Chapter 211
Episode 69: The Secret of Island No. 32 in the Bluebird Archipelago (Part 1)
The island lay within the Bluebird Archipelago in the northern seas of the Hupester Federation.
The archipelago earned its charming name because its roughly one hundred large and small islands clustered together, resembling a flock of birds in flight. But it was hardly a place fit for human habitation.
Storms and heavy rains swept through frequently, accompanied by lightning strikes that caused falling rocks and fires. The surrounding seas were treacherous, making even travel to the mainland difficult.
As a result, the archipelago held little value as a residential area or military outpost. In fact, the Bluebird Archipelago was only used as a minor tourist destination during winter, when lightning storms were less frequent.
Most of the islands were owned by commoners dreaming of island ownership, romantics hoping to impress lovers with island gifts, or swindlers pretending to be wealthy by buying islands cheaply from outsiders.
The “contractor” believed to be one of Joshua’s men traveled daily between the Hupester Federation and Island No. 32 in the Bluebird Archipelago.
“Of all places, he has to go to an island, making him a perfect target for the compass,” Jin muttered.
The compass, a precious artifact Jin and his comrades had stolen after six months of effort, didn’t reveal the contractor’s exact location.
If there were twenty contractors in the Hupester Federation, twenty red dots would appear clustered in the federation’s center. But pinpointing their precise whereabouts was impossible.
Islands, however, were different. Even within Hupester territory, if a contractor was on an island rather than the mainland, a red dot would appear right in the middle of that island.
The compass could track contractors with much greater precision when limited to islands.
“That’s right, my lord. The only time the red dot moves within Hupester is when a contractor visits an island. Since this island is confirmed to be Joshua’s secret property, it’s worth investigating.”
“The odds of it being a coincidence are slim.”
“Exactly.”
“Tell the Seven-Colored Bird operatives to keep a close watch and gather any information about the Bluebird Archipelago. We shouldn’t rush in immediately—that might raise suspicion.”
“Do you think Joshua knows about the compass?”
“That’s uncertain. But since he might be colluding with Kinzello or Ziphl, it’s better to proceed cautiously.”
“You suspect it could be a trap?”
“Unlikely. If Joshua were allied with those who know about the compass, he’d be aware of its superior tracking ability on islands. He might even be baiting us—letting the compass thieves lead me there on purpose.”
“Then for now, we’ll just monitor the situation. I’ll send a few Seven-Colored Bird operatives nearby, but not directly to Island No. 32. They’ll gather intel discreetly.”
[Myaa.]
As the conversation ended, Shuri rubbed affectionately against Gilly. Shuri seemed very fond of her, often showering her with affection since arriving in Tikan.
“Oh, how cute! At first, I was startled by how big she was, but the more I see her, the more adorable she seems. By the way, are you really going to give her the Runkandel surname too?”
“Well, there’s Butterfly Runkandel already. Shuri Runkandel sounds pretty good.”
Murakan, transformed into a cat, jumped onto Shuri’s head and snuggled against Gilly. Jin gently grabbed Murakan’s scruff and set him down.
“Also, starting today, my room will undergo renovations. It’s a bit cramped for Shuri to stay in.”
“Yeah, it must be stuffy for her to stay inside the red jade all the time.”
Bang!
Murakan reverted to his human form, eyes sparkling.
“So until the renovations are done, I’ll just share a room with Strawberry Pie?”
“What nonsense is that? Why would you share a room with Gilly when my room’s being renovated?”
“Is that how it works? Aren’t you expanding my room too? It’s been feeling a bit small lately.”
“Even if we renovate your room, there are plenty of empty rooms in this mansion. You and Gilly sharing a room? Get out, you rascal.”
Murakan, back in cat form, swiped playfully at Shuri’s foot. Shuri licked him all over with her large tongue, then rolled him around like a ball, playing with him.
A month passed with everyone focused on their duties or personal training.
The contractor tracked by the compass remained on the Bluebird Archipelago, and Jin decided to visit the island himself.
“Trap or not, I’m curious enough to check it out. We’ve been cautious so far.”
He judged the chance of a trap to be low.
Outwardly, Joshua was the heir to the Runkandel family. The idea that he was colluding with Ziphl or Kinzello was far-fetched—it would mean most of the Sword Garden had betrayed them.
But that was impossible as long as Siron kept a watchful eye.
They might have a few spies, but they wouldn’t share critical information like the compass.
“Is it okay to bring only Murakan? We don’t know what dangers a trap might hold.”
“Even if it is, the Bluebird Archipelago isn’t part of the Lutero Magic Federation. If things go south, we can just fly away on Murakan. Shuri’s with us too.”
Flying dragons recklessly in Lutero’s territory was extremely dangerous, but the Hupester Federation was different.
Unless you were known as Ziphl’s dragon or a wanted criminal, the entire nation wouldn’t intervene to kill or capture you unless you attacked.
Besides, it wouldn’t be a problem for Jin to be known as someone who flies a black dragon. Murakan was unofficially recognized by Siron, Hupester’s highest authority.
“Should we bring Quikantel too?”
“No need. She’s busy teaching Enya magic lately. The two of us will go quietly. Hopefully, the renovations will be done by the time we return.”
And so, Jin, Murakan, and Shuri set off for the Bluebird Archipelago.
Since they had to move around within Hupester, they took extra care with disguises. Shuri stayed inside the red jade necklace, while Jin and Murakan dyed their hair blue.
“Golden Snow Tribe goods are really nice. Maybe I should talk to Lord Kashmir about starting a proper business. Securing supplies shouldn’t be hard.”
“Sounds profitable.”
After passing through several teleportation gates (during which Murakan kept vomiting), it took three days to reach Nasca Port, the closest harbor to the Bluebird Archipelago.
At the port, Seven-Colored Bird operatives had already docked a fake trading ship. The group boarded it, and it set sail at night, avoiding a direct route to the archipelago.
A direct approach could risk exposing the Seven-Colored Bird if problems arose later. Besides, most islands were closed off since it wasn’t tourist season.
Once the port disappeared from view, Jin and Murakan decided to swim into the archipelago under cover of darkness.
Before leaving the ship, they confirmed via the compass that the contractor was on Island No. 32, then sent the compass back to Tikan.
[Mya!]
Swimming was Shuri’s job.
Since returning from the Black Sea, Jin and his comrades had admired Shuri’s exceptional mobility, which extended beyond land.
Splash, splash…!
Shuri cut smoothly through the rough waters unique to the Bluebird Archipelago, allowing the two to reach the islands without getting wet.
They arrived at Island No. 7.
“Finding Island No. 32 is going to be a task.”
“It’s night. Let’s just fly and find it. Who has time to wander around looking?”
Without a guide, it was hard to identify which of the hundred islands was No. 32. Just as Jin worried they might spend the night searching, Shuri began drawing on the sandy beach.
[Mya-mya.]
With her claws, she casually sketched a map of the archipelago.
“Huh.”
“Wow, furball, you’ve got some amazing skills. Have you been here before?”
[Mew.]
Back when she was the witch Helluram’s cat, Shuri had traveled extensively, visiting nearly every corner of the world. Over time, she memorized hundreds of maps.
Though world maps had been updated over the millennium due to geographical changes, the Bluebird Archipelago remained almost exactly as Shuri remembered.
Her drawing was so precise it matched the paper map Jin had brought.
“This is Island No. 32. Can you find it?”
Shuri nodded.
“You really are a treasure. Let’s go, Shuri.”
They quickly located Island No. 32.
It was one of the smaller islands in the archipelago, roughly the size of the uninhabited island where they had once fought Andrei.
They sent Shuri back into the red jade and began reconnaissance immediately.
Just then, rain started pouring—the archipelago’s notoriously brutal weather welcoming them.
Rumble, crackle…!
Thunder and lightning tore through the bleak darkness, while fierce winds howled as if intent on uprooting every tree on the island. With conditions like this, not a single humble cottage was in sight.
“What kind of damn weather is this?” Murakan grumbled, scowling.
At that moment, Jin suddenly felt a powerful vibration pulsing from his waist.
“Hey, kid. Your sword—what’s going on all of a sudden?”
The Sigmund, the divine sword of the Meiwang clan that Jin had received from Ban, was resonating with something.
Drawing the blade, Jin saw strange symbols glowing all along the sword’s surface.
“…I don’t get it.”
“Wait, these markings… I’ve seen something like this before. Are they from Feitel? No, they’re a bit different from Feitel’s…”
Crack!
A bolt of lightning, which had been striking relentlessly, finally struck a massive tree right in front of them. The tree shattered into splinters as if hit by a bomb and collapsed violently. Then, in the next instant—
Their eyes caught sight of a towering stone monument.
The same glowing symbols that appeared on Sigmund were etched into the monument.
“This is… a god’s tomb!”
“What?”
“Now I get it. Kid, your sword is—”
Before Jin could finish, both he and Murakan’s eyes snapped wide open.
A deadly aura surged toward Jin.
At the same time, a gust of wind magic came hurtling at Murakan. Jin swung Sigmund, cutting through the sword energy, while Murakan unleashed his spirit energy to block the attack.
‘It’s them!’
Kuzan and Beris—the hounds of Taimun Marius. Jin was certain even before seeing their faces.
But just as they prepared to counterattack, a sharp streak of lightning shot toward Murakan’s spirit shield. Unlike the natural lightning that had shattered the tree, this was different.
It was lightning conjured by Feitel’s contractor, Yulian.