. On the other side of the harbor is the wider sea. Surrounded by a semi-circular circle of white sand, dyed golden at the last rays of the sun.

"It's beautiful here, isn't it?"

Someone whispered in his ear. There is a vague uneasiness in the tenderness.

He didn't answer and couldn't answer. He figured he probably couldn't see the dark shadow in his eyes...... The dark shadows that not even the sun could dispel were like fog over the entire bay, making the rapidly approaching night deeper and deeper.

"Black Sails. Rosa spat out the word softly, with an unconcealable surprise, "How could they be here?"

“...... Isn't that a pirate?" asked Is. He remembered the word, and it occasionally appeared in the adventure stories he had heard in front of the fireplace as a child.

"Pirates of the South. Rosa replied. "They shouldn't be here...... There is simply nothing to plunder on the northern coast, and merchant ships do not pass through here. ”

Isis was quiet for a moment, then suddenly remembered. If Ed were here, he would be thrilled to death...... Although his father hated pirates, he always had a certain naïve illusion about the outlaws who sailed the seas.

"That's not good. Rosa muttered. "If Nighthawk and Blacksail collude together......"

"What can they do? sail into the Black River to attack Llewellyn?" said Is, who was a little unimpressed. The water of the Black River is deep. But the river is so narrow and winding that such a large boat simply cannot enter.

Rosa shook her head.

"You don't know about the pirates. "They're terrible guys," she said...... The southern seas were originally inhabited by many pirates, but only this group remained. They don't just rob and kill, they have their own rules. They never snatch everything from a cargo ship, but instead leave enough material for the ship to sail back to the nearest port. So most ships don't resist when they encounter black sails, unless the captain and sailors value their money too much or are too confident...... And once resisted. Black Sails will be cruel and will kill everyone on board. Leaving only the youngest one, he used his mutilated body to go around publicizing his ordeal. Now, it is also possible to confront them only if they form caravans, escorted by the fleet of the city of Neo...... Neo's battleship has a mage sent by the Archmage Tower. ”

“...... You know them well. "Are they famous in Stonebuch too?"

"Nope. Rosa smiled at him, "My father used to be a pirate...... In fact, he was a sailor on one of the many pirate ships destroyed by the Black Sails, and those fellows were more ferocious than ordinary people with their own kind, and they were greedy and cunning...... If they weren't driven by enough profits, they wouldn't have traveled thousands of miles into waters they weren't familiar with and wasted time parking their ships in such a remote place. ”

"Maybe they really found some treasure here...... Or maybe their treasures are actually hidden here. Isis said casually, looking out of the secluded harbor, the calm and open bay.

This is Treasure Bay, and he has a shadow of it in his memory. Many, many years ago, a dragon ...... A half-dragon once lived here, before it was torn to shreds by its father's kindred.

That's a shame for the dragon...... It's also a scar. That means there is no peace between them and the creatures created by God.

He thought he might be a disgrace to the dragons, but no one was going to tear it to shreds...... He'd killed the only guy who had ever tried to do so. Now, the former victory left nothing but bitterness in his heart.

The ice dragon retracted his thoughts that had drifted too far away, and refocused his gaze on the lights that were gradually turning on the beach.

Those people don't look like they're looking for treasure or hiding treasure either.

Many trees had been cut down along the coast, and large clearings had been cleared, and in addition to the uniform tents, several rows of wooden houses had been built in the clearing, and higher up, more houses were being built halfway, including one that looked like a stone fortress ready to be built......

It's like a city under construction - or a fortress. Considering that most of the people walking around the campfire were dressed in neat armor, it might be more appropriate to say that it was the latter.

But it wants to defend against ...... Or who is the enemy ready to attack?

This bay is in fact already in the territory of Rutgar. From here a straight line is drawn to the east, separated by the rolling hills, and it is almost on the same line as the city of Visa. Iss suspected that the group of soldiers he had found in the Karnak Mountains, near Ekwood Forest, had disappeared into the underground river, and that he was also a member of the Nighthawk...... What exactly do they want to do?

"Is our mission the boy, or is it the army?" asked Sesyana suddenly.

Rosa looked at Is, but did not answer.

“...... The boy. "The most important thing is to get him back." ”

The elf nodded, "I'll go find him." ”.

(To be continued.) )

PS: Continue 2000...... Try to see if the 2000 chapter can keep changing!