Chapter 390: Setting Sail
As the capital of the Bryston Kingdom, Darkland was not only the most important city in the kingdom's northeast, but also the largest and oldest shipping hub on the entire Apocalypse Continent.
The weather was fairly decent today. The sun shone brightly, and for once, there was neither rain nor snow. Zhou Ning walked over to Richie Burke and Ignatius Woods, greeting them calmly. Perhaps due to some form of disguise, Ignatius Woods no longer bore that same air of darkness and corruption. Even the blue blotches that had once stained his skin were gone — he now looked no different from an ordinary man.
"You're right on time."
Richie Burke smiled as he responded to Zhou Ning.
"The ticket hall opens at 8 a.m. If we go now, we should be able to get comfortable first-class cabins. Without an alchemy ship, it takes about a week to reach Nathaniell by sea — assuming we don't run into extreme weather. Being able to travel comfortably matters a great deal."
Zhou Ning nodded. He wasn't the pirate-king version of himself — there was no harm in taking Burke's advice.
The ticket hall for Darkland Port was located to the left of the entrance, inside a spacious building. Zhou Ning walked ahead of the other two and pushed open the large doors.
Compared to the ticket hall for the steam railway, this one was much larger — it had a total of twelve ticket windows.
Likely because of that recent major incident, there were fewer passengers trying to leave Darkland. Fewer than forty people stood before the twelve windows — the place felt quiet and empty.
Zhou Ning strolled over to a notice board on the left to check the latest sailing schedules, while Richie Burke followed beside him.
As the largest port on the entire Apocalypse Continent — and the very place where his pirate-king counterpart had once set sail — Darkland offered routes to nearly every major port city across the continent.
Zhou Ning scanned the board carefully, looking for ships departing on December 19.
The information listed was remarkably detailed — not only ship names, destinations, and prices, but also every port of call and stopover time.
There were even a few floating ships like the Melnis Cockerel, though those were typically used only for short-distance transport. Their endurance simply wasn't enough for long ocean voyages.
After filtering out the irrelevant information, Zhou Ning found six ships bound for the Kingdom of Sepharic that day. Considering destination, route, ship size, and safety, only two met his requirements — Wings of Freedom and Red Lion.
Both still had tickets available, though the prices were outrageous — the kind of prices Zhou Ning wouldn't even have considered a few months ago. The world's weather was notoriously unpredictable, especially at sea — violent storms, lightning tempests, and long spells of headwind were common. Most ships were equipped with alchemical arrays for propulsion, and the ships and sails themselves were extremely expensive.
As a result, even the lowest third-class cabin on the Wings of Freedom cost 15 Vecktas, second-class 30 Vecktas, and first-class a staggering 105 Vecktas. Back when Zhou Ning first arrived in this world, it would have taken him two years of saving — without eating or drinking — to afford a first-class ticket.
The Red Lion was smaller and thus slightly cheaper, with prices at 12, 24, and 85 Vecktas respectively.
"I recommend the Wings of Freedom," Richie Burke whispered beside him. "At sea, it's best not to be stingy. There's always a reason expensive ships cost more."
"The Wings of Freedom is a newer steamship. Even sailing against the wind, it can reach over sixteen knots without worrying about running out of power. Its auxiliary sails are a full Bleist set, equipped with an alchemy array — so even if the fuel runs out, it's perfectly safe. I've met its captain before — 'Red-Haired' Robinson. He's a retired pirate, with connections to nearly every pirate still active around the Mist Sea. Traveling under his flag lowers the odds of pirate attacks."
Red-haired, huh? What's next, Whitebeard?
Zhou Ning suppressed the urge to make the joke out loud. His mind was made up.
"Then let's go with the Wings of Freedom."
His decision wasn't just based on Burke's recommendation — its route happened to stop at Temple Port two days later, the second-largest port in the Bryston Kingdom, once home to both the Pirate King and the ship Pluto. It also marked the entrance to the Mist Sea.
As for Pluto — the ship he could technically pilot himself — it would take at least a hundred or two hundred sailors to even get it moving. Controlling it drained tremendous amounts of mental energy, making long voyages impossible. For now, he would have to leave it here.
He would return someday.
Zhou Ning turned a small dragon-eye emblem in his hand. At 2 a.m. on December 21, there would be a mysterious extraordinary gathering at the mouth of the Mist Sea. If all went according to schedule, he would arrive just in time.
There were still about three hours before the Wings of Freedom set sail. After buying first-class tickets for all three of them, Zhou Ning carried his suitcase toward the docks.
Not far ahead, as seen in past broadcasts, several soldiers in lobster armor and a few Earth Ring professionals were questioning passengers bound for the docks.
Perhaps because Zhou Ning's Legend rating of 7 gave him an advantage in persuasion — combined with his Revered reputation in Darkland — the officer leading the group immediately showed deep respect upon checking his papers.
"You're Wayne Sturwell, aren't you? A legend like you doesn't need inspection. Please, go right ahead."
He bowed low, allowing Zhou Ning to pass — and even waved Richie Burke and Ignatius Woods through with only the briefest of checks.
When Ignatius removed his veil, Zhou Ning saw his true face for the first time — just as he had guessed, some extraordinary item must have concealed his features. He now appeared simply as a dark-skinned Byronian — utterly ordinary.
After Zhou Ning passed, he overheard whispers from nearby soldiers: "The Hero of Darkland… a character as pure as mithril."
Burke followed behind him in a daze. Honestly, he'd been worried his pirate identity might be discovered — but apparently, Wayne Sturwell's name carried immense weight here.
The Wings of Freedom was moored on the right side of the dock. From its appearance, it resembled a two-deck steamship from the 19th century, capable of carrying several hundred passengers — though this one also sported sails.
Each side of the ship was lined with eighteen volcano cannons — alchemical artillery pieces with 20% greater penetration than standard cannons, essential weapons for fending off raiders.
Captain Robinson, his thick hair and beard both flaming red, stood on deck to greet passengers. Through his Observation Haki, Zhou Ning could sense that the man's strength was formidable — comparable to elite Sunwatcher Guardians like Ian and Cherry. As expected of a retired pirate.
Like Richie Burke, Robinson wore a flintlock pistol and a rapier at his waist. The rapier pulsed faintly with magical energy — likely a rare artifact.
There were quite a few passengers boarding the ship, forming a long line as they took turns ascending the gangway.
When Robinson spotted Zhou Ning and Burke, surprise flickered across his face — he clearly recognized them — but he said nothing, simply watching as they stepped aboard and entered the cabin.
Finding their cabin on the first deck, Zhou Ning set down his suitcase and looked out the porthole at the sea beyond.
Though he felt a trace of regret, it was time to begin a new journey.
Over the next week at sea, he hoped to encounter a few extraordinary marine creatures.
That would be the most crucial step in creating his third-turn profession.
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