The Rich Cultivator
Chapter 145 - 144.1. Don’t unlock this Chapter....

Chapter 145: 144.1. Don’t unlock this Chapter....

Tyler, standing on his boat, hurled the trident with precision. The weapon shot through the air, aimed at a small bark floating on the sea’s surface.

The remarkable thing was that the trident never left Tyler’s hand. Instead, a magical projection of it streaked across the water, striking the bark dead centre.

"I wonder what kind of mechanism this is," Lily Gomes mused, her curiosity piqued. She took the trident from Tyler and, without much thought, casually tossed it down on the ship’s deck.

*thunk*, A loud crack echoed as the trident embedded itself into the ship’s wooden surface, causing a small fracture to appear.

"Don’t damage the ship," Tyler chided, eyeing the small fissure with concern.

"Hey... If you guys want to practice, do it on the sea, not on the ship!" Mana suddenly appeared out of thin air, her tone sharp as she reprimanded them.

"Yes, ma’am," Tyler and Lily responded in unison, snapping to attention with mock salutes.

The ship had come to a halt in the middle of the ocean, an unusual feat given the circumstances. Normally, a ship of this size couldn’t stop so abruptly in the open sea, as the anchor would never reach the ocean floor. However, their vessel was no ordinary ship. It was equipped with advanced arrays that allowed it to defy conventional maritime practices, keeping it stationary even in the vast depths.

┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉

Inside the ship, Mana floated gracefully down the corridor, her ethereal form casting a faint glow.

"What’s going on, Darla?" Mana inquired as she encountered the ship’s chef.

"Mana-sama, it’s Mathilda-sama. She’s not eating anything. She said she was busy researching and told me not to disturb her," Darla explained, her concern evident.

Mana nodded thoughtfully. "That’s not too unusual. Besides the girls, Alchemy is her true love."

"But she... she shouted at me," Darla added.

Mana raised an eyebrow. "She yelled at you? That’s unusual. Mathilda rarely raises her voice at Girls. I’ll go check on her."

With that, Mana phased effortlessly through the walls, entering Mathilda’s Alchemy room—a privilege only she possessed on the ship.

"Mathilda... Mana’s here," Mana announced as she floated into the room.

"What the—"

The sight that greeted her was unexpected. The cauldron in the center of the room was blazing brightly, casting flickering shadows around the room. Mathilda sat before it, drenched in sweat, her concentration intense.

Before Mana could say more, the cauldron erupted with a small explosion.

"Ah... failure," Mathilda sighed, her shoulders slumping in disappointment.

"What are you doing?" Mana asked, her tone a mix of concern and curiosity.

"Oh, Mana. I’m experimenting," Mathilda replied nonchalantly, as if this was the most normal thing in the world.

"But why?" Mana pressed.

"I’m an Alchemist. I’m always trying to create new pills and potions," Mathilda answered as though it were the most obvious thing.

"Not that. Why are you naked?" Mana clarified, her eyes widening as she took in Mathilda’s unclothed, sweat-slicked form illuminated by the cauldron’s fire, making the scene strangely mesmerizing.

"Oh... this?" Mathilda glanced down at herself. "My clothes got destroyed in the previous experiment, but don’t worry, I’m totally fine." She gave a thumbs-up, grinning despite the situation.

Mana sighed, her exasperation clear. "First, go and eat something. Darla’s worried about you."

"Oh, that masochist is just waiting to get bullied again?" Mathilda replied with a mischievous grin.

Mana blinked. "She’s an M?"

"Yeah... She’s always waiting for our captain to push her down. Our captain already noticed. She also likes it when I bully her, but I don’t enjoy it as much when she moans Tyler’s name while I’m the one doing the bullying. She’s not exactly normal," Mathilda sighed, shaking her head.

’Like you’re any better,’ Mana thought.

┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉

Tyler turned his gaze to the horizon, where dark clouds loomed, heavy with rain and crackling with distant thunder. It was the sight of this approaching storm that had prompted them to take a break, waiting for the worst of it to pass before continuing their journey.

"Yup, I’m ready," Lily called out, snapping Tyler back to attention.

They were in the middle of the sea, with Tyler standing on a platform of ice he had created beneath him. The cold surface held steady under his weight, a testament to his control over the elements. Lily, on the other hand, was balancing gracefully on a flying sword, her eyes locked on Tyler as she prepared for the next round.

"Now, hit me," she challenged, her voice steady.

Without hesitation, Tyler threw the trident with precision. The magical weapon soared through the air, its projection heading straight for Lily. She easily dodged it, moving fluidly to the side as the projection streaked past her and dissipated into the ocean.

"Too slow, Tyler," Lily teased, a playful smirk tugging at her lips.

Tyler adjusted his stance and hurled the trident again. This time, he tried varying the speed and trajectory, but Lily continued to evade the attacks effortlessly, twisting and twirling on her flying sword as if she were dancing. Each time the trident’s projection came close, she shifted out of the way with a grace that made the entire exercise look easy.

They continued like this for some time, Tyler refining his aim and speed with each throw, while Lily remained elusive, never staying still long enough to be caught. The training session was intense, the air around them charged with the energy of their sparring.

After a while, Tyler, feeling the strain in his arms, let out a sigh of exhaustion and collapsed onto the ice to rest. His chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. Lily, who had gracefully landed beside him, sat down as well, her expression thoughtful.

"You have a good throwing arm, Tyler," she complimented, her tone sincere. "But you should really consider learning some trident arts for close combat. I’ve never seen you use anything other than your fists in a fight."

Tyler chuckled, wiping the sweat from his brow. "I don’t know if that’ll work for me."

"Why not?" she asked, turning to look at him with a curious tilt of her head.

"Well," Tyler began, a bit sheepishly, "I just really suck with swords, blades, or even spears. It’s like my body just doesn’t know how to use them."

Lily narrowed her eyes at him, suspicion creeping into her gaze. "That doesn’t sound right. Let’s test that theory."

A few minutes later, Tyler found himself holding a spear, its weight unfamiliar in his hand.

"Why?" he asked, somewhat exasperated.

"Because," Lily said with a determined look, "a trident is just a type of halberd, and a halberd is similar to a spear. It’s all connected. Let’s give it a try."

Tyler sighed but went along with it, raising the spear. Lily took a step forward and demonstrated a simple slash.

"Easy enough," Tyler said, mimicking her move with surprising ease.

"Good. Now this," Lily instructed, stepping forward and thrusting the spear in a direct poke. Tyler copied her motion, again executing it without issue.

"See? Not so bad," Lily said, nodding approvingly.

But then, without warning, Lily spun the spear rapidly in her hands, the weapon becoming a blur as she performed a complex and advanced manoeuvre. She ended with a dramatic pose, her spear held aloft with a confident grin.

Tyler stared at her, flabbergasted. "What the heck? Why did you skip so many steps and jump straight into advanced training?"

Lily just shrugged, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "I figured you could handle it."

Tyler sighed and reluctantly tried to copy her move. He spun the spear once, but lost control, the weapon slipping from his grasp. In a blur of awkward motion, Tyler’s foot tangled with the spear, sending him crashing face-first onto the ice. The spear, in a cruel twist of fate, poked him right in the butt as he fell.

There, in the middle of the sea on an icy platform, Tyler lay sprawled in a ridiculous pose, with a spear sticking out of his behind. Lily stood over him, holding her own spear, her expression a mix of amusement and exasperation.

"Maybe we’ll stick to throwing practice for now," Lily said, trying to suppress her laughter as Tyler groaned in embarrassment.

"Oh, the storm seems to be calming down a bit," Tyler observed, watching as the dark clouds began to thin and the heavy rain reduced to a light drizzle. The distant rumble of thunder was fading, leaving behind only the soft sound of waves lapping against the ship.

"Hmm... our ship can handle that weather now," Lily said, her eyes scanning the horizon with a calm confidence. "Let’s set sail again. Once we get past that, we’ll be on course to reach Rich Berg Island by morning."

With that, the ship’s advanced arrays hummed to life, and it began to glide smoothly across the water, leaving the remnants of the storm behind.

The journey to Rich Berg Island had resumed.