I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

There is no second continent in this world.

The end of the land is the sea, and the end of the sea is most likely still the sea.

The islands are scattered across the vast ocean, some as large as a tenth the size of a human kingdom, others just big enough to house a lighthouse.

The island's native inhabitants are not strictly speaking human; they live with animal ears and tail fins, and are classified as "beastmen" along with similar races in the kingdom's interior. They have developed their own tribal language and primitive beliefs, mostly based on bloody sacrifices, among the dense forests and reefs.

Faith is the thing the church cannot tolerate the most.

The church views these "heretics" as lost sheep that must be "returned to the right path".

Every few years, the Knights Templar and missionary monks would sail across the sea to establish small churches and outposts on the islands. They would use holy light magic to heal diseases, exchange grains and ironware for trust, and at the same time suppress the sacrificial activities of the tribal priests.

Over time, the orcs on many islands gradually accepted the church's doctrines, and the tribes' original altars were transformed into the Holy Light Chapel.

Because the kingdom had little interest in governing the seas and was unable to maintain its ocean-going fleet, the de facto administrative, judicial, and military power over the overseas islands fell almost entirely into the hands of the church.

If the lords on the island wanted to consolidate their rule, they often needed to obtain the approval of the bishop stationed on the island.

On this ocean, the authority of the Holy Light far surpasses that of the crown.

In other words, as a representative of the church, the hero held a rather transcendent position on those islands.

……

Soon after eating the fruit, the optimistic Lilith stopped being upset and turned her attention to fishing.

Having completely shaken off seasickness, Lilith, who considered herself a fishing expert, was sitting cross-legged on a wooden crate at the bow of the ship, clutching a thin rope she had taken from the kitchen.

A small piece of dried meat was tied to the end of the rope and was being lowered intermittently into the water, trying to lure some unsuspecting flying fish onto the hook.

Ji Tian stood at the ship's side, rolling up the nautical chart again.

He confirmed that, at the current speed, they should be able to reach the outer perimeter of the Southern Islands by tomorrow evening, and the "Big Hat Island" that Evelyn mentioned was also in that direction.

Just then, a hoarse shout came from the sea about two hundred feet to the right of the bow.

"Help—! Is anyone there—! Help—!"

The voice was intermittent, hoarse from being choked by seawater, as if it had been shouting for a long time and was almost out of strength.

Lilith suddenly looked up, loosened the thin rope in her hand, and the dried meat fell silently into the sea.

"Quack! My bait! Wait, Master! There's someone over there!"

She pointed in the direction of the sound, and about two hundred feet away on the sea, there was indeed a figure lying on a half-submerged piece of driftwood.

The man was wearing a soaking wet dark gray short robe, the hem of which was floating on the water. His hair was disheveled and stuck to his face, indicating that he had been soaking in seawater for a long time. Several empty water bags were tied to the driftwood—a typical merchant's attire.

He saw that Lilith on the Seagull had noticed him, and as if grasping at a last straw, she waved in his direction with all her might:

"Help! I'm the captain of the merchant ship 'White Heron'! We've been hijacked by pirates! The ship has sunk, and I'm all alone!"

Lilith turned to look at Ji Tian and the captain. "Should we save him?"

Evelyn stood by the helm, her gaze lingering on the figure for a moment. "Hero, this kind of person is most likely a fraud. People who fall into the water after a merchant ship has been hijacked wouldn't shout with such vigor."

As she spoke, she gestured with her chin in that direction: "Hey—you over there! This is the Elven Royal Court's ship. Are you sure you want me to save you?"

The cries for help on the sea abruptly ceased.

No, what I just saw was clearly a human. How could it be an elf's ship?

The figure glanced at the captain's pointed ears, froze for a moment, and then slowly sat up from the driftwood.

He wiped his face, revealing a tanned, short-bearded middle-aged face, and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace:

"An elf... an elf's ship? Well, never mind, I won't bother you, I'm leaving!"

After he finished speaking, he actually stepped on the piece of driftwood, and with a short paddle that he pulled out from somewhere, the driftwood drew an arc like an arrow and drifted away into the distance.

That speed... was even faster than the speed of the Sea Sparrow.

Lilith stared in disbelief as the figure receded into the distance. "He...he got away?!"

"He's escaped. If he had gotten on your ship, you would not only have to save his life, but in three or four days, you might have been targeted by his accomplices."

Lilith stomped her foot in anger: "How could there be such a wicked person?! Using other people's kindness as bait!"

"That's how it is at sea." Evelyn looked at the distant horizon, her tone becoming calm. "Of course, it's not common. There are rules at sea, and in most seas, the rule is: if you've confirmed that the other party isn't a pirate, you have an obligation to rescue them. If ships encounter someone who has fallen overboard, they won't stand idly by if they can avoid doing so."

"That person..."

"It must be a pirate newbie. Real pirates wouldn't stoop to such tactics; it's too embarrassing, and they'd be laughed at by other pirates if word got out. Only small gangs that have just started out would do something like that."

He crossed the river in white.

Ophelia had been sitting quietly by the ship's railing reading, gazing at the now calm sea, and only spoke softly after the captain finished speaking:

"Captain, he ran away as soon as he heard 'Fairy Ship'... Is it because something happened in the past?"

"It did happen; I heard it from my mother."

The captain recounted: "About seven hundred years ago, not long after Her Majesty the Queen ascended the throne, an elven merchant fleet encountered a fishing boat in distress off the coast."

The people on the ship claimed to be fishermen who had been robbed by pirates and had managed to escape. The elves did not think much of it, rescued them, and gave them food and fresh water.

It turned out that the men were pirates disguised as fishermen, possessing the strength of high-level mages. That very night, they seized control of the ship, killing all twenty-odd elven crew members and hijacking it.

"Given this incident, the Queen was naturally furious and immediately dispatched a demigod from the royal court to handle the matter."

That demigod set out from the royal court, slaughtering so many pirates that they dared not even approach the nearshore waters, fleeing in droves to the open sea.

"Not long after that, Her Majesty the Queen officially amended the law: any act of using the elven people's compassion to commit a crime would be severely punished, with those who went to the islands being exiled for life and those who went to sea being executed on the spot."

Lilith's eyelids twitched as she listened, and she subconsciously asked in a low voice, "Then...did anyone else try it after that?"

"there is none left."

"Are they all this well-behaved?" Lilith had thought she would have to make an example of them every now and then.

"The main reason is that the demigod of the royal court found it too troublesome, so he simply killed off the pirates in just over twenty years without using any forbidden spells."

"...That's not surprising, that's not surprising."