Ball of Nothing

Chapter 607: Voice of the Sea

Ultimately, Ottley wasn't able to drag lessons for a week. Zero's thirst for knowledge and the lack of things to occupy him started to prove difficult to manage. Not even Truen was able to stop his friend from sneaking into the shipyard to check on the Marrissa's progress.

Whatever they thought the Marrissa was going to be, turned out completely different. The Marrissa had no sails, and the structure looked off. Zero couldn't help but wonder why this ship was completely covered in wood. How were they going to read the clouds and stars if the ceiling was also covered? Were they meant to row the boat manually or use mana to charge it? What if water leaked into this ship? The sinking ship would be a sunken ship. It was so strange that Zero didn't realise someone was approaching from behind him until the person grabbed him by the back of his shirt.

"What are you doing here? Didn't I say that until you finish learning everything Ottley has to teach that you're not allowed here?" Docky scowled.

Zero carefully turned around and gave the Right Sea Hand a sheepish grin. Docky sighed. According to Ottley, these two individuals were exceptional. Although the start was rough for these land dwellers, Zero and Truen soon overcame all the other trials in record time once they got the hang of swimming. Ottley didn't have to teach them anything twice, which would explain why Zero was up to mischief again.

"Follow me," the sea otter turned around and walked away.

Zero took one last glance at the Marrissa and ran after Docky, who moved fast despite his stubby limbs.

Docky led Zero to his office, a place considered sacred that many were barred from entering. The tables were so close to each other that it was difficult for Zero to walk in the tiny space. Pocky's workshop was messy, but Docky's office was simply cluttered. If he was smaller, it might be easier to squeeze through the narrow gaps without having to bend at awkward angles.

"Hey! Is that the globe I gave Pocky?" Zero asked when he found it sitting at a corner of the desk piled with yellowing parchments.

Docky didn't have to look at what Zero was referring to. At first glance, it was similar, but that wasn't the same globe Zero gifted Pocky. It was something Docky invented by himself after studying the stars for many years. It was a pity his dumb brother had to travel half the continent to get to the same answer he did all those years back.

"That's something I created. Also, it's not a globe. It's an Earth model I use to replicate the star movements."

Amazed by Docky's insight into the universe's secrets, he looked around at the cluttered workspace. Even if the pieces of sketches lying around looked like trash, every single sketch represented a valuable discovery to the educated doctor. Docky's skills were very close to clairvoyance, and Zero wondered how powerful the original Master Sea Hand Malik was if Docky was already this knowledgeable.

"Don't touch that," Docky warned when Zero became mesmerised by the stringed shells hanging from the ceiling. They would sway with the breeze and occasionally hit the other shells on another string, making a very lovely high-pitched chime.

"What are these for?"

Docky rummaged around his floor for something and groaned when he hit his head on the edge of the table as he got up. Zero cast a light healing magic for that injury almost on reflex, taking Docky by surprise.

"You cured my backache as well!"

Zero shrugged. "It was on the way. So, what is that for? Also, why am I here?'

Docky tutted. So many questions, what an impatient young one. No wonder Ottley struggled with Zero more than he struggled with Truen despite the wood elf's slower learning speed. Enthusiasm wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but Docky felt that Zero was overly chaotic. If nobody pulled him back in line, this man would barrel over the world accidentally without knowing he had gone too far.

"That is a wind chime fashioned from shells. It's something I made to listen to the voice of the sea. This is what you wanted to know."

Zero received the tattered paper and unfolded it. The paper appeared to be used as a reference very often and had dirt stains on it, smudging some parts of Docky's handwriting. It was the blueprint for the Marrissa, and Zero's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"Can this really be called a ship?"

Docky shrugged. "My master asked me the same question. However, anything that moves underwater should be called a ship, right? Many people think that the sinking ship is powered by wind. They are wrong. Those ships powered by wind are merely floating vessels. They move in a similar way to the design of Pocky's airship. The sinking ship is different. It is powered by the movement of water under the sea."

Zero looked at the design for the Marrissa and back to the wind chimes. "Will these shells on string help us navigate underwater? Wait, if we're moving underwater, how can we read the stars or weather? I don't understand!"

Docky expected that and grinned. "You listen to the voice of the sea."

Zero gave the Right Sea Hand a confused look, and Docky took a shell attached to the string, handing it to Zero.

"Listen to it," he urged.

Zero hesitated for a moment before taking the shell from the sea otter's hand and pressed it close to his ear. Sedna and Poseidon told him that shells were special properties of the sea, but Zero didn't think too much about them. He was happier prying them open and eating the shellfishes living inside them.

Initially, there was nothing but the sound of air and an echoed version of the sea. However, Zero started to feel nauseous listening to the confusing choir in the shell. Sometimes they sounded like words, and other times they sounded like the ocean.

Docky observed closely. Only those who were blessed with the Weatherman ability would be able to identify the voice of the sea in shells. It was why he was confident about the Marrissa's altered design.

Unable to withstand the confusing noises, Zero had to let it drop from his hand.

"What was that?" he asked and nursed his headache, popping a nausea pill from his inventory into his mouth.

Docky grinned toothily. "The voice of the sea."