Chapter 423 - A Speed Where the Passenger Seat Can Smile
"Hey! I'll catch you, jump!"
I held out my arms, ready to catch the Cait Sith Boss Cat, but…
"Nyaa~…"
The Boss Cat was still clinging tightly to the gunwale, trembling.
He's really that scared of the sea, huh?
Um, has the Boss Cat-san been riding that boat for a long time and gotten seasick?
"Ah, Azure-san. You piloted this boat all the way to the island, right?"
"Eh? No. This boat takes too long, so I flew him here at top speed the whole way, you know?"
"…With this Boss Cat on the boat?"
"Yep."
…No wonder his legs are shaky. I'm not good with heights either, so I kind of get it.
What's more, unlike the Dragon Basket (?) from before, this boat is completely open to the outside.
I think that's a bit harsh…
Since the Goddess was angry, I had to set him straight.
Azure-san probably didn't think he was doing anything wrong, but…
So, I explained that if a non-flying species is flown at high speed at a high altitude, it would naturally be a terrible experience.
"Ugh, I'm sorry. I'll be more careful next time…"
"Please do."
Putting aside whether there'd be a next time, I wanted to get the Boss Cat on land, but how?
""Kyuu~!""
"Ah, that's right."
The Selkies brought the raft (or palanquin?) I used and held it steady near the boat. And then, they turned towards me, or perhaps, True?
"True, please."
"Kyuu~!"
True nimbly walked across the raft and extended his hands to the Cait Sith Boss Cat. He must have finally made up his mind after all that, and then,
"Nyaa!"
"Kyuu-kyuu~"
The Boss Cat took his hand and stepped off the boat.
His legs were still shaky, but True supported him firmly, and they slowly came ashore.
"Nyaa~…"
Perhaps because he finally had his feet on solid ground, the Boss Cat collapsed, and the other Cait Sith encouraged him. I'll leave them to it, I thought, and then,
"Alright, I'm coming over."
"Woof-n!"
Well, Lupi would naturally follow.
Raz didn't seem to intend to leave my hood, but then,
"~~~♪"
"Ah, that helps."
Sweee, True, and Pan seemed to be watching over the Boss Cat.
Feeling bad for the Selkies holding the raft, I quickly boarded the boat.
"Thanks. The boat's about to move, so please step back a little."
""Kyuu~""
Seeing the raft and Selkies move away, I wondered, Now, how do I operate this?
"Shou-kun, over here, over here."
"Ah, yes."
The boat was a little under 10 meters long and about 3 meters wide.
The bottom looked like a hovercraft, but the top resembled a fishing boat, with a roofed cockpit (?) in the center.
The part above the waist was open so you could look around, but it felt like rain would easily blow in.
Azure-san beckoned me inside, and there was a very typical-looking steering wheel in the middle.
That's a steering wheel, right?
"A steering wheel, I suppose. Is this for forward and reverse?"
"Yeah. It seems that lever is for it."
"It seems" implied Azure-san hadn't operated it either.
There was a T-shaped lever to the right of the steering wheel. Up for forward, down for reverse, I guessed? The downward range of motion was smaller.
"By the way, this… it runs on mana, doesn't it?"
"That's right, for the one here."
Embedded in the wall of the cockpit, near the floor, on the opposite side of the steering wheel, was a rather large Magic Crystal Stone.
It wasn't as big as Nina's Magic Crystal Stone, but it was definitely larger than the medium-sized one in the lighthouse, so it must be a large one.
The mana was already filled to the brim, probably a service from Azure-san.
"Woof!" "Krr-lulu~"
Lupi and Raz seemed impatient.
"Alright, let's start right away… I'll go slowly."
"I think a small bump should be fine, though~"
The metal used on the exterior of this boat was apparently a very hard alloy.
If I could make it with alchemy, I'd want to replace the breastplate part.
"Departing, no, setting sail."
Steering wheel to the right for starboard, was it?
I turned it lightly, then pushed the lever up a bit, and a whoosh sound emanated as it started to move.
"Oh…"
It was about walking speed. It moved slowly while turning to the right.
We had to go around the breakwater with the lighthouse, so first, we headed offshore.
I returned the rudder to neutral and pushed the lever a little further, and it reached about bicycle speed.
"This much is safe, I guess."
"No, that's still less than 10% of its speed! It should go much faster."
"I'll try those speeds much later."
"Ehh…"
I ignored the displeased Azure-san.
It wouldn't be funny if we had an accident right from the start. Lupi and Raz were on board, too.
We circled the lighthouse, and the entrance to the ancient ruins' port, the dock (?), came into view. Should I just proceed straight?
"Umm?"
"Apparently, you can just go straight."
Azure-san replied with a cheerful smile. Seriously?
He said that unless there was a big step, it would smoothly float onto land and move while hovering.
But that was also "apparently," well, it's a game, so I guess I should just try it.
Is it going to be okay?
"For now, I'll slow down and proceed," I replied to Mion.
As I slowly approached the entrance, the entire boat smoothly floated up before its bow even touched the shore.
"Ooooh…"
"Woof~" "Krr~♪"
This seems fine, I thought, and continued straight.
I thought this boat was large, but there was plenty of room in the dock's width.
"Um, how do I stop it?"
"Push that lever all the way down. It'll stay still on water, but it'll settle on the ground."
"I see."
Apparently, it also stops if you push the lever all the way up, but that seemed like a safety feature.
In any case, when I firmly pushed the lever all the way down, the boat slowly landed.
"Phew…"
"You're so careful. Even if you bump it a little, won't Nina-san fix it here?"
Eh?
No way…
"Nina. If I leave this boat here, will it be repaired?"
[No. Currently, there are not enough Heavy Silver Steel Ingots for repairs.]
"Ah, so there aren't enough materials."
Heavy Silver Steel Ingots… I think I can make them with alchemy, but I'll have to check later.
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