Under the continuous acceleration of Freya's Legendary magic, the train surged forward.
Betty and Lin Gui took turns at the controls.
This allowed the steel creation to maintain an incredible speed over the Black Reef Sea.
It never once stopped.
Whenever it was Lin Gui's turn to control the train, he would take the opportunity to learn.
Whenever he had the chance, he would ask the scholar Eli about various kinds of knowledge.
Unlike the rigid records found in books, Eli's knowledge was vast and practical.
The experienced scholar's deep understanding of various subjects left a deep impression on Lin Gui.
Perhaps as a return for Lin Gui's selfless guidance of Betty, the scholar answered almost every question he had.
The scope of their conversations was incredibly broad.
They discussed everything from how to identify dangerous territories when exploring the Golden Route.
They also talked about the immense threats lurking within the Silent Sea they were about to reach.
And they even covered the local customs and distribution of factions in their destination, Shield City.
There were simply too many things Lin Gui wanted to know.
As a result, he spent most of the time he should have used for resting in the carriage in the control cabin instead.
He sat side-by-side with the scholar, engaging in deep conversations.
This left Theia, who had planned to start her 'romantic pursuit,' incredibly depressed.
She had finally learned a few tricks from novels, but she didn't even get the chance to use them.
Not only did she have no chance to use them, but she didn't even get the chance to squeeze in and sleep next to him.
During the rare times he did return to the carriage, things were no better.
Lin Gui would always corner Eve, insisting on finding out why she had approached him in the Royal Capital.
Faced with Lin Gui's persistent questioning, Eve eventually chose to reveal everything.
She even told him about that cruel prophecy.
That she was destined to die by his hand.
Lin Gui asked if there was any way to change it.
Eve smiled faintly and said that she had cast Divine Prophecy three times and minor prophecies ninety-eight times.
Every single one yielded the exact same result.
Upon learning this, Lin Gui fell into a long silence.
He didn't even question the truth of the prophecy, nor did he ask why he would kill her.
Because Lin Gui knew in his heart that as long as he kept moving forward, they would clash.
One day, Eve would stand in his way.
Because she was Eve, and she was also the Holy Saintess of the Holy Church of Light.
She was a saintess firmly controlled by the church.
And the reason Eve had actively approached her future 'killer' was simple.
It was purely out of intense curiosity.
She desperately wanted to know what kind of person Lin Gui truly was.
So she sought him out and joined this journey of uncertain prospects.
As for why she was so proactive and intimate with Lin Gui, a man she had only met a few times, there was a deeper reason.
It was because she admired him, worshiped him, and had perhaps even fallen in love at first sight.
This was true for both her future self who would be killed by him, and her present self who saw the future through Divine Prophecy.
At the moment she witnessed him trampling the supreme divine statue under his feet.
At the moment she witnessed him dragging the supreme Pope down from his throne.
This man had already left an unforgettable mark on her puppet-like life.
The train continued to fly over the Black Reef Sea for four days.
Eventually, it slowly came to a halt on a small island formed by piled black reefs.
To their surprise, many bizarrely styled buildings stood on this small island.
The low, rough stone houses were clearly the work of goblins.
They had haphazardly embedded coral and seashells into the walls.
Crooked chimneys belched pungent black smoke.
Meanwhile, other buildings were full of the distinct characteristics of the sea folk.
There were spiral towers built from mother-of-pearl.
Their surfaces were covered with dripping seaweed, and the windows were made of thin, translucent fish bladders.
They shimmered with a bizarre iridescence under the sunlight.
These two vastly different architectural styles were cluttered together.
They formed a bizarre yet harmonious scene.
Behind the small island, the Silent Sea quietly stretched out before them.
It was completely different from the surging waves of the Black Reef Sea.
Once past that clear boundary, the sea suddenly became deathly still, without even a single ripple.
The water was as black as thick ink, impenetrable to even a single ray of light, even under the blazing midday sun.
What was even more unsettling was what lay deep within the Silent Sea.
Thick fog shrouded everything, making it impossible to see what was hidden inside.
It was terrifyingly quiet, as if even sound itself was swallowed by that darkness.
According to the scholar Eli, this small island standing at the boundary of the Silent Sea and the Black Reef Sea was called the Twin Reefs.
Two seemingly unrelated races, the goblins and the sea folk, lived on the island.
As for why the goblins, who were regarded as monsters during the Golden Age, had crossed the ocean to settle here, there was a simple explanation.
“They were all driven here by the demons.”
The scholar let out a soft sigh and pointed toward the busy green figures.
“There are simply too many demons on land. Even these former 'monsters' have now been forced to flee to places far away from them.”
“And the City-State Alliance and other factions would naturally never accept them.”
“With nowhere else to go, they could only cross the sea and settle on this small island.”
“There is no threat from land demons here, and the sea demons have no interest in coming ashore.”
“As for why the sea folk chose this place, it is purely because this is the edge of the Silent Sea.”
“It is a place where even the vicious demons of the Black Reef Sea dare not easily tread.”
The train came to a steady halt on a flat area of the island paved with various colored stones.
The size of this flat ground was almost identical to the train, clearly prepared specifically for the North Wind caravan.
As soon as the train touched down, it was surrounded by a group of green-skinned goblins dressed in tattered clothes.
However, it was completely contrary to the stereotypical image of them pillaging and plundering.
These goblins behaved exceptionally... civilized.
They did not fight or make noise, but simply lined up quietly, waiting in silence for the train doors to open.
There was no pushing, no shouting, and very little whispering among them.
After the leading Goblin Hero spoke in a low voice with Freya for a few moments, the unloading work began in an orderly fashion.
One goblin after another began to unload the supplies from the carriages indicated by Freya.
Their movements were skilled and efficient, as if they had repeated this process countless times.
Occasionally, when a goblin stumbled under a heavy load, its companions would immediately step forward to help.
Throughout the entire process, there was almost no sound other than the necessary communication.
This orderly scene left Lin Gui and the others, who were visiting for the first time, utterly dumbfounded.
“Surprised, aren't you?”
The scholar smiled as he looked at their astonished expressions.
“The goblins living here learned the importance of order long ago.”
“After all, in this peril-filled sea, chaos means destruction.”
Theia leaned against the carriage window, watching the orderly goblins outside, and couldn't help but whisper.
“This is completely different from what the stories say...”
Eve also nodded gently, her dark brown eyes gleaming with thoughtful contemplation.
Even the always well-informed Lin Gui had to admit it.
This small island and its residents were completely overturning his previous understanding.
The members of the North Wind caravan got off the train one after another.
They prepared to spend the night on this unique small island.
They had brought much-needed supplies for the goblins and sea folk on the island.
These consisted mainly of various seeds, grain, and some basic medical supplies.
The scholar Eli explained to the curiously gazing Theia.
“These supplies serve as both our lodging fee here and the fee to cross the Forbidden Zone of the Silent Sea tomorrow.”
Theia blinked, looking even more confused.
“Do we have to pay an admission fee just to enter the Silent Sea?”
Hearing this, the scholar laughed and pushed up his glasses.
“It's not a toll, but a guide fee.”
He pointed to the sea folk waiting quietly in the distance.
“Without their guidance, anyone attempting to cross the Silent Sea will eventually... be trapped inside forever.”
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