Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Black Feather Hawk
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Magitech workshop commissions had dried up completely. The magitech tools we'd already made weren't selling either. The reason was simple. We were producing and supplying more goods than the market could handle. Magitech tools were items used primarily by mana users in the first place. Naturally, the market for them was small. The problem stemmed from flooding the market with too many in such a short time.
Of course, even those without mana had ways to use magitech tools. One method involved refined mana stones, but it was inefficient, to say the least. The massive costs aside, refined mana stones were hard to come by in the first place. People even said it was better to just hire a mage.
That said, we couldn't mass-produce golems to sell either. Olbern's qualifications were limited to enchantment magic. Golems fell into an entirely different realm. Even acquiring cores wasn't easy. There simply weren't many discarded cores slated for disposal.
On top of that, selling them as used goods wasn't an option either. If authorities caught wind of selling golems that hadn't passed safety inspections, we'd face hefty fines. Naturally, no one shopping for golems would buy ones without safety certification anyway.
Of course, passing those safety inspections required a golemancy license issued in Azgal Rock.
'Who has time for an exam that takes a whole year...'
If I planned to settle down in Azgal Rock for good, maybe. But I'm not the type to stay in one place for long.
Still, we'd made a decent amount of money. Even after securing supplies and building extra golems, we had about nine hundred gold left. That should tide us over for a while without money worries. I poked around the shipyards, hoping to snag a new vessel, but nothing on offer caught my eye.
Commissioning a custom one would've taken too much time and cash.
"Master! I thought of a new way to make money!"
As I sorted through the finished magitech tools, Olbern burst through the door shouting. Realizing too late that he hadn't knocked, he sheepishly backed out and rapped politely.
'He throws the door open first and then does that...'
But he's cute, so I'll let it slide. I let out a small sigh and replied.
"Come in."
"Yes!"
"Alright. What've you got in mind?"
"Beer delivery!"
Beer delivery. Not a bad idea—I'd considered it myself. Delivering cold brew to the dwarves slaving away in the mines. Using a flying ship, it'd be fast, and with the mana circle's infinite mana, costs would be negligible.
But there was a catch. How much could we charge per delivery? Dwarves loved their beer, sure, but if we priced it too high, they'd balk. They'd sooner hire a mage or mana user to activate rune letters. Cost-performance would be key.
'Price it right, and plenty of dwarves would bite, but it'd be a hassle for us. Sure, more deliveries mean more cash, but...'
"Good idea, but I'm planning to head out soon."
"Oh...!"
"We'll consider it properly once the school grows bigger."
"Got it! Should I prep for departure then?"
"Yeah, do that."
I nodded, and Olbern spun on his heel, charging off with a vigorous reply. His short dwarf legs pumped furiously—it was quite the sight.
-Seniors! We need to prep for launch! Master said so!
-What? Master's orders?
-Deck's not done yet...! Olbern! Bring your Wolf Queen! She's patrolling outside!
The voices from outside the cabin brought a faint smile to my face. I finished sorting the magitech tools and strolled up to the deck, where I found my three disciples rushing about.
"Whoa! Master! Hold on a sec! Just gotta move this and we're good!"
"Take your time."
I answered Shimo and leaped to the railing's edge. Leaning into the gentle breeze, I floated down feather-light to the ground. At the same moment, I extended my hand. The two golems stationed on either side of the Black Feather Hawk collapsed with a rumble.
They were the land-crawler New Turtle golem and the recently built combat golem. Still unnamed. As I approached through the wreckage, a thought struck me.
'With all those legs, octopus fits.'
From today, the combat golem's name was Octopus.
I retrieved the cores and returned to the deck. Standing at the prow with arms crossed, Durel approached and draped a cloak over my shoulders.
"Where to this time?"
"Hm..."
I pulled a map from my pocket at Durel's question. Heading straight down across Azgal Rock would lead to Levan Poll, but that wasn't the plan. Northeast from here meant a short desert stretch before skirting the edge of Ber Kingdom territory.
First, I'd stop there to check on Raymond's status and the mage society's movements.
"Here for now."
"Ber Kingdom... We're going way out of our way?"
"Nah. Just gathering intel. Then down to Levan Poll."
"But Master... Levan Poll is..."
"I know."
I already knew the dracains in Levan Poll shunned humans. But what if you're not human? The answer lay in Olbern's rune letters.
"We'll use Phantom Rune Letters."
"The magic that changed Olbern's appearance."
I nodded at Durel's words. Without specialized detection magic, it was unlikely to be found out. And with the second mana circle's concealment power, even detection spells could be dodged.
Olbern was still at the first mana circle, which worried me a bit, but with her skill, she'd complete the second before we arrived.
The moment Black Feather Hawk reached cruising altitude. A massive mana surge erupted from the propulsion core at the stern, followed by a powerful shockwave.
Boom-!
We were off. A slight jolt rocked the hull, then Black Feather Hawk shot into the blue sky at high speed.
As impressive as it was to fly, Black Feather Hawk didn't have space-leaping tech. It took about a day to exit Azgal Rock airspace and two more to cross the desert.
The aerial voyage ended after a full five days. We'd passed the scorching sands into Ber Kingdom's lush greenery, arriving over the Gigaran Gorge at the territory's edge. I leaned against the railing, scouting a suitable landing spot.
"We crossed this distance in five days...?"
"This Ber Kingdom...? Map says yeah..."
"Doesn't this normally take months? Just days ago we were..."
This was the first real flight test since completing Black Feather Hawk. The kids were stunned by the speed, mumbling in awe.
I'd found a spot. Across the gorge, a bit from the city—flat ground with plenty of bent trees to hide the ship. We maneuvered there and began descent. A few dense trees snapped against the hull.
Crack!
"This... okay? Ship won't break, right?"
Shimo peered down anxiously, drawing a light chuckle from me. Black Feather Hawk was clad in black iron plating. A little bump like that wouldn't scratch it.
"Don't worry. Get ready to disembark."
The moment the hull touched down, I shut down all active cores. Mana dispersed in blue wisps as I tossed two golem cores from my pocket.
Whoosh-!
The cores flew out, landing at a distance. Designed to form bodies from the surroundings, the golems activated, pulling together dirt, wood, and pebbles.
Rumble-!
I hooked a foot on the railing and called out.
"Don't pack heavy. We'll be back anyway."
No inn for us—the city was close enough. We could sleep on the ship. My disciples nodded and hopped onto the waiting Turtle golem below.
I jumped down beside them and glanced back. The lone Octopus golem stood sentinel—trustworthy as ever.
'Take out anything that approaches or attacks.'
Golems' flaw was handling complex orders. Simple commands were best for efficiency. Octopus's directive: eliminate anything moving within range.
Just then, a small rabbit burst from the brush. Olbern, perched on the Turtle's head, opened her mouth to comment—when the idle Octopus lifted one of its eight legs and smashed the rabbit flat.
Thud-!
"Gasp..."
'Works perfectly...'
Command systems checked out. I nodded, starting the Turtle golem. Its massive footfalls echoed through the gorge.
Thud thud thud-