After leaving the Briss Kingdom, the speed of the Helgrave Pirates' journey slowed significantly over the next few days.
On the third day after setting out, the Pufferfish was caught in a fierce South Blue hurricane.
Even with its cargo hold packed full of gold, the ship rocked violently under the onslaught.
Fortunately, the hull of the Pufferfish was supported by a special metal framework, if not for that, it would've been torn apart by the winds.
The storm blew them far off course, costing them an extra two days of travel to reach their destination.
Finally, on the eighth day after leaving the Briss Kingdom, a towering peak piercing the clouds came into view.
Though the Red Line was known to be a vast, belt-shaped landmass, its sheer scale could only be truly appreciated when standing within it.
The mountain before them was an offshoot of that mighty continent.
At the furthest point of this mountainous spur stood a conical volcano. Only two-thirds of the peak was visible, the upper third was shrouded in thick, perpetual cloud cover.
"I don't know where the tallest mountain in the world is," Elvis said with awe in his voice, eyes fixed on the looming peak ahead, "but this has got to be the tallest volcano!"
As someone who had grown up on the Red Line, he'd seen dozens if not hundreds of towering peaks, but never one like this, with smoke and fire rising from its crown.
"That's probably an island cloud. Tesla, bring the Pufferfish in for a landing there," Ashen ordered, pointing at a solid-looking patch of cloud above the volcano.
"Captain, there's a village down there!"
About ten minutes later, once the Pufferfish landed on the edge of the cloud island, Lafitte was the first to spot something.
And the villagers had noticed them too. A group of people led by a middle-aged man hurried in their direction.
"Thank the gods! Someone's finally come. Welcome to Ataka Village! I'm the village chief, Ojos."
The man at the front didn't seem the least bit concerned by their pirate attire. In fact, it felt like he had been hoping for someone, anyone, to show up.
After a few polite exchanges, the villagers eagerly invited the group into the village.
Once inside, Ojos gave some quick instructions to the other villagers and then led the crew to his own tent.
"Hey, Ojos, why does everyone in your village look at us like that?"
Lafitte, unsettled by the ravenous stares they'd received, finally voiced his discomfort. The villagers' gazes were like starving wolves eyeing up a herd of fat sheep.
Ojos's broad, simple face pulled into an apologetic smile as he explained, "I'm terribly sorry. It's just… it's been a very long time since we've seen outsiders…"
His explanation shed light on the history, and the tragedy, of the village.
Ataka Village was one of the starting points for those trying to reach Sky Island.
Every so often, pirate ships and expedition vessels would set out from here. But the harsh environment and countless unknowns meant most never returned.
Those few who did survive often found themselves stranded here, unable to leave.
Over generations, the villagers had managed to eke out a hard life in this isolated place. So whenever new people arrived, their hopes soared.
They didn't expect to be rescued, but even just receiving a bit of food or supplies from the outside world was a blessing.
"We can spare some supplies," Ashen said, "but I have a condition."
Though he sympathized with their plight, Ashen had no intention of bringing them aboard.
The Pufferfish couldn't carry so many people, and even if it could, he had no interest in dragging along that kind of burden.
"Anything! If you can just give us some supplies, we'll agree to anything!" Ojos quickly responded, knowing the villagers would never forgive him if he let this opportunity slip away.
"My request is simple. I've heard that the volcano below contains a large amount of Seastone. Take me to it."
"What? You want to go to Delsalado?!"
Ojos was stunned, then quickly shook his head. "No way! You can't go down there right now, it's too dangerous! You'll die!"
"Delsalado?"
Ashen's interest was immediately piqued. As for the rest of Ojos's warnings, he ignored them completely.
"Oh, that's the name the locals down by the volcano gave it centuries ago," Ojos explained. "It means 'Salt Eye.' We just kept calling it that."
Seeing how intrigued they were, he continued, "Delsalado stands around seven thousand meters tall. Very few people have ever reached the summit.
It has two craters. When the wind blows the clouds away, you can see them clearly, they look just like a pair of eyes. The walls inside are full of salt crystal formations, hence the name 'Salt Eye.'"
At the mention of "Salt Eye," Ashen and Tesla exchanged a glance and spoke in unison.
"Perfect. We're going to Delsalado."
"Go if you want, but leave me out of it! I don't have a death wish!"
...
Half an hour later, under the horrified gazes of the villagers, Ashen and Tesla grabbed Ojos and jumped straight off Ataka.
"Aaaaaaah! We're gonna die! Save meeeee!"
Amid Ojos's terrified wailing, the three of them landed at the summit of Delsalado.
Now that they were above the cloud cover, Ashen finally got a clear look at the volcano in its entirety.
There were two craters, one a churning pit of lava, the other a boiling volcanic lake.
The lake constantly released plumes of steam, and if one looked closely, small clouds occasionally rose along with it. It was hard to tell whether they were sea clouds or island clouds.
"This is the place. I can smell it."
Standing at the edge of the lake, Ashen inhaled deeply, tasting the sharp salt in the air. He nodded.
Beside him, Tesla picked up a grayish rock and crushed it with some effort.
"Captain, it's definitely Seastone, but the purity's low."
They pressed on, ascending the ring-shaped crater rim before descending into the volcano's mouth.
The slope wasn't vertical, and the boiling lake only took up half the crater's area.
By this point, the heat was pushing the limits of human endurance. Ojos could go no further, and Ashen had him stay behind.
Clink!
Ashen tested the ground with his blade. The sword barely left a scratch.
A pleased smile crossed his face, his sword had only etched a faint line. That meant the Seastone here was of extremely high purity.
This trip hadn't been for nothing.
Gurgle... gurgle...
Just as the two were reveling in their discovery, the water of the volcanic lake suddenly began to bubble, violently, and in increasing volume.
"Run! That monster's coming out!" Ojos screamed in terror.