Chapter 198: Departure

I logged back in. Today was the long-awaited day of our departure. Having completed my work as quickly as possible, I was able to log in much earlier than the scheduled meeting time. I was relieved that there would be no delays.

“Ah, Isam? You’re earlier than usual.”

Upon entering the ship’s lounge, I found only Genjuro inside. It seemed I was the second to arrive. My earlier-than-usual login had apparently taken Genjuro by surprise.

“Yes, I hurried a bit because I’m looking forward to setting sail.”

“Hohoho, I feel the same. Look, it seems everyone else does too.”

It wasn’t just me who was looking forward to the new world. Following me, our companions began to arrive at the lounge in quick succession. Within less than ten minutes, everyone except Seventh Armor had gathered.

“Oh?! Everyone’s here! Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“It seems we’re all assembled. Isam, why don’t you give a pre-departure speech?” Genjuro asked.

“What?”

Seventh Armor logged in a few minutes later, so everyone was gathered together. It’s worth mentioning that Seventh Armor wasn’t really late; the rest of us, including myself, were simply too early.

Up until a moment ago, Genjuro had been engaging in light-hearted talk with me, but suddenly, he turned to me with that request. A speech? I never considered preparing anything… Was this some kind of impossible demand?

I was about to beg for mercy when I realized it was too late. Somehow, the chatter had ceased, and everyone was looking in my direction. The atmosphere clearly demanded that I say something.

“Ah… First, I want to express my gratitude to everyone for gathering on time and without any delays. Today, we are about to set sail into the vast skies aboard this battleship. But before we embark, there are two celebrations we must speak about. Mikelo and Nenashi, please come forward.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Is it my turn as well?”

The first celebration we needed to address before departure was to officially welcome the two new members. Although everyone had already met, I always intended to formally introduce them at an ideal moment, and now was the perfect time.

“Let me begin then. As you know, my name is Nenashi. I recently evolved from a Mimic Monstervorous Vine to a Mimic Monstervorous Thorn. I look forward to working with you.”

Nenashi was the first plant-type monster we encountered. After he traversed the “Black Death Ice Forest” and overcame lady Langhort’s trial, he reached level 50 and evolved.

Although his overall figure remained pretty much the same, the evolution added dense, sharp thorns to his vines. This made it possible to deal damage to enemies simply by restraining them with vines. Furthermore, these thorns could secrete a paralyzing poison, which allowed Nenashi to bind, paralyze, and then consume his prey whole. It was a truly monstrous style of fighting.

Although Nenashi looks like this right now, he usually mimicked a bird. He bundles up leaves that look like tussocks to make them look like wings, parts that look like flycatchers to make them look like feet, and parts that look like lampreys to make them look like a beak. He could also change the color of his surface, making him appear quite like a naive-looking pelican.

The term “mimic” suited him well. He would lull his prey into a false sense of security with his naive-looking pelican disguise, then reveal his true monstrous nature to those who underestimated him. By the time we encountered him, he had already shown us his true form and that’s why we didn’t see his disguise.

Indeed, after joining us, his strategy proved highly effective against the creatures of the “Black Death Ice Forest”. Using himself as a decoy, he would ambush prey in coordination with teammates lying in wait, allowing for incredibly efficient hunting. He could very well become a specialist in deception and ambush.

“Am I next? Allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Mikelo. I am a reincarnated human and now an Evil Eye High Priest. Although I might have a somewhat scary appearance, I look forward to working with you all.”

Mikelo concluded his introduction and then closed his multiple eyes before he bowed in silence. His race was Evil Eye High Priest and his Job was called High Priest. So he was an evil eye with the job of a high priest.

The Evil Eye was a monster that resembled a huge eyeball and floated gently in the air. It spans about a meter in diameter and is covered in thick skin. From this skin, which serves as both epidermis and eyelid, ten tentacles extend, six of which end in eyeballs of varying colors.

These six eyeballs were quite unique: one was completely black, another as clear as a glass marble, one had a slit pupil similar to that of a snake, another had a horizontal pupil like that of a goat, one resembled the compound eyes of an insect, and the last one contained multiple pupils within a single eyeball.

Each of these eyeballs possessed its own magic power and was capable of inflicting damage or causing status ailments merely by gazing at it. The remaining four tentacles, perhaps remnants of his human form, ended up in human hands. Each hand was equipped with a round shield and a club.

In addition, since Mikelo has a job called “High Priest” which is a general priest-type job, he could use normal [Healing Magic], which I couldn’t. He also worshipped the “Goddess of Death and Chaos”, Lady Yifa, which allowed him to use [Soul Magic] that I could use as well.

His fighting style was to fortify his defense with two shields while attacking with two clubs and his magical eyes. If he sustained any damage, he would recover using [Healing Magic] and [Soul Magic]. He was, in essence, an armed priest who could heal himself while beating down his enemies.

Back when it was just the two of them, it seemed that Nenashi who could mimic a pelican had grasped the floating Mikelo and flapped away. Mikelo could float but couldn’t move at high speed and Nenashi could mimic a pelican but couldn’t fly.

However, by grasping the floating Mikelo, Nenashi’s flapping could generate propulsion. In this manner, they managed to move at a reasonable speed. Yet, it was this very action that led them into a turbulent air current that swept them into a storm before ultimately casting them onto this floating island.

And what the people of Saile village witnessed was the combined form of these two. From Mikelo’s round body sprouted the mimicked wings of Nenashi, making them appear as an even more terrifying creature.

Mikelo and Nenashi became the newest members of our group. Although they were both incredibly unique, there was no doubt that they were reliable companions. I have high hopes for them.

“Though we are late, let’s celebrate the addition of two new members to our ranks! Let’s give them a round of applause everyone!”

“Welcome aboard~!”

“I look forward to working with you.”

Jigoro and the others clapped their hands and each said their own words of welcome. The two newcomers, perhaps a bit embarrassed, were scratching their heads with their tentacles and wings respectively.

After a while, as the applause thinned out, the two made their way back to their original seats. It was time to move on to the next celebration.

“Another cause for celebration, of course, is that Iris and Shiitake’s items each won awards. Let’s give them another round of applause!”

“Th-thank you very much.”

“Yes, yes, praise me more!”

In stark contrast to Iris, who was quite bashful, Shiitake puffed out her chest in pride. Though their personalities were polar opposites, they shared a good relationship and were both top-notch crafters. I hope they will continue to support us as always.

At the event, Iris had secured fourth place while Shiitake had come in twenty-second. The title related to the ranking was reflected in their status so there was no doubt about it.

More impressive than their rankings, however, was the fact that they had both received special awards: Iris for the “Highest Price Prize” and Shiitake for the “Idea Prize”. Iris’s “Highest Price Prize” was a title given to the creator of the item that fetched the highest price at the auction, quite literally.

The reason her item fetched a higher price than the one that won first place at the event was because it was made from dragon materials. The price quickly surpassed what players could afford, and it seemed that it was ultimately purchased by a high noble or perhaps a royal family member.

Shiitake’s “Idea Prize” was awarded to the most innovative creation. The “Samukowa-kun” she submitted was a never-before-seen item that inflicted element damage and status ailments at the same time. It seems that the person who made the successful bid was a Beastman; he was a famous NPC adventurer on the Luxresia continent.

“I am both delighted and proud as a fellow member that the exceptional items created by the two were highly valued. However, this is not the limit of what they can create.”

As Iris and the others took their seats, I spoke up once again.

“In the Timbrica continent that we aim for, even rarer materials can be found, and I believe the two of them can create even superior items. We may face many obstacles, but we will surely overcome them! This has been a long speech, but… let us set forth! To the unknown continent!”

“””Oooooh!”””

◆◇◆◇◆◇

At the battleship’s bridge, Iris, Shiitake, and the android Towa were busy operating the machinery. The rest of the members looked on with keen interest and watched their every move with curiosity.

As for me? I was currently reclining in the captain’s chair. It’s not that I couldn’t operate the machinery, but I wasn’t as skilled as the three of them. Hence why I decided to leave it to those who were proficient. By the way, Ruby was in charge of the helm at her insistent request.

“Connection disconnected. Launch bay locks released.”

“System’s all green. Shiratsuki, ready to go anytime.”

The naming of the battleship had been unilaterally decided by the female members of our crew. It seems they asked the battleship’s AI for its name and received a pitiful response that it “does not possess a unique name”. Finding no reason to object and feeling a bit sorry for it, I, as the ship’s master, granted permission and thus the naming was completed.

With Iris having unlocked the system, the walls of the drydock began to open. At the same time, the floor on which our Shiratsuki rested started rotating, aligning the ship’s bow with the launch bay. Furthermore bands of light, or what could be described as guide beacons, extended towards the exit. This meant that we should follow to exit.

Looking out through the launch bay, I could see a clear blue sky, which made me think that when we leave the underground drydock, we will emerge from a cliff on the side of the floating island. It had all the makings of a secret base which was quite exciting!

“Understood. Then… Floating Battleship Shiratsuki, take off!”

“Taking off now.”

When Shiratsuki’s AI repeated my command, the output of the engine increased and Shiratsuki finally started to move. It lifted off from the ground, starting its forward movement slowly before gradually picking up speed.

Despite the acceleration, there was no sensation of the load one might feel on a roller coaster or any kind of shaking. This was thanks to a great feature of Shiratsuki designed to dampen impacts, such as those from being hit.

However, it was important to be aware that if the magical tool maintaining this state were destroyed, all sensations would be transmitted directly. It was located near the engine room, so if this tool was damaged, it might be better to think that the ship was about to crash.

“Wow! We’re really flying! This is amazing!”

“That’s~right~!”

As Shiratsuki soared out of the launch bay, the clear blue sky unfolded before us, as expected. We had taken off into the vast sky, which seemed to stretch endlessly.

Continuing its journey, Shiratsuki moved straight through the air. The title of a floating battleship was not for show, and it seemed there would be no accidents like malfunctions leading to a crash.

“Warning. Huge lifeform detected at six o’clock.”

“What?!”

“Displaying on monitor.”

“Th-This is…?!”

Just after we had set out, an alarm blared throughout the ship as if to setback the ship’s maiden voyage. We thought it was our first battle on this new ship, but we were left speechless by the image Shiratsuki displayed.

“Three pairs of wings… four horns… golden scales and mane… There’s no mistake. That is the Dragon God, Armadelux!”

What was reflected there was the very image of him that was on the relief in the room where we met Lord Armadelux. While the relief was impressive, it seemed to pale in comparison to the real thing. Even through the monitor, the divine and majestic aura that emanated from him was befitting of the Dragon God’s mighty reputation.

We had already exchanged simple farewells with him, but could it be that he came here to see us off? I wanted to believe that, but the overwhelming aura he possessed made me worry whether his intentions were good or if we were about to be attacked.

“GOOOOOOOOOOOAH!!!”

Armadelux looked in our direction and let out a roar. The deep, resonating sound was so powerful that it felt as though he could shake the battleship with his mere voice.

“Wh-what? Our speed is increasing!”

“Seriously? But everything seems normal in the engine room!”

Despite the surprise appearance of Armadelux, Iris and Shiitake did not neglect to check the equipment on the bridge and they were taken aback. The speed had increased without any boost in output right after that roar… Ah, that’s what it was.

“What a splendid way to celebrate our departure, eh, brother?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

If you look closely at Shiratsuki’s monitor, you can see many small shadows flitting about Armadelux’s feet. They were undoubtedly the Dragonewts and the young Dragon Puppies from the “Dragon’s Sanctuary”. There was no doubt that they had come to see us off.

And the roar of Armadelux must have been meant to bestow some kind of blessing upon this ship. That would explain everything.

“A surprise, then? The Dragon God sure knows how to play a prank, seriously.”

This grand spectacle, which we hadn’t been briefed on beforehand, was undoubtedly meant to startle us. It must have been Armadelux himself who came up with it. Though he appeared calm on the monitor, as someone who interacts with Karl on a daily basis I could tell that he was amused; his eyes were smiling!

With a grand send-off from them, we continued on our journey towards our destination. The next stage of our adventure awaited!