Julian spent more time in the captain's cabin. They talked about various topics, and time passed quickly. When he left the cabin, the mysterious fog surrounded him again. The sailors were now busy with their tasks; having found a new purpose, they worked with more enthusiasm.
[It seems the captain's decision was better than I expected.]
Julian looked at the now calm atmosphere on the ship and walked towards Cyrus, who was talking to the helmsman.
"Alright, so we need to maintain this speed. I'll use mana to strengthen the wind and place a magical array in front of the ship to help you see obstacles like rocks in the fog better."
"Aye, Captain!"
"Oh, Julian. Can I ask you a favor?"
Julian looked at him in surprise, "Of course."
"The spyglass you were using, they're a magical item, right?"
"That's right."
"How many spells can it hold?"
"I think it can handle one more."
"Great. Can I take a look at it?"
Cyrus took the spyglass from Julian and enhanced the front lens using rune letters. Julian was very surprised. Refining magical tools was a very laborious, time-consuming, and delicate task; yet Cyrus inscribed the runes on the lens effortlessly.
"Now you just need to infuse it with some mana to cover a larger radius. The range it can observe depends on your mana, but this array I've placed on the spyglass doesn't just upgrade it as a simple observation tool."
"You can estimate the distance of objects by sending and receiving mana, and you can also detect many things in the fog this way."
"But why am I telling you this or why did I enhance the spyglass in the first place? Because I want you to go to the crow's nest and carefully observe everything. Whatever you see, immediately report the distance and direction. Can you do that?"
The reason for choosing Julian was very simple. He was a knight who could use aura. All people in the realm of memories had mana within them, but knights and wizards had more mana due to their rigorous training. Julian took back the spyglass and headed towards the crow's nest.
[Now that I've enhanced both the lookout and the ship's speed, it's only a matter of time before I either find that boatman or reach the island.]
Cyrus stood still next to the helmsman, lost in thought. When he saw Julian climbing the ropes, he smiled and went to check the lower deck. Meanwhile, Julian was pulling himself up the ropes, heading towards the top of the mast.
"This isn't a knight's duty, but it seems I have no choice in these conditions." He climbed up bit by bit until he finally reached the crow's nest. He took a deep breath and placed the spyglass in front of his eye.
"Hmm… better test it out!"
He slowly infused mana into it. At first, he did it with a small amount.
"I don't feel any noticeable change, maybe it needs more mana?"
He increased the amount of mana, and suddenly one of the runes inscribed on the lens glowed golden.
"Oh! Now I can see further waves, but still no sign of land."
"What happens if I infuse more mana?"
He increased the mana several times, and suddenly the second rune lit up. Now he could clearly see objects in the fog.
"Those floating planks, even though I can't see them, I can sense them."
"But the problem is that the mana consumption is very high. At best, I can last an hour!"
He closed the spyglass and stopped the mana flow.
On the lower deck, Cyrus walked past the sailors, examining their faces. He feared they might fall into madness again. And that wasn't the only reason; he wanted his presence to be felt throughout the ship. So, he occasionally started a simple, short conversation with one of the sailors and then continued on his way.
He then went to the lower deck, which had no windows and was only lit by magical stones. It was the place where rebellious sailors were imprisoned and where food was stored.
Cyrus walked through a small corridor that led to two wooden doors. The door on the right was the food and weapon storage, and the door on the left was the prison for rebels, currently used to house the village's elderly and children. Cyrus opened the left door and entered a relatively large room. The room had several iron cells, all of which were open. Inside and outside the cells, the elderly and children were staying.
[Was that guy imprisoned here? How did he manage to escape?]
"Sob!!!" One of the children was tightly hugging his mother and crying.
"Mom!!! That man killed Daddy! Daddy is no longer alive. What if he comes for us next??!"
He was the son of the man killed during the sailors' madness. The woman, however, unlike her son, did not show her emotions. She wiped her son's tears with a blank face and shook her head. The other people present were silent and watched them out of the corner of their eyes. Cyrus went to the boy and patted his head.
"Don't worry, it's all over now."
The boy sniffled and said, sobbing, "Really?!"
"Yes. Don't worry. Now that your father is gone, it's your duty to take care of your mother."
The boy wiped his tears with the back of his hand and stared at his mother.
"Good, that's it. You have to take care of your mother in place of your father. Now she only has you, and you only have her. You mustn't let her be sad because I'm sure your father wouldn't want that either."
"Your father was a brave man, boy, be proud of him." Smiling, he stood up and walked around the room.
When he was sure everything was fine, he said before leaving, "Don't worry. We'll get out of this trouble soon."
He left and returned to the middle deck.
[It seems things are good here too.]
[I wonder if Julian has seen anything?]
"A boat!!! There's a boat ahead of us!" Julian's voice reached him.
[A boat? Could it be again…] Cyrus immediately rushed from the middle deck to the upper deck and pushed the sailors aside.
"Move aside! Clear the way!"
In the not-too-distant distance, behind the thick wall of fog, a small shadow formed, growing darker.
[Could it… could it be him?]