Looking at the shimmering seed in his hand,
Sofia and the others gathered around. They could sense the power emanating from the seed, a power very similar to divine essence.
"Is this the reward from the flower fairy?"
"Yes, that's what it is."
"Divine essence?" Simon asked.
It was so similar that this was basically everyone's first reaction.
Alka shook his head. "A similar entity. I don't know what it is specifically, but I don't know how to answer."
In general, knowledge affects perspective.
"But at least I know how to use it."
Alka smiled, and then magic surrounded the center of the flowerbed.
A small hole was dug at the bottom of the flower bed, and Alka gently placed the seed inside.
Then he dug in soil and covered it.
Everyone just stared at the spot, but nothing happened.
"That's it?" Jason asked, puzzled.
Alka smiled faintly. "Don't worry, the real action hasn't even begun yet."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Dreamcatcher's crystal ball and the mirror mask floated out of Alka's body and landed beside him.
The two treasures emanated different magical energies: one a powdery mist, the other a translucent, brilliant beam. Both flowed toward the soil where the seed lay.
Feeling the magical energy absorbed by the seed, Alka looked at the crowd and said.
"You can give it a try, channeling the energy used by your treasures.
You might find something unexpected; it's all a form of magic, after all."
Hearing this, everyone sprang into action.
Even Juanlu, who was in the kitchen, ran over.
Blood-red light, sunlight-like rays, chilling snow and wind, spirals of orange and emerald green, dark green beams, orange-yellow energy, azure beams of magic.
Here gathered all the treasure energy of everyone, and then everyone turned to look at Jason, who hadn't used anything.
"Why are you looking at me? I don't have any treasure," Jason said helplessly.
His wasn't really a treasure; he had simply signed a contract with a powerful being.
They were now almost certain that the crystal dragon was a living, ancient divine creature.
Dazzling rainbow energy flew in from afar, emanating from the crystal dragon on the rear deck.
Jason had no choice but to use his own brilliant energy, directing it towards that direction.
"I hope it works."
Diverse energies converged within the patch of earth where the seed had been buried, their powerful energy causing the entire soil to begin to transform.
Luckily, the amount of magic power they used was limited to begin with, so when shared out, almost no one needed to expend much mana to maintain it.
"How long do you have to keep transmitting like this?" Simon asked.
But just as he asked, Julia said, "Quiet, there's movement."
Everyone turned to look.
A emerald green sprout erupted from the soil, its momentum pushing aside the soil above it and beginning to flourish.
It swayed and began to grow wildly before everyone's eyes.
As the sprout grew, Alka shouted, "The Voice of Dawn! Merge into it, become a part of it. This will be your new life!"
At Alka's words, melodious singing filled the air.
The branches grew. Everyone's ears rang out as the lower deck was pierced, and the sound of collisions echoed throughout the ship.
The crackling of wood panels continued incessantly.
However, no one panicked, for they had a general idea of why such a problem had occurred below.
As mentioned earlier, the flowerbed and the treasure vault below are connected together into a single cylindrical structure.
It was embedded in the center of the ship, the very heart of the entire vessel.
The violin core of the Voice of Dawn was also stored here. Alka and his team had even set up numerous protective spells to protect it.
This was the strongest and safest area of the entire ship.
At this moment, the roots of the tree planted above spread downward, enveloping the cylindrical structure.
In the treasure vault below.
The roots penetrated, then spread outward, completely enveloping the floating violin core, merging it with the roots.
In the flowerbed above, the surrounding flowers began to be squeezed and moved to the edges.
The small sprout in the central soil had already grown frantically, becoming a branch. A trunk, roughly the thickness of a human head, had already appeared above it, surging upward furiously.
Although the Dawn's Voice was a large, three-dimensional sailing vessel, if its trunk grew any further, it would likely affect the sail's operation.
"Dawn's Voice! Control your growth!"
Hearing Alka's cry, the Dawn's Voice, already fused into its new body, began to control its growth, and the entire branch's growth became somewhat distorted.
Clearly, the transformation from ship to tree had completely failed him.
Seeing this, Julia immediately stepped forward and placed her hands on the trunk.
"Be still and listen to my guidance."
As Julia's voice rang out, a soft, sing-song voice emanated from her lips.
The ship didn't respond, but the tree before them responded.
The twisted trunk slowly straightened.
The trunk grew straight, but remained at a height of six or seven meters before it began to spread its canopy.
The branches extended to the sides, avoiding piercing or obstructing the sails.
The branches and leaves began to grow around the mast, encircling it.
A natural canopy formed in the center of the deck. Then, guided by Julia, the tree ceased its growth, and its roots began to spread throughout the ship.
It wrapped around the keel, tightly binding it and protecting the ship's core, even merging into it.
Some branches even broke through the ship's bottom, then immediately sealed the punctured holes and grew outward.
Tentacles sprouted from the tree's roots, spreading outward like blood vessels.
These branches sprouted tiny shoots, which would become carnivorous plants beneath the ship.
They cleaned the grime and parasites from the ship's bottom, catching any small fish that passed by.
All this would become nutrients for the tree, and for the ship itself.
The ship transformed from a ghost ship into a living, breathing vessel.
Except for the bottom cabin, every part of the first and second decks had been penetrated and fused together by the spreading tree roots.
Some of the original spells on the ship were destroyed, and some lighting fixtures were smashed.
The entire ship was filled with frantic crackling and snapping sounds.
It was as if someone was wreaking havoc within the ship, frantically wreaking havoc.
Finally, the series of growths was complete. Julia released her hand and let out a long breath.
Her forehead was already covered with beads of sweat.
"Now, make the embellishments you desire."
As she finished speaking, holes appeared one after another in the tree trunk, and various sounds emanated from them.
The branches drooped downward, inexplicably blooming with a variety of flowers, each of varying shapes. Crystals then dangled from them one after another.
Like gemstones, the colorful gems hung from the tree, making it a true treasure tree.
A strange white bird appeared on a branch.
"A messenger bird?"
Lucelia recognized the bird's species immediately.
It was the prototype of the Prime Minister of the Dawn's Voice.
Birds chirped softly, their melodious voices rising from the branches, their heads tilted as they gazed at the crowd, fluttering their wings as they danced about.
Every time they passed someone, they nuzzled their cheeks with their heads.
The rain and dew fell evenly on them, as if in gratitude.
Jason looked down at his feet. Unknowingly, the entire deck had been covered with a thin layer of grass.
"That's nice and aesthetically pleasing, but is it really safe?"
After all, the deck was covered in grass. Wouldn't it seriously corrode?
Sofia stood there, silver ripples spreading outward. She had practically witnessed the entire ship's transformation.
Hearing Jason's question, she said, "Beyond these superficial changes, I suggest you all go down and take a look. Hmm... the changes are quite significant."
Alka looked at the vines and flowers growing from the ship's side railing.
He probably had an idea of what was happening below.
But he still led the way down to the cabin.
As soon as he entered the first deck, he saw tree roots covering the entire ceiling, like blood vessels.
These roots were not exposed, but were completely embedded in the wood planks, becoming one with them.
It was as if the planks had been extended from the roots.
But the previously broken and fractured wood had vanished, as if absorbed into the roots.
But the lantern lights hanging there had completely vanished.
Instead of the lights, a dangling gem appeared.
The gem emitted a soft, pale white glow, identical to the gems hanging from the tree, only with a different shape.
"Well, this actually looks quite nice."
"I'll check out the library."
"I'll check out the kitchen."
"I'll check out my room!"
The crowd began to disperse.
Alka and Simon hurried to the manufacturing hall.
Seeing the hall perfectly preserved, they breathed a sigh of relief.
This was their lifeblood.
"It's okay, it's perfectly intact," Simon said with a sigh of relief.
Alka scanned the details of the hall. "It's different, a lot of things are different."
He began to examine it carefully.
"The magic storage array is completely gone, the mana transmission pipeline is gone, the experimental mana gathering spell is gone, and here..."
Alka said as he examined it. Simon froze in his tracks, his whole body shimmering in a pale gray.
But Alka clearly hadn't finished. After inspecting the changes, he added, "All the infrastructure we previously constructed has been replaced with plant roots of equivalent effectiveness."
"Replaced with plant roots? How?" Simon asked, having unknowingly reached Alka's side.
"I don't quite understand either. How was it done?" Alka watched as the magic pipeline transformed into tree roots that helped transport magic.
By studying the magic gathering stones, a simple, super-degraded version of the magic gathering circle had been transformed into a type of moss, also serving the same purpose of gathering magic.
"Try it."
The two began experimenting.
"I don't understand. I don't understand at all. What the hell is this?" Simon crouched on the ground, even more bewildered.
Those previously destroyed and replaced things were gone, but they would be replaced with something better.
Everything had been replaced with plant-like structures, and it was even more effective.
For example, it offers improved magic transmission efficiency, better magic concentration, and can even automatically break down impurities within their magic, making it purer.
At this moment, the door to the manufacturing hall opened, and Matlisa swam in.
"Didn't you go to the library with Lucelia?"
"Yes, but I left again. It's changed a lot there, and Lucelia seemed upset by seeing it. She cried."
"Cried?" Alka asked, frowning as she stepped forward.
Seeing Alka's expression, Matlisa smiled. "Don't be so nervous. She's happy. She even said she's going to live there."
"Really...that's good."
Simon, watching Matlisa from the side, said, "I suggest you check out the changes in your area. We've seen a lot here."
Hearing this, Matlisa's face changed, and she hurried back to her own area. The two watched her expression shift from shock, to gloom, to delight.
Their expressions mirrored theirs, and the two nodded in satisfaction.
And it was clear that the changes to the equipment brought about by the plant roots were even better than those of Matresa's previous equipment.
This was especially true for the extraction and refining of certain materials.
Overall, the changes they had made were positive.
"I need to check out the treasury."
After saying this, Alka headed straight out. The two nodded but didn't follow.
The treasury was a very important area, and in most cases, only one person was allowed through.
Alka arrived at the central cylinder.
The cylinder was now completely engulfed by spreading tree roots, forming something resembling a pillar.
It was covered with branches and flowers, as if deliberately camouflaged.
These flowers and plants resembled the surrounding environment, making it easy for people to ignore it and mistake it for something like a wall.
The flowers and plants here possessed a naturally alluring charm, devoid of any magical reaction.
Excellent.
Alka gently raised his hand and placed it on the tree's roots.
The roots slowly shifted, revealing a hole wide enough for one person to pass through.
Alka stepped inside.
The roots immediately closed again.
Entering the interior, Alka gazed at the vertical cylindrical shield.
A violin, wrapped in vines, was above.
Alka no longer possessed spirituality, but its original core function remained, blending seamlessly with the plant.
The violin's color had turned emerald green, becoming part of the tree's roots, as if they formed its own form.
It radiated an emerald green glow, and crystal inscriptions were carved into it.
Alka surveyed the surroundings of the treasure house.
The tree roots and vines encircling it replaced all the defensive and warning spells previously inscribed on it.
Excellent! Better defense than before, and much more sturdy.
Satisfied, Alka left after observing and arrived on the first deck.
Jason was inspecting the changes to the rock shaker cannons.
These cannons were completely entangled in vines, and Simon had already modified them countless times.
Whether they were still the same rock shaker cannons was a question mark.
"They've become pure energy cannons. Hmm... to be honest, they look a bit like fireworks at the border of life and death."
Hearing Jason's words, Alka came over to take a look.
"What are these crystals?"
The cannons had long been engulfed by the vines.
It was wrapped in a tangle, but a crystal protruded from its back, something not seen before.
"Similar to the crystal structure of Urulius, it probably serves a similar function of gathering energy."
The vines wrapped around the crystal had a different structure, seemingly adorned with blue patterns that resembled luminous light.
It was like a channel specifically designed to receive energy.
"Try firing."
As Alka finished speaking, the vine-wrapped cannon before him fired.
There was barely a tangible sense of heaviness; even the sound of it opening was muffled and low-key.
An emerald green projectile flew out.
It crashed into the distant sea, where a massive, frantic mass of vine monsters appeared.
Alka watched the vine monster as it raged wildly around for a while before completely hushing and vanishing into a cloud of energy.
"Has it transformed into this kind of cannonball? Really bizarre."
Alka toured the ship, observing the changes.
It was almost certain that the ship had merged with the tree, becoming a living warship.
The original cables had been replaced with vines resembling cables, providing excellent camouflage.
They were also much tougher than before, capable of automatically growing after breaking, and possessing powerful offensive capabilities.
Thankfully, the sails remained unchanged. The overall appearance remained unchanged, save for the addition of a dramatic, precious tree on the deck.
The only remaining features were the vines spreading around the ship, as if parasitic upon the tree's roots.
The library, on the other hand, had been transformed into a garden, a forest-like structure.
The style was similar to what Alka had seen in Lucelia's dream, almost identical.
Alka even wondered if it had been modeled exactly on the scale of Lucelia's dream.
Overall, the entire ship, transformed by that seed, became a more complete entity.
It became a living being, capable of self-repair. With the blessing of Alka and the others' treasures, the Voice of Dawn also possessed certain special abilities.
Furthermore, the tree could continue to grow, and so could the warship.
However, it would require more energy and time.
At least that's what Julia said.
Alka looked forward to seeing what it would look like once fully grown.