From the height of his balcony, beneath the flag of the Compasses and the Crescent Moon on a white field, Jeffrey Hamilburg, about forty, President of the Eastern Routes Company, widened his eyes as he gazed at the world map held by the two students.
A man of imposing build, neatly groomed, with a well-trimmed brown mustache, he motioned to his subordinates, standing behind him, to step closer. There were two of them. Wearing the white uniform of the E.R.C., the two young men halted at his side to listen.
"Yes, sir?" asked one of them.
"Do you see what I see?" he pressed them.
The two assistants scrutinized the map even more carefully. And then, they were struck.
"But, how did they…?!"
"They're just about to explain it to us," interrupted the President of the E.R.C.
On the stage, Allan turned toward the curtain, pointing at it with his finger.
"As you can see," he began. "Our expedition starts from the Port of Forth-Standford. Why this port as our point of departure?"
"In our research, we combed through the Chronologies of Mémontum," Lurcard continued. "And we noticed that many explorers of past centuries began their journeys from that very port. That is why we wanted our presentation to be rooted in this historical legacy."
"When we leave the port, we sail directly into the Sylphik Ocean," Allan went on. "From there, several sea routes are open to navigators…"
"The different known routes are: the one westward called Wetterwest, and the one veering south called Wettersouth," Lurcard presented. "Looking at the world map, we notice that the Sylphik Ocean allows sailing wherever one pleases, without being forced to follow these sea lanes. However, the Laws of Sea Navigation compel ships to take those routes rather than sail at will…"
"That is where our voyage begins—into the waters of the Sylphik Ocean, instead of holding course toward the continent of Merry Call," Allan explained, tracing the line. "Here is the first deviation we undertake…"
"As you can see," Lurcard picked up, "our route heads toward the Fog Zones. Zones which, as everyone knows, are forbidden to navigation by the Laws of Sea Navigation…"
Indeed, the line drawn on the world map cut right through a region marked with fog. This covered a large part of the Sylphik Ocean.
"The question you must certainly be asking yourselves: Why, despite the prohibition of the L.S.N., did we decide to take this route?" Lurcard asked, his eyes gleaming mischievously.
"Yes!" snapped someone from the audience. "To get yourselves noticed!"
"Ooooh!" the crowd reacted.
Lurcard leaned toward the seats to identify the voice. But he didn't have to search for long. He and Allan had already spotted the troublemaker. And it was no surprise, after all… It was Bill.
"Drawing attention to ourselves?" Lurcard repeated with a broad smile, turning to his companion. "Do you agree with that, my dear Allan?"
"Since we are all gathered here before these honorable people to present our work," Allan replied with an ironic smile, "it seems obvious to me that drawing attention to ourselves under these circumstances is more than likely, don't you agree, my dear Lurcard?"
"I quite agree with you, my dear Allan."
From among the rows of parents came a booming, delighted laugh. Aunt Helga was enjoying herself thoroughly. But this was not particularly appreciated by the other families— even the Johntoms couple felt somewhat embarrassed.
"Let these distractions cease!" thundered a voice from one of the balconies above.
Looking up, Allan and Lurcard discovered the President of the West Winds Company, Alfreddison Combars. A man with snow-white hair leaned over the balustrade, as if to impose silence on the hall. It was authority he sought to display, despite his frail, sickly appearance.
"Young men!" he addressed Lurcard and Allan. "I dare hope this is not mere bluster? For indeed you are playing with fire. If it is the arrogance of youth that makes you speak… hold your tongues! Otherwise… continue your presentation."
Then the President of the West Winds Company returned to his chair, above which hung his company's flag: a deep green with Five Starfish.
"Please forgive us, if our intervention might be perceived as arrogance, gentlemen Presidents," Lurcard responded. "We assure you it is not…"
Then he turned back to the world map.
"We know that the L.S.N.s were written because of the various incidents that occurred at sea, in order to prevent sailors from facing the same danger," he explained. "In the Chronologies of Mémontum, we noted that in the year 707, a catastrophe occurred precisely in this area. Unfortunately, there is no entry in the Chronologies explaining or describing this disaster—only that we know it created this mist, which endures to this day. And as a reminder, the ban on navigating the so-called Misty Zones was decreed by the Laws of Maritime Navigation in February 709, two years after the catastrophe. That gap between the two dates is what drove us to seek elements that might fill in the blanks."
Then Lurcard walked over to the lectern, went through his notes, and pulled out a loose sheet.
"We therefore turned to the Annexes of Minus-Mémontum," he continued in his presentation. "One could say it turned out to be a good idea…"
"A good idea!? Do you not know that those annexes are full of tales from infamous men?" thundered a voice from the balconies. "They are the accounts of pirates! Of ruffians! Of murderers!"
Hearing those words, Helga felt her blood boil. She gnashed her teeth.
Looking up, Lurcard and Allan recognized the President of the Company of the Polar Seas, Michel' Angelo Di Fazzerottini.
He stood out from the other Presidents by his floral, brightly colored outfit, but also because he was the youngest.
The young President adjusted the collar of his coat with its puffed epaulettes while staring down the two students. "What have you to say to that?"
The two friends exchanged a look. Allan nodded for him to continue. So Lurcard obeyed.
"Indeed, they were individuals who lived outside the law," he admitted. "They were captured. Some imprisoned, others killed. However, it was the judicial and criminal institutions of the Navy that catalogued and archived the journeys of these outlaws."
"We all know that!" Di Fazzerottini snapped sharply. "What is your point? Do you not know those people were notorious liars? Nothing proves they were telling the truth!"
"That's right! It's disgraceful to consult such works! You ought to be ashamed!" came the reaction from families in the rows.
A commotion began to rise.
"Dear parents, dear Presidents, we are going to explain," Lurcard interjected, raising his hands to calm the stir in the room. "We found, in the Appendix of Minus-Mémontum dated from the year 708, notes taken from the logbook of the Espiègle. The captain's name was not mentioned. What do these notes reveal?..."
Lurcard leaned over the lectern to take another sheet of notes. "We've been trying to get to the bottom of this for ages," he read. "It's been exactly one year since that night that lasted three days. After that endless night, the fog settled right in the middle of Sylphik. It put everyone on edge—even the Navy doesn't dare confront it. After all our preparations, we're finally going to see what lies beyond those walls of fog..."
— "How is what you're reading to us relevant?" interrupted the young President. "Nothing proves its truth!"
— "When we read these excerpts, one detail caught our attention…"
— "The night that lasted three days!" Allan broke in, his voice ringing out.
The announcement of this information made the two subordinates of the Eastern Roads Company, standing beside their President, start in surprise. They could hardly believe it.
"It's not possible…" one of them stammered. "Very few people know…"
— "They've simply shown more discernment than most," Hamilburg remarked.
— "But this is data that shouldn't—"
— "Yes, Bradley," the President cut him off. "These two students are about to reveal a secret known only to the honorary members of the Academy and the Presidents of the P.M.C.A. As for me, I would like to hear how they managed to uncover it."
— "We can't let this happen!"
— "Yes, let them go on. Even if it causes some friction between the Companies, it doesn't matter. In any case, these two could be interesting recruits for the Company," Jeffrey Hamilburg, President of the E.R.C., concluded in a calm voice.