Chapter 20 - Heading towards a war we don't understand
Several minutes had passed since Adam arrived at the library, and even longer since both he and Chrono had started searching through the books the pirate had already prepared beforehand. However, after some time, the boy had remained with his face resting on a book—not reading, but almost using it as a pillow.
"Kid, are you seriously going to keep lamenting over a simple scam? Suck it up and get to work."
The truth was, yes, despite it being foolish and even amusing, Adam couldn't help feeling like the biggest and most complete idiot in the world. No matter how much knowledge and intelligence he claimed to have, it was clear he still had much to learn about the world, or in this case, common sense. How could he have fallen for such a simple and basic deception?
“I know, but…”
“But nothing, this is a pirate settlement, I have no idea what you were expecting.”
Taking a deep breath, Adam slapped himself lightly on the face, something he sometimes did to focus. He straightened up intending to continue to read. After all, what did it matter if he had been swindled out of his last twenty coins? It's not like he needed more money anyway. What did it matter if that guy had made him feel like a complete ignoramus? He didn't even know him. So what if he had fallen for a more idiotic trick than he cared to remember, making him feel the sting of failure once more... No! Enough already.
His cheeks were quite flushed by the time he finally managed to calm down enough to resume his reading, but at least now he could concentrate a bit. Let's see, the first book he had chosen was one the archivist had recommended after their conversation on the ship. It detailed the legend of the Necrogear Citadel in more detail.
Initially, his goal with that book was to find any similarities with the symbols on the Necronomicon page. However, Adam began to dissect the text, skimming through it and focusing solely on finding specific words to dispel the doubt in his mind.
“Ocean Wisp, Ocean soul… Where are they?”
The boy thought to himself as he turned page after page, grateful that in this case, the book wasn't just a short version but something that could easily compete with an encyclopedia volume from his own world. It was nearly halfway through the book when he finally found what he was looking for.
While the text and its explanations weren't exactly a scientific report, they did offer more information than the previous book. In this particular case, it expanded more on how the acolytes of the Citadel were rumored to perform their strange rituals and creations. It mentioned that they had somehow learned to capture the soul of a living being within a mechanical container they called an "Ocean Wisp," named after the blue lights that can be seen floating on the sea during full moon nights. They managed to create what appeared to be an artificial heart, which they then placed in their creations to give them life.
“Perfect.”
One piece of the puzzle had fallen into place, but he still needed to find the rest. He persisted in searching for any references to Ancient Technology throughout the book, but unfortunately, he found nothing.
“Mr. Chrono, by any chance, do you know anything about Ancient Technology?”
The boy asked, grabbing the pirate's attention and interrupting his own reading for a moment.
“Ancient Technology? Ah, yeah, you mean the Cursed Items we talked about the other day, what about them?”
“Are Cursed Items also ancient technology?”
Adam suddenly asked upon noticing that there might be a correlation between the two; however, his hypothesis was quickly dismissed when the archivist responded for the second time.
“No, kid, listen, “Ancient Technology” is only the name some use to refer to Cursed Items, they are the same.”
"But that doesn't make sense... We were recently at a workshop of the Steamcraze Tinkerers guild and found a piece of Ancient Technology. One of the engineers there explained that this kind of machinery couldn't be used or repaired, yet you said you've seen some of it working."
Adam was visibly troubled by the situation, as it seemed that one of them must be lying. However, his concern was interrupted by the pirate's laughter, something that confused him so much he couldn't help but wonder what was so amusing.
"Sorry, kid, sometimes I forget how little you know about this place. Hahaha... It's no surprise that one of those gearheads doesn't understand the workings of cursed objects. They only think a machine or object should function according to how it's built or formed. So, if it doesn't follow their rules, it doesn't work. Even the example I gave you about the gauntlet—one of those stupid engineers used it, and he still refused to believe that it was the cause of him losing an arm."
Pausing only to catch his breath, Chrono allowed the boy to share his thoughts on the matter.
"But he said he was the 9th best engineer in his guild. How is it possible for someone like that to refuse to see evidence of abnormal functioning in his own theory? It doesn't make sense."
"Kid, you said it yourself: people's arrogance and vanity often make them think they're better or know more than they actually do. Almost all of them pay the price for it—it's part of human nature."
Said the pirate, sighing and unconsciously touching the lenses he now wore as eyes.
"So, where do Cursed Items come from? If they act the way they do, they must have been created by someone, right?"
Adam continued, thinking seriously that he might never fully understand the irrationality of people, but making mental notes nonetheless.
"No one knows. Do you know where your strange page came from? They're just found lying around and have strange uses. Don't dwell on it too much."
That wasn't satisfying, but Adam felt closer than ever to understanding something important. However, he decided it was best to simply continue his investigation.
Hours later, the investigation hadn't progressed much. While they had found more and more connections between the legend of the Necrogear Citadel and the engravings on the Necronomicon page, nothing additional or relevant had emerged. However, he had to admit that staying there and debating ideas with someone who shared his passion for investigation had been... pleasant, maybe even more so than doing it alone. It was certainly a weird feeling.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
"Hey kid, let's call it a day. It'll be sunset soon, and I suggest you head back to wherever you're staying before it gets dark."
Having lost track of time from being so engrossed in the books, Adam hurried to put everything back in its original place and safely stored his cursed page, hoping it wouldn't get too late.
"I'll head back to the ship since we'll set sail first thing tomorrow. Are you coming too, Mr. Chrono?"
The boy asked hurriedly, thinking that if that were the case, they could return to the ship together. However, the pirate quickly shook his head.
"Not at all, I have a room rented in the city center. I won't be heading back to the sea for at least a few weeks. But good luck—you'll need it."
"Oh, okay, thank you, I hope we can meet again. I'm sure we'll make more progress next time."
They bid their farewells, but as Adam finally left and stepped through the door onto the street, the man muttered a few last words to himself before letting out a final, deep sigh.
"Seriously, good luck, kid. Though I doubt we'll ever meet again, I'll toast to your swift journey to the other world."
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The sun was about to rise after a rather peaceful night. Not only had the entire group returned with plenty of time to spare, but Adam had also managed to arrive just as the evening was winding down, to the surprise of some and the relief of others.
Luckily, none of them had trouble getting up, not even Li, who supposedly spent the previous day drinking. They quickly gathered on deck to clear their minds and have something to eat, only to find the ship in motion and no sign of Gearspire Stronghold in the distance. This meant they had already been sailing for several hours.
"Listen up, recruits. In a few minutes, we'll be reaching Transport Channel B-2, a direct passage to the outskirts of Ironwave Anchorage. Understand that as soon as the ship emerges from the canal, we'll be entering combat. Be ready if you don't want to die too quickly."
Captain Magnus spoke after gathering everyone, giving clear instructions and implying that the place they were heading to was essentially a no-holds-barred warzone.
Still, the question that lingered in the minds of most of the group was about that Transport Channel—what exactly did it entail? Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, the answer came within a few minutes as Magnus had originally warned in the form of a gigantic sea whirlwind right in front of them.
"Everyman, inside the ship, now!"
Everyone obeyed immediately, entering quickly and closing the main door behind them. The ship then shook violently, causing more than one person to nearly fall.
“What is happening?!”
Kazue exclaimed in alarm, having had to grab onto Drake, who was beside her, to avoid falling. It seemed that most of the group shared the same confusion.
"We're in a Transport Channel, these are huge underwater tunnels that connect different points in the ocean using a suction mechanism, kind of like ocean currents."
Adam explained, to the bewilderment of nearly everyone. Surprisingly, it was Li who continued the conversation.
"The B-2 channel we're taking will drop us right in the middle of the battlefield, so, don't do anything stupid and be ready as soon as the doors open again."
The fact that he knew something like that was even more surprising than the explanation itself. How had he learned about such things if he had spent the entire time drinking? Adam couldn't contain his curiosity and asked him directly, as it was something even he didn't know.
“Excuse me, Mr. Li, but how…”
But the man quickly interrupted his words and turned to look at him with a bored expression.
“How do I know that? Let me guess, you lot didn’t talk to anyone at all about what we’re gonna do and where are we going, right? Just be prepared”
Not wanting to elaborate further, the man simply walked to a nearby seat and sat down to rest, leaving the others hanging. They exchanged puzzled and resigned looks, realizing that, despite his mocking tone, he was right.
The following minutes passed quickly, filled with nervousness and small conversations among the group members. It wasn't until almost an hour and a half after their descent that another jolt hit the ship, taking everyone by surprise once again; Li stood up slowly and, without waiting any longer, summoned his spellbook into his hands.
“It’s Showtime.”
He said with an unusually mocking smile just as the door to the deck burst open, revealing Captain Magnus on the other side, shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Get out and protect the ship until we reach land!"
Upon this order, the entire group emerged from the ship to witness an incredible sight... The once blue sky was now covered with thick clouds and smoke from multiple explosions and various types of weapons being fired. The otherwise calm ocean clashed with numerous ships of different sizes attacking and sinking every few seconds, even the metallic clangs and the overwhelming smell of gunpowder added to the chaos of war.
A bit dizzy from the confusion, almost no one saw a flying machine speeding above them, resembling an ancient airplane and leaving a trail of black smoke behind. It wasn't until it was right above their heads, emitting an incredibly loud engine noise, that they finally took notice.
“Incoming bombing!”
For a brief moment, Adam looked up and realized that the aircraft was extremely similar to the biplanes he had seen in history books, reminiscent of those used during World War I—rudimentary with a single propeller at the front and two composite wings. However, the symbol painted on its underside caught his attention the most: an anchor crossed with two swords, a symbol he knew belonged to the Ironclad Armada.
Suddenly, the compartment of the aircraft opened, releasing a multitude of objects that began freefalling toward them. There wasn't much they could do, given the little time they had to react. However, a voice resonated above the din of battle.
”[AAGASU WINDA]”
[Skill: Aagasu Winda Lv2] [You have seen the skill twice, data is being collected] [Low-level defense magic that creates a dome generated with strong gusts of moving air, with a diameter that can be extended at the user's will, up to a maximum of 20 meters, functioning as a shield. The air currents are highly resistant to physical and elemental attacks but dissipate after 1 minute]
As seen in the previous world, Li's words invoked a powerful gust of wind that enveloped almost the entire deck, forming a translucent dome. From within, they could see how the bombs dropped by the plane impacted and exploded violently, yet caused no harm to the defensive spell.
While the dome hadn't been large enough to cover the entire ship, some bombs did manage to impact the ship's sides. However, these impacts didn't seem to cause any real issues as the ship continued to advance without problems. The question remained: how long could the dome hold up? The plane had circled back after seeing the initial attack failed, and now two more had joined it, ready to launch another bombardment at their target.
Even though the shield could withstand the main onslaught, it was unlikely that the ship would remain unscathed by the stray bomb explosions. They needed to come up with a solution quickly. However, before the three aircraft could launch their new offensive, a barrage of missiles shot through the area and struck them directly.
*BOOM*
The explosions darkened the surroundings with a curtain of smoke, and pieces of steel rained down everywhere, halted by the wall of air and slipping into the sea… This was a war where life was extremely fragile, and death could come without warning.
“We're arriving, ready to disembark!”
Captain Magnus shouted again as some cannon shots reached the ship, impacting the shield, which resisted them without apparent problems. The shore was in sight, and it would only be a matter of seconds before everyone finally disembarked in the midst of what was clearly a fierce battle.
Enormous walls and many people surrounded the emplacement. They were fighting around it, from shirtless pirates with jagged swords to men in mechanical armor over 2 meters tall, withstanding gunfire and strange blue rays from a large number of enemies, all of whom were covered from head to toe in a metallic mesh, reminiscent of medieval knights… All of them desperately fighting for their lives.