He pushed his mind deep into his soul, stepping back into the mechanical kingdom.

In the central plaza, the scanned mechanical model was now complete.

It stood like a statue. Every detail, part, and spec was sharply etched into its surface.

A series of blue light scans washed over it, turning the model into digital blueprints that burned deep into Kevin’s mind.

[Mechanical Sovereign: Kevin]

[Blueprints Mastered: Sail and Steering Mechanism]

[Mechanical Followers: None]

[Workshop: Empty]

[Storage: Empty]

Kevin dumped the wood and iron ingots from his system bag into storage, triggering the workshop.

Gears started grinding loudly.

Raw materials flooded in. The complex mechanism that had taken hours to scan was now assembled as fast as a 3D printer.

Within ten minutes, a full Sail and Steering Mechanism set dropped into his inventory.

Same mast...

Same rigging...

Same pulley set...

Kevin snapped back to reality.

To Amelia, Stephanie, and Luna’s stunned stares, he just waved his hand.

Right on the deck, a fresh, complete set of masts, rigging, and pulleys materialized out of thin air.

"Stop staring! Help me set this up!" Kevin’s voice brought them back to their senses.

Amelia grabbed the rigging and quickly lashed it down in place across the deck.

Stephanie steadied the boom while Luna helped hoist the sail back up.

A sea breeze hit the deck. The ship stopped drifting backward and caught wind.

The crew’s faces lit up with relief.

Amelia turned and looked at the dark curtain hanging behind them.

Guttural roars echoed from within. At the edge of the dark wall, tentacles thicker than the ship itself kept slapping out.

It was absolutely terrifying.

With the new sails, the ship started pulling away from the dark wall.

The things inside the wall let out furious, deafening roars.

At the sound, Luna, Stephanie, and Amelia shrank back, their faces draining of color.

While Kevin had been focused on crafting, the girls had already seen plenty of nightmares inside that wall.

Even Stephanie, who was usually loudmouthed, kept quiet and followed orders.

She knew if they waited thirty more seconds, the whole ship would be dragged under.

Just knowing they were moving away made them all breathe easier.

Luna wrapped her arms around Kevin’s arm and said softly, "Let’s head to the helm. I’ll help steer us out of here. We need to get away from this damn place, and fast."

Kevin nodded. "Go on ahead. I don’t need the helm to run this ship."

The girls froze.

Amelia frowned. "You don’t need to steer?"

Kevin shook his head. "I don’t."

The moment he said it, the sails shifted on their own.

No one touched the wheel. Yet the ship suddenly surged forward, gaining speed in plain sight.

The girls scrambled up to the helm.

Amelia checked the navigation panel and her eyes went wide. "This ship... can it steer itself?"

Kevin picked up the radio and smiled. "Don’t forget who you’re dealing with. I’m a Centurion Slayer. I just unlocked a new Talent."

At that, Luna and Amelia exchanged a look. Pure excitement lit up their faces.

Now they finally understood just how dangerous his power really was.

Stephanie spoke first, her voice shaking. "Kevin can... actually fix the ship’s mechanical parts? Holy crap, if he can do that, it’s a lifesaver in a pinch!"

Luna nodded in agreement. "No wonder he told me to pay whatever it took for wood and iron. He can actually rebuild the ship."

Amelia paused, then added, "It’s probably more than just repair. I think he can control the machines too. Look over there."

The girls turned to follow her gaze.

The helm wheel was turning on its own.

Nobody was touching it.

It gave the girls, who grew up with modern tech, the creeps.

If they didn’t know Kevin was behind it, they’d swear they were seeing a ghost.

Stephanie gritted her teeth, making a silent vow. No way. I have to keep this Kevin under my thumb.

At the same time,

Kevin stood on deck, focusing hard on steering them away from the dark wall.

Suddenly, three system chimes rang out in quick succession.

[Affection +10]

[Affection +50]

[Affection +100]

Kevin frowned.

What was going on? His Affection stats just spiked three times in a row?

He looked up toward the helm and caught the three girls staring at him with intense gazes.

Luna, Affection 285...

Amelia, Affection 109...

Stephanie, Affection 300...

When Kevin saw the number floating above Stephanie’s head, his eyes went wide.

He could understand Luna and Amelia gaining points, but why was Stephanie’s so high?

And how had she just climbed to the top spot?

Kevin couldn’t wrap his head around it. He’d never been nice to her, so why was her number climbing?

It made no sense.

He racked his brain but came up empty. He decided to just let it go.

Stephanie’s body and mind were too messed up. Even if her Affection hit a thousand, she’d never qualify for a Saint Covenant.

He was only keeping her around to use her as bait to track down his enemies from his past life.

Kevin shook off the thought and focused on Luna and Amelia instead.

Luna’s Affection was already over 285, more than halfway to the 500 mark.

Once it hit the "worship" milestone, the contract would upgrade to Silver, and the reimbursement rate would skyrocket to 50x.

Kevin felt a quiet thrill of anticipation.

Amelia’s score was sitting at 109.

It was time to find a chance to make her a covenant-bearer too.

Just thinking about Amelia’s insane Enchantment skill gave him a spark of excitement.

He grabbed the radio. "Amelia, head to my cabin. I need to talk to you. Luna, you’re on helm duty."

Inside the captain’s quarters,

Amelia pushed the door open. Kevin had already been waiting for her.

Seeing him again, Amelia felt a weird flutter in her chest.

Catching the intense look in his eyes, her face grew hot. She instinctively looked down. "Captain, you wanted to see me?"

Kevin handed her a glass of juice and gestured to the couch. "Tell me what loot and gear you picked up yesterday."

Amelia blinked, surprised, but quickly relaxed.

She held up her hand, and two treasure chests popped into existence on the coffee table. "I haven’t had a chance to open them yet."

Right in front of Kevin, she flipped the lids open. A bright flash erupted, and when it faded, the chests were gone. In their place sat two strange-looking items.

[Psionic Magazine: C-Tier Item. Holds 20 psionic rounds. Deals damage to spectral-type Eldritch. Each shot costs 1 Sanity.]

[Mutated Anglerfish Lantern: C-Tier Gear. Lowers Stamina by 1, boosts Perception by 3 while equipped. Greatly increases the hate Eldritch Entities have for you, making you a prime target for focus fire.]

Kevin looked at the two items and nodded. "The Psionic Magazine is solid ammo. It suits you. Keep it. As for the Mutated Anglerfish Lantern, it’s basically a suicide tool for you. Trade it on the world channel when you get the chance."

Amelia frowned. "Would anyone actually want gear that draws Eldritch focus fire like that?"

Kevin smiled. "Don’t underestimate the Survivors out on these waters. Everyone who’s made it this far knows their own Talent inside and out. A hate-drawing item might be a disaster for you, but it could be a goldmine for someone else."

Amelia nodded. "I’ll do exactly as you say, Captain. I’ll follow your lead."

Kevin raised an eyebrow, leaned in close, and caught a whiff of her neck. "So, whatever I say from now on, you’ll just follow? Right?"

Amelia’s cheeks flushed red. She got nervous. "Not during the day... can we wait until night?"

Kevin didn’t back down. He pressed closer to her. "Forget what happens when the Eldritch Entities attack at night?"

Amelia tried to say something, but Kevin just kissed her. "Don’t move," he whispered.

A series of soft, breathy sounds soon echoed through the captain’s quarters.

[Affection +5]

[Affection +5]

...

Before Amelia’s mind could catch up, Kevin locked in the Saint Covenant with her.

[Covenant-Bearer: Amelia]

[Affection: 139 (Admiration)]

[Contract Tier: Bronze]

[Reimbursement Rate: 12x]

[Covenant-Bearer Talent: A-Tier "Enchantment" (Can Enchant 10 items per day. Current runes unlocked: "Purify", "Fireball")]

[Talent Return: Can Enchant 120 items per day. Unlocks runes "Purify" and "Fireball"]

[Level Up Alert: Once Affection hits 500 and reaches "Worship", the covenant contract will upgrade to Silver Tier. There’s a chance the covenant-bearer’s Talent will upgrade, and the Reimbursement Rate will jump to 60x.]