The ocean is like the blue earth, only flatter.
If Maxie were here, she would be chattering away about how far they were from the island. Now, all she could hear was the waves lapping against the ship's side. Though the sound grew tiresome with repetition, it served as a reassuring rhythm for the crew—signaling that the weather was perfect for sailing.
No, there's another one now, Ash thought. Her footsteps made a faint creak on the worn-out teak planks—someone was approaching her.
"Who would have thought you'd actually settled on Sleep Island," remarked an elderly man with silver hair, his hands resting on the railing. "Though the island appears vast, most of it gets submerged during high tide—far from habitable. Why not choose Crescent Bay instead? It's the fjord's second-largest island, with plenty of unoccupied land still available." Jack, the captain of the One-Eyed Beauty, lived up to his name with a blindfold that completely covered his left eye. He was one of the few captains willing to transport supplies for the Witch. While the people of the fjords weren't as hostile toward the Witch as those on the Kingdom Continent, they still kept outsiders at arm's length.
"Not everyone is as willing to deal with the Witch as you are," Ash chuckled. "Sleeping Island will indeed be submerged by the sea, but precisely because of this, despite ranking third in area among the Fjord Islands, it remains a deserted island to this day." "Third in area doesn't mean third in habitable space," Captain Jack shrugged. "If it can't be inhabited, no matter how large it is, it's meaningless—take the Burning Islands, for example." "The Witch's greatest skill lies in altering nature," she said earnestly. "Moreover, this island will become our home. Without the Church's suppression, we can create an entirely different world—a... brand-new world." She paused. "How long has it been since you last visited Sleeping Island?" The captain removed his hat and stroked his temple. "About a month, I suppose. Last time, I delivered a shipment of Witches along with a full cargo of pearl rice. Honestly, those girls' antics on the ship left my crew speechless. You know how hard it is for young men to drift at sea like a volcano ready to erupt. Fortunately, I managed to calm them down. Otherwise, my beloved ship would have met its doom." Ash automatically ignored the latter part of his sentence. "A month is enough time for earth-shaking changes, Captain. I bet the Sleeping Island you see now will look nothing like your memories." "Really?" Jack whistled. "Then I'll wait... Wait, what's that?" He leaned over the gunwale, turning his head forward. "Monkey!" "Look, there's something up on the mast!" The monkey named sailor scrambled to the top of the mast with nimble hands and raised his binoculars. "Captain, that must be an island!" "An island? What are you talking about?" The captain pulled out his compass. "How could there be any other islands around us besides the Sleeping Island?" "But it's really an island, Captain! I swear!" "What good is your oath? Let me see for myself," Jack said, taking off his hat.
"No, no, no, Chief, you should stay back. The wind's too strong here," the monkey observed for a while longer. "Three God is up there!" He exclaimed in disbelief. "I get it—it's Sleeping Island! It's rising!"
As the ship 'Pretty Lady' approached the dock of Sleepy Island, the crew members could hardly believe their eyes.
The towering island rises like a small mountain above the sea level, with its steep and straight cliffs reaching several zhang (about 30 meters) in height.
Ash had never set foot on this island before, yet his calm demeanor stood out as a mark of composure and confidence to Captain Jack.
"You've won," he sighed. "I never imagined you could actually make an island rise. No wonder those Church madmen despise the Witch so fiercely—it's almost as if God himself could rival her." "Uncle Jack, it's not like you said we made the island rise," the young girl standing by the dock replied with a smile. "We just built a' wall 'around Sleeping Island. You'll see when you come in later." She turned to Ash and bowed. "You're finally back, Lady Tilly. I've been longing for your return." Ash patted her head. "No need for such formalities, Moril. We'll need your help with the goods again." "Leave it to me," the girl said, patting her chest.
After the sailors had brought the ship's provisions to the dock, Moril summoned her Magic Power servant—a pale blue sphere with two flexible arms. She gathered a dozen sacks of grain into her embrace, then transformed her arms into a web-like structure that securely held the sacks as they floated mid-air. "Let's go," she declared with a smug grin.
"Oh, what a handy skill," the captain clapped his hands. "You see, young men, even a group of you can't match a single girl." The pier was built halfway up the island. The group spiraled up the steps, and when they reached the summit, Ash instantly understood the meaning of "building a wall around the island."
It wasn't the island that rose, but the women who elevated its contours—transforming the entire Sleeping Island into a basin encircled by a thick rim. This rim, as Moril called it, was the wall, with numerous downward staircases lining its inner side, while the Sleeping Island itself lay at its base.
"This... is truly astonishing," Captain Jack mused, "you've transformed the island into a city. Just imagine what it would look like at high tide! Good heavens, you'd be living underwater!" "Exactly," Moril chuckled, covering her mouth, "so we have two docks—one built on the seabed and the other on the surface. Of course, it's also correct to say one is on the surface and the other in mid-air." Approaching the island's center, they found various houses already constructed. Unlike the typical wooden or brick structures, these buildings seemed to grow from the ground, their foundations seamlessly blending with the earth. Undoubtedly, along with the city walls, they were all masterpieces of Lotus.
"Ash Sister, the northernmost house is Lord Tilly's palace. I'll take the captain to deliver the goods, so you don't need to come with me. Go meet the lord first," the little girl waved.
Ash nodded, bid farewell to the two, and strode northward. Along the way, she encountered many familiar faces, some bowing their heads in greeting, others waving with smiles. The phrase 'Witch's home' grew brighter in her mind, filling her with renewed strength.
The creator of this realm was Thelwenborton, the Witch King.
Unlike the royal palace, this spacious room had no guards or locked doors. The ashes flowed through the front courtyard into the hall, where a familiar figure appeared before her.
She tiptoed behind the woman and covered her eyes.
"Even at the doorway, I sensed you," the other said with a smile. "Remember how I found you in the crowd." The Extraordinary possess the ability to sense Magic Power, and their connection is even stronger. This bond, born from Magic Power, is like an invisible thread that tightly binds her to Tilly.
"I'm back," Ash said softly.
"Well," Tilly replied cheerfully, "Welcome home."