CHAPTER 195: CHAPTER 148: THE IMPENDING WAR DRUMS_2

After all, the men who spend years at sea naturally treat their ships like daughters, always calling them ’girls.’ When this one gained sentience and wisdom, it naturally became a ’she’ as well.

"She is willing to follow me now, but once we’re out of here, we need to repair her properly. We can’t leave her this tattered."

"But we are heading to..." Chadite reminded from the side.

"Oh, right." Alka was so delighted that he forgot this detail and patted his forehead.

He spoke to the air on the ship.

"We are about to do something very dangerous. Find a place to hide for half a month, and then we will call you again. How about you come find us then?"

A captivating tune drifted from the ship, but a note of displeasure could be heard in its melody.

She seemed reluctant.

"Don’t worry, just half a month is all it takes," he said, then added with emphasis, "I promise."

The melody dipped for a moment but then swelled again.

"It’s settled then."

With that, the group jumped from the Music Ship and returned to the deck of their own vessel.

The music swelled gently, carrying a faint trace of sorrow. The group on their ship waved. They watched the Music Ship disappear into the night.

"It’s amazing that a ship could have self-awareness," Jason couldn’t help but say.

Lucilia, perched on Chadite’s shoulder, chirped excitedly, "So, does this mean we’ll have a Ghost Ship from now on? A real Ghost Ship! Haha, this is amazing!"

"That’s assuming we survive this time." Julia stood nearby, watching the ship sail into the darkness, and remarked quietly.

Instantly, everyone fell silent.

「Time swiftly passed.」

Alka once again emerged from the Dream Realm. He had just followed the connection to the two overlapping bubbles again, secretly observing the situation within. He watched his father inside, still repeating the act of beating Jack until that bubble burst. And indeed, his father’s bubble consistently remained in the Dream Realm, rarely shattering. His father’s bubble shattering meant he was trying to seize control of his body, an attempt that occasionally succeeded. But the instances of the bubble shattering were few and brief. Usually, it wasn’t long before he was kicked out again, his Dream Realm bubble reappearing. Whether the attempt to seize control had been successful could be discerned from his father’s behavior when the bubble reappeared. Loud curses meant failure; gleeful ones meant success. This also confirmed for Alka that everything was proceeding as it should. He still didn’t fully trust his father; only after this long period of observation did he feel reassured. After all, his feelings for his father stemmed entirely from memories, not from personal experience.

The body sitting in the room opened its eyes.

Alka straightened his clothes, then opened the door and entered the captain’s cabin.

After a moment’s thought, he retrieved two arranged stacks of cards from his ring. He walked out of the captain’s cabin.

On deck, everyone was conferring, making their final preparations. They were already heading towards Elcott Island. They weren’t far now, at most a day’s journey away. The day of their rendezvous was fast approaching.

Intelligence from the Church had confirmed that all remaining ships and crew of the Prayer for the Dead Pirate Gang were gathered around Elcott Island. The Church was also prepared to coordinate with Alka’s group at any moment. They were determined to annihilate this Pirate Gang and teach them a bloody lesson. The Prayer for the Dead Pirate Gang had likely realized the Church had them surrounded, yet they resolutely remained on Elcott Island, awaiting Alka’s arrival. Sifus’s focus on Alka was beyond anyone’s imagination, but only Alka knew why.

Alka emerged and handed the two stacks of cards to Chadite and Jason. "You know how to use these, right? They’re for you to use now."

The two took the stacks of cards he offered. The stacks contained various utility cards as well as tricolor cards, which would undoubtedly be a great help in battle. This was especially true for Jason, who was only at the One Spiral level of strength.

After some thought, Alka said, "Jason, once the battle starts, be sure to follow the Church’s actions."

Jason heard this and nodded silently. Alka and the others planned to go deep inside to confront the leader of the Prayer for the Dead Pirate Gang directly. Following them with his One Spiral strength would be far too dangerous. Sticking with the Church and fighting pirates on the periphery would be much safer and more logical. He didn’t refuse; this was the reality of his abilities. The gap in power had grown too wide.

Those two stacks of cards must have been extras Alka had. By now, Alka’s ring held no more treasures; he had emptied it, tossing everything into the ship’s hold. It was now filled with combat items and other things that could aid in battle. The most numerous, naturally, were various cards. His preparations over the past month had yielded so many that he might not even be able to use them all, even if he kept throwing them from start to finish. These materials, too, had been purchased from the Church.

The group conversed quietly on deck, awaiting their arrival at Elcott Island.

「Elcott Island.」

Prayer for the Dead Pirate Gang temporary encampment.

A flagship and three large sailing ships were anchored nearby, along with numerous pirate fast boats.