CHAPTER 479: CHAPTER 369: LOVE FOR SHIPS, THESEUS SHIP SPIRIT RITUAL

At the same time, in the unusually spacious and immense captain’s cabin of the Quasi-Legendary Warship, the *Phantom Bottle*.

Along the wooden walls were golden teak display shelves of various sizes.

However, instead of the swords, firearms, and artifacts that normal captains liked to collect, what sat upon these shelves were transparent glass bottles.

In these hundreds of glass bottles, each one contained a Sail Battleship.

If one were to look through a magnifying glass, they would find that these ships were all extremely detailed, with masts, decks, cannons, cables, and so forth, all resembling the real thing.

It was hard to imagine what kind of skill and ingenuity it took to create such exquisite and life-like models.

It made one doubtlessly believe that if they were scaled up proportionally, they would be real Sail Battleships capable of traversing the seven seas—no, they would form a massive fleet!

Moreover, none of these "models" here were identical. Especially judging from the long pennants hanging from the mastheads, the captain’s flags on the bowsprit, and the flags of the nobility, each ship seemed to have its own unique identity and history.

Barbarossa Hailiding, the Ocean Throne, projecting himself here using his Royal Iron Law at the ship captain’s invitation, witnessed this stunning scene.

And he knew very well that none of the collections belonging to Mordent Gray, a Fifth Order Legendary Level Shipwright known as the "Sailboat Collector," were mere toy models.

"Indeed, there are only wrong names in the world, never wrongly given titles," Barbarossa Hailiding mused. "The Sailboat Collector truly lives up to his name. The Holy Silver Empire, Castilia, Hightins, Iris, Kalmar Union, Netherland, the Rhein Alliance... all the main warships of the various national navies are present. Having had so many warships stolen by you, their Naval Marshals must be furious to the point of spitting blood."

This Pirate King looked identical to his younger brother, "Blue Hair" Barbarossa Halding, save for the golden Crown on his head.

If encountered alone, it might be hard to distinguish him, but if the two were placed side by side, the Pirate King’s innate regal aura shone as unmistakably as a blazing bonfire in the dark.

A fake is always a fake.

As for the "models" before him, they were obviously all real deals, each equipped with at least dozens of cannons.

They had simply been placed inside bottles by Mordent Gray, the "Sailboat Collector," using his transcendent abilities.

With a wave of his hand, he could release a main fleet if he wished.

No sooner had the Pirate King’s voice faded than an excited voice rang out in the huge captain’s cabin:

"Barbarossa, don’t you think that Sail Battleships, the world’s most exquisite creations, should belong to those who can appreciate them the most? Material science, the shipbuilding industry, military technology, mechanics... No matter how powerful the transcendent techniques are, they are all based on the physical performance of Sail Battleships. This is the pinnacle of war machinery crafted by our Great Nautical Age, gathering all wisdom, experience, and creativity. If we fragile humans could merge with the strongest of these war machines, it would be the most wonderful thing in the world. The sheer thought excites me beyond control!"

The Pirate King turned to see a peculiar figure who had quietly appeared behind him.

The newcomer was a middle-aged man wearing black-rimmed glasses, with messy hair and a haggard face, looking like an expert with top-notch professional skills.

He was dressed in a formal suit with a wood-grain pattern, draped in a white canvas cape, and had a steering wheel pendant around his neck.

At his waist hung a row of at least ten Miracle Firearms, gleaming with Divine Light.

Most extravagantly, he wore a glass cover over his head that resembled a bottle.

Clearly, the "Sailboat Collector" not only entertained such thoughts but had already begun to put them into practice; what he was ’embodying’ was one of his own collection pieces.

The newcomer stepped forward to the side of the Pirate King’s projection, reaching out to gently caress his collection of ships as tenderly as one would stroke a lover’s soft skin.

He looked like an avid cosplay collector with a severe obsession.

"Too beautiful, too beautiful," Mordent Gray declared. "Once I’ve gathered all the best features of every known ship type and completed the final modifications on the *Phantom Bottle*, I’ll obtain the perfect body, achieving the breakthrough from mortal to legendary Ship Spirit. Barbarossa, you must understand my feelings, don’t you?"

"Ahem, well, I suppose I do."

Although the Pirate King couldn’t imagine anything wonderful about turning from a human into a ship, he wouldn’t challenge the notion.

He knew there was little point in arguing with any of the Fifth Order Transcendents, who all had grand ideals and were obstinate to the point of paranoia. If they could be convinced by others, they wouldn’t be proud Fifth-order Legends.

The Whale Hunter once told Violet the key prerequisite for ascending to the Fifth Order:

"Without a distinct personality and a grand ideal one is willing to risk their life to achieve, one cannot attain the status of a Fifth-order Legend (Chapter 179)."

Every living legend might possess different strengths, but they are all decidedly unique.

Especially this "Sailboat Collector," Mordent Gray.

Not only was he a Fifth-order Legendary Level Shipwright, a master of shipbuilding unmatched in the world, but he also practiced the Forbidden Book: the ’Theseus Ship Spirit Ritual.’

As a result, he naturally developed a side effect known as "objectophilia."

He began to obsessively adore Sail Battleships, not only building them with his own hands but also devising ways to steal and plunder advanced blueprints and Warships from other powers.

Then he integrated their advantages into his own *Phantom Bottle*, allowing this Wonder Battleship, born from a fusion of Artisan Alchemy and the Black Sorcery of the ’Theseus Ship Spirit Ritual,’ to gradually transform into a Legendary Warship.

Finally, he would extract his own soul and infuse it into this Quasi-Legendary Warship, completing a metamorphosis that would establish both himself and the warship as a new, eternal legend of the high seas.

Every Legendary Warship is the ultimate weapon of a nation, possessing the overwhelming power to dominate an entire sea with a single vessel.

Beyond their special ability to crush all other warships, their most iconic feature is the soul symbolizing a living being—the "Ship Spirit."

This is the pinnacle of creation and the lifelong dream of every Artisan.

Just one more step, and he would possess the supreme authority of a creator who brings souls into being!

Rumor has it that the first Legendary Warship crafted by human Artisans was inspired by the Ghost Ships that naturally manifest on the high seas.

And the Forbidden Book, the ’Theseus Ship Spirit Ritual,’ follows precisely this path.

Its name originates from the famous paradox of Theseus:

"A ship that sails the seas for hundreds of years owes its longevity to the continuous repairs and replacement of its parts. As soon as a plank rots, it is replaced. Question: If the Ship of Theseus has all of its original timbers replaced, until none of the wood is original, is it still the same ship? Another question: If you construct a new ship from the old parts taken from the Ship of Theseus, which of the two ships is the real Ship of Theseus?"

The essence is about replacing the old with the new.

Once he masters such witchcraft, the "Sailboat Collector" Mordent Gray could attain immortality as the Ship Spirit with the body of a Legendary Warship.

Caressing his collection, Mordent declared with deep emotion from within the glass enclosure:

"When I become the Ship Spirit of the Legendary Warship, *Phantom Bottle*, I must have a romantic rendezvous with every Legendary Warship around the world that has awakened its Ship Spirit! Ah, my beauties, your broad rudders, your soft sails, your thick, straight masts... every detail deeply attracts me. If Legendary Ship Spirits could reproduce like Elemental Creatures, then I shall become the new god of this world—the ’Father of Ship Spirits’!"

Hearing this guy ranting to himself again, the Pirate King felt veins throbbing on his forehead. Luckily, his ’objectophilia’ is directed at Sail Battleships, not what most people instinctively think of first: girls’ used stockings, clothes, sanitary pads... If it were the latter, no matter how powerful this fellow was, I would have to seriously consider drawing a clear line with him.

Deciding he couldn’t let him continue his ravings, the Pirate King quickly cleared his throat:

"Ahem, Mordent, let’s get to business. This time, I managed to divert all other Fifth Order Transcendents in the first echelon and came to you alone to make a deal. Haven’t you always wanted to obtain a true Legendary Warship for research?"

BOOM!

Upon hearing the words "Legendary Warship," the "Sailboat Collector," who seemed somewhat mad in the eyes of ordinary people, erupted with a powerful aura.

He dashed to the Pirate King’s side in one step, the ghostly image of continuous white sails looming behind him.

The immense pressure was enough to flatten a Third Order Transcendent on the spot.

Then he corrected solemnly, "Not research, but to make it my first bride! It is only right for spouses to understand each other’s physical condition."

Hailiding had no doubt that if he couldn’t present something of sufficiently high value, he would have to fight this fellow before even engaging the Fifth Order Pseudo-God from the Deep Dive Church.

But his confidence allowed him to continue unhurriedly, "In recent years, to achieve your goals, you recklessly hunted the most advanced warships and adventurer ships of various nations on the high seas. You’ve offended nearly every maritime power and had no choice but to flee to the Celestial Orbital Belt, hoping to start anew in the ’Wilderness’ of the New Continent. But I must tell you, in this brand new sea, there is another Legendary Warship not yet controlled by civilized nations. It is a Legendary Warship renowned throughout the Old Continent hundreds of years ago—the Bayfolk Dragonhead Ship!"

Upon hearing this, Mordent Gray’s eyes shone with a frightening brightness, and he said straightforwardly, "Time, place. I just want the ship. All else is yours!"

CLAP!

Two palms clasped together, producing a crisp sound.

"Pleasure doing business."

As for the interests of the other Adventurers here?

They were merely expendables in the upcoming great battle, so why bother caring about them?