Farewell to some friends I met on the island.
The Voice of the Dawn, having circled the Broken Isles for over 160 days and nights, finally began to depart from the island and sailed off into the distance.
Standing on the boat, Alka held a streamer in his hand. A thin ribbon adorned with a cross.
It was Baraz's guiding banner.
With the influx of magical power, the ribbon fluttered in a single direction.
Even when the breeze shifted direction, it remained unmoved.
After some thought, Alka took the ribbon and tied it to the rudder.
This way, the helmsman would be able to see the direction the ribbon pointed, even though they rarely steered.
After all, the rudder was a relatively safe location on the boat.
Alka leaned on the side of the boat with both hands, observing the surrounding waves. Finally, they set sail once more.
"How long will our voyage take this time?"
Alka suddenly asked.
Hearing this, Sofia, who was standing nearby, said, "According to the information we learned the last time Balazs arrived, it's generally between 10 and 25 days and nights."
"Such a large fluctuation?" Alka turned, somewhat surprised.
The fluctuations are a bit exaggerated.
"It's okay. It depends on when you leave the Broken Island. Although it's being dragged along by the Southern Cross Island Link, it's being dragged farther and farther." Sofia said helplessly, spreading his hands.
A landmark island creates a linking effect with surrounding islands, effectively binding them.
Due to fluctuations in ocean currents, these bound islands will occasionally break away, but they will always return within a certain period of time.
Then, within a certain range around the landmark island, the distance fluctuates until it moves away again.
According to some books provided by Balazs. Throughout the Vast Ocean, most of the gathering places radiate outward from the signpost islands.
While there are numerous signpost islands, compared to the vastness of the Vast Ocean, they are not numerous.
Even if we count the islands they link to, they are only the tip of the iceberg.
If the sea's currents are unfocused, then it's very likely that for a year, or even many years, all we encounter are random islands drifting by.
"Well, I hope we don't have to sail too long," Alka said, rubbing his forehead.
Xadaiti looked at the sea, then at the guiding flag fluttering on the rudder.
"Are we heading straight for our destination this time? Do we need to stop along the way?"
Alka shook his head. "No, let's go to Southern Cross Island first."
He planned to head straight for Southern Cross Island without stopping at any other points along the way.
The ship's supplies were already full.
The supplies in the ship's supply hold were enough to last them several years.
Even with the specially compressed supply tanks they had planned.
And who knew if reaching the island would even further away from Southern Cross Island? This was something they had to consider.
At this moment, Jason approached from behind and said, "According to Baraz, it would be much better to go to Southern Cross Island before leaving.
There, we can better understand the situation across the Infinite Sea and avoid making mistakes."
"But we'd better be cautious with the use of force on Signpost Island. The rulers of Signpost Island dislike those who disrupt order."
Upon hearing this, Alka suddenly said, "Come to think of it, I don't know what kind of government governs Southern Cross Island."
"I heard it was occupied by a tribe that grew and expanded. It's now equivalent to a small country, with a royal family." Jason thought for a moment and said.
As for more specific information, there wasn't much, as our knowledge of this area was limited.
As they spoke, the surrounding sea surface began to distort again, but the ship's navigation remained smooth.
"Again! Speaking of which, I heard from Baraz that such changes only occur in the Broken Sea," Jason said, looking at the undulating surface.
The chaotic space caused the sea surface to distort randomly, but it didn't seem to be a phenomenon unique to the entire Infinite Sea.
It was simply due to the greater chaos in this area.
Soon, sounds of dinner being served could be heard from the dining room.
Everyone gathered inside.
Although it was the small dining room on the poop, the area inside was noticeably larger than before, and it had seemed a bit cramped before.
Now it seemed unusually spacious.
But from the outside, one could see that the poop hadn't been expanded at all; it remained the same size.
Looking closely, one could see strange incantations and several floating beads made of a special material around the room.
Arka had just finished his meal when he heard a ding-dong sound coming from the observation room.
This signaled something was happening outside.
He wiped his mouth and went up on deck.
He saw a black dot appear in the distance—another island.
"So soon? We just left a short time ago, didn't we?" Shadaiti asked, puzzled, standing nearby.
It shouldn't be possible for two islands to be this close. They hadn't heard from Balazs about the existence of any nearby islands.
Their ship had been underway for only a few hours.
But with the black dot appearing ahead, they couldn't help but believe it.
Arka scrambled quickly to the observation room and peered through the window.
Looking at the strange island.
Alka felt a sense of familiarity.
The island didn't fill the entire field of vision, but it was halfway there, stretching off to the left.
Watching the island approach, Alka slid down.
They reached the edge of the deck.
They watched the island pass by them.
Everyone looked at each other, seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
"What's going on? This island is Broken Isle, right? Look over there, there are traces of us staying there," Simon said, pointing to a shallow beach on the island.
"This place always shocks you just when you think you've gotten used to it and it doesn't matter anymore."
Julia grumbled silently.
As a defender of the natural order, she had already begun her actions.
Since life hadn't changed this sea, what could she, a believer, do? Just watch quietly and get used to it.
But he still said, "This island is Broken Island. We weren't mistaken. It's just that the peculiar changes in the Vast Sea caused it to move ahead of us."
She noticed more.
Once they had completely left the island's perimeter, they saw it seemed to be moving, accelerating until it vanished.
For a moment, they couldn't tell if it was because their ship was moving fast, or if the island truly was moving.
"So if we leave the island now, we'll be closer to Southern Cross Island... Is that what you mean?" Jason asked, finally understanding.
Alka nodded. "Yes, you're very clever."
"Come on, you never mean what you mean by clever."
"Hahaha." Alka smiled, waved her hand, and headed downstairs alone.
A long-awaited sea voyage naturally brought with it some idle time.
Just in time to sort out the island's gains.
With this in mind, Alka arrived at the manufacturing hall.
As soon as he entered, he could tell something was visibly amiss.
The hall was now the size of the entire cabin floor combined.
But poking his head out, he realized something was clearly amiss: it remained in its previous position, neither expanding nor changing.
Around the hall were strange incantations, and beads drifted in the corners above.
Within Alka's work area, the table was covered with various documents and drafts.
He sorted through them, filing away some of the technologies.
This included spatial expansion technology, Lucelia's favorite, though she wasn't sure how to use it.
This technology was the reason some of the ship's spaces had inexplicably expanded.
As long as this technology existed, there would always be enough space on board.
This was also part of the information obtained during the excavation. Besides this, they also had spatial segmentation technology. This technique involves partitioning off a space and inserting an object, such as a ring.
The practical improvement brought about by this technology is that everyone once again possesses additional spatial equipment.
However, this technology is far less flexible than the pocket ring.
The space within the pocket ring isn't partitioned off, but rather inherent to the material. Therefore, through special construction and design, objects can be easily moved in and out.
This is essential in combat.
For example, taking and replacing objects requires only a thought of magical power.
Place a weapon inside, and when you want to take it out, it appears directly in your hand.
This process is straightforward.
However, the space partitioned off by magical power is not feasible; you must have a sense of the space and then reach in.
The actual usage is different from what Alka and the others had imagined.
It's more like a spatial pocket, except its actual size is obviously exaggerated.
It looks more like a spatial expansion, but it's actually a division. After all, a pocket can't withstand expansion.
Even if it could, its material wouldn't allow it to expand much.
So, now you can see that Alka and the others each carry a small waist pouch around their waists, placed within their reach.
These waist pouches offer much more space, perfectly sufficient for daily life, allowing each person to carry a few personal items and supplies.
The internal space isn't square, due to the immaturity of their spatial division technology.
It's a circle, and the circles vary in size, resulting in a certain amount of variation in the size of the space.
The largest waist pouch was given to Pororo, specially made for him; otherwise, he wouldn't even be able to fit his hands inside.
The pocket rings are used to hold combat or frequently used items, making them even more convenient.
These two skills were arguably the most important knowledge and techniques they had gained from their treasure hunt throughout the island.
In addition, there were a variety of less unique pieces of knowledge that nonetheless offered different inspirations and technical advancements.
Simon, in particular.
As a mechanic, he possessed a treasure of vital relevance to mechanics.
Much of the knowledge unearthed in the Vastva city-state related to constructs, a subject that had long fascinated him.
After organizing the information, Alka placed it on a bookshelf next to the manufacturing hall and then went to where he crafted objects.
From the surrounding materials, it was clear that all the doll girls were crafted from this location.
Looking at the half-finished work on the workbench, Alka fell into deep thought.
"What have you been thinking about, standing here for so long?"
A sudden voice came from behind. It was Simon, who was working on the construct.
He hadn't known when he'd entered, and it looked like he'd been there for a long time.
Simon's voice reminded him, and Alka broke from his reverie, looking at the strand of hair in his hand.
"I was just wondering if I should try it."
"Oh? That experiment you mentioned earlier, creating a puppet using your own hair?" Simon asked curiously.
"Yes."
Alka nodded.
The several female members of the ship each had a corresponding puppet girl. The appearance of these puppet girls clearly elevated the personality and intelligence of the entire puppet army.
It was as if wisdom and spirituality could be shared.
All the puppet girls began to behave more and more like humans, developing their own emotions.
These puppet girls were almost identical to the children from whom they were sourced.
At that moment, Alka wondered, what difference would there be if the puppet girls were made using male hair? Is this also why Alka didn't use dream materials to create the puppet girl? He postponed this technology.
Because he wanted to experiment with his own hair, this time he would use the complete mystical technology to construct it.
Because it was his own hair, combined with the dream materials, he could create a real girl that could fully utilize the properties of those materials.
This had a different meaning.
Exploring the puppet girl's limits would also enhance the strength of their entire team.
Also, using totem technology on her to see if it could better harness the power of the spell.
"Give it a try. The technology is mature anyway, it's just an upgrade," Simon suggested.
It's just an upgrade and safety test. Just do it if you want to. There's no need to worry too much.
Alka nodded, no longer nagging. "I hope Lucelia won't be angry if I actually create a male puppet."
"Actually, according to my research, a male puppet is unlikely."
"Oh? Why?" Alka asked curiously.
"Because Lucelia subconsciously doesn't want a male puppet. She thinks it's uncool. An all-female puppet knight order would be more to her liking."
At this point, Simon shrugged. "After all, it's her who activates the puppets, granting them life and magic, isn't she?"
Hearing this, Alka nodded. It was indeed true.
Until Lucelia activates the puppet girl with a treasure, she doesn't develop any gender characteristics.
Because during this period, she's just an object, devoid of any life.
In any case, let's create it and see what happens.
After figuring it out, Alka began to work. The semi-finished doll before him had already been in the making, using the same dream materials Alka had retrieved from his dreams.
All that was missing was the final mystical inspiration using the hair, imbuing it with a mysterious meaning.
The entire process didn't take long.
After the production was completed, Alka's shift in the observation room came to him. After his shift, he brought Lucelia to the manufacturing hall.
He performed the final mystical inspiration.
The doll was now complete, and it was Lucelia's turn to work.
"Is this the captain or a member of the team?" Lucelia asked.
"Captain."
Lucelia nodded, and a flag fluttered out, radiating crimson light.
Red energy began to flow into the doll.
within her body, imbuing it with life and stimulating its magical power.
Long black hair sprouted from her head, quickly falling to her waist. Her figure and face began to rapidly change.
The changes in her body indicated that she was a doll girl, not a man simply because she was using Alka's hair.
The previously prepared clothing was put on her, and her features began to soften.
Finally, she opened her eyes.
The first thing she did upon opening her eyes was glance at Lucelia, then glanced directly at Alka.
A smile crossed her face as she looked at Alka: "Father."
"Huh?"
Alka was stunned. Lucelia, watching from the side, also stared with wide eyes, shocked.
Simon, who had been observing from a distance, nearly laughed out loud, but luckily managed to hold it in.
"No, no, no, don't call me that. Call me Captain."
Alka quickly waved her hand and began to correct the doll girl in front of her.
And she shouldn't have spoken to Lucelia first.
Even before, even when she was made of hair, she still spoke to Lucelia first.
It's just that they're more intimate with their respective female members.
The girl tilted her head, her eyes filled with confusion.
"But you're the father."
"Then what am I?" Lucelia, beside her, asked curiously, having regained her composure.
"You're... you're the mother... No, you're the captain," the girl confirmed, nodding.
"No, I'm the one who gave you life. You should call me mother," Lucelia corrected her.
"You wish," the doll girl said, then leaped onto Alka's shoulder.
She acted very close to Alka.
Alka was already lost in thought.
This doll girl was clearly not right, something was seriously wrong.
The previous doll girls who had used hair still had spirits after awakening, but not as much as this girl.
And she seemed to possess some innate knowledge. For example, when Lucilia asked her to change her name, she simply refused.
She clearly understood the differences and meanings between these names.
"Dad, what should my name be?"
She asked, staring at Alka with her dark eyes.
"Um... Lily, let's call him Lily."
"It sounds nice. From now on, I'll call you Lily."
"Then, Lily, don't move. Let me check you out," Alka said.
He wanted to know why Lily's wisdom awakened earlier than the other puppet girls. Clearly, there was some reason for her knowledge.
The difference was too great.
Lily nodded without protest.
Magic energy flowed into Alka like a thread, and he began to carefully examine the biggest difference between her and the other puppet girls.
After a moment, he opened his eyes, as if he understood.
"What's the reason? Have you found it?" Lucelia asked curiously beside him.
She could clearly see that Lily was different from the other puppet girls at birth.
Alka nodded, her expression a little strange, and said, "She used my hair, so that's why."
"Is your hair... different?" Lucelia frowned, thinking for a moment, and asked in confusion.
What could be the difference?
Just because of gender?
That shouldn't be the case.
"I'm very different from you in one respect: my soul is much stronger than yours," Alka said.
"Oh!" Lucilia's eyes lit up, as if she had finally figured it out. So that's how it was.
She had entered Alka's soul dimension, and Alka's soul was indeed much stronger than that of an average person.
This also gave him mental and spiritual strength and resistance far exceeding those of his peers.
And hair is a channel connecting to the soul, as mysticism teaches.
So a doll girl made from Alka's hair would naturally be more spiritual and intelligent than other doll girls.
Yes, thinking about it this way makes a lot more sense.