It's been 300 years since Augustus took the throne, and three centuries since the discovery of Fogland. Those incredible finds that once shocked all of Sheran are now just part of everyday life, at best serving as dinner table bragging rights.
Dulmi glanced around before heading toward the Shenlo Association.
In the end, he walked into the Shenlo Association in broad daylight.
The place was buzzing with activity. Right at the entrance, Dulmi noticed a bunch of flyers from captains looking for crew members. But without fail, none of the ships were sailing this month.
Was this some kind of unwritten rule?
His curiosity was definitely piqued.
After quickly signing up to be a trainee sailor, Dulmi and the other new recruits were led into a room by Association staff to get the lowdown on what to expect at sea.
"...First things first: Don't set sail during the Month of Seas Mirror. Remember that!"
The Month of Seas Mirror was the third month of the year, also known as the birth month of the Sea Mirror.
People avoided setting sail during this month. If you were already at sea when it rolled around, you had to perform specific rituals to gain the Sea Mirror's protection.
This custom might stem from reverence for the Sea Mirror, but it could also be because the storms and nasty weather during this month were downright terrifying.
Right now, it was the 17th day of the Month of Seas Mirror.
"So when should we set sail?" someone asked.
"The Month of Harvest and the Month of Imperial are solid. The Blank Months are good too. The Month of the Lone Star and the Month of Floating Dreams are doable, but the seas can get tricky. The Month of Radiant isn't great for sailing, but the ocean's pretty calm then."
The instructor's tone was dead serious as he warned them.
Everyone in the room exchanged looks. Most of them were young, lured by the thrill of adventure and dreams of striking it rich in far-off lands. They probably hadn't expected so many do's and don'ts just about when to set sail.
They were probably feeling a little lost at this point.
Dulmi broke the silence, "So next month's a good time, right?"
Next month was the Month of Harvest, the birth month of the Timeline.
"That's right," the instructor nodded, adding, "There should be quite a few ships setting sail from Livingston next month. You might want to join those fleets—it's a safer bet."
People started whispering among themselves.
Leaving from Nightingale seemed like the obvious move for most, but no one expected the Shenlo Association to recommend shipping out from a big southern city like Livingston. It definitely threw a wrench into a lot of people's plans.
One of them was a young guy named Ken Lynn, a farm kid from a town near Nightingale, his face dotted with freckles.
Ken's family ran a small farm, and he'd been doing heavy labor since he could walk. But the stories about the Shenlo Sea had sparked something deep inside him even earlier than that.
Driven by his dreams of the ocean and far-off places, he'd mustered up the courage to come to Nightingale. He was pretty clueless about a lot of things, and hearing the instructor suggest they go to Livingston left him even more confused.
For Ken, a big city like Livingston might as well have been more distant and alien than Fogland – at least Fogland was the stuff of his dreams.
He glanced around and noticed a guy about his age sitting next to him. He had slightly curly black hair and deep green eyes. While everyone else whispered and hesitated about what the instructor said, this guy looked totally chill, like he already had everything figured out.
Ken hesitated for a second, then decided to speak up. "Hey... are you planning to leave from Livingston?"
The guy turned to him, with curiosity and a hint of surprise in his eyes.
Ken, a little shy, quickly added, "I'm Ken Lynn."
"Dulmi Knight," the guy said, his tone pretty upbeat. "Yeah, I'm heading to Livingston."
Ken's eyes lit up. "Mind if I tag along? I've never been that far from home before. It'd be nice to have someone to travel with."
Dulmi shrugged, casual as ever. "Sure, why not?"
Ken felt a huge wave of relief. Since leaving his family's farm for the bustling city of Nightingale, he'd already gotten side-eyed more than a few times for his looks and accent. Dulmi's easygoing response actually touched him a bit.
Just like that, Ken decided this dark-haired guy was his new friend.
Maybe deep down, Dulmi had always wanted to set sail too. In Ken's hometown, most people thought going to sea was something to be scared of. Aside from Ken's family, no one really supported his dream.
Ken's voice was full of excitement and wonder: "Dulmi, have you ever been to Livingston? I've heard it's way bigger than Nightingale."
Dulmi replied, "Nah, never been. No clue what it's like."
Weirdly enough, Dulmi was more curious about Livingston at night than during the day. What kind of bizarre, otherworldly vibe would that distant, bustling metropolis have in the Outer Zone?
...Damn, the Outer Zone had really messed with his head. Dulmi grumbled inwardly, feeling annoyed.
After a while, the instructor up front started talking again. He mentioned a few things to watch out for at sea, like using star patterns to figure out where you are, and steering clear of unregistered ships that weren't on the Shenlo Association's books.
Overall, he seemed to avoid touching on the really "dangerous" stuff.
Dulmi was super curious about this, but the others didn't seem to have a clue about these dangers. For them, the biggest risk of going to sea was just the Shenlo Sea's rough waves. They had no idea there was a whole other side to the world.
Finally, the instructor pulled out a glass ball about the size of a fist and said, "Alright, give this glass ball a touch, and you're free to go."
The ball was half-filled with water, crystal clear, like a slice of ocean under a perfect blue sky.
The soon-to-be sailors looked at each other, totally confused.
Dulmi's curiosity was immediately piqued.
What was this? Some weird fortune ritual?