At the end of the day, the village shared more of their stories. Some were about previous generations of villagers fighting off nearby monsters, and some were about travelers who tried to attack them. Hikari found these far less interesting than the prospect of mermaids. Nonetheless, she soaked up as much information as possible.
When the next day started, it was time for the crew to set sail again. They readied their boat on the water, yet the villagers looked sad by their departure.
"Don't worry," Hikari said, "we will come back. By then, we might have an entirely new story to tell."
Sarrah smiled at the elven goddess. "I will look forward to it then, and we'll all be holding you to that. May the God of Deep Waters bless your journey."
Hikari wondered who that god was supposed to be, but she'd also not truly met another god aside from Amelia and the tree in the forest if that counted. At the very least, she'd seen Amelia's sister, albeit briefly.
