Chapter 286 - 6: Navigator
"Giganthia Temple?" Komer was taken aback, noting from the man’s tone that the temple seemed to be quite famous; yet, somehow, he had never heard of it before.
Seeing the puzzled look on Komer’s face, the bearded man mistook his confusion for a lack of understanding of the South and, quickly glancing around, lowered his voice a bit before explaining, "The situation in the Southern Continent and the Northern Continent is somewhat different, especially in the regions near the Mediterranean Sea. The ethnicities and religious beliefs in these areas have major differences compared to the North. The Shark people are rulers of the waters, but they haven’t formed a united force; instead, they are divided into many tribes living in the Mediterranean Sea. Some islands serve as their important bases, and as long as no one invades these islands, they generally do not interfere with the feuds and grudges among races on the Continent."
"The countries and powers near the Southern Mediterranean are mostly multi-ethnic mosaics. Though we mortals also make up a considerable portion, the numbers of dwarfs, the Elf Clan, as well as Half-Beastmen and Half-Elves are much greater. Even the mortal powers there are quite different from ours here. Dwarfs and the Elf Clan follow their own traditional deities, while the mortals there mostly worship the God of Darkness—Hades, the god of the underworld. The Church of Light is not very popular there and faces oppression from local governments. Giganthia Temple is the most important temple of dark worship for Piraeus City State, the most vital mortal city-state within the Corinth City-State Union. It is said to house the sacred objects of Hades, the god of darkness, and it stands on Kixila Island, which belongs to Piraeus in Aegean Bay. The temple collapsed during a storm after the fleet from the Severo Kingdom was stranded there. The priests of Piraeus City State claimed that the dwarfs had desecrated the dark god in Giganthia Temple, leading to the storm and the temple’s destruction. Therefore, they demanded the Severo Kingdom to hand over those who desecrated their god. However, it seems important figures from the Severo Kingdom were also part of that fleet, causing an ongoing dispute that has intensified the conflict—now affecting the safety of the entire Aegean Bay."
It was evident that Captain Portalan was very knowledgeable about the entire situation in the Mediterranean, and not in a superficial way either—he was privy to the kind of secrets that were beyond the reach of most, a clear sign that he was someone with a significant background in the Mediterranean. It was puzzling, though, why such a man would deign to work as the captain of a passenger ship.
"Oh, a natural disaster causing a temple to fall, and that leads to hostility between two countries? Isn’t that a bit exaggerated? Perhaps my choice of words isn’t quite accurate, but such a scenario is somewhat perplexing. It seems unbelievable that two nations sharing the same region could come into conflict or even war over such affairs. Captain Portalan, what do you think?" Komer shrugged, unable to comprehend the occurrence of such events.
"No, it’s not entirely for that reason. If it were just for that, it wouldn’t have escalated to this point. The relationship between mortals and dwarfs is not that close, but it’s not as bad as some in the North imagine. However, Piraeus City State and Severo Kingdom have never been on the best of terms, but within the Corinth City-State Union, there are two Elf Clan cities. While members of the City-State Union, they’ve always maintained a fairly close relationship with the Severo Kingdom. For years, it has been these two cities that have facilitated negotiations between the two sides, keeping peace in Aegean Bay. But it seems this time, due to other priorities, the two Elf Clan city-states didn’t intervene much in this matter, leading to a deterioration of the situation."
From this conversation, Komer could sense that the bearded captain had a thorough knowledge of the Corinth City-State Union. This only deepened Komer’s curiosity, as the Union was formed by the city-states along the important bays of the Southern Mediterranean—Aegean Bay, Saronikos Bay, and Corinthia Bay—with economies primarily relying on craftsmanship, trade, shipbuilding, and navigation. Encouraging trade policies, their maritime and shipbuilding industries were extremely developed. A navigator like Captain Portalan should have easily found a well-paid captain’s position in the Southern Mediterranean, or even led a fleet.
"Captain Portalan, forgive my boldness, but I must ask: Are you from the Corinth City-State Union? And do you currently hold the qualifications of a Navigator or a Great Navigator?" Perhaps feeling a strange affinity for the bearded captain with the tinge of sadness always present in his eyes, Komer couldn’t help but inquire further.
After a moment of surprise, Captain Portalan gave a faint bitter smile and replied, "Indeed, sir, you guessed correctly. I was born in Sparta and grew up in Oubeia. I’ve loved sailing since I was a child and have lived at sea for many years. I’ve held the qualifications of a Navigator for quite some time. As for being a Great Navigator, heh, securing that title isn’t just about experience—it also requires a considerable amount of money, and I don’t have that kind of spare cash at the moment."