Chapter Sixty-Three: What? I Don’t Have a Driver’s License?

Although she was a bit curious to find out what was going on, Miss Vilyric wasn’t about to put the entire crew in danger just to satisfy her own curiosity.

Heading out alone to investigate was a feasible option, but the last time they traveled through the vicinity of the Great Whirlpool, they had already felt very significant external disruptions. If they ventured too close to the center, even their spatial shifts might be obstructed.

Running over there unprepared, who knows what unexpected things could happen? The memory of being temporarily trapped in another space while fighting the Chaotic Storm still lingered vividly in Miss Vilyric’s mind.

With Xiao Guang currently in a less mature juvenile form, it was wise to exercise caution for the sake of her pets and other companions, not wanting to overly worry them.

Holding onto these thoughts, the Priestess ultimately suppressed her eager curiosity. After all, exploring the Great Whirlpool was not an urgent matter at the moment; such a massive phenomenon wouldn’t just sprout legs and walk away, and there would be plenty of opportunities to investigate it later.

As such, the Noah’s Ark proceeded according to its original plan, entering the usual route along the edge of the Great Whirlpool, and began moving toward the landing area.

Compared to the earlier voyage in the Ancient Spirit Realm, this journey was undoubtedly much longer and more winding.

Due to the rich biodiversity of the Primordial Land, the entire Endless Sea was divided into different domains by various races, much like countries on land. Even though it seemed like just one vast sea without distinction, straying into the wrong area could lead to being identified as an enemy by the local residents and attacked.

Because of this, established and recognized shipping routes were particularly important. While the Merman Tribe was the undisputed leader in the Emerald Sea Region, they were just one of the more influential races in the entire Endless Sea. Having Merman troops escorting them didn’t mean they could disregard the shipping routes completely.

Furthermore, there were also mythical-level races present in the vast Endless Sea. Since they were far from land, they hadn’t been much involved in the Mythical War that took place over three hundred years ago, and their populations still retained a relatively intact scale.

The gentler ones weren’t too troublesome, but facing more aggressive and xenophobic mythical beings could be quite dangerous.

Generally, their activity regions would be marked off by the shipping route developers as places to avoid, just like the ten most perilous locations in the Ancient Spirit Realm; places to steer clear of, even when taking a detour.

Because of these factors, along with the occasional detours to uninhabited neutral islands where Nitira needed to take Mermen to scout for large settlement locations suitable for immigration to the Emerald Sea Region, their pace was further delayed. After drifting at sea for more than two months, they finally approached coastal areas inhabited by civilized shipping vessels.

However, they had indeed returned…

Standing on the deck, gazing at the azure sea and recalling the various experiences of the journey, the Priestess couldn’t help but feel a hint of sentimentality.

With matters back in the Holy Empire wrapped up, it had been nearly a year since their twists and turns began. Time flew by quickly; the sights from the beginning of her journey felt fresh in her memory.

Just as Miss Vilyric was reflecting on the passage of time, massive shapes began to emerge from the far sea, forming an array that slowly came into view as the ship advanced.

“Hmm?”

What is that?

After an instinctive moment of confusion, Vilyric quickly realized.

It was ships—very large ships.

And not just one; judging by the scale, there might be nearly hundreds combined. That was quite impressive.

The Noah’s Ark had been in the near-sea area for several days now, and Miss Vilyric had encountered numerous naval vessels constructed by land creatures before. From tiny boats that could hold just a few people to gigantic cargo ships several hundred meters long, she had even seen fleets comprising a dozen or so ships.

But a fleet of this grand scale, arranged so neatly, was indeed her first experience. Moreover, judging by their aggressive appearance and the smoke rising from above, these ironclad ships likely utilized powerful, albeit expensive, magical engines. She could even see their openly mounted cannons and massive dragon-hunting crossbows.

So there could only be one identity for them.

“The navy… the Ost Empire’s East Sea Fleet?”

As the Ost Empire was virtually the only country on land that directly bordered the Endless Sea, it naturally formed a strong naval fleet to protect and balance against the many sea races. Miss Vilyric had often heard Nitira mention them in casual conversation; the ships she was looking at were likely part of that fleet.

And that one, the largest of the bunch, almost rivaling the Noah’s Ark in size, with a length probably exceeding eight hundred meters, could likely barely accommodate a Giant Dragon on its deck. This ship was undoubtedly the flagship of the fleet—truly something remarkable.

At that moment, the flagship sailed at the center of the formation, surrounded by other ships as it headed toward the land. Although they weren’t sailing directly toward the Noah’s Ark, their similar direction indicated they would probably meet sooner or later.

After all, the scale of that fleet was a bit excessive.

Just as Vilyric was curiously speculating about their identity, Ming Lan hurriedly rushed out from the lookout station, making his way toward her on the deck. Clearly, he had also received reports from the watch personnel and noticed the approaching navy fleet.

“Miss!”

“Miss Vilyric! Miss Vilyric! This is bad!!!”

Before the Head Steward could say anything, a particular Bright Merman Princess just resurfaced from the water, accompanied by Le Qiao Qiao and Hong Yan—Miss Vilyric’s specially appointed guardians—who charged up onto the deck. It seemed the Merman scouts were also quite swift in gathering intel on the sea conditions.

Seeing them arrive nearly simultaneously, the black-haired girl couldn’t help but smile.

“You all really are in sync… Alright, I see it. That’s the navy of the Ost Empire, right? Their style is indeed intimidating, but there’s no need to make such a fuss. We’re not pirates; let’s just pause our progress until they pass by, then we can set off again.”

“The problem isn’t that, Miss Vilyric! As far as I know, this ship of yours shouldn’t have a coastal passage permit issued by the Empire, nor a vessel ownership certificate or ship nationality certificate, right?”

Hearing Nitira’s exaggerated gestures and the long string of complicated names, the Priestess was momentarily stunned.

“What… certificates? What are those?”

“Well, you see… Miss Vilyric.”

Ming Lan chimed in to explain.

“The Ost Empire, being one of the world’s dominant top powers, has strict and powerful border controls, particularly to guard against invasions from sea races, and has established a series of complex regulations for the entry and exit of ships at coastal ports.”

“For instance, any vessel entering or leaving the port must apply for a passage permit in advance from the Empire’s officials; the owner must hold a ship’s ownership certificate to clarify the responsible parties, and non-Ost Empire nationality ships must pay double customs duties, and so forth…”

Feeling a bit overwhelmed by this long list of seemingly stringent regulations, the black-haired girl couldn’t help but scratch her head.

“It’s so complicated! Why didn’t you mention this earlier…? What happens if we don’t have them?”

   

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