Chapter 60: Black Sail

Jade Bay, Duke returned here once again, ready to head to the location of Black Sail.

His guide was a male Wizard dressed in black robes and wearing a round hat, named Lucas.

Lucas had a gaunt face, piercing eyes, and was quite taciturn.

Throughout the journey, he spoke little; if Duke didn’t actively ask questions, Lucas would remain silent.

The two stood at a small pier, waiting for something. Lucas had previously uttered only the word "wait."

About ten minutes later, a flat small boat drifted over, with a thin young man rowing.

"Get on the boat," Lucas said, then stepped onto the small boat.

The small boat was indeed petite, and after Lucas stepped on, it swayed significantly, making one suspect it might capsize at any moment.

Duke stepped on cautiously, and the boat sunk considerably, with its waterline deepened.

His cumbersome armor added quite a burden to the small boat.

The thin young man chuckled without speaking, paddling the boat away from Jade Bay toward the open sea.

As Duke gazed at the sea ahead, he thought: "It seems Black Sail is located within the sea territory?"

From the information Duke had gathered over time, he understood that large Wizard Organizations often kept their locations hidden from outsiders, making entry through normal channels nearly impossible.

Even many insiders within these Wizard Organizations, unless sufficiently high-ranked, were unaware of the exact location.

The reason Wizard Organizations exercised such caution was historically motivated.

During chaotic and disordered times, wars frequently broke out between various Wizard Organizations.

If one failed to conceal themselves well and exposed their location to others, they were susceptible to attacks.

Organizations like Black Sail and Silver Hand have persisted since those times, possessing deep roots.

Before he knew it, the noises of Jade Bay had already faded away.

Duke turned to look back, but could no longer spot any trace of Jade Bay, finding only endless ocean behind him.

Though he only left Jade Bay a few moments ago, it was impossible, under normal circumstances, to not see even the shadow of land behind him.

Duke realized he had unwittingly entered another place, without noticing the transition.

All around was tranquil, the sea surface still and wave-free, with shadows vaguely seen swimming below the water.

Seeing these shadows startled Duke; unsure what these creatures were, he estimated their length to be at least three hundred meters.

"These are the sentinels guarding the entrance to Black Sail," Lucas spoke up unexpectedly.

"Sentinels..." Duke observed the sea and noted that these shadows were not singular, with several more moving beneath the distant waters.

As the small boat progressed, a giant whirlpool emerged ahead, filling the entire field of vision.

Even within such a vast whirlpool, shadows continued to swim; the small boat did not veer direction, but headed straight towards the whirlpool.

Duke couldn’t help feeling tense; if one couldn’t swiftly escape such a massive whirlpool, reaching a certain range would make leaving impossible, drawn in by the whirlpool’s strong pull.

He glanced at Lucas and the thin young rower, both remained calm and expressionless.

Realizing there should be no problem, Duke stayed quietly at the boat’s stern, not speaking, yet instinctively gripping the boat’s side to avoid being flung out later.

The small boat had not yet entered the whirlpool but was already being drawn, beginning to spin around it.

The thin young man put away the oars as they were now meaningless, starting to chuckle with transformation swiftly unfolding.

In a few moments, the thin young man had morphed into an entirely black creature with bat wings on its back.

"This..." Duke was stunned to find out that the rower wasn’t human.

"This is a dark demon, from the Demon Plane," Lucas remarked casually.

Before Duke could ask what the Demon Plane was, he started feeling dizzy.

Lucas’s words echoed endlessly around his ears, reverberating in his mind.

The scene ahead spun continuously, increasingly swiftly, until it turned into an abstract painting.

"We’re here!" Lucas’s voice came through, dissipating Duke’s dizziness, replaced by a peculiar energy entering his body, making him feel much better.

"Thank you, sir!" Duke realized Lucas must have helped, noting Lucas wasn’t as cold as he seemed.

Once regaining his senses, Duke looked around, still on the sea surface, seeing a vast island ahead.

In the far distance, other islands appeared, suggesting many such islands were scattered here.

"Ahead is Black Sail’s Academy Island, where all Wizard Apprentices dwell. Once you ascend to an Official Wizard, you will have an island of your own," Lucas explained.

The dark demon still paddled rapidly, as the boat shot like an arrow towards Academy Island, leaving a long trail behind on the sea.

"We’re here, disembark, someone will guide you," Lucas stood at the boat’s bow without intent to land.

He wasn’t typically responsible for rookie guidance, doing so at Grace’s request.

Duke jumped ashore, turned intending to bow in thanks to Lucas, only to find him gone, leaving the dark demon grinning at him.

"Uh... thanks!" Duke contemplated momentarily and addressed the dark demon.

The dark demon’s mouth widened, revealing sharp white teeth, chittering noisily, seemingly unable to speak human language.

"Duke? Over here!"

Turning around, Duke saw a Female Wizard in a black robe waving towards him.

He hurried over; the Female Wizard appeared in her early twenties, strikingly tall, about one meter eighty, with extremely long legs.

"I’ve received Lord Lucas’s message, come with me to handle procedures. I’m Reela," she said after glancing at the brass ring on Duke’s hand.

Duke nodded, surprised Lucas had arranged everything, even informing her of his name.

"This is Black Sail’s Academy Island, primarily for training Wizard Apprentices, with many rules. You’ll need to read the Black Sail Academy Handbook later..." Reela walked ahead with her long legs, explaining some common knowledge.

The first step for newcomers to Black Sail is registration, using each person’s Spiritual Power as a marker recorded in the files.

Soon, Duke received a small badge with a skull engraved on it, resembling a pirate’s symbol.