"AQUA! Is it really you but, but I saw, and I heard…"

"Oh, when did Ellie and Aqua become friends," I ask towards the equally agape Franz on the deck beside me.

We had waited until we were past the sea gate to reveal Aqua's condition. But talking to Franz for an hour about Aqua's supposed death was difficult. It sort of made it feel more real.

I had tried to change the subject but it seemed he was doing his best to help me through the time.

He was a nice guy.

Finally out of his shock he reruns my question through his head. "Ah right, well Ellie and Evan always hang out around the ETC restaurant. It seems Ellie and the rest of the girls bonded over something between training sessions."

"Interesting."

I have a theory what they bonded over but it seems like a selfish thought so I will keep it to myself.

"Just what are you, Cole? You 'brought her back to life' you say? Are you a spirit incarnate?"

"Nothing like that. I'm just a normal kid."

"Heh. No, Evan is a normal kid. You are…"

"Oh, you know he can hear you."

"My dad is speaking what's on my mind too," Evan says looking at me with a raised brow.

"Well, I think I'm just a normal kid. But in any case. We are going to be dropping the sail and picking up speed in a minute here. Can I ask you guys to retire to the interior of the ship? It will get fairly windy up here."

"Uhm? Ok?"

I suppose what I just said did make very little sense. Maybe I will add this just to make it a bit more confusing.

"I'll let you know once we arrive in Marrow."

The group, including non-essential personnel, went to the galley where Mirna was preparing lunch.

All that remained on the deck was El to act as our eyes, Rou to act as our map, and Triff to make sure her invention was operating properly.

"So the mark II, huh?" I ask towards Triff. "There is no risk of any explo…"

"None. These are mostly upgrades Aquarou devised. On the other hand, the spear was something entirely of my design. Again, I am so so…"

"Understood. Well as long as you learned something. But if you say this is good to go. I trust it."

{It is perfect. Steering is increased, as well as speed control of the 'engine', as you called it.}

"I see. Well, let's set our speed to 50% for now and work it up over time. Once we are in deep waters we will really see what it can do."

"Understood, Captain. Rou, would you mind cranking on that pulley beside you." Triff says indicating towards a shiny metal pulley attached to the port side of the ship.

"Oh? That's new, what does it do?" Rou says slacking the rope attached to it and beginning to pull as instructed.

"It's attached to the baffles near the magic core. It releases excess water pressure, slowing us while also forcing our ride height higher in the water. With less boat in the water, we will cause less draft. Once we begin hydroplaning we can increase thrust by closing the baffles."

"Uhmmm…"

"It makes us go faster than normally possible. Originally we were able to make this distance so quickly because Aquarou was basically cutting a channel through the ocean for our boat to travel in. This is basically the same concept without using Aquarou's magic." I explain to Rou who seemed confused by the terminology.

It was understandable she would be confused. These were ideas I had just introduced to this world. I was more surprised Triff and Aquarou so quickly figured out the concept.

After Triff was sure everything was proper I place the thin metal key into the steering column.

"Let's see what this baby can do," I say with a grin as the propulsion starts and we slowly begin rising above the water.

~ ~

Is it cheating to plow through a monster at hundreds of miles an hour? Is that still considered your kill?

Apparently.

But level 51 is useless so I'll ignore it until I hit another multiple of ten.

"Mirna what do you have for lunch?" I ask stepping into the delicious smelling kitchen.

Mirna was stirring a pot carefully when I entered, but at my words she ran over with a spoon, hurriedly stuffing it into my mouth.  

"Mhm. It's good. Soup?"

"It's supposed to be stew. But it won't ever get thick." Mirna whimpers at my response before dejectedly walking back to the pot and returning her attention to stirring. "It boils and boils but never thickens."

"Have any more of that bread flower I got you last week?"

"Yeah, a bit. Why? Do you want bread?"

"Well yeah it would be perfect with the stew but we still have plenty. I'm saying use the flour to thicken it."

"What? What do you mean?" Mirna asks looking at me strangely.

"It's called gluten. When flour is added to water it links together into long elastic strings. They are what makes up the bubbles in bread. And it causes stews to thicken. Surely this must be known in this world?"

"Mirna will try!"

"Oh! Now you seem back to normal!"

"Mm, Thanks, Captain."

"No problem, well if you don't need help in here I will go and set the table with Aqua."

"Mm. Mirna's good to go!" She grins with a thumb extended towards me. "With this I surpass mother."

I hear a terrifying laugh as I walk out of the kitchen. Is this perhaps where the nickname came from?

"Oh Aqua you are already done?" I remark when I notice the table already prepared in the dining room.

"Yeah, any excuse to stop all the questions from Ellie and Evan."

"Oh?"

"Yeah at first it was all questions about you. But then it turned to questions like 'what was being dead like?', which was kind of weird to be asked."

"You still don't remember anything from that time?"

"Nope, I don't even remember the battle. I do remember teasing you before it started. That came back to me sometime last night during the cuddling." Aqua says adjusting a glass's position on the table.

"I see," I say turning around so she doesn't see my blushing cheeks.

How can she so openly call it 'cuddling'? Sure that's what it was. but still.

~ ~

"Oh, this is delicious!" Franz says nearly dropping the spoon into the bowl of whiteish stew.

Clams, potatoes, celery, corn, peas, it was undoubtedly clam chowder. But the potatoes of this world taste different, a slight spice that really brings the whole dish together.

It also leads to delicious fries, but that's another story.

"Mhm, it really is. Great work Mirna. Another fantastic dish as always."

"Yay!" Mirna says with cheeks full of chowder.

"Properly swallow first, Mirna." El chastises from beside while blowing on her spoon carefully.

I notice El picks out the potatoes. Why? Perhaps the spice is too strong. Thinking back on it I don't think she ever ate the fries either.

If her senses are amplified does that include taste?

What about pleasure? Ah, no I'm getting off topic.

"Mirna what are these round thingies?" Ellie asks holding a clam in her spoon.

"Have you never had a Clam?" I ask Ellie who, unable to resist. stuffed the clam into her mouth.

"Captain it isn't a common food. Actually, I don't think I've ever seen anyone who cooks shells."

"And certainly nobody eats the goop raw!"

"Oh?" I ask honestly surprised by this news. They had all so willingly eaten the clams but was it really something strange here? "But raw oysters are the best. Why don't people eat them in this… Country."

I can't forget I'm in the company of people who don't know I'm from another world.   

"Your country must be weird," Franz says stuffing a spoonful into his mouth with a delighted sigh.

"It is."

"Does your country have a hero like you?" Evan asks, curious about my home.

"Hmm, well yeah. You might say that. We elect somebody to the position every four years."

"Elections! Genius." Clove says between bites.

I suppose she understands I am talking about government and not heroes.

"Is that person strong?"

"Incredibly. He can destroy the planet with the press of a button."

"That's…" Evan says with widened eyes.

Ellie nods to him adding, "Yeah, that explains why Cole is so strong."

"Well, I'm not sure they are related." I shrug to the two.

"Cole! Could these clams be harvested?"

"Oh! Now you are talking more like a Lord. Yeah definitely. I can instruct the fisherman on how to do it. It takes a bit of work but I found a good patch a few miles north of Marrow that is great for clam digging."

"So it can't be done with boats?"

"Not exactly, it would actually be great work for the kids who used to collect shells for the guild."

"Ah, that reminded me. That, that! That's one of his right?" Franz says remembering something and excitedly pointing at the painting hanging on the wall a few feet from the table.

"Yeah, it was quite a loss for the city. I thought of taking up the job of paying the kids for the shells but it seems a lot of them work for ETC carrying boxes now."

"It's true, the homeless problem is now nearly non-existent. At this point if anything we need more construction workers. The town is growing faster than we can build it. If only you could start a construction company."

"Oh, hmm."

"Any interest?"

"Perhaps. Triff, do you have any experience with non-magical engineering?"

Triff realizing she was asked a question, quickly finishes the spoonful and answers. "Some. Dwarves naturally have an understanding of materials. I think I could build a house pretty easily if I needed to."

"I see, well you and I will try and train a few people and see how it goes."

Who knows perhaps construction isn't a skill my demon abilities amplify. But, then again Cooking is, so the chances of that are low.  

~ ~

"Impossible! But, I'm seeing it with my own eyes. Did you not knock us out after lunch?" Franz asks looking at the familiar docks in the distance.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"Nope, I wouldn't do that. It's a quick ship, Triff here made it into an awesome magic tool. But this is something like a secret, hence we are sailing to port. So could you keep quiet about it."

"No problem, the hero has to have a few tricks up his sleeve after all."

"Exactly."

"Oh, it seems like we are getting a big welcome again," Rou says pointing to the large group of assembled crews. They were now wearing matching embroidered shirts with 'ETC' on the shoulder. A good investment.

A few boats were shuffled around as we neared the port. Our spot in the rear was cleared and we commenced mooring the massive ship.

Triff helped this time though so it became slightly easier. We now have directional thrust jets that could make the ship move in previously impossible ways.

But really I told her about that just as a side comment, I didn't really expect it to be possible. Could she reproduce just about anything from my world with magic? I will have to slowly increase the difficulty. Maybe I will get a 4k tv in a few decades.

"Cole! You are really back?" Karlie huffs after running full speed towards the docks. "We heard you fought in the tournament. But wasn't the tournament a few days ago?"

"It's a long story, I will explain later. From the look of it, the new crews finished training already? And I must say they look good." I say pointing towards the outfits of the men and women marching behind us.

The numbers had become more equal, men still dominated the staff of the fleets but we now had a few crews that were 60% female. It surprised me but so long as the completed the training I had no problem with it.

"Yes it was something the staff actually insisted on, I was attempting to hand out the bonuses you gave me for them but they said to instead spend some on matching uniforms."

"Oh, diligent staff. How much was it?"

"I think they underestimated their salaries, I still had one hundred ninety-five gold to hand out after the uniforms were purchased."

"So I'm not the only one who has no concept of money."

"Apparently not."

"Do we have matching hats for the Captains? And maybe a badge to go on their shirt? We could also hand out medals for acts of valor, and maybe introduce a ranking system for crew members."

"Those… Those are really good ideas!" Pina says appearing beside me suddenly and nearly scaring the fecal matter out of me.

"Well, you guys seem to have adopted the military style already so let's double down on it."

This also fits into one of my plans perfectly. In fact, nearly everything is going according to a plan I didn't even know I had until a few days ago.

"Is it true Cole is back?" Another voice says from the left side. There were the soft sounds of panting so whoever it was had run further than either Pina or Karlie.

"It's indeed true Autumn," Karlie says patting the exhausted girls back.

"Cole. Welcome back." She says emitting a big grin. "Things at the new location are going extremely well. We could serve the entire city simultaneously if we wanted to. And some of the herbs are now harvestable. The first tests have been delicious. I would love for you and Mirna to come try them."

"I would like to see the garden too Captain," El says nodding to me passionately.

"I must thank you El, all the crops are growing phenomenally. It must be due to your help with the soil."

"It was nothing," El says curtseying to the girl.

"Oh! And Karlie decided on her reward so be sure to ask her about it."

"Wah! Autumn why'd you say that."

"Because I knew you wouldn't."

"Oh… it seems you two have gotten close." Alice says with a bit of bitterness.

"Alice, don't say it like that," Karlie say squeezing Alice into a tight hug. "I, of course, love Alice the most."

I swear I saw a hint of sadness in Autumn, so it's like that? Or perhaps I'm just projecting my fantasies.

~ ~

A house. Hmm, was she reading my mind?

I had actually planned to try building with Triff and what better than a house.

But something large enough for everyone? How many is it now, I purchased twelve last month. And the rescue was fourteen. So with the crew and I, that's thirty-two?

Good God.

How many rooms is that? At the density of the Excalibur, five rooms? But I doubt the staff will want to live like that. I will build a room for each, they can decide sleeping arrangements themselves. I know some of the girls are currently living together. Perhaps… No, I won't go down that road in my mind again.

"So what do we do first?" I ask triff who was inspecting the lumber I had taken from storage. It was actually a slightly cheaper market price if I purchase it through my menu.

Really I just need an excuse to spend Merchant points. I didn't think ETC would earn them for me even when I was away. This is handy. It's like I'm earning money twice.

"This lumber is already dimensioned somehow. It is perfect for construction. We will need to carve pegs, we can drill holes with my magic tool, we need hammers, umm…" She taps her chin a few times thinking of what else she needs.

"Alright, i can get all of that no problem, if you think of anything else just let me know."      

We begin the process, Triff carves hole while I dig holes for the foundation.

The plot was large and its location was ideal, a large field a few blocks from the lord's mansion. I thought I remembered seeing Ellie and Evan walking their dog in the field so I felt bad but apparently they were excited to be our neighbors.

Triff asked me to bury a pillar of wood in dirt but I was concerned about rot. She seemed not worried about it though. Perhaps this world doesn't have concrete?

Well, I do.

"Menu."

Oh! That's new.

But really, I was excited about using my strength to build something.

This is just cheating.

I have a tab labeled [Construction]. Let me guess, there is a point system?

Bing Bing.

Oh, I'm so excited to start collecting more points…

Will I ever get an update? I think these points could be combined into a single currency that is spendable across all the menus. But I suppose I'm not a developer.

Get to work God. You designed this, right?

"Triff check this out." I hold out a bag of sandy material to her. She grips it from me and weakly grunts from the sudden weight. "It's called concrete. It will turn to stone when you add water."

"Impressive. I have a magic tool that can do something similar, but this is surely easier if all that's needed is water. Is it something expensive?"

"No, we could distribute it without much trouble. In fact, it would be pure profit. But I think it would be pretty helpful in opening a construction company, and we will have the benefit of being able to design structures unlike anyone else."

"Is it really such a handy material?"

I glance around to see if anyone is walking nearby. It's slightly forested so I was obscured enough to show off a bit.

"Yeah, you can build stuff like this with it." I select one of the designs from the construction menu and a disgusting green wire mesh appears I'm my vision. I adjust my body until the location is right. A few times I placed the wireframe building over a tree but it turned red as one might expect.

I confirm a location and drop the building in place. Surprisingly I don't have to bang on the wire frame for thirty seconds before it appears.

"Ah, that's right. Captain is incomprehensible. I had nearly forgotten." Triff says attempting to sound unfazed.

"Well not that, check out the building. Have you ever seen anything like that?"

"It is similar to some dwarf architecture, but it is typically carved from stone. I understand now the use of this material. It really is like a stone." She says running a hand over the smooth rounded surface of the tower. "But if you can build like this, what reason do we have for building a mansion."

"Well to be honest I didn't know I could do this until a moment ago. We are sharing this discovery you might say. But don't you think its kind of cheating?"

"No, why? It's simply magic. If you have a magic that can do it. Do it. It's the same with magic tools. Many dwarves say to use a chisel is better than a grind-tool. But this is a foolish belief. It is always best to use the most advanced method."            

"Hmm, I see. Well, we will still have to teach employees the proper way to build. But I would like to try building our mansion this way."

"Speaking of. How are we planning to find staff?"

"I have thought about that, I talked with Karlie about it a bit. It seems they employ alot of people part time. I was going to ask those people, starting with those still living in the boarding house. Karlie also mentioned a few of her staff that could run the business whenever we leave. Unless you want to stay here."

"No, I would like to keep traveling with Captain."

"So you can be sure I don't do anything demon-like?"

"No, I just think it's the optimal place."

"I see, well, in any case, I'm glad," I say patting her mess of hair. "I would prefer you be nearby the Excalibur. Just in case the magic tool ever has problems."

"Ah, I was almost happy there for a second," Triff says eying me with a bitter face.

"I'm kidding of course. Well, half kidding. I really would prefer you stay with us. And I think the crew has become friends with you so they would say the same thing."

"Mhm, I do enjoy chatting with El. She often says we need to stick together. I found it strange at first but now I agree. For some reason, we are treated differently by the people around town."

"I suppose that type of thing happens in any world. But enough about that, how would you like to experiment more with this magic as you called it?"

"Yes, what else can you build?"

"Let's see!"