Chapter 723: Chapter 704: Return to the Island

Here jagged rocks thrust up in strange shapes, black reefs interlocked like fangs, and the surging waves crashed ceaselessly against them, throwing up a skyful of snowy white foam.

Aside from the seabirds soaring in the storm, there was not a soul in sight.

Duke moved a thought and activated the Black Sail Badge; a ripple of Spirit spread outward, like a silent beacon fire, transmitting toward the depths of the boundless sea.

After doing all this, Duke simply stood quietly at the edge of the cliff, facing the boundless sea surface, ink-blue verging on black, and waited with patience.

The sea wind was fierce, whipping his dark Wizard Robe tight against his body, snapping and rustling, as if trying to push a man off the cliff.

A moment later, the Dark Demon steered a lone skiff toward him, slowly drawing near the shore.

Duke inclined his head slightly, spoke no unnecessary words, and with a single step boarded the seemingly flimsy yet incomparably solid little boat.

The Dark Demon swung the bow around and slid silently into the deep sea; the surrounding light was quickly devoured by dense darkness.

Standing at the bow, what Duke sensed this time was no longer the pure resistance of seawater, but space itself folding and shuttling under some kind of rule.

This was a subtle change he had found hard to perceive in the past.

As his strength increased and his Spiritual Power grew ever stronger, he could see the details of this world a little more clearly.

But it was only to that extent. When Duke tried to perceive more details, he found it was as though a thick pane of frosted glass lay between them—no matter how he tried, he could not see through.

No one knew how long they sailed—perhaps an instant, perhaps half a day—when, amid the sound of waves, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

At a glance, Duke saw the hazy silhouette of Academy Island, which also meant he had already returned to the internal region of the Black Sail.

They sailed on for a time within the seemingly boundless internal sea of the Black Sail, then finally headed toward a cluster of islands of various sizes, scattered like stars.

These islands were like emeralds fallen upon ink-blue silk; some were veiled in a faint mist or halo of energy, showing the protections their owners had laid down.

Duke’s Deserted Island lay in a rather remote area, with no neighbors around it.

After a while, the boat finally came to a stop at the edge of the Deserted Island.

Most of the island was covered with woods and grasslands that looked a bit sparse but were clearly laid out by design. Near the center and toward the rear stood a gray stone castle, not tall but quite sturdy; farther behind the castle, one could vaguely see a neatly cultivated Magic Potion Field.

Duke stepped onto the familiar wooden planks of the pier and strolled along a path paved with gravel, lined on both sides with salt-tolerant shrubs, walking toward the castle in the depths of the island.

The sights along the way had undergone some positive changes compared to when he left.

The trees planted earlier by the Wood Elves had grown noticeably taller and thicker, forming stretches of forest of some scale, with ornamental yet practical shrubs and flowers interspersed among them.

The air was fresh, carrying a mingled scent of vegetation and sea wind, and the soil no longer looked as barren as it had at the beginning.

Farther away, the several Magic Potion Fields were laid out in an orderly fashion, with herbs of different attributes divided into separate plots, growing well. He could vaguely see several slender figures busy among them—the Wood Elves.

Clearly, during the long days of his absence, the Wood Elf team led by Yala had managed the Deserted Island quite well.

Before he reached the main structure of the castle, a light figure came hurrying toward him from a side path.

It was a young Cat Girl, with smooth light-brown short hair, a pair of keen triangular ears atop her head, and a tail behind her that swayed lightly of its own accord. This was Nina, the one responsible for Duke’s daily living arrangements.

She wore a cotton dress convenient for movement, her face bright with surprise and the same respectful expression as always.

"Lord Duke! You’ve returned!" Nina stopped before Duke and dipped into a small curtsey, her cat-like eyes shining with joy. "Sister Yala is over at the potion fields. Do you need me to go inform her?"

"No need, I’ll go over myself later." Duke nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the castle and its surroundings. "Is everything well on the island?"

"In answer to Master, everything is fine. The protective arrays are functioning normally, the harvest from the potion fields is stable, and Sister Yala and the others have successfully cultivated two new adaptive herbs." Nina reported nimbly.

"Mm." Duke nodded in satisfaction. "I’ll go to the laboratory first and deal with other matters later. Pass the word around that I’ve returned; everything proceeds as usual."

"Yes, Master!" Nina responded, watching Duke walk toward an entrance at the rear side of the castle, a place specially reinforced and marked with obvious warning runes—it led to the high-grade laboratory deep underground.

The heavy metal gate before him, engraved with runes of isolation and defense, slid open without a sound, revealing a spiral staircase leading downward.

He followed the steps down to the core laboratory, located dozens of meters beneath the ground.

The space here was spacious; the walls, floor, and ceiling were all built from special energy-absorbing metal and stone, layered with protective and stabilizing Witch Arrays. The energy supply was stable, and the air circulated well.

On the experiment tables lay some of the instruments and materials he had organized before his departure, everything preserved exactly as it had been, spotless.

Leaving the laboratory, Duke returned to the study on the upper level of the castle.

The view here was wide; through the floor-to-ceiling windows one could overlook part of the island and the distant sea.

The bookshelves were filled with all kinds of books and scrolls, most of them related to wizardry theory, rune arrays, Plane Study, and Magic Potion.

He sat down behind the broad desk, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the smooth surface, while in his mind he sorted through his plans for what was to come.