Altaïr looked at the old man, a little speechless.
He could tell the other was just joking, but he had to admit, daring to make such a joke in front of Madam Marydan could only mean that the two were truly on good terms.
Otherwise, with Madam Marydan's explosive temper, they would have been seeing each other at the infirmary.
Seeing that Marydan's fists were already clenched, the old man decisively changed the subject. "This kid looks pretty young. Is he an adult yet?"
Altaïr bowed slightly to the old man and gave a simple self-introduction. "Hello, sir. My name is Altaïr. I'm a 2★ hunter and currently a member of the Loc Lac Rangers."
Marydan also tossed aside her ignited fury. "This kid is one of our juniors. He just turned seventeen a few months ago. 2★! Impressive, right?"
"Impressive indeed." The old man stroked his curly beard. "A 2★ hunter. As a hunter, he's already met the minimum standard to join a fleet.
A member of the Loc Lac Rangers, so he shouldn't be lacking in practical combat experience.
And he managed to make you, of all people, pull some strings for him, so I imagine he's not the type to be ungrateful or disobey orders.
No problem. I can let him temporarily join the fleet and participate in 'The Desert Feast' this time.
But I'll state this upfront: the crew of the Hozan-maru was decided long ago, so the little guy can forget about that. If he wants to participate, he can only go along with the other small sandships."
Marydan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this but didn't say anything more.
Although she had a good relationship with the old fellow before her, he was, in the end, the Admiral of the Sandship fleet. Continuing to haggle would undermine his authority as a leader.
The reason she had introduced Altaïr to the fleet was to let him temper his will and broaden his horizons. Since her goal had been achieved, there was no need to ask for more.
"I'm leaving the kid with you. Work him as you see fit. This little guy is pretty tough, so train him as hard as you need to.
I'll buy you a drink after The Desert Feast is over!" Without lingering any longer in the Sandship fleet's dock, she left with those words, waving her hand as she departed and leaving Altaïr to face the old man alone.
The fleet Admiral stared into Altaïr's eyes for a moment. Out of respect and courtesy for his elder, Altaïr lowered his gaze slightly but did not look away.
The two held each other's gaze like that for a while.
"Not a bad kid." The fleet Admiral suddenly smiled. He tilted his head at Altaïr. "Come with me. I'll show you around."
Altaïr nodded and silently followed behind the fleet Admiral.
Along the way, people would occasionally greet the old man or salute him. It was clear that his prestige in the Sandship fleet was indeed very high.
The two walked all the way to a slipway where a large, strangely shaped ship was docked.
In terms of scale alone, this ship wasn't actually particularly large. Altaïr had seen sand fishing boats of similar, or even greater, length.
But the feeling the two gave off was completely different.
Unlike those fishing boats, passenger ships, or cargo ships, this large Dragonship named "Hozan-maru" was a true Dragonship.
The concept of a Dragonship was more common in port cities.
To fend off attacks from large marine Monsters like Lagiacrus, some vessels were built specifically for the purpose of fighting Monsters. These battleships were sturdier than ordinary vessels and were fitted with heavy firepower. At their bows, they were even installed with the iconic steam-powered offensive device, the Dragonator.
It was said that a direct hit from this weapon could instantly grievously wound, or even kill, a Flying Wyvern.
The Hozan-maru before him was just such a Dragonship.
It did not look new; in fact, one could say it was quite dilapidated. Every plank on its hull was a different color, a testament to frequent repairs and replacements, giving it the feel of the scar-covered armor on an old hunter.
Even more astonishingly, the ship's keel was composed of a single, massive bone, over thirty meters in length.
The longest bones in an animal are generally the femurs or ribs. Taking the Rust Duramboros skeleton from the previous mission as an example, a single rib was only about three meters long, which was already a staggering size.
Considering a Rust Duramboros could reach a length of twenty-five meters, if one were to estimate based on that ratio, the original owner of the bone used as the Hozan-maru's keel was likely over two hundred meters long.
Seeing Altaïr staring ceaselessly at the keel, the fleet's captain said with a smile, "Astonishing, isn't it? This giant bone was found by our ancestors deep in the desert. Some scholars believe it is the bone of a Jhen Mohran.
Oh, right, Jhen Mohran is the name of the colossal Monster we'll be facing in 'The Desert Feast,' which is why we named this ship the 'Hozan-maru.'
We used Yukumo Wood from Yukumo Village as the material and built this Dragonship around the giant bone.
It has been damaged many times in countless battles, but this bone, serving as its keel, has never once broken. It doesn't even have a single crack.
We just keep patching it up, and we've been using it to this day."
At this, the captain crossed his arms, his tone filled with undisguised pride. "The ship is equipped with two heavy Ballistae and two heavy cannons. A few years ago, we even refitted her with the latest model of Dragonator.
See that large bronze gong at the stern? That's an ancient relic from some ruins. When struck with a Hammer, the massive sound it produces can even jolt a Jhen Mohran out of the sand sea."
"Truly incredible!" Altaïr praised sincerely.
"Right?" The captain laughed and patted Altaïr's shoulder. "Unfortunately, the Hozan-maru only accepts the most experienced and skilled sailors, and the hunters who sail with her are all elite, four-star and above.
Perhaps the future you could make it, but the current you isn't quite qualified yet."
Altaïr nodded. "Indeed, I still have a long way to go."
From Altaïr's expression and tone, the captain sensed his disappointment, but no resentment, which made him even more pleased.
"Come on, I'll take you to see the ship you'll be on now."
He followed the captain out of the large dock and into another one nearby.
This place was just as bustling, with more than a dozen small sandships arranged here and there, and craftsmen and sailors busy with inspections and repairs.
He also saw the figure of the Workshop's Shopkeeper; it seemed the craftsmen had been busy with the Sandship fleet's affairs recently.
"The mission of the small sandships is to support the Hozan-maru in intercepting the Jhen Mohran. Since you've joined at the last minute, it's impossible to form a team specifically for you. But as it happens, there's a team that's also from the Loc Lac Rangers. You might even know them. If that's okay with you, you'll join them."
Altaïr followed the fleet leader to the side of a small sandship. There, he was surprised to find a familiar figure.
"Asa?!"
"Huh?" Asa, who had been busy with something in the cabin of the Dragonship, looked up. "Little brother Altaïr? You joined the Sandship fleet too?"
Asa climbed out of the cabin and embraced Altaïr with a hearty laugh.
Seeing that the two knew each other and seemed to be on quite good terms, the fleet leader relaxed. "Asa, show Altaïr what he'll be doing, and don't forget to tell him about the important points.
Seize the opportunity to train with the other teams. The monsoon will be here in three weeks at most."
"Yes, sir!"
After giving a few more instructions, the fleet leader left. As the person in charge of the Sandship fleet, he had far too many things to attend to.
Once the fleet leader was gone, Asa became even more animated. He slung an arm around Altaïr's shoulders. "You're something else, kid! Joining the fleet and participating in this year's Desert Feast right after getting promoted to 2★? Not just anyone can pull that off!"
Altaïr smiled and retorted, "Aren't you the same?"
"Me? I'm different." Asa tugged at his own clothes.
Only then did Altaïr notice that Asa wasn't wearing the Ranger's Armor set, but a sleeveless shirt from the Sandship fleet.
"My old man was originally a member of the fleet, but he's getting on in years and has some old injuries, so he's planning to hand things over to us.
The fleet leader said both my brother and I have good piloting skills, but since I'm smaller, I'm better suited for helming the ship. So, he had me join my dad for last year's Desert Feast.
My dad was in charge of piloting this small sandship, and I assisted him, so I gained some experience. This year, I'm on my own," Asa explained with a smile.
Altaïr finally understood. Asa wasn't participating as a member of the Loc Lac Rangers or as a combatant like a hunter.
He had joined the Sandship fleet as the son of a sand sea fisherman, an outstanding pilot of a small sandship.
"So is it just the two of us on this ship?" Altaïr asked curiously.
Asa shook his head and continued to explain, "To ensure the speed and agility of the small sandships, each one is only assigned two to three people.
Usually, it's a pilot and a hunter. Sometimes they'll add another hunter or a support member.
There was already a hunter partnered with me before you came. That guy is amazing. Even though he's not a local and it's his first time at The Desert Feast, just like you, he's a 4★ hunter! And he uses a Sword and Shield, too."