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Chapter 83

“...What’s Aquamarine’s current speed?”

“Now?”

Frances checked the dashboard in response to Leonard’s question.

“Just under a hundred knots. We’re not going with maximum speed, since we’re not in a hurry.”

An astounding speed indeed. Without being enhanced by magic or spirits, a well-crafted sailing ship could reach about twenty knots with its sails unfurled and a favorable wind. However, Aquamarine was achieving five times that speed despite sailing against the wind.

Leonard was both impressed and puzzled. “We\'re moving this fast, yet there\'s no noticeable motion on board. Is this the effect of magic engineering?”

“Yeah, it’s thanks to the shock-absorbing and inertia-neutralizing magic circles engraved on the hull. A sea serpent could slam into us and not even a teacup would topple. Though a Leviathan might tip a table.”

“Then wouldn’t we be able to just ram most monsters out of the way?”

Frances nodded calmly.

“Ramming is a commonly used sailing tactic. That’s why there are no monsters blocking our path. Even a Second Stage sea serpent would almost die from the collision.”

Even a Transcendence Tier expert would risk their life going against a Mature Demon Tier sea serpent. But in this situation, Aquamarine would crush such a monster with its ramming power.

Leonard could understand why that ruffian, Lucciano, had tried to buy Aquamarine without knowing his own limit. It was likely thanks to the ship’s capabilities that Frances had been able to maintain their Rank B status with only Marianne by her side.

“Usually, it would take quite some time to go from the First to the Fourth Sea District.” Francis proudly pointed upward on the nautical chart. “We often have to deviate from the shortest route due to the swarms of Swordfish, which could turn the ship into a honeycomb, or the Gluttony Monkfish, which could swallow up a small ship in an instant.”

“Then... Ah, I see. Aquamarine is so fast and dangerous that the monsters can’t keep up, so we can sail straight for the destination?”

“Bingo!”

Leonard’s speculation was correct.

Not all monsters were unintelligent; they wouldn’t just block or chase after a ship that could destroy them instantly. If that were the case, all monsters would have vanished a long time ago.

Similarly, even the bandits of the Seventy-Two Strongholds of Lulin would avoid attacking an expert who seemed powerful enough to kill them effortlessly.

Then, an expedition team on an ordinary vessel might take days or even weeks to reach the Fifth Sea District.

According to what Leonard had learned from his short stay at the Atlantis Magic Tower, ships built from magic engineering were rare. The four masterpieces like Aquamarine were one thing, but not even lower-grade ships were being mass-produced. Each ship was custom-made at specialized shipyards or Magic Towers, taking years to complete.

Thus, it wasn’t surprising that an unspoken rule existed among adventurers—avoid damaging each other’s ships, even if the expedition teams were engaged in an intense scuffle.

“Are there other ships on par with Aquamarine? I’ve heard of Moby Dick before.”

“Hmm... I’d like to say my Aquamarine is the best, but the three other ships are comparable to it. They’re called the Four Masterpieces for a reason.”

Frances held up three fingers, counting them off as she spoke, “One, the flagship of the adventuring crew that bears the same name, the Moby Dick. Named after the whale from that old legend, the ship naturally looks like a giant white whale. The crew often travels underwater using its submarine function, making it almost impossible for anyone to track their route.”

“Submarine function...? Their ship can actually travel underwater?”

“Yeah? Of course, Aquamarine can submerge for a few hours too. It’s an essential function for navigating underwater caves or areas where sailing on the surface isn’t possible.”

The concept of a submarine wasn’t entirely new to Leonard, but he hadn’t imagined that such a large ship could travel underwater. It wasn’t as if the ship was a martial artist adept in water arts.

Notwithstanding the individual skills of people, magic seemed to surpass martial arts by a large margin in terms of civilization’s advancements and capabilities.

“Two, the flagship of the Zaratan Expedition Team, the Zaratan. If Moby Dick is a whale, this one is a turtle. The bow and stern are usually retracted into the shell, exposing only the four legs that act as oars underwater. Its defense is unmatched among the Four Masterpieces, though it’s slower.”

Zaratan was rumored to have withstood attacks from the Sea Dragon King Leviathan, a Chaos Demon Tier sea serpent, without any significant damage. Supposedly, the Leviathan had given up after failing to pry open the Zaratan.

Not even Aura Blades or Class 7 magic could do more than scratch its surface. In a defensive battle, the Zaratan could hold out even if the other three masterpieces teamed up against it.

“Three, the flagship of the Wild Hunt Expedition Team, the Golden Hind. It has golden antlers on the bow, hence its name. It reached the level of a Masterpiece after being reinforced with artifacts collected from ruins and Rifts. It has numerous abilities, like the Drum of Prophecy, which is capable of detecting anything that’s a danger to the ship, or a doppelg?nger function to summon a clone resembling a ghost ship. And many of its other functions are still unknown.”

“Wild Hunt... Are you referring to the only Rank S expedition team?”

“Rank S is more of an honorary title for their achievements, so it doesn’t have much meaning. They rarely visit the Central City, maybe once every few years, so it’s hard to meet them.”

Though Frances hadn’t met them herself, Drake, the captain of Wild Hunt back in the day, had once drunk with Njord. However, that was before Frances was even born.

“Moby Dick, Zaratan, and the Golden Hind. Aside from these three, no other ship can match Aquamarine at sea. No matter how many ships you stack against us, the basic performance gap is immense,” Frances explained.

“Indeed.” Leonard nodded, and their conversation continued with him asking more questions, and Frances patiently shared with him the knowledge and secrets that others wouldn’t normally share.

And just like that, despite how tedious long voyages at sea could be, six hours had flown by.

The Sea Orc Den, the first Rift for the new Aquamarine to explore, finally emerged in the distance. Approaching nearly one hundred knots, the ship quickly brought the horizon into view.

But then, Frances raised her eyebrow.

“...This isn’t good.”

At the entrance of the Sea Orc Den, a gaping hole, hovering a few meters above the water, was spewing out hideous monsters.

“Aren\'t the monsters inside the Rift supposed to be unable to come out?” Leonard asked.

“Some can adapt to the outside environment and manage to escape. Sea orcs are a mutant variant of the orcs, and orcs are known for their vitality and ability to adapt their bodies to their surroundings,” Frances explained.

As they conversed, the sea orcs spotted Aquamarine and let out strange cries. They were riding something black with white spots, and it wasn’t exactly swimming in the water. As they tugged on the reins, these creatures rapidly approached Aquamarine.

The orcs were riding sea wolves, otherwise known as orcas.

Seeing this, Marianne exclaimed, “On land, they’re called Wolf Riders because they use wolves as mounts. But I didn’t expect them to be Orca Riders at the sea.”

“I know right? I read somewhere that they tame sea creatures, but Orca Riders are a first for me,” Frances responded indifferently, placing her hand on the crystal orb.

“They seem like patrol forces meant to warn or stop intruders from entering the Rift. Let\'s wipe them out.”

“By ramming into them?” Leonard asked.

“No,” Francis replied with a bright smile.

“With artillery fire! Ice Cannon, fire!”

As soon as she inputted her command, Aquamarine abruptly halted, revealing the hidden cannon ports at its bow. These weren’t the kind of cannons that fired metal spheres using gunpowder. Instead, they drew in the circulating magic within the ship to activate the magic circle at the front of the hull.

In just a few seconds, Freezing Ray, a Class 6 ice spell, was cast on a large scale, the beam targeting the dozens of sea orcs, along with their orca mounts, as they approached Aquamarine.

Flash—!

It happened in an instant.

“Whoa...”

Leonard was left speechless by the result of the cannon bombardment.

The Freezing Ray had turned everything in its path into ice—the dozens of sea orcs and their orcas frozen like statues, with a glacier looming ahead. This was all the result of a single magic attack.

Then, with a resounding crash, Aquamarine, more than capable of functioning as an icebreaker, rammed into the glacier and shattered it with ease.

“Ramming is effective, but if the target is too small and agile, they might climb aboard the ship. Since we’re not aboard Moby Dick, which has no deck, we don’t need to ignorantly rely on ramming all the time,” Frances explained.

“But you did finish them off by ramming into them,” Leonard pointed out.

“They were all dead the moment they got hit by the Ice Cannon. The ice chunks left in our path are just what’s left of them,” Frances replied confidently.

“Now, shall we prepare to explore the Sea Orc Den?”

***

Shortly after, the members were gathered again in the meeting room.

“Lorelei, Vivian. You two will be observing,” Frances said confidently.

“Huh...?”

“Why? I want to go on an adventure with my sister though!” Vivian exclaimed.

Lorelei’s mix of surprise and relief was in stark contrast with Vivian’s puffed-up cheeks.

Seeing their contrasting reactions, Frances explained, “Lorelei, you lack real combat experience, and Vivian, you have plenty of experience exploring Rifts. The rest of the team members are mostly novices in Rift exploration, so I want to let them experience it.”

There was a huge difference between having an experienced member in a team and not having one—the Aquamarine crew were well aware of that, and they nodded in agreement. They also understood Lorelei’s situation—in a mission relying on teamwork, a mage with no experience could be a significant liability, possibly leading to the annihilation of the entire team.

One miscalculation in the range or timing of a wide-area spell could result in massive casualties.

It would’ve been a different story if she had been a consistently active adventurer like Esther, but Lorelei, who had just recently managed to hone her magical skills, was unreliable, making her somewhat dangerous to the team.

“Leonard, Galano, Esther, and Ninian will be entering the Rift.”

The small team of four was enough, considering the Sea Orc Den wasn’t that large. They were all skilled enough to handle unexpected situations and retreat if necessary. As such, the chances of an accident were low.

From the Fifth Sea District onward, there were no perfectly safe expeditions. The best they could do was prepare for unforeseen events and minimize the risk.

“I won\'t assign a team leader. As you explore the Rift, you should naturally realize who’s the most appropriate to take charge. Regardless of the exploration method and objective, focus on gaining exploration experience. Returning without casualties is your utmost priority.”

Galano asked, “What’s the time limit for this exploration?”

“Five hours. The Rift isn’t very large, so you guys should have enough time to make a round trip.”

Next, Leonard spoke up, “If we find the Rift’s core and the Rift Guardian is manageable, can we attempt to seal it?”

“...I\'ll leave that to your judgment, Leonard. However, if even one member is against it, retreat.”

“Understood.”

That was the end of their brief tactical meeting.