As for why she had been able to wield the ice element so well on her first try, the credit likely went to her powerful Divine Sense—her mental strength. She had skipped the incantation entirely and let the magic answer her will.
After all, an incantation used the power of something like Word Spirit to resonate with Magic Elements, making them answer the caster's summons and commands.
Skipping that step altogether was an unexpected bonus.
Ye Chuqi stood on the deck, soaking up the long-missed sunlight, and let out a deep breath.
It had been a long time since she had shut herself away to train. To her surprise, she had almost missed it. Of course, Ye Qinglan had still appeared at her door like clockwork every day, knocking to remind her to eat and sleep. He gave no thought to whether he was interrupting her training. Ye Chuqi was still a child; her health came first, and everything else could wait.
Ahead lay the most important port in the Thirteen Misty Islands. Until now, they had been sailing through waters said to belong to the islands, but apart from the inhabited shipping route, the surrounding Misty Sea was vast and almost entirely undeveloped.
Only by entering through this port would they truly reach the Thirteen Misty Islands—or, in other words, the Barton Empire.
Seti Island was the Barton Empire's most important gateway. The island covered several times the area of Monte City, though much of it could not be built upon. At its center stood a remarkably developed city.
Ye Chuqi thought of it as developed because she could see so many things that looked like products of technology.
Among the products found in mineral deposits was an extremely rare and valuable material called Crystal Stone. It contained exceptionally