After his eyes adjusted, an immensely vast landscape unfolded before him.
The clear azure sky stretched endlessly, occasionally dotted with white clouds, while the deep blue sea was equally boundless, with only a few ships embedded in its expanse.
At the sight, Colin couldn't help but exhale softly, his expression uplifted.
No further hesitation.
"Set sail," he commanded in a deep voice.
Though his tone was calm, it couldn't hide his anticipation and nervousness.
Boom.
At his command,
The steam engine suddenly roared to life, and puffs of dark grey smoke drifted from the Sea Swallow's thick chimney.
The propeller at the stern began to slowly rotate, and before long, white foam was churned up.
The ship also gradually began to move.
A gentle breeze blew as Colin turned his head to look back.
Under the dome of the steel crisscrossed shipyard, a mustached salesman stood respectfully by the dock waving farewell to them.
From above, the white Sea Swallow looked like its namesake, a nimble seagull, taking flight from its narrow nest toward the vast ocean...
*
*
*
In an unnamed sea domain,
Shriek—
A white seabird cried out and landed momentarily on the railing of the white ship below.
For them, the vessel was a rare resting place amid the boundless sea.
Renee withdrew her gaze and stared at the sea beside the ship.
Before long,
A figure slowly emerged from beneath the water's surface.
The next second, it broke through the water with a splash, stirring up a wave!
The resting seabird nearby, startled, flapped its wings and took off with a flutter.
The figure, carried by its inertial, came to midair,
But instead of falling back down to the deck under gravity's pull, it continued to hover.
"Master," Renee greeted him.
Colin looked down at her and nodded slightly.
Perhaps because they faced the same scenery every day, he always felt time at sea passed quickly.
Unconsciously, today marked the fifteenth day since his departure from Bananka Island.
He controlled his body, slowly descending onto the deck below, his expression calm.
But deep inside, he couldn't help recounting the loud bang they heard the morning after leaving Bananka Island—an unknown source.
He always felt that the bang was somehow tied to Bananka Island...
After all, such a loud bang, barring natural fierce beasts and the strange, in this world, possibly only a Wizard of Second Rank or higher... or a Divine being, could have caused it.
An inexplicable sense of apprehension engulfed him, so in this time, he practiced even harder.
So much so that he had progressed his newly acquired Flying and Diving Skill to the point of instantaneous activation.
It seemed he would soon reach the Limit Breaking Point.
Thinking carefully, it had been over a month since his departure from Blackstone Island... and his strength had increased considerably.
With a thought, he summoned the Golden Paper.
Faint golden particles converged.
"Master,"
However, Renee interrupted him.
"Mr. Mod has something for you."
"Hmm... have him come over," he paused, nodded slightly, used the Cleaning Technique on himself to remove the water stains, and then walked towards the lounge on the first floor not far away.
Once in the lounge, he sat down.
Colin leaned back on the soft sofa, reading through the information on the Golden Paper line by line.
[Name: Colin Leonard]
[Rank: Advanced Wizard Apprentice (3/100); Ultimate Knight (76/100)]
[Meditation Method: Apprentice's Circulation Meditation Ⅱ↑ (100/100); Sunlight Breathing Method Ⅱ (63/100)]
[Witchcraft: Zero Level Tricks: Minor; Zero Level Witchcraft: Steel Force Field (23/100); Arrow Shooting Skill (Gold); High Temperature Tolerance I↑ (100/100); Fireball Skill I↑ (100/100); Swift Skill I (76/100); Oran Flying and Diving Skill (62/100); Detect Evil I (2/100); Purification Evil Power I (3/100)]
[Skills: Basic Magic Crystal Making; Blood Pattern Transformation Skill I (33/100)]
[Talent: Strong Life I (3/100)]
[Limit Breaking Points: 0]
On Rank, there wasn't much change; it was still Advanced Wizard Apprentice and Ultimate Knight.
Only the progress of the Wizard Rank was slow...
It seemed time to break the limit for the Circulation Meditation.
But he hesitated.
Initially, he didn't break the limit for Circulation Meditation because Magic Stones were limited, and he prioritized breaking the limit for the Talent Strong Life.
Lately, however, it was because he planned to understand more about advancing to Official Wizard before making a measured decision.
In this period, he did indeed study knowledge related to advancing to Official Wizard.
Overall, special prerequisite training is required for a successful transition to an Official Wizard, and this training is critical to whether one can break through to become an Official Wizard.
Yet Circulation Meditation didn't include this aspect.
This meant that even if he continued to break the limit of Circulation Meditation, it would likely not add significantly to his strength but might just increase some Magic Power.
Running his fingers over the smooth armrest of the brown leather sofa, Colin recalled another piece of information.
Previously, a conversation between two Wizard Apprentices at the auction made him realize that an Official Wizard who joins a School must consider whether the Meditation Method is compatible.
But Wizard Apprentices don't have to consider this aspect.
Combining the recent knowledge he learned, it was clear that this is because a Wizard Apprentice can still freely switch Meditation Methods.
Once one advances to Official Wizard, they can no longer change Meditation Methods at will.
Nevertheless, regardless,
If he were to join a new School, he would likely need to change his Meditation Method, which was undoubtedly certain.
Means even if he broke the limit for Circulation Meditation now, he would probably have to change it later.
He sighed.
It was somewhat wasteful.
The Limit Breaking Points now needed to break the limit of Circulation Meditation had reached one thousand... and that was no small number.
After considering, Colin decided to put it off for now and prioritized breaking the limits for High Temperature Tolerance and Fireball Skill once again.
As for Circulation Meditation, he would wait until he arrived at the Siya Continent to clarify the specific situation before making plans.
After all, there was only a little over half a month's voyage left to the Siya Continent.
"Lord Colin,"
After making these decisions, Mod had just arrived.
He knocked on the door and called out respectfully from outside.
"Come in,"
Colin put away the Golden Paper and invited him in.