As Lynn spoke, a small, dreamlike figure condensed from the surrounding fluctuations. It took on a humanoid form and stood among the dishes with a gentle, adorable posture.
"A… ship spirit?"
Aveline stared at the figure, savoring the term. Her eyes gradually lit up.
It really was true—names mattered.
Even though it was the first time she had heard the term, she immediately understood what kind of existence it described.
And combined with all the beautiful connotations associated with the word "spirit," along with the figure's appearance, her impression of the ship beneath her feet was completely transformed.
"Her name is Xiao Ai? Did you just come up with that?"
She looked at Lynn, excitement clear in her eyes.
The slight embarrassment she had felt earlier had completely vanished.
After all, using a nickname that clearly referred to her to name such a magical and beautiful existence… what more needed to be said?
Lynn paused for a moment.
Aveline had misunderstood.
He really hadn't thought that deeply when naming it. Back before transmigrating, he had used smart assistants all the time, and this ship spirit—with its slightly limited intelligence—gave off that same "artificially dumb" vibe. So he had casually picked the name.
But if she wanted to see it that way…
That wasn't a bad thing either.
Lynn wasn't about to ruin the moment.
"Well? Do you like it?"
"If not, you can rename her yourself. Or just treat her like a pet and keep her with you."
"Don't worry about the ship—I can give her a new vessel. Something like a ship model would make her easy to carry."
Aveline took a deep breath.
She had always thought Lynn was perfect in almost every way—except that he didn't seem very romantic. Natlan didn't emphasize such things, but as someone from Fontaine, she still cared a little.
After all, what young girl didn't dream of romance?
At her age, she had once imagined a sweet love story of her own.
But no one was perfect. Lynn was already exceptional—handsome, capable in every sense of the word—so it wasn't really a flaw.
Yet now, she realized she had been completely wrong.
Lynn didn't lack romance.
He simply didn't bother with superficial gestures.
A ship spirit—what a fantastical existence.
And its name—Xiao Ai—derived from her nickname.
Those so-called gentlemen in the Court of Fontaine could shower someone with flowers and jewels all they liked, but how could any of that compare to a gift like this?
Not to mention, Lynn had never been stingy with her. Wherever they went, whatever they found, he always made sure she had a share. It was just that she didn't care much for things like jewels or flowers.
"No need. I love the name."
Aveline refused without hesitation to change it.
Then, she carefully considered what Lynn had said about letting her keep Xiao Ai as a companion.
From the bottom of her heart, she wanted to.
But…
"Lynn, would that affect Xiao Ai in any way?"
Lynn smiled inwardly.
They said women were drawn to appearances—seems like there was some truth to that. She had only just met Xiao Ai, yet she was already this concerned.
Then again…
Xiao Ai's appearance had originally been something like a miniature version of her vessel. It was only due to his own subconscious influence that it had taken on this form.
So really, wasn't he just as biased?
"Don't worry. It won't be a problem."
He knew exactly what Aveline was concerned about—whether changing vessels would harm Xiao Ai, or if being separated from her original form might cause issues.
Those concerns were valid.
For others.
But Lynn was different.
After all, he had personally created her. While it had taken some effort—and the difficulties involved made him unwilling to repeat the process anytime soon—transferring her to a new vessel was trivial by comparison.
"Then I want her!"
Aveline nodded decisively, her gaze filled with affection as she looked at Xiao Ai, who still stood quietly among the dishes like a delicate table ornament.
After a long moment, she finally remembered that Lynn had said the ship was already moving.
Reluctantly, she tore her eyes away and looked around, trying to figure out how.
But it was nighttime, and they were out at sea. With no clear reference points, she stood up and walked to the ship's edge, watching the water where it met the hull.
Only then did she confirm—
The ship was indeed moving.
It was almost unbelievable.
The sails weren't raised, there were no oars, no engines, no mechanical sounds of any kind. Yet judging by the wake, the ship was moving at a considerable speed.
"So this is Xiao Ai's ability?"
She had guessed the answer.