Rose and I were on our way towards a port located on the east from where City Of Pines is located. Barry did not follow us as he was at a lower rank and it would be too dangerous for him to come along. Reaching the port took us three days even with a carriage. We could technically use this port to sail to the Northern continent but I doubt there is any ship captain here that is willing to travel northward in the first place. Who wants to visit the Demon Continent when it's so hostile there? I certainly hope that I can make it in time to help John and not mourn over his dead body instead. Please let me make it in time.
It was late morning when we finally reached the port. Saying the port is huge is an understatement. This is definitely the main port of this continent. Plenty of tradings were going about when we first reached here along with all the hustling and bustling. There were fresh goods that consisted of a variety of vegetables to pristine looking fishes or meat. There were loads of equipment on sale too. Perhaps I can find something for the both of us before we set sail. If I recall, my chained cloak had plenty of holes on it now due to the acid-storm from the Northern continent. But first things first, find a captain that is willing to ferry us to the City of Underwater Marrydia.
It was certainly difficult to navigate around this port due to the sheer amount of people here that far surpassed my expectations. It felt like there were more people here compared to the city but it is probably my misconception. It is certainly the highest amount of people gathered in one place though. As there were many side stores and main stores opened here including such wide variety of items, no wonder people were willing to travel here to purchase items despite being at the Eastern edge of the continent.
I didn't even realised that I had held Rose's hand so that we don't get separated from each other. We stopped by a random side store to ask on how much the fresh vegetables were on sale. The grocer told me that any selected basket prepared only cost a copper coin each. Although the basket was not large, there were 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 checking each stores. Her eyes were practically sparkling from seeing all the fresh goods on sale at such cheap prices. I told her that even if we were to purchase them now, it would be rotten by the time we made it back to the city. Better to purchase them after we officially return from the Viking's tradition. Talk about being overconfident that we will be surviving the Underwater Dragon King's wrath.
I dragged Rose towards the dock. We need to look for a captain that is willing to ferry us to the underwater city. We talked to a few but they told us their ships were not built to sail underwater or survive the pressure. Dang it, it can't be possible that there are no captains going there now. I can't possibly be waiting for another day hoping that there will eventually be a captain that is willing to ferry us there.
My eyes spotted an elven lady standing close to a ship and don't you dare judge me. From the looks of her ship, it was certainly built differently compared to the other ships that we saw so far. I asked the elf on whether she was the captain of this ship but she said she was not. Her captain was currently inside a bar having lunch. We can find her at 'Gardenia' bar should we wish to talk to her.
And so we did. We searched and entered the bar to look for an elf looking captain based on the description given to us by the elf lady. Even the interior of the bar was difficult to move around with so many people mingling. Thankfully, it was not long before we found the captain in question. Her captain hat was a dead giveaway. She was drinking as she played some sort of cards with some guys. As we approached the table, it would seemed like she had already won when she tossed her cards on the table while the guys she was playing with stood up and left.
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 cards and spoke out.
"Shall we play a game?" the captain asked with a grin.
"Sure, how much to ferry us to the City of Underwater Marrydia?" I asked as I sat opposite of her.
"Wow, you're no fun," she took 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 and underwater. Elven ships are the best after all," I praised her ship as I knew elves took pride in their stuffs more so than humans.
"Yes indeed. Our elven ships can definitely make the trip to Marrydia. But as of now, I am not planning on heading out anytime soon. Perhaps you should find another captain instead," she leaned back on her chair.
"I've had already asked all of the captains around and none of their ships are capable of surviving the journey. I really need to head there to help out the future Viking Lord in his incoming tradition. 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 of money? How much are we talking?" I placed five gold coins on the table.
I'll take it as an investment and have John repay me back when he becomes a Lord.
"No, it is not a matter of money. But you sure are loaded for a young kid. You shouldn't be flaunting your wealth around," said the captain but her eyes were gleaming at my coins. I have you right where I want you.
"So I've been told. Then what's the issue? If there is something you need, I'll do my best to satisfy your request," I said. No, I didn't meant it in some sexual way.
The captain sighed and kept alternating her sight between me and Rose.
"Are you two lovers?" asked the captain.
"What? N—" I was stopped short 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 an exclusive female-only ship. We only accept female passengers but I am willing to make an exception for the both of you seeing that your lover here seems to have urgency in meeting the Viking Lord. But you will need to keep your promise, otherwise I will hold you accountable for his actions," said the captain.
Woah— a ship full of female elves? Is it paradise? Or perhaps my worst nightmare.
"Will tying up his hands and feet suffice? Do you wish to gag him as well?" asked Rose as she gave an expressionless face.
Hey, what the—? What are you insinuating Rose? That I have no self control over myself or something?
"That won't be necessary. As long as he don't make any advances on my crew-mates or cause any trouble, then all is well," nodded the captain.
She stood up and took my five gold coins.
"Consider this a special offer of you renting my whole ship along with its special services. Meet me at the ship within the hour," the captain said. I knew she would take the bait on those coins.
Alright, we managed to secure our travel transport! An hour, huh? Maybe we can get some food and hopefully check out some equipment before that. We decided to avoid having our meal in this bar and headed outside. It would be better for us to eat on the move while we find ourselves a blacksmith or merchant shop along the way. I am actually curious about what alchemy ingredients are available here but perhaps I'll only have time to check during our return trip. One hour flies by quickly when you're in the mood for shopping.
We passed by several side stores but one in particular peaked my interest. It looked like some sort of kebab store. There was a guy playing the accordion while another person was a chef cooking the kebabs. 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 from them and moved further away. But holy smokes, their kebab is really really good. Juicy and tender meat grilled with fresh pepper. I might purchase another two if we happened to pass by again.
We carried on walking until we found a blacksmith store. We saw a couple of people going in and out of this particular 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?" asked the blacksmith lady. Now where have I heard that greeting before?
"Do you have some good quality cloaks that can perhaps replace this?" I passed the blacksmith my chained cloak.
"Wow, what a special cloak indeed. Woven 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 dragonhide," said the blacksmith as she passed me the cloak in question.
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 definitely 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 its hide," she explained.
"I'll take it. Any chance it comes in black?" I asked her.
"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 as I pointed 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 is wearing currently was protective clothing made directly by her guild. 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. Ouch, do you really have to put it that way, Rose?
I ended up only buying the dragonhide cloak for three gold coins. It is incredibly light compared to my previous cloak as there were no chains weighing me down. I can use my agility to my full potential with this. Hm, I really wanted to get something for Rose. Something that can really help her in combat or something.
We passed by an alleyway and I 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 me 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 kept 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 the robed merchant.
"Certainly. This ere is a ring that provides additional constitution with some minor additional attributes," said the robed merchant as he handed 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 that had attributes throughout my travels before. 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's not a proposal ring, Rose. Just try it out and make sure it's 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's 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 dragonhide 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's right. It most certainly is. I can see Rose trying her best to remove the ring from her finger 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 survivability which is pretty much like buying an armour for her. As of luck, it seems like I managed to accomplished on what I wanted to do so far. We continued walking for a short while until I thought of the time. Has it been an hour already? I sort of lost track of time with all the hustling and bustling of this place.
"Rose, has it been an hour already?" I asked her.
"I don't know, I thought you were keeping track?" she asked me back with a concerned look.
The both of us stared at each other blankly. Immediately we rushed towards the port as fast as we could. 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 it was her turn to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Matter of importance, huh" she mocked me.
"I'm 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 about to set sail.
***
"Dad, your jokes are lame. Stop it, please" said Daisy.
"I know Daisy, I know," I said to her.
***
We boarded the ship which immediately felt different for me. The ship was of marquise shape and was pretty large. Upon stepping foot on the ship, there was barely any creak on the wood itself. This must be the famed elven architecture that everyone was talking about. Even the wood itself looked sturdy that it looked almost unbreakable. The captain took the liberty of showing us her ship before departure. I thought we were running late.
"You are now in one of the few elven ships with the latest design. Made from the trees in 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 began to set sail. I won't lie, I was kind of excited to sail on this ship. This is definitely a different ship compared to the small boat that we sat to the Northern continent. This ship felt extremely stable sailing on the water which made me questioned on its ability to sink under. Curious to see how it is going to submerge in the first place.
Rose and I stayed on 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 might 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 are from all races. Even female reptilians were aboard this ship as sailors. There were plenty of female elves aboard 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 and waved 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 steer clear of them. I certainly do not want any trouble with them whatsoever to avoid getting punched by 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 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. Even the floors were made of glass which blew my mind. I could not resist on knocking it with my hand to ensure its durability. Okay, it is certainly durable and thick for sure.
The captain instructed us to sit on the seats provided and strap ourselves in. There were perhaps about 50 seats available in the safe room but, there were only two of us so we sat at the front row. What we used to strap ourselves was some kind of rope that we had to tie ourselves to the seats. It was not long after we heard announcement from the captain that we will be approaching the whirlpool soon and to have all personnel to their designated stations.
We were staring straight ahead to see where was the whirlpool in question until we heard footsteps coming from the bottom. Both of us looked down and saw many ripped females taking their positions on what looked like a large cranking systems. So that is why 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 onboard in the first place. While female passengers can admire the beauty of strength and muscle from their performance, or just to show off, it is certainly a treasure feast for the male eyes.
I quickly stopped looking bottom and turned to look forward. I slowly turned my head to glance 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 in question now. It's— huge! Can the ship even survive that?! This ship is like a tiny droplet of water in comparison to the size of the whirlpool ahead.
Doubts started creeping into my mind. I can see Rose starting to sweat buckets as she saw the size of the whirlpool. She unconsciously grabbed my hand and 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 approaching the whirlpool? The things I do for you, John Gladiolus.
The closer we approached, the more nervous I gotten. 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.... Houston, we are sinking," announced 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 had provided us with 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 trip in the world's largest whirlpool?" Even in French I would say hell no!
Shit, shit shit! We are actually sinking! And extremely fast too! The currents must be dragging us down. How are we even safe from the pressure of submerging so quickly?? I can see the ladies at the bottom started cracking the metal bars. They must be pedalling the ships to make 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 dive to the City of Underwater Marrydia. Surprisingly, the elves had invented some form of light source that allowed us to see ahead. While lights from the sun can still reach where we are 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 thingy??
Rose immediately hugged me and screamed 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 up 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 direction and all is well— or so I thought. I turned to look at Rose and her eyes were watery. I hadn't even noticed that she had 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 breathed 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 of 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're all dead.
Pure darkness envelops where we are now. Even with the lights, we can barely see anything ahead aside from some floating planktons or some small glowing 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 noises, all can be heard constantly around us. Not only is this paranoia inducing, I seriously do not wish to 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 we saw some light up 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's not facing us but just happened to be obstructing our way.
"Evasive manoeuvres!" shouted the captain.
Please— STAHP!! Let it end already!!!
***
After an hour or so, more lights could be seen up ahead. Are you kidding me right now? Is it multiple angler fish?! Oh wait, those looked like— buildings on the seabed. Not to mention a giant glass dome smack dab in the middle of those odd looking buildings. It would appear there are something swimming towards us. Are those— yes it is! Mermaids and mermans!
There were about a dozen of them dragging along what looked like a chained winch with a hook. They secured the winch to the front of the ship. So that's what those circular metals are for. We were being dragged to the seabed slowly while the merpeople swam along side the ship. Finally, a slow ride where we can enjoy the sights and sounds calmly.
As we approached closer, I understood why the buildings were odd looking to me. There were no doors at all. As merpeople can literally swim anywhere, all they needed were windows for their entrances. The ship was being dragged closer to the glass dome. That is probably our destination. I reached into my backpack to put on my gauntlets. Must be prepared for anything that comes along. Rose had already worn the ring that I bought for her in her middle finger. Fits her perfectly I would say.
"Onii-chan, since when did you started wearing gloves?" asked Rose as she noticed me wearing them.
"Oh, I was saving for the opportunity to wear it. Does it fits me? It's gauntlets actually" I said to her.
"Looks nice and fancy looking," she said as she admired them.
Sorry Rose, I kept this a secret because I didn't want people to know that I had another legendary equipment kept inside my personal chest.
We are close to the glass dome now. The merpeople were doing their best to adjust the angle of the ship so that it fits perfectly into one of the many entrances into the glass dome. Once we're in, the merpeople waved farewell and exited the entrance from the back. A door behind us closed the entrance and the water was flushed out from this enclosed area. The front door opened and the captain took opportunity to introduce to us this unique city using the ship's announcement system.
"Ladies... and gentleman, I bring you— City of Underwater Marrydia!" she made a paused. I bet she had forgotten about me, didn't she. Well, it's fine. She was willing to make an exception and brought the both of us here. I am certainly thankful for that.
Words can hardly begin to describe the beauty and spectacle of this place but I will try my best to explain. If you thought City Of Pines was a marvellous place, this city supersedes it in every single way. All the buildings here are made of wood for starters. Most probably taken from the elven forest. It had such a rustic feel that you can only find in the countryside, yet it did not feel secluded. That's not to say that the buildings looked old either as it 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 more on this city.
The captain announced to us that they will be opening the door of the safe room and air pressure will be adjusted. So that's why weren't 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 were free to disembark from the ship. I asked the captain on how we're going to make our return trip. She said to look for the tallest building and purchase a ticket there. The shipyard will allocate a ship for us to return back to the surface. Things are more systematic here than just walking up to each ship captain and ask for permission.
We bowed and gave our thanks to the captain for our safe journey and disembarked. Rose made a huge sigh of relief that we had finally made it to dry land, or sort of like it. Alright, time to explore this place while seeking information about where the Viking's tradition will be taking place. The best place for that is certainly the tavern. Off we go.