The Warm Winter Sea, outside the Pure White Gate.
The Nightmare Star lay anchored here, but there was no one alive aboard, because Yang Yi and the others had all joined the operation to conquer Burning Island.
Only the Old Captain had been left aboard. His nature was unusual: he was an existence akin to a ship spirit and could not stray too far from the ship.
Yang Yi had also given him two tasks. The first was to watch Little The Charred Tree. Whenever it showed signs of thriving and growing stronger, he was to toss some White Shards over to cool it down and chop off its excess branches, always keeping it trapped in a half-dead state.
The second task was to ensure that the excavation and transportation of White Shards proceeded in an orderly manner.
Yes, during the battle on Burning Island, the supply of White Shards had not actually been cut off completely. The quantity supplied simply could not keep up with consumption, but the excavation had never stopped.
The Old Captain had been carrying out these two tasks until Heitanba and the Remnant Fire Worship Cult Believers collectively activated Burn with Me, and Little The Charred Tree suddenly grew active, burning ever more fiercely.
The temperature across the entire sea was also rising. This included every sea, and the area around Steam Island was no exception. Temperatures throughout the world were rising rapidly, and fires were breaking out frequently.
The Old Captain drew his weapon and began continuously "pruning" the little tree, keeping it from growing normally and leaving it stuck somewhere in between.
If Little The Charred Tree could speak, even the Old Captain's ancestors would probably not have been spared its curses.
After this logging operation had continued for some time, the Old