Chapter 237: Preparation For Departure (2)
Although it wasnt a strike with full power, it was a blow that even an elder would struggle to block.
But to neutralize it as if swatting a fly with just a wave of the hand, what kind of monstrous strength is that?
The scent of our kin is unmistakable. He must be a hero like us. Yet, he is also a saint chosen by the Goddess And he uses mana?
The idea is as absurd as the girl next door having a child.
Ray, sensing the gaze of the leader of the nobles, turned away from him.
He helped Iriel, who had collapsed, to her feet and said,
We need to move quickly if weve made a decision. The water path closes in 13 days.
Almost two days had passed with various events unfolding.
Therefore, in the remaining 13 days, they needed to devise a plan to break through the sea and construct a plausible ship.
13 days is a tight schedule. Wouldnt it be better to wait for the next opening of the waterway?
Hael slowly shook his head at this suggestion.
I didnt realize it at first, but the current is getting stronger over time. If it goes on like this, even a boat covered in protective magic will be destroyed.
The gesture of slitting his throat made the elders look solemn.
Then we must discuss this matter.
The elders, who had opposed leaving just a moment ago, now began to ponder seriously at the noble leaders words.
The female elder suggested,
How about reinforcing the bottom of the ship with iron plates? Combined with protective magic, it should make a decent vessel.
Do we have enough iron to make the plates?
If we melt down all our weapons, it should be feasible.
The leader of the nobles nodded at the elders words.
Good. Since the plates themselves arent too heavy, the ship wont sink. Start preparing to make the iron plates right away. Elder Hael, could you gather the children and ask for the necessary timber to build the ship?
Understood.
Lets have everything ready by tomorrow morning.
It might take a bit longer to melt the iron.
We have someone reliable for that.
Looking meaningfully at Ray, he says,
You know you cant refuse, right? We need your help.
Though Ray feels annoyed, he knows he cant refuse.
If the water path closes, its a problem for everyone.
So, they need to work together to help them.
Alright. But can I borrow some people?
Yes. Just make sure to meet the deadline.
No big deal.
Ray, having said this, turns to leave with Iriel.
Despite wanting to rest after continuous movement, he suppresses his laziness as its a critical moment.
Crossing the dim forest, he glances at the middle-aged man.
The commanding noble leader is quite an excellent commander.
A spiritual pillar for his clan, he possesses strong leadership skills.
Moreover, his decision-making is decisive and unimpeded, allowing his subordinates to act swiftly.
He has considerable command ability. Its necessary to keep an eye on what he might do next.
Even if he claims to take them to the Holy Kingdom under the name of the Goddess, he cant just manipulate them at will.
A force of superhumans under the noble leader, they cant be underestimated.
If they decide to, even a small kingdom could be destroyed in a few days.
Its better to prepare some countermeasures just in case.
As he says this, Iriel, who almost lost her life to the noble leaders strike, replies.
Indeed. I was almost sent to Goddess Gaias side just now.
Well, its now do or die.
If theres no way to stop them, then as a last resort, they might have to exploit the Goddesss name once more.
Why not sell something a second time thats been sold once?
Already, he was extensively utilizing his status as a saint.
In the clearing of the forest, a group of young people had been gathered.
Ray clapped his hands to draw their attention and looked around before giving instructions.
Youve heard the explanation from the elders, right? We need a sturdy ship to go out to sea. So, well melt down your swords to make iron plates for the bottom of the ship. Everyone, take off your weapons and put them in this barrel.
His method of issuing orders, leaning on a crutch and gesturing with his chin, proved he was unfit to be a commander.
His appearance was all wrong for issuing proper commands, and his attitude was three times worse, making resistance inevitable.
To a knight, his sword is his life. Absolutely not.
Bring the elder here. We wont listen to you.
Well handle our own affairs. Even without you, there wont be any issues.
They were in a situation where they wouldnt listen to anyone, even at the risk of death.
Usually, if someone was this resistant, he would also step back.
But what can he do when time is so pressing?
He needs to personally demonstrate that the only language understood in this world is violence and financial power.
Sitting on a wooden barrel, he swings his legs.
Lets try to do this the easy way.
His slow, tired speech had a knack for infuriating those watching.
Proud of their swordsmanship, they immediately drew their swords.
Good. Try to take it.
Heh heh. Youre risking your life now.
They brandished their swords, emitting auras.
The pressure of the mana swirling around forced Ray to leap from the barrel where he sat.
Its time to join in the brothers mischievous prank, which even eating up wouldnt be satisfying.
With his extraordinary footwork, he approached their side.
His speed was so fast it left afterimages, causing them to look tense compared to before.
Pretty fast, huh?
Hes got some skill.
But not enough to be uncatchable.
The two young mens sword strikes rained down from above.
The tremendous force in the blows would shatter a normal persons skull just from the shockwave.
Got him!
Feeling the satisfying grip in his hand, they realized their attack had succeeded.
However, the shocking sight before them was enough to silence the two young men.
Two.
With a short voice, he effortlessly plucked the aura-laden swords from their hands!
He threw the two swords into the air and immediately charged at the other young men.
The latecomers tried to resist, but it was futile.
It took only a few seconds to disarm each one.
Moreover, his movements were so ghost-like that whenever they tried to evade, he seemed to anticipate their moves and approached from behind.
In less than a minute, more than thirty people were disarmed.
The barrel filled with their weapons emitted a sad resonance.
Wooong
Each was worthy of being considered a masterpiece.
Having shared their lives with these swords for hundreds of years, some seemed to possess a bit of spirit.
Seeing the young mens frustrated expressions, Ray nodded.
If you value your lives, I will spare your weapons.
The youngsters gazes dropped at this vicious proposal, something even mountain bandits wouldnt make.
Then Ill take it that everyone agrees
No one actually agreed, but Ray, with his clever brain that interpreted things as he wished, was unfazed.
He drew the mana from the atmosphere and chanted the activation word.
Psychokinesis.
Wooong
The weapons inside the barrel floated in the air.
The young mens faces were filled with pity, like parents watching their childs last moments.
Speak now if you have anything to say.
At his words, akin to a grim reaper, some even burst into tears.
Sob sob sob
Curse your unworthy master!
Aaah! Evian!
It seems they had even named their swords and played with them.
Deciding that the farewells were sufficiently heartfelt, Ray began melting them down.
Heat.
The combination of force and power was just perfect.
Iriel, who was watching him, encouraged him with an innocent face.
Those children will live on as the foundation of the ship. Smile for their noble sacrifice for our future.
As she spoke, divine power radiated around her like a halo.
Using divine power granted by a god as if it were stage lighting.
Yet, the impact was profound.
Sob sob sob
Ah, truly a holy woman.
Even your words are a blessing They would find comfort in knowing they will aid their brethren.
After this is over Ill melt them down again and forge even better swords.
Ray spat in response to their hopeful words.
Anyway, the rough sea will erode the surface. I doubt even a splinter of wood will remain, let alone the iron plates.
With just that one sentence, the surroundings erupted into a sea of tears once more.
Having bid their farewell to the weapons, they melted the iron to begin framing the ship.
With quite some time remaining until morning, and the iron plates being too large to leave as they were, they decided to start with the ships bottom.
Modern ship hulls are typically curved.
Thus, no two sections are exactly alike, even if cut from arbitrary positions.
However, looking at the central part of the hull, one often finds repeated identical cross-sectional shapes.
This is because the length of the central part increases as the hull expands; the outer shell must withstand water pressure, and the inner bottom panel must support the weight of the ship.
The outer shell will be made of iron plates, while the inner bottom panel will be replaced by wood and iron bars, reinforced with magic.
Ray, after estimating the size of the ship, shook his head.
It cant be too big. Itll be swallowed by the waves.
In such seas, smaller boats have the advantage.
However, with hundreds of people needing to board, realistically, a small boat is out of the question.
They could consider splitting into groups, but if they did, more than half would likely perish.
The best course of action was to take as many as possible, so splitting up wasnt the right choice.
Iriel approached Ray, who was deep in thought.
Whats the matter now?
The boat is too big. If we go out to sea with the size I have in mind, it wont last ten minutes before breaking apart.
Umm What about walking on the fragments like last time?
There are too many people for that. It would be better to swim across in terms of survival rate.
What if we split the boat into two? Smaller, but with a higher chance of survival?
Thats the best option. If only we had enough time.
Making two boats was impractical in terms of time.
Even though they would be smaller than one large boat, making two boats required significantly more labor.
As they were brainstorming together, Hael approached, dusting off her hands.
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