Eternal Space provided Hawkins with many conveniences. For example, with technological products, he did not need to spend time climbing the tech tree in the Real World. He could directly produce highly precise components in Eternal Space and assemble whatever he wanted from them.
But Eternal Space had its drawbacks as well.
For instance, if Ai Miye planted fruit in Eternal Space and relied on its food to sustain herself, then the moment she left Eternal Space, she would die suddenly because the matter from Eternal Space could not be brought into reality.
A large portion of the atoms in her body might even have been replaced by atoms from Eternal Space, causing most of her body to collapse once she emerged.
To avoid such a situation, Hawkins had prepared more than a dozen plans.
The first was to completely transfer one of the Seven Seas' islands into Eternal Space, so that all food in the future would be produced by that island.
The second was to make use of the contract's abilities to develop a Curse Power Bank, with the ultimate goal of making curse power one of Eternal Space's commonly used currencies.
The third was to put insurance on everyone leaving Eternal Space. If their bodies contained too many atoms from Eternal Space, they would be forbidden from leaving.
The remaining measures were broadly similar. Their ultimate purpose was, in truth, to allow Eternal Space to form a perfect cycle.
To achieve that goal, Hawkins had much to do.
Half an hour later, all the supplies aboard the Black Knife had been transferred into Eternal Space. Only then did Hawkins bring Mark and the others inside.
After entering Eternal Space, Mark's mouth never closed. Arthur and the other children, after their initial shock, accepted it much faster instead.
It was worth mentioning that Arthur's injuries had mostly healed under Hawkins's treatment. After resting for a few more days, he would make a full recovery.
Hawkins gathered everyone in the house. Once they were seated, he smiled and said, "If there's anything you want to ask, now's the time."
"Captain, was she really someone you brought back to life?" Mark looked at Asmodeus and asked in disbelief.
In fact, ever since entering Eternal Space, he had remained in a state of shock. The ability was simply too outrageous.
Creating a world, reviving the dead, and communicating across space—any one of those things would be enough to make countless people's jaws drop.
Mark even vaguely guessed at Eternal Space's ultimate ability: immortality!
Hawkins looked at Mark and smiled. "If you don't mind dying once, I can let you experience what resurrection feels like firsthand."
"Better not." Mark gave an awkward smile and hurriedly refused.
"Yes. She is one of my combatants. Of course I'll revive her." Hawkins nodded.
Arthur hurriedly asked as well, "Captain, what about Tom and Jason?"
"Don't worry, I remember them all. For now, everyone go sign the contract and join the Chat Group. I'll upload some materials, so make sure you read them carefully." Hawkins nodded.
Then he had Asmodeus take Mark and the others to sign their contracts, while he opened the Chat Group and began writing the announcement board.
It was a feature he had decided to add on a whim, so he needed to write the program and load it in.
Ten minutes later, he thought of several more functions and continued programming. But as he wrote, he became dissatisfied, so he simply created a Forum, then finally made a Bullet-Comment Video Site.
He posted the first thread on the Forum, then edited Asmodeus's experiences in the Dream Realm into a video and uploaded it to the video site.
In the short term, these features were not particularly entertaining. They could only serve as supplements for exchanging information. Only once Eternal Space had enough people would these functions gradually lean toward entertainment.
[I Love My Family Group]
Mark: Uh, hello, everyone. I'm combatant Mark.
Arthur: Hello, everyone. I'm apprentice sailor Arthur.
Jennie: Hello, everyone. I'm Jennie.
Once everyone had introduced themselves, they quickly began chatting, finding this new method of communication extremely interesting.
Jennie: I know Qiao Si is a combatant, but what am I?
Ai Miye: A freeloader!
Mark: Actually, Jennie is quite useful. She can gather intelligence while dreaming, so she can barely count as an intelligence officer.
Jennie: I'm not a freeloader! Mark is right. I'm an intelligence officer. I can provide intelligence.
Arthur: Sister Jennie, does being an intelligence officer mean you know everything?
Jennie: Yes, yes. As long as I want to know, there's nothing in the Seven Seas I don't know.
Arthur: Really?
Jennie: Mm-hmm, really!
Arthur: Then do you know who my father and mother are?
Jennie: I'll have to wait until I dream to know that. And sometimes dreams can be controlled, while other times they can't, so if you want to know who your father and mother are, Arthur, you might have to wait a while.
Arthur: I still have to wait? Didn't you say you could know anything you wanted to know?
Jennie felt a little embarrassed. Her ability was not actually that impressive. She had exaggerated it just now.
At that moment, Hawkins typed: Alright, let me make some arrangements. Mark, for the next while, you'll mainly be responsible for sailor training. Make Arthur and the others qualified sailors as quickly as possible. I'll post the training methods on the Forum.
Mark: Yes, Captain.
The reason they had come to House Town was because Jennie had provided intelligence saying that Jabus was there, but in the end, they had come up empty-handed.
Jennie: Understood, Captain. I'll work hard.
Hawkins: Next, we'll continue sailing toward Little Will Island, but we'll head to the Black Market along the way. If we get accurate intelligence on Jabus, we may change course. If anyone has other questions, ask them now.
Jennie: Captain, then when will you revive Qiao Si and the others?
Hawkins: Tonight.
After reviving Asmodeus countless times, he had gained a certain amount of research into curse power recovery.
Curse power recovered more slowly during the day than at night. At night, its recovery rate was roughly 1.5 times that of daytime, so he planned to conduct the revivals after dark. Besides, he had other matters to handle shortly that would require quite a bit of curse power.
Mark: Captain, can I take Arthur and the others out to sea? In Eternal Space, I mean.
Hawkins: Yes. If you need extreme weather, tell me. In Eternal Space, whether it's the weather or the temperature, I have the final say over everything.
Mark: Alright. If I need anything, I'll tell you, Captain.
Hawkins: Any other questions?
This time, no one raised another question. Hawkins closed the Chat Group, then shut his eyes and began writing the Curse Power Bank's program.
The Curse Power Bank's primary function was actually to store his curse power.
The curse power in his body was enormous. If he did not use it, it would not decrease, but neither would it bring him any benefit.
Hawkins could deposit the curse power in his body into the bank, then withdraw it whenever he needed to use it.
Originally, he only had 330,000 curse power. But with the Curse Power Bank, if he deposited 330,000 curse power every day and kept it up, then withdrew it when necessary, it would be equivalent to possessing inexhaustible curse power.
And it was not only he who could use curse power. Everyone who signed a contract could draw upon it as well, though others would need to spend Exchange Points to exchange for that curse power.
If the number of Curse Casters who joined increased in the future, he would open deposit and withdrawal functions so all Curse Casters could participate. Only then would the Curse Power Bank truly count as a bank. For now, it could barely be called a piggy bank.
While he considered how to write the contract, Mark had already taken Arthur and the others out to sea.
Eternal Space was a replica of the Seven Seas, so naturally the Black Knife existed there as well. They set off aboard the Black Knife, though everyone kept checking the Chat Group from time to time.
[I Love My Family Group]
Ai Miye: The tasks in the task list are all so messed up. They're either cleaning toilets or killing people.
Mark: What tasks?
Ai Miye: Open the task page. There are lots of tasks inside. As long as you complete them, you can get Exchange Points and trade them for lots of good things.
Mark: Really? Let me see.
He searched carefully and quickly found the task page. He first looked over the tasks, and sure enough, they were exactly as Ai Miye had said: especially messed up.
The toilet-cleaning task in particular had already been accepted by two people, yet it seemed like it could still be accepted.
Naturally, he had no interest in a task like cleaning toilets. But when he saw the task to kill pirates, he did not dare accept it either. He felt it might be a trap. After all, Hawkins was a pirate!
After confirming that there were temporarily no suitable tasks, he opened the Exchange Page.
At a glance, there really were quite a few things that interested him.
Electricity-Generating Cells: Can be installed beneath the ribs. Capable of producing a 1,200-volt electric current. 10,000 Exchange Points.
Internal Circulation Organ: Creates an internal circulation within the body. Allows survival without breathing. 10,000 Exchange Points.
Sex Modification: If you are dissatisfied with your gender, you can change it. 10,000 Exchange Points.
After looking through the available exchanges, Mark could not help swallowing.
There were simply too many good things here. Electricity-Generating Cells, High-Temperature Cells, Magnetic Storm Cells, Internal Circulation Organ... he wanted them all.
But when he thought of how Hawkins could provide all these things, he found Hawkins even more unfathomable. Filled with curiosity, he opened the weapon exchange page.
The cold weapons were fine. At least he could understand them. Many of the swords and blades looked so cool that he desperately wanted one for his collection.
But he could not quite understand the firearms on the other side. There were also bows, crossbows, and other strange weapons, and he had no idea how to use any of them.
Fortunately, these weapons came with instructional videos. After watching them, he drooled again.
He wanted them all. What should he do?
Mark closed the Exchange Page and silently opened the task page. Staring at the toilet-cleaning task, he hesitated for a moment before tremblingly choosing to accept it.