In Search of the Artisan, Part 2
Rumble, rattle.
The ship lurched violently.
I peered outside through the round porthole of my cramped cabin.
Waves swelled as high as mountains, and the sky was choked with dark, heavy clouds.
With weather like this, the voyage isn't going to be easy...
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Mr. Edward, my dad says it's time to eat."
It was the captain's son.
I opened the door and headed out toward the mess hall.
Along the corridor, I ran into Lily. Her face was deathly pale.
"Are you alright, Lily? You look..."
"It's my first time on a ship... The motion sickness is just awful..."
We walked together to the ship's mess hall.
The captain looked up as we entered.
"Alright, it's all ready. Dig in, everyone."
Lily, who was walking ahead of me, suddenly froze.
"Urgh...!"
The moment she saw the table, she spun around and clamped a hand over her mouth.
What's wrong with her?
Puzzled, I looked at the dining table.
I immediately understood why.
The table was laden with dishes of a bizarre variety.
Bluish tentacles and chunks of flesh covered in suction cups caught my eye.
Without a doubt, these dishes were made from Kraken.
"Come on, Lily, try some. It's actually much tastier than it looks."
She reluctantly sat back down at the table, but she still couldn't bring herself to put any of it in her mouth.
The captain burst into a hearty laugh.
"Ah, you know your stuff! I'm glad someone appreciates this delicacy."
Lily just kept poking at a helpless Kraken tentacle with her fork.
"So anyway..." the captain continued. "According to Lisa, if we pull this job off, she'll resume our suspended trade and even scale up the volume significantly..."
"Ah, yes. That's correct," I replied, chewing on a piece of meat. "You don't have to worry about that."
The captain nodded in satisfaction.
A hopeful smile spread across his face.
For a while, we focused on our food in silence.
The unique flavor of the Kraken dish filled my mouth.
Its chewy texture and a sharp, tingling sensation stimulated the tip of my tongue.
The harmony of the ocean's saltiness and mysterious spices created a flavor that, once experienced, was hard to forget. It was highly addictive.
After a long silence, Lily asked hesitantly,
"But... why are only the two of us going? Why didn't the others come along?"
I swallowed my food before answering.
"Well, those two need to attend the academy. They still have a lot to learn, and honestly, the two of us are more than enough for this."
"Is it really okay for you to skip academy classes, Edward?"
"Oh, the kids will cover for me."
Lily's expression grew worried.
"You're not planning on dropping out, are you? A diploma from the Lucentia Academy is a lifelong asset. It's recognized everywhere, and you can't ignore the power of alumni networks."
I nodded as I listened to Lily.
She wasn't wrong.
The Lucentia Academy wasn't just a simple educational institution; it was a cradle that produced the empire's elites.
A significant portion of key figures across the nation hailed from there, and the network they formed wielded tremendous influence.
Just having the Lucentia Academy on your resume changed how people looked at you.
Even a commoner could receive treatment on par with nobility, which often served as a major turning point in their life.
In a world where class divisions still dictated so much, being an academy graduate carried immense weight.
I shook my head.
"Oh, I still have things left to do at the academy, so I'll keep attending."
Receiving a recommendation to the academy the moment I regained my memories.
The Weapon Crafting Department, which hadn't existed in the original game, appearing just in the nick of time.
And my immediate admission into it.
I couldn't believe all of this was mere coincidence.
There had to be a reason behind it.
Besides, just as Lily said, the academy was a gathering place for the empire's top talents in every field.
With the empire's finest library, research materials, faculty, and information networks, it was the perfect environment for researching and crafting new weapons.
On top of that, it gave me the chance to interact with classmates and juniors to nurture blacksmiths and scout promising talents in my spare time.
After being lost in thought for a moment, I spoke up again.
"Anyway, it's a project-based class. I just hope those two can manage well on their own."
Professor Elena stood before the blackboard.
"Now... I will announce the second topic for the project."
She paused just as she was about to write on the board and scanned the students.
Her sharp gaze lingered on a vacant desk.
Lowering her voice, she added,
"Hmm... It seems there is an empty seat over there. Who is missing?"
A brief silence fell over the classroom.
Then, Chloe raised her hand.
"Ah!"
Her voice trembled slightly.
"Edward has been staying up all night preparing for the project, so he seems to be very sick!"
A look of deep concern was written all over Chloe's face.
She nervously fidgeted with her fingers, watching Professor Elena's reaction.
Professor Elena raised an eyebrow, staring at Chloe.
"Right, William?!" Chloe prompted.
William hurriedly chimed in.
"That's right, Professor! He was shivering so much... I was incredibly worried about him."
Although suspicion was written all over the professor's face, she didn't press any further.
"I see," Professor Elena replied reluctantly.
She fell into thought for a moment, then shook her head and turned back to the blackboard.
"Then let us continue with the class."
The captain's voice echoed out.
"We've arrived. Everyone, come up to the deck."
Lily and I climbed the stairs to the deck.
My entire body ached from the long voyage.
Even climbing the steps felt like a chore.
Lily kept whining beside me.
"Ugh, this is so exhausting. I feel like I'm going to die."
I could hear waves crashing against the side of the ship, but contrary to my expectations, the vessel barely rocked.
It seemed the weather had cleared up in the meantime.
However, since it was night, the surroundings were still pitch black.
Only the scent of the sea tickled the tip of my nose in the darkness.
Lily asked in a puzzled voice,
"Huh? But we're still far away, aren't we? It's pitch black, I can't see anything."
The captain chuckled and replied,
"What do you mean? Look closely over there. Right over there."
Following the direction of the captain's finger, I spotted a faint silhouette of an island surrounded by white walls in the distance.
Lily squinted.
"Ah... there? But it's still so far. Let's keep going."
The captain shook his head.
"What are you talking about? Don't you know all sea routes to Stonehelm are forbidden? Besides, that's not a place a normal ship can enter."
Lily gasped in surprise.
"What do you mean by..."
I cut Lily off and spoke to the captain.
"Thank you, Captain. We'll take it from here."
I shook hands with the captain and continued,
"We'll meet you back here at the agreed time."
A satisfied expression spread across the captain's face.
"Take care of yourselves, you two."
I nodded at the captain's words.
Lily spoke up, her voice laced with panic.
"Wait, what are you talking about? How are we supposed to get there on our own?"
I quickly pulled two potion bottles from my backpack.
"These were hard to get. Drink up."
Lily looked at them skeptically.
"What is this?"
Pop!
With the sound of the cork opening, I chugged the potion down.
A salty, fishy taste spread through my mouth.
It felt as if I were drinking the ocean itself.
Instantly, a strange sensation rippled through my entire body.
My skin tingled and felt as though it were thickening.
Then, both sides of my neck split open into three large slits, as if carved by a blade.
Lily shrieked in horror.
"Agh! What is that?!"
I turned to her.
"You haven't drunk yours yet? It's a potion that lets you breathe underwater. I custom-ordered it from the owner of my regular potion workshop. He's the only one who can brew this."
While Lily hesitated, I snatched the potion bottle back from her hand.
Pop!
I popped the cork and forced the bottle to her lips. Lily reluctantly swallowed the liquid.
"Urgh..."
Her face contorted in disgust.
Soon, gills began to form on Lily's neck as well.
"Ugh... this feels so weird."
Lily looked down at herself, then suddenly screamed.
"Ah! What is this now?!"
She raised her hands, shrieking.
Thin webbing had grown between her fingers.
But that was only the beginning.
Her gaze traveled down her body.
Her skin was rapidly becoming covered in scales, extending all the way down her legs like a pair of blue tights.
In an instant, Lily's appearance transformed into something reminiscent of a legendary mermaid.
Actually, since she still had two legs, maybe a fish-person...?
I reached into my backpack again and pulled out a pair of swim fins and a compass.
"Hold on. These are custom-made swim fins. If you swim with these, you'll shoot forward like you're riding a motorboat."
Lily asked, looking bewildered.
"What's a motorboat?"
"Ah... anyway, it's a thing. Come on, follow me."
Splash!
We plunged into the freezing ocean.
The effect of the swim fins underwater was nothing short of amazing.
We propelled forward at a speed that felt like we were slicing through the currents.
.
.
.
Eventually, we swam all the way to the island.
Lily shook her wet body and groaned.
"Ugh, so salty... I think I swallowed a whole bucket of seawater."
Her gaze turned toward the island.
"Whoa... where are we?"
The sight before us was overwhelming.
The island consisted of a single massive building, surrounded by high, thick walls.
It looked exactly like a fortress.
At the four corners of the building's roof, giant searchlights were installed, brightly illuminating the shore and the interior.
Under the glare of the lights, guards armed with bows could be seen patrolling.
The overall structure looked like a giant prison floating on the sea.
An isolated location surrounded by water on all sides, guards patrolling day and night, and an imposing exterior enclosed by massive walls.
Everything combined to clearly demonstrate just how impregnable this prison was.
Lily whispered, her eyes wide with awe.
"Wow... this place looks like some kind of prison."
I nodded nonchalantly.
"Yeah, it is a prison. The underwater prison of Stonehelm."
This was none other than the notorious underwater prison of Stonehelm.
Commonly known as Water Bubble Hell.