The group walked slowly forward, stepping on the lush green grass, stepping on the wildflowers.
A sense of novelty could be seen on everyone's faces.
For them, drifting on the sea was boring.
Everyone, without exception, had grown up surrounded by the sea, with the exception of Alka.
For them, the feeling of trekking long distances over land was too novel.
The novelty of traveling on land kept their spirits high.
"The boat bottle is said to be a replica of a scepter-level treasure, the first of which probably appeared three or four thousand years ago.
However, it's said to be extremely difficult to make, and the materials used are extremely expensive.
Therefore, it's rarely circulated on the market. Even with money, it's difficult to buy, not to mention that most people don't even know it exists."
Lucilia sat on Alka's shoulders and briefly explained the boat bottle's origins. The group walked across the endless green expanse, their feet weaving layer upon layer of vines, making it feel completely impervious to loosening.
It felt as if they were truly walking on the earth.
Soon, they returned to camp.
They quickly gathered and cleared away the items they had left, then dismantled the changes they had made, restoring the camp to its original state.
They completely banished the atmosphere of their life.
"It's time to say goodbye to this place."
After packing up, they began to leave.
"Julia? What's wrong?" Sofia asked, observing Julia's distracted and unfocused appearance.
Hearing Sofia's question, Julia raised her hand, spreading her fingers to feel the breeze around her.
"It's different. The Land of the Spirits is different."
Hearing this, Pororo said nonchalantly, "The gods have revived, so it must be different."
"No, not like that," Julia shook her head.
"The wind direction is different, the force is different, and the space around us has become very stable."
At this point, she frowned, trying to feel more closely, searching for that familiar feeling.
"It's like... like a signpost island. Yes, that's it.
Now the Land of the Spirits feels like a signpost island. The space has become very stable."
Julia spoke to the others.
Hearing this, Alka frowned.
"Wait a moment."
As he spoke, Alka's eyes suddenly blurred. He swapped his real body with the one in his dream.
He appeared in the dream and felt the changes inside and outside.
About ten minutes passed.
The real and fake bodies finally switched back together, and Alka returned to reality.
As the look in his eyes shone again, Alka looked at the others and said, "Julia is right. Zehai has stopped."
"Stopped? Do you mean Zehai isn't floating around like usual?" Sofia asked from the side.
Alka nodded. "Yes, that's what I mean."
"That's quite interesting."
"Forget it, let's keep going." Zehai was so vast, and it was impossible to see the whole thing and understand the specific situation.
There was no point in overthinking it.
The group continued on their way.
...
It took them more than ten days to travel.
Finally, they saw the border.
And that was even though they were moving at a relatively fast speed.
"We're finally here! Walking isn't nearly as comfortable as taking a boat," Jason grumbled, gazing at the blue sea in the distance.
Aside from the novelty of the first day, there wasn't much else to see.
And we had to keep walking, which was far more uncomfortable than taking a boat.
"We're almost there, let's speed up," Alka said, leading everyone onward once more.
The azure sea seemed within reach, but it took them another half day to finally reach the surface.
A series of splashes echoed.
With three sounds, the three sea creatures plunged directly into the water.
Pororo swam briskly on the surface, then leaped back into the water.
Even Julia and Matresa swam happily in the water.
"It seems they've been pent up for a while," Sofia said with a smile. After all, they were a race of the sea, their structure differing from that of normal humans.
‐‐ Even though they produced water daily to moisten their skin, living on land for extended periods was indeed too uncomfortable compared to an environment covered in seawater.
‐‐ A song emanated from the seabed.
‐‐ It was the sound of the Dawn's Voice. Bubbles began to form on the surface of the sea before them.
‐‐ As the seawater broke apart, the Dawn's Voice emerged from the water.
‐‐ The entrance to the bow opened.
‐‐ "No need, we won't need it anymore," Alka exclaimed, looking at the entrance.
‐‐ A voice of doubt rose amid the music, but the entrance to the former Swallow was still closed.
‐‐ The group returned to the ship via the vines that flew over.
‐‐ They stepped onto the grassy deck of the Dawn's Voice.
‐‐ "Ah, home!" Jason roared happily.
The crystal dragon landed awkwardly on the deck, trying its best to tuck its wings under its body.
"Ah, no more walking around on the ship!" the crystal dragon cried in frustration.
Everyone looked over.
After another deep sleep, Ululius had grown considerably. The deck now barely offered enough space for her to move.
At best, she could rest around the flower beds or under the trees.
She had to curl up, unable to move freely.
Watching this scene, Jason scratched his head, feeling a momentary dilemma.
There really wasn't a good solution right now.
And this was after the Voice of Dawn had merged with the tree after planting it, expanding slightly.
He couldn't help but walk over and pat the crystal dragon's wings.
"There's nothing we can do right now. Let's just make do with it. The next growth won't happen until much later anyway."
Urulius nodded, rarely showing any temper, and curled up beneath the tree.
After all, this was where she'd grown up.
She was born by the campfire in the poop, and ate in the poop kitchen.
She played hide-and-seek with the puppet girls on the poop balcony, on the deck, and in the cabin.
She listened to the duet of Dawn and Julia on the bow.
She lived with her shipmates.
She grew up under everyone's care.
Even if it was only for a few years.
She was only a few years old, and her slight mental maturity came entirely from the memories passed down deep within her mind.
She remembered almost all of her childhood on the deck of Dawn.
Even if her size could barely accommodate it, she would still be happy to rest here.
It would give her peace of mind.
Besides, there were great treasures down there, including her own share, which she must protect carefully.
Alka observed the situation.
It seemed that some matters needed to be put on the agenda.
Soon, the Voice of Dawn began to gallop across the sea, heading into the distance.
A melodious song reached out.
"What did you say?" Hearing the meaning of the song, Alka was somewhat shocked.
"What's wrong?" asked the man on the deck.
Alka didn't answer for a moment, but turned to look at the swamp sea that was getting farther and farther away from them.
He touched his forehead, feeling the blessing from the flower fairy.
He could sense the connection between this blessing and the distant swamp sea.
No, that place could no longer be called a swamp sea.
Thinking of this, Alka turned to the people on deck and said, "The Land of All Souls has separated from the entire Marsh Sea."
"What do you mean?" Simon asked, as if he had already figured it out.
"The vibration we felt in the Fragrance of Fragrance wasn't just the entire Land of Fragrance rising, remember? There were two vibrations. The second was the separation of the Fragrance of Fragrance from the Marsh Sea.
The Land of All Souls has become a single, giant island, while the Marsh Sea continues to drift."
This was exactly what the Voice of Dawn had just told Alka.
Because he saw it all, saw the entire separation process, and the Marsh Sea drifting away.
Since then, the entire Land of All Souls has not moved again.
"A new landmark island?" Julia muttered to herself, looking back at the receding Land of All Souls.
Narvi looked at the receding island and suddenly said, "This place is truly a perfect place to live. Perhaps I should stay here after this is over."
After all, if it truly became a landmark island, then the Land of the Spirits might become the largest of all the islands he had visited.
"Have you made any plans yet?" Arka asked, approaching him.
Narvi seemed determined and nodded.
"After I return this time, after paying my respects to my family, I'll return here. I've decided to live in the Land of Fragrance."
Sofia, who was standing beside him, also nodded. "It's a good choice. It's indeed a good place."
Far from the nightmares of the first half of my life, my hometown is a place of sorrow. The hatred and karma of the first half have been resolved.
Beginning a new life in the Land of Reconciliation for the second half of my life.
A good start.
The waves broke, and the sound of dawn once again galloped across the sea.
...
Night.
Alka sank into a dream.
This time, he didn't leave his enormous dream bubble. Instead, he came to the base of a towering crystal pillar and sat down against it.
The pillar was covered by a mass of tree roots and vegetation.
As Alka sat there, a large number of small animals from his dream forest gathered around him.
It was as if Alka were a child of the forest.
Squirrels, rabbits, cats. All kinds of small animals gathered around him, some even brave enough to lean on his legs or even lie on him.
Alka looked at these little animals without disdain, smiling and petting them.
The animals greatly enjoyed Alka's touch.
Alka neither rejected animals nor showed any signs of affection.
But the animals before him were different. They were his creations, beings he had created, though they could only exist within his dreams.
Arka stared at the animals with his own eyes, eyes that could see through secrets.
A vibration akin to a soul had gradually begun to emanate from these small creatures.
They were transforming into creatures possessing souls, becoming truly living beings.
Observing this, Arka gently waved his hand, and the gray energy hidden within the interwoven gold and silver within the crystal pillars behind him surged forth.
Under Arka's control, the crystals flowed out, dispersing among the animals. Then Arka spread even more,
scattering throughout the forest.
He shooed the small creatures off his body.
"Let's go! I have things to do."
As the small creatures departed, Arka stood up, straightened his clothes, and floated out of his dream. Upon emerging, I immediately spotted the massive spire at the center of the Dream Palace.
The spire consisted of two levels.
The lower level housed a trapezoidal furnace, a molten mass swirling in the center.
The spire itself floated above it, the two stacked in mid-air with a gap between them.
The spire's construction was not reminiscent of the silver artifacts or clouds seen in the dream, but rather a pure black steel structure.
Flame-like lines flowed across its surface.
It stood utterly out of place among the architecture of the dream.
A pair of cloud-like hands grasped a frantically struggling demon.
They pulled it out of the makeshift cage bound by the silver building's clouds.
They held it tightly and brought it to the furnace.
"Damn it! Let me go! Let me go! Please, let me go! I'm willing to sign a contract with you! A slave contract! Let me go!"
This demon's appearance wasn't the characteristic scarlet, but rather a pale gray, as could be seen from his strength and intelligence.
Clearly a fifth-level demon, among the mid-level demons, possessing a noble bloodline.
His face was filled with terror, a rare expression for a reckless, bloodthirsty demon.
However, his pleas for mercy had no effect on the mist creature.
Unmoved, the mist creature continued to hold him, moving closer and closer to the furnace.
"Damn it! I curse you! I curse all of you! I curse this world!
The abyss will devour you. You will become part of it, never to escape!"
He roared and cursed.
But the mist-like creature remained unmoved. It approached the furnace and forcefully threw it into the molten ground.
Followed by a scream,
The demon was engulfed by the magma-like liquid.
In an instant, it vanished, submerged in the scorching molten flames.
Not even the slightest ripple was stirred within.
As the magma-like liquid within swirled endlessly,
Arka could clearly see something emanating, then being sucked toward the spire at the top.
It underwent some complex transformation mechanism within, transforming into a faint mist that drifted out from the spire's summit.
Pure, pure energy from the world.
Several mist-like creatures stood guard at the top.
They instantly gathered the smoke and swiftly carried it to the most precious portions of the buildings below.
Among the incubation pools used to hatch new mist-like creatures.
One of the incubation pools seemed to have absorbed sufficient energy.
A mist-like egg swirled out and slowly floated out.
"Your Majesty, go. This is the first life born in your kingdom. This is a memorable moment." Shadow Robe had unknowingly arrived at Alka's side and said, observing the scene.
Alka nodded, equally curious and excited.
The phantom beside him carried him quickly to the incubation pool.
The surrounding mist-like creatures seemed to be awaiting his arrival.
Alka slowly approached the incubation pool for the mist-like creatures, although its appearance looked no different from the surrounding buildings.
Looking at the cloud egg, constructed of thick mist, floating on the mist platform.
Although it looked no different from ordinary mist,
In Alka's eyes, he could
He could sense a new creature from the dream world brewing within.
He witnessed the birth of dream life.
He seemed to have a new understanding.
He slowly walked over, stretched out his hands, and held the egg in his palms.
It was light, incredibly light, like a ball of cotton.
Yet it seemed heavy.
For some reason, a sense of nervousness welled up in him.
"What should I do?" Holding the egg in his hands, Alka was momentarily unsure what to do. He turned and asked.
"Just wake him, Your Majesty."
He nodded.
Holding the egg in his hands, he gently called out.
As he called, a fine pink mist inexplicably emerged from the white mist.
The egg in the mist seemed to break open, spinning like a whirlwind.
As the mist spun, a new mist creature finally emerged.
This newborn mist creature resembled a plump bird.
A faint pink hue was now interspersed within the originally pure white mist.
It looked much more beautiful and unique.
However, it seemed somewhat out of place among the surrounding mist creatures.
"Why is it pink?" Alka asked, looking at the mist creature in his hand.
Shadow Robe beside him observed it carefully.
"Your Majesty, this must be a characteristic of your kingdom.
This means that this new life was born from your kingdom. They are born into your people, born to be your believers."
"Really?" Alka had no idea what was going on.
But he could sense a subtle connection between him and this new mist creature, unlike the other mist creatures that inhabited his kingdom.
Gently letting go.
The mist-like creature flew away. At this moment, he was new and utterly clueless.
The mist-like creatures that had been waiting nearby quickly came over, receiving the new life, carrying it onto their backs and carrying it upward.