Chapter 350: Chapter 350

At twilight, the sun sank towards the sea, its dim, yellow afterglow bathing the surface in a light that made it seem sprinkled with gold. The Sound of Dawn pressed on relentlessly along its course, aided by the waves and wind. It journeyed in solitude.

Everyone on board had to find something to occupy their time during such a tedious journey.

Even Pororo, worn down by the tedium, had resorted to browsing books in the ship’s library.

This was an exceptionally rare occurrence for him.

The last time he had flipped through a book might have been when Lucilia taught them the White Crocodile Language.

"Based on current distance calculations, where should we be?" Lucilia asked without looking up. She was hunched over the desk in the watch room, writing something in the bestiary beneath her.

"We’ll likely leave the boundaries of the deep-sea region tonight. I estimate we’ll enter the peripheral shipping lanes of the Ocean of Enlightenment by tomorrow morning," Alka replied. He was standing in the watch room, observing the conditions outside.

He was primarily on duty now; Lucilia had been on the previous shift. She hadn’t left yet because she was working on the bestiary.

Recently, Lucilia had encountered many interesting, though not particularly powerful, Dream Realm monsters in her dreams, all of which she recorded in her bestiary.

Hearing Alka’s answer, Lucilia finally lifted her head. "Doesn’t that mean we’ll be passing through another major gateway tomorrow? And crossing the Stormy Sea Region again?"

"Based on our previous two experiences, that’s indeed the case, unless something unexpected happens," Alka said with a nod.

"I hope we don’t encounter that Silver Threads Sea Beast again this time," Lucilia remarked, recalling their previous encounter.

Alka nodded in agreement.

The two chatted idly until the sun had completely set and the sky turned dark.

The gentle chime of a bell echoed from below, signaling dinnertime.

"Let’s go, it’s time to eat," Alka said, standing up. He then looked towards Yi, who was seated at a console on the other side. "Yi, we’re heading down first. You’re on watch during dinner."

Hearing Alka, the masked Yi turned her head. Her doll-like eyes, usually vacant, now held a spark of animation.

She nodded to indicate there was no issue.

Although the arrival of Er had led to noticeable improvements in the emotions and reactions of both Ling and Yi, Yi herself remained quiet, perhaps due to her inherent personality.

Seeing her nod, Alka smiled and swung down with Lucilia.

They descended to the poop deck and entered the small dining room.

Inside the small dining room, today’s dinner was already laid out on the table: an enormous sea fish, fully three meters long, placed whole upon the table.

The whole fish was strikingly conspicuous. It hadn’t been carved, yet each section of its flesh had been prepared using a different culinary method.

It looked exceptionally delicious.

Juanlu wiped his hands, his slightly stubbled face breaking into a smile as he looked at Alka. "Pororo happened to catch this in the sea a few hours ago," he said. "Not bad, eh?"

Alka gently sniffed the aroma wafting through the air and gave a thumbs-up, smiling. "More than just good! My stomach’s already staging a protest; it can’t wait any longer."

"Oh? So *some* people caught a fish too? But it was just a teensy tiny thing. How long was it? As big as my palm, perhaps?" a teasing voice drawled from behind.

Juanlu, standing opposite them, saw the newcomer first and smiled somewhat helplessly.

Alka and Lucilia turned their heads upon hearing the voice. The one speaking so tauntingly was Pororo.

Next to him stood Jason, who only came up to Pororo’s waist. Listening to Pororo’s taunts, Jason could only endure it, frowning so hard that veins pulsed on his forehead. He was furious but had no way to refute.

Alka and Lucilia watched this exchange, somewhat confused. Just then, Chadite walked up from behind them, moved to their side, and explained with a laugh, "They were bored this afternoon and went fishing in the sea with their bare hands. But, as you know, Jason is hardly a match for Pororo in something like that."

As she spoke, she pointed to a small pan-fried fish on a little plate nearby on the table. The fish was perhaps only half the size of Lucilia’s doll form.

Next to the enormous fish in the center, the contrast was indeed absurd; it definitely wasn’t as big as Pororo’s palm.

"Alright, alright, let’s sit down."

Julia was the last to enter the dining room. One by one, everyone took their seats around the table.

Alka looked at Chadite. He didn’t see Er on her shoulder or lap.

He couldn’t help but feel puzzled. Isn’t Er usually with her all the time?

"Where’s Er?" he asked. "Isn’t she with you?"

Chadite answered, "She’s sewing. Says she’s making clothes for her future sisters."

Alka nodded. After this period of development, Er’s reactions in all aspects had become remarkably human-like.

Still, being newly sentient, she had the demeanor of someone between twelve and fourteen years old, which was already remarkable progress.

And as for the sewing, it was because Er’s designated role was that of a Tailor; she had been constantly learning the craft from Chadite.

Besides her hobby of cartography, Chadite also enjoyed designing clothes. Correspondingly, her own sewing skills were quite adept. Googlᴇ search NoveI[F]ire.net