"Are you leaving so soon? Won't you stay a little longer? The Bloom Festival is coming up soon, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed."
The old woman, who was busy with some official business, saw Alka and the others saying goodbye and tried to persuade them to stay.
She sincerely wanted Alka and the others to stay longer.
You have to remember that Alka and the others had only been there during the initial battle.
Since they arrived and began providing support, they had fought with them almost from beginning to end.
Although personnel from other regions arrived later, Alka and the others didn't have to work as hard on the battlefield.
But they had helped, and they had helped them at the most crucial moment.
But not long after their help, they, as the beneficiaries, hadn't yet repaid their debt of gratitude, and the others were leaving.
This made them feel somewhat ungrateful, and it made her feel bad.
Hearing her plea to stay, Alka smiled and waved her hand. "No, no, we have other things to do.
Thank you, Lady Melvy, for your kindness."
Seeing that Alka and the others seemed to have made up their minds, the old woman named Melvy didn't bother trying to persuade them any further.
After a moment's thought, she said, "If we're heading to another part of the Land of Spirits, would you mind telling me?"
After a moment's thought, Alka said, "We're heading to the Land of Fragrance."
This place was the island closest to the orange light.
But after all, it was connected by vines and couldn't be called an island. That's why it was called the Land of Fragrance. It was also a relatively large island.
At least significantly larger than the one they were standing on.
Upon hearing this, the old woman nodded in understanding, her mood noticeably brightening. She smiled and said, "That's good. Whether you walk there directly or take a boat, you should be able to catch the Blooming Festival.
I've already spread the word about your help. Other places will also be friendly to you. I hope this small help is helpful."
Hearing this, Alka made a Madonna sign, bowed slightly, and said in gratitude, "This is so helpful. May the Madonna bless you."
"We should be thanking you. Compared to your help, this is insignificant."
As Alka and the others prepared to say goodbye and leave, the old woman gestured.
"May the flowers in your hearts bloom forever."
After bidding farewell to the old woman, they were forced to pick up some local specialties donated by the island, mostly various flowers and fruits.
With thanks from the island soldiers, the group left the area.
"Gentlemen, wait, wait for us!"
A familiar voice came from behind.
The men loading supplies onto the Flying Swallow turned to look.
They were the supply team from Piaoqiu Village who had come with them.
Leading them was the bearded man named Madero.
He looked quite injured. His left hand was still bandaged, and there was a wound on his head that had clearly only recently healed.
These were scars from the defensive battle. He had only brought three militiamen, two of whom bore minor injuries.
However, this did not affect their movements.
"Madru? I'm glad you're okay."
Jason watched them approach and quickly stepped forward, smiling.
"It's a bit embarrassing to say we didn't offer much help and were knocked unconscious, but luckily we managed to survive.
We've heard about your deeds at the fortress, and we're truly grateful."
After a long exchange of pleasantries,
Madru finally said, "It looks like you're preparing to leave, sir?"
Jason nodded.
"Then may I ask..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Jason smiled, patted his shoulder, and said, "Would you like to return the way you came?"
"Really? That's a coincidence. Of course, if it's possible, it would be our honor."
After a brief chat, they formed a team once again and set off.
Compared to the time they had come, the wooden planks carrying the supplies were now loaded with more valuable items.
These were supplies being returned to the village from the fortress, a reward for their heroic service.
But the militiamen who were escorting the supplies were missing two men. It was said they had stayed behind during the defensive battle.
The return journey was remarkably quiet and safe this time.
The journey was smooth and unobstructed, without any obstacles. It took several days. They returned safely to Piaoqiu Village.
Looking at Piaoqiu Village not far away, Alka sighed.
It was clear that Piaoqiu Village had also been attacked.
Many of the rattan dome houses had clearly been attacked, and the damage was evident.
Reconstruction work seemed to be underway.
However, it seemed that most of the damage had been repaired, and only the remaining rattan dome houses still under construction bore traces of the previous battle.
Some villagers used magical control spells to cause the vines to grow and wrap around them, patching the gaps caused by the destruction.
Some houses were abandoned and would likely be demolished later.
"Madru's back! I'm so glad to see you're safe.
When I heard the news earlier, I thought you were all..."
At this, the elderly village chief sighed, walked over, and gently hugged Madru.
Then he greeted and hugged each of the militiamen behind him.
Looking at the missing group, he shook his head and sighed deeply again.
After this, the village chief turned to Alka and the others.
Leaning on his cane, he bowed deeply.
Alka hurried over and helped him up.
They couldn't bear this.
"Thank you for your contribution, thank you for your willingness to help."
The old man knew clearly that if that side fell...
Even if someone came to support them, it would be difficult for them to reach their village.
How many people in their village would survive by then was anyone's guess.
It could be said that Alka and his companions had, in effect, saved Piaoqiu Village.
Even Quick, who had previously disliked them, came over and knelt on one knee, holding his trident in the water and bowing deeply to Alka and his companions.
"Thank you for your help. Please forgive me for any offense I caused you earlier. You are all worthy and brave men."
Seeing these people being so generous, Alka helplessly held his forehead.
Jason saw Alka still supporting the village chief. He walked over, patted Quick's shoulder, and knelt down to put his arm around his neck.
"If you truly feel guilty, buy us a drink."
"Of course, of course."
They chatted for a while.
Finally, at the village chief's urging, they truly entered the village.
It was probably obvious.
The wicker houses still had holes and holes, unrepaired, as if their owners had perished.
Of the damaged houses, those whose inhabitants had survived or whose residents were still present would be repaired first.
"Would you like to rest in the village? We'll treat you well."
Looking at the village in ruins, with repairs and construction underway everywhere, Alka shook his head.
I wouldn't add to the pressure on others here.
"No, we have urgent matters to attend to. We'll go back next time."
The village chief nodded with some regret, but didn't insist.
Jason looked at Quick beside him and said, "Prepare some good wine. We'll drink again next time."
Quick smiled and nodded. By this time, he and Jason had become somewhat familiar.
"Of course, it has to be the village... no, the best wine in this area."
Watching Alka and the others leave, the village chief and Quick, along with Madru and the others, prepared to escort them to the village entrance.
Suddenly, Alka felt his sleeve tugged.
He turned to look at Sofia.
Sofia narrowed his eyes slightly, a look of reluctance on his face, then leaned against his waist.
Lucelia, sitting on Alka's shoulder, also noticed something was amiss.
She and Alka looked to the side.
There was the house of Uncle Mark, who had brought them here.
The fence that had originally been used to keep the fish out was broken.
Only a large school of bighead carp swam around the spherical house, gathering around the damaged structure.
The large, broken hole in the vines at the back of the spherical house hadn't been repaired yet, and the blood still caked around it.
Alka opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Lucille had already turned, hugged Alka's neck, and buried her head.
He reached his right hand around the left side of his neck and gently patted Lucilia's back.
He extended his left hand.
He pulled Sofia, who was buried in his side, into his arms.
The Flying Swallow continued its silent advance.
It didn't stop for long, just a pause.
Quick took a deep breath, glanced at the damaged vine house, and forced himself to turn his head away.
The village chief sighed softly, trying to suppress the sound.
And so, everyone suddenly reached the village entrance in silence. "May the flowers pave your way forward."
"May the Virgin Mary bless you."
They exchanged the most essential blessings.
Alka and the others once again harvested the village's specialty: fish products made from bighead carp.
Boarding the Flying Swallow, they began their journey toward the coast.
This time, the journey was once again peaceful and tranquil.
There were no unexpected incidents.
...…
A melodious song drifted in the distance.
Even before Alka and the others reached the beach, they could already hear the joyous song of the Dawn.
It had been a while since they had last seen each other.
The Dawn missed them a little.
"Ha, we're going up first," Nine said, her wings flapping as she and her team laughed.
A dozen puppet girls flapped their wings and quickly flew away from the Flying Swallow, heading for the Dawn.
Their actions made the remaining puppet girls extremely anxious.
"Ahhh, they're cheating."
Alka and the others nearby watched them with a smile.
The Swallow maintained a steady pace, gliding toward the coast.
The Voice of the Dawn could already be seen in the distance.
Illuminated by the sunlight, it rested quietly on the shore of a swamp entwined with green vines.
The distinctive bird-headed ship's captain still captivated everyone's attention.
Soon, they finally arrived at the Voice of the Dawn.
The three sea creatures leaped directly from the sea and onto the deck.
Alka controlled the Swallow, furling its mast and sails, and slowly steered it through the opening at the bow into the Voice of the Dawn.
The others ascended the stairs to the deck.
The crystal dragon sprawled on the deck took two impatient steps, its size growing larger.
The once spacious deck felt a bit cramped.
Seeing this,
Alka could only shrug helplessly. However, as he hadn't yet reached the fourth stage, he couldn't do anything for the time being.
He could only wait for his strength to improve.
Last week, without the ship's magic gathering stones and the accompanying crystals for meditation, their strength hadn't improved much.
"Huh, the Dawn's Voice is still the best," Jason said, leaning against the mast.
For those who had spent several years aboard, the Dawn's Voice had become a place almost like home.
Of course, it felt good to be home.
Sofia stood on the deck, gazing at the swamp nearby, and suddenly frowned.
"Is it my imagination? Why is Zehai drifting to our right?"
Hearing this, Alka hurried over to take a look.
"It's not an illusion. Zehai is drifting in the other direction."
Then he shook his head helplessly. "This is troublesome. It's going to take even longer."
Previously, they had traveled all the way from the edge of life and death to the Land of All Spirits. Because Zehai was also sailing on the sea, their crossing paths naturally made their journey much faster.
This time, they were traveling side by side with Zehai, so it would take even longer. They would have to maintain a faster speed to reach their destination.
This clearly demonstrated how annoying Zehai's chaotic movement was throughout the area.
"Alright, Voice of Dawn, let's race this area."
As Alka finished speaking, Voice of Dawn let out a melodious song and then sped forward.
"We've been away from the Voice of the Dawn for so long. Let's get moving after a break and check it out."
Simon suggested after observing the Voice of the Dawn's condition.
"No problem."
Alka nodded in agreement.
When sailing at sea, maintaining a vessel is crucial.
They had indeed been away from the Voice of the Dawn for quite some time, so they needed to thoroughly inspect it and perform maintenance and upkeep.
Everyone dispersed.
After resting for a while, cleaning themselves, and enjoying a delicious meal,
Everyone on board, except those who were on alert in the observation room, began to move.
Alka made his way to the central treasury.
Gently extending his hand, after a series of tests, he opened the door.
As the cylindrical treasury emerged, the floating musical instrument in the center continued to glow.
However, only a small pile of golden sails could be seen surrounding it.
The rest of the treasure had already been disposed of.
Even the golden sails only had about a few hundred left.
Generally speaking, a certain amount of the treasure they harvested would be deposited into the treasury for daily expenses.
Aside from this small amount of money, all that remained were the blue magic items nearby.
These magic items were either of little use or unsuitable for them.
They were all placed here.
Some of the magic items were also practice items for him and Simon.
They could be disposed of sometime.
After glancing at it for a moment, Alka focused his attention on the instrument before him.
This was the core of the Dawn Sound, a massive violin.
Alka circled the violin, examining it closely.
To be honest, he hadn't been here for a long time.
Although someone comes here for routine inspections every day.
The violin has undergone many changes compared to the past.
There is a long
The striped decoration had now completely transformed into a mirror-like structure.
The pink mist that had originally surrounded the violin had faded, becoming more of a pink line imprinted across the violin.
This ship was primarily bound to Alka.
Therefore, its core was primarily infected by Alka's treasure.
The core of the Dawn's Sound had now become deeply ingrained.
Alka raised his hands.
The violin gently floated down.
However, the violin was larger than Alka himself.
He intended to conduct a more detailed inspection.
With a slight shift in his posture,
Alka moved his dream double outside.
The mirror and the dreamcatcher floated out, surrounding the violin and beginning a final inspection.
"Oh, has it reached this point?"
Alka sighed.
"Looks like your upgrade needs to be put on the agenda," Alka said, gently patting the violin.
A melodious and cheerful song reached his ears.
"Don't worry, it'll be done soon."
After replying to the Voice of the Dawn, Alka replaced the violin and closed the treasury door.
Under the influence of Alka's two treasures, the core of the Voice of the Dawn had been profoundly transformed by the two energies.
This meant that the ship was now capable of even more functions.
However, it wasn't her abilities that limited her, but the ship's entire structure.
Some parts of the ship needed special treatment, requiring replacement with appropriate spell materials.
At that point, the Voice of the Dawn would be upgraded from an ordinary ghost ship.
In reality, if she were to remain like this, she could indeed unleash some special abilities.
But that would create certain problems with her overall structure.
Although her core already possesses the necessary foundation,
the outer shell isn't fully compatible, so forcing her abilities would naturally come at a price.
The entire ship would be shattered, and the result would be more trouble than good.
Thinking of this, Alka slapped her cheek in frustration.
How could this look so much like her?
Both inside and out.
Suddenly, balancing reality and dreams isn't easy.