Ch.231231. Voyage (1)

After a while, having completed all our travel preparations, we set off on our journey to join them.

“We’ll be back!”

“Yes, take care of yourselves!”

With my mother’s caring farewell echoing in my ears, I ‘opened’ the forest and quickly formed a temporary warp gate using my power as the acting manager of the Aleinos Forest.

The meeting place with the elven exploration vessel I had paid to charter was none other than Venice, a city-state of the Holy Empire that I had visited once before.

Particularly because I had been there before, we were able to instantly travel to the vicinity of this city through the warp gate….

After entering Venice riding our animal friends from the outskirts, we soon met the owner of the vessel we had chartered.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Hero of the Grove!”

“Oh, thank you. …But you don’t seem to be a crew member.”

“That’s correct. I am the owner of that vessel and, though inadequately, serve as a director at the Royal Trading Company!”

“…I apologize for my mistake.”

The elf who introduced himself as both the ship owner and a director of the Royal Trading Company immediately treated me with almost excessive friendliness. Sensing that while there were certainly political motives, there was also genuine personal admiration mixed in, I responded to him pleasantly.

“Haha, you are truly a humble person. Is this what they call the dignity of a hero?”

“Ahaha….”

Thanks to this, I not only elicited a favorable response from him but also easily obtained detailed information about the exploration vessel we would be boarding.

First of all, elven long-distance exploration vessels are basically ships designed for the entertainment of high-ranking elves.

In elven society… more precisely, in high elven society, there was once a trend of exploring and pioneering uncharted territories. Because of this, exploration became almost a hobby for the wealthy class in high elven society.

Since this vessel was designed for exploration as a hobby, it seems they paid great attention not only to long-distance navigation but also to passenger comfort and safety.

The interior, formed as an independent dimensional space, resembles nothing less than a high-class hotel in its facilities, with elven refined taste reflected in everything from design to artistic aspects.

Luxurious cabins reminiscent of suite rooms. An open kitchen and dining area where chefs prepare and serve food right in front of you. A bath as large as a public bathhouse, spaces for enjoying simple sports, and even a small theater.

This vessel, which brings to mind a modern luxury cruise ship, was also more than adequate in protecting the ship and its passengers from external threats.

The main wood used in the ship’s construction is Fairy Hardwood, which grows only on the island where the Elven Kingdom is located.

This magical plant, which has an almost pinkish red color, is not only incredibly durable but also highly valued as a material for enchantment.

Thanks to this, when protective magic is applied to this wood, it creates a durability that can deflect even cannonballs. The elves coated the exterior with a material made by mixing Fairy Hardwood sap with several alchemical reagents.

This white paint not only prevents the wood from deteriorating in salt-laden seawater but also has the characteristic of being able to resist matter-destroying magic—the ship’s natural enemy—through its high magical resistance.

Moreover, these ships are not lacking in offensive capabilities either, with the most representative being the magical cannons installed throughout the vessel.

These cannons, which condense magical power and fire it like beams, are installed with nine on each side and three each at the front and rear. Their firepower is comparable to the attack magic of a decent intermediate-level mage.

They use atmospheric magical power or magical power scattered across the battlefield as fuel. Recharging typically takes about a minute if left alone, but only 10 seconds if magical power is injected through the magic tank.

If it were to engage in battle with determination, it wouldn’t be difficult for this single vessel to sink dozens of ships.

In addition, the roster of crew members boarding this vessel was quite impressive.

“These are our crew members.”

[[[We look forward to serving you—!!!]]]

“Y-yes. Though it will be a short time, I’ll be in your care.”

Since elves have such a small population and scarce workforce, most ordinary sailors are Sahagin, a half-human half-fish race, but the fact that all the remaining personnel are elves proves this point.

Of course, it’s almost a given that the captain, navigators, magical navigators, and other important crew members like harpoonists are elves.

The quality of the ship’s commander (captain), magical navigators for when magic is needed for navigation, and intermediate warriors (harpoonists) who board to counter mid-level threats is extremely important.

But it’s no exaggeration to say that considerable effort went into ensuring that even the servants assigned to menial tasks like cleaning, the chef in charge of on-board cooking, and each staff member providing direct service are all elves—positions that would normally be filled by humans.

Additionally, the Sahagin—who could be described as fish-people—hired for manual labor and shipboard close combat are also an extremely powerful force.

“May we board now?”

“Yes, please do come aboard!”

Thanks to this, we were able to alleviate some of our concerns about the perilous voyage and happily boarded this exploration vessel.

An exotic landscape awaited us.

※ ※ ※

As has been mentioned several times, but worth stating again, sea voyages that rely on a single ship are extremely dangerous endeavors.

First, the natural environment of the sea in this world is so abnormally treacherous that “deformed” would be an apt description. Second, dangerous creatures in the sea target and attack ships.

Additionally, if you’re in coastal waters, you must also consider potential engagements with the swarming pirate factions. For these reasons, most people have developed an aversion to the sea environment.

The basic sentiment is that no matter how desperate one might be, they would join the army on land rather than “go crazy” and serve in the navy.

The shortage of personnel is so severe that in port city taverns, sailors—or naval personnel—destined for long-distance voyages are “voluntarily enlisted.”

…This isn’t some outdated marine fiction—recruitment officers actually deceive poor people or intoxicated young men at ports into enlisting, or they raid under the pretext of conscription and “voluntarily enlist” dozens of young men.

When skilled personnel are lacking, they don’t hesitate to attack other ships and kidnap crew members. Naturally, crew members brought on board this way aren’t treated properly.

Their wages are basically only about half of what regular sailors receive, and under the pretext of “technical training,” the captain and senior sailors take half of even those meager wages.

Furthermore, after entering the third year on board, wages increase rapidly according to law, so unscrupulous ship owners set the (slave) contract period at exactly three years to save even those paltry monthly wages.

Even when the contract ends, instead of returning them to their hometowns, they’re often just dumped at the nearest port or island. It’s no wonder people avoid life at sea.

At this point, one might question whether these are legitimate vessels at all, and it’s easy to think they’re more vicious than ordinary pirates….

In fact, that’s correct.

In other words, ships in this era are basically doubling as pirates.

However, those who openly declare themselves as pirates are quite rare, and most vessels (pirates) typically commit their acts in the open sea, where the influence of legal authority is virtually non-existent and evidence can be easily destroyed.

Therefore, the danger of the distant seas isn’t simply due to the harshness of the natural environment, and supply issues compound the problem.

Even though elven vessels are equipped with desalination facilities and small aquaculture farms, the resources consumed during navigation are so massive in various ways that it’s impossible to provide adequate service commensurate with the cost for unrestricted long-distance voyages.

Therefore, this vessel planned to move gradually to our destination, the Kingdom of Corea, by stopping at several ports along the way.

We would travel through a city on the outskirts of the Death Desert located in the center of the South, East, and West continents, regroup in the Siloka region of the Indian subcontinent where elven colonies are established, touch the open port of Macho in the Wu continent, and then head to the Kingdom of Corea.

“Hmm….”

“A-are you perhapsh feeling uncomfortable?”

“No, I’m just not quite used to the sea air yet.”

So, about four days after starting our voyage, this exploration vessel was preparing to stop at an intermediate port as we approached the ‘Death Desert’….

‘…Huh?’

Suddenly, my senses—or more precisely, my gaze—caught several vessels in the distance, deliberately charging toward our ship.

They were adorned with so many attachments that it seemed excessive, and they flew a flag with a black background and what appeared to be a biting figure painted in white dye.

‘…Pirates?’

It was the flag of the notorious orc pirate fleet in this region.