Winged Doll

Returning to the Great White Shark, Arthur began mobilizing the sailors, preparing for a brutal battle.

"Everyone, prepare yourselves for combat; the spoils of this raid will be incredibly bountiful."

"If we succeed, every sailor will receive a share of at least 10 gold coins!"

Hiss~ The sound of throats gulping echoed across the deck.

Even experienced pirates rarely encountered such fat sheep; one haul was enough to live comfortably for a month or two!

After mobilizing the crew, Arthur issued orders to remain on high alert, declaring that all alcohol and food supplies for the next three days were to be consumed without reservation.

In the captain's quarters.

Arthur retrieved four candles and an old but well-polished Fear Musket from his drawer, gathering the materials for the Molting Technique.

After a day of Research, the Golden Palm Leaf had been woven into a straw effigy.

On the back of the doll were a pair of delicate wings.

A Tier 1 Document-grade contraband: Winged Doll.

Arthur channeled the power of the Moth, and as transparent threads connected his palms to the doll, the Winged Doll stood up from the table.

The effect of the Winged Doll was that of a simple puppet, capable of performing complex actions under his control.

Negative effect: If controlled for too long, the Winged Doll would take on the appearance of the controller, gradually replacing them.

"The final link of the ritual: a substitute for the old shell."

With the four candles, the Winged Doll, and the cannon that had been with him the longest, he would cast off his past once the ritual was performed.

The next step was to attack Rhine Island, create a chaotic situation, and seize the opportunity to perform the Molting Technique ritual.

Wrapping the candles, the doll, the cannon, and the flint in a leather coat, Arthur took out a piece of cotton cloth to bundle up the parrot Gro.

There was also a stash of gold coins issued by the Theocracy, which Arthur sacrificed to the Secret Sect Long Table, storing them there for the time being.

He combined the Whale Herder Sword with the Despair, placing them into Research to synthesize a piece of contraband, though this time it would take much longer.

Countdown: 2 weeks.

Arthur had no choice but to abandon this synthesis; having seen the rigidity of the contraband from the previous Despair Waltz and the Fear Musket, he knew better.

Synthesizing again would only be a waste of time; it was better to wait for suitable materials to craft new contraband.

Sitting in his chair, Arthur closed his eyes and cast his consciousness toward White Sand Island.

[He has descended upon White Sand Island.]

Arthur opened his eyes, standing atop a palm tree; in the silent moonlit night, waves lapped against the shore.

In the woods, the chirping of insects rose and fell, while in the distance, a bonfire illuminated the sky, its crimson glow climbing wantonly.

"Someone is lighting a fire over there. Are those the natives from before?"

He turned to look at the path he had come from, judging the location of the Twin Coconut beach based on his current position.

It was right where the firelight illuminated the night sky.

Climbing down from the palm tree, Arthur flapped his insect wings and flew toward the light, spotting a wriggling caterpillar as he passed a shrub.

With a swift strike, he severed the caterpillar, filling his stomach before setting off again.

The glow of the bonfire shone on his face, dispelling the darkness and cold; the stones at the edge were baked red, and two rockfish were pressed against them.

Two natives sat around the bonfire, muttering something in a garbled tongue.

Arthur hid in a dark corner, listening to the two whispering, though he could not understand a word they said.

But!

He secretly used his mantis arm to cut off some leg hair and prayed to himself:

A thick fog filled his mind, indirectly recording the conversation of the two natives; it didn't matter if he couldn't understand it, he could just Research it.

He lay there for the whole night, and only after the natives fell asleep in the second half of the night did he withdraw from the exploration state.

Pushing open the Pure White Gate to arrive at the Secret Sect Long Table, Arthur tapped the table lightly, and the voices of the natives emerged in the form of mist.

He fed the sound recorded by the mist into [Research], setting a 10-minute countdown.

Ten minutes later.

[Language analysis complete, you have acquired Inca Language (Basic).]

Arthur raised an eyebrow, absorbing and digesting the Inca Language, mastering a tongue of the New Continent.

The language of the Inca Empire had no written form, relying on "Quipu" knot-tying to record information.

The distinction between language and writing made it quite difficult to learn.

Tapping the table lightly, the mist replayed the natives' conversation, revealing a shocking secret.

"Tubala, why must we cooperate with that group of people!"

"Gabala, the sun has set, and light is eternal; our tribe must survive!!"

The man called Tubala continued, "The Royal Navy has promised to provide our tribe with a brand-new plantation."

"As long as we cooperate with them, the people of the tribe will survive and have a chance to head to the glorious Old Continent."

Gabala said in a deep voice, "But we are on this island; there is no way we can complete the mission!"

"No! We will wait for the opportunity! At most seven days, the Royal Navy mole will send word."

"That will be the time for us to act!"

Tubala said with absolute certainty, "This island is very important to certain nobles of the Old Continent."

"The peculiar plants growing on the beach are of high value when sold to merchants from the Old Continent."

"When we leave, we will take the treasures here with us to trade for steel implements from the Old Continent."

Gabala made an unintelligible sound, and the recording came to an abrupt end at the sound of snoring.

The conversation between the two revealed a great deal of information.

The Royal Navy generally referred to the navy of the Tudor Dynasty; were the natives colluding with the navy to move against the pirates?

He heard the two mention a mole among the pirates.

Arthur frowned slightly; the other party knew the value of the Twin Coconut and intended to take it when they left?

It seemed he would have to strike first and get his hands on the Twin Coconut.

After recovering his energy for a while, he descended onto White Sand Island once more as the sun rose on the horizon.

It was not a good time to act during the day.

Arthur hid in a corner, listening to the two natives' exchange as a pastime during his period of lurking.

"Tubala, when will we be able to become warriors like the chieftain!"

"That requires precious treasures; our tribe is too poor."

"Tubala, you are the third smartest person in our tribe; can you become the new priest?"

"I cannot."

"Why!"

"The priest's son has already become a wizard; he will be the next chieftain of our tribe."

Gabala muttered with dissatisfaction, "A guy even dumber than me is fit to lead our tribe and restore the glory of the Sun Era?"

"Gabala! Do not say such things outside!"

"I know!"

The two natives were on the nearby beach, holding stone spears and hunting sea fish by the shore.

The sun rose and set, and when night fell, the two rested.

Arthur stood up and walked toward the Twin Coconut. Only by observing this coconut tree at close range did he discover the uniqueness of the plant.

A pair of large coconuts grew on the tree, with the two coconuts partially connected together, looking like one large, fat coconut.

This was not good news.

He would have to cut the stems of the two coconuts to remove the fruit of the Twin Coconut!