With the Guide's presence, the group's concerns about the upcoming voyage lessened considerably.
According to existing records, the Guide knew a route that could avoid many of the dangers.
This was precisely why humanity had never given up on exploring the Dark Continent.
Without this advantage, simply crossing the Dark Sea would have been enough to deter any human attempt.
Night fell.
Moses and the others, along with the Guide, returned to the Purple Smoke, which was anchored in the nearby waters.
It was unclear what kind of ability the Guide possessed, but it seemed to know of the Purple Smoke's existence.
Throughout the journey back, it led the way without hesitation.
It was almost as if the Guide already knew the exact location of their next 'destination', so there was no need for Moses and the others to say anything to it.
It could reach the location where the Purple Smoke was docked in the right direction.
Onboard the ship-
When Morel saw the Guide with a human face and a bird body, he inexplicably thought of the Chimera Ants, that had fused with human genes.
However-
The Guide in front of him didn't exude any powerful Aura. Instead, it was enveloped in a faint, thin membrane of Aura, making it seem completely non-threatening.
Soon, everyone boarded the ship.
After making sure that everyone was present, Morel picked up his signature pipe and blew out smoke soldiers one after another.
Five minutes later.
The Purple Smoke departed from the coastal waters, with the Guide standing at the bow, its single feathered wing extended, pointing firmly in a specific direction.
Inside the captain's cabin-
Morel observed the Guide's gesture, then shifted his gaze toward Moses, who stood nearby.
Noticing Morel's inquiring gaze, Moses gave a slight nod.
Seeing this, Morel decisively adjusted the ship's course according to the Guide's direction.
For the rest of the voyage, although the Guide never uttered a word, its outstretched wing acted like a compass, periodically adjusting to guide Morel at the helm.
And so-
After sailing for more than half a month, they encountered no dangers whatsoever.
Instead, they witnessed a battle between a skyborne creature and a sea beast.
Both were huge creatures, creating huge waves when clashing.
Fortunately, the Purple Smoke was far enough away to avoid being caught in the turmoil.
In addition to seeing the fight between giants, they also encountered some kind of black algae covering a large area of the sea.
These dark algae are clustered together, and although they sway up and down in the waves from time to time, they exuded an eerie, lifeless presence.
Morel saw that the situation was not right and initially wanted to steer around the seemingly endless black algae.
However, the Guide's wing remained outstretched, pointing straight ahead into the black algae.
Left with no choice, Morel quickly consulted with the others and in the end, they decided to trust the Guide's judgment.
As the Purple Smoke ventured into the algae-infested waters, they discovered that the seemingly omnipresent algae would split open at intervals, creating narrow passages.
And the Guide, as if knowing exactly where the next passage would form, adjusted its direction each time in advance.
And so, thanks to the Guide's precise navigation, the Purple Smoke sailed for two days and nights before emerging unscathed from the treacherous algae-covered sea.
During this period, everyone on the boat saw countless corpses within the algae.
It is no exaggeration to say that it is a typical biological cemetery.
After passing through the deceptively calm algae sea, the Purple Smoke continued onward.
"Truly unbelievable."
Nono, who had been observing the Guide's behavior during this period, has discovered that its condition is extremely stable.
As a Conjurer, she found this utterly baffling.
She had clearly seen the Guide being conjured by the Gatekeeper's Nen, so the Nen that constructed the form should collapse and return when it is far away from the Nen User...
But, after nearly twenty days of sailing, there wasn't the slightest fluctuation in the Guide's form.
It was as if the Guide was truly an independent entity, rather than a conjured Nen Beast constructed with Nen.
Then-
Just how terrifying the Gatekeeper truly was?
Many on the ship shared similar thoughts.
However, their goal is to compete with Beyond's team, so it is basically impossible for them to fall out with the Gatekeeper. So there was no need to dwell on it too much.
"With the Guide here, the voyage has become much easier."
When Cluck heard Nono's whisper, she said with some emotion.
Only after experiencing countless dangers in Uncharted Waters can she appreciate the value of the current smooth sailing.
If humanity truly wished to establish roots in the Dark Continent, they couldn't do so without the Gatekeeper's assistance.
Moses stood on the deck as well, though he didn't join the conversation.
He merely glanced at Nono.
This broad-shouldered Hunter, who looked like an ordinary auntie from the marketplace, had been invited by Cheadle to join the team.
The abilities she possesses are related to conjured spatial storage. Her position in the team is logistics, and she is mainly responsible for the storage and transportation of materials.
Given her expertise, it was no surprise she found the Gatekeeper's 'Conjured Nen Beast' so unbelievable.
But Moses knew that this kind of thing could be done.
It just had to come with harsh restrictions...
For example, the Rat Jewel, who is stealing food in the kitchen right now, has broken free from the connection with its Nen User, Hawk, because of Vow. Not only can it ignore the factor of 'distance', but it has also existed as an independent being.
'With the Guide leading us, the voyage has gone smoother than expected.'
Moses glanced at the Guide standing at the bow before pulling out a rough navigation chart he had sketched the day before.
The chart recorded their route over the past twenty days. It looks like a child scribbled on the map with a pen. There is no pattern, just like a tangled mass of lines.
Based on this route map alone, Moses basically concluded that the Guide possessed an innate ability to avoid danger.
'The Guide belongs to the demi-human species...'
Raising his head to look at the Guide's profile, Moses thought to himself, 'But it is essentially a Conjured Nen Beast, so the Chimera Gene given by Perception... maybe it can be used on it.'
Realizing that the Guide had the innate ability to avoid danger, Moses couldn't help but have such thoughts in his mind.
If the Chimera Gene can be used on the Guide, then it is possible that he will gain the ability to avoid danger.
That would be invaluable.
After all, he had lost both Shadow World and Shadow Clones. So once they set foot on the Dark Continent, he wouldn't have the same advantages as before.
Because of that, the ability to avoid danger can play an irreplaceable role in this situation.
'I wonder if it's even possible...'
The thought took root in Moses's mind, growing more persistent.
…
Time passes.
Another month went by.
"We're almost there."
On this day, the Guide spoke for the first time since boarding the ship.
Everyone on deck was both shocked and overjoyed.
That evening-
A coastline as towering as a mountain range appeared on the horizon.
The Dark Continent-
They have arrived.