Alka was in the forging hall beneath the ship's cabin. Due to the expansion, the forging hall had grown significantly larger than before.
He held a pure white jade ball in his hand and began to infuse it with divine essence through rituals and methods.
As the divine essence was absorbed, the jade ball, which was merely an ordinary object crafted from a large amount of precious materials, began to take on new properties.
It transformed from a pure white jade-like form, from a solid sphere to a hazy, misty mass.
A pale gray mist enveloped the ball, gathering towards its center.
It became a strange gray with a hint of green, seemingly transitioning to blue.
It felt like a soul.
The entire ball seemed to lose its substance, like a cloud of mist, and even slowly began to float upward from the platform on which it was stored.
Alka could clearly see the soul fluctuations emanating from the sphere.
As the divine essence perfectly merged into it, the changes immediately dissipated, and the treasure became more restrained.
From a cloud-like ball resembling a spirit, it transformed back into a physical form, this time shifting from a pure white jade sphere to a gray jade-like sphere.
Looking at the sphere within the jade, it felt like an ordinary artifact crafted from some inferior jade block.
The treasure was finally complete.
This was also the treasure prepared for Lucilia, crafted from the materials on their ship.
Alka blinked as he looked at the treasure.
It was just like what Alka had seen before, a function similar to the modification and transformation of the soul.
It was very vague.
It seemed that only with his own thoughts and manipulations could it realize its specific function.
After all, under normal circumstances, no race or spell could manipulate souls, except perhaps one's own.
Or perhaps the souls of animals without willpower. Otherwise, the mysteries of the soul are profound and secretive.
The only possible use Alka could think of right now was to imbue his attacks with the ability to directly attack souls.
Or perhaps to enhance any defenses against souls.
There seemed to be other, more subtle and useful manipulations, but Alka, lacking a deep understanding of the soul, was not well-suited to this task.
Carrying the treasure, Alka placed it in a box and then ascended to the deck.
Just in time, he saw Lucelia beneath the tree, and most of the others were also on deck.
Alka carried the box to Lucelia and waved it before her.
Seeing this, not only Lucelia but the others gathered around, for it was clearly the box that held the treasure.
This also meant that Lucelia's treasure was complete.
As the box opened, the gray jade ball was revealed.
"Why do my treasures always look so cheap?" Lucelia couldn't help but grumble as she gazed at the gray jade ball.
However, she still lifted the ball up with both hands.
Without a word, she immediately wrapped her magic power around it, mastering it.
With the influx of magic power, the gray jade ball transformed once again into the form Alka had previously fused with it.
This time, even more gray-green, soul-like misty energy floated out, completely enveloping Lucelia.
Alka even saw a faint reflection of Lucelia's soul emanating from her body, just as it had once been when she was a mere soul, devoid of a body.
As the treasure was fully mastered, the mist began to dissipate, and the entire treasure merged directly into Lucelia's body.
Lucelia opened her eyes, and they immediately transformed into emanating smoke. She closed them for a moment before returning to their original state.
"This treasure provides the means to manipulate the soul. Effects that once required various rituals, external forces, or even incantations can now be achieved directly through the power granted by the treasure.
And it's even more effective and more profound than those methods.
However, the specific use requires mastery before a detailed plan can be made."
Lucelia said.
This kind of treasure has a high degree of freedom. How to use it to its full potential depends entirely on the knowledge and perspective of the person wielding it.
To put it simply, it's a bit like a treasure that can manipulate fire.
There are many treasures that can manipulate fire, but their functions may differ.
This treasure is somewhat similar to this, and besides, it involves the manipulation of the soul, unlike the simple and straightforward manipulation of elements.
There are far fewer books on the study of souls than on their elements.
Everyone nodded in understanding.
However, Lucelia smiled and said, "Although she can't fully unleash her abilities yet, she's already very suitable for my Puppet Knights."
Clearly, this treasure could help the Puppet Girls acquire their true souls more quickly and more completely.
As everyone was talking on the boat, a merchant ship appeared a few kilometers out to sea.
The merchant ship's appearance drew everyone's attention; after all, they hadn't seen anyone else in a long time.
"There's a merchant ship! It seems to belong to a trade association on the Twin Islands. I think I've seen that logo," Jason said, squinting his eyes as he gazed at the distant sailboat.
"It looks like we're almost there." Alka breathed a sigh of relief at this sight.
Finally, they were returning to the Twin Islands.
Sofia pulled out his notebook and some kind of measuring tool, looked at it, and said, "Almost there. We'll be there tomorrow at the latest."
Everyone smiled upon hearing this. After all, they were finally reaching the islands; they had already been sailing for so long.
…
The next day, just as the curtains were lifted, Alka and his companions were about to reach the Twin Islands.
They could already see the vast islands from afar, along with the ships coming and going around them.
Here, after often feeling lonely at sea, they finally felt back to a bustling area.
The coming and going of ships and the various sounds made them feel at home.
This time, they didn't make any detours; they were already familiar with the route. They arrived directly at the entrance to the Twin Islands, taking the straight seaway to the central harbor.
As soon as they docked at the shore, the guards outside approached.
"Arka?"
It was a three-person team, the leader also controlling the floating pen and notebook.
Arka poked his head over the side of the boat and looked over.
"Kant, long time no see. Is it your turn today?"
They were all familiar church members from before.
"It's you, really! I haven't seen you in ages. I thought you'd already left for somewhere far away."
This kind of thing happens all the time at sea, especially for a treasure-hunting group like Arka's, it's perfectly normal.
After all, among the prosperous islands of the entire Infinite Ocean, the Twin Islands wouldn't even rank in the top ten.
Although it was much more prosperous than most.
"I did go farther, but I still had to come here. I'm familiar with it, after all," Arka said with a smile.
"It's reassuring to see you return safely, so I won't bother you anymore."
Kant said, pressing a safety sign on the bow.
Although Alka and his companions had reached shore, they didn't disembark immediately, instead gathering in the captain's cabin.
"Although we've reached shore, let's get some things done. We might be staying at the Twin Islands for a long time this time.
First, Simon, I'll leave the materials we needed earlier to you." Alka said, looking at Simon.
Simon nodded. These were for the treasures they hadn't yet crafted, after all, the materials on board were running low.
This time, they would definitely need to make a big purchase.
"We also need to replenish the supplies needed by the Vastwa people. I'll leave those to Sofia."
Sofia also nodded.
"The others should rest and have some fun. It's a rare trip back home."
After discussing a few more details, the meeting disbanded.
Urulius, transformed into human form, immediately jumped off the boat, dragging Jason with her, and headed straight for the island.
Urulius couldn't wander around the Twin Islands without permission. She was, after all, a gigantic dragon. While the Twin Islands were prosperous and possessed a formidable military, the vast majority of the inhabitants were still civilians, and they couldn't handle a giant dragon soaring overhead.
Although her appearance was strange now that she had transformed into a human, it was much better than before. Besides, this was the Twin Islands, with countless people with strange appearances. It was unlikely that these puppet girls would cause much of a stir.
Playing what was needed, working what was needed. Alka headed straight for the church, carrying the treasure chest. Inside the chest was the long-forgotten Harvest Scythe.
It was time to return this treasure.
"Arka? When did you get back?"
As soon as he entered the church, an acquaintance saw Alka and asked in surprise.
"I just arrived. Is the Archbishop here?"
Hearing this question, the man shook his head. "I thought you weren't coming back. The Archbishop seems to be upstairs, but I'm not sure. You can ask others."
As soon as he finished speaking, a guard next to him said bluntly, "He's upstairs."
"Thanks, I need to go."
As Alka spoke, he carried the box and headed straight upstairs. He no longer needed someone to take it for him as before. He went straight to the inner reception room, where the Archbishop was most likely to be, and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
The Archbishop's distinctive deep voice came from inside.
Alka pushed the door open and walked in.
The archbishop was buried in his desk, writing something without even looking up.
After about ten seconds, he looked up to see who had arrived.
"Alka? You're finally back! I thought you'd run off with the treasure. I'd have a hard time explaining that to him."
The archbishop stood up, pushed his chair aside, and said with a chuckle.
Hearing this, Alka also smiled.
"How could that be? I'm not someone who breaks my word."
He walked forward and gave the archbishop a brief hug.
The archbishop looked at Alka now.
He shook his head, a strange emotion in his eyes.
"You're truly impressive! How long have we last seen each other?"
"Almost three years, or even more than that?"
"Yes, it's been that long. It seems so long, yet it also feels so short."
The Archbishop sighed, then looked at Alka and said, "Last time, you were still at Stage Four, and now you're already at Stage Five."
He shook his head with a hint of frustration.
The rate of advancement is truly too rapid.
Alka smiled and said nothing more. He sat down with the Archbishop at the coffee table nearby.
He placed the box on the table and opened it.
The Archbishop looked at the Harvest Scythe inside, noting that the seal he had previously placed on the treasure was still intact, and nodded.
Seeing the Archbishop nod, Alka replaced the lid and pushed it forward.
"Thank you again for your help. It's invaluable to me this time."
The Archbishop smiled and nodded, waved his hand, and patted the box.
"It's just a matter of mutual benefit."
He placed his hand on the box and looked at Alka. "When are you leaving this time? Or are you planning to rest on the island for a while?"
After all, it's been so many years since I've been back.
"Maybe I'll stay on the Twin Islands for a year," Alka said after a moment's thought.
Procuring enough materials will take time, and there are so many treasures to construct. Especially with a scepter-level treasure, all of that will take time.
This year will be just enough for my companions to reach the fifth stage of their strength.
"Oh, that's great. You've done a lot of work out there this time. Archbishop Charlefan of Longmeis Island asked me to thank you for you."
"Who is this?" Alka thought carefully; he had indeed never heard of the name.
The protagonist smiled. "He has a very proud disciple, a saint of the Virgin Mary and a prince of a small island.
I heard that this prince has become king, and it's all thanks to your help, isn't it?"
Hearing this, Alka suddenly realized what was going on.
It seemed that the church was very well-informed. The archbishop was clearly aware of what he had done on Southern Cross Island.
"What are your plans for the future?" the archbishop suddenly asked.
Hearing this, Alka leaned back in his chair.
Now he had something else to do. He wanted to see the World Scar.
He also had to visit the location of the twelve Trial Towers. All twelve towers would take time to collect.
Before collecting all twelve Trial Towers, he had to kill the rats hiding in the shadows.
So Alka said, "Maybe we'll go to the World Scar later. The problem with the Devouring Mouth must be solved first."
"I heard you met him again on Southern Cross Island this time?"
Alka nodded.
"It seems that damned demon has truly held a grudge against you."
After a moment's thought, the Archbishop pushed the box over again. "Since you're going to the World Scar later, you should give this treasure to him yourself.
He'll definitely be there to receive you."
Alka didn't take the box immediately. Instead, he looked at the Archbishop and asked, "Do you have any suggestions for this place?"
Hearing this, the protagonist's face flickered with nostalgia: "This place... I fought there in my youth. It was painful. Memories, beautiful memories, were everywhere.
As he'd said before, it indeed contained the legacy of a vast empire, but it was also a veritable meat grinder.
Members of various churches, empires, and organizations.
Pirates, mercenaries, those harboring hatred, saints seeking to save the world, ambitious individuals, treasure hunters, outsiders harboring ill will towards the world, demons, and monsters—it was a melting pot.
Hearing this, Alka clearly had a slightly new understanding of this place.
"But the main purpose of that hellish place is to defend against demonic invasions. Demons are constantly invading the world.
The knightly orders of various churches will be there to defend against them, and some powerful factions will also provide manpower to organize the defense.
After all, the main theme there is war, so if you want to hunt for treasure there, you'd better be careful, because there are wars going on all the time. Wars of all sizes are raging everywhere."
Alka listened and nodded.
"But don't worry. There's already effective resistance there. You can head directly to the area under our church's control.
You'll naturally learn more about it once you get there."
After chatting with the archbishop for a while, Alka nodded, put the box back in his hand, and left.