Book 4, Chapter 34
The Beast Bone
Alert: Minor offensive content against j.a.pan.
------------------
"But what??"
γγ "We
can't transport the corpse because it's too big!" γγ
γγ
"So
it's not here?" Zirai asked.
γγ The old designer slowly turned around. "It's
sitting over the mountain yonder. You need to move it here on your own. The
cave is guarded by some monster recently and I never tried to
enter the place ever since. If you can chase the monsters away and move the
corpse here, I'll help you build a large wars.h.i.+p. You won't even need to pay
for the keel."
γγ "Right
on it!" I led everyone and rushed towards the mountain's direction.
But
the old man stopped us from behind.
γγ "Not yet!
I'm not finished. The beast's evil power still remain on the corpse so it is
too dangerous to approach. Use this to purify it before touching anything!"
He took out a crystal bottle from behind his back. "Take this holy
water to banish the devil. Just spray some of it on the corpse."
γγ
γγ
γγ He
called it a mountain but the place is actually a big dirt clump, not any
larger than a small park. It took less than 30 minutes for us to climb over the
terrain.
There's the cave. We don't see anything at the entrance besides
some twisted gra.s.s and weed.
γγ "Where
are the monsters?" Coin watched around the area.
γγ "Maybe
they're inside." I told everyone to stay on guard. I also drew my weapon
to prepare for any encounters.
γγ We
reached the entrance. There's a lone pa.s.sage leading towards deeper inside. After a dozen meters we
entered a large stone hall. A series of blue magic lamps hang on the wall
around us, making the hall bright as day. The bone carca.s.s of an unknown
monster is located in the far end.
γγ From
the remains I can tell the thing was at least 300 meters in length when alive. Even
Lucky would feel like a kid compared to it. The corpse lies in a coiled
position inside the cave. The breast part should be somewhere around 200 meters
long, which means our s.h.i.+p will come out around a similar size when finished. We
should be able to put several crystal cannons on a s.h.i.+p like that.
γγ "WHO
DARES TO DISTURB MY SLUMBER?!"
A loud, aged voice boomed around us, making
us jump.
γγ Zirai
looked around without finding anything, so she just spoke towards the ceiling.
"Who are you?" γγ
γγ
"I
am the divine beast, Bi-Lin." (*) γγ
γγ
"And
where are you?" γγ
γγ
"Right in front of you!" γγ
γγ
"In
front??"
γγ "You
claim that you do not see this magnificent body of mine? Your joke is
appreciated, young one."
γγ "You
mean, you're this, skeleton?" I figured it out first.
γγ "An apparent answer." γγ
γγ
"But
aren't you dead?" γγ
γγ
"A
divine beast never dies!" γγ
γγ
"But,
but you're only bones left!" Yuri exclaimed. It silenced the "divine beast"
for a brief moment.
γγ "My...body
was badly damaged so I gave it up." γγ
γγ
"So
why are you still here?" γγ
γγ
"The hatred!!" The voice suddenly became excited. "I demand revenge!! It
shouldn't have come to this!"
It's becoming more violent. Even the cave began to shake, a number
of falling rocks forced us to dodge for cover.
So the "monster" the
old man mentioned must be this soul or spirit or whatever it is.
γγ "Hey
easy. Calm down, please!"
I need to do something or we'd get buried alive! "Just, you know, tell us who did this to you, maybe we can help?"
I immediately regretted that. Whoever killed this thing must be way powerful
beyond our imagination, which means there's no way we can help!
γγ "It
was a snake with nine heads. It claimed to be a G.o.d spirit from the land of
pirates east of here." γγ
γγ
"Land
of pirates? You mean j.a.pan?" Zirai yelled. "You
fell against the snake monster from j.a.pan? Is it strong?"
γγ "Humph!
A petty creature. Do you know about the four symbolic beasts on this land?"
γγ "Oh
I know. Vermilion Bird, Black Turtle, White Tiger and Azure Dragon?"
γγ "The
Azure Dragon of the Eastern Rain, and the Vermilion Bird of the Southern Flame
are my disciples. The nine-headed snake couldn't even beat these two kids back then.
However, that cursed abomination and those eastern pirates lured me into a deadly trap. I
managed to get away alive, but those wounds they inflicted on me could never be
healed, so my only choice was to stay here and wait for perish. Ahhhh... the hatred!!"
γγ
γγ
γγ
"Aha!
So that's how things went." Zirai snickered. "I thought those j.a.ps
don't know how to count." (**)
γγ I
pushed the topic:"Your excellency, we are actually planning to fight with
j.a.pan and stop their intrusion upon our land, now we need a keel bone to
construct a s.h.i.+p. That's why we came here for the body you left behind." γγ
γγ
"If
that's what you're going to do, just take it. These bones are of no use to me anymore."
So generous!
γγ "But
what about your soul?" γγ
γγ
"Just
make sure you don't break up the bones and keep it whole when making that s.h.i.+p
or yours so I can remain. I may even help you protect the s.h.i.+p." γγ
γγ
"Much
appreciated! We will be moving it now."
γγ I
summoned Lucky, Rosa, Loong'er and Phiona to help with the bones. Tank would
help too but he's still on cooldown for using that cannon skill. Zirai also
summoned her t.i.tans and Skyfire to help. With some extra effort from Pa.s.serby's
Roachy, we barely managed to move the giant skeleton remains.
γγ It's
already afternoon when we finally got the bone to the boatyard. The old man
walked around and inspected it in delight.
γγ "Good
stuff! So the legendary beast is real."
γγ "Well,
get to it will you?"
γγ "Of
course, of course. Shall we settle on the extra requirements and payments?"
Yup, this is very expected.
He took out some paper roll. "Tell me how you would like the s.h.i.+p, and I'll
give you a final price for it."
γγ I
gave him a troubled look. "Truth is, this is the first time we're trying
to make a s.h.i.+p so we really don't know what to look for. Can you give us some pointers?" γγ
γγ
"Oh
that's no problem." He gave me a small handbook. "It's a purchase
guide, just read the instructions."
γγ They
even prepared something like this!
I read it aloud so everyone can hear it.
"First, determine your desired s.h.i.+p keel according to the size and
functions of the s.h.i.+p you're expecting."
"We can skip that one."
Hawk said.
γγ I
turned the pages. "Once the keel is set, choose the materials. There are
usually the following available choices:"
I pa.s.sed all the cheap ones
and began to read through the more st.u.r.dy ones.
"These are pretty good
materials so let's pick among them.
Teak Wood, average protection, light weight,
so you can put a lot of stuff on the s.h.i.+p. Problem, easy to burn.
Iron Lumber, high
resistance against both impact and fire, very heavy.
Sun Wood, average
protection and weight, resistant to spells, won't catch fire.
The last one is
Crystal Wood. Very strong, average weight and good spell and fire resistance. But
several times more expensive than the other choices.
Okay, which one?"
γγ "It
would be best if we can choose the crystal one but...?" Zirai seems unsure
about the cost.
γγ "How
much money do we have?" Rose asked the simple question. γγ
γγ
"I
have a million crystal pieces on me." I checked my inventory.
γγ Hawk
opened his too. "I have 550 thousand here, collected by everyone."
γγ "1.55
million that is." Rose turned to the old man. "How much if we use
Crystal Wood on this keel?"
γγ He
glanced over the structure. "So I won't be asking money for the keel... From
the size of the breast part I'd say 500 thousand crystal pieces."
γγ "But
Bi-Lin asked us not to break it apart." I quickly added. γγ
γγ
"As
a whole?" He considered for a moment. "It's possible but the final
product would reach beyond 300 meters. And you'll need to pay 600 thousand for
mere materials."
γγ Rose
continued: "How much for labor work?" γγ
γγ
"That
depends on how you plan the cabins. It costs more if you build something
complex. But 500 thousand crystals should be enough for even the most difficult
layout."
γγ Rose
did some mind-calculation. "I guess we have enough fund to use full
crystal wood. We should make it best as possible since Bi-Lin gifted his
valuable bones to us. We won't find a second chance like this." γγ
γγ
Zirai jumped: "Rose is right! Here, I have 50 thousand, take it."
γγ I
spoke to the old man. "Okay, Crystal Wood please. Next is...let me see. The
cabins. First, do we need lounges and storage rooms? We need them if we're to
go for any long-distance sails or crews will die. Opinions?"
γγ Zirai
jumped again. "Of course! We're going to travel all the way to j.a.pan right?"
γγ
γγ
"Sure.
One storage room and one lounge cabin please." γγ
γγ
"How
many crew do you need? You should decide on those rooms after telling me the
number of sailors that are going to live on the s.h.i.+p. One lounge cabin is only
enough for 20 people, and one storage can hold supplies enough for a hundred
people to survive 10 days."
γγ "Hm.
Let's think about that later. Go for the next items." Hawk suggested.
γγ "Next,
paddle chambers. They must be symmetrically placed on both sides. Each paddle
chamber holds a long oar which needs four sailors to operate. How many levels
of chambers we can build depends on the draft length between water level and
s.h.i.+p's rail, and how many chambers we can put in each level depends on s.h.i.+p length."
γγ "What
is the draft length for our s.h.i.+p?" Rose asked him. γγ
γγ
"More
than 8 meters, or 9 meters at most. That means five levels of cabins. Be sure to
leave enough s.p.a.ce for the cannon rooms though."
γγ
γγ
"For
something with this size...125 rooms should be no problem." γγ
γγ
Rose
considered for several seconds. "Three levels of paddle chambers, 125 on
each side of the level. That's 750 chambers in all, 3000 sailors."
γγ I
read further. "Cannon emplacement. They share the same positions as paddle
chambers, while you can also place cannons on the deck, or build a front cannon
room on top of the bow of the s.h.i.+p." I looked at the old designer. "Can
you make the front cannon base rotatable? We're going to put the crystal cannon there."
γγ "Of
course." γγ
γγ
"Then...fill
all the rest of the s.p.a.ce with cannon rooms." γγ
γγ
"They
all use small sized firelock cannons, mind that they're way weaker than
that crystal cannon you have. You still have two levels of windowed chambers, plus
a row of cannons on the deck. 100 rooms each side of the level, one cannon in
each room, each cannon will need 3 sailors. That should be 600 cannons and 1800
sailors."
γγ "Next
is...mast. We need one or three or five vessel masts." γγ
γγ
Coin
spoke:"Well of course we put five of them for a s.h.i.+p so large." γγ
γγ
"Five
it is. Next is sailcloth. Three choices, Lug-Sail, high downwind speed but
cannot leverage any side wind. Lateen (triangular sail), average downwind speed
but can have a boost when there's side wind. Or combination of them, so we can
use any types of wind but of course it will be expensive."
γγ "Obvious
choice." Zirai said that without hesitation.
γγ I
can see the others nod too. "Composite then. So, rudders. We need to
decide their number and positions. That's beyond me, any advice sir?"
γγ "They
usually go behind the tails of s.h.i.+ps but since your s.h.i.+p is bigger than average,
I'd suggest you use separated rudders. Two in the front and three at the
b.u.t.tock, so you can control the whole thing better."
γγ "Let's
do it." I kept reading. "Do we place a ramming horn or figurehead in front?"
γγ "I
don't think we're going to ram people using this giant with all the cannons. Let's use a figure." Hawk said.
γγ "We
choose figurehead. Outer plating? We have iron plating, mithril plating or
crystal wood pads."
γγ "Mithril. It doesn't catch rust and can withstand spells." Elfy said after reading over the descriptions.
γγ "That
should be all. Can you help us settle up the lounge rooms and storage? And give
us the final price."
γγ The designer read through the long paper roll. "You have 3000 paddlers, 1800 cannoneers, 300 sail
settlers, 200 support crew. That's 5300 sailors, so you need 265 lounge rooms
and 159 storage rooms to last for a month. Let's see...you still have a lot of
spare s.p.a.ce on the s.h.i.+p."
γγ I
thought this over. "Make it 400 lounge rooms, and build 40 additional
double rooms. Fill the remaining areas with storage." γγ
γγ
"Alriiight...Give
me a moment to finish this up. Oh and, you also need a captain room and a chart
house."
γγ "Just
give us the best plan."
γγ "Right
on it." γγ
γγ
He
even needs some more people to help measure the s.h.i.+p. It doesn't look like he's
going to finish anytime soon. We have nothing better to do so we all moved to
the harbor to enjoy the view.
That's when we saw King Conqueror's s.h.i.+p coming
back.
γγ We
saw the Ocean Might drifting towards the port in a strange angle while giving
out thick smoke. I said drift because none of the broken paddles or tattered
sailcloth seem to be working anymore.
We ran to the docking area and asked
about the situation.
γγ When
the s.h.i.+p went close enough, we can see countless holes on the s.h.i.+p's hull.
A number of sailors are running wild, I also saw King giving out orders to
put out all the fires. Their mail mast is almost burnt out!
γγ We
watched in shock as the ma.s.sive battles.h.i.+p b.u.mped into the buffer ropes around
the dock and finally came to a halt. More workers on the dock joined the fire
fighting as well, and a group of boatyard NPCs ran towards it with all sorts of ladders, hammers or wooden planks. Guess Ocean Might needs one
h.e.l.l of an overhaul this time.
γγ I
decided to help too. The s.h.i.+p is damaged like this in a fight against the
j.a.panese after all. I can't repair s.h.i.+ps but putting out some fire is
no problem.
"Loong'er, come out. Can you control the sea water?"
γγ "That's
my job!" (***) γγ
γγ
"Nice.
Can you do something about the fire on that s.h.i.+p?" γγ
γγ
"Surely!"
She dived into the sea. The area quickly turned dark. A small-scale rainstorm completely
extinguished the last ember, before suns.h.i.+ne returned as fast as the rain came.
Loong'er
didn't return when everything's done. She instead began to swim and dance on
the water surface. I think I should let her into the water more often in the
future.
γγ Since
there's no more work to do, King Conqueror came down from the s.h.i.+p and walked
to us.
"Did you get your s.h.i.+p?"
γγ "Not
yet. That's a battles.h.i.+p we're talking about, it takes time." Coin
complained.
γγ "Battles.h.i.+p?
So you're going to beat j.a.panese pirates too?"
His face is blackened by
all the smoke. He wiped it using one of his hands, only to make it look even funnier.
γγ I
looked at the broken wars.h.i.+p. "Do you end up like this every time you
fight them?"
That's too much damage to my liking.
γγ He
forced a chuckle. "Not every time. We encountered a big fleet today. Seven
of them, and we only had one. We sank a s.h.i.+p, damaged another, before we
escaped."
γγ Zirai
spoke with excitement: "Are there no other guilds fighting with you?"
γγ
γγ
"There
are, but only few of them. Besides their s.h.i.+ps aren't gonna hold themselves
against those j.a.pan ocean wars.h.i.+ps. Not everyone can afford these babes you
know."
γγ "I
see..."
We became silent. Must admit, the j.a.panese have way more money to
spend right now. We have a bigger land but everything becomes scarce when "averaged"
to individuals.
γγ "It
must cost a ton to repair your s.h.i.+p." Zirai spoke.
γγ "Ah,
nothing to worry about. We seized a lot of stuff from previous fights, and we
get EXP too. Worth it." γγ
γγ
"Wait,
what? Exp? The j.a.panese count as monsters too?"
γγ "Nonono,
of course they're players. But you still get EXP by killing foreign enemies. A
lot I'd say. Players are considered as high level monsters so these battles
level you up even faster than grinding by normal means. You know, if you
kill a s.h.i.+p, everyone on board dies."
γγ "I
see it now." Elfy sighed. "I was wondering why you're so pa.s.sionate
about it. So you get both fame and wealth out of these fights huh?"
γγ "Right-ho!
Ha-hahaha!"
King let out a hearty laughter, as if he already forgot about
his precious, now badly damaged Ocean Might.
(*) I found little English reference about this creature. Something about "the mentor/master of the four symbolic beasts."
(**) They're talking about Yamata no Orochi, the "8-branched giant snake" in j.a.panese mythology. However it is often considered to have 9 heads in Chinese ill.u.s.trations because of two reasons:
1: It is confused with Xiangliu, a Chinese mythology creature with 9 heads;
2: Language issue. The correct Chinese translation for Orochi is "the giant snake with 8 forks". And someone believe that "8 forks" means "9 heads" .
The confusion still exist even today.
(***) In some Chinese mythologies and stories (such as Journey to the West), eastern dragons are not majestic or very powerful creatures. Rather, they're more like "local officials" who are responsible to control local weather and obey orders from other higher-ups.