Milan, who went to receive the pirate ship, returned quickly.

"We've struck it rich, Aiven, come with me fast!"

Milan ignored the mud splashing on the ground and rushed to Aiven at top speed, grabbing him to turn and leave.

Understanding what Milan meant, Aiven couldn't help but reveal a joyous expression; the "Big Thumb" is a pirate ship that pillaged White Whale Port!

The former "Eagle Spirit" had nothing because the ammo bay exploded, but today, could it finally be a turnaround?

What could make one happier than defeating the enemy and also gaining a huge bounty?

His pace unconsciously quickened, and after a few steps, he was pulling Milan along.

Soon, the two arrived at the already "cleaned" "Big Thumb" and saw under the gas lamp a pile of treasures dazzling enough to blind someone!

The sailors left behind had already enthusiastically begun tabulating the spoils, and it seemed like they wouldn't have the mind to sleep without finishing tonight.

"Here! I think this thing is just right for you."

Pa—

Aiven raised his hand to catch the long black shadow Milan tossed over.

"Noble Staff?"

Aiven looked at the elegant staff made entirely of what seemed like black ironwood, with a ruby head, and curiously asked, "What do I want this thing for? To assert the captain's authority?"

"Look more closely! It's actually a rare and exquisite 'sword staff,' and it's also an extraordinary weapon!" Milan, seeing that Aiven hadn't grasped its peculiarity, said with a bit of smugness, nothing with value can escape the eyes of us 'Prophets'!

"Oh?"

Aiven's eyes lit up, as he comfortably gripped the handle and gave it a gentle twist.

Ka!

The mechanism clicked open.

Zzzt—

As if enveloped in a layer of frost mist, a line of dazzling cold edge slowly flowed out, a long and slender swift sword seemingly of translucent, bone-chilling coldness.

Aiven casually spun the sword in a flourish, feeling that this sharp treasure encountered almost no resistance in the air, the most glaring sensation was one word, "fast!"

No need to test it on anything, with just the feel Aiven knew that none of the longswords he'd used before matched up to it.

In the past, he primarily used military-standard hand half-swords because their blades were wider and more reliable, especially in perilous battlefields, where even slightly inferior material wouldn't break off directly in weapon collisions.

Now, having an extraordinary weapon, durability was no longer an issue, and Aiven naturally felt more satisfied with this swift sword that could perfectly exhibit the agility trait of "White Sail Swordsmanship."

"How is it? You're almost at a senior level, yet you've been using a navy officer's standard weapon all this while; I think this sword staff suits you, yes, in every aspect."

Milan had long found it awkward that Aiven didn't have an extraordinary weapon matching his status; this time, coincidentally obtaining one from the loot, also compensated for a shortfall in Aiven's combat power.

"Yes, indeed quite nice, even while in the staff, my Spiritual Vision didn't detect a hidden extraordinary level blade inside. Drawing the sword unexpectedly during combat might just catch the opponent off guard."

Returning the sword to the staff, within minutes, Aiven was already enamored with the "sword staff." Holding the ruby-topped cane and leaning on it as a staff felt quite fitting.

In this era, staffs were symbols of style and status for the powerful across nations, and with economic development, this trend was spreading towards the middle class, becoming a popular accessory among men in various countries.

Now, in the hands of Aiven, a bona fide navy captain, it looked perfectly natural.

Soon, Borg, who had finished dealing with the ordinary pirates, also hurried over and joined the team counting the loot.

The "Big Thumb" was rife with bountiful spoils, clearly their gains from the "White Whale Port Massacre," yet before they even got to savor it, it fell into the "Conch's" hands.

Pirates: I'm not creating wealth; I'm just a moving agent of it...?

The counting continued for two hours.

The final conclusion, the total value of the spoils amounted to around eight thousand three hundred Golden Lions, but the ready currency like Golden Lions and Silver Bulls made up less than a third of it; most of the wealth was in various luxury goods such as jewelry, watches, gold and silverware, antiques, paintings, porcelains....

By convention, during wartime engagements on the high seas.

As a captain, Aiven could claim a quarter of the spoils, another quarter was divided among the officers and technical backbone onboard, a quarter went to the Navy Department, and the numerous ordinary crew members shared the remaining quarter.

Moreover, the kingdom set up a specialized "Bounty Court" to ensure strict adherence to the distribution of spoils, which is one reason the kingdom's navy has thrived over the years.

Of course, this time, since the Conch's crew hardly fought, there would be a discount in the distribution of spoils.

...

The storm at sea lasted for another three days.

The crew of the "Conch" also took this opportunity to rest well, and their mental state was very good.

Of course, it might be more that each of them unexpectedly received two Golden Lions, which contributed more to their good spirits.

Aiven, on the other hand, sat alone in a single wooden hut prepared especially for him, engaged in the conversion of meditation methods and the final selection of his school path.

Having obtained Leon's notes on pharmacy for nearly a year, Aiven had persistently practiced the "Basic Meditation Method" contained therein for almost a year, without fail.

Perhaps benefiting from his own Knight Realm, and an inexplicable, unquantifiable wizard qualification, Aiven's progress was obviously much faster than the average person.

Moreover, upon extracting the "Essence Fruit" from the powerful Sea Monster "Mirage Sea Star" and after a few days of digestion, his various body attributes had changed again: Constitution 2.35, Strength 2.15, Agility 2.53, Spirit 0.61.

The physical qualities and spirit attribute mutually promoted each other, and since his wizard level still remained at the apprentice level, the progress speed was noticeably faster than the physical qualities.

After finishing the "fruit" in his hand, his spirit attribute should consolidate in the late apprentice stage, and when he completes the three prerequisite requirements at the apprentice stage of the "Life Tree School," he should be able to start preparing for an official wizard promotion.

Aiven hopes to achieve this within the next year, or even sooner.

The unique meditation method of the "Life Tree School" is called the "Life Tree Meditation Method" or "Kabbalah Meditation Method," with attributes inclined towards order and natural conservation, without any obvious positive or negative leanings.

With his rich theoretical knowledge, Aiven had undergone many rehearsals for the inevitable conversion of the meditation method, only changing the conversion target from the "Alchemy School" to the "Life Tree School."

The "Life Tree Meditation Method" is based on the ten original essences: Crown, Wisdom, Understanding, Kindness, Strictness, Beauty, Victory, Radiance, Foundation, and Kingdom, with Kingdom as the starting point layered progressively.

Ultimately, at the Tier 4 Crowned Wizard level, completing the construction of the first essence "Crown" to build into a complete life tree!

However, the "Crown" is still too far away for Aiven, with his current spiritual power index of only 0.61, he can only complete the most basic tasks for now.

Aiven listened to the rain, calming his mind.

In the illusory spiritual imagery, guided by spirit, using the original blue and white misty stardust as material, he sketched out the first essence of the Life Tree, also the tenth essence: "Kingdom."

Perhaps, as the Snake-man Hibekrite said, Aiven possesses a unique qualification that is highly compatible with the "Life Tree School," making the process very smooth.

In just half an hour.

As the last stroke completed, the already three-dimensional "mystical symbol" suddenly burst forth with infinite radiance, absorbing all the wandering spiritual stardust into the symbol's interior.

The next moment.

Whoosh—

It swept through the entire spiritual world like the warm wind of spring came.

An indescribable, verdant giant tree that could support the entire world in Aiven's perception, like a blooming firework, emerged from the original essence "Kingdom," then rapidly expanded, as if a massive green dome unfolded across the world.

Through this giant tree, Aiven seemed to once again connect with the universal subconscious of nature.

Great, awe-inspiring, warm, reliable, inclusive...

Like a drifting duckweed suddenly finding a harbor, a dandelion blown by the wind putting down roots, Aiven felt a genuine sense of reassurance from the depths of his soul.

The tree canopy lightly swayed, and an invisible natural breeze arose from Aiven's spiritual world, then instantly swept Aiven's consciousness to the outside world.

Boom—

It was as if a new gate was pushed open, and the world's pixels suddenly leapt from a black-and-white television to 8K high definition.

A drop of rain, a leaf, a breath of fresh air—all were so vivid. A wisp of the spirit breeze not only could see, hear, and smell but also touch, completely opening another layer of senses for Aiven!

The rustling sound of wind and rain had already diminished significantly, and small animals hiding and shivering in tree holes joyfully ran out of their homes. The crisp chirping of insects resumed beneath grass leaves and in bushes...

At this moment.

The dark clouds gradually retreated, and golden sunlight pierced through the clouds on the distant sea, casting onto the ocean.

Plop—

A shimmering surface showed an unknown big fish leaping out of the water.

After a grand storm, all things shrouded in a terrifying natural disaster for many days received a rebirth.

This was also a rebirth on Aiven's wizard path!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.