The sanctuary cut through the deep blue sea, once again heading towards Reverse Mountain.
During the voyage, Blake entered Stella's alternate dimension, cut a small piece from the huge pure gold, and handed it to Dr. Axie:
"I didn't expect to trouble you so soon, Doctor."
"I hope you can help me make some rings similar to the one Olga has, using this pure gold."
"I need it to achieve the effect of eternal life, but also not be noticeable from the outside."
As mentioned before, the key to pure gold granting eternal life lies in its radiation.
This radiation is not invisible.
Not only is it tangible, but it's also very dazzling!
So, it needs to be set into jewelry, with only a small opening on the side that touches the body.
This technique isn't particularly difficult, but since Axie has already made one, he might as well handle the rest.
Axie seemed a bit reluctant about being coerced onto the ship by Blake, his tone sarcastic:
"Do World Nobless like you still need to hide the existence of pure gold?"
Blake, however, chuckled as if he hadn't heard the sarcasm:
"I'm just a part of the World Nobless, that's all."
Seeing Blake's indifferent attitude, Axie didn't bother to make things awkward and turned to leave, only leaving one sentence:
"I need one day."
A day later, Axie handed the finished pure gold rings to Blake.
Blake picked up one of them and examined it, noting the subtly crafted small hole on the inside of the ring band, pointing towards the finger, making his finger glow faintly.
Blake nodded in satisfaction, put away the rings, and walked towards the maids.
Stella was tidying the tea set with her head down when Blake placed a ring on the tray in her hand.
The gentle head maid paused slightly, then a clear ripple of light spread in her eyes.
She didn't exclaim, but simply held the ring gently in her palm, then pressed it to her chest with utmost reverence, her gaze towards Blake filled with an unyielding affection, her voice soft and full of sincerity:
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Blake smiled and hugged her, everything left unsaid.
Kozuki Toki sat quietly by the window, staring out at the sea in a daze.
A ring was gently placed on the windowsill in front of her.
She almost instinctively recoiled half a step before hesitantly reaching out, slowly putting it on her finger.
After doing so, she silently watched the eternal glow flowing between her fingers and whispered:
"I always thought I was just your toy during your leisure time."
Blake reached out and lifted her chin:
"Even if you're a toy, I hope to keep playing with you forever."
Ginny leaned against the railing, deliberately not looking in their direction.
Blake walked to her side, also not handing it to her, but simply placing the ring on the cold surface of the railing.
She maintained her sideways posture, catching a glimpse of the faint glow from the corner of her eye, struggled for a moment, but then quickly snatched it, clenching it tightly in her palm, still stubbornly not looking back.
She only mumbled:
"No reason to refuse!"
Blake smiled.
Indeed, no woman could resist the temptation of eternal youth, not even those who held a grudge against him.
After all, Ginny had lived in the manor for several years before the Revolutionary Army was wiped out, and coupled with the lack of hope for a comeback... after a period of sadness, she had developed a similar resigned attitude to Kozuki Toki, she just couldn't get past the hurdle in her heart.
Last was Olvia.
She stood with her head bowed, her posture respectful.
Blake placed the ring in her palm.
Olvia's fingers immediately closed, almost holding her breath:
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"Thank you for remembering me; I will cherish it greatly."
Blake reached out and patted her silver-white hair, saying nothing more.
The sanctuary, having set sail again, once more reverted to its previous leisurely state, stopping and going along the way.
It wasn't until the year 1508 of the Sea Calendar that the sanctuary finally re-crossed Reverse Mountain and entered the East Blue waters.
The East Blue, described as the weakest sea in the original work, is actually a bit biased.
While other sea areas frequently produce Supernova-level pirates, the East Blue produces top-tier powerhouses.
However, these things weren't very relevant to Blake; he just felt that if he didn't come soon, Kuina might not be kept.
The first stop after entering the East Blue from Reverse Mountain was Loguetown.
The current base commander of Loguetown was not Smoker, but an unknown Colonel.
But thinking about it, Smoker was only six or seven years older than Robin, so he would only be in his early twenties this year, still a young punk, naturally not suitable to be stationed as a base commander.
Moreover, this guy was a troublemaker when he was young, almost getting expelled from the Marine for insubordination.
However, Blake's trip was not to see Smoker.
And of course, it was even less likely to see Roger's execution platform.
He had thought of a sword from the original work.
He didn't know if Sandai Kitetsu was in the shop, but yukiwazari definitely was.
In his previous life, Blake had once come across a useless piece of knowledge: in the year 1320 of the Sea Calendar, when Ippondou's ancestor came to Loguetown to open a shop, yukiwazari was their prized possession.
He didn't expect that after so many years, this useless piece of knowledge could still serve a small, albeit not insignificant, purpose.
Soon, the sanctuary was approaching the Loguetown dock.
On shore, the scene was already one of hasty preparations.
A clearly newly laid, relatively clean red carpet stretched from the dock deep into the street.
The current base commander, Colonel Hoffman, stood at the forefront of the welcoming party.
Around forty years old, he maintained a good physique, with a well-fitted Justice coat over a neatly ironed standard uniform, and a clean-shaven chin showing a bluish tint.
Seeing Blake dismount from the ship, riding a Slave, a barely perceptible flicker of disgust crossed his eyes, but he forced himself to step forward:
"Saint Blake, welcome to our town."
Although Blake noticed Hoffman's emotions, he didn't dwell on them.
There were too many people in this world who hated Celestial Dragons; it wasn't this unknown guy's turn.
But then again, do the Marine always choose such justice-filled guys as Loguetown's commanders?
As his thoughts raced, Blake smiled and nodded:
"Thank you, Colonel."
Led by Colonel Hoffman, Blake and his party arrived at the already prepared banquet hall.
What followed was another round of insincere toasts.
Midway through the banquet, Blake finally put down his wine glass.
Seeing his action, everyone else discreetly stopped eating, except for Colonel Hoffman, who seemed oblivious.
Blake tapped his finger lightly on the table, his expression unreadable:
"Colonel, as far as I know, Loguetown has a weapons shop that has been open for nearly two hundred years."
"If I'm not mistaken, it should be called Ippondou, right?"
Colonel Hoffman calmly picked up a napkin, wiped his mouth, and replied:
"Saint Blake, you are mistaken; it is Ipponmatsu Weapons Shop."
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