Striving For The Luxury Liner – Vol 10 Chapter 6

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(19/20)

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Chapter 6 – Flabbergasted

We finally got to the point where we could see the Aquamarine Kingdom! …I don’t remember it being so hard to say “finally,” but we’ve arrived at a new kingdom. I don’t mind getting a little excited.

“Hey, Ines. I know that big city is the capital, but why is the harbor so far from the capital?”

The royal capital faces the sea so majestically that I was afraid of a tsunami. On the hill in the background, you can see a magnificent castle. It’s a view that could attract tourists from the sea side. However, the harbor is clearly out of place in the royal capital.

“…..”

“Ines, if you continue like this, I’ll use all my energy to find your family. Is that okay with you?”

“That’s not fair, Master!”

“Hmm, but Ines is unhappy because she doesn’t want to see her family, right? Well, then you can give up after you see your family, right?”

“Alright. Then I’ll explain it to you properly, and you have to promise not to look for my family. Master’s goal is to find the sunken city, so it’s okay with you, right?”

Is that so? …From what I’ve heard before, it’s not like they don’t get along, and it would be better if she could show her face… but I don’t want Ines to hate me for being so nosy. So I will accept her conditions here.

“Alright. But you can’t limit our activities just because you don’t want to look for them. For example, if we happen to walk toward Ines’ parents’ house, you can’t say we can’t go there.”

“I understand. If we run into each other by chance, it can’t be helped; I’ll give up.”

She accepted the conditions surprisingly easily. Maybe her parents’ house is in a place where non-locals don’t go. I feel like I’m rushing into this, but I’m sure it’s not a problem since it’s typical to run into the family at this time.

“Then, can you explain to me why the harbor is far away from the royal capital?”

“Yes, because there is a sunken city in front of the capital. If you go a little closer, there are buoys on the water, so you have to go between the buoys, or else you will hit the ruins, except for small boats. So the reason there’s a port there is because the ruins are destroyed there, and it’s safe to come and go.”

…Sunken city. I’d heard you could see it from the royal capital, and I imagined it was nearby, but it seems to be in a shallower place than I thought. I’m a little excited.

“Heh, so maybe there are ruins under this place too?”

As I asked the question, I looked down at the sea from the flying bridge, but I could not see the bottom of the sea. The sea is quite clear and beautiful, but the distance to the bottom of the sea seems to be quite deep.

“I think it probably exists. I have heard that the sunken city is quite large. And there are other cities in the deep sea. It’s so deep that even fishmen can’t reach it, and only mermaids can reach it.”

An underwater city in the deep sea that only mermaids can reach… I’m very curious about this as well. After I bought the luxury liner, I found out that the submarine was sold as an unlocked item…

I’m interested in both the underwater city and the submarine. Since it’s a ship I summon, I’m sure it’s safe, but I’m a little scared to actually go underwater. Well, if I say that there is a submarine, I am sure that an adventure will start, and after I check out the sunken city, if I really want to go to the underwater city, I will talk about it.

“Master, the buoy with the flag floating over there is the entrance to the harbor. You can get to the harbor by going through there, and you can see the sunken city by going left or right.”

I see. It looks like a buoy, or rather a flag attached to a barrel, but is that the correct meaning of a buoy…? Oh well. It’s quite wide, and it’s easy to pass between these dotted buoys.

“Isn’t there a rule about which side you have to go through when you enter the harbor?”

“I think so, but I don’t know all the details.”

Ines said matter-of-factly. Well, if you’re not a sailor, you don’t pay that much attention to it. It would have been nice to have someone who knew about ships, but unfortunately, there are only amateurs on this ship. Well, it’s a small ship, and if a ship comes from the other side, we should just avoid it. For now, being Japanese, I decided to stay on the left side of the ship.

We passed between the buoys and pulled the ship to the left side, and after going a little further, we could actually see a city on the bottom of the sea. Alessia-san and the others were excited to see the sunken city below.

“Ines, the area in front of the sunken city looked like a cliff, but did it suddenly get deeper?”

“Yes, it looks like a big staircase. I have heard that humans can explore the shallow part, but once you go down one step, it is the exclusive territory of fishmen and mermaids.”

It seems to mean that it gets deeper, like a staircase. Although I don’t know much about the ocean, is this normal? Without knowledge, it’s hard to judge whether it’s normal or strange to go down like a staircase, so it’s really hard to make a fuss about fantasy. If you can’t figure it out even after thinking about it… let’s just accept reality as it is and take a good look at the sunken city we want to visit.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Isn’t it? I love this sight too!”

Ines boasts happily about the view of her hometown. It’s not that she doesn’t want to come back, she just doesn’t want to see her family, but she seems to like her hometown. But I think it’s certainly a sight to be proud of.

A stone city in a clear emerald sea. The houses are crumbling in places, but the buildings are more intact than I imagined as if they had been built sturdily. The buildings are decorated with sea creatures, giving the city a mysterious charm that cannot be seen on land.

The ground is basically sand, but there are places where cobblestones are exposed, so sand must have accumulated later. I wonder if it is a fish that sometimes reflects the light. It is hard to see from the flying bridge.

“Hey, Ines. Can small ships sail freely over the sunken city?”

“I don’t think so. Only fishmen, people hired by the Adventurers’ Guild, or people who have applied to the guilds and received permission are allowed to launch small ships over the sunken cities. This rule was made because, in the past, people would enter the sunken cities without permission and damage the ruins or steal valuable items, so the penalties were quite severe. Be careful, Master.”

What kind of harsh punishments are there? In a world where life is so easy, the death penalty seems to be the norm.

“Huh? But the shallow parts have already been explored, right? And yet it’s so severe?”

“The penalties are just as severe as they used to be, but now it’s relatively easy to get permission if you apply for it. You just have to learn a few simple precautions to avoid damaging the ruins.”

I see, they haven’t bothered to revise the penalties to make them less severe, but since there’s no fear of losing the treasures and destroying them without permission, it seems that if you learn the bare minimum of manners, you’ll get a permit.

It would be easier if I could get Alessia-san and the others to take requests from the Adventurers’ Guild and stick together… but if all I have to do is learn a little, it’s safer for me to do it on my own. While we’re at it, let’s take a closer look at the sunken city on our own.

Walking leisurely on the sea, looking at the sunken city on the left. Fortunately, there was no ship leaving the harbor, and we arrived safely. I paid the docking fee and put the ship on the dock.

“Wataru-san, let’s go!”

Alessia-san shouted at me, waving her hands loudly in the air. You don’t have to shout so loudly for me to hear you. Oh, no. Her eyes sparkle. It seems she can’t contain her excitement. I quickly get ready and go down to the harbor.

“Thank you for waiting. Where would you like to go first?”

“Huh? Don’t we have to go to the Merchant’s Guild?”

Alessia-san said with a blank look on her face. Come to think of it; we usually went to the Merchant’s Guild first. In the case of Lucca, we didn’t even go into the city.

“I don’t have anything to sell, and this time it’s just for fun, so there’s no need to go to the Merchant’s Guild. Oh, we can use the Lutto as a base, but do you have any suggestions for lodging?”

I sold a large amount of pepper, and there was only enough left for my own needs. I might have found some goods if I had stocked up in the city of Cagliari or the trading town of Lucca, but since our purpose was to relax, there was no need to go overboard this time.

As for accommodation… the problem with the Lutto is that there are not enough rooms. Another problem is that I’m used to ferries and luxury liners, so I feel cramped. I guess I’m getting too luxurious.

“Hmm, I’d like to be allowed to use the shower, but this is a country I’m looking forward to visiting, and I’d prefer to stay in an inn.”

“I wouldn’t mind staying at an inn either.”　

“In that case, let’s go to the Adventurers’ Guild and let them know that we’re staying here, and introduce us to an inn. Oh, does Ines know a good place to stay?”

“I don’t know. Most of the locals have a home to return to, so I don’t know anything about lodging. It’s not like we’re running a business.”

“That’s right. So we’ll go to the Adventurer’s Guild?”

“I understand. Okay, let’s go. Ines, do you know where the Adventurers’ Guild is?”

“Master, if you want to go to the Adventurers’ Guild, can I stay on the ship? In my case, I became an adventurer here under the branch of this city’s Adventurers’ Guild, so I definitely know someone there. If we happen to run into each other, I can’t help it, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable going all the way to a place where I know people.”

I see what she means. I think she should have a reunion with her family, but there’s no need to force her to meet people she knows if she doesn’t want to. This makes it difficult for Ines to act.

“Ines, now that you’re back, you’re going to miss walking around your hometown. If you hide the slave collar, will it be a problem when you meet someone you know?”

“Hmm, I don’t like to hide things from my acquaintances and friends. If I meet them, I’ll give up, so I’d like to pretend not to meet them as much as possible. Is that okay?”

“Ines, I understand how you feel, but how is that right for a slave? It is an important part of your job to protect your master, isn’t it?”

Felicia asks at Ines’ request. Apart from that, what about being a slave? I’m not sure.

“Felicia is with me, and Alessia-san and the others are with me, but I don’t think anyone will attack us, so you don’t have to worry too much about escorting us or anything. For now, wait for me on the ship this time, and I’ll pick you up when we find a place to stay.”

I can’t say that there’s no possibility of being targeted, but I moved suddenly without telling anyone, and even if someone were after me, they wouldn’t know where I was right away.

“Thank you. I appreciate your help, Master.”

“Okay, I’ll see you later.”

“Huh? Nee-chan?”

When I was about to leave Ines, there was a young man of high school age looking at Ines with a puzzled look in his eyes. He has bright red hair, tiger ears, calls Ines Nee-chan, and a vacant look that resembles Ines’ face. I’m pretty sure she’s a relative of Ines.

I knew that I would meet Ines’ family in the course of the river, but I didn’t expect to see them before I arrived and left the port. I guess that’s what you call a fast development.

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