Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

Ming Yue watched as the scene warped and changed into a similar looking room. Only this time, she could hear the crashing waves of the sea. She followed everyone out of the room where they entered a much larger building. Large glass panes replaced much of the walls and showed a splendid view of the sea. Several stone counters were placed at each corner where purple robed receptionists stood behind.

Other than their group, there was a many others standing around: fishermen from nearby towns and villages, merchants, and ship captains with their crew. They only glanced at the group before going back to their own business. Ming Yue looked around as she walked behind everyone else. Most of what she saw was new to her, especially the sight of the sea. It was quite a sight for her to see.

The day was incredibly early as the sun barely peeked over the Ying Long Sea. It was incredibly calm outside, the surface was clear and without any movement. It was beautiful to look at and brought out the emotion of calmness from within her.

"Let\'s go, everything has already been prepared."

Exiting the building, the Long siblings lead everyone to the docks, which could only be seen as massive. There were hundreds of ships ranging from small wooden boats to massive vessels armed with cannons.

As for the one they would be boarding, it was mid-sized ship, capable of holding over a hundred people. Of all the ships there, this was one of the more fearsome ones. It was heavily armored with a dark green metal, which the Grand Researcher had told her was Deep Sea Iron. It was an extremely tough material that became even stronger when met with water. There were several Roaring Thunder Cannons on either side of the ship, made from a unique stone and Gold Spark Brass. They had already been embedded with lightning cores for use.

As they walked down, Ming Yue noticed a very familiar person, boarding one of the small fishing boats: a young-looking man who carried a much larger wooden backpack.

"Lao Gan?" she thought to herself.

She thought about saying hello to him but time did not allow it as they had begun boarding the ship one by one. As she had begun to step onto the ship, she glanced back him, finding that he had already begun speaking to the fishermen about what she could only assume was food. He seemed incredibly excited about this trip.

There was a small smile on her face as she turned back. As eccentric as he was, Lao Gan was an interesting person to be around.

Being the last person the board the ship, everyone else had already begun setting up the equipment for this trip. This included a wide array of tools that she had never seen before. At the same time, both Long Wang and Long Wei went to the captain\'s cabin and began navigating the ship out of the docks.

On their way out, Ming Yue looked outwards and back at the land. To her right, she saw Lao Gan\'s boat riding by them.

The pair locked eyes as Lao Gan looked at her with surprise and stupor.

"What\'s she doing here?" he thought, "and what sort of ship is that?!"

He could not believe his eyes as he watched the ship pick up speed and practically zoom out of he sea. He tuned to the fishermen of the boat he was on asking them about the identity of that ship.

"Oh them? That ship is from the Dark Water Kingdom. They usually ride out into the deepest part of the sea as that place contains the corpses of dragons and ancient warriors."

"Yes, it\'s quite a dangerous journey but one that they make time and time again. Surprisingly, I\'ve never seen them use the ship to fish before though."

Lao Gan was quite surprised by their talk.

"The Dark Water Kingdom? Didn\'t they close themselves off from the world?" he asked.

"Hah, the Ying Long Sea can be considered one of the special cases where they appear outside of the kingdom. However, they are a quiet bunch. Though we know that they are headed to the center of the sea, we don\'t know their purpose or actions for going there."

"Indeed, the Ying Long Sea is a place open to all so they don\'t act arrogant, though I\'ve never seen them acting in such a way ever. It really does make me wonder what business they have at the gravesite."

The fishermen leaned in speaking in a much lower voice despite there being no one else around them.

"I hear that they come to take the corpses for study. One of the receptionists had spoken of it."

"Probably, after all, this is the Dark Water Kingdom, a place known for their desire of knowledge and as I hear it, a place of gruesome experiments."

"I thought they stopped doing those types of things."

"Maybe, but you never know. Anyways, why are you so interested in that ship anyways? Aren\'t you here to find that Winged Puffer Tuna? On a day like this, we might be able to catch one."

Lao Gan nodded.

"Yes, of course, I\'ve always wanted to have a taste of it. I haven\'t had luck in any of the markets at the cities I\'ve been to. I\'ve heard of its peculiar yet addicting..."

As he spoke on about himself, he thought about Ming Yue in the back of his mind. What was she doing with them? Was she also part of the Dark Wate Kingdom? As curoius as he was, he had to put it aside. Perhaps, they would meet again in the future.

Though the person in question was well on their way to the gravesite. Everyone in the group except Ming Yue was extremely busy, setting up the various tools and outfitting themselves with the proper equipment. They put on two gold and ivory bangles on their wrists.

Long Wang came out of the captain\'s cabin and walked up to Ming Yue, handing her those same bangles.

"Please wear them. They will help dispel some of the pressure that you will feel once we reach the gravesite", she said.

"Thank you", Ming Yue recieved the bangles and wore them immediately.

"No problem, we will arrive at the gravesite in two days", Long Wang left without saying another word, returning to the captain\'s cabin.

Standing by the bow of the ship, Ming Yue looked around, studying the people she would be with for the rest of this trip. There were certainly a few that caught her eye in this group of twenty or so.

At the back of the ship was an old woman, who was busy putting together a multi-layered umbrella that had been covered in markings. Despite her age, her hands were quick and meticulous, the umbrella which had hundreds of pieces were built together with speed and skill. This woman had gray straw-like hair and a grandmotherly disposition. On her back was a pair of shortswords while a third much longer sword hung from her waist.

At the right of the ship was a young and incredibly beautiful woman, whose balanced proportions and pale skin attracted many eyes. However, her eyes were fully focused at the task at hand, drawing and placing a giant formation all throughout the floor of the ship. Her hair was tied back so that it would not cover her eyes and she wore large glasses that accentuated every other part of her face. On her hip was an elegant mace that had a gold gem embedded on it.

Near Ming Yue by the bow of the ship was a bearded man who had bushy brows and hair shaped into a bun. He worked on assembling multiple identical shields, oval shaped and made from steel and other materials. His well maintained hair and beard made him look like a scholar. Furthermore, he carried a white fan with him adding to his scholarly appearance.

Compared to the others, these three caught her eye for they had not given off a feeling of danger. Some instinct within Ming Yue told her that these three have had experience in battle. Everyone else did not come close to the sensation that these three exuded, not even the Long Siblings.

"Two days..." she thought.

Two days until they reached the gravesite.