"Tighten the sails and secure the cargo

What else do you need?

Hold on tight, young man!

The vast sky and sea

They make you a man

.....

Remember the dance steps

We never look back

As the Goddess wishes

We become braver

.....

We fold laughter into envelopes

And send them to distant shores of home

Oh my Johnny!"

The sailors were cleaning the battleship, which emerged unscathed from a great battle, singing in unison a song belonging to the brave sailors of the sea.

The cheerful singing floated across the battleship, while seabirds hovered above, and the sailors' beloved white dolphins occasionally leaped out of the water beside them, seemingly infected by the sailors' song.

With the first victory achieved, having annihilated a Great Pirate with a bounty exceeding three thousand Golden Lions, the crew, whose cohesion and confidence were unprecedentedly high, steered the "Conch" to sail towards the "Saint Martin Island Naval Base" marked on the nautical chart.

They had every reason to be happy...

But now the sun was almost setting below the horizon.

After today's great battle, although morale was high, everyone was actually very tired, and not rushing to continue, Aiven decided to anchor for the night and rest, planning to continue onward at dawn tomorrow (during normal sailing, sailing ships usually operate in three or two shifts, and the ship doesn't rest).

"My Chief Navigator, please find us a suitable anchorage as a temporary haven."

As the Chief Navigator, familiar with the sea and routes, Milan naturally stood out to lead the "Conch".

True to his ability from the Third Fleet competitions, in just an hour and a half, with the last glow of the sunset, he guided the "Conch" to the edge of a small island not documented on the nautical chart.

Circumnavigating to one side of the island to block the howling sea winds, they lowered sails and anchors, successfully settling down.

The ship's cook brought out the best ingredients treasured in the reserves and fresh sea fish caught by the sailors, preparing a sumptuous dinner for everyone. Barrels of rum were brought out to celebrate this great victory without any casualties and to toast Captain Aiven's wisdom and strength!

"Cheers! To victory!"

"Cheers! To our great Captain!"

"Haha, cheers! To the bravest sailors on the sea!"

"....."

After eating and drinking to their fill, the First Mate took care of assigning the night's watch, and everyone else went to rest early.

As the captain, Aiven naturally had to ensure the safety of his crew, especially in this unfamiliar sea area. He had already sent his seabirds to scout for any movements on the island.

Confirming that there were no notable dangerous predators, he felt at ease letting the First Mate manage the arrangements while he returned to his captain's quarters.

Hoot hoot...

The Owl Bass, already settled in the captain's quarters, hooted twice at seeing its owner come in. This was the creature's most spirited time despite its magical modifications, they could not completely suppress this nature.

"Bass, go and play on your own, but don't go too far."

Letting the child-like restless Bass roam on its own, it already possessed enough wisdom that Aiven need not worry too much.

Lighting the gas lamp, Aiven took out the "Eagle Warrior Training Method" obtained from an Aboriginal youth and began to study it word by word.

Combining the records within and his own accumulation of mysterious knowledge, a few good insights and application schemes vaguely formed in his mind.

"Although this method of carving natural spirit totem tattoos on the body seems very powerful, it is mixed with too many faith-related factors and impurities of nature spirit worship.

If I want to use this power, I should find a way to simplify the totem, completely abandoning the influence of so-called nature spirits and faith power, or perhaps in some form of rune?

At least, the direction of this power shouldn't point to some independent-minded dangerous entity!"

Aiven rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.

Undoubtedly, the totem power of the "Eagle Warrior" is a very useful strength, but it is not easy to casually decipher it.

If one could simply engrave the corresponding "Spiritual Text" on the body, the Wizards Pioneers who participated in the New Continent's exploration would have perfected this power a century ago, even integrating it into the Wizard's system.

To make the corresponding "Rune" effective, it might require a whole system to support it, which is no simpler than establishing a new extraordinary language system.

Temporarily setting aside the various challenges to be resolved, Aiven decided first to thoroughly study this unique extraordinary system, at least to the degree of replicating it on others, before thinking about how to improve it.

While studying and writing on paper, besides constantly recording details with "Data Visualization", Aiven also noted every critical knowledge in his own Witchcraft Notes for future reference.

Though "Data Visualization" is more convenient than paper records, Aiven always felt that in the process of writing and reading, knowledge became easier to understand, digest, and apply creatively.

Aside from the help of "Golden Finger" to track each bit of progress, Aiven's good learning habits and self-discipline have been crucial to his journey thus far.

Even without "Data Visualization" now, he wouldn't be lost among the crowd!

"Phew—, study really does feel fulfilling."

Unknowingly, it was already close to midnight; Aiven rolled up the parchment, turned off the gas lamp, climbed onto the bed, and started his meditation practice.

Since having a better-conditioned independent captain's quarters, Aiven's nightly meditation efficiency had markedly improved compared to when on the "Silver Wings".

Along with the precious hand-written notes and auxiliary potions inherited from the Alchemy School, having been a Wizard for just over half a year, Aiven's spiritual power index had reached 0.55, very close to the late-apprentice requirement of 0.66.

Although Aiven still used only the Basic Meditation Method obtained from Leon's Pharmacy Notes to this day, it was solid and stable without any biases, and it didn't create obstacles for future path choices.

Returning to Gabred from New Inn Port.

It would be a bit ridiculous for Aiven in his past life to do such a thing, but Aiven indeed had Milan perform a divination on his future path for him.

But, whether due to Milan's limited ability or for some other reason, the results only offered one nonsensical, cryptic phrase that concealed everything under a veil of mist:

"Follow the guidance of your heart, and the predicament will eventually turn into an opportunity."

pah! it was as if nothing was said.

On the whole, while the Alchemy School's "Magic Potion" is excellent, the raw material limitations make the ingredients for higher-tier potions very rare. Not to mention the ultimate creation of the Alchemy School's "Magic Potion Branch", the "Fountain of Eternal Youth", gathering the ingredients would require scouring the entire ocean.

Even with top-notch skill meeting advancement standards, one is often left without the needed materials to work with. Moreover, choosing this path inevitably shifts the professional focus towards research, much like Delis presently.

Yet the adventurer's blood boiling within him made Aiven unwilling to merely engage in research. If he could gain the power to conquer the "sea and the unknown" in parallel, all the better.

For now, Aiven restrained himself from immediately switching to the "Alchemy School Meditation Method", following his inner voice to decide on waiting a bit longer.

Splash splash splash——

The subtle sound of waves outside the window instead further calmed Aiven's heart, deeply immersing him in a meditative state, his spiritual power growing and becoming even keener.

Outside, there were sounds of patrolling seamen on night watch, murmuring between two lookouts on the mast, snores echoing inside the cabins, and even the island not far away echoing bird calls and insect chirrups.

This state of almost breathing with the world together was deeply mesmerizing.

Gradually, the keen spiritual senses delved deeper into his body as spiritual power continued to grow and strengthen, leading Aiven into a comprehensive deep meditation.

Thus, he completely failed to notice, some unknown change silently began to unfold outside.

Pop...pop...

From the distant dark sea surface, two huge bubbles emerged, as if a massive shadow was swimming underwater, yet disappeared within an instant.

"Hey, why did the fog suddenly roll in?" one of the lookouts on the mast remarked softly to his companion as he watched a layer of mist gradually rise from the sea.

"It's quite normal for this season, let's just hope it clears by morning and doesn't delay our route." The companion observed through his brass monocular for a while, encountering nothing unusual.

"Hope so! Yawn, don't know why I am especially sleepy tonight, could fall asleep right here on the mast."

"Don't you sleep, I'm feeling a bit drowsy too! But hang in there, shift change soon, just don't expect me to plead for you if the First Mate catches and lashes you twice!"

"Mm, alright, n...not...sleep...snore..snore..snore..."

"Snore...snore..."

The two on duty, who were just chatting, fell asleep just like that.

More bizarrely, they closed their eyes and snored, one after the other sliding down the mast, step by step entering the thickening mist spreading on the deck...

And disappeared without a trace.

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