On the lower deck of the Voice of Dawn, in a room dedicated to the infirmary,
The iron plate Simon had been placed on had been thrown out.
A simple touch wouldn't break Simon out of his frozen state, so they placed him on the bed.
There were only four people in the room: Alka, Juanlu, and Julia. The last remaining person was Er, standing on Alka's shoulder.
She would serve as a last resort. The silver threads on her body, combined with the [Silk Kneading] spell Alka had specially imbued on her, would allow her to quickly mend Simon's large wounds.
Er's face was clearly tense, and her hands were clenched tightly.
This was the first serious task she had ever taken on since she was born.
Alka looked at him and smiled, "Don't be nervous."
"But I don't know any medical skills."
"Just follow Julia's instructions. Your help isn't guaranteed, but having you around is just for added security."
"If you're really nervous, take a deep breath."
Alka comforted him from the side.
Deep breathing can indeed help ease tension a little.
"But...but I'm a doll. I don't need to breathe."
"..." Alka turned away silently.
Alright.
Looking at the two men, he asked, "How's it going? Are you ready?"
They nodded.
A halo appeared behind Julia, and four streamers floated out. These streamers had been specially treated, so each was only an arm's width.
Normally, each streamer would be about the width of a head.
Julia had already begun to hum a gentle, soft melody, but she hadn't finished singing it yet.
A tube had already appeared in Juanlu's hand, connected to a canister of dark green concentrated nutrient solution.
Once the stasis was lifted, he would insert the tube into Simon's throat and rapidly inject the nutrient solution into his body.
He would then use their family's unique spell, "Quick Digestion," to help Simon's body digest and absorb energy.
Seeing that both were fully prepared, Alka approached Simon's bedside.
The quickest way to free him from the stasis was naturally to remove the treasure attached to his back; otherwise, there would be no way to cut off the supply of magic power.
The treasure seemed to be protecting its host, and Alka was trying to gently remove it.
As his hand gently reached out and grasped the artifact, which resembled a construct's finger, the Dreamcatcher on his body once again emitted a strong repulsive wave.
The artifact also emitted a strong repulsive wave, resisting Alka's touch.
It wasn't that the artifact was unsuitable, but rather that it already had its own owner, and it was a wave of resistance.
Alka frowned and exerted a slight force, allowing his magic power to flow out, using the magic of the mirror and the Dreamcatcher to forcefully suppress and remove it.
The penetration of magic power seemed to activate something, and Alka froze for a moment.
The released magic power instantly vanished.
"What's wrong?"
Julia, keeping a close eye on the two, asked.
Alka's eyes cleared, and he said, "It's okay. I think I understand. Get ready. I'm going to take it."
As he spoke, a precision hand appeared on his right arm, tightly enveloping his hand.
As magic power surged, the precision hand rippled, and the symbol of the Church of the Holy Machine appeared on its palm.
The symbol gently pressed against the artifact, and Alka instantly removed it with his precision hand.
After removing it, Alka immediately stepped back two steps, making room for the two men.
As the artifact was removed, the gray, transparent film covering Simon's body began to flicker.
The magic power supply was cut off, causing the film to lose its shape.
After a few seconds, the film shattered and dissipated like a bubble.
The moment it dissipated, Simon's tightly closed eyes snapped open, and his brow furrowed, ready to cry out in pain. "Ahhh!"
Blood gushed from his wounds like a floodgate.
Four ribbons, already prepared nearby, flew out, and a soft song began to flow.
Green energy flowed rapidly through the bandages into Simon's wounds, and the raging blood instantly stopped, then slowly slowed.
The gentle song also soothed Simon's pain. With the bleeding now stopped, he took deep breaths, sweat pouring down his forehead, and a frown formed on his face.
But at least the pain wasn't enough to make him cry out.
Juanlu came to his side and shouted, "Open your mouth!"
Simon, who had just regained his energy and felt a sharp pain, looked confused. He heard an unintelligible voice coming from beside him.
He spoke, "@∓%~"
"Open your mouth!" Alka immediately switched to a language Simon could understand.
Hearing Alka's words, Simon turned to look at him and then opened his mouth.
The singing, the influx of green energy, and the fact that someone had let him know seemed to be trying to save him.
A tube was instantly inserted into his mouth and into his esophagus. A dark green solution quickly flowed through the tube into his esophagus.
The moment the tube was inserted, orange-yellow magic surged from Juanlu's palm and pressed against Simon's abdomen.
He quickly cast a spell to aid his digestion and replenish the nutrients his body was lacking.
Simon was somewhat confused by this sudden change and seemed to instinctively want to struggle.
Alka immediately spoke up, "Don't struggle! We're saving you. The nutrient solution will help you recover from your starvation and weakness. Otherwise, you could easily die from lack of energy."
Hearing this, Simon immediately quieted down.
Er Er, realizing he was no longer in need, felt somewhat relieved. He grabbed two rolls of bandages and began to bandage Simon with Julia.
Simon's wounds were so numerous that he soon became a white mummy.
Only half his face, neck, waist, and thighs were exposed; the rest was completely bandaged.
A large can of nutrient solution was quickly pumped into his body.
With the help of Juanlu's spell, Simon's complexion visibly improved, and his once skinny frame began to fill out slightly.
Though still extremely thin, he looked much better than a skeleton.
His previous state had made one think he'd starved to death. Now, it seemed he hadn't yet, but was close.
Another can of nutrient solution was pumped into his body. This time, Juanlu didn't help him digest it completely before removing his hand.
More food in his stomach would make him healthier and easier to recover.
As the tube was removed, some black nutrient solution remained in his mouth.
Then Simon's eyes widened as he began to retch frantically. The intense movement caused blood to seep from the bandages wrapped around him.
A large amount of mist spread from Alka's feet, enveloping him and instantly slumbering him.
A few seconds later, a steady breathing sound and a slight retching sound were heard.
But it was no longer a big deal.
I'd almost forgotten how unpalatable this food was.
Julia checked his condition, then looked up and nodded at Alka.
"He's out of danger now. He just needs to be nursed back to health."
Alka nodded.
"Then let's go out. Er, you stay here to help look after him. If anything happens, call Lucilia immediately."
Er nodded and sat down on the nearby bed.
Then the three of them walked out the door and onto the deck.
They returned to the captain's cabin.
The huge round table in the cabin was already piled high with the treasures they had acquired.
A large pile of coins lay on top, beneath which lay a thick layer of silver snakes dotted with golden sails. There were also some smelted and divided gold bars and large gemstones.
"How's it going? Is everything okay?" Sofia asked as he watched the three of them enter.
Alka nodded and replied, "It's all right now. Let him rest for a bit. He might wake up tomorrow at noon."
Then he sat down at his seat.
He looked at the treasure piled on the table, which was beginning to obscure his view.
He poured the remaining treasure from his pocket ring onto the table, along with the coins in his purse.
The two metal boxes had already been opened, and inside were some of the more valuable jewelry and diamonds, now placed among the pile of money.
"This is the wealth we've harvested this time. Let's see how much there is."
Hearing Alka's words, Sofia reached out and gently tapped the tabletop, sending silver ripples sweeping across it.
"1,256 golden sails, 13,256 silver snakes, five gold bars of standard weight 500 grams, 35 jewels and diamonds, and six valuable ornaments."
Aarka nodded at Sofia's words. This meant the total value of the coins was approximately 1,800 golden sails.
2.5 kilograms of gold, naturally intended to be used as material on the ship.
Gold is a necessary material for a caster. While it's certainly overkill as the primary material, it's needed to embellish many details.
Select the various gemstones with the best color to use as materials, and dispose of the rest later.
Gemstones have always been essential for energy transmission. Placed in key locations, they can protect energy circuits or serve as temporary energy storage devices.
Including the valuables, this harvest was definitely sufficient.
At this point, Sofia had already begun sorting through the treasures. He separated the gold bars Alka needed and the gems he could use and handed them to Alka.
These would all be counted as public funds, since they were the ones using most of Alka's forged objects.
Even the Puppet Knights were considered part of their group.
Then Sofia took inventory, identifying the remaining treasures that needed to be processed into wealth.
"The remaining coins, plus these items, are worth approximately 2,500 gold sails. The exact value won't be known until we reach the Infinite Sea."
After listening to Sofia's inventory, Alka said, "Then throw those items that need to be traded into the treasury, and distribute the remaining coins."
Then he split the gold coins in front of him and lifted the metal box at his feet.
This was the most important thing.
A box specifically designed to store treasures.
As the box opened, the Ring of Light within appeared before everyone.
At this moment, the Ring of Light remained restrained and unremarkable.
Alka held the Ring of Light in his hands and said, "Let's see who this treasure is suitable for."
With this, Alka handed the treasure to Lucelia.
"Try it first and see if your puppet body can handle it."
Although it was highly unlikely, what if? After all, it would be a shame not to experiment with an ownerless treasure with no one in control.
Lucelia nodded and gently touched the Ring of Light with her hands.
However, the Ring of Light showed no sign of resistance. Instead, the treasure within Lucelia's body rejected it.
"How's it going? What do you feel?"
Hearing Alka's question, Lucelia said with some surprise, "This treasure isn't meant for me, but it doesn't reject me either. It... ignored me."
Ignored Lucelia?
Hearing this, Alka rubbed his chin, thinking.
In other words, he didn't believe Lucelia was an intelligent lifeform capable of controlling him.
This situation only occurs with those with physical disabilities, which is why those with incomplete bodies can't control treasures.
Thinking of this, Alka suddenly thought of Simon, who was lying in the hospital bed.
Treasures become disabled after control, but it doesn't affect your continued control and use.
However, before controlling a treasure, it requires a high level of physical integrity. Even Lucelia's control was only achieved through a combination of a loophole and coincidence.
Under normal circumstances, even a broken arm wouldn't work.
Of course, a disability like a broken finger doesn't count.
According to Simon's words, and the now completely clear course of events,
He must have gained control of the treasure only after entering a stasis state and losing both of his hands.
Perhaps he himself didn't even realize he was in control of the treasure.
So the treasure truly was controlled by a wise being, which is why it automatically chose Simon.
We'll find out the details when Simon wakes up tomorrow.
Alka thought, pulling himself back to his thoughts.
Then he took the Ring of Light again and handed it to Sofia.
Among them...
Pororo, Jason, Julia, and Juanlu didn't possess the treasure. If this treasure were given to them, they would basically all be able to adapt.
The only one who struggled was Sofia.
Whether for this reason or for his contribution, Sofia should be the first to master it.
The other four people followed the previous order and lined up.
Sofia took a deep breath, reached out her hands, and grasped the Ring of Light.
She was afraid it would repel the treasure like before.
After touching the Ring of Light, she showed no repulsion at all, which was a very good sign.
Sofia gently channeled her magic power into the Ring of Light.
With the influx of magic power, the triangular gem in the center of the headband began to emit light, and then the triangular gem began to spin.
Seeing this, everyone slightly distanced themselves to give Sofia enough space.
This clearly proved that this treasure was suitable for Sofia and could be controlled by her.
Sofia also closed her eyes.
The triangular gem in the center of the headband radiated even more light as it spun, illuminating the entire captain's cabin. Everyone couldn't help but squint slightly, shielding their eyes with their hands.
However, the light grew stronger and stronger, almost completely transforming the entire captain's cabin into a vast expanse of white light, obscuring everything else.
In an instant, all the light was withdrawn, and the captain's cabin was plunged into complete darkness.
This space...
All the light was absorbed into the gem, including the sunlight streaming in through the window.
"This treasure control movement is a bit loud," Jason grumbled nearby.
After all, they'd gone through the treasure control process many times before, and had seen it repeated many times before.
This time, Sofia's visual effect was the most dramatic.
After only a few seconds, the light returned.
The entire captain's cabin returned to its previous state.
Sofia had already opened his eyes. Everyone looked at him. It wasn't an illusion; his eyes were radiating light.
Just by looking at him, one could feel the dazzling light, making one look away.
At this moment, Sofia wasn't just his eyes; his entire body was radiating light, like a human-shaped beacon.
Sofia took a deep breath and slowly placed the headband on his head.
As she controlled it, the light around her body dimmed, and the light in her eyes also vanished, leaving only a tiny flicker.
After completing this series of actions, Sofia finally sat down on the bench.
Seeing the curious gazes of the crowd, she smiled and said, without waiting for any further questions, "The main function of this treasure is to control light, just like this."
As she spoke, she opened her palm, and the surrounding brightness dimmed noticeably, and a ball of light appeared in her palm.
She gently tossed the ball of light, aiming for the window. It flew out and landed on the sea.
Instantly, it exploded.
The blinding light flashed, forcing everyone to stare blankly.
The flickering light transformed into strands of silk, flying back through the window and into Sofia's hands.
Then, Sofia gently squeezed her palm, and the entire captain's cabin was once again plunged into darkness.
Just like before, the light was once again absorbed by her.
But this time, everyone could see their surroundings very clearly in this darkness.
It was as if it were daytime.
"Can this kind of darkness be broken by darkvision?" Alka asked.
"Yes, but it will still be severely affected."
Hearing this, Alka nodded.
"What is the range?" Julia asked.
If the range is large enough, it would indeed be a very powerful ability.
"It depends on my strength. With my current strength, I can probably absorb the Dawn Sound and all the light around it."
A 40-meter radius is more than enough for combat.