A rest being gently swayed by the docked steamship felt like a dream he had not felt ever since he left Angla, but it did happen, and Hans woke up the very next day appreciating this.

On the other side of the room, Ulster also woke up feeling refreshed, but for a different reason. While it was also due to exhaustion of sea travel, he also started his research on the history of Pol Hain. Normally, he could stay up all night with the help of some coffee, but the mental exhaustion made him realize that he strained his brain a bit too much and decided to rest, feeling better the next day. He walked out of his bedroom with Hans already preparing some hot water.

"Morning, Hans," said Ulster with a big yawn from his lupine maws. He looked out the porthole and said, "Still can't believe we actually made it here. The land of dragons."

"That moment where it ended almost felt like a dream, isn't it? Imagine the possibilities we can find here. Even Pol Hain looks more interesting than Angla at night. Good ale, too."

"Haven't got time for a pint, unfortunately," said Ulster. "Been doing some visits to the library as soon as I knew where it was."

"Blimey. Can't you take time to relax, Ulster?"

"Force of habit. Can't help it. I mean, you can't just arrive in a new land and simply shrug it off, right? Even you might be interested about this town's history. In any case, you might want to go to Adeline and see her plans are. While you accompanied Azureath, she was already starting a trade with the locals."

Hans already knew that. The impromptu trade Jamie started did gave them some money to buy some drinks and to fund themselves with the currency of the Western Region. In fact, Hans was already aware of this back when they just started their travel from Angla. With the resupply on Raptor island and with Keeshar's suggestions on tradable goods, the explorers managed to gain a foothold in trading with the people of Main as opposed to being given donations, which was never their attention.

"And right now, Addy is helping with establishing a trading post," said Ulster. "I never would've thought about living an extended time away from friends and families, but this land has already piqued my curiosity."

"I see." Hans then quickly caught on Ulster calling Adeline 'Addy', and said, "When did you call her 'Addy'?"

"Oh, uh...ever since we passed through the storm," said Ulster, sheepishly.

Hans could only let out a smirk.

"W-what?"

"You like her, don't you?" teased Hans.

"W-who wouldn't?! She's smart, she's well-spoken, and on top of it all, she has red fur! I mean, sure, she isn't a vixen, but..."

"Okay, okay, I get. You like her. You don't need to say it like you're confessing a forbidden love or anything," interrupted Hans. "Did she know, though?"

"W-well." Ulster rubbed the back of his ear. "Haven't had a chance to say it to her."

"First time?"

"No! I just said I am into vixens, right?"

Hans caught on quickly. Ulster clearly had a past relationship with a werefox, a subrace of therianthropes common in the Adaline region, or so he gathered from the book he read on the ship.

"I can help you if you want," said Hans.

"I appreciate your help, but no, thank you. I'll do it on my own pace."

"Well, suit yourself then, mate."

Hans and Ulster gave each other a nod as the kettle let out a whistle. Hans promptly turned it off and said, "Care for some tea?"

"Might as well," replied Ulster.

The tea was a reminder of home in faraway land, one that Hans could appreciate. Still, he was in no hurry to go home and bring the good news. A simple letter would suffice. He knew Lilac would understand his decision to stay. In fact, he planned to write her a letter of invitation to travel to Pol Hain if she chose to.

But before all that could happen, there was still a problem concerning the Blackjack's return journey.

Jamie had already accepted that Azureath would not be joining them on the return journey, especially after he heard that she liked it back. That, however, presented a big problem if they wanted to return. Without her, crossing the Ocean Between through the dangerous and deadly storm would be impossible. Her help was very instrumental in keeping the expedition alive, but at the cost of exhausting her and even damaging the engine, which Henrietta and her team was still trying to fix.

Thus, he pondered as he walked around the port, smoking Hrashiran's tobacco gift on his pipe, looking at the ships docked there and the dragons flying above him. He started to wonder about the technology used on the ships of Main, and how they seemed to travel seemingly unaided by a loud engine that took almost one-third of Blackjack's full three compartments. Like the Blackjack, they did not use a sail, but unlike the steamship, there seemed to be no smoke exhausts or any engine: they seemingly moved unaided by propulsion.

Was it the thing they called 'magic' here? Thought Jamie. He could try and ask one of the sailors.

Jamie already had a general idea of the wide variety of races in Main, most of which were not even human or even have an ability to shift between forms like a pureblooded werewolf. The humans, too, were very diverse, with lots of different skin colors and facial appearances. The wide variety of races could overwhelm those who only knew either a werewolf or a human, which fortunately was not a problem with the crew. However, with an open mind, friendly attitude, and the Raptors' gift (technically Azureath's gift), Jamie would be able to get some useful information.

Thus, it was easy for him to simply approach a group of Mainian sailors preparing for the day's journey. The sailors were a mix of many races. Some were distinctively human, but others were beast races. Jamie could see a tiger person and a smaller leopard person hauling supplies for a fishing trip.

"Ho, there, sailors!" greeted Jamie, which drew the attention of the tiger.

"Hi," said the tiger. "You're the captain of that steel ship...Jamie Hines, right?"

"That I am. Readying yourself for the day's haul?"

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"It's the season. That storm brought fishes to warmer waters, so might as well get them before they got too deep into the Ocean. Ship's not good enough to cross the ocean like yours."

Jamie laughed. "Well, that ship's not either, but she has a fine crew with her. Say, I wonder. I notice your ship moves without any propulsions or sail. What's your secret?"

"Oh, it's no secret if anyone's using it. Well, except your ship. Don't want to offend you, but that ship's very polluting."

"And yours don't?"

"Nah, friend. Magicite doesn't produce waste. The worst they do is change the wave too much for the ship to stray, but I trust the artificer. All we have to do is ride the waves and get to where we go."

"Where can I meet him?"

"In the workshop on Glidern road. It's on the first alley you find when you reach the road. Artificer name is Thyrell. He'll have the answer you seek."

"Right." Jamie then tipped his sailor's hat and said, "Good fishing, mate."

"Sure will. And it's Shahri."

Jamie nodded and walked up the docks, looking back to see the tiger returning to his work hauling supplies to his modest fishing ship.

Considering that it concerned the ship's engine and the necessary upgrade to cross the sea without a dragon's aid, Jamie decided to bring Henrietta and Cillian along. Henrietta Fischer, being the one who understood the reciprocating, coal-powered steam turbine, might want to know the details. While Cillian, being an inventor responsible in setting up the experimental rain-catcher water reclamation unit used to supply the ship's water, would be interested in learning more. Thus, he returned to the ship and called the two to follow him to Glidern road.

It wasn't hard following the signs to Glidern road. In fact, it was just one block behind the buildings near the harbor. And was given a proper sign indicating it. Compared to the wide avenue used to accommodate dragons, Glidern road was closer to than of an alley where only smaller-sized races could enter. The road itself was a marketplace and workshops for different ship parts, along with blacksmiths helping to smith utensils and what Jamie noticed to be weapons like swords. Considering how those weapons were considered obsolete with the advancement of rifling technology back in Ternor, it felt a little out of place with the magic-powered ships that did not pollute the air as much as the Blackjack was.

Jamie wasn't sure what an artificer was, so he approached the bull-headed blacksmith and said, "Hi there. Do you know Thyrell?"

"Inside the shop with magicites," he said while pointing at a nearby door. "And careful. Those things are fragile."

Jamie nodded, followed by Henrietta and Cillian. Both knocked at the door and said, "Come in." Prompted by it, the werewolf opened the door and walked into the shop. It was full of weapons on display along with the more common utensils such as kitchen knives and tacks. On the other side of the room, however, were crystals, some of which were floating, and others dull in color. The sight made Cillian let out a 'wow'.

"Been around for a hundred years and I have never seen such interesting fellows," said a voice. Jamie turned towards it to see a human leaning by a door smiling. Looking at the human made him unsure, since the voice was clearly that of a man, while the human clearly looked feminine. That was, until he saw a pair of long, pointed ears among his dark hair and the more angular-looking face. The 'human' had a dark brown skin and bright yellow eyes and wore a tank top with an open midriff and a pair of baggy pants tied with a sash. His hair was straight and fair, which made his appearance even more androgynous.

"I assume you are Thyrell?" said Jamie, without a pause.

"And I assume you are Jamie Hines, correct?" He held out his slender hand. "Thyrell Andoril. I saw your ship docked yesterday and I must say, that is a feat of engineering I have never seen since we abandoned it years ago. Can't say I understand it, even if we were more industrious back then."

"You said a hundred years," said Cillian. "How, uh...old are you, exactly?"

"150 years and counting," he said with a smile. "I am older than some dragons, but I am still young in elven years. Anyway, I don't think you are here to discuss how old I am. How can I help?"

"Ah, you see, I am sure you are aware how...polluting our ship is, and how we came from a land beyond what you call the Ocean Between."

"Ocean Between? We never called it that."

"Well, our friend the dragon did."

"Only after she risked her life crossing the ocean. But in any case, I can start to gather what you're trying to ask me. Your draconic friend is essential in getting you past the storm safely, but with her deciding to stay, you need a way to sail back without her assistance."

"You got the gist of it," said Henrietta.

"Well, I'd say I can help, but this is the first time I am doing this, too. Haven't had anyone with enough courage to sail the ocean, or anyone who cared, for that matter, especially not while the land is still recovering from the wars."

"We will pay you whatever you need, Thyrell," said Jamie. "We just need an assurance that this isn't a one-way trip."

"Money is not the issue here. In fact, I can tell you don't even have a magicite installed in your ship, and your ship is clearly not using Arcanic alloy."

"Magicite?" asked Cillian.

"Arcanic alloy?" asked Henrietta.

"This is magicite." Thyrell held up a glowing orb crystal. "It's a transmuted crystal with high mana output. It's much more efficient than using spells all the time. You might already noticed some of our appliances and technology powered by this beauty."

"I see," said Jamie, rubbing his chin.

"And...." Thyrell took a slab of unprocessed, green-colored steel slab. "This is Arcanic. It's an alloy of iron and Theretium. Unlike regular metal conductivity, Theretium enhanced the conductivity of any elements that came out of spells. Since iron is already a conductor for lightning, Theretium will make a lightning magic twice as destructive."

"I see," said Cillian. "With the magicite, the Theretium within that alloy will react, causing it to become a conductor. It is a form of semiconductors used in some electronic equipment."

"You caught on fast. However, steel is not very conductive when it comes to mana, so it will not transfer mana as well. All you do is simply destroy it will enough force."

"That means we need to retrofit the Blackjack to use magicite," said Henrietta. "But is it possible to use those magicites as fuel? I can tell that we will not have enough coal given that we burned most of it for detours and we assumed that Pol Hain also has coals."

"It is easier for me to look at your engine and propose a solution," said Thyrell. "So, am I invited in your ship?"

"Sure," said Jamie. "But Henri's the lass of the engine room. You talk to her and be nice, eh?"

"I'll make sure of it, kapitan," said Henrietta with a smile.

The four walked out of the blacksmith, with Thyrell telling the minotaur blacksmith that he was going out for the moment. The minotaur told him to be careful, with Jamie inadvertently listening in due to his sharp ears. The big bull man was concerned for Thyrell due to his small physique, but the elf told him he would be fine and kissed the minotaur on the cheek quite lovingly that Jamie momentarily forgot of his gender.

As they walked back, Jamie said, "Do elves look...well, can't say this without being offensive, so..."

"Oh, I know what you mean. The humans that I met a long time ago wondered the same thing. Elves, be it forest, dark, drow, or city have similar physiques, regardless of their occupations. It is amusing to see how people can be easily mistaken."

"And you are not annoyed by it?"

"You learn to just accept it after living for far longer than any sapient races. Most of my human friends already died while I am still in my prime. I survived the hundred years war and witnessed its start and its conclusion. After all that, I am still 150 years old. It is comparable to being 30 for humans."

"30, huh? Might as well start and settle down by that point."

"Oh, I already did."

"With a partner, I mean."

"I said I already did. Kanta's my husband."

"Husband? Kanta?"

"Kantarios, the minotaur? That blacksmith with a scruffy, bovine face and full of muscles? The one I just kissed?"

Hans looked at him, stunned. Not only was the continent more progressive when it came to love, it also had a very unusual pairing. He started to wonder about how they handled each other in the bed, considering that one was a big bull man and the other an androgynous dark-skinned elf half his size.

All he could do was chuckle in amusement as they reached the docks.