Lin says "Can you work on it, please? I really want to be able to get to my books all the time."

"I will, but you still have the originals on the ship, right?"

Lin says "I do, but it isn't the same. Those aren't my books."

"Alright, I understand. I will try to figure it out. The air bubble is a good start, but I need to test it out."

Lin says "What do you mean?"

"I need to find something living, put it in an air bubble, and throw it into the pouch. If it lives, then we will know the air bubble works the way I am hoping."

Lin says "Oh, that makes sense. What's next after that?"

"Next I would need to upgrade the shrinking spell so that the space inside remains the same. That should allow us to gate into it even when it was shrunk down. At least, that's the theory I am working on."

Lin says "Sounds like it should work. At least, it seems like the theory is sound enough. We should get to work."

Before I can say anything, Lin looks around, spots something like a rabbit, and throws a spell to stun it. Then she runs over, grabs it before the stun wears off, and brings it back to me. I take it from her, put an air bubble spell around it, and put it into my pouch.

I wait for five minutes with Lin and the kids staring at me before I pull it back out. The rabbit-like thing is still alive, although it looks like it is freezing to death. That probably means that the inside of the pouch is a void, something similar to space.

That is something else I will need to account for when it comes to the inside of the castle. However, keeping the interior of the castle at a comfortable temperature should be easy enough. If I thicken the shell of the air bubble it should keep the cold out as well as air in.

Although, there is still the problem of the amount of air in the bubble being limited. Not to mention that if it is in the pouch long enough there is a chance of the air going stale. What I need is something to keep the air fresh, I can think of two ways to do that.

I should be able to come up with an enchantment that will keep the air fresh. Or I can put enough plants inside to do the same, although plants would need sunlight. With my knowledge of light it shouldn't be too hard to make a spell that would keep plants alive.

The more I think about it the more it is sounding like I will need to turn the castle into a small world. The hardest part is keeping the size inside the castle the same when it is shrunk. Doing so without turning the inside into a holding space is the real problem.

Unfortunately, I still haven't had any ideas about how to do that, at least not yet. It is something I need to ask Lin about, but I don't have much hope that she will know either. For now, I open a gate leading back to our cabin on the ship, through the platform.

Even though it is beneath the lake, I am still close enough to use it as a booster. It reduces the amount of mana I need to use by a large margin, just as it is supposed to. Lin told me that it worked, but it still feels good to see it work properly for myself.

Lin and the kids go through first then I follow them and close the gate behind me. The kids head straight for the cat trees and go back to their interrupted play. Lin leaves to go see the elven crafters and see if she can get the materials she needs.

Meanwhile I head up to the bridge to see how things are going and where the ship is. Silverstream is the one currently in charge and she fills me in on recent events. The ship was attacked five times by ocean beasts and twice by flying beasts.

They won all seven battles without too much problem, which is why they didn't contact me. I find it odd since I didn't see any flying beasts at all while we were on the continent. Maybe it is simply that they saw me first, or they might nest out on islands for some reason.

The good news is that the majority of the bodies were recovered, so Lin should find lots of interesting materials. The bad news is that the ship's air defense is a little on the weak side according to Silverstream. If the elves didn't have a large number of archers things wouldn't have gone so well.

It looks like I will need to figure out an upgrade to the ship's smaller weapons. I am about to ask Silverstream for her opinion when I notice she is staring past me with her mouth hanging open. Turning around I find that a female figure is slowly forming next to the core.

The figure looks like an elf, but curvier, with a purple tint to her skin and silver hair. I can already guess that some of the female elves are going to be jealous when they see her. I just hope that my idea worked and that she is going to be friendly to the elves.

Spirit says "Master!"

"Um, hello. Congratulations on becoming aware."

Spirit says "Thank you, master. I have actually been aware for days, I was just waiting for you to return."

"You don't have to call me master, just Ash is fine. How do you feel?"

Spirit says "Ash then. I feel fine, but I would like a name, please."

"Of course, but I will need a minute to think of a good one. One question, am I naming you or the ship? Or are you one and the same now?"

Spirit says "The ship is my body now as the tree was in the past."

"Do you remember when you were the tree?"

Spirit says "Yes, I do. Although, my memories from before you found me and moved me are much fainter. I remember enough to know that the elves abandoned me and I was close to death when you found me. That is why you and only you, are worthy to be my master."

"I hope you realize that you were abandoned by the previous generations of elves and don't hold it against the current generation."

Spirit says "I am aware of that and I don't hold it against them. Don't worry, I will not seek revenge against them. However, I do find it hard to trust them as I trust you."

"Hm, while understandable, that could complicate things."

Spirit says "You don't need to be concerned. I will care for and help the elves simply because you care for them."

"That is reassuring. Thank you. However, you are not a slave, you do have a choice in the matter. If you really don't like it here I can try to figure out how to separate you from the ship."