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On Tuesday morning, the Golden Dream departed from a private port on the Feynapotter coast, heading straight into the Berserk Sea and beginning its voyage towards the Southern Continent.
On the Golden Dream, Edwina stood at the front of the deck, surrounded by a group of her crew members. To her right, about five or six meters away, there were four Nagas.
Their entire bodies were covered in dark green scales, with their bellies being a pale yellow. Their lower halves were thick snake tails, and deep green fins grew on their backs and sides. They had four arm-like limbs ending in sharp claws, and their hair resembled dark blue sea grass, loosely spread out and much thicker than the hair of normal creatures.
They were surrounded by ink-black seawater, which eerily gathered around their bodies, seemingly providing them with an environment closer to the ocean.
The dark seawater slowly condensed, wriggling into a somewhat aged snake head. It opened its mouth and spoke in a not-so-fluent Lenberg accent:
"Edwina, could you please prepare some basic learning materials for the Nagas? In return, I will have them help you search for shipwrecks and treasures in the Berserk Sea."
Edwina nodded slightly, her expression showing little change as she said, "I can."
She then glanced around at the crew members, who were either wary or curious about the Nagas, and calmly began, "Let's begin today's morning lesson."
"Today we will be studying the Highland Language. This is the original language of the Southern Continent and does not originate from the ancient Feysac; it has its own structure."
"If we unearth treasures from before the Balam Empire era in the Berserk Sea, there's a high probability we'll need this language."
The crew members gathered around Edwina, like students forced to attend an 8 AM class, all lowered their heads in silence.
"Damn it, I'm a little envious of Danitz. That guy won't be able to come back anytime soon after the Golden Dream sets sail."
Daniels, the chief Sailor, slightly turned his head and quietly complained to Jodeson next to him.
Jodeson nodded in deep agreement, quietly responding, "The daily morning lessons are already deadly enough, and now there's a group of Nagas who appeared from who knows where. They're clearly stupid and not suited for learning at all, yet they insist on pretending to love studying. They've ruined the atmosphere on the ship."
Edwina calmly watched Daniels and Jodeson. Seeing them both silently lower their heads and turn away, she then explained, "Danitz won't miss these lessons. Every morning lesson, I record the scene using a secret technique and have someone send it to him."
The aged snake head, condensed from the dark seawater, spoke again, "Edwina, could you provide me with a copy of the content you recorded? The Nagas are making slow progress in their studies due to a lack of relevant common sense."
"I can," Edwina nodded gently. It was not a big deal.
Orpheus, sitting further away from the Nagas, slightly lowered his head. He held a thick parchment on which words were appearing one by one:
"I find it hard to imagine that it's a Saint, and one extremely close to an Angel... Although I've never seen its true form, I can already picture a decrepit, bespectacled Naga holding a book."
Orpheus pursed his lips, his right index finger lightly tracing on the parchment:
"Not necessarily a Naga. I can feel a very strong shadow, a Fallen aura, extremely vast, constantly attached to the bottom of the Golden Dream."
On the other side, the first mate of the Golden Dream, Bru, reached up and rubbed his gray curly hair, his gaze, however, flicking to his thigh where a thick parchment lay, on which somewhat awkward words were appearing.
He slightly shifted his posture, placing his right hand on the parchment, and looked up at Edwina who was lecturing, while his fingers lightly traced on the parchment on his thigh:
"No wonder you've had such heavy dark circles these past two days. Scared sleepless?"
Bayam, the "City of Generosity."
Leyton walked along the coastal streets with Bugs Bunny. He simulated the Hypnotist's ability, applying a magical effect on himself and Bugs Bunny to place them in the blind spot of the surrounding people's consciousness.
Although it didn't achieve the same psychological invisibility as a Hypnotist, as long as they didn't actively interact with others, people would subconsciously ignore their facial features and Bugs Bunny, who didn't act like a rabbit.
Bugs Bunny followed closely at Leyton's feet, agilely dodging the steps of people who ignored him, not forgetting to chat, "Uh, Boss, haven't you already separated from the Prophet characteristic? Why can you still simulate other Beyonder abilities?"
"This isn't simulation, but a spell developed after mastering the relevant knowledge. A Warlock can do this."
Leyton replied as he turned and walked towards a shop not far away.
It was a souvenir shop run by a local. He saw the middle-aged man, who seemed to be the owner, carving a whale leaping out of the sea from a piece of wood; it was already mostly formed.
Behind him, there was a rather majestic and solemn statue. It was a somewhat blurred figure, standing on ocean waves, surrounded by lightning and storms.
After Leyton and Bugs Bunny approached, due to the magical effect on them, the owner directly ignored the man and the rabbit.
Leyton quietly admired the sculptures in the shop for a moment. They weren't entirely made of wood; there were also many artworks and even some tools pieced together from sea beast bones, shells, and stones.
This was how the indigenous people of the Rorsted Archipelago once crafted vessels and made objects, but as this area was colonized by Loen, these backward crafts were eliminated, becoming souvenirs that only occasional travelers would buy.
After observing the goods in the shop for a moment, Leyton's gaze lingered on the rather majestic statue surrounded by lightning and storms, and he asked, "What is this carving?"
The owner, whose skin was darker and more somber, trembled his carving knife, then looked up in surprise at Leyton, who had appeared before him unnoticed, and quickly stood up to greet him:
"Ah? Sorry, I was too absorbed and didn't notice your arrival, guest. You can look around freely."
"This is the 'Sea God,' our belief, and the Guardian of the Rorsted Archipelago. He is a benevolent and great existence."
After the owner finished praising his belief, Leyton looked at the wood carving in his hand again and said with a slight apology, "I seem to have interrupted your creation."
On the back of the whale, there was a mark left by the owner's trembling carving knife, shaped like a distorted lightning bolt.
Following Leyton's gaze, the owner looked at the mark on the wood carving. He smiled indifferently and said, "No, it's fine. Perhaps this is the will of the God. Lightning has always been the God's authority."
"I now have new inspiration, and it will become an even more perfect wood carving!"
"Can I reserve this wood carving?"
Leyton chuckled and nodded, then took out a wallet from his pocket and casually pulled out a one-pound banknote.
The owner quickly waved his hand, then nodded again: "No, you don't need to do that. It's not your fault. If you truly like this wood carving, you can come and buy it in two days. It still needs some time to be completed, and you don't need to pay a deposit for it."
Leyton nodded gently. He respected the owner's decision, but still handed over the banknote in his hand. He chuckled and explained, "I'd like to reserve two wood carvings: a gray-furred lop-eared rabbit and a soaring crow."
The owner was stunned for a moment, then took the banknote Leyton handed him and nodded gently, "Certainly, but wood carvings take a bit longer to make. You'll need to wait until next week at the very least."
"No problem," Leyton chuckled and nodded.
"Boss, how much is this conch?"
A somewhat low and familiar voice sounded from behind. Leyton turned back curiously and saw Phoenix, carrying a suitcase, holding a colorful conch adorned with a circle of shells, stopping to admire it.
Leyton raised an eyebrow in slight surprise and, after exchanging a glance with the other party, chuckled, "Why are you in Bayam again? Are you not planning to return to the Southern Continent for now?"
Phoenix nodded slightly and replied, "I was originally concerned about Ethan's safety, which is why I traveled with him for a while... It's no longer necessary now."
So you left him alone on the Golden Dream?
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