In the blink of an eye, time had advanced to the evening of July 2nd. The war had concluded, and even the tragic battlefield had been cleared.

The colonial fleet, with its complex composition, divided the six islands based on their respective merits. Unsurprisingly, the Pirate King, for his Ocean Throne, claimed Island Number Two, while the Sailboat Collector took Island Number Three. Although their initial agreement stipulated that the latter only wanted the Legendary Warship and all other spoils would go to the Pirate King, since he had missed out on the Bayfolk Dragonhead Ship, it was only natural for him to recoup the benefits from elsewhere. The others distributed the remaining land among themselves, endorsed by the "Wilderness Pioneering Order" clause in the Silver Code, which no one could defy.

During the day, the Transcendents were busy on their respective territories, diligently constructing sturdy sanctuaries. However, they ceased work immediately as soon as the Blood Moon made its faint appearance in the night sky; they absolutely avoided wandering outside needlessly. As the most elite group of adventurers from the Silver Continent, even the mortal sailors among them strictly adhered to the taboos, avoiding catastrophes to the greatest extent possible. Following the principle of "survival of the fittest," slovenly sailors had long since been eliminated by all sorts of evil spirits and bizarre entities; they simply wouldn’t have made it this far. From another perspective, unless absolute nighttime safety could be guaranteed, any colony established on the Southern Continent was destined to lack a bustling nighttime economy for the foreseeable future.

Among the six islands, where every inch of land was precious, only Island Number Three, belonging to Morton Gray, the [Sailboat Collector], was an exception. More than a day had passed, yet he seemed to have no intention of developing the island whatsoever. After casually touring and mapping Island Number Three, he returned to his warship and had not emerged since. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

At this moment, Morton Gray was in the captain’s cabin of the Phantom Bottle, wiping the collectibles in the display cabinet with a velvet handkerchief. However, he seemed somewhat absent-minded, lost in thought. He picked up a wine bottle containing a model sailboat and wiped it repeatedly, delaying his move to the next item. Under the lamplight, the captain’s cabin still housed hundreds of collectibles. Most were cruisers below Level Four; there were not many battleships of Level Four and above. Many display racks with lower serial numbers now had empty spaces, with at least several dozen items missing. Another few dozen were battered and scorched, bearing clear marks of heavy battle damage. Some were damaged in clashes with the ship coffins summoned by the Legendary Warship, while others had been blasted to pieces by the combined forces of the Phantom Fleet and Katyusha. This was because Morton Gray’s Fifth Order exclusive Strange Art, [Virtual Ship Spirit], could at most split into one hundred Virtual Ship Spirits, capable of controlling one hundred warships. Had he been able to control more warships, the losses would likely have been even more devastating.

But now, with a "new love" in his heart, he wasn’t overly concerned about his "Collectibles Fleet" being decimated by others.

"Now I’m just waiting for an opportunity," he muttered. "Then I can run off with my two beauties and finally complete my long-awaited Ship Spirit transformation... COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..."

He suddenly covered his mouth and coughed violently a few times. When he opened his palm, there were quite a few streaks of blood on it. The previous day, he had suffered repeated backlash from the [Father of the School of Sharks] and from the large-scale destruction of his Virtual Ship Spirits. His Spirituality was still unstable, and his physical body had also suffered significant injuries as a consequence. Yet, he paid it no mind at all. Even in his injured state, the only one he couldn’t defeat was the individual on the Ocean Throne, and this wouldn’t interfere with his plans for the day.

Just then, a DING from a communication alert finally brought the [Sailboat Collector] back to his senses. He looked up to see a crystal ball on his desk light up, projecting a majestic figure. The figure possessed a very square and imposing face, with a meticulously groomed, slightly upturned beard. His age was indiscernible, and his cheeks seemed to bear a faint wood-grain texture. His gem-encrusted noble attire bore a conspicuous golden castle badge—the crest of the Trastámara Family of the Castilian Royal Family. Even when meeting with the [Sailboat Collector], a Fifth Order Legendary Transcendent, the man was surrounded by several scantily clad, stunning beauties whom he embraced and fondled, showing little respect for the Legend before him.

"Your Highness, good day."

Morton Gray was not bothered either and even took the initiative to bow in greeting. After all, the figure before him was none other than [Puppet King] Louis Trastámara, brother of King Enrique IV, [the Incompetent], of the Kingdom of Castile. Not only was his status revered, but he was also a genuine Hall Sequence, Fifth Order Legendary Level [Puppeteer].

His life’s motto, which he never concealed, was: "To sit high upon the throne, revel in power, manipulate the fates of the weak with the strings in my hand, and allow no one to defy me!"

Anyone he deemed lesser than himself, [Puppet King] Louis, was unworthy of a second glance. Backed by the foremost leading maritime power, even if he blatantly wore an expression that screamed, "All of you here are trash," few in the world would dare to show him any disrespect. That he would personally "grant an audience" to the [Sailboat Collector]—a former state alchemist and ship engineer of Castilia, and a fellow Fifth Order individual—was already a significant concession made out of respect for the latter’s rank.

Seeing Morton Gray appear before him, [Puppet King] Louis stated bluntly: "I was previously misled by false intelligence provided by Barbarossa and am temporarily trapped in a Secret Realm within the Shattered Isles. It will take a few days for me to break free. However, I can accept your pledge of allegiance on behalf of His Majesty the King right now."