Hi readers!
Opening this arc with a new cover art. I hope all of you enjoy this exciting arc. Keep reading and you can vote on who is the waifu on Chapter 28.
Thank you reading my novel :D
Rose and I headed towards a port located on the east of City Of Pines. Barry did not follow along as he is at a of lower rank. It would be too dangerous for him to follow. Reaching the port took us about three days even with a carriage. We could technically use this port to go to sail to the Demon Continent but I doubt there is any ship captain that is willing to travel northward in the first place. I certainly hope I can make it in time to help John and not mourning over his body instead. Please let me make it in time.
It was around noon when we reached the port. Saying the port is huge is an understatement. This is certainly the main port of this continent. Plenty of trading was going on about when we first reached. There was fresh goods that consisted of a variety of vegetables to pristine looking fishes. There was a lot of equipment on sale too. Perhaps I can get something for the both of us before we set sail. After all, my chained cloak had plenty of holes on it now due to the acid-storm from the Demon Continent. But first thing first, find a captain that is willing to ferry us to the City of Underwater Marrydia.
It was difficult to navigate in this port. The sheer amount of people here surpassed my expectations. It felt like there are more people here than in the city but it is probably my misconception. It is certainly the highest amount of people gathered together in one place. As there are many side stores opened here with such variety of items, no wonder people are willing to travel here to purchase items despite being at the edge of the continent.
I stopped by a random side store to ask how much was the fresh vegetables on sale. The grocer told me that any selected basket prepared only cost a copper coin each. Although the basket is not large, there was still quite a number of items in it. That is certainly much cheaper than buying in the city. Another store even offered two baskets per copper coin. What a sale.
I had to drag Rose away by the arm to stop her from running around. Her eyes was literally sparkling from seeing all the fresh goods at such a cheap price. I told her that even if we were to purchase now, it would be rotten by the time we returned back to the city. Better to purchase after we are return from the Viking Lord’s tradition. Talk about being confident that we will survive the Underwater Dragon King’s wrath.
I dragged Rose towards the dock. We need to look for a captain that is willing to bring us to the underwater city. We talked to a few but they told us their ship were not built to go to that location. Dang, it can't be possible that there are no captains going to there now. I can’t possibly be waiting another day hoping that there will be a captain willing to bring us there.
My eye spotted an elf lady standing close to a ship (don't judge me). From the looks of her ship, it is certainly built different compared to the other ships we saw so far. I asked the elf on whether she was the captain of the ship but she said she was not. Her captain was currently in a bar having lunch. We can find her in the Gardenia bar should we wish to talk with her.
And so we did. We entered the bar and looked for the captain based on the description given to us by the elf lady. Even in this bar it was difficult to move around with so many people around. Thankfully, it was not long before we found the captain which happened to be another elf lady. Her captain hat was a dead giveaway. She was drinking while playing a card game with some guys. As we approached the table, it seems like she had already won the game while tossing her cards at the table. Hmm, what card game were they playing? Let’s see, some monster cards, humans and elves. Oh, there is a card showing a white haired guy wearing a wolf necklace. Interesting.
The captain noticed my curiosity at her card game and spoke out.
"Shall we play a game?" the captain asked me.
“Sure, how much to ferry us to the City of Underwater Marrydia?” I asked her directly.
“Wow, you’re no fun,” she said while taking a sip of her beer.
“I need to head there quite urgently. Are you willing to ferry us? I’ve seen your ship and it is definitely sturdy enough to survive the whirlpool. Elven ships are the best after all,” I said to her.
“Yes indeed. Our elven ships can definitely make the trip there. But as of now, I am not planning on heading out anytime soon. Perhaps you should find another captain instead,” she said.
“I’ve already asked most of captains around and none of their ships are able to survive the journey. I really need to head there to help out the future Viking Lord in his incoming trial. It is a matter of urgency, please,” I begged the captain.
“Look kid, even IF I am willing to ferry you, you are just not suitable to follow my ship. Your partner would be fine but you..” the captain kept trying to push me away.
“Is it a matter about money? How much are we talking?” I said and placed five gold coins on the table. I’ll take this as an investment and have John to repay me back.
“No, it is not a matter of money. But you’re sure loaded for a young kid. You shouldn’t be flaunting your wealth around,” said the captain.
“So I’ve been told. Then what is the issue? If there is something you need, I’ll do my best to satisfy your request,” I said. No I did not meant it in some sexual way.
The captain sighed. She kept alternating between looking at me and Rose.
“Are you two lovers?” asked the captain.
“What? N…” I stopped after Rose pinched the dorsal part of my hand.
“Yes, we are. Is that something of concern?” said Rose.
Rose.. what are you doing?
“Can you guarantee us that you will keep your man in check?” asked the captain.
“What do you mean? I don’t believe Zen oni.. I mean, my lover Zen will go on a rampage or something,” said Rose.
“Our ship is a female only ship. We only accept females as passenger but I’m willing to make an exception for the both of you. But you need to keep your promise otherwise we will hold you accountable,” said the captain.
Woah.. a ship full of female elves? Is it paradise? Or perhaps my nightmare.
“Will tying up his hands and feet suffice? Do you wish to gag him as well?” asked Rose.
Hey, what the? What are you insinuating Rose? That I have no self control or something?
“That won’t be necessary. As long as he don’t make advances on my crew-mates or cause any trouble, then all is well,” said the captain.
She stood up and took my five gold coins.
“Consider it a special offer for you renting my whole ship along with its special services. Meet me at the ship within the hour,” the captain said.
Alright, we managed to secure our travel transport! An hour, huh? Maybe we can get some food and hopefully some new gears before that. We decided to not eat in the bar and headed back out. It would be better for us to eat on the move while we find ourselves a blacksmith or a merchant shop on the way. I am actually curious about what alchemy ingredients are available here as well but perhaps I’ll only have time to check it on our return trip. One hour is not a long time when you’re shopping for the things you want.
We walked through several side stores but one in particular peaked my interest. It looks like some sort of kebab store. There was a guy playing the accordion while another person was the chef cooking the kebab. I won’t lie, it smells really good but.. dat face. The chef’s face barely made any expressions at all. I quickly bought two kebabs and moved away. But holy smokes, the kebab is really really good. Juicy and tender meat grilled with fresh pepper. I might buy another two more if we happened to walk by it again.
We carried on walking until we found a blacksmith store. We saw a couple of people going in and out of the store. Should be a good sign, I suppose. The sign outside read ‘Charsi’s Blacksmith’. I opened the door and was greeted by a blond woman wearing a black apron.
“Good day, how may I serve you?” said the blacksmith lady. Now where have I heard that before?
“Do you have some good quality cloaks that can perhaps replace this?” I showed the blacksmith my chained cloak.
“Wow, that is a special cloak. Chains hidden beneath the silk, very clever. But I have something better for you. It’ll cost you, but nothing beats a cloak made out of dragon hide,” said the blacksmith.
Woah! A cloak made out of dragon hide? Which type though?
“Which dragon type is this made of? Green?” I asked
“Indeed. Not many people hunt dragon on a regular basis so it is very hard to come by. Unless you’re able to hunt one on your own then I’ll be able to make one for you with the hide,” she said.
“I’ll take it. Any chance it comes in black?” I asked
“Roleplaying, are we? You’re in luck as I happened to finish one in black. Anything else you need?” she asked.
“Anything you can equip her with?” I asked while pointing at Rose.
“Hm, she’s light-weight so I doubt she is fit to wear heavy armour. How about leathered shoulder pads or something?” asked the blacksmith.
Rose rejected the idea. What she was wearing currently was protective clothing made by her guild themselves. It was thick leather made from one of the toughest creatures in the Western continent dyed in white. Common leather would just not make sense for her to add on. I asked her whether she wanted a cloak instead but she said she was not an emo boy like me. Do you really have to put it that way, Rose?
I ended up only buying the dragon hide cloak for three gold coins. It is incredibly light compared to my previous cloak as were no chains weighing me down. I can use my agility to my full potential with this. Hm, I really want to get something for Rose. Something that can really help her in combat or something.
We walked by an alleyway and saw a hunched looking dude wearing a black robe. Awfully sus in my opinion but I was curious to see what he was selling. As I approached, he opened the right side of his robe and showed what was underneath. I was taken aback as I thought he was flashing me but it turns out he was actually selling some items.
“Whaddya buyin’?” asked the robed merchant.
I browsed his limited selection while Rose keep a look out. Seems like she is not interested in buying whatever this merchant was selling.
Oh, a ring. Is it just a plain ring or does it have some attributes?
“Does this ring do anything?” I asked.
“Certainly. This ere a ring that provides additional constitution while some minor additional attributes,” said the robed merchant while handing me a scroll.
Ring of Great Constitution
+5 to constitution
+1 to primary stats
Wow. A constitution ring, huh? Not to mention rings are really hard to come by in general. I’ve never even seen a single ring with attributes throughout my travels. But is this scroll really tied to this ring? I’m not getting scammed am I?
“Can I test out to be sure?” I asked the robed merchant.
He gave me a simple hand gesture to proceed. I took out a stats scroll and passed to Rose along with the ring.
“Y.. you’re giving me a ring??” Rose asked in astonishment.
“It is not a proposal ring, Rose. Just try it out to make sure it is the same as what is written here,” I showed her the ring’s property scroll.
She put it on and blew on the stats scroll. Both of us awaited for the result. Seems like it is true. This is a real ring with constitution attributes. I must have it.
“How much?” I asked the robed merchant.
“Four gold coins,” he said.
“W.. what?!” I shouted. A dragon hide cloak costs me three while this merchant is charging me four gold coins for a ring?
“Trinkets are hard to come by, stranger,” said the merchant.
Sigh. He is right. It most certainly is. I can see Rose trying her best to remove the ring after hearing the amount but I stopped her. I bought the ring to which the merchant said "Heh heh heh, thank you”.
Constitution can increase her survival which is pretty much like buying an armour for her. As of luck, it seems like I managed to accomplished on what I wanted so far. We continued walking for a short while until I thought of the time. Has it been one hour already? I sort of lost track of time with all the hustling and bustling of this place.
"Rose, has it been an hour?" I asked her.
"I don't know, I thought you were keeping track?" she said.
We both looked at each other staring blankly. Immediately the both of us rushed towards the port as fast as we can. Upon seeing the ship was still at the dock we breathed a sigh of relief but we can see that the captain was getting impatient standing at the side of the boarding board. She saw us and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Matter of importance, huh" she mocked me.
"I am so sorry. Was caught up with all the sights," I said to her while panting.
"Get in, and keep your hands to yourself," warned the captain.
"Aye aye, captain," I said.
She looked at me with a dull expression. Guess my joke didn't land, as we are going to sail.
***
"Dad, your jokes are lame. Stop it," said Daisy.
"I know Daisy, I know," I said to her.
***
We boarded the ship which immediately felt different. The ship was of marquise shape and was quite huge. Upon stepping foot on the ship, there was barely any creak on the wood itself. This must be the famed elven architecture. Even the wood itself looked sturdy that it is almost unbreakable. The captain took the liberty in showing us her ship before departure. I thought we were running late.
"You are now on one of the elven ship with the latest design. Made from the trees of the elven forest, this ship is capable of handling any weather and punishment that comes at it. It is even capable of withstand multiple cannon fires without penetrating the hull due to the multiple layers surrounding it. Rest assured, we will get you to the City of Underwater Marrydia, safe and sound," said the captain. I feel safer already.
We were still on the deck of the ship at the bow section when the ship started moving. I won't lie, I was kind of excited to sail on this ship. This is definitely a different ship compared to the one I sat to the Demon continent. The ship is very stable sailing on the water which made me questioned on its ability to sink under. Curious to see how it is going to submerge.
Rose and I stayed around the ship's deck as we did not want to disturb the sailors. Rose won't leave my side as she was afraid that I will do something that will cause her trouble. Sigh, since when did she have so little faith in me? I am certainly the only male on this ship. The females on this ship is from all races. Even female reptilians were aboard this ship as a sailor. There is plenty of female elves for sure which made my heart run wild but I maintained a steady face. I'm sure Rose will slap me the moment I made any weird facial expression. Some of them smiled at me while some looked at me with disgust. All I did was greeted them with a wave. But many of the females are ripped which made me steered clear of them. I certainly do not want any trouble with them whatsoever to avoid getting a punch from them.
We sailed towards east for a couple of hours until the captain gestured us to follow her. She told us we are approaching the entrance of the whirlpool and should head inside to the safe room. The safe room was of glass concept. It is located below the bow of the ship where we can see the front of the ship and below as well. Floor made of glass made me blew my mind. I could not resist on knocking it with my hand to feel its durability. It is certainly durable and thick that’s for sure.
The captain instructed us to sit on seats provided and strap ourselves in. There were perhaps around fifty seats available in the safe room but there was only two of us so we sat at the front row. What we used to strap ourselves was some kind of rope that we have to tie ourselves to secure. It was not long later where we heard announcement from the captain that we are approaching the whirlpool soon and to have all personnel to their stations.
We were looking straight ahead to see where is the whirlpool until we heard footsteps coming from the bottom. Both of us looked down and saw many ripped females taking their positions on what looks like cranking system. So that is what they needed so many muscular females for. It did not take long for me to notice that I can see numerous female cleavages from this angle. No wonder the captain did not like the idea of me coming on-board. While female passengers can admire the beauty of strength and muscle from their performance (most probably just to show off), it is a treasure feast for any male eyes.
I quickly stopped looking at the bottom and looked forward. I slowly turned my head to look at Rose and she was squinting her eyes at me.
“Onii-chan, you can no longer look at the bottom or I will bandage your eyes,” she said.
I shrugged and whistled. Damn it, if only Rose wasn’t here. Oh, we can finally see the whirlpool now. It’s… huge! Can the ship even survive?? The ship is like a tiny droplet of water in comparison to the size of the whirlpool.
Doubts started crept up in my mind. I can see Rose is starting to sweat buckets. She unconsciously grabbed my hand started hugging me closer. Or did she?
I took a quick peek at the bottom. I can see that the ladies are grabbing the metal bars tightly. Shouldn't we be pedalling away instead of going closer into the whirlpool? The things I do for you John Gladiolus. The closer we approach, the more nervous I get. I can literally feel Rose's sweats on my palm now, or is it mine I no longer know!
"We approaching in 5... 4... 3.... 2.... 1....... Huston, we are sinking," said the captain.
I cannot believe she announced that so casually!
While it was not an immediate drop into the ocean as it took some time to swirl around before hitting the middle spot, but man was it exhilarating. They should have provided safety bars in front of our seats for us to hold onto something. No sane couple would be willing to bring your date to what essentially looked like a death trip!
Are you telling me you would be willing to say yes to "Madame, woulda you like to take a drip in the world's largest whirlpool?" Even in French I would say hell no!
Shit, shit shit! We are actually sinking! And really fast too! The currents must be dragging us down. How are we even safe from the pressure of going down this quickly?? I can see the ladies at the bottom cracking the metal bars. They must be pedalling the ships which made it sink even faster.
After some point, Rose and I regained our bearings. We stopped being tensed and released our hand grip. I wiped my sweats away and breathed a sigh of relief. We should be safe now. It's just a straight way to the City of Underwater Marrydia. Surprisingly the elves have invented some form of light source that allowed us to see ahead. While lights from the sun can still reach our vision now, having those lights would be impeccable when its pure darkness later.
Hm? Hang on. What is... that? There's.... something approaching in front of us. That thing is huge and it's coming straight for us!! What the hell is that giant whale with small tentacles thing??
Rose immediately hugged me which I did the same. Damn it John! The both of us are going to die because of you!! I don't see a way out of this. The situation is literally out of my control.
The captain shouted an announcement "Sea monster approaching ahead! Prepare for barrel roll on my mark!....... MARK!”
The whole ship started spinning to the left side until we were upside down. It seems like they released some air pressure to evade the sea monster. I won't lie, I was screaming like a little girl along with Rose. Never was I expecting an underwater trip to be this deadly. And all they provided you was a safety rope to tie yourself. Where are the harness damn it?!
The ship spun back to normal and all is well.. or so I thought. I looked at Rose and her eyes were watery now. I did not even noticed she cried. I slumped back onto my seat and petted her head. She usually calms down when I pet her head. Thinking all was well now, the both of us breathe a sigh of relief. This trip so far have been nothing but death inducing. Please tell me all is fine now.
"Water currents are lacking now, prepare air turbo on my mark," announced the captain.
I'm sorry, but what? Did she just said turbo? Since when were you elves living in the future?!
“MARK!"
We were hit with a sudden boost in speed. It felt like we were hitting hyper speed. All the while I can hear air being released from the stern of the ship. The ladies below were cranking like their lives depended on it. Perhaps that is true, if they screw up, we are all dead.
Pure darkness surrounds us now. Even with the lights, we can barely see anything aside from some floating planktons or some small organisms. At this point all we can depend on is our hearings. But there were so many scary noises that we can hear right now! From low rumbling to high pitch sounds, all can be heard constantly. Not only is this paranoia inducing, I seriously do not know what monsters or creatures are out there around us right now. Rose and I covered our eyes with our hands and rested our elbows on our laps. Please.. let it end now.
It was not long until I saw some a light ahead. Wait, a.. light? It's not what I think it is, right? Ahh, frag. It really is! A giant angler fish is in our way. Thankfully it is not facing us but just happened to be obstructing the way.
"Evasive manoeuvres!" shouted the captain.
Please.. STAHP!! Let it end already!
More lights can be seen up ahead. Are you kidding me right now? Is it multiple angler fishes?! Oh wait, those are.. buildings on the seabed. Not to mention a giant glass dome right in the middle of those odd looking buildings. Something was swimming towards us now. Are those.. yes it is! Mermaids and mermans!
There was about a dozen of them carrying on what looks like a chained winch with a hook. They secured the winch at the front of the ship. So that was what the circular metal is for. We are being dragged to the seabed slowly while the merpeople swam at the side of the ship. Finally, a slow ride where we can enjoy the sights and sounds.
As we approached closer, I understood why the buildings were odd looking. There were absolutely no doors at all. As merpeople can literally swim anywhere, all they need are just windows for their entrances. The ship was getting dragged closer to the glass dome. That is probably our destination. I reached into my backpack and put on my gauntlets. Must be prepared for anything that comes along. Rose was also wearing the ring I bought her in her middle finger. Fits her perfectly I would say.
“Onii-chan, since when did you started wearing gloves?” asked Rose.
“Oh, I was saving for the opportunity to wear it. Does it fits me? It’s a gauntlets actually” I said to her.
“Looks nice and fancy looking,” she said.
Sorry Rose, I kept this a secret because I don’t want many people to know that I had another legendary equipment that was kept in my house chest.
We are close to the glass dome now. The merpeople were doing their best to adjust the angle of the ship so as to fit perfectly into one of the many entrances of the glass dome. Once we were in, the merpeople waved at us and exited the entrance from the back. A door behind us closed the entrance and water was being flushed out from this enclosed area. The front door opened and the captain took opportunity to introduce to us.
"Ladies...... and gentleman, I bring you.. City of Underwater Marrydia!" she made a paused initially.
I bet she forgot about me, didn't she. Well it's fine. She made an exception and brought both Rose and me here. I am certainly thankful for that.
Words can hardly even begin to explain the beauty and spectacle of this place but I will try my best. If you thought City Of Pines was a marvellous place, this place supersedes it in every way. All the buildings here are made of wood for starters. Most probably from the elven forest. It had such a rustic feel that you can only find in the countryside. But this is not to say that the buildings looked old, it actually looks brand new. To be honest, all of them looks brand new. Is it because they maintained it so well or are all of these buildings new constructed, I do not know. Only time will tell when I explore this location more.
The captain announced to us that they will be opening the door of the safe room and air pressure will be adjusted. So that is why we were not affected by the water pressure. The elves were so advanced now that it makes me wonder why they had not started calling us monkeigh. I certainly felt like a monkey in the face of their superior technologies.
The door opened and we are free to disembark the ship. I asked the captain on how do we make our return trip. She said to look for the tallest building and purchase a ticket there. The shipyard will allocate a ship to return us back to the surface. Things are more systematic here than just walking up to each ship captain and asking for permission.
We bowed and gave our thanks to the captain and disembarked from the ship. Rose made a huge sigh of relief that we had finally made it. Alright, time to explore this place while looking for the location where the Viking’s tradition will be taking place. The best place for that is certainly the tavern. Off we go.
Hi readers!
Opening this arc with a new cover art. I hope all of you enjoy this exciting arc. Keep reading and you can vote on who is the waifu on Chapter 28.
Thank you reading my novel :D
Rose and I headed towards a port located on the east of City Of Pines. Barry did not follow along as he is at a of lower rank. It would be too dangerous for him to follow. Reaching the port took us about three days even with a carriage. We could technically use this port to go to sail to the Demon Continent but I doubt there is any ship captain that is willing to travel northward in the first place. I certainly hope I can make it in time to help John and not mourning over his body instead. Please let me make it in time.
It was around noon when we reached the port. Saying the port is huge is an understatement. This is certainly the main port of this continent. Plenty of trading was going on about when we first reached. There was fresh goods that consisted of a variety of vegetables to pristine looking fishes. There was a lot of equipment on sale too. Perhaps I can get something for the both of us before we set sail. After all, my chained cloak had plenty of holes on it now due to the acid-storm from the Demon Continent. But first thing first, find a captain that is willing to ferry us to the City of Underwater Marrydia.
It was difficult to navigate in this port. The sheer amount of people here surpassed my expectations. It felt like there are more people here than in the city but it is probably my misconception. It is certainly the highest amount of people gathered together in one place. As there are many side stores opened here with such variety of items, no wonder people are willing to travel here to purchase items despite being at the edge of the continent.
I stopped by a random side store to ask how much was the fresh vegetables on sale. The grocer told me that any selected basket prepared only cost a copper coin each. Although the basket is not large, there was still quite a number of items in it. That is certainly much cheaper than buying in the city. Another store even offered two baskets per copper coin. What a sale.
I had to drag Rose away by the arm to stop her from running around. Her eyes was literally sparkling from seeing all the fresh goods at such a cheap price. I told her that even if we were to purchase now, it would be rotten by the time we returned back to the city. Better to purchase after we are return from the Viking Lord’s tradition. Talk about being confident that we will survive the Underwater Dragon King’s wrath.
I dragged Rose towards the dock. We need to look for a captain that is willing to bring us to the underwater city. We talked to a few but they told us their ship were not built to go to that location. Dang, it can't be possible that there are no captains going to there now. I can’t possibly be waiting another day hoping that there will be a captain willing to bring us there.
My eye spotted an elf lady standing close to a ship (don't judge me). From the looks of her ship, it is certainly built different compared to the other ships we saw so far. I asked the elf on whether she was the captain of the ship but she said she was not. Her captain was currently in a bar having lunch. We can find her in the Gardenia bar should we wish to talk with her.
And so we did. We entered the bar and looked for the captain based on the description given to us by the elf lady. Even in this bar it was difficult to move around with so many people around. Thankfully, it was not long before we found the captain which happened to be another elf lady. Her captain hat was a dead giveaway. She was drinking while playing a card game with some guys. As we approached the table, it seems like she had already won the game while tossing her cards at the table. Hmm, what card game were they playing? Let’s see, some monster cards, humans and elves. Oh, there is a card showing a white haired guy wearing a wolf necklace. Interesting.
The captain noticed my curiosity at her card game and spoke out.
"Shall we play a game?" the captain asked me.
“Sure, how much to ferry us to the City of Underwater Marrydia?” I asked her directly.
“Wow, you’re no fun,” she said while taking a sip of her beer.
“I need to head there quite urgently. Are you willing to ferry us? I’ve seen your ship and it is definitely sturdy enough to survive the whirlpool. Elven ships are the best after all,” I said to her.
“Yes indeed. Our elven ships can definitely make the trip there. But as of now, I am not planning on heading out anytime soon. Perhaps you should find another captain instead,” she said.
“I’ve already asked most of captains around and none of their ships are able to survive the journey. I really need to head there to help out the future Viking Lord in his incoming trial. It is a matter of urgency, please,” I begged the captain.
“Look kid, even IF I am willing to ferry you, you are just not suitable to follow my ship. Your partner would be fine but you..” the captain kept trying to push me away.
“Is it a matter about money? How much are we talking?” I said and placed five gold coins on the table. I’ll take this as an investment and have John to repay me back.
“No, it is not a matter of money. But you’re sure loaded for a young kid. You shouldn’t be flaunting your wealth around,” said the captain.
“So I’ve been told. Then what is the issue? If there is something you need, I’ll do my best to satisfy your request,” I said. No I did not meant it in some sexual way.
The captain sighed. She kept alternating between looking at me and Rose.
“Are you two lovers?” asked the captain.
“What? N…” I stopped after Rose pinched the dorsal part of my hand.
“Yes, we are. Is that something of concern?” said Rose.
Rose.. what are you doing?
“Can you guarantee us that you will keep your man in check?” asked the captain.
“What do you mean? I don’t believe Zen oni.. I mean, my lover Zen will go on a rampage or something,” said Rose.
“Our ship is a female only ship. We only accept females as passenger but I’m willing to make an exception for the both of you. But you need to keep your promise otherwise we will hold you accountable,” said the captain.
Woah.. a ship full of female elves? Is it paradise? Or perhaps my nightmare.
“Will tying up his hands and feet suffice? Do you wish to gag him as well?” asked Rose.
Hey, what the? What are you insinuating Rose? That I have no self control or something?
“That won’t be necessary. As long as he don’t make advances on my crew-mates or cause any trouble, then all is well,” said the captain.
She stood up and took my five gold coins.
“Consider it a special offer for you renting my whole ship along with its special services. Meet me at the ship within the hour,” the captain said.
Alright, we managed to secure our travel transport! An hour, huh? Maybe we can get some food and hopefully some new gears before that. We decided to not eat in the bar and headed back out. It would be better for us to eat on the move while we find ourselves a blacksmith or a merchant shop on the way. I am actually curious about what alchemy ingredients are available here as well but perhaps I’ll only have time to check it on our return trip. One hour is not a long time when you’re shopping for the things you want.
We walked through several side stores but one in particular peaked my interest. It looks like some sort of kebab store. There was a guy playing the accordion while another person was the chef cooking the kebab. I won’t lie, it smells really good but.. dat face. The chef’s face barely made any expressions at all. I quickly bought two kebabs and moved away. But holy smokes, the kebab is really really good. Juicy and tender meat grilled with fresh pepper. I might buy another two more if we happened to walk by it again.
We carried on walking until we found a blacksmith store. We saw a couple of people going in and out of the store. Should be a good sign, I suppose. The sign outside read ‘Charsi’s Blacksmith’. I opened the door and was greeted by a blond woman wearing a black apron.
“Good day, how may I serve you?” said the blacksmith lady. Now where have I heard that before?
“Do you have some good quality cloaks that can perhaps replace this?” I showed the blacksmith my chained cloak.
“Wow, that is a special cloak. Chains hidden beneath the silk, very clever. But I have something better for you. It’ll cost you, but nothing beats a cloak made out of dragon hide,” said the blacksmith.
Woah! A cloak made out of dragon hide? Which type though?
“Which dragon type is this made of? Green?” I asked
“Indeed. Not many people hunt dragon on a regular basis so it is very hard to come by. Unless you’re able to hunt one on your own then I’ll be able to make one for you with the hide,” she said.
“I’ll take it. Any chance it comes in black?” I asked
“Roleplaying, are we? You’re in luck as I happened to finish one in black. Anything else you need?” she asked.
“Anything you can equip her with?” I asked while pointing at Rose.
“Hm, she’s light-weight so I doubt she is fit to wear heavy armour. How about leathered shoulder pads or something?” asked the blacksmith.
Rose rejected the idea. What she was wearing currently was protective clothing made by her guild themselves. It was thick leather made from one of the toughest creatures in the Western continent dyed in white. Common leather would just not make sense for her to add on. I asked her whether she wanted a cloak instead but she said she was not an emo boy like me. Do you really have to put it that way, Rose?
I ended up only buying the dragon hide cloak for three gold coins. It is incredibly light compared to my previous cloak as were no chains weighing me down. I can use my agility to my full potential with this. Hm, I really want to get something for Rose. Something that can really help her in combat or something.
We walked by an alleyway and saw a hunched looking dude wearing a black robe. Awfully sus in my opinion but I was curious to see what he was selling. As I approached, he opened the right side of his robe and showed what was underneath. I was taken aback as I thought he was flashing me but it turns out he was actually selling some items.
“Whaddya buyin’?” asked the robed merchant.
I browsed his limited selection while Rose keep a look out. Seems like she is not interested in buying whatever this merchant was selling.
Oh, a ring. Is it just a plain ring or does it have some attributes?
“Does this ring do anything?” I asked.
“Certainly. This ere a ring that provides additional constitution while some minor additional attributes,” said the robed merchant while handing me a scroll.
Ring of Great Constitution
+5 to constitution
+1 to primary stats
Wow. A constitution ring, huh? Not to mention rings are really hard to come by in general. I’ve never even seen a single ring with attributes throughout my travels. But is this scroll really tied to this ring? I’m not getting scammed am I?
“Can I test out to be sure?” I asked the robed merchant.
He gave me a simple hand gesture to proceed. I took out a stats scroll and passed to Rose along with the ring.
“Y.. you’re giving me a ring??” Rose asked in astonishment.
“It is not a proposal ring, Rose. Just try it out to make sure it is the same as what is written here,” I showed her the ring’s property scroll.
She put it on and blew on the stats scroll. Both of us awaited for the result. Seems like it is true. This is a real ring with constitution attributes. I must have it.
“How much?” I asked the robed merchant.
“Four gold coins,” he said.
“W.. what?!” I shouted. A dragon hide cloak costs me three while this merchant is charging me four gold coins for a ring?
“Trinkets are hard to come by, stranger,” said the merchant.
Sigh. He is right. It most certainly is. I can see Rose trying her best to remove the ring after hearing the amount but I stopped her. I bought the ring to which the merchant said "Heh heh heh, thank you”.
Constitution can increase her survival which is pretty much like buying an armour for her. As of luck, it seems like I managed to accomplished on what I wanted so far. We continued walking for a short while until I thought of the time. Has it been one hour already? I sort of lost track of time with all the hustling and bustling of this place.
"Rose, has it been an hour?" I asked her.
"I don't know, I thought you were keeping track?" she said.
We both looked at each other staring blankly. Immediately the both of us rushed towards the port as fast as we can. Upon seeing the ship was still at the dock we breathed a sigh of relief but we can see that the captain was getting impatient standing at the side of the boarding board. She saw us and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Matter of importance, huh" she mocked me.
"I am so sorry. Was caught up with all the sights," I said to her while panting.
"Get in, and keep your hands to yourself," warned the captain.
"Aye aye, captain," I said.
She looked at me with a dull expression. Guess my joke didn't land, as we are going to sail.
***
"Dad, your jokes are lame. Stop it," said Daisy.
"I know Daisy, I know," I said to her.
***
We boarded the ship which immediately felt different. The ship was of marquise shape and was quite huge. Upon stepping foot on the ship, there was barely any creak on the wood itself. This must be the famed elven architecture. Even the wood itself looked sturdy that it is almost unbreakable. The captain took the liberty in showing us her ship before departure. I thought we were running late.
"You are now on one of the elven ship with the latest design. Made from the trees of the elven forest, this ship is capable of handling any weather and punishment that comes at it. It is even capable of withstand multiple cannon fires without penetrating the hull due to the multiple layers surrounding it. Rest assured, we will get you to the City of Underwater Marrydia, safe and sound," said the captain. I feel safer already.
We were still on the deck of the ship at the bow section when the ship started moving. I won't lie, I was kind of excited to sail on this ship. This is definitely a different ship compared to the one I sat to the Demon continent. The ship is very stable sailing on the water which made me questioned on its ability to sink under. Curious to see how it is going to submerge.
Rose and I stayed around the ship's deck as we did not want to disturb the sailors. Rose won't leave my side as she was afraid that I will do something that will cause her trouble. Sigh, since when did she have so little faith in me? I am certainly the only male on this ship. The females on this ship is from all races. Even female reptilians were aboard this ship as a sailor. There is plenty of female elves for sure which made my heart run wild but I maintained a steady face. I'm sure Rose will slap me the moment I made any weird facial expression. Some of them smiled at me while some looked at me with disgust. All I did was greeted them with a wave. But many of the females are ripped which made me steered clear of them. I certainly do not want any trouble with them whatsoever to avoid getting a punch from them.
We sailed towards east for a couple of hours until the captain gestured us to follow her. She told us we are approaching the entrance of the whirlpool and should head inside to the safe room. The safe room was of glass concept. It is located below the bow of the ship where we can see the front of the ship and below as well. Floor made of glass made me blew my mind. I could not resist on knocking it with my hand to feel its durability. It is certainly durable and thick that’s for sure.
The captain instructed us to sit on seats provided and strap ourselves in. There were perhaps around fifty seats available in the safe room but there was only two of us so we sat at the front row. What we used to strap ourselves was some kind of rope that we have to tie ourselves to secure. It was not long later where we heard announcement from the captain that we are approaching the whirlpool soon and to have all personnel to their stations.
We were looking straight ahead to see where is the whirlpool until we heard footsteps coming from the bottom. Both of us looked down and saw many ripped females taking their positions on what looks like cranking system. So that is what they needed so many muscular females for. It did not take long for me to notice that I can see numerous female cleavages from this angle. No wonder the captain did not like the idea of me coming on-board. While female passengers can admire the beauty of strength and muscle from their performance (most probably just to show off), it is a treasure feast for any male eyes.
I quickly stopped looking at the bottom and looked forward. I slowly turned my head to look at Rose and she was squinting her eyes at me.
“Onii-chan, you can no longer look at the bottom or I will bandage your eyes,” she said.
I shrugged and whistled. Damn it, if only Rose wasn’t here. Oh, we can finally see the whirlpool now. It’s… huge! Can the ship even survive?? The ship is like a tiny droplet of water in comparison to the size of the whirlpool.
Doubts started crept up in my mind. I can see Rose is starting to sweat buckets. She unconsciously grabbed my hand started hugging me closer. Or did she?
I took a quick peek at the bottom. I can see that the ladies are grabbing the metal bars tightly. Shouldn't we be pedalling away instead of going closer into the whirlpool? The things I do for you John Gladiolus. The closer we approach, the more nervous I get. I can literally feel Rose's sweats on my palm now, or is it mine I no longer know!
"We approaching in 5... 4... 3.... 2.... 1....... Huston, we are sinking," said the captain.
I cannot believe she announced that so casually!
While it was not an immediate drop into the ocean as it took some time to swirl around before hitting the middle spot, but man was it exhilarating. They should have provided safety bars in front of our seats for us to hold onto something. No sane couple would be willing to bring your date to what essentially looked like a death trip!
Are you telling me you would be willing to say yes to "Madame, woulda you like to take a drip in the world's largest whirlpool?" Even in French I would say hell no!
Shit, shit shit! We are actually sinking! And really fast too! The currents must be dragging us down. How are we even safe from the pressure of going down this quickly?? I can see the ladies at the bottom cracking the metal bars. They must be pedalling the ships which made it sink even faster.
After some point, Rose and I regained our bearings. We stopped being tensed and released our hand grip. I wiped my sweats away and breathed a sigh of relief. We should be safe now. It's just a straight way to the City of Underwater Marrydia. Surprisingly the elves have invented some form of light source that allowed us to see ahead. While lights from the sun can still reach our vision now, having those lights would be impeccable when its pure darkness later.
Hm? Hang on. What is... that? There's.... something approaching in front of us. That thing is huge and it's coming straight for us!! What the hell is that giant whale with small tentacles thing??
Rose immediately hugged me which I did the same. Damn it John! The both of us are going to die because of you!! I don't see a way out of this. The situation is literally out of my control.
The captain shouted an announcement "Sea monster approaching ahead! Prepare for barrel roll on my mark!....... MARK!”
The whole ship started spinning to the left side until we were upside down. It seems like they released some air pressure to evade the sea monster. I won't lie, I was screaming like a little girl along with Rose. Never was I expecting an underwater trip to be this deadly. And all they provided you was a safety rope to tie yourself. Where are the harness damn it?!
The ship spun back to normal and all is well.. or so I thought. I looked at Rose and her eyes were watery now. I did not even noticed she cried. I slumped back onto my seat and petted her head. She usually calms down when I pet her head. Thinking all was well now, the both of us breathe a sigh of relief. This trip so far have been nothing but death inducing. Please tell me all is fine now.
"Water currents are lacking now, prepare air turbo on my mark," announced the captain.
I'm sorry, but what? Did she just said turbo? Since when were you elves living in the future?!
“MARK!"
We were hit with a sudden boost in speed. It felt like we were hitting hyper speed. All the while I can hear air being released from the stern of the ship. The ladies below were cranking like their lives depended on it. Perhaps that is true, if they screw up, we are all dead.
Pure darkness surrounds us now. Even with the lights, we can barely see anything aside from some floating planktons or some small organisms. At this point all we can depend on is our hearings. But there were so many scary noises that we can hear right now! From low rumbling to high pitch sounds, all can be heard constantly. Not only is this paranoia inducing, I seriously do not know what monsters or creatures are out there around us right now. Rose and I covered our eyes with our hands and rested our elbows on our laps. Please.. let it end now.
It was not long until I saw some a light ahead. Wait, a.. light? It's not what I think it is, right? Ahh, frag. It really is! A giant angler fish is in our way. Thankfully it is not facing us but just happened to be obstructing the way.
"Evasive manoeuvres!" shouted the captain.
Please.. STAHP!! Let it end already!
More lights can be seen up ahead. Are you kidding me right now? Is it multiple angler fishes?! Oh wait, those are.. buildings on the seabed. Not to mention a giant glass dome right in the middle of those odd looking buildings. Something was swimming towards us now. Are those.. yes it is! Mermaids and mermans!
There was about a dozen of them carrying on what looks like a chained winch with a hook. They secured the winch at the front of the ship. So that was what the circular metal is for. We are being dragged to the seabed slowly while the merpeople swam at the side of the ship. Finally, a slow ride where we can enjoy the sights and sounds.
As we approached closer, I understood why the buildings were odd looking. There were absolutely no doors at all. As merpeople can literally swim anywhere, all they need are just windows for their entrances. The ship was getting dragged closer to the glass dome. That is probably our destination. I reached into my backpack and put on my gauntlets. Must be prepared for anything that comes along. Rose was also wearing the ring I bought her in her middle finger. Fits her perfectly I would say.
“Onii-chan, since when did you started wearing gloves?” asked Rose.
“Oh, I was saving for the opportunity to wear it. Does it fits me? It’s a gauntlets actually” I said to her.
“Looks nice and fancy looking,” she said.
Sorry Rose, I kept this a secret because I don’t want many people to know that I had another legendary equipment that was kept in my house chest.
We are close to the glass dome now. The merpeople were doing their best to adjust the angle of the ship so as to fit perfectly into one of the many entrances of the glass dome. Once we were in, the merpeople waved at us and exited the entrance from the back. A door behind us closed the entrance and water was being flushed out from this enclosed area. The front door opened and the captain took opportunity to introduce to us.
"Ladies...... and gentleman, I bring you.. City of Underwater Marrydia!" she made a paused initially.
I bet she forgot about me, didn't she. Well it's fine. She made an exception and brought both Rose and me here. I am certainly thankful for that.
Words can hardly even begin to explain the beauty and spectacle of this place but I will try my best. If you thought City Of Pines was a marvellous place, this place supersedes it in every way. All the buildings here are made of wood for starters. Most probably from the elven forest. It had such a rustic feel that you can only find in the countryside. But this is not to say that the buildings looked old, it actually looks brand new. To be honest, all of them looks brand new. Is it because they maintained it so well or are all of these buildings new constructed, I do not know. Only time will tell when I explore this location more.
The captain announced to us that they will be opening the door of the safe room and air pressure will be adjusted. So that is why we were not affected by the water pressure. The elves were so advanced now that it makes me wonder why they had not started calling us monkeigh. I certainly felt like a monkey in the face of their superior technologies.
The door opened and we are free to disembark the ship. I asked the captain on how do we make our return trip. She said to look for the tallest building and purchase a ticket there. The shipyard will allocate a ship to return us back to the surface. Things are more systematic here than just walking up to each ship captain and asking for permission.
We bowed and gave our thanks to the captain and disembarked from the ship. Rose made a huge sigh of relief that we had finally made it. Alright, time to explore this place while looking for the location where the Viking’s tradition will be taking place. The best place for that is certainly the tavern. Off we go.
