Once Amelia joined us, we walked around and finished farming. That was because one of them fell into the sea earlier. It was bad luck to throw money into the ocean.
«Navigator, sail the ship».
«Where are we going...?»
«On Isla Fione.»
Once the naval battle was over, I drove the ship back to Treasure Island, as I assumed that sailing to the next island without maintenance would be almost impossible. Actually, even getting back to Fione was quite a challenge.
The boat is in worse condition than I thought.
As we rowed oars to replace the destroyed mana propulsion device, water began to fill the bottom of the ship. It seemed like not only had the engine system broken down, so we had to constantly draw water until we reached Treasure Island.
«...Now we can finally rest.»
«I still think it was a fun experience.»
Fun? This girl has a strange taste.
Well, other than not being fun, it wasn't that bad. Erwen had been collecting water with us at first before realizing that she could use a water spirit to make the water flow again on its own. There would be no need to go through trial and error the next time we were faced with this situation.
Yes, it is these experiences that make someone a veteran explorer.
Anyway, when we returned to the island, we summoned the ship and went inside to summon all the destroyed ships at once. This time, I checked its conditions carefully. There was not a single ship in good condition.
«...Emily, what do you think will be more worth it: repairing them or selling them?».
«Well...» Amelia was an expert at buying and selling things, but she gave up appraising them. That's how difficult it was to know the market price. «Still, either way, you will make some money. A ship like this is very expensive even if you just take the raw materials and sell them».
«That's true, but... Hey, Navigator!»
«Yes sir!»
«Arrunda la nave.»
Instead of asking them if the boat could be repaired, I ordered them to fix it. The sailor tilted his head at this.
Haha, haven't you come to your senses yet?
«Can't you do it?» I asked dryly.
The sailor shuddered, then shook his head and shouted: «I'll try... No, I can do it!». The answer exuded determination. I seemed to have the impression that he would follow in his companions' footsteps as soon as he stopped being useful to me.
«Okay, if you need anything, let me know».
«...Thank you!» the navigator responded and ran towards the ship to begin studying it carefully. He seemed to be trying to figure out how to fix it.
Then I leave the ship to him...
«Mago ».
«...i hear you.»
«I want to take possession of the ship. Can you cast a spell like that?»
«Can.»
Oh can?
I had my hopes pinned on him considering he had been surrounded by a lot of pirates, but I didn't think I really could. I was sure it was a very strange spell.
«Okay, then get ready to use it».
«Very good...»
«Woah, what's up with your tone... you don't want to?»
«No! I want to do it!»
I should have said it from the beginning.
Now that I had persuaded the wizard, I proceeded to take charge of the ship. I started with the flagship, which had lost its owner after the captain's death, and then turned to the two men each owned.
«This ship is non-transferable», one of the men explained to me.
"¿Por qué no? ¿Por qué no? ⁇
«As you can see, the damage is too serious...». It was the ship that had taken the eighth damage from the Spear of Thunder with a 150% increase. «More importantly, the central magic circle is damaged. With this kind of damage...»
«Is the magic circle broken? But summoning and reverse summoning worked fine.»
«To be honest, I wonder how that feature still works.»
«So it's a shame about this ship.» Since the expert said no, I had no choice but to give up one of the ships. Anyway, I would need materials to repair it.
The navigator had been studying the captain's ship, which was sunk at the rear, with a helpless expression as he ran over upon hearing our conversation. «Um... so can I remove the boards from this one?»
«Forward.»
«And I also need labor...»
«Here I lend you all three».
«Thanks!» After receiving more than enough manpower, the first officer focused on repairing the ship with the wizard's support to guide him.
We pour.
We poured all the loot that we had messily put into the subspace on the ground and began to organize it.
«This... is incredible».
We would have to sell it in the city to find out the exact amount it was worth, but even at first glance, all the equipment was of high quality. That made sense since these guys were active on the sixth floor.
Anyway, I think this should be enough to pay off all our debts and even buy another mansion... Is it... okay to make money so easily?
My days of hunting goblins and digging up mana stones worth a single loaf of stone bread now seemed almost surreal. An indescribable emotion hovered around the edges of my consciousness.
«Sir... So we don't have to sell the house?».
«Of course not! Let's also change the beds for nicer ones».
«WC-Camas?»
The beds were important. They could change your quality of life.
«So can I change my weapon too? There's something I've had my eye on.» Seeing an opportunity, Amelia also intervened with what she wanted to buy.
«...Of course.»
«So that hard work has been worth it».
«But... how much does it cost?».
When I asked, Amelia looked at Erwen before leaning in to whisper in my ear. The amount was double what I expected. My breathing stopped involuntarily, but I didn't go back on my word.
«Okay, buy it».
It's not a waste to invest in your teammates...
«Haha, then I'll forget you left me on the boat».
Furthermore, he had done him many grievances.
***
It took them two days to complete repairs to the ship. He didn't know if this was considered fast or slow, but the ship was repaired to perfection. Not only was there a magician to help with the project, but it turned out that the navigator had also once worked in a shipyard.
A navigator with maintenance knowledge...
He seemed like a pretty decent talent.
«Hey, what's your name?»
«Are you talking to me?»
«Who else?»
«Soy Auyen Rockrobe.»
Okay, at least it's not Hans.
That alone was enough to pass the sieve. «It's a good name. Good job, Nguyen».
«It's Auyen...»
«Ah, ¿si?»
After praising the sailor's efforts to successfully repair the ship, we let it float on the shore.
«What are you doing? Don't you get on?»
«...I'm doing it». The navigator boarded the ship as if he were being taken directly to hell.
Next was the magician. «You go up too.»
«...Okay.»
Once the wizard came aboard as well, the two remaining men looked at me with expressions of uncertainty on their faces. They were the ones who had survived and had been brought to this island because they owned two of the ships and therefore controlled their summoning. If he had killed them earlier on the flagship, the other two ships in his subspace would have appeared in the middle of the ocean. Since we needed labor for repairs, I had simply stripped them of their equipment and left them alone.
«We will continue forward...»
«Yes, me too...» When I stared at them, the men sighed as if they had no choice and began to walk towards the ship.
I stopped them with my shoulder. «Stop there. You can't come with us». They were nowhere near talented enough to receive my blessing.
Grifo.
The men looked at me strangely. «So, shall we stay here...?» They seemed to wonder if they should be happy about this or not.
However, one of them quickly noticed. «...Please take us with you. We will be useful somewhere».
Hmm, maybe someone with that much intelligence could end up being useful?
The idea came to mind, but it didn't change my decision. «No, now you can rest».
«¡Maldite sea...!»
»Damn»? How common.
This was probably the phrase I had heard the most since I was dropped into this world.
¡Crunch, splat!
After making sure to smash both heads equally, I threw the bodies onto the beach. The sea monsters would smell the blood and clean them.
Now, shall we go?
Splash, splash.
Walking through the sea, which had quickly turned bloody, I climbed the rope ladder attached to the outside of the ship and boarded it. Everyone else was already on deck.
«... Eek!» Seeing that his companions reached the end of their usefulness and got rid of them like a pair of old shoes, the navigator shuddered when his eyes met mine.
Wow, what a coward. Well, it would be good for him to have a good dose of stress.
I approached the navigator and patted him on the shoulder. I took out his map of the eastern seas and pointed to a specific point with my index finger. «I plan to go here now-»
«It's possible, of course!». The answer came immediately before he finished speaking. As captain, I was quite satisfied with his entrepreneurial attitude.
A subordinate should have so much enthusiasm. Although I'll have to correct his habit of interrupting me.
Step step.
Once the sailor took the helm, I walked to the deck and stood in front of the bow. Then, I let out a loud cry of: «Zarpad!».
I've always wanted to do that.
***
A sailor was like a bed, especially since they both changed your quality of life.
«Don't we have to stop at any island along the way?»
«Yes! Only inexperienced sailors have to search for islands to know where they are!» Although he enthusiastically accepted everything I said, the colleague did not forget to introduce his own public relations.
«Still, I want us to pass through these islands».
«Then I'll plot the route again!»
«Oh, you're pretty helpful».
«Thank you for the compliment! I'll engrave it on my bones! Forever!» The sailor then redid the route according to the captain's orders and began sailing the ship in that direction.
I guess this upset someone. «Tsk.» The wizard who had been captured along with the sailor laughed.
Because you are different from him? You have to appeal to a magician's superiority complex.
¡Shaaaaaa!
The ship quickly sailed through the open waters, braving the wind. Erwen and I set up folding chairs and umbrellas on the deck and enjoyed a relaxing break.
Sí, esto es navegar.
The previous ship had no room for this, and I had to constantly help Amelia check that we were moving in the right direction. And to think that things would be much easier with just one sailor.
«Emily, why don't you come rest?»
«...i'm fine.»
"¿Por qué?"
«...Just because.»
I also called Amelia, but she returned to her seat, without giving me an adequate answer. For reference, his place was next to the sailor. I watched her for a moment to see why she was acting like this and realized that she was studying the operation of the ship.
«Wait, why did you just turn the helm like that?».
«Ah, because the candles were bending slightly. This is called angled wind, and it is better to turn the rudder slightly in cases like this».
Not only was he watching, but Amelia was asking the sailor several questions and engaging in an active conversation.
So she can make that face too, huh?
Seeing Amelia paying attention to each of her words, with a face more serious than ever, I giggled.
No wonder she seemed disappointed when I told her I would leave the rest of the navigation to him.
It seemed like he liked steering the ship. Well, I would never admit it if I asked him. I'd probably say I was just learning how it worked just in case.
Anyway, time flew by after that. They were very calm days. Traveling forward with favorable winds that reinforced us, every time we reached one of our destinations, we got off the ship and killed monsters. Then we moved to the next island. Amelia diligently studied boating as we moved, and Erwen and I spent our time fishing. While we were looking around bored, we accidentally came across some fishing rods. As the saying goes, you have to try everything at least once.
You never know, there may come a time when the ship runs out of food and we have to be self-sufficient.
«Oh! The first big catch in a long time!» Surprisingly, hanging a fishing rod on a moving boat gave you something.
«Wow, you are amazing, sir.»
Most of the catches were ordinary fish, more like rankless monsters similar to the undead you could hunt in the Bloody Citadel. They did not drop mana stones when defeated, and the corpses did not disappear either.
«¡Es un Monstero Cangrejo!»
There were also times when a monster took the bait, so I couldn't stop fishing.
[You have defeated a Crab Monster. EXP +4]
Monsters that only appeared in the ocean were harder to find than to hunt. Beyond a hobby, fishing had practical benefits. Anyway, that routine continued for a long time. As we headed east, we left the first waters.
I could hear Amelia's conversation with the navigator. «Do you know why the compass stops working here?»
«I don't know. It is said that in the Great Sea there is a sea god who gets angry with adventurers who approach him, but most likely he is just a legend.»
Hmm, is that sea god called Leviathan? I need to hunt it too someday...
«Anyway, it is not easy to find the direction from this point, so the skills of the navigator become especially important. This is where beginner boaters struggle the most with their own limitations.»
«So what is the method you use?»
«The stars, the sun, the temperature, the weather... all of that becomes information. Of course, the most important thing is experience».
«Interesting. Can you tell me in more detail?»
«Haha, of course. Ah, we just caught the wind. Would you like to take the helm?»
«...Can I?»
«Of course. If something goes wrong, I'll help you».
«If you say so...»
When did Amelia get so close to the sailor? You're not going to ask to stay with him afterwards, are you? No, Amelia would never do that.
I chuckled and went to sleep. When I woke up again, the wind had already stopped. This was the Windless Zone, one of the special areas of the Great Sea.
«The easiest solution is to use the mana propulsion device here».
Without having to row, we crossed the Windless Zone with the mana stones that we had collected until then. Ah, for reference, the propulsion system that Erwen destroyed had been replaced, not repaired. The other ships also had thrusters. We tear them off and move them here. As this was a large ship, three small propellers were apparently needed to produce the same performance.
«The wind is blowing!»
Once we crossed the Windless Zone in two days, reefy waters appeared before us here and there. They were waters from the far east, where rocky and volcanic land represented 99% of the islands. Looking at the sea, which had its own characteristics here, I smiled.
Somehow, we had found a navigator who had brought us here.
The time had come to explore Burrow Island, Atlante.