The not-so-large sailboat was marked with the emblem of the Mercenaries. With its four cabins, a wheelhouse, and a deck housing about ten sailors, it was proceeding calmly on the wavy sea.
"Mistress, a week has passed and land is still not in sight!"
"Calm down Alis, we are almost there. Or are you getting seasick?"
"What do you mean, actually I am quite fine!"
Nafız started laughing with laughter; her breasts, which had grown even larger compared to before, were bouncing with every breath.
"It is surprising how you remember and use those words when even I have forgotten them!"
Alis was offended; although he was the favorite of women thanks to his extraordinary appearance since he could take human form, he could not escape his master Nafız's teasing. He moved to the stern of the ship with quick steps and sat in a corner; Nafız, who had turned into a young girl with dazzling beauty even if she wasn't aware of it, could know all his feelings as if they were her own.
"Stupid boy, you are a part of me. Wherever you go, you will always belong to me!"
Alis didn't stop even though she shouted after him; withdrawing thoroughly into a secluded corner among the bewildered looks of the crew, he made himself scarce.
"Land ho, land ho!"
When the expected news came, Alis, who had turned into a white rabbit, jumped onto Nafız's shoulder. Even though they didn't know he was the child in white clothes wandering among them, the crew had gotten used to the rabbit.
"Very good, we are starting to settle an account that has remained open for too long!"
As the young girl moved to the tip of the ship, her skirts waved in the wind, and the red lining inside wiped away all the gloom of the black. Nafız was barely holding herself back; Mora's delayed revenge and an item needed to resurrect Sangre seemed to be right before her eyes.
"Where are you coming from!"
A tall man suddenly appeared in front of the young girl and man getting off the ship; he blocked their way by raising one of his shoes that had long ankles and resembled moccasins into the air.
Meanwhile, Nafız was examining the man. With his black pants resembling shalwar, tight at the ankles but baggy at the crotch, and his collarless black uniform covering his entire upper body, he had to be a person responsible for the port.
His most striking feature was that the color of his right shoulder and right arm was slightly yellowish, fire red. According to the information from the merchants coming to Parthenia and the crew she traveled with, this person was a member of the Holy Fire Sect.
The Hell Realm Army consisted of members of six great sects; the sixty clans and remaining six hundred fiefdoms under them were always under the influence of the great sects. As for the person blocking their way now, he was a warrior of an influence under the current Royal Family, that is, the Holy Fire Sect.
"From the Golden City!"
Alis answered while smoothing the wrinkles of the white suit on him; he was busy with himself without looking at the man's face.
"Which family are you from?"
He wasn't expecting the second question; he lifted his head and looked at the man's face sternly.
"Bloody Moon Fiefdom!"
"Ha, Ha, Ha, I thought you dogs were hiding with your tails between your legs. Where did you find the money to go somewhere?"
After the man's insolent laugh, the planks of the pier used to disembark from the ship began to creak; an invisible force field had collapsed on the three people.
"Should I take this as a question, or should I think you are threatening me after the pathetic thing you tried to do?"
Alis took a step forward; at that moment, cracks began to form on the piece of land the man stepped on. The tall man involuntarily grabbed his weapon; as one of the warriors on duty at the entrance of the continent, he was preparing to attack.
"What is going on here?"
Before the footsteps reached the ears, the words demanding an account passed them and reached the target first. Another person with almost the same outfit as the man blocking the duo's way was coming rapidly.
The only difference was that his right shoulder and arm had a blood-red color; it was understood that this person was a member of the Holy Blood Sect.
"What the hell are you up to again?"
When his tone of voice and casual scolding revealed the rank difference between them, the tall one stepped aside from the front of the pier, bowed his head slightly, and moved away quickly.
"I hope I'm not too late; I came running as soon as your documents arrived. You are the only element among one hundred and ten influences that did not leave my sect; please be at ease, you are safe as long as I breathe."
Nafız was aware that the sincerity on the new middle-aged man's face came from the depths of his heart. Six Holy Sects, sixty clans, and six hundred fiefdoms united to form six hundred and sixty-six power points, creating the power balance of the Hell Realm that had lasted for centuries.
While each Holy Sect had ten clans and one hundred fiefdoms bound to it, after what happened a hundred years ago, the Holy Blood Sect had lost all its sub-influences except for the loyalty of only one of them.
The Bloody Moon Fiefdom, the power center owned by Mora's mother, had not severed its ties with the sect no matter what.
"Thank you for your help. After procuring the mechanical tool that will enable us to set off as soon as possible, we will not cause you any more trouble!"
Alis touched the man's shoulder in a friendly manner as he passed by him; in these moments, the young girl behind him had not uttered a word.
"Impossible, since these hyenas received the news of your arrival, I cannot leave you alone just like that. Wait for a while, you can leave when the necessary support comes from the sect!"
"What is your name?"
Unlike the dry reddish hard soil she stepped on, the young girl with soft skin of porcelain whiteness opened her mouth for the first time.
"Sebastian, little lady!"
"No need to worry about us, my request from you will be for you to manage to stay alive for a few more years. Inside the Holy Blood Sect, there is a great need for people like you."
When Nafız passed by him, the middle-aged man had frozen without saying a single word; he knew he was sent here as an exile, but a young girl who looked half his age had given him hope regarding the sect he was bound to by heart.
He quickly arranged a vehicle with which the duo could realize their journey; his eye was still on them when they overcame the blockade formed by the unit keeping the port under control and advanced.
"You blew the guy's mind!"
"Don't talk nonsense! The state of the sect is obvious these days; I wonder how many people like this man are left?"
After entering the necessary information, the duo lay back and started to enjoy themselves; although the basis of this action was the fatigue given by the ship journey, another reason was the depressing monotony of the route.
The point where Alis and Nafız went ashore was the lands belonging to the Holy Blood Sect, and the only dominant color in this place was the shades of red.
The continent, which had a giant volcano in its center, consisted of six regions; the Holy Sects ruled these areas, each having a different climate and geography.
While the Royal Family standing at their head ruled them all, they had taken the Hell Palace close to the mouth of the volcano as their residence.
It could be thought that the Holy Blood Sect took its name from the techniques using blood, but in fact, they were forced to do so. When what was scattered into the air during the last eruption that occurred a thousand years ago was buried deep in these lands, the fate of the region was also determined.
The color of the terrain, which turned into a large mining field, had reddened, and its soil had turned into infertile crimson dust. The only possibility remaining to live was to dig the soil, find the crystals inside, and then sustain life by selling them.
Here, the name of these crystals is Blood Crystals, and they are substances of vital importance for developing the techniques of the Holy Blood Sect.
Other regions would use them to nourish their blood and develop their bodies, while the Empire of Machines frequently needed Blood Crystals for their scientific research.
Vegetation-free, dry, and crack-covered crimson lands, steamy fog that did not lift even during the day, and the Holy Sect losing dominance would be the features summarizing this region best.
"Halt!"