Cave Refuge

The situation unfolded just as they had speculated, with the Companion Spiritual Treasures serving as foundational stones for the bridge, those floating coffins on the water surface, despite coming into contact with the Companion Spiritual Treasures, did not open their lids automatically as they would when touching other objects.

Once the group had safely departed from the area occupied by the coffins, they were surprised to find other ships lingering on the periphery. As Jason Jefferson was hesitating whether to release his own Companion Spiritual Treasure, he didn't expect the tablet on Zachary, who was also on the deck, to suddenly ring.

Zachary picked up the tablet and, seeing that it was Madeline calling, casually answered, "Why are you calling me now? What do you need?"

"What do I need? Last time you sent me your location asking me to come find you, didn't I? I followed the location you provided, and that fleet that just emerged from the Coffin Sea, is that the one you're on? If you're with them, you should be able to see my fleet. My ship is moored not far from yours."

The moment Madeline's words fell, the previously tense atmosphere on the ship eased considerably. Nevertheless, even though Zachary did not put the call on speaker, nearly everyone on the deck was a High-Level Martial Artist with keen senses, which was a basic ability. So even without trying to eavesdrop, those who were standing closer could still faintly hear the words coming from the tablet.

Once it was confirmed that the fleet in the distance was friendly, Jason Jefferson finally released his Companion Spiritual Treasure from his Sea of Consciousness and then directed the others to store all the supplies he had taken out back into the storage space of his Companion Spiritual Treasure.

Knowing that Jason Jefferson did not want them to linger, Zachary bid farewell. After a persistent effort from Elder Jefferson to keep them, the Thompson Family of three still transferred to Zachary's Wave Rider and left the area.

Watching the Wave Rider depart, Jason Jefferson suddenly noticed his father Elder Jefferson's perplexed expression and asked with some confusion, "Dad, what's wrong? If they've gone, they've gone. If you've got no one to fish with, I can keep you company."

His son's question jolted Elder Jefferson out of his distraction. He then inquired of Jason with a puzzled tone, "Can a person possess two different Companion Spiritual Treasures?"

Upon hearing his father's question, Jason Jefferson, who knew some internal secrets of the base, replied decisively, "A person can only have one Companion Spiritual Treasure. Even if someone loses their original Companion Spiritual Treasure due to some accident, they cannot obtain a new one."

Following Jason's emphatic answer, Elder Jefferson pressed further, "Do you remember what kind of ship we used to escape from the base?"

"I was there when you boarded. You took the Submersible Navigation branch of a Companion Spiritual Treasure. What's the issue?"

Seeing Jason's still nonchalant response, Elder Jefferson explained, "You should be well aware of Uncle Thompson and Aunt Thompson's Companion Spiritual Treasures—both are like mine, unevolved little wooden boats (un-evolved at that time, later chosen for branch evolution). However, the ship that Zachary summoned just now wasn't the submarine that he used to bring us here. It was like a regular pleasure boat. What do you make of that?"

With his father's prompting, Jason Jefferson finally understood why his father had momentarily appeared distracted. Even though this reminder allowed Jason to recognize the issue, he pondered over it for a long time without uncovering the reason. Although he had Zachary's contact information, it wasn't appropriate to directly question such matters. He had to temporarily set aside his doubts and wait for a suitable occasion to inquire about it.

Madeline, still standing on the deck, had developed a strong interest in the approaching Wave Rider, as she'd come to know Zachary when that ship was his ride. Notably, at the time they first met, not even Mysterious Ships, let alone Companion Spiritual Treasures, had appeared.

Although there was some distance between the two fleets, Madeline had watched from the deck as the Wave Rider suddenly surfaced and observed the entire process clearly. Perhaps she might not know the detailed information about the Wave Rider, but after watching the whole process, she could at least be sure that Zachary possessed a vast Storage Space that could completely hold the Wave Rider, which must be why he always had far more supplies than the average person regardless of the circumstances.

Once the Wave Rider had neared Madeline's ship, no gangway was set up to connect the two vessels; the Thompson Family of three simply jumped from the deck of the Wave Rider straight onto the deck of Madeline's ship.

Having access to the Cultivating Immortality Method provided by Zachary, and with the continuously rising density of Spirit Energy in the outside air, Father Dong and Mother Dong had already reached the Energy Refining Peak. If they found an opportune moment, they could naturally progress to become great powers at the Foundation Building Stage.

As the Thompson Family of three stepped onto the deck, naturally, Madeline was not the only one there to greet them—Master Ye and his wife naturally stood there as well.