Author Notes:
I am writing this at legit 3:10 AM with a dream, bloody hell.
Yeah, if you have been following my Discord, I was pretty much brainstorming with a Shoggoth and Kitsune for OBOM matters. And what did you know, designing a military is more painful than expected, even with handwaiving magic at my beck and call.
Before I will crash for real, allow me to finalize a promotion from Corporal to Sergeant for Raccoon! Thank you so much, Sergeant Raccoon, for your contribution thus far!
Now, without further ado, and before the people in my head and Discord chew me out, here's the links for when you want to support my Mom and I in our endeavors to get a new mattress, and I hope you will enjoy the OBOM chapter!
https://www.patreon.com/Heartbreak117
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/Heartbreak117
https://discord.gg/cVZxJ29ruh
https://www.webnovel.com/book/reich-marshal-of-the-belkan-reich_23809095505377305
https://www.webnovel.com/book/in-the-grimdark-sector-with-a-system_31596105108346205
https://www.webnovel.com/book/my-soul.-occupied-body---please-the-other-me...!_35377211308783905
https://www.scribblehub.com/series/2271569/reich-marshal-of-the-belkan-reich/
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The White Pearl traverses slowly through a patch of reef that also acts as a natural breakwater for the island that is our next, and probably last destination in the long Southern journey. Due to the potential danger of the Pearl scraping against the jagged rocks and possibly causing a hull breach, I have taken to the Pearl's tower to both pilot the vessel and monitor the depth readings. Reizen and even Sapientia, stay at the lower level on both sides of the boat to warn me if I get too close to the natural rock formation.
Honestly, Sapientia either has an impure motive to keep hanging around with us, or she has that much free time on her hands. The latter is more likely, but I can't even discount the former, for Sapientia has made it perfectly clear she wants to bed us all, Aurea included, if my Other Me is up for it. Hell, for all I know, Sapientia has both things in abundance.
"Oh, hey~!" Sapientia suddenly exclaims down on the deck, her finger pointing portside.
"What's that?" I ask, maintaining strict hands-on-throttle-and-control.
I make sure to double-check that there isn't any stone pike suddenly appearing in the water beneath us.
"I got some cuties to port!" Sapientia replies, causing me to glance in the direction, searching for the so-called 'cuties' that had the Ember Goddess so excited just now.
What I come to see is a bit of a familiar sight, and a surprisingly comforting one.
"Are those seals lying on the rocks?" I hear Reizen question with a hint of surprise in her voice. "It's been a while since I last since one in person."
Heh, glad to know that seals still exist in the Eternal Reich she hailed from.
[Aww, they look so cute and fluffy!] In the mental space, Aurea exclaims softly with joy in her tone. Unknowingly, she has kicked her usual meek self into the curb the moment she sees the squishable body of the seal-like animal.
"Yeah. That they are." I giggle as I make sure to ease up on the White Pearl's throttle even more, just so that the girls can peek at Mother Nature's, or Mother Arcadia's, chonkiest sea loaves.
Since I am sharing my vision with Aurea, I make sure to glance at the chilling seals on the rock every so often. Despite the somewhat lack of warm sunlight this close to the Southern Cold Region, many of the seals, with their mostly white and grey bodies, are sunbathing on the rocks, all the while propping themselves on the sides of their fat bellies to curiously look at us. Some seals even wave their flaps and bark cutely in the Pearl's direction. I guess that they have never seen humans and a boat before.
While it's a bit distracting to see a pack of seals at their most natural elements, we still manage to navigate the White Pearl past the reef barrier safely. We then drop anchor at a spot near the picturesque beach of the island, where it could make for a nice tourist attraction, if not for the chilling water that prevents swimming. That said, it won't hurt to have a barbecue party there in the future, if we're set on claiming this island for ourselves.
And since the water is cold, we're to travel to the beach via the two jet skis we have on the back of the Pearl. Usually, Reizen and I need only use one jet ski to make a transit from the Pearl to the shore. Since Sapientia is here, however, she gets to ride with Reizen on her jet ski while I take the other one. The Ember Goddess can very well teleport herself onto the beach, but she wants to enjoy the feeling of riding a water scooter for the first time in her life.
Yet, before that can happen, however, the White Pearl hosts a surprise, chubby guest. A seal has curiously approached the boat while it's anchored with its engines cut off, and boarded the vessel via the aft ramp. Seeing the plump sea dog, both Sapientia and Aurea coo at once, to which I have no other choice but to accept their earnest plea with their eyes, mentally or not, to stick around and play with our guest for a bit. Hearing the acceptance in my wry chuckle, both the Ember Goddess and my dear Other Me cheer. It's a bit of an interesting experience, hearing the joy both outside and inside my head.
When Sapientia starts carefully and gently approaching the curious white sea loaf with its beady eyes, Reizen moves beneath the tower before looking up at me with an inquisitive gaze, albeit there's a soft smile on her lips. I shrug before putting on an indulgent smile myself. It won't hurt to relax for a bit after all the tense navigation earlier. Seeing that I am ok with it, Reizen does nothing but lean against the wall of the pilot house, watching Sapientia slowly coax the seal onto allowing her to scratch its head like an actual puppy. It even has that goofy melting expression to boot as the goddess' fingers stroke its weak point.
Eventually, Sapientia successfully guides it to accept her hands, and the Ember Goddess triumphantly lifts the seal, heft and all, and proudly presents it to us.
"May I present to you, Lady Bubble, Baroness of the Southern Sea!" Sapientia suddenly introduces the cute and fittingly dorky seal with its tilting head in a manner that defies expectation.
I find myself at a sudden loss for words, and Reizen herself even quips. "... Where did that even come from?"
Only Aurea, in our mental space, strangely nods in approval. [I think it's fitting. Her white is so fluffy and smooth~! They must be so nice to hold onto...]
Sapientia, nods repeatedly before defending her words by saying. "I'll have you know, Lady Bubble is a fine Snowpuff Seal that has beaten the annual beauty contest in her pack five years in a row!"
I raise an eyebrow, my lips quirking up in amusement as I see the strange conviction in Sapientia's unfocused emerald eyes. "Oh, and you know this by what? That Snowpuff Seal..."
[Lady Bubble!]
"Lady Bubble!"
I stall for a bit, being corrected by both Aurea and Sapientia at once is, again, an interesting experience, if not surreal. "Sorry, Lady Bubble... Right, Lady Bubble hasn't even let out a single bark after boarding the Pearl. From what source did you pull that bit of trivia from?"
Much to both Reizen's and mine exasperation, the Ember Goddess shrugs with an unrepentant grin as she holds the seal closer to her bosom. "Source? My source is that I made it the fuck up~!"
That shit-eating grin, one deserving a punch, is only lacking due to a chronic absence of a yellow tie, a suit, and a half-lit cigar.
I sigh. "Should have known better... Anyway, give Aurea the sea loaf."
Without further ado, I retreat back to our mental space, gently pushing Aurea back into controlling our shared body. Suddenly popping into the real, real world, Aurea nearly jumps on reflex when Sapientia deposits the warm and cuddly Snowpuff Seal into her arms. Near instantly, Aurea is defeated by Lady Bubble's cuteness and huggable fur. When my dear Other Me excitedly presents the seal to an amused Reizen with a warm look on her face, even the calm girl can't resist giving Lady Bubble a few head scratches, to which the seal surely enjoys.
Some time through marveling at the cute specimen of the planet Arcadia, Aurea suddenly asks with a tilt of her head.
"Why are they called Snowpuff Seal, anyway?"
Sapientia raises a hand to reply with an excited smile. "Oh! That's because they can do this~!" With said hand, the Ember Goddess guides Lady Bubble's head to the side before patting her back a few times.
Subsequently, instead of a seal bark, Lady Bubble burps, and from her open mouth, an actual beam of ice and snow hits the safety railing of the White Pearl. The shock from that little display of power causes Aurea to yelp in surprise, whereas Reizen is looking at Lady Bubble with a profound gaze, as if asking, "Is it even biologically possible for a seal of all things to shoot a beam?"
Looking at the freezing mess of the Pearl's railing, topped with a layer of pure white snow to boot, Sapientia proudly puts her hands on her hips, declaring.
"And that's why Mother Arcadia gave the species the name Snowpuff Seal, it's not just because they're cuddly like snow."
Gently taking the rein from Aurea for a bit, I make sure to hold Lady Bubble steadily with one hand, again affirming her squishable state, while using my freed hand to reach out and twist Sapientia's left ear. With a very happy smile, I bring her down to my eye level.
"There's a literal ocean around us, and you had to aim Lady Bubble at our ship!?" I ask, not without a significant amount of incredulity.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! I plead! I plead! I-I will clean it up!" Sapientia gives up her resistance immediately, if she has had any to begin with. "That really wasn't the brightest idea of a demonstration!"
"You think!?"
Looking at the mess on the Pearl and the sight of me lecturing a Wisdom Goddess of all things has caused even Reizen to smile wryly in acceptance, once more reaffirming that this is her new reality. As Aurea tries to calm me down from inside my mind, my blue-haired partner then gazes at the adorable Lady Bubble, who still has no understanding of whatever is going on. Both the seal and the superhuman cadet look at each other for a moment before the former raises a flap, then starts slapping it against her belly.
PlapPlapPlapPlapPlapPlap
"Huh, I guess she's hungry." Reizen comments, and that saves Sapientia from further lecturing on the need to treasure our home and whatnot.
The Ember Goddess still has to clean the deck, either by spells or by tools.
Thus marks the end of the long period at sea in a manner that is both heartwarming and hilarious. Up next, it will be some bit of time on the Rover as Reizen and I, and perhaps even Sapientia, go around the island for a final survey. That Base of Operations won't build itself, and it needs to be placed down on a true strategic spot.
Although we will admit that sightseeing is also on the agenda. Sapientia has once introduced us to facts that this particular island may share some traits with places like Alaska, Russia, and even the Arctic Poles that we're familiar with. So there's hope that we may come across an actual Polar Bear equivalent on this island that is yet to be named. If anything, I would love to see a living Polar Bear with its cubs in their natural habitat, for that is a sight no less grand than that of the sea of stars.