The speed of the ship was unexpectedly fast.
The ship travelled at a speed of about 430 km/h for nearly a hundred days to reach the Mage Continent. This world was incredibly huge.
Adam really wanted to enter the engine room to see what powered the ship, but he was sure he wouldn't be allowed to enter.
There are many rooms located on the ship, so there would be sufficient space for everyone even if one apprentice uses two rooms. The small number of apprentices also meant that they were able to bond with each other and cultivate a sense of intimacy among them.
The Northerners chose six rooms next to each other on the third floor of the ship. However, it seemed that Ophelia was constantly in a bad state.
Her face was pale, and she was always sweaty. She had trouble walking straight on a fairly stable boat. It was weird seeing a great knight like her have trouble doing daily tasks.
"Miss Ophelia, are you okay?" Crystal asked worriedly.
The Northerners obviously didn't know what motion sickness was. It had nothing to do with an individual's strength.
A sailor who led the way simply laughed, "If you can't help it, just throw up. It'll help!"
Crystal was at a loss. How could a great knight like Ophelia be crippled like this?
"It's called seasickness," Adam muttered.
"What is that?" Crystal asked quizzically.
"It's complicated, but the sailor is right. Throwing up helps."
Ophelia leaned weakly against Crystal and walked in her room, "Don't worry, I'll be okay in a bit."
Crystal wanted to follow her in, but the door closed in her face. She was a little overwhelmed and worried. She set her eyes on Adam -- he was to her, the most favourable and relatable person on board, even though he wasn't like her.
With this much time, Adam's emotional modules became perfect. He didn't really like to talk,but at least it's a human personality.
Crystal stared at him, and he said, "There are some ways to ease the seasickness, but it isn't that serious. She'll be fine."
Adam then walked into his room -- clean and tidy, with a separate bathroom. There was a tiny window which displayed the beautiful sea outside. The sound insulation of his room was also good. It wasn't bad, but he felt bored. He wanted to read more information on mages.
It was impossible, though. Mages regard themselves as the seekers of knowledge, and yet, research on them is scarce. He guesses that the scarcity of knowledge on them makes them even more valuable.
"Seems like they have a good grasp on copyright laws," Adam thought.
Adam's soul was relaxed. When he was an A.I., he didn't fear death -- the only thing he feared was that his wisdom would go to waste.
Every day, Adam holed up in his room to optimise the rune. There were two meals a day on this ship, and they had to be eaten in the shared dining room -- the food was limited too.
After short optimizations, Adam stepped out of his room. At the same time, Ophelia's door opened, and her complexion looked worse than in the morning.
Ophelia said hoarsely, "As a gentleman, shouldn't you help me?"
Adam wordlessly walked up and held her, and they walked to the dining room together. Ophelia had been retching forcibly, and she felt pathetic.
"Motion sickness occurs because the vestibular apparatus in your inner ear senses stimuli beyond your body's tolerance -- these stimuli deform the macula hair cells in your ear, and transmit it and sense it to the brain. Your body can't adapt to this abnormality, which is why you get seasick," Adam explained.
"I did not understand a single word you said, but if you're making fun of me..." Ophelia grunted, gripping Adam's arm harshly.
"Who do you take me for? I just wanted to say that I might have a solution to your problem."
Ophelia froze, "Why didn't you tell me earlier, then? I know... you want to see me make a fool of myself."
Adam looked at her weirdly, but she was partly right. He wanted to experiment on her to see whether or not mental strength could be applied to the body after the mental strength has been amplified by the runes.
With the accumulation of mental power, it finally had some kick to it. It was similar to telekinesis, and he could now move some objects with smaller mass. Adam wasn't satisfied , so he tried attaching this mental power to his organs to strengthen them, but it had no effect. Therefore he wanted to test it out on Ophelia.
"Try attaching your mental power to your ear, and focus on your inner ear," Adam explained.
Ophelia quickly tried it out, but she wasn't as strong as Adam.
Adam nodded despite her failing.
Crystal saw them, and her eyes lit up, "Miss Ophelia! Adam! You're here! I thought both of you wouldn't come, so I wanted to bring the food to your room-" she got up, but she was pulled back down by the three other apprentices, "What's wrong? Let me go. Ophelia, she needs help-"
Henry Hugh shook his head, "You're still young, so you don't understand. They're having a moment."
Mike Gast echoed, "Yes, yes, if you disturb them, you might not survive the wrath of Ophelia." He was incredibly confident that he knew the reason Adam could live in the Earl's palace back then, and smiled.
Crystal pinched his cheeks, turning his cheeks red. He hurried back to the seat and said to himself, "God, they are so bold!"
Adam and Ophelia were unaware of the gossip, though. Adam had to help Ophelia.
"Looks like your mental strength hasn't been able to solidify yet, which is why your mental strength seems intangible. Your mental strength does not have enough power to affect reality, so you have to use your mental strength that has already been strengthened by the runes. Draw a few runes and guide them to flow into your ear," Adam directed.
Ophelia nodded, and she finally directed her mental power into her ear. Adam sat beside her and observed closely.
The mental power formed itself into a protective layer for her ear, and the hair follicular cells within her ear no longer deform, causing her body to relax.
Ophelia instantly felt better -- blood rushed back to her face, and she didn't feel the need to throw up anymore.
To the others, it seemed like Adam and Ophelia were sharing an intimate moment with each other, whispering to each other.
Crystal and the others stared at the scene and muttered, "Damn, I'm a little envious."
Adam immediately left her the moment he got the information he needed, but Ophelia felt more affectionate towards him. She thought Adam was going to help her fetch food, so she closed her eyes and smiled. However, she noticed Adam wasn't back even after a long time. She found that he was already sitting and eating by himself.
Her good feelings disappeared instantly. She couldn't blame him, so she ate her dinner in a sullen mood next to Crystal.
Crystal noticed that she was sad, and comforted, "Where's Adam? Did you fight?"
She remained silent.
Several people in the room were seasick as well, so Adam stepped forward to explain how to alleviate the seasickness. He stayed unnaturally long to wait for the other party to get better to study them.
After all of them recovered, Adam came to the regretful conclusion that, at this stage, mental power can't strengthen the body.
However, his act garnered silent praises from everyone on board.
