Master Shipbuilder

"They just let us through?", asked Balm, glancing at the soldiers.

"I'm glad I didn't need any bribe this time…"

Braag sighed in relief. Suddenly he seemed to feel something, turning towards Final Fend who looked at him strangely.

"What do you mean by 'this time'?"

"Hm? Money is the best way to get entrance, young man."

Braag spoke in a sophisticated voice. Since realizing that he was the oldest in the group at 35 years old, he was glad to share his wisdom from time to time.

However, Final Fend was skeptical.

"This is still a game. Can you really bribe soldiers? I'd say if they don't want to let you in, nothing you do helps."

"And that's where you're wrong. This game is so realistic. I bribed my way towards my class!"

"Right, what is your class anyways?"

Final Fend scanned Braag but the dwarf's equipment didn't allow for any conclusion. He wore a leather armer with red decoration. A hood hung form his back. It didn't look like belonging to a thief's outfit, but rather a mage.

Braag noticed that the other party members' ears perked up as well. He couldn't help but smile, quite proud of his apparently rare class.

"I am a Missionary of Wealth! This class was quite difficult to get. It was quite a coincidence that I stumbled upon a priest believing in Serotan, the god of wealth!"

"Oh…"

Final Fend was just about to ask for more details when Silver Blade interrupted their talk.

"This… might be it!"

Her exclamation directed the party's attention towards a half wooden, half stone house not far from the gateway. A captain just came out of the broad door. One could read form his expression that he didn't have a pleasant conversation.

Final Fend had a puzzled look, but before he could ask, Watchful Eye cleared his confusion.

"The harbor master's office. You are right, young lady. They should be able to help us."

"Then what are we waiting for? My blade lusts for blood. It is time to leave this harbor.", murmured Bloody Edge with a hint of complaint.

Silver Blade nodded calmly, entering the office with the others quickly following behind her.

They arrived in a small room which was mainly occupied by two desks. Two female nephilim sat behind those, with long brown hair. The beauty of their faces could only be guessed as they were buried deeply in an unimaginable amount of paper.

At a glance detailed lists recording copious amounts of cargo could be seen, the long numbers making one's head dizzy.

"If you just arrived and want to unship cargo, come to me. If you are leaving, talk to her."

One of the nephilim spoke without looking up, deeply focused. Silver Blade felt apprehensive, not willing to bother the two women.

Eventually she could only cough awkwardly for lack of a better clue and ask carefully:

"I'm sorry, masters. Our ship was attacked by sea monsters. Now we wanted to upgrade our magic circle. Might you be able to help us out?"

"Hmm?"

One of the nephilim raised her head with a frown. She was obviously annoyed, but still gave an answer:

"Why would you be looking for us then? Go to the shipyard. The master shipbuilder's office is in the small house next to it."

"Thank you. And again. I'm sorry."

"Mhm."

The nephilim lowered her head again, declaring the conversation as over. The party didn't dare to stay any longer, leaving the office.

The shipyard was easy to find. It was an enormous building closer to the mouth of the bay. Judging from the tight security around it, the shipyard was obviously an important place.

When the party got closer, they could momentarily see a towering vessel of war which was taken care of by dozens of workers. But with a bang the door closed, hiding the inside from view.

Soldiers stood before the multiple gates, turning the shipyard into a restricted area. Silver Blade had a hunch that it would be difficult getting in.

Luckily, the master's office was accessible. An older man dressed like a worker but with clean clothes just went in, not stopped by the soldiers close by.

The party took it as a good sign, approaching the smaller building, which was some distance from the water, it's wooden exterior showing signs of wear from the humidity, nevertheless.

A few careful eyes followed them but luckily no one blocked their path. Entering the master's office, they arrived in a broad corridor leading to multiple offices reserved for the army's important shipbuilders.

Straight ahead was a slightly larger door constructed from smooth reddish wood, which was obviously not some run-of-the-mill material.

Although there were no names written on the door, the party guessed that the man they were searching should be behind the door. They entered straightforwardly, arriving in a large office.

The smell of wood and something else permeated the air. A conversation was ongoing. The older man they spotted earlier spoke to a dwarf seated behind a large desk filled with disorderly documents.

The dwarf had an uncharacteristically thin stature, but his precious black beard was long and voluminous. The black hair on his head was cut short and mostly hidden by a round white cap.

He wore a precious white robe which, together with his round glasses, told everyone that the person before them was certainly no warrior.

When the party entered, the dwarf only glanced at them momentarily before redirecting his attention to the older man.

A complicated conversation filled with scientific terminology was going on, leaving the party dizzy just from hearing it.

"But sir, I told you beam C24 doesn't fit! We need to find a solution."

"C24? Mister Podd, there is no C24 in the galleass, of course it doesn't fit!"

Silver Blade only listened for a second before losing interest, scanning the room.

Behind the dwarf one could see large bookshelves filled with books and scrolls, without any particular order. A few chests were stacked to one side, collecting dusk.

Another door was placed in a corner to the left, but a massive, intimidating soldier stood in front of it, determined not to let anyone through.

Overall, the room could be described as chaotic except for the miniature ships on display to the left of the room, which appeared to be carefully constructed and meticulously cared for. They stood under the sun which fell through a large window, easily drawing attention.

Fortune's eyes lit up as she approached them, carefully filming from all angels.

However, not everyone showed so much patience. Final Fend glanced as Silver Blade, not quite sure why she didn't move.

But he recalled that this was the first time his sister played games. It was understandably that she found it difficult not to confuse NPCs with real people.

Apparently, it was on him to teach Silver Blade some game knowledge.

With these thoughts Final Fend went ahead of the group and addressed the master shipbuilder:

"Hello, master. Me and my group could ne…"

"Hm? Don't you see we are talking?!"

The dwarf showed a disapproving expression after being interrupted. He admonished Final Fend before turning back towards his subordinate.

Balm couldn't help but snicker, looking at Final Fend. But even worse for the young man was his sister's expression of genuine confusion.

Silver Blade couldn't understand what Final Fend was doing. Although he liked seeking attention, he was usually not a rude person.

Final Fend felt embarrassed, sneaking to the back of the group, and shutting his mouth.

Luckily the others didn't think much about it. They waited a brief minute until the older man left the office, freeing up the master shipbuilder.

Silver Blade approached with a polite smile glancing at the name floating above the dwarf's head.

"Nice to meet you, Master Eronson. I'm sorry for taking your time, but me and my friends need you help. You see, the ship we wanted to board has been attacked by sea monsters.

Now it has to be repaired and the captain asked us to look for a stronger magic circle."

Master Eronson listened to Silver Blade quietly. Eventually he sighed and looked out of the window quietly, his eyes filled with intelligence apparently able to cross the entire bay.

"The ship you are talking about, it is Huber's, right?"

"Yes.", answered Silver Blade surprised.

"I told him before that stronger sea monsters have shown up. But he didn't want to listen. Such a stubborn stone!

Hah, whatever. Now he learned the hard way.

But I can't help you."

Silver Blade was taken aback. She was certain that they finally found the right person. Why would the master now deny them help?

"Don't be so shocked. We are simply too busy. I can't send you one of my men."

"But Huber has skilled men as well…"

"Huber? Skilled?"

The master shipbuilder scoffed dismissively.

Thinking about joining a captain who was obviously not held in high regard by his peers, Silver Blade had a sinking feeling in her stomach. Maybe they could find another ship…?