Ch.137137. Entry Record (3)

On the day of departure for the Elven Kingdom.

Sophia and I made our way to the harbor where the ship prepared by Mother was waiting.

Since the Elven Kingdom is located in the northwest of the Frankish Kingdom, the harbor is also in the northwest… or more precisely, in the northern region of the Frankish Kingdom.

The northern part of the Frankish Kingdom. While the kingdom generally boasts a mild climate, this region is characterized by distinctively lower temperatures, though when considering the Western Continent as a whole, it’s not actually that cold.

People who have lived their entire lives in the warm south might make a fuss about it, but in reality, it doesn’t even reach a quarter of the coldness I experienced in my previous life.

In fact, this region is considered an excellent vacation spot due to its relatively cooler climate, and wheat farming also thrives here without much difficulty.

But this is only because my hometown in my previous life was unusually cold. In practical terms, the northern region of the kingdom becomes quite cold in winter, even by the standards of the entire Western Continent.

As we’re entering late autumn, the area is already beginning to freeze over even though winter hasn’t officially started yet.

As the mysteries of winter’s deathly chill slowly begin to make themselves felt, and the cold scent of winter gradually steals away the vibrant life force of nature.

“Yaaawn…. We’ve arrived.”

“……..zzZzzZZzZZZ.”

After traveling non-stop for about two days, the two of us were finally able to set foot in the northern harbor.

This city, which serves as a major hub for herring and sardine fishing in the North Sea, presented a mixed appearance—a fishing town filled with the smell of fish and salty air, while simultaneously functioning as a trading port that takes full advantage of its proximity to the Elven Kingdom.

The areas producing smoked herring and salted sardines, excellent protein sources for the common people of this era, appear impressively large at first glance.

Fishing boats constantly come and go, bringing in loads of fish to the harbor, which are then sent to processing facilities or sold at the port.

Right next to it is a dismantling yard where large marine creatures are being processed.

The most common sight is massive whale-like magical beasts, followed by giant fish and sea turtle-like creatures.

Particularly in this harbor, where whaling has developed significantly, these magical whale beasts can be seen everywhere. These creatures are truly treasure troves, beyond mere metaphor.

The meat, which is the least valuable part of their bodies, is sold as inexpensive meat, while whale oil, used for various purposes, is in considerable demand. The baleen that some whales possess is also processed to make corsets and the like.

Additionally, the skin of these magical whales is tough, wide, and waterproof, making it useful for military tents.

The bones are light yet sturdy, so they’re processed into weapons, especially harpoons used for hunting large monsters.

As a result, this extensive whaling industry could certainly be considered a core industry that feeds at least thousands of people.

Meanwhile, the northern harbor also houses a trading port of no less scale than its fishing industry. This trading port was the result of fully utilizing the geographical advantage of being closest to the Elven Kingdom.

Perhaps thanks to the Elven Kingdom’s high-level animal husbandry and weaving techniques, the largest cotton textile trade in the Western Continent takes place here. The trade in magical tools created with the elves’ advanced magical technology is also one of the harbor’s core industries.

Some elven financial practices have even crossed over, developing a level of financial business that seems impossible for the medieval period.

In this place, which could certainly be considered the kingdom’s largest port city, Sophia and I were walking toward the harbor where the merchant ship reserved by Mother was docked.

“…There seem to be many elves, the Prophet thinks.”

“Indeed. There are far more than I expected.”

Perhaps it’s because this is the harbor closest to the Elven Kingdom. Since entering this port city, I’ve had the complex feeling that I’ve probably seen more elves than I had in my entire life.

The elves I saw with my own eyes were certainly creatures whose appearance made me realize that their self-proclaimed status as “superior versions of humans” wasn’t entirely wrong.

Each one was beautiful enough to make human eyes spin, and most elves seemed to be almost the same average height as me.

On top of that, despite their tall stature and seemingly thin appearance, the elves’ physical abilities were sufficient to overwhelm a grown man.

To use an analogy, they had muscles so compressed they felt like metal cables twisted from wire, producing strength beyond imagination, yet their bodies seemed to have a high non-material ratio, making them extremely light, allowing them to walk gracefully as if dancing.

Of course, their characteristic arrogance couldn’t be overlooked, as most wore unpleasant expressions that marred their appearance….

“We’ve arrived, Gregory.”

“…Ah. Thank you, Sophia.”

My thoughts were interrupted there. At the appointed time, arriving at the scheduled dock, our eyes fell upon an impressive sailing ship.

Since I couldn’t claim to have extensive knowledge of ships, I couldn’t tell exactly what kind of sailing vessel it was, but I could be certain of one thing.

This ship must undoubtedly incorporate elven technology.

※ ※ ※

Afterward, the boarding process went smoothly.

“Oh, excuse me! Are you perhaps the Druids who made the reservation?”

“That’s right. Are you a crew member of that vessel?”

“Yes! I’m Raul, a crew member who will help make your voyage comfortable. For now, please follow me!”

Perhaps thanks to Mother spending a considerable sum of money.

The two of us were each assigned first-class single cabins on this vessel, and as we boarded this ship that was hard to believe was made of wood… we couldn’t help but be amazed by its quality, which exceeded our expectations.

First of all, this ship was surprisingly dedicated solely to its role as a cruise ship.

A modern person might ask what’s so impressive about that, but to me, who had become somewhat acculturated to this world, it seemed quite remarkable.

This is because, in this era, virtually every ship sailing the seas doubles as a pirate vessel.

In any era, but especially in this one, there’s a deeply rooted perception that sailors lead lowly lives, and perhaps because this perception isn’t particularly wrong, sailors of this era are treated almost as potential criminals.

Navigation is so dangerous and arduous, and the pay isn’t particularly good, so due to the severe shortage of manpower, most sailors come from the poor or those with questionable backgrounds.

It’s actually an open secret that criminals often choose to become sailors to wash away their past identities.

Additionally, while merchants (capitalists) may now be called quasi-nobility or other terms for the socially privileged class, the merchants of this world are… far more vicious and lawless.

In ancient Greece, Hermes was the god of merchants, thieves, and wanderers—these three were linked like homonyms.

If someone they encounter seems strong, they become honest and trustworthy merchants; if the other party seems easy to take advantage of, they immediately become thieves (robbers) for survival and plunder everything they have.

And if they happen to meet an even stronger opponent and get robbed of everything they own, that’s what makes them wanderers.

Thus, the “common sense” of this world is terribly brutal, but this ship, despite being a merchant vessel, is purely dedicated to its role as a cruise ship, not engaging in piracy at all.

To use an analogy, it’s like an extremely rare case of a pure and chaste succubus, but if you look into it a bit more carefully, it would actually be more surprising if it weren’t this way.

The true identity of this vessel, which I had thought was just an ordinary transport ship, turned out to be a cruise ship specializing in transporting wealthy people traveling to the Elven Kingdom for tourism.

Of course, it’s not a massive cruise ship like the Titanic—it has about 50 first-class passengers and around 100 second-class passengers.

From my perspective, accustomed to modern mega cruise ships, it might seem a bit underwhelming, but for this era, it appears to be an ultra-luxury cruise beyond imagination.

Anyway, after about two days of comfortable and satisfying sailing without any particular incidents.

“Oh, I can see it.”

“…That’s the kingdom over there.”

As I stood on the deck terrace watching the sun gradually set, the harbor of the Elven Kingdom slowly revealed itself in the distance.