The next few weeks went by without any major incident. A few times Alana's Regret was attacked by a horde of aquatic beasts; but the crewmen were able to repel these attacks with relative ease and without Lampa or Farmer having to get involved. During that time, they had only to mourn the deaths of two members of the crew. Each time someone died, Farmer would send their bodies off on dinghies full of religious offerings and runic carvings and would take over all the functions of the ship for one night so as to allow his men to mourn by drinking and singing loudly.
Roan and her four sisters adapted to the ship's dynamic rather quickly. They only took two days to weep amongst themselves before taking up their new positions on the ship. To the kitchen staff, these five women were a godsend. They worked hard, diligently learned everything there was to learn, and even contributed by improving the standard of meals served. A fact the rest of the crew appreciated greatly, to the point they insisted on having them promoted. Farmer understood that the sisters were keeping themselves busy in order to not think about the pain of losing someone.
Similarly, Lampa let the former Krieg pirate join the crew. He was a young lad aged nineteen with brown hair and blue eyes named Deklan. Although weak in comparison to his new crewmates, Lampa would often spar with him and train him in his martial arts. Deklan's rapid improvement left more than a few surprised at the youth's talent. Furthermore, he'd become great friends with Krill and often would the both of them play harmless pranks on the others.
During the course of one such shenanigan they managed to pour a cold bucket of seawater on an unsuspecting Lampa. This, in turn, led to a harsh training regimen wherein the two pirate's wailing could be heard nonstop over the course of two whole days.
At the same time, Serena and her entourage had put the matter of Oulong's death behind them. It was true that some resentment had remained in the days after the execution, but common sense prevailed and they quickly put the matter out of their minds. It was best to move on and it was a fact that Oulong was the one at fault.
Still, Serena couldn't bear the thought of facing Farmer and so she actively avoided him. Instead, she spent time with Raven, teaching her whatever she could and the two rapidly grew close, like sisters; sharing many secrets before they went to bed each night. The crew had been teaching Raven the hand gestures their captain developed to communicate in silence and she was steadily becoming proficient at it. Thus, she had somehow become able to 'speak' again. This made it easier for Serena to teach her how to read and write.
Farmer had once commended the fact that Raven was learning to read by saying that cultivating the mind was doubly important to cultivating the body or arcane energy.
The pirate lord would spend the days either on the helm or in his quarters with the loyal company of Wolfie. At night, he would sneak onto the deck, set up an array, and practice his martial and arcane arts until he was drenched in sweat. Like always, he seemed distant and unapproachable to the rest of the crew. However, the people on his ship were used to his demeanour and didn't seek him out unless something important came up; which had become a rare occurrence over the last few weeks.
Indeed, things were progressing smoothly. Perhaps too smoothly, worried Farmer. He kept expecting something to go horribly wrong but nothing ever did. Contrary to expectation, this only served to put him more on edge.
Still, the days quickly merged together in a blissful manner and, before anyone realised it, a month and a half had passed and the ship entered into unchartered waters with enough provisions to last a few more weeks. However, just to be safe, Farmer ordered Myk on the crow's nest to keep an eye out for land so that they could buy a map or information about bodies of land in the area in order to avoid being stranded in high waters with dwindling provisions.
Two more days passed without change and Farmer was growing more restless by the minute. It didn't help that the voices in his head were clamouring in his ears almost nonstop.
On the morning of the third day, he decided to change his routine and walked around the ship's balustrade in circles during the entire morning whilst Wolfie rested in his room. Noon was fast approaching when a voice interrupted his pacing.
"Captain!" Called out Lampa dragging Serena and Raven behind him. From what Farmer could tell from the girl's expressions, they were unwilling to be brought there by Lampa. He, in turn, was chuckling in amusement. "Captain, can you solve a discussion we're having?"
Farmer jumped down from the railings and observed the oncoming trio quizzically. As soon as his eyes met with Serena's, she lowered her head in shame. Farmer wasn't a fool; he could tell she was avoiding him because of what happened with Oulong. Sighing to himself, he didn't pursue the subject.
"No, Lampa, people on the mainland don't eat crabs for breakfast." Mocked Farmer referencing a hilarious misconception of Lampa's from the past that the lieutenant was still embarrassed about.
"Will you ever let that matter go?" Groaned Lampa. "Anyway, we have a question about history."
"And why would you ask me?" Questioned Farmer. Of all the reasons why they would interrupt his solitude, a question on history was perhaps the most ludicrous of them all.
"Why else? Because you know everything!" Chuckled Lampa. At the same time, he gently nudged Serena with his elbow. It was an almost imperceptive gesture, but Farmer's eyes caught sight of it and he instantly understood that Lampa was just making up an excuse to get her and Farmer to fix their relationship.
Tacitly agreeing with Lampa, Serena spoke up. "Lampa is adamant that before the Empire was formed, only five kingdoms made up the entire continent. I know there were six. Lampa refuses to see reason and wants you to confirm which one of us is right." She explained.
"You're both wrong." Curtly responded Farmer.
"What?" Both of them exclaimed in unison.
Ignoring them, Farmer turned to Raven and crouched before her. "What are these two idiots teaching you?" He asked playfully only to receive a few cries of protest from the two alluded individuals.
Raven smiled contently at being able to converse with Farmer and began gesturing clumsily about the contents of her lessons.
'Serena is teaching me the world. She says that many years ago, there was the primordial era and that arcane energy comes from there. She says that humans didn't exist then. That people appeared later and that we inherited the world. She told me that the continent we live on is just one of many and that it is now an Empire. A new Empire that has only existed for two-hundred years and that before then there were six Kingdoms.' Narrated the little girl.
"Well, Serena isn't entirely wrong, just a little lacking in perspective."
'Why?' Raven's eyes lit up with curiosity. Evidently, she was thirsty for knowledge and, seeing her determination, Farmer couldn't help but oblige.
"The primordial era was strange. Gigantic creatures roamed the land and called it their home. So grand were these creatures, that they made the tallest mountains of today seem like ants in comparison. These creatures were brimming with a special type of energy and they flooded the entire world with it.
"You see, the world was much different back then. For example, every single island, continent, and Empire of today was joined together into one big landmass. Then, one day, hundreds of thousands of years ago, the energy in the world became too strong and it exploded, separating the landmass into little fragments and continents like the one we live in. That's when humans first appeared in the world. How or why we appeared is a question that many have tried to answer but have failed to do so. What is known is that we quickly extended our presence all over the world.
"No one alive knows how many continents there are or where they're located in respect to each other. What we do know is that there are many and that, the closer a continent is to the centre of the explosion of the primordial era, the greater the amount of arcane energy in the Heavens and the Earth. From this, many scholars have concluded that arcane energy sorcerers use derives or is a remnant of this primordial energy emmited by the gigantic creatures."
"How do you know these things?" Suddenly interrupted Serena. She was truly surprised at the vastness of Farmer's knowledge. From the way he was speaking, he seemed like a refined scholar who'd pried into the secrets of time itself.
"I read a lot." Casually replied Farmer, not taking the question seriously. He couldn't expose the fact that he was the living vessel of the primordial chaos and that his knowledge came from this status of his. After all, this was his biggest secret.
Serena could tell that Farmer didn't want to talk about it and so she let the matter go. Everyone had something they didn't want exposing and so she respected Farmer's decision to keep quiet. Instead, she asked him about the kingdoms and why he said that she and Lampa were wrong.
"For this matter you need not look any further than Fitzroy's detailed account of the Warring Kingdoms period. You see, Raven, over two-hundred years ago, the continent was divided in six major kingdoms and three smaller ones. For many years, these kingdoms fought each other for hegemony and supremacy. However, just a little over two centuries ago, the kingdom of Maro suddenly produced an exceptional conqueror who united all the land under his banner of the black dragon. Hence, the Empire of Maro was born.
"What people don't talk about however, is that the kingdoms didn't truly disappear. They still exist to this day, only as vassal states of the Empire. In addition, to the North-East of the continent, there's still a small kingdom resisting the Empire's advances to this day. Their ability to resist comes in no small part due to their geographical location; they're high up in the mountains, you see. Thus, it's absolutely impossible for the Empire to send a large army to conquer them. Plus, they have nothing valuable enough to warrant a full-scale effort."
'Doesn't the Emperor want hegemony?' Gestured Raven.
"Smart girl. Of course, he does. But the Empire isn't as stable as they would want you to believe. The states of Redga to the South and Mhyr to the North still have a strong, quasi-independent, military. In fact, an uprising could happen at any time. Hence, the Emperor has his forces spread all over to stop that from happening. Can you imagine what would happen if he suddenly mobilised a large part of his army to the North-East?"
'Rebellion?'
"See? You do understand." Farmer rubbed his hand against Raven's forehead, an act which she hated.
"I didn't take you to be a politically motivated individual." Mockingly said Serena.
"There's nothing wrong in being well-informed of current events."
'What about Serena?' Suddenly gestured Raven pointing at the young maiden. 'What does she belong to? Is she a princess?'
"Serena didn't tell you? She's part of one of the twelve aristocratic families of the continent: the Tael family." Explained Farmer, puzzled about the fact that Serena hadn't told Raven this already. "For over a thousand years, every kingdom had one or two aristocratic families that have endured. Some families have schools of sorcery, or trading companies like the Reichslag Trade Federation; the Taels, for example, are a family that has always specialised in healing arcane arts. The continent is full of their hospitals."
'Is that true, Serena?'
"Yes, it is." The young maiden was visibly uncomfortable by this topic. For what reason, Farmer couldn't guess.
'Oh.' Gestured Raven with evident surprise. However, she quickly regained her composure and faced Farmer with another question in her eyes. She wanted to ask him something but couldn't bring herself to do so. Realising the girl's predicament, Farmer nodded to her with kindness in his violet gaze. Thus, she asked him: 'Why is your name Farmer?'
To that, Farmer was stunned for a moment before laughing loudly. "Because it's the best name, don't you think?" He grinned from ear to ear. "A farmer has to fight against nature itself every day of his life. And every day, he has to win, otherwise he and his family will die. Farmers are strong, determined, courageous, and driven. I admire farmers very much, you see? That's why my name is Farmer."
'I understand.' Nodded Raven. 'Is that why Serena loves you?'
Instantly Serena blushed, exclaimed, and pulled Raven into her embrace, hoping to the Heavens that Farmer hadn't seen the girl's gestures. Regrettably for her, Farmer had seen it all too well, although he lowered his face bashfully because he truly didn't know what he should do or say in response. In that moment, he wished he could trade the two girls in front of him for the sea-dragon.
"Naosh bless a child's innocence!" Lampa couldn't contain himself and was doubling over in pure laughter. Raven looked at the reactions of these adults and couldn't help but wonder just what exactly was going on. Evidently, she didn't understand the weight or impact of her casual remark.
Serena was blushing horribly and was looking for any excuse she could find to leave right away. Thankfully for her, however, Myk's voice resounded over the ship and interrupted the conversation.
In fact, he spoke the four words that Farmer had most wanted to hear over the last few days.
"Land spotted right ahead!"