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Gilly went out to start preparing Jin's journey, and this time it was Murakan who found the room.
As he entered, he glanced at Gilly and forced a grin (to make her smile), but she just nodded in greeting and passed by.
"Hmm, today it seems like Strawberry Pie's reaction is 20% annoyance, 30% sadness, and 50% bitterness. There's not even a single digit of error in this calculation, kid. Do you know?"
"What nonsense is this again?"
"Well, what do you know, anyway? Tsk. Do you even know how to make a strawberry pie?"
A vein popped on Jin's forehead.
"You, the great Black Dragon, don't know how to flirt?"
"What are you talking about?"
"And you only know how to make cheap jokes."
"You have no idea how much Strawberry Pie laughs on those jokes."
"Well, you don't need those kinds of jokes. Gilly just laughs when she sees your face."
"Ha! Look at the way you talk, you don't seem like a thousand-year contractor. I should have known this since the time you threatened to destroy the magazines!"
"Really? Murakan, it would be better for you to make a good impression on her even now. She is already feeling frustrated, why did you come and irritate her? Pay attention."
"Whoopee."
"I can give you a reason."
At this, Murakan suddenly cleared his throat and gave a typical fake cough.
"Cough, cough, cough, well."
Jin burst into laughter.
"Go and assist strawberry pie, no. Help Gilly."
That was the reason.
If Murakan tried to help Gilly without this reason, then all he would hear in response from Gilly was, "It's fine, you don't need to bother," as a casual dismissal.
On the other hand, he can naturally help her with this reason. All could Gilly respond, "Oh, for the young master?"
"Hehehe, fine. Well, kid, that's very good to hear. So, you go find this Amela or Cmela whatever, and I'll take care of the Strawberry Pie and do all the pending household chores together..."
"You're coming along too. And there's no need for you to do household chores."
"Alright, I'm coming... Why, why?"
"Aren't you my Guardian Dragon?"
"Well, that's true. Sometimes, the guardian dragon needs a private life."
"I'd like to keep your expectations whenever possible, but this time you must come along. It could be quite dangerous."
"You should be fine unless someone like Zephyrin pops up, don't you think? Isn't it better for someone like me to guard Tikan?"
"There's no law that says Zephyrin won't show up again. Besides, Gaifa Archipelago require a suitable halo."
Murakan's brow furrowed at the mention of a halo.
"Halo? Are you saying you want to use me as a halo?"
"Yes. All four major factions will gather on Gaifa Archipelago. Prominent figures will be representing each."
"That's why I am saying I don't want to get caught between them."
In fact, Jin would not look funny or weak even if he went alone without Lata and Faye, Murakan.
Just a year or two ago, many might have thought, "At most, he's the 12th flagbearer."
But now Jin had truly risen to the ranks of giants.
Before, he was a remarkable rising star who shook the world and caused a sensation with his talents. However, after swallowing the Ghost mercenary corps and the Black King mercenary corps, there was no doubt he had become an undeniable giant.
So even without Murakan, his influence would not diminish, but he had a mindset that more was better.
Gaifa Island was like a small cage where all the world's formidable beings gathered.
It meant that even a small spark could ignite a mad fight, and Jin and the Proch siblings might be insufficient at such times. The enemies could be numerous and powerful.
"Right. We need to prepare for any unexpected situations."
"Well, I can handle quite a bit."
"Anyway, you are going. Come back after helping Gilly. I'll have prepared various phrases for you to use in different situations in Gaifa Island."
"Phrases? What phrases?"
"Well, I will tell you later."
***
In the Gaifa Archipelago, the sea was calm and transparent, a warm breeze blew year-round, the forest visible from the sea was lush and filled with tempting fruits, and the trees in that forest were laden with all kinds of unknown wildlife.
It was truly an area of little value.
The nearby sea was calm, but just a little outside the island, treacherous currents and mysterious whirlpools abounded, making it impossible for normal boats to navigate.
The warm breeze that blew daily was prone to suddenly sweep the island, making it unsuitable for setting up a transfer gate due to the dry sand and droplets it carried.
The soil, despite its pretty colors, yielded resources that were essentially meaningless.
Furthermore, many people who tried to settle here could not endure for long, as every year a mysterious endemic disease would break out here.
The worst conditions in this place were caused by monsters. Gaifa Archipelago were an unprotected zone. It was not classified as a high-risk area, but orcs and other demonic creatures roamed the island once or twice a week.
Therefore, Gaifa Archipelago could not be used as a tourist destination, a residential area, or even as a fun place for the wealthy.
Occasionally, there were people who attempted to invest on the island or establish a personal space despite these unfavorable conditions.
However, all of them disappeared about thirty years ago when the formidable mercenary Amela set foot on this enormous and seemingly useless island.
Swish, Swish...
The boat was gently cutting through the mist-covered sea.
The one explaining this information was Lata Proch, who had been rowing the boat alone all the way to the island.
"Various rumors have circulated regarding that reason, my lord."
"Are you talking about the reason why there have been fewer people approaching Gaifa Archipelago since Amela arrived?"
"There was a rumor that Amela killed everyone who came looking for something hidden on Gaifa Archipelago. There are stories like she is hiding lovers, hiding the children she kidnapped, and so on."
"Naturally, there must have been stories about hiding treasures as well."
"Yes. So quite a few mercenaries and pirates came looking for Gaifa Archipelago. They were all a bunch of fools, and... no one saw them again."
It might not be known to the people of the world if one or two had disappeared, but if a group had vanished, it could only be because of Amela.
"On rare occasions, there were some lucky people who survived and returned but they showed signs of fear at the mention of Amela's name."
Rumors like Amela wearing human skin or being a cannibal started from such incidents.
"One thing is clear, Amela really dislikes the guests who come to these islands."
As they left the misty area, Gaifa Archipelago became visible.
"That's right."
More guests had gathered on Gaifa Archipelago than ever before.
Lata was certain. Amela was not going to welcome the guests. And if she did meet them, it would undoubtedly be for the purpose of war, not hospitality.
"By the way, there's a rumor that Amela, um... had a favorable impression of Sir Lata and Faye."
"I don't care if Sir Valkas had told you that, but don't worry about our feelings, Sir Jin," Faye said. They had heard the same story from Valkas before their departure. She continued with her words.
"And... I'm not sure if I can call it 'favorable' feeling. I think Sir Valkas mentioned it while thinking back to the day we all happened to have a meal together on the battlefield. But my brother and I have seen Amela on other occasions besides that day."
"If it's not 'favor'?"
"It's difficult to express in words. It seemed like she considered us as toys or playmates. She said that talking is boring and swung a sword at us."
"It's an embarrassing story, but there was a time when I had a cut on my forehead during one of her surprise attacks."
At that point, Jin realized a strange sense of déjà vu while listening to the story about Amela.
The ambiguity of the boundary between good and evil, the willingness to perform actions that might kill someone in jest.
There was someone he loved who had that trait as well.
'Elder sister Yona.'
Based on what he had heard, Amela had a lot in common with Yona.
And one word naturally came to Jin's mind: chaos.
'Perhaps Amela might have chaos like elder sister Yona.'
Of course, it could simply be a matter of having a twisted personality. But other circumstances fit well.
The part about Amela overwhelming the entire Black King mercenaries single-handedly in the war.
Valkas evaluated Amela as someone with special abilities, rather than a transcendent martial artist with late-stage 10-star or higher battle prowess.
-Amela has been wandering and exploring the world all her life. I asked her about it when we had a meal together after the battle. She seemed to be searching for something with great longing, but she didn't reveal exactly what it was.
Jin recalled what Valkas had said.
A sharp intuition seemed to pierce his head from all directions.
'Amela is looking for something related to chaos.'
The source, reason, or a way to control or eliminate the chaos she possessed.
'If Amela is searching for that, what can I offer?'
Jin's knowledge of 'chaos' was quite limited. Most of what he knew came from Talaris' recent explanation.
But what about his enemies? How much did they know about it?
The imperial family might be in the dark, but Kinzelo and Zipfel probably had more information. Especially since Kinzelo's leader appeared to be a demon-god level being.
'If Amela's goal is information about chaos, I'm in quite a disadvantageous position, especially since I'm probably the last to arrive in the Gaifa Archipelago.'
As he was contemplating these thoughts, a familiar scene entered in the vision of Jin and his companions. Not far ahead, smoke and flames began to shoot up from the center of Gaifa Archipelago.
There was no need for further explanation; the smoke signaled that a battle was taking place, and it was unfolding rapidly.
"My lord."
"What should we do?"
Lata and Faye asked, and Jin immediately made a decision.
If there was only one major faction that had come to Gaifa Archipelago, they would have rushed to see it right away.
That was probably a battle between Amela and the major factions.
However, this was not the right time to intervene.
It could be a battle between the major factions, a skirmish involving Amela, or a confrontation between Amela and some of the major factions. All of them had one thing in common: their interest in Amela.
As long as the Four Great Factions did not collectively decide to eliminate Amela, she was actually safest in any situation. Because everyone would be trying to rescue her.
"Let's go in more slowly. And if possible, find a suitable place to hide and observe what's happening and how the battle is going on," Jin suggested.