[Vol. 7] Chapter 63: What? I Don’t Have a Driver’s License?
Violet was tempted to go take a look, but she wasn’t reckless enough to put the entire ship in danger just to satisfy her curiosity.
Going alone was an option, but even when she had only passed near The [Great Whirlpool] during teleportation earlier, she had already felt significant interference. If she got too close to the center, spatial movement might be completely disrupted.
Rushing in unprepared could lead to unpredictable consequences. The last time she had to deal with the Demon Lord of Chaos, she had ended up temporarily trapped in a dimension, an experience she hadn’t forgotten.
Right now, Xiao Guang was still in an immature, childlike state. Even if it was just for the sake of her pet and her companions, Violet decided to be more cautious and not make them worry unnecessarily.
With that in mind, she suppressed her curiosity. Exploring The [Great Whirlpool] wasn’t an urgent task. It wasn’t like it was going to sprout legs and run away, she could always come back another time.
Afterward, [Noah’s Ark] continued according to plan, skirting the edge of The [Great Whirlpool] before entering a well-established trade route and heading toward land.
Compared to their previous voyage through the Ancient Spirit Realm, this journey was undoubtedly much longer and more complicated.
Because of the Origin Realm’s incredible biodiversity, the entire sea was divided into different territories by various species. Much like the countries on land, the vast ocean might seem uniform, but trespassing into the wrong area could get them mistaken for enemies and attacked.
That’s why officially recognized routes were so important. The Merfolk were undoubtedly the dominant force in the Emerald Sea, but in the grand scale of the sea, they were just one of the more influential races. Having a merfolk escort didn’t mean they could ignore the established routes and do whatever they pleased.
Even more concerning, some mythic-tier species still existed in the sea. Because they lived far from land, they hadn’t been involved in the “Mythical War” over 300 years ago, and many of them had survived with their full power intact.
The more peaceful ones weren’t much of a problem, but the more aggressive and territorial species could be extremely dangerous.
In most cases, their territories were marked as restricted zones by those who mapped out the trade routes. Just like the ten most dangerous places in the Ancient Spirit Realm, these were places that sailors were instructed to avoid at all costs, even if it meant taking a longer route.
Because of these factors, along with occasional stops at uninhabited neutral islands where Nitila and the merfolk had to survey potential settlement sites for Emerald Sea immigrants, their journey became even slower. After drifting at sea for over two months, they finally reached the coastal waters where ships from land-based civilizations regularly traveled.
But in the end, they had finally returned…
Standing on the deck, gazing over the vast blue ocean, Violet couldn't help but feel a bit sentimental as she recalled everything that had happened on this voyage.
Ever since the events in the Holy Empire, she had been through countless twists and turns. Almost a full year had passed already, time really flew by. The memories of her early days after crossing into this world still felt so vivid.
Just as Violet was lost in thought, a formation of massive figures gradually appeared on the horizon, coming into view as the ship moved forward.
"Hm?"
What was that?
For a brief moment, she was puzzled, but she quickly realized what she was looking at.
Ships. And not just any ships, huge ships.
And there wasn’t just one or two, there had to be hundreds of them. That was no ordinary sight.
By now, [Noah’s Ark] had been in coastal waters for several days, and Violet had already encountered plenty of land-built vessels. She had seen everything from tiny boats that could only hold a few people, to massive cargo ships stretching hundreds of meters, and even fleets made up of a dozen or more large ships.
But a fleet this massive, traveling in such a well-organized formation, was a first. And judging by the aggressive design of the ships, the smoke rising from them, and the visible firepower, including large magic-powered furnaces, cannons, and enormous dragon-hunting ballistae. It was clear what kind of ships these were.
There was only one possible identity for them.
"The Navy… Is this the Eastern Fleet of the Austre Empire?"
The Austre Empire was practically the only land-based nation with vast coastlines bordering the sea. To defend itself and maintain balance against the many powerful oceanic races, it had naturally built a formidable naval force. Violet had heard Nitila mention them many times in casual conversation, and judging by the sight before her, this fleet was likely one of theirs.
The largest ship in the fleet, almost as massive as [Noah’s Ark], had to be the flagship. It was easily over 800 meters long, big enough that even a giant dragon could probably land on its deck. An absolute behemoth.
Right now, that flagship was sailing in the center of the formation, surrounded by escort ships as it moved toward land. While their fleet wasn’t heading directly toward [Noah’s Ark], their courses were close enough that an encounter was only a matter of time.
The sheer size of the fleet made it almost impossible to avoid.
Just as Violet was trying to guess their identity, Ming Lan suddenly came rushing out from the observation room, his hurried footsteps pounding against the deck. Clearly, he had just received a report from the watch crew about the approaching navy.
“Miss…”
“Miss Violet! Miss Violet! This is bad!!!”
Before he could even get a word in, another voice interrupted. Nitila, the merfolk princess, had just emerged from the water, rushing up the spiral staircase onto the deck. She wasn’t alone, Le Qiaoqiao and Hongyan, the two warriors Violet had assigned to protect her, followed right behind.
It seemed like the merfolk scouts had also spotted the fleet at about the same time.
Seeing them all arrive together in such a hurry, the black-haired girl couldn’t help but smile.
“You guys are really in sync... Alright, I saw it. That’s the Austre Empire’s navy, right? Their fleet does look intimidating, but there’s no need to panic. It’s not like we’re pirates. We’ll just stop here and wait for them to pass before moving on.”
“That’s not the problem, Miss Violet! As far as I know, your ship doesn’t have an imperial Coastal Passage Permit, an Ownership Certificate, or a Ship Registration Document, right?”
Nitila waved her hands animatedly as she rattled off the official terms, leaving Violet momentarily stunned.
“Wait… What? What are those?”
“Well… Miss Violet,” Ming Lan explained, stepping in.
“The Austre Empire is one of the world’s most powerful nations, and they have extremely strict border controls. To prevent invasions from sea-dwelling races, they’ve put a lot of complicated regulations in place for any ship entering or leaving their coastal ports.”
“For example, every ship must apply for a Passage Permit in advance. The owner must present an Ownership Certificate to clarify responsibility, and any foreign-registered ship must pay double the customs tax, among other rules…”
Hearing this long list of official terms, Violet scratched her head in confusion.
“Wow… That’s a lot. Why didn’t you mention this earlier? So… what happens if we don’t have those papers?”