On the Misty Sea, not yet covered by the clouds of war, the *Future* was sailing slowly toward the Stormy Sea, surrounded by many ships.
Nothing much had been happening lately. While waiting for a response from the
Her gaze swept and she spotted
The *Future*'s first mate, second-in-command of the Star Pirates, wore thick canvas light-blue trousers and a white shirt with the top two buttons undone, revealing a thick patch of brown chest hair, making him look like a bear transformed into a human.
He stood at the bow, gazing into the distance, seemingly lost in thought, and looked quite downcast.
Cattleya's steps unconsciously slowed, and she turned to go into the cabin.
"Captain!" Frank noticed her, looking over with full expectation, as if waiting for the "Star Admiral" to solve his perplexities.
Cattleya stopped, adjusted her heavy glasses, and asked in a casual tone:
"What's troubling you?"
Frank contemplated how to phrase his question and replied seriously:
"I've been reevaluating my inventions and creations from over the years."
"…What's your conclusion?" Cattleya played along.
Frank nodded and said ruefully:
"There's a lot to rethink. The most important thing is that what I created still lacks the most crucial element."
Cattleya was puzzled but didn't want to pry; nevertheless, feeling responsible for all the crew of the *Future*, she asked tentatively:
"And that is?"
Frank's expression turned solemn:
"They lack souls!"
"It's a good thing that wheat, grapes, and mushrooms don't have souls…" Cattleya couldn't help but murmur, then added, "That's not a realm you can touch right now. You're only a Sequence 5 Druid."
Frank's eyes lit up, and he blurted out:
"I see!"
Cattleya's face twitched almost imperceptibly:
"You… see what?"
Frank brightened instantly:
"I see where the problem lies: what I want to create has exceeded the limits of a Druid's ability.
"So, Captain, I'm quitting being a Druid—I'm going to become a Classical Alchemist!"
That is the Sequence 4 of the Planter pathway, the threshold of a demigod.
The "Star Admiral" Cattleya's expression froze for several seconds, then she assumed the demeanor of a captain and demigod, nodding lightly:
"It's good to have a goal, but you must recognize how hard it is."
The implication: don't get your hopes up, don't take this goal seriously.
Having received this "encouragement," Frank Lee nodded vigorously:
"I'll work hard!"
To prevent Frank Lee from doing something reckless, Cattleya decided to keep the progress under her control:
"I'll help you too."
That way, even if there were results, she could tell Frank "too bad."
Frank was very pleased, sincerely thanked the captain, and added:
"I'll write to Gehrman Sparrow too, and ask for his help.
"He's a good friend of mine!"
What Frank didn't know was that the letters he had sent over the past half year had gone through a rather complex process:
they were given to a messenger, who gave them to Fors, who either handed them over during the
Cattleya adjusted her thick glasses again, said nothing more, and turned to enter the cabin.
Back in the captain's quarters, before she could think about what had just happened, she noticed an extra letter on the desk where the brass sextant stood.
Cattleya's heart leaped. Forgetting to use her Beyonder powers, she quickly walked over, picked up the letter, and opened it.
It was from Bernadette. After a brief greeting, she wrote directly:
"If you have free time soon, come secretly to Rasha."
Rasha is a rather secluded island in the Misty Sea, home to the "Mysterious Queen"'s retreat—the so-called "
Cattleya read those lines several times, and involuntarily, a smile tugged at her lips.