Chapter 151

Chapter 151: Setting Sail

Spring of the Year 986 of the Arad Calendar.

The Southern Sea of Belmar.

The endless ocean lay calm and tranquil. At the horizon, the azure seawater blended seamlessly with the green-blue sky, creating a serene vista that soothed the soul. The warm, moist spring breeze from the south brushed against faces, lifting spirits.

A three-masted full square-rigged ship sliced through the waves of these waters.

The sea breeze filled its sails, driving the streamlined hull forward. The figurehead carved with the guardian goddess rose and dipped rhythmically, like an unsheathed sharp sword effortlessly splitting the waves and churning up foamy spray.

On the ship’s side gleamed a line of gilded characters: *Star of the South*.

This was the name of the swift vessel.

Merchants who often traveled between Faero Bay on the West Coast and Hamilton’s Deep Blue Port would recognize this ship well. It once boasted a legendary captain, had braved storm belts, and even sunk the flagship of the once-terrifying Pirates. Moreover, the *Star of the South* was the fastest ship in Faero Bay.

Now, standing at the bow of this famously powerful vessel was a lean young man.

He had black hair, wore simple hunting attire, and possessed sharp features with eyes as dark as night. His posture was straight as a spear, radiating a disciplined, martial aura. Unlike other young geniuses brimming with arrogance, his demeanor was calm and steady, as unfathomable as the ocean.

If one had to describe it, it was a quiet dominance—unassuming yet undeniable.

This was Midi Asreks, a member of the Hawk Brigade’s “Iron Triangle” and bearer of the title *Sword of Victory and Guardian*.

By the Year 986 of the Arad Calendar, Midi was nineteen—no longer a boy, but a man.

That same year, the Delos Empire had finally unified its northern and southern territories. In early spring, they mobilized their army, marched south, and carved a military passage through the scorched Forest of Gran to invade the Belmar Kingdom.

Conquering Arad to become the continent’s hegemon was the Delos Empire’s unwavering ambition. No matter how history repeated, the emperor’s goals would not shift—even with Midi’s reincarnation. Yet unlike the fractured Belmar Duchy of Midi’s past life, the Belmar Kingdom now stood united.

The Hamilton family had ascended as the royal house, renamed the Golden Branch family. Fina Hamilton, its first queen, assumed power after her eighteenth-year coming-of-age ceremony. With the Noble Council dissolved and all noble ranks under her sole authority, Belmar transformed from a patchwork of feuding factions into a cohesive nation.

Though still weaker than the Delos Empire, Belmar was no longer the crumbling state of before. Without internal collaborators and forced to traverse the mutated monster-infested Forest of Gran, the Delos army—despite its might—gained no ground against the Hawk Brigade and Belmar’s revitalized forces.

Months of fierce clashes yielded stalemate. Yet Midi noticed the Empire’s attacks had gradually slowed.

After analyzing intelligence, he concluded: the Delos Empire had abandoned its failed siege of Belmar’s borders and shifted its Strategy.

To most, predicting the Empire’s new target would be impossible. But Midi, a reincarnator, knew.

In his past life, after seizing the Belmar Duchy, the Empire’s priorities were the capital Hertonmar and the Nibelungen Dragon Sealing Array. Next came the southern deep-water port once held by the Hamilton family. Securing it, they rapidly expanded their Southern Sea fleet, blockaded waters, and launched a two-pronged assault from the northern mainland and western ocean.

Their true goal? Faero Bay on the West Coast.

“Capturing Faero Bay” was the Empire’s real objective. The Belmar Duchy had merely been a stepping stone to strangle Faero Bay’s strategic space.

Now, Midi reasoned that since the Empire couldn’t crush Belmar, they’d feign attacks on its borders while secretly redirecting efforts to infiltrate the south—specifically Faero Bay, east of Belmar.

So arose the question: Did the Empire’s pivot to Faero Bay affect Midi and his allies?

The answer was yes—profoundly. This shift would impact not just Midi’s group, but every adventurer across Arad.

For in the coming years, Sky City would materialize from the void. The gateway to this realm, where adventurers achieved awakening, lay in Faero Bay.

Control Faero Bay, and you controlled access to Sky City.

Control Sky City, and you held the key to awakening itself.

If one failed to awaken naturally, their peak level would be capped at 50. Even forced awakenings in artificial environments caused lasting side effects—even the brilliant Iron-Blood Duke now suffered constant ailments. The Hawk Brigade’s improved awakening chambers modeled after Rose Mountain City still carried flaws.

True awakening required natural environments where practitioners’ bodies and souls could align with the world, enabling progression to the higher limit of level 75. Should the Empire seize Faero Bay and control Arad’s sole Awakening Ground, all paths to greater strength would be severed—not merely a setback, but existential peril.

In his past life, Midi had been a drifting fugitive powerless to change fate. Now, he refused to let the Empire claim this vital ground. As Belmar’s rival, they had to counter the Empire’s strategic shift. Thus Midi willingly left border battles behind, setting course for Faero Bay to claim the awakening site first.

Belmar wouldn’t occupy the bay—Midi aimed to block imperial control while securing perfect awakening opportunities in Sky City for himself, Fina, and Alice. This time, the two women didn’t disguise him as plain-looking, only altering key features to hide his identity as the Hawk Brigade’s Sword of Victory and Guardian. His handsome features remained, befitting his status.

Yet in other details, their principle held firm:

"Midi belongs to us. No one else touches him."

Thus Odel, Alyn, and other skilled female adventurers were flatly denied by the Hawk Brigade’s dual commanders. Midi’s current companions were two men—Dickson, the bald level 42 paladin formerly of Iron Blood Mercenary Corps, and Kelvin, the bespectacled level 42 magic scholar ex-leader of Mountain Wolf Mercenary Group. Their contrasting appearances—burly guard and robed steward—complemented Midi well.

But Fina and Alice’s meticulous planning missed one detail—the Star of the South’s captain. Arranged by the Iron-Blood Duke who cared little for crew gender, the famously powerful ship now had a female captain.

"Mr. Faye," came Sonia’s husky voice, using Midi’s alias meaning "Fina and Alice’s possession"—though he only knew it as documentation. The flame-haired captain with gem-like eyes carried her legendary grandfather’s boldness, yet Midi remained impassive despite her beauty.

When Sonia approached, Midi merely nodded. Who was this youth? The Star carried only elite passengers, yet this black-haired boy had undetectable cultivation levels. His two level 40+ companions—veterans with top-tier equipment—showed genuine respect rather than hired politeness. Respect earned through merit, not status.

After two weeks observing Midi’s noble manners yet unexplained prowess, Sonia grew irritated by his indifference to her charms. With docking imminent, she resolved to test him.

But as she prepared, a lookout shouted:

"Albatross at three o’clock! Two kilometers out—engaged in battle!"