149. Celeste

If you're enjoy the chapter, don't forget to drop some Power Stones! Your support keeps me inspired to create and share more. Thank you!💎💎💎

---

The Infinity Ship rested quietly on the sea, its massive frame motionless on the calm waters. Fortunately, the sea was serene, and nothing unusual occurred.

Following the mechanical prompts onboard, Anos walked down the central passage toward the bow of the ship.

The entire interior was of mechanical construction, and the ship was still in its initial activation state.

As Anos moved forward, each door automatically sensed his presence and slid open.

Walking along the extended corridor, he eventually reached the front of the ship.

When the final door opened, an ultra-modern, futuristic control room came into view.

This was the foremost section of the ship and its core command centre. There were no physical buttons here everything was displayed via holographic projections.

At the helm stood a glowing blue orb, about 50 centimetres in diameter, suspended and slowly rotating above the rudder. Its gentle motion added to the surreal atmosphere of the space.

All the text displayed throughout the hull was rendered in a high-tech aesthetic, reinforcing its advanced design. For Anos, this setup felt almost dreamlike.

As he stepped inside, the ship's system prompted him:

"First sequencer, please place your right hand on the rudder suspension device to register your palm print."

Anos gazed at the floating blue orb and, without hesitation, placed his right hand upon it.

As his palm connected with the orb, its colour began to shift, transitioning from light blue to a deep red.

"The first sequence login is successful. Infinity Ship is at your service. Would you like to activate holographic character projection?" the system asked.

"Yes," Anos responded calmly.

Moments later, beside him at the bow of the ship, a holographic figure began to materialize.

Starting from its feet, the image built upward into the figure of a woman, glowing faintly in blue light.

The projection resembled a young woman of about 20 years, dressed professionally, exuding a composed and competent demeanour.

"Greetings, First Sequencer. I am the Infinity Ship system. From this moment on, I am at your service. Wherever you are on the ship, simply give a command," the holographic figure announced.

Though it lacked a physical form, its movements, voice, and expressions were lifelike.

"From now on, address me as 'Your Majesty' There's no need for the title of First Sequencer," Anos instructed.

"As you command, Your Majesty, Would you like to change my designation?" the system inquired.

"Let's call you Celeste. Now, set a course for the Tru Kingdom and explain the ship's functions during the voyage," Anos replied.

"Apologies, Your Majesty the King. The Infinity Ship cannot sail without a world map. Please upload one to proceed," Celeste responded.

"A map?" Anos frowned, realizing he didn't have one installed.

Frustrated, he accessed his system inventory and confirmed he'd purchased a comprehensive map of the pirate world an electronic version costing nearly 100 million Beris.

Though it stung to spend that much, he had no choice. The map appeared in the form of a memory card.

Before Anos could study it, a compartment opened on the ship's console, perfectly sized for the card.

Anos inserted the memory card, and the mechanical sounds of processing filled the room.

The red orb above the rudder shifted form, transforming into a holographic globe of the pirate world.

A red dot marked their current location. With the map now operational, navigation became as simple as voicing a destination.

"The world map has been uploaded. Your Majesty can now command the Infinity Ship to sail anywhere," Celeste reported.

"Set course for the Tru Kingdom," Anos ordered.

"Understood. Calculating route," Celeste replied.

The orb spun, and a glowing trail extended from their current position to the Tru Kingdom.

Seeing the map, a thought crossed Anos's mind. If he commanded the ship to sail to Laugh Tale, the final island sought by pirates worldwide, he could reach it effortlessly.

However, the New World was no place to venture recklessly, so he set the idea aside.

"Route planning complete. Would you like to begin the voyage?" Celeste asked.

"Set sail," Anos commanded.

Occupied with the ship's operations, Anos failed to notice Abona waiting outside.

Locked out of the core command centre, Abona stood with his sword, gazing silently at the distant sea.

With all systems active, the Infinity Ship slowly began to move. For a vessel of its size, accelerating from a standstill took longer than expected.

Nonetheless, it was leagues ahead of traditional sail-driven ships.

"The Infinity Ship is now sailing at 15 knots. Speed will reach 60 knots in three minutes. The journey to the Tru Kingdom is estimated to take five days and eight hours," Celeste reported.

"Introduce the ship's features," Anos instructed.

"The Infinity Ship is a 124.6-meter-long cruise ship powered by advanced micro-nuclear technology. Its five-axis propulsion system allows it to carry up to 500 passengers."

"The vessel is equipped with the most sophisticated intelligent systems, has autonomous offensive capabilities, offers absolute defence, and can travel invisibly…"

---

For early access to advanced chapters and exclusive illustrations made by me, visit my P@treon:

P@treon/iamxeno

Thank you so much for your support and for reading!