"From here, we'll head across the snowfield to Kimi Cheiru, where we can change boats. Hmm, it's not too far."
Oran compared the old map with the new one, confirmed their current location, and then re-planned their route.
Except when traveling or for convenience, Oran wouldn't use the Book-Book Fruit for flight; controlling a book for long-distance travel involved too many considerations and operations.
If there was a fixed route, he would generally still choose to travel by ship.
While Oran was planning their route, Lyliana was patiently staring at the bobber on the water.
She didn't seem impatient at all; instead, she appeared very composed.
Her pink cold-weather suit was very conspicuous on the snowfield, like a bright star adorning this pure white world.
Even with a strong physique, necessary cold-weather measures still needed to be taken, otherwise Oz would be an example.
If clothing could provide warmth, there was naturally no need to suffer.
Lyliana's eyes sparkled with curiosity and excitement, and the ice-fishing rod she held tightly was very steady, with only the fishing line at the tip gently swaying in the cold wind.
This was her first time ice fishing, and she was currently overflowing with novelty.
In the distance, icebergs towered into the clouds, and occasionally, faint sounds of ice layers squeezing together could be heard, as if it were the earth's deep breath.
The sunlight slanted across the ice, stretching Lyliana's figure long. Her shadow danced on the ice, forming a stark contrast with the surrounding silence.
Kait was very relaxed beside her, leaning back in her chair in a very comfortable manner, holding the fishing rod with her tail instead of her hands or a stand.
Her breath condensed into small white mists in the cold air, scattering with the wind.
Perhaps due to the severe cold, the fish beneath the ice seemed very sluggish, and the bobber remained unchanged for a long time.
Suddenly, the bobber plunged, and a smile appeared on Lyliana's lips. She immediately jumped up from her chair and began a tug-of-war with the fish that had taken the bait at the bottom of the sea.
Although Lyliana had patience, she lacked skill in fishing. At this moment, the fishing rod in her hand was bent into an inverted U-shape, and the fishing line was pulled taut.
"Come up!"
Lyliana exerted force with both arms, and a swordfish, a size larger than herself, was dragged out of the water.
Perhaps because Lyliana was in her beginner's protection period for ice fishing, her fishing rod only broke under the strain after the fish was flung onto the ice.
"Yay, I caught one! Sister Kait, you have a fish on your line too!"
"Oh, you're right! Let me see what I caught."
Kait also lacked skill in reeling in, but she was cheating. Unlike Lyliana's fishing line, Kait's was metal, and after a fish bit, she controlled her body to release an electric current.
Others were fishing; she was electrofishing. This was also a tradition of the Mink Tribe.
Waiting for the fish to bite before discharging electricity was probably the Mink Tribe's last respect for the activity of fishing.
"So ugly, why did I catch such a thing?"
What Kait caught was not a fish, but an eagle-headed creature, which, according to classification, belonged to the Sea Kings.
In this vast sea, besides various strange fish, the most unique creatures were sea beasts and Sea Kings. Sea beasts were all mammals, generally having the upper body of a mammal.
Strange creatures like sea giraffes and sea tigers were examples.
Super-large fish, reptiles, amphibians, and birds were classified as Sea Kings.
The size difference among Sea Kings was also very large, ranging from the super-large Sea Kings in the Calm Belt and the deep sea of Fish-Man Island to the relatively mini Sea Kings in the Four Seas.
This Sea King with a bald eagle's head seemed to be one of those types.
"Although it doesn't look good, it feels like it would be delicious."
Lyliana's purpose in fishing was very simple; she didn't want to catch and then release, performing strange acts of accumulating merit. She simply wanted to eat her prey.
Even though Oran's book space and the snack book in her backpack stored a large amount of fresh food, she would still not refuse this act of hunting.
If considered purely from a survival perspective, the snacks in her snack book could last for quite a long time; the stock she bought out on Fish-Man Island last time hadn't been eaten yet.
Opening her book to a new page, Lyliana took out a set of cooking utensils from inside and set up a grill outside.
"Dad! Are you done with your work? I've already caught the fish!"
"Are you hungry? Then wait a moment. We'll depart after we eat."
Grilling is a cooking method inherited in human genes. Theoretically, as long as the ingredients aren't too bad, simply grilling them will always make them edible.
Although none of the people present were professional chefs, they could still cook simple meals. In not much time, most of the food had gone into Lyliana's stomach.
When Oran and his group set off again, there were also many other things added to their team, such as a group of snow wolves pulling carts.
They were attracted by the scent of food and discovered the group grilling in place.
On this ice plain, food was relatively scarce, and the fierce beasts living there would not miss any hunting opportunities. In the wolf pack's view, these were merely a group of two-legged beasts.
It was now winter, a time of food scarcity, and heavy snow had almost covered all signs of life. The wolf pack didn't want to let so much meat get away, but when they acted, reality dealt the wolf pack a painful blow.
The largest girl on the other side was saying a bunch of strange things.
Such as "Such cute dogs," "No fighting," "Don't steal others' food," and other human languages they couldn't understand.
Then, with one slap each, she knocked down all the strong young wolves in the pack.
To avoid becoming their food, these snow wolves eventually became sled wolves pulling carts.
This was a temporary mode of transportation assembled to save effort while moving across the ice plain, and these self-delivered snow wolves were forced to expend their physical strength.
The only good news was that they received food from these two-legged beasts.
"Meow hates dogs, these guys look so stupid."
"Sister Kait, Dad said they are wolves."
"It's all the same to meow."
Although sitting on the sled, Kait still felt a sense of dislike in her heart, perhaps it was the instinct of a cat Mink.
"At least they're obedient, aren't they? It'll take some time to reach our destination from here, and with them pulling the cart, we'll be much more relaxed."
Saying that, Oran threw a few pieces of dried meat forward, and accompanied by a series of wolf howls, these snow wolves seemed to run even harder.
They couldn't win in a fight, so for survival, they had no choice but to obey.
While Oran and his group were still traveling across the snowfield, Qingjiao had already returned to Flower Country.
At the headquarters of the Eight Treasure Navy, the pillar of the Two Treasure Navy was currently waiting for Qingjiao's return, and from his brows, it was not difficult to discern a sense of smugness.
"Hasn't Qingjiao returned yet? This old man thinks a marriage alliance is an excellent choice. You are already married, so let your future children and my grandchildren marry and become one family. This will benefit both of us.
The Two Treasure Navy and the Eight Treasure Navy can also combine their strengths and become a true Ten Treasure Navy."
The Two Treasure Navy, like the Eight Treasure Navy, was a violent organization in Flower Country, and both had an idea about "Ten Treasure."
The situation of the Eight Treasure Navy was not very good now. Qingjiao's son did not inherit his combat talent, and the Eight Impact Fist had not yet reached the level of Cone Dragon Cone Nail, unable to bear the main burden of the Eight Treasure Navy.
Originally, when Qingjiao was not injured, the Two Treasure Navy had not thought about this matter. At that time, marrying into the Eight Treasure Navy, the initiative would certainly fall into Qingjiao's hands.
But now it was different. The Eight Treasure Navy had entered a transitional period due to Qingjiao's injury. According to unofficial news, Qingjiao even had thoughts of retiring.
So the Two Treasure Navy chose this timing to propose a marriage alliance, hoping to gain more initiative. The Two Treasure Navy in the original timeline also did this.
At that time, after losing its pillar, the Eight Treasure Navy finally agreed to the marriage alliance, as they also needed the strength of the Two Treasure Navy to stabilize the situation of the Eight Treasure Navy.
"Hahaha, merge? That's a good idea! I also want the Eight Treasure Navy to become the Ten Treasure Navy!"
At this moment, Qingjiao also returned here and directly accepted the matter on behalf of his son.
"But who will be in charge of the future Ten Treasure Navy?"
"Qingjiao? Your head…"
"Oh, I found a super strong doctor who healed it.
Hey, don't leave! Let's finish discussing the marriage alliance first!"
The leader of the Two Treasure Navy found an excuse to leave. Although a marriage alliance was a good thing, if Qingjiao recovered to his peak, the Two Treasure Navy would find it difficult to achieve their expected gains, ultimately leading him to choose to postpone the matter.
Because of this cone head, the situation in Flower Country was even changed to some extent, and on the snowfield, Oran also released those snow wolves back into the wild.
Most of the surrounding snow had already melted, revealing the tender grass beneath. After the wolf pack worked hard for a few days, Oran and his group successfully left the initial ice plain.
"Hmm, the location is correct. Kimi Cheiru is ahead. Once we get there, we can buy boat tickets to our next destination."
Not only pirate ships and warships sailed on the sea, but also ordinary merchant ships and passenger ships. In the Four Seas, the sea environment was not as dangerous as the Grand Line.
For people with certain financial means, traveling to nearby countries for vacation was a common occurrence.
The World Government also had dedicated shipping routes between Allied Nations. Although the frequency of voyages was very low, with some unpopular islands even having only one round trip per year, there was still a way to connect.
Not everyone would specially prepare ships for long voyages; a boat ticket was the mode of travel for most people.
"So, Dad, where are we going next?"
"Ohara."
"Ohara?"
"Yes, the current holy land of archaeology. There's a very special library there, and I'm interested in its collection of books."
Under Clover's efforts, scholars from all over the world saw his determination to explore history. This belief inspired many, causing scholars from various parts of the world to gather in Ohara.
In Ohara, there was a towering tree over five thousand years old. Scholars built a library inside the tree, storing documents and materials from various places there. It was now known as the Tree of Omniscience Library.
The scope of those materials was very broad, not only things like ancient texts but also a lot of information on technology, geography, biology, and other fields.
The map of Ice Country was a similar historical record. Oran currently had no plans to research the history text. Researching that wouldn't bring him any profit, but rather unnecessary trouble.
He just wanted to copy other materials, and the World Government didn't care about that, unless Oran stayed in Ohara every day and researched the Void Century with those scholars, which would cause trouble.
Moreover, at this point in time, the matter of researching the history text had not been fully exposed, so even staying for a while wouldn't be an issue.
Oran's current identity was an excellent partner of the Marine, not some lawbreaker who would put a lid on the World Government's coffin.
But in fact, what Oran was researching was actually more dangerous than the Void Century; it was just that the World Government was completely unaware of how threatening the technology Oran possessed truly was.
"Clover, meow remembers him. His relationship with Dr. Vegapunk seems pretty good, right? He's the one with hair like a Clover."
"That's him. After copying one document, the purpose of this trip will pretty much be completed."
Many parts of those materials were of considerable value. Dr. Vegapunk's many inventions also had a significant connection to those materials. Oran himself possessed the ability of the Book-Book Fruit, making him a walking library.
For him, copying materials didn't require handwriting or photocopying; he just needed to go in and touch them once, and he could replicate those books in his own bookshelf.
"Let's go, buy three boat tickets. It's quite close from here to Ohara."
"Dad, is this country a bit abnormal? I think they all seem so gloomy…"
Lyliana observed the pedestrians on the road; most of them wore black top hats, their expressions gloomy, and many even had a deadpan look on their faces.
Even the Bionic Man Oran made looked more alive than these people.
"Hey, travelers? Do you need custom coffins and graves? We can provide exclusive grave-digging services."
The coffin shop was located right in the middle of the street, and the owner was shamelessly soliciting customers.
This was a custom of Kimi Cheiru. This country was also known as the Country of Graves, with half of its land area being cemeteries, and most of its citizens engaged in funeral-related businesses.
Due to its geographical location, it had always been known as a geomantically auspicious place in the West Blue, and many people were buried in this land.
"No need! We're all perfectly alive!"
The owner's greeting made Lyliana very unhappy; she felt that the owner seemed to be wishing for people to die quickly.
The owner didn't mind Lyliana's words, looking as if he was used to it, and casually closed the door.
"Alright, Lyley, this country is just like this. We'll just leave here as soon as possible."
"Meow doesn't like it here either. The atmosphere here is too weird. Just now, meow just asked for directions, and those people looked like they had seen a ghost."
Due to the customs of Kimi Cheiru, cats symbolized bad luck in this place, and locals generally avoided contact with cats.
In any case, this was just a transit point, and Oran had no intention of lingering.
Their luck was good this time; Oran had just found out that a ship would be leaving here for Ohara tonight.
Once they passed through the cemetery area ahead, the group would reach the dock, but there seemed to be an argument breaking out in this cemetery.
"Get lost, Absalom! This cemetery is contracted by us, you brat have no right to dig graves here!"
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