Chapter 143
Chapter 143. The Merchant
Lucian declared that he would remain on the Island of Boundaries for about a month.
The sailors, seeing the sea elves for the first time, realized that they possessed a way of thinking somewhat different from that of humans.
And then they discovered the Temple of Waves.
“So this is a temple dedicated to Lord Yul?”
“We have to worship here…….”
“Let us pray to survive our voyages…….”
Before the solemn divine statue, the sailors immersed themselves in the atmosphere.
Meanwhile, Lucian was remodeling the Strellock with everything he had.
‘With the crew reduced, we need full automation.’
If the cannons were fully automated and only aiming and firing were left to the crew, then instead of four or five sailors clinging to them, one would suffice.
‘A new propulsion system.’
The Black Priest’s ship, The Blind, was clearly faster than the Strellock.
He had gotten a hint from Yul—if he attached a rotating device called a propeller beneath the stern and simply spun it with a magic engine, it would generate propulsion.
There would be trial and error, but with the newly acquired ultra-large magic stone, it should be possible to build a magic engine.
‘Let’s convert most systems to mechanical.’
The designs were already finished aboard the ship; all that remained was the refit.
At that moment, Cowin approached his workshop and spoke.
“Um…… Captain.”
“What is it?”
“There are a few sea elves who want to join the crew. But there aren’t many…… it seems the ship itself is so unusual that it makes them hesitant.”
“I see. Even that much is fortunate.”
The sea elves traveled on wooden ships, so Lucian’s vessel—built from artifacts and mechanical systems—must have felt foreign to them.
Still, with that many added, they would have more than enough manpower to operate until the next voyage.
* * *
A maid brought tea into Sonam’s office.
Yul swept his gaze over the surroundings. On the office shelves made of southern-style wood, large quantities of documents were stacked.
Lowering his gaze slightly, he looked down at the one holding the warm tea.
A moon elf seated on a chair made of soft leather.
His complexion looked even paler than his own milky skin, making it clear that he was not in good condition.
“Our objective was an island known as Yudgiran, said to lie southwest of Aragon. It’s an island that formed after the Great Catastrophe. We were to transport food and farming tools there, and in return receive sugarcane and carry it back to Aragon.”
As he drank the Silvermoon Tea, he seemed to feel a bit better.
“On the sixth day after we set sail, we encountered a merciless storm. It wasn’t the season for storms, so it was completely unexpected. As we struggled against it, we were pushed south.”
“And then?”
“Before we could even escape the storm, we encountered pirates. They looked as though they were riding the waves within the storm itself.”
“Pirates in a storm?”
In a storm, one would be lucky if one's ship didn’t capsize while trying to loot anything.
“They were on blue ships. Their bodies were covered in strange tattoos, and they wore no clothes. They made hard, clicking, eerie sounds, and at times, they even went underwater. I didn’t see it myself, but the crew said they had scales and webbed limbs.”
Either this man was mad, or those creatures were mad—one of the two was certain.
Judging from the incoherent, cold monologue, the former was also plausible, but he didn’t seem to be lying.
“How did you shake them off?”
“When we fled beyond the storm, they didn’t follow. They were bizarre pirates, as if the storm itself was their home.”
“And that’s when you reached the Island of Boundaries.”
What followed matched exactly what Yul already knew. Upon reaching the vicinity of the Island of Boundaries, they fired first at the ship that was approaching them.
“We never intended to attack with malicious intent…….”
They had seen hostility and fear from the pirates they encountered in the storm, and the anger born from that fear must have been unleashed on the next ship they met.
“There are mitigating circumstances, but that doesn’t mean you’re innocent.”
“That’s true.”
On the sea, merchants and pirates are similar words.
“Shall we talk about the next matter? I’m interested in your personal background. Depending on your story, the disposition may change.”
“……Why is that? Will my personal story lessen my crimes?”
“Because I’m the one who has the final say in all of this, and I have an interest in pure knowledge and information. Isn’t it curiousity? Why would someone who was once a companion of the Hero come all the way out here by ship? I’m also curious about your personal stories regarding someone named Sone Helvich.”
“I understand…….”
Hearing that Yul held the final authority, Largo Faegan changed his tone to a more respectful one.
“I was once part of the Hero’s party, but only in the early days. My older brother was deeply involved in that matter.”
“Tell me more. Were you a sailor from the beginning?”
“I’ve been on ships since I came of age, working as a merchant. I transported goods from Aragon at the western edge, through the minor kingdom of Arsen, and on to the Empire.”
“Yarel Faegan as well?”
“Yes.”
The moon elves are said to live in the forests south of the minor kingdom of Arsen.
Among them, the Faegan clan lived on the outskirts of those forests, so they were often entangled with humans.
“Who is Sone Helvich? The Hero’s exploits are fairly well known, but her earlier history is hard to find even in newspapers.”
“She was the daughter of a baronial family in the minor kingdom of Arsen. Her territory lay directly across from the forest where we lived.”
It was said that the fates of the two brothers, Yarel Faegan and Largo Faegan, changed from the moment they met Sone Helvich.
“My brother was deeply moved by Sone Helvich’s convictions. When she said she was going to defeat the Demon King, he followed her immediately. I traveled with them for a while at first, but midway through, I quit…….”
“Why?”
“Everyone else’s abilities grew by leaps and bounds, but mine didn’t grow at the same pace. I was an ordinary man, in other words.”
An ordinary man caught among geniuses eventually realized that he could no longer keep up, and soon gave up.
“Instead, I supported them from behind by transporting supplies and the like, but after they gained collaborators within the former Empire, even that became unnecessary.”
Thus ended the recollection of an ordinary man filled with deep regret.
“What kind of person was Sone Helvich?”
“……Was it when she was about ten years old? There was once a bear sighted nearby. It had rushed out from deep within the forest. Even the moon elves couldn’t deal with that massive bear and were at a loss when Sone heard that a village child had been eaten by it. She suddenly pulled a longsword from her father’s study, Baron Helvich’s, and went straight into the forest, then came back having killed the bear.”
“……She killed a bear at ten years old?”
“The funny thing is, when she came back, there wasn’t a single drop of blood on the longsword. When we asked why, she said she’d dropped the sword midway and killed the bear with her bare hands.”
Not some game title—killing a bear barehanded at ten years old.
“Well, anyway, that’s the kind of person she was. If she saw injustice, she would leap into it, and if she judged something to be unjust, she would physically try to correct reality…… in many ways, she was like a natural disaster, like a meteor or a hurricane.”
“Then how was she able to embrace even her enemies?”
Even the armies under the Demon King had joined Sone Helvich’s forces.
“Because of her normally cheerful atmosphere. And perhaps because she saw the horrors there firsthand and grew mentally from the experience.”
“I see. And your brother? Everyone speculated that he was betrayed and killed.”
“I don’t know about that either. My brother hid his identity to the very end. We lost contact long before the battle with the Demon King.”
“Why did you come west?”
“I thought there might be an opportunity here. At the very least, I thought it would be better than the blood-soaked former Imperial territories. I never imagined I’d encounter pirates like those in a storm.”
In short, they were drifters. They didn’t seem to be lying. Even without examining them through divine authority, their testimonies all matched.
“This area is my waters. From the Island of Boundaries to the Rainini Archipelago, it’s all my territory.”
“……!”
“If you wish, you may conduct trade. But it must be done at the Island of Boundaries, and you’ll have to pay taxes.”
“Th-thank you.”
“You look like a mess; can you even return?”
“No. This is more than enough. We can repair the ship at the shipyard here, and sell the goods we purchase here as well.”
As payment for the interesting story, Yul decided not to collect taxes. It felt a bit like extorting beggars otherwise.
In any case, there would likely be quite a few people like Largo Faegan who would come down from the Continental Ocean to trade.
“I’ll have to think about the relevant laws.”
Up until now, he had ruled by relying on customary law, but his thoughts grew heavier.
Simply ruling something could be done anywhere, but governing was a different matter entirely.
Aranmas only had the aptitude of a tribal leader.
Sonam Rinpoche was useful, but he was closer to a religious figure with strong administrative skills.
With professional administrative personnel and a legal system, it would be possible to govern both the Rainini Archipelago and the Island of Boundaries as a whole.
‘By now, I feel like the Sea Succession Church should be reacting, but it’s late.’
It had been over half a year since Yul seized control of the Rainini Archipelago. By now, the news should have spread.
Whether their decision-making was slow or they intended to ignore it altogether, they hadn’t even sent an envoy.
* * *
In the Archipelago Ocean, the influence of the Sea Succession Church was immense. The Rainini Archipelago was a frontier of frontiers—an island group used mainly to send exiles or for the occasional dispatch. As such, the news had reached them only a week earlier.
The Sea Master, Tien Saya, read the letter in detail and flew into a rage.
“What? The Rainini Archipelago was taken by the sea elves?”
“They are ungrateful wretches! We provided them a place to live on land because they lost their sea, and this is how they repay us!”
The Right Guardian, Vara Rinke, echoed in support. Tien Saya immediately decided to issue an expulsion order against the sea elves.
“Send all sea elves back to the sea where they were born. Those cursed ones who were even cast out by their own kind drive them all into the ocean. Anyone who resists is to be dealt with.”
The Left Guardian voiced his concern.
“Great Sea Master, if we do that, an enormous number of sea elves will be expelled. There will be chaos.”
“We’ve tolerated them causing trouble after coming into human territory until now. But I’m starting to think of them as potential rebels. Leaving them alone will cause even greater chaos.”
“Please consider the Deep King Tribe said to stand behind those sea elves.”
At that, the Right Guardian snorted.
“The Deep King Tribe? Isn’t that just a creature from legends? Surely it’s an exaggeration. Don’t tell me you believe in such superstitions too, Left Guardian?”
“They may truly exist. Perhaps we should at least send an envoy to investigate—.”
“If they exist, we deal with them. Have you forgotten? We once received dragon-slaying cannons from the Sixth Prince to deal with the Sea Dragon Tribe.”
The dragon-slaying cannons, said to have been used to hunt the Sea Dragon Tribe, were originally weapons used only by sea elf royalty.
The main material for winged ships was the heart of the Sea Dragon Tribe.
As the number of Sea Dragon Tribe dwindled and they began reacting swiftly by fleeing into the depths of the sea, making them impossible to find, the dragon-slaying cannons fell largely out of use.
Thus, during the last war among the sea elves, the Sixth Prince, driven into a corner, sold off several islands along with the dragon-slaying cannons and received the support of the Sea Succession Church.
The Sea Succession Church stored those dragon-slaying cannons and used them whenever a colossal monster appeared.
“Prepare the dragon-slaying cannons and the fleet. We’ll take it back by force. Left Guardian, you will take charge and move.”
“Hehe. The Great Sea Master’s judgment is correct.”
As he looked at the Right Guardian nodding along beside him, the Left Guardian let out a quiet sigh.
He was gripped by the reasonable suspicion that they might be taking on something beyond their ability to handle, but he had no choice but to follow the prevailing tide.