Chapter 227: Ark of the World Tree (World-Class)

To be honest, watching the two of them talk so confidently left the rest of the group feeling a bit dismayed.

It had been almost half a year since they obtained their Titles, yet they had completely failed to notice the hidden clues in the descriptions!

They really shouldn't have.

It was an absolute oversight.

Although everything the two women just said was purely their own speculation, no one treated it as a joke.

Instead, they all wore tense expressions, deeply pondering the descriptions of their own Titles.

"Shall we begin, then?"

Gu Xiaobei looked at Lan Qingyou and asked, leaving the latter looking completely bewildered.

"Begin what?"

That made sense.

No one could say for sure what this instance dungeon would turn into once the Mana Tide arrived.

Thus, everyone sprang into action.

Those who needed to change equipment did so, and those who needed to develop new items got to work.

Previously, everyone had geared themselves according to their own specialties.

But now, not knowing exactly what lay ahead, they all had to uniformly switch to all-attribute gear.

In other words, they covered their weaknesses while piling on every other attribute, regardless of whether it seemed immediately useful or not.

The goal was to create well-rounded, jack-of-all-trades builds.

This way, they could at least manage whatever they encountered inside.

Yes, barely scraping by was the best strategy they could come up with at the moment.

Of course, this was only a temporary measure.

Once Lan Qingyou finished scouting with her Magic Eye, they could rapidly swap back to specialized gear.

To that end, Li Huai, the battle maniac, worked with Magician and the others to design several different combat strategies and equipment loadouts tailored to various scenarios.

Following the group's advice, the Pope also began redesigning and crafting new Bubble Beads.

Meanwhile, Lan Qingyou focused on developing a special underwater breathing Potion.

This would not only provide a backup option once the duration of the Bubble Beads ran out, but unlike the beads, the Potion would not restrict their movements, granting them much more freedom.

Combining and alternating between the two items during combat would surely yield miraculous results.

Similarly, Gu Xiaobei developed several types of food that provided water-element defense.

Fortunately, they already knew they would be dealing with ships, docks, and seawater, so the instance dungeon definitely featured water-element attributes.

Because of this, they had prepared plenty of relevant materials and did not need to worry about running out of supplies.

Three days later, fully equipped and prepared, the group descended from the platform and returned to the cabin.

"Well then, I am going to start."

Sitting on her Magic Broom with Steel Wool and Little Spoon tucked into her embrace, Lan Qingyou held her Crystal Pen and glanced at everyone.

"Go ahead."

"Succeed or die trying."

"Nonsense, I still have hot soup waiting in my Shelter. Once we finish fighting, I'll treat you all to a bowl."

"What kind of death flag are you raising? Don't drag us down with you."

Although the people standing before the door bantered with seemingly offhand remarks, their faces were incredibly solemn.

After all, none of them knew what they were about to face.

As Lan Qingyou gently drew a stroke over a specific spot on the magic array with her Crystal Pen, the entire Sealing Magic array instantly flared with a deep blue light before gradually fading into silence.

The seal was broken.

"Let's go in!"

Taking the vanguard, Li Huai had already stripped off that damn suit of his and changed into a set of armor that compensated for his Strength.

With the seal lifted, he pressed his hands against the bronze door and was the first to push it open.

"..."

When the seven of them stepped through the doorway, they were immediately stunned by the sight before them.

A three-masted sailing ship, over fifty meters long and twenty meters wide, rested quietly in a harbor surrounded by rocky cliffs.

The surging waves jostled the hull, making it rise and fall like a breathing chest.

Its specially crafted anchor embedded deeply into the seabed rock like a stabilizing needle, maintaining the ship's delicate balance regardless of the rising and falling tides.

This ship was completely different from its dilapidated counterparts outside.

The antique bronze hull gleamed, looking just as pristine and newly forged as the bronze door behind them.

The Cloth serving as sails was tightly bound to the masts. The flag at the top fluttered loudly, stretching its entirely unfrayed edges in the salty sea breeze.

It resembled a weapon forgotten by time, ancient yet razor-sharp, exuding an awe-inspiring majesty in its silence.

The group boarded the ship, finding rows upon rows of magic patterns and Magic Circuits. They were carved everywhere, covering the rudder at the stern, the masts holding the sails, and even the brass ram at the bow.

It was evident that the shipwrights had poured an immense amount of effort into constructing this vessel.

"This ship looks incredibly formidable."

Gu Xiaobei opened her mouth in an exaggerated gasp, unable to find the right words to describe it for a moment.

"It certainly is. Every single piece of Wood on this entire ship was built using timber from the World Tree."

As she spoke, a red glint flickered in Lan Qingyou's eyes, and her mouth twitched slightly.

[Ark of the World Tree (World-Class)]

[Function: Capable of sailing freely in any waters in the world, unaffected by weather conditions. Grants an ultimate blessing to all allied personnel who board.]

[Description: A ship crafted from the World Tree, guaranteeing smooth passage even on seas with fierce winds and raging waves.]

[Materials Used: World Tree, Mithril, Orichalcum...]

[Enchantments: Ultimate Enchantment - Immortality, Ultimate Enchantment - Knockback, Ultimate Enchantment - Underwater Breathing...]

[Blessings: Ultimate Blessing - Favor of the Sea, Ultimate Blessing - Attribute Enhancement...]

Looking at these stats, its sheer extravagance bordered on the absurd.

It was more ridiculous than any magic item she had ever seen.

It even possessed something she had never encountered before: a "Blessing".

She had originally thought that Albert using a branch of the World Tree as a Stirring Rod was absurd enough, but now here was an entire ship manufactured from the World Tree.

Although it could not compare to the ships outside in terms of sheer size.

Just the fact that all of its Wood was sourced from the World Tree was more than enough to make this vessel worth more than all the other ships out there combined.

"What is the World Tree?"

Someone asked.

"I don't know the specifics, but it must be some kind of world-class tree."

"Wow, thanks for stating the incredibly obvious."

Since the anticipated S-rank or world-class monsters hadn't appeared, the group seemed much more relaxed than before.

While they still couldn't let their guard down, they were at least no longer as highly strung.

"Tower, are there really no monsters here?"

After taking a lap around the ship, Magician frowned and asked Lan Qingyou.

"No, there definitely are. Otherwise, this ship wouldn't be here."

Lan Qingyou shook her head.

"Are you saying this ship is the core you mentioned?"

"It should be, but it might be even more than that."

"Is that so."

Magician nodded. Such a fantastic vessel naturally counted as part of their loot for this expedition, but he knew very well that until they defeated the sealed monsters, obtaining this beauty was impossible.

Or rather, they couldn't just take it now. After all, it was the very core of the Sealing Magic array.

Even though the seal had been lifted, the core wasn't something they could casually walk away with.

"If that's the case, I think it's best we all..."

Squelch!

In that instant, a sudden crisis erupted.