Extraordinary Voyage-Chapter 459 - 423 Ship’s Figurehead: Storm Cape
The Aimoer Clan’s Orange Leaf Castle, library.
Although nominally called a library, its area of over a thousand square meters is already larger than the public libraries of many small cities.
And the books stocked here are by no means miscellaneous.
Various magic scriptures, witchcraft manuscripts, ancient copper plates, extraordinary secrets, and so on, a vast array. The least valuable is a highly practical tool book like the "World Nautical Encyclopedia."
Of course, because of its value, those who can enter here are extremely limited.
Normally, only the castle’s master, Marquis Duke, Marchioness Nymph, and the eldest daughter Olivia, are allowed.
Now all the crew of the "Storm Horn" are on holiday.
Olivia has also transformed from the little fatty Sub-Lieutenant Roddy back into the tall, pretty, and charming noble lady of the Marquis family.
"Eh? I remember the Gem School’s Enchantment Craft Book for Large Artifacts should be here?"
With her shiny black hair casually tied up with a silver ribbon, Olivia wore a loose, ruffled-sleeve white house dress, her feet donned in exquisite high heels adorned with a pair of golden butterflies.
She pushed a rolling walnut ladder, up and down the towering bookshelves that reached up to the ceiling.
At this moment, through the well-lit floor-to-ceiling windows, warm sunlight streamed in, illuminating the side of the girl’s face like white jade, adding a dazzling golden edge, beautiful beyond compare.
Suddenly, Olivia’s sapphire-like eyes slightly brightened.
Tiptoeing on the wooden ladder, she reached out with her lotus-like arms to take a large hardcover magic book from the upper bookshelf.
Because of this posture, the white ruffled sleeves slipped down her smooth skin to her shoulders, revealing a perfectly cut diamond bracelet on her slender wrist.
In an instant, the entire library seemed brighter, though whether it was due to the dazzling bracelet or the girl’s bright white skin, gleaming with a snowy light, was hard to tell.
"Ah! Great, I found it.
This is the ’Art of Large Artifact Making: Gemstone Association,’ let me have a look..."
Yet at this moment.
"Ahem..."
The girl’s hand trembled slightly, turning her head abruptly.
A graceful figure, wearing a lake-green long dress, with black hair and emerald eyes, just like herself, adorned with jewels, quietly stood behind her.
Headband, earrings, necklace, rings... nothing was missing.
Clearly, to them, these adornments are not only exquisite jewelry but also powerful weapons, as essential as a knight’s sword and shield.
"Oh! Mom, you scared me! Why do you walk so silently?"
Olivia complained a little, exaggeratedly patted her chest lightly, seemingly unintentionally pushing the book back again.
"Oh? Silently? I think you were too focused! What are you looking for, Hesi (nickname)?"
Tap..tap..tap..
While asking her daughter, the Marchioness walked a few steps on purpose, proving the clear and pleasant sound made by her sapphire high heels tapping on the oak floor.
"No, not finding anything, just looking at some books randomly."
"Really?"
Pop—
A gentle snap of her fingers and that hefty tome floated off the shelf, slowly falling into her outstretched, fair hand.
"’Art of Large Artifact Making: Gemstone Association?’ Hesi, do you want to make a large witchcraft tool?
You could just ask Mommy, you don’t have to look for it here yourself. Unless... in your heart, Mommy is no longer your strongest support?"
The young and beautiful Nymph, looking like Olivia’s sister with no trace of aging on her face, showed an exceedingly natural "sorrow."
"No, it’s not that I want to make it myself. I just wanted to help a friend I recently met find some materials on making a ship’s figurehead."
Though fully aware of her mom’s nature, Olivia couldn’t stand that expression and hurriedly explained.
"A new friend? A ship’s figurehead?
Coincidentally... I know there’s a friend of your father’s in the territory also preparing to make a ship’s figurehead. Could it be that they are the same person?"
The slight sorrow on the lady’s face disappeared instantly, she slyly winked her beautiful large eyes at her precious daughter:
"Has it been so long since you last came home because you’ve been with that friend?
Hehe, my precious daughter has really grown up, and now has her own secrets!
However, I find that young man quite nice, what do you think?"
The Marchioness’s gaze at her daughter carried a hint of significance.
"Mom! What nonsense are you talking about? I’m just helping him out, just helping, don’t wildly guess!"
Thud—!
Like a little wildcat whose tail had been stepped on, Olivia jumped down from the ladder, swinging her arms in protest.
With her movement, the exquisite golden butterfly on her crystal-clear toes trembled as if ready to take flight, clearly indicating that the girl’s mood perhaps wasn’t as casual as she claimed.
"Oh, so it really is that promising young, and... very wealthy, Rear Admiral.
Ah, sorry, I accidentally spoke my mind out loud."
Nymph raised her hand to cover her red lips, but judging by the amusement in her eyes, it was clear it wasn’t sincere.
However, seeing Olivia, who had been strong and boyish since childhood, showing such a rare girlish pout, the Marchioness knew when to stop teasing. She chuckled softly:
"Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. The parts related to the ship’s figurehead are in the third paragraph of page 26, the first paragraph of page 72, and there’s a surprise on the last page! Go for it, darling!"
She handed the hefty book back to her daughter and gently clenched her fist to cheer her on.
Nymph then quickly turned and left as if fleeing, her steps brisk, clearly indicating that this young-looking Marchioness also had a youthful mindset.
"What? It’s like saying your daughter can’t get married, and what’s with saying she has a lot of money?"
Watching her mother leave, Olivia muttered discontentedly.
However, her body honestly flipped open the magic book to the passages indicated by the Upper-Rank Wizard.
...
Two days passed by quickly.
After receiving guidance from Miss Moonstone in the Spirit Realm, Aiven finally perfected his design plan and was eager to bring it to reality.
The totem pole, cut into two, was all brought back by Aiven.
Inlaid into the upper half, possibly from an Upper Totem God, was a raven-shaped blood-colored stone, which Aiven sealed in a lead box.
It was placed at the bottom of the magic pocket along with the box containing the voodoo doll and the box of Philip II’s Thistle Crown.
Then, after softening the wood of the totem pole with a special solution (the Activated Spiritual Light temporarily ineffective on extraordinary artifacts), it was reshaped and re-carved.
The ship’s figurehead, named "Storm Cape" by Aiven.
The base was an abstract shark head with six eyes, the upper part like a giant shark dorsal fin or a sharp horn.
From bottom to top, it was covered in complex techniques combining knowledge from the Vitalist School and the Alchemy School.
From afar, it somewhat resembled the shield scales on a shark.
Then four high-quality sapphires and two top-quality rubies were inlaid using the art of emerald application into its six eye sockets, serving as its six eyes.
This was because Aiven took Miss Moonstone’s advice, using the overall image of a shark to balance internal and external energy sources while gaining another hidden benefit.
That is to "deceive" the residual power of Oveg to the maximum extent, making it believe its main body was still alive.
Just like Totem Warriors advancing to Tier 3 and randomly inheriting one to three magic abilities from the Totem God. When the ship’s figurehead finally initiates magic excitation, it can solidify the most and the strongest abilities.
It can also be said to achieve perfection beyond just relying on luck.
Fully understanding the importance of this ship’s figurehead, Aiven even asked Milan to hold a ceremony and divined the best timing.
If it weren’t for the fact that he couldn’t get someone else to do it, Aiven would have wanted Milan to activate [Deceitful Fate] once more with his strong luck to start the excitation ceremony... cough cough.
But no matter how many methods were used to increase the success rate, the time for the activation ceremony finally arrived.
The extraordinary officer who received the news all rushed back.
First Mate Boris, Boatswain Gary, and Sub-Lieutenant Roddy all wanted to witness firsthand the birth of the ship’s figurehead "Storm Horn" that might elevate the ship to quasi-legendary status.
Especially Olivia, who had reverted back to being a little fatty, was one of the technical supporters of this figurehead and among the people here, probably the most nervous, second only to Aiven.
At this time, it was just like gambling on stones; in one cut, you’re poor, in another, you’re rich, and yet another might as well wear sackcloth.
For this, Aiven specially bathed, changed clothes, and conducted a purification ceremony for himself to drive away all bad energy fields.
Then, wearing the "Lucky Talisman" provided by Milan, of unknown effect, he stood in front of the ship’s figurehead "Storm Cape," took a deep breath, and solemnly recited the final activation incantation: 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
acti——
The next second, under everyone’s tense and expectant gazes.
Swoosh swoosh swoosh...
Like the sound of waves, a sea-blue halo exploded from the base of the ship’s figurehead, followed by a second one at the middle part.
Then, as the light slowly gathered...
When everyone thought the excitation ceremony was barely satisfactory.
In the six pairs of red and blue gemstone eyes on the shark sculpture’s head, a third color flashed faintly.
Pop——
Finally, a third blue halo exploded at the tip of the sharp horn.
Aiven’s heart leaped instantaneously: "It’s done!"
Just like when Totem Warriors ascend, the more abilities activated, the stronger it often signifies; there’s no saying that concentration is essence here.
Whistle——
When the three exploded halos slowly receded, the exterior of the ship’s figurehead underwent significant changes.
All the engraved rune techniques on the surface automatically disappeared, as if absorbed into the wood, leaving only a beautiful pattern like waves or whirlwinds on the surface, making the figurehead look like an exquisite wood carving.
A few minutes later.
The crowd saw Milan, who had completed the "Spiritual Detection," reopen his eyes.
They couldn’t help but nervously ask, "How is it?"
"Hmm, strong! Very strong! Maybe we need a full sea trial to truly experience the real power of this ’Storm Cape’."
