Lucilia was caught steadily by Chadite’s outstretched hand.
At that moment, the singing had also stopped. Julia placed her harp aside and walked over, observing Lucilia’s current state.
"Wow, your skin is amazing! So smooth and tender, and so fair. It doesn’t look like a puppet’s at all," Chadite couldn’t help but exclaim, rubbing Lucilia’s arm with her fingers, a hint of envy in her eyes. This puppet’s skin really was excellent.
"Hmm, it’s just like a real body, except some internal organs are different," Lucilia explained. Discover more novels at nοvelfire.net
"Do you have enough clothes? If not, we can make some together. How about I help you design them? I’ve had a lot of great new ideas lately," Chadite offered, her eyes shining brightly as she admired Lucilia.
"No problem, no problem!" Lucilia replied, a little excited herself.
"Should we add some pearls or shells? Or I could add some more intricate embroidery to your clothes?" Julia couldn’t help but chime in.
The others on the ship had only recently learned that Julia possessed exceptional skill in embroidery, which seemed to be related to her Spell.
The three women then fell into an enthusiastic conversation, growing more excited as they made their way to their rooms on the third floor of the sterncastle.
Alka, who was nearby, wasn’t particularly concerned; he had been in the manufacturing hall for a long time. Now, he was on deck, stretching thoroughly, basking in the sun, enjoying the sea breeze, and breathing in the fresh air. He glanced around; he hadn’t been on deck for a while. It seemed several more ships had arrived, anchoring not far from their own vessel.
Alka gazed towards the distant island. Through openings in the view, he could see it seemed quite lively.
Just as he was looking, he noticed a speedboat heading towards the Sound of Dawn. As it drew closer, Alka recognized the vessel as the Swallow. Its blue and white paint scheme helped it remain concealed at sea. Its sails bore the Compass Eye Badge; he didn’t know when it had been added.
Jason and Juanlu were at the helm, and beside them, Alka could see a shark’s dorsal fin cutting rapidly through the water.
The three were returning from the island.
They soon reached the bow of the Sound of Dawn. Slowly maneuvering their vessel, they began to reverse it stern-first into an opening at the Sound of Dawn’s bow. The Swallow’s mast could be seen lowering and retracting—a simple modification made previously at the shipyard. This was primarily so the smaller ship could enter the Sound of Dawn’s hull completely.
Not long after, the three of them emerged from the lower deck.
After greeting Alka, Juanlu headed to the dining area to prepare dinner.
Jason and Pororo walked over.
"Alka, you finally decided to come out!" Jason greeted him. "Was it a success?"
Alka nodded. He then looked at them and asked, "You went to the island? Did something happen this morning? It looked quite lively from here."
Jason nodded and approached. "A few days ago, several ships arrived. They’re reportedly from the Tulip Empire, escorting a Prince."
"Yes, and he’s preparing to enter the Endless Sea. But the Prince is incredibly weak; I’d say he’s only about One Spiral."
"Why would such a weak Prince want to go to the Endless Sea?"
Hearing Alka’s question, Jason just shrugged. "I have no idea. Maybe he’s got a screw loose. Who knows?"
There were too many possibilities, and no benefit in guessing. Akka just nodded and didn’t press the matter.
"But he has a few strong guards with him," Jason continued. "About as strong as Pororo, I think."
"Stop spouting nonsense!" Pororo interjected, clearly annoyed. "Those two little runts? I could tear them apart in a heartbeat!"
"Alright, alright, you’re much stronger than them," Jason conceded, holding his hands up placatingly.
Pororo was currently still at Two Spirals. According to him, he was on the verge of completing his Third Spiral, just one final step away. Without the aid of a Treasure, this step was taking more time, likely also due to the Holy Mother’s suppression in this sea region. Once out of this sea, Pororo should easily break through to Three Spirals. The same went for Chadite; she was just one step behind Pororo. Juanlu had also reached Two Spirals a few weeks ago; with the help of the Meditation Method, breaking through to Two Spirals had been almost effortless.
This meant the current lineup of strength on their ship was already quite formidable. They would soon have one at Six Spirals—she’d reach it as soon as they left this sea, and that time was fast approaching. Alka and the others had long understood that once they passed through the gate out of the Homeland Sea, the Holy Mother’s suppression would vanish. Julia would immediately advance to Six Spirals then, becoming the strongest individual on their ship.
They would have two at Three Spirals, and three at Two Spirals.
The highest combat power among them was, needless to say, Alka, who wielded two Treasures. Alka had discussed this with Julia before. He believed that even if Julia’s strength returned to Six Spirals, she would likely not be a match for him, Alka, who possessed two Treasures. If Akka only possessed one Treasure and wasn’t very proficient with it, Julia might have stood a chance. But now, with two Treasures, Akka had become overwhelmingly powerful.
Six Spirals might seem twice as strong as Three Spirals, but in reality, it was only considered mid-Tier Two.