The Dark Region wasn't entirely shrouded in darkness.

Thick, black clouds occasionally parted, creating small gaps that allowed sunlight to filter through. However, as they ventured deeper toward the center, these faint lights became increasingly rare, appearing only once in a long while.

Though weak, this intermittent light was the only source of illumination in the darkness, providing the best opportunity for ships to orient themselves.

Using one of these fleeting beams, Ed, at the helm, spotted a prominent landmark: a colossal statue standing beside an island. It was at least twenty meters tall, and in the dim light, one could vaguely make out the form of a warrior wielding a blade in a downward slashing motion.

"Warrior statue! The landmark we set to find, we're almost there!" said Elena, who stood beside Ed, teaching him how to maneuver the ship and had also spotted the statue. She then directed him, "Turn left and sail forward for another half a day; we should reach the area circled on the map."

Hearing this, Ed nodded and followed the instruction, turning the helm. The hole in the clouds disappeared, plunging them back into darkness. But it doesn't affect his driving, although most of the ship was still running automatically, but it felt cool to make it move left and right with its big wheel, which is also why he bagged Elena for the entire five minutes before she was willing to teach him.

...

"We're here; we should be within this area."

As they approached their destination, everyone gathered on the deck. The sea was pitch black, and nothing was visible. Then, the clouds parted again, revealing a small island not far away.

Ed focused a beam of light through his mirror, shining it toward the island.

"No suitable spot; circle around and look," Andre ordered, seeing no good anchorage.

After circling, they finally found a suitable landing point. "This should be the old port," Andre said as the ship slowly entered the cove. He turned to address everyone. "This is the island marked on the map. Its conditions have been explored; it's not particularly dangerous."

After a moment's thought, he added, "Ed, Jason, and Gami, the three of you will form a team and explore this island first. The rest of you will come with me to the other two unexplored islands. Elena, you'll record the information."

No one objected to Andre's team division. He then stuffed the island map into Ed's arms, making it clear that this temporary team would be led by Ed. This was understandable, as Ed had already demonstrated his ability to find treasure (with the system's help) and, despite his playful demeanor, was more mature than the other two.

Ed stood by the ship, using a searchlight made of mirrors to briefly survey the island. Its edges were covered in lush vegetation, quite different from other islands, though some fluorescent plants glowed faintly in the darkness. Years of shadow and the dark elements permeating the island had long altered its ecosystem. Perhaps they could even discover some interesting magical materials.

Besides the flora, they could see rubble from collapsed, man-made structures buried within. Much of it had been covered by soil and vegetation, long since blended into the island's environment.

After a quick glance to confirm there were no immediate threats, Ed turned and nodded to the two behind him. The three jumped off the boat, well, Gami glided down using his robotic machine. Ed then turned and waved to the others.

Andre nodded from the boat. "Be careful. Don't let your guard down." The ship then left the island under his control, disappearing into the darkness until only a few points of light remained, receding into the distance.

Jason and Gami each took out a luminous stone to illuminate their surroundings, while Ed used a mirror to reflect and direct the light onto their path. Because of the oppressive dark, the three stayed close together, each keeping a watchful eye on a different direction. They moved slowly forward, wary of their surroundings.

"Sorry, Ed, but I might not be able to help much here. If I were outside, I could do a lot of things. But from inside the mirror, my ability is limited. Except in certain situations, most of the time you'll have to rely on yourself," Lucilia's voice sounded in Ed's mind.

Before getting off the ship, he had asked her to check if she could assist in the exploration. Due to the Dark Region's corruptive nature, she couldn't leave the mirror except on the ship, which was covered by a magical barrier. Otherwise, her soul would be corroded by dark magic.

But because Jason and Gami were beside him, he didn't speak—he only hummed softly, letting her know he understood.

At this moment, Jason's voice rang out beside him: "Sometimes I wonder why there aren't any spells that allow us to see in the dark."

"I couldn't agree more," Ed complained as well. "Instead of making all kinds of bizarre spells with almost no use, wouldn't it be better to create a night vision spell?"

Gami, beside them, looked at them dumbfounded and said directly, "Don't you guys read books? Such spells exist, alright, but neither the church nor anyone else has publicly recorded their patterns. So they've been lost. Or perhaps someone still knows them but doesn't want to share, as it can be a very powerful spell against enemies at night. How can they give it to others? What if their enemy uses it against them?"

"Alright, alright, now you sound like Elena, we were just trying to light up the mood because it was too tense, we already know about it," Jason said helplessly, feeling that not only Gami's height, but even his EQ indeed a big boost of growth, before raising his searchlight and waving it around to check for anything strange.

As they moved forward, they arrived at a place resembling an abandoned town. The buildings were mostly well-preserved, with some collapses and damage, but their original forms were still discernible beneath a blanket of various plants.

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