MYCH'S REQUEST
Chapter 3
31.
The sun rises and everyone is on their feet. It feels like everyone is accustomed to staying at Kyap's place, the guildmaster's room. Their morning is painted with a discussion as they formulate their next step for the following days.
"What is our next plan, Captain?" Ryuu asked.
*Kane unrolled the Map*
"We have two options, since we are in Mechtown, we can cross Beringia to reach the Left continent or head down to Gilword" Kane discussed.
"I wonder why outlaws live at Lacreyn, what are the chances that they can rob a traveller passing by..." Akari questioned.
"Anooo… There are actually tons of travellers passing through that area, some of them where merchants" Hikari answered.
"But why would they pass there if they clearly know that it is a place where outlaws reside?" Akari added.
"They don't have much of a choice, it's the only known pathway to the Left continent. Merchants need to gamble if they do not have a ship to sail." Kyap explained.
"That makes sense, Beringia has been used as a land bridge since then, there will always be a merchant crossing Beringia to sell their goods on the other continent" Reiko mentioned.
"But why is no one fixing the area?" Akari asked.
"Becauuuuseee! THE DISCOVERY OF THE THIRD CONTINENT ARRIVED!" Ryuu intervened.
"Heeeereee we go again" Reiko whispered.
"The Third continent named Gilword is the trade center now. Everyone travels to Gilword to sell their goods and the popularity of crossing Beringia drops down." Ryuu explained.
"As a fisherman, I actually ask why the orientation of the map is like that. Gilword is near to both continents, why is it not placed to the center on the map instead of splinting it and putting it on both ends of that map" Marvs asked.
"To answer that question, The left and right continent is the first one to be discovered. Thanks to Beringia, we are able to cross between 2 continents. Travellers named it the Left continent and Right continent for them to easily identify where they came from. Everyone gets accustomed to this setup and people back then were too lazy to name the continents" Ryuu answered.
"If they are too lazy to give names to the continent, why did they name the third continent Gilword?" Marvs questioned.
"They named the continent from the expeditioner Gilword Collumag, who discovered the land. It was a vast empty land but thanks to Collumag, the land slowly got known to mankind. Upon his expedition, he discovered that the north west of the land is near the right continent while the north east of it is near the left side continent. That gave him the idea to convert the whole land as the center of trading, and it turned out to be successful" Ryuu explained.
"In short, even though Gilword is the center continent, the orientation of the map ends that way due to the fact of the late discovery. The travellers already named the first two continents as Left and Right continents. If they made a map wherein Gilword is in the center, the right continent will be put on the left side and the left continent will be put on the right side of the map. That will create some confusion for the travellers." Reiko summarized.
"So splitting Gilword on both ends of the map is the decision that they have made. Any other questions?" Ryuu added.
"I do think that none of this will happen if they are not too lazy about giving names. If they named Left and Right continents differently, they could adjust the map orientation easily without sparking any possible confusion" Reiko stated.
"But that will split Beringia, I think historically wise, the map is correct." Ryuu argued.
"HAHA! You both know a lot about demographics! How did you know all of this?" Kyap admirably asked.
"Well we have the bloodline of the expeditioner, our mother told us that our great-great-great-great-great-grandfather is the right hand of mr. Collumag. Ryuu actually wants to explore the world as well, maybe the bloodline continues to him" Reiko answered.
"We also lack books about the history of the demographics, maybe there are still places to be discovered, WHO KNOWS?!" Ryuu enthusiastically added.
Suddenly, their discussion was interrupted when a majestic colorful bird knocked on the window using its beak. Akari opened the window, thus letting the bird enter the room.
"What a beautiful bird, I wonder what it is called…" Akari said.
"I've never seen such a breed" Marvs stated.
"I wonder where it came from" Ryuu questioned.
The bird suddenly opened its beak and replicat the voice of Mych.
"Come here to the forest~" The bird said.
*Everyone is stunned by that moment*
"Did it just speak!" Ryuu hysterically asked.
"Haven't you heard about Oshaberi birds? You had a cyan parrot when you were a kid!" Reiko responded.
"Then why are you guys surprised as well?" Ryuu added.
"BECAUSE. ITS. MYCH'S. VOICE!" Reiko disappointingly replied.
"Oooh… MYCH IS A BIRD?!" Ryuu asked.
"Can someone take my place? Anyone?" Reiko said.
"There are animals that can actually talk, they mimic the way humans talk but this is the first time I encountered an animal that can mimic someone's voice" Kyap mentioned.
"Mych probably wants to tell us something, let's head to Mystic forest first" Kane said.
"Haaaaiii~" Akari, Ryuu, and Reiko responded.
The party once again heads to the northern part of the right continent. After a couple of hours, they reached the Mystic Forest.
"Greetings" Mych welcomed.
"What do you want?" Kane straight-forwardly asked.
"Chill Mr. Grimreaper" Mych responded.
"Grimreaper??" Akari asked.
"That's the name they used to call when the wielder of the Demonic Black Scythe appears" Mych explained.
"So it is the Demonic Black Scythe…" Reiko reiterates.
"He is crowned as the NightReaper now" Ryuu intervened.
"Oooh, they changed the title now? I see" Mych replied.
"Not exactly? Kane is crowned as Nightreaper before he gets the scythe" Akari said.
"Well I think it suits him either way~" Mych replied.
"Her voice is so sexy..." Ryuu whispered.
"Now getting to the business, I would like to request a certain job" Mych said.
"A special mission from a mythic creature? THIS IS SO AWESOOOME!" Ryuu commented.
"There are some pirates who kills spiky turquoise in Coronn, it's perfectly normal but the population of the spiky turquoise is drastically declining coz they are killing them non stop." Mych explained.
"Coronn? It's on the west side of the right continent, it's far from here" Ryuu responded.
"What will our party gain if we eliminate them?" Kane asked.
"Straight forward as ever" Reiko whispered.
"Hehe, I think Mych-san is already accustomed to Kane'' Akari whispered back.
"Among those pirate, there is an individual who works for the so called mad scientist, might want to check that one" Mych said.
"That's a massive lead…" Akari commented.
"Why should I trust you?" Kane questioned.
"Hahaha… We fairies are born 200 years after the entities, then after a century different species came out. I've been watching the human race for countless of decades, It's fun and entertaining~" Mych responded.
"How old are you exactly?" Ryuu asked.
"I stopped counting after 100" Mych winked.
"I think that we have nothing to lose, we don't have any other lead" Reiko mentioned.
"Plus I kinda want to save the spiky turquoise…" Akari added.
"What do you want us to do with those pirates?" Kane asked.
"You decide, as long as the spiky cuties are saved, you can do whatever you want with them" Mych replied.
"Can you tell us which one among them is our guy?" Ryuu asked.
"But that is no fun…. Okay here's a clue, he uses alchemy coz he idolized the mad scientist~" Mych answered.
"Fine, let's head to Coronn" Kane said.
"But we don't have definite info about our target" Ryuu argued.
"She would have told us if she really wants to tell it, there's no point in arguing, let's move" Kane responded
"Haaaiii~" Akari, Ryuu, and Reiko said.
32.
The party went back to Mechtown to formulate their plan. Charging straight to Coronn will take them a whole month of travel. Upon reaching Mechtown, they start to discuss the most efficient route that they should take.
"So what's the plan now?" Akari asked.
"The only route that I know is from here, we go to Mashira, then Suanga, then Coronn. Rations won't be a problem coz we'll be passing through different cities." Ryuu responded.
"We can store a week-long supply every time we stop in a city. I guess after a month will reach Coronn" Reiko added.
"Would that be a little too long? I worry that we might be too late for the turquoise…" Akari said.
"We can travel to La Pazc then store supplies on Reganee. That route is faster" Kane suggested.
"Well good luck travelling to La Pazc, that desert will surely dry every bit of water on our body" Ryuu argued.
"Plus the city of Reganee is not that well established. The food, especially the water supply there is probably limited…" Reiko added.
"The route is 4 days shorter compared to your route" Kane responded.
"If I may suggest, I know a better route" Marvs intervened.
"What's your idea Marvs?" Akari asked.
"We can travel by sea! Remember the whirlpool on Mashira? Actually sea voyagers, like me, use the current to deliver faster. The whirlpool pushes the current, so the flow is from near Mashira to Bysstal." Marvs said.
"Oh riiight... travelling by the sea is way faster" Reiko commented.
"So we can travel from Mechtown to Coronn by the sea? Let's do it!" Ryuu added.
"We can only travel up to Bysstal. There's a current from Coronn that goes down to bysstal, travelling against the current is way slower than travelling on land. I suggest that we should travel to Bysstal using my new ship, then you guys go ahead and travel from Bysstal, crossing Suanga, then Coronn. I think that is actually a week shorter than your first plan" Marvs explained.
"WOAAHH! As expected from a veteran!" Ryuu praised.
*Marvs proudly smiled*
"What do you want in return?" Kane asked.
"Haha sharp as ever sir Kane! I don't have any savings left due to the past events, I hope you guys can pay me 5 golds?" Marvs said.
"Okay, that's a bit too much for a travel" Reiko argued.
"5 golds is actually enough to sustain a person for a month" Akari added.
"Hehe, I kinda need some starting money. I don't have any more savings, I won't be able to pay my crew without it" Marvs explained.
"You are terrible at handling your finances…" Reiko responded.
"Deal, start the ship?" Kane stated.
"EH?" Akari, Ryuu, and Reiko surprisingly reacted.
"But captain, we don't have enough gold for this. I know we all grind separately but I only manage to earn 3 golds since we have other expenses" Ryuu said.
"I got it covered. Just moved" Kane replied.
"Where did you get your money Kane-kun?" Akari asked.
"You all took guild quests which offers an average salary. I do loot, trading, and treasure hunting. It's risky but with the right approach, it earns way better than accepting quests on guild" Kane answered.
"HAHA! Hey now Kane, don't exploit the system too much, we might not get enough adventurers if you keep telling them those things" Kyap responded.
"Kane never fails to surprise us…" Akari said.
"He is basically cheating at this point" Reiko added.
*Ryuu is stunned from what he heard*
"Enough of this nonsense, move now" Kane ordered.
With a favorable deal on his hand, Marvs immediately moved to prepare for their course. Due to the updated design, the ship has a mini stable for animals, best suited for travellers like Kane. After a short while, Kane and his party arrived at where the ship docked. They boarded the ship alongside Taurus and it's wagon full of supplies.
When it's finally time for them to leave, Hikari gave her farewell and her utmost gratitude towards the party. She kneels and bow her head as the ship moves. A fellow maid from the guild taught her how to genuinely express one's appreciation through action. No words came out from Hikari's mouth, she just bowed down as she cried underneath.
"See you soon!" Akari shouted.
"Be strong!" Reiko added.
"Use the guild's messenger to update us!" Ryuu suggested.
"I thought the guild's messenger only goes to specific guilds, is it possible to locate someone directly?" Akari questioned.
"Good question. Tame your own Bird to deliver your own message!" Ryuu shouted.
"That's the best farewell you got?" Reiko responded.
"Weeeell that ain't the last one. We'll meet her again someday" Ryuu replied.
"We will, I hope she grows into something she dreamed of" Akari added.
"Are you sure you are not going to say something?" Kyap asked Hikari.
"I don't want to say goodbye…" Hikari said while sobbing.
"It will take some time before we can meet them again" Kyap replied.
"Then I'll use that time to develop myself, I'll show them that saving me is worth it…" Hikari responded.
"HAHA! You are too young but your mental fortitude is on the right track, come let's head back to the guild" Kyap answered.
Kyap and Hikari head back to the guild as the ship voyage on their course, thus the journey to Coronn begins.
Hours of cruising the sea are surely boring, everyone is trying to mind their own business. Ryuu is doing some exercise, Akari and Reiko are meditating while Kane is sleeping.
"Never thought that Kane is a sleepy-head, he also slept last time we prepared for our voyage" Marvs stated.
"Weeeell captain trains a lot, I guess this is a way to balance his routine? Or is sleeping part of his training? Makes you think, right?" Ryuu responded.
"I think he is just using his time effectively" Reiko replied.
"I think that he sleeps when there's an opportunity to let his guard down. He usually stays awake when we are sleeping, watching and protecting us." Akari added.
"I saw him one time guarding the inn at night, I never thought that he was doing it on a regular basis" Ryuu said.
"I guess Kane is more of a worry-wart than a sleepy-head, that actually explains more hahaha" Marvs replied.
"If Kane is watching us…. What's up with you watching him?" Reiko teased.
"What? I just unconsciously spotted him while I was half asleep" Akari said defensively.
"Why are you being soooo defensiiiveee~" Reiko added.
"No I am not! You are being mean again Reiko-chan" Akari replied.
"Do Akari-san like Kane?" Marvs whispered.
"Weeell she is not being honest to herself" Ryuu whispered back.
"YOU TWO! STOP WHISPERING!" Akari yelled while blushing.
33.
Weeks have passed and they are still cruising the sea. It was a peaceful week but all of a sudden, a Giant sea serpent appeared.
"THAT THING IS HUGE!" Ryuu screamed.
"It is the Giant sea serpent, that's the indication that we are near to Bysstal" Marvs said.
"I don't know if I should be glad that we are near to Bysstal coz I'm kinda doubting that we are even gonna reach our hometown" Reiko responded.
"Should we attack it or something?" Akari asked.
"Don't worry, I'm on it" Marvs stated
Akari, Reiko, and Ryuu tilt their head as the sign of curiosity of what Marvs said.
"Ahhm.. Marvs, I think you should probably do something, that Serpent will sink your ship any second now" Ryuu said.
"It's me! Remember me?" Marvs shouted.
"Is he talking to the serpent?" Reiko whispered.
The Giant sea serpent slowly calmed its movement and bent over to shorten their distance.
"I'm not sure but I guess he is, and it's working" Akari whispered back.
"I knew you'll remember me! We are just trying to reach Bysstal, mind letting us pass?" Marvs asked.
The Serpent moved back and let them through.
"WHAT JUST HAPPENED?" Ryuu questioned.
"Haha, I guess you guys don't know, every captain of the boat can talk to the serpent, if you can't communicate with them, you are not worthy to lead a ship" Marvs explained.
"That's the only way to be a captain? What would happen if someone forcely tried to be a captain without that special skill?" Reiko asked.
"Then the Serpent will sink the ship. Yearly, we have this event called Serpent's test, wherein we will all ride a small boat, individually, and fishermen like me, will take turns on talking to the serpent. The serpent will destroy your boat if you are not fit to be a captain, those who did not sink will be honored as a captain when we get back home" Marvs answered.
"Sounds deadly…" Akari commented.
"Not much, the participant will jump out of the boat before they get slammed by the tail. There are also rescuers nearby and for the record, no one died from our tradition. Those who failed the test can be a crew member and try it out next year." Marvs responded.
"That is so amazing… So you need to be chosen before you become a captain of the ship, CAPTAIN YOU SHOULD TRY AND PROVE YOUR WORTHINESS!" Ryuu said to Kane.
"That is a waste of time, I don't need to prove anything" Kane replied.
"But I can proudly call you Captain when you surpass the serpent's test!" Ryuu argued.
"Then don't call me that" Kane responded.
"Stop bugging other people" Reiko said to Ryuu.
"I think Kane is right, as of now we need to reach Coronn ASAP, we could try it out when it happens, who knows?" Akari added.
"Haaaaaii~" Ryuu disappointedly replied.
After weeks of traveling by the sea, the party finally reached their hometown Bysstal. As per deal, Kane paid Marvs 5 golds, securing his first month of saving. They went down from the ship and said goodbye to Marvs, also thanking him for being part of their journey.
"Feels good to be back!" Akari stated.
"I never thought I would miss this place, it's been a while" Ryuu added.
"Is it just me or is everyone staring at us?" Reiko mentioned
"Yeah, I kinda feel the same way…" Akari responded.
"Com'on, don't overthink, maybe they are just surprised that we came back here after a couple of months, and besides we grew a lot, you two are quite famous before we even head out" Ryuu argued.
"There is something off…" Reiko said.
"Maybe Ryuu is right, let's just ignore it" Akari said.
While they are walking, a man approaches the party. He is in tears and shaking.
"Hokori Kane… it is you… I can't believe that you are alive…" the old bearded man said.
"Get away from me, I don't know you" Kane said.
"You can't remember me? I'm the one who hired you and your brother. I admired your perseverance back then, that's why I was shocked when I heard that you are still alive, the rumors are true!" the old bearded man said.
Akari, Reiko, and Ryuu are shocked, they couldn't even speak due to the things that they heard.
"You got the wrong guy, I'm from the east, now stop bothering me. Come on, let's go"
The party rode in the wagon while Kane ordered Taurus to move.
"WHAT IS HAPPENING!" Ryuu hysterically screamed.
"I knew there's something wrong!" Reiko added.
"Okay, okay, let's all calm down, NO ONE WILL PANIC" Akari panicky said.
"WHY ARE WE RIDING SO FAST, WHERE WE HEADING?" Ryuu hysterically screamed.
"Can you stop questioning everything?" Reiko responded.
"WHYY???" Ryuu replied.
"We are heading to Barry, he needs some explaining to do" Kane seriously said.
Upon arriving at the guild, the party immediately head to the guildmaster's room where they saw Barry, the Guildmaster, piled with numerous paper reports.
"Explain yourself, what is happening here?" Kane said.
"Thank goodness you guys are back! Things are getting out of control!" The guildmaster said.
"Gramps, what is going on?" Ryuu added.
"A few weeks ago, right after the proclamation of the new Guildmaster on Mechtown. Rumors spread that the one who helped Kyap to overthrow Kayle is the child who they thought died with his brother. They made this conspiracy that it's Kayle's fault, that's why you seek revenge and people here in Bysstal go crazy, linking every narratives until they conclude that it was you!" The guildmaster explained.
"That is messed up! But how? Why?" Ryuu responded.
"Maybe they started this rumor to pin it all to Kayle… Covering the whole story.." Reiko mentioned.
"It's a perfect story to keep their identity hidden…" Akari added.
"These undercover shenanigans are driving me crazy!" Ryuu shouted.
"I don't know what to do, they keep asking me for answers but I just keep telling them that I am shocked as well" The guildmaster said.
"Kane, what do you think?" Akari asked.
"For now deny everything, we have papers to back up that I am from the east. Since changing names is impossible, all I did was to hide it and go with random code names. I know that I cannot hide my identity forever, we'll make sure that they'll be on the same page soon" Kane answered.
"I bet the pirate guy on Coronn can give us some answers!" Ryuu suggested.
"Finally, some great ideas from you" Reiko said.
"Then we'll head there immediately, let's move" Kane replied.
"It was nice seeing you again, gramps, thank you for covering for us! byeeee!" Akari mentioned.
The party sprint out and ride the wagon again, they are furious, confused, bothered, all of the same time as numerous questions pops out of their mind.
-We accepted her request but we never thought that the situation here was seriously insane, she probably knew about it and indirectly led us here… We'll uncover the real deal of Mych's request...