Poskein was the biggest lake in the continent.
It was obvious that you could see the horizon, and when the wind was too strong the waves were also rough.
Daiv, who grew up in Pierr village, followed his fisherman father since little and lived on the lake just like it was his room.
He looked at the horizon that was spread ahead of him and raised a dream.
‘One day I will roam this lake as I wish!’
But even after he became a youth, that dream was still a dream.
‘Money and soldiers. I need a ship that doesn’t break even after meeting a monster and soldiers who can face those monsters.’
But two months ago, his father passed away.
What he left him was an old and shabby house and some wealth.
Daiv spent all of the wealth to repair and remodel the ship.
Because of that, it became a ship that was exaggerating to call a fishing ship.
‘But it’s still lacking.’
The ship he was imagining was completely different to what he had right now.
He needed a lot more money.
‘One day……’
As he was suppressing his dream like that, he discovered Roan, who was looking for a ship in a street of Boodoo, in a market.
‘If I take him to Potter region will he give me a lot of money?’
Quite an interesting story.
He would gain a lot more money than catching fishes at the shore.
For others it would be nonsense, and something they had to put their lives on it, but for him it was an opportunity to realize his dream.
On top of that he had a method to go to Potter region.
‘It’s not that I have to cross the lake.’
Daiv, who finished his thoughts, went to Roan.
“Hey. About going to Potter region. May I do that?”
*****
‘How peculiar.’
Roan looked at the ship he was on and put on a weird smile.
The shape of Daiv’s ship was different to what he saw until now.
‘It feels like it’s floating?’
What was fortunate was that the crew seemed quite experienced.
Then, Daiv approached him and said with a voice with strength.
“I only have to take you to Potter region, right?”
“Yes. The faster it is, the better.”
The reason Roan chose to travel by water wasn’t simply just to conquer Poskein lake faster than anyone.
‘I became a bit late because of Slen battle.’
Because of that, his plans of reaching Potter region were late.
‘If I travel by ground, I may not be able to reach there before that accident happens.’
If he wanted to go there by ground he had to take a detour with an arc like direction.
Compared to that, if he was to travel by lake he would be able to at least save 10 days.
Roan didn’t have that much time.
Then, Daiv’s voice was heard.
“I’m planning to move following the shore.”
“Ah…….”
Roan exclaimed lowly.
‘There certainly was a reason he stepped out confidently. But……’
The method to reach Potter region in the shortest time was to cross it.
But this method was too dangerous.
Because the farther they got from the shore, the more monsters there would be.
On the other side, if they followed the shore it was safer on the point of the attacks of the monsters, but it was difficult to sail.
‘As the shore is shallow and the winds are too strong, if he’s not a skillful person there’s a high probability to crash.’
Roan looked at Daiv’s two eyes fixedly.
‘But a person that has only sailed a ship for one month chooses to go by the shore?’
Something difficult to believe.
Roan said his thoughts honestly.
“You sailed a ship for only a month, do you think that will be possible?”
At those words Daiv smiled brightly and shook his head.
“It is indeed one month since I sailed the ship myself, but it’s already my tenth year that I ride one.”
He looked at Roan’s eyes.
“And just because my experience is short, it doesn’t mean that I don’t have the skills.”
An overconfident voice.
“On top of that, I have a secret weapon with me.”
“A secret weapon?”
As Roan asked back, Daiv smiled brightly and pointed his ship.
“This guy is different than the others.”
“Ah……”
Roan exclaimed lowly.
‘That’s why I felt that it was floating, but there really is something different.’
Then, Daiv turned his head and looked at the crew.
“Now! Are you all ready!”
“Yes! Captain! We are all set!”
The crew yelled in one voice.
Daiv stood at the deck and raised his right hand after looking at Pierr village once more.
“Flangtek ship! Sail off!”
“Sail off!”
A loud yell.
At the same time, the shabby ship started to move along with the sound of creaking wood.
Swhooosh.
Then the warm west wind blew.
The wind hit the sail.
Flop!
The sail pushed the ship and it raised.
The ship split the waters and started to move towards the south.
*****
Roan was standing at the stern looking at the Poskein river.
‘Daiv.’
He gathered information about Daiv while sailing.
‘He followed his father since he became 10 and grew up on the ship.’
As his head was bright and his body swift, he did the work of an adult person.
‘The problem was that his thoughts were peculiar.’
The guy that boasted about his great number of fishes caught, started to dream of a peculiar thing.
‘And that is moving on Poskein lake as he wished.’
After Daiv’s father died and left him his ship, he started to act earnestly.
He ripped off the ship and repaired it.
As he couldn’t go somewhere far from the lake immediately, he planned to make a lap following the shore.
Because of that the ship became a really strange and shallow one.
‘Anyways, all of the crew members recognize his brilliance.’
Roan smiled faintly.
‘The courage of not fearing Poskein lake at all, and a dream that others hadn’t thought of. On top of that outstanding skills……..’
He would be a big help in the conquest of his plans.
Roan kept looking at Daiv with interesting eyes.
*****
“Amazing.”
Roan was truly amazed.
He was now looking at Daiv and the crew while standing at the stren.
“Grab the ropes for the sail!”
“Don’t get pushed to the east! It’s dangerous if we get far from the shore!”
“Watchmen, don’t ease your nervousness!”
Daiv certainly wasn’t an ordinary sailor.
Take into account his suitable orders and commanding abilities without flaws, but first his abilities to sail the ship were amazing.
His eye to be able to read the current of the water was good and his abilities to utilize the wind was also outstanding.
‘The words of the crew were true. Daiv is a genius.’
Roan, who didn’t know much about ships, could clearly feel it.
If it wasn’t for Daiv, the ship would have already turned over or crashed.
‘Potter region is already in front of me.’
While following the shore, there were several crises.
The ship could have turned over because of a strong wind, and they could have gotten done in by underwater reefs.
But every time, Daiv overcame it all with at the moment’s wits.
Most of all, the amazing thing was the ship’s performance.
Externally it looked shabby and old, but because of the repairs Daiv did, it showed a greater performance than what he had thought.
Especially, spreading and folding the sail was so comfortable they could dexterously act according to the direction of the strength of the wind.
‘Why couldn’t someone like this show prominence?’
In his past life, there was no one like him.
Roan pondered for a moment and then shook his head.
‘With his temperament, there’s a high chance he challenged the lake early on and died.’
He bit his lower lip.
‘In this life, I will take him to the end. If he doesn’t die early and is able to further his abilities, he’s someone i’m expecting to be able to reach the distance.’
Then, the yell of the watchman was heard.
“I can see Potter region!!”
Roan and Daiv had finally reached Potter region.
“How was it?”
Daiv approached Roan and asked.
Roan smiled faintly and nodded.
“It was more amazing than what I had thought.”
Daiv just smiled.
Roan took out a big bag.
When he got on the ship, he had already paid him.
‘But what is this bag?’
Daiv looked at Roan with a weird expression.
Roan read that and smiled faintly.
“It’s an investment”
“An inversion?”
Daiv still had a weird expression.
Roan continued saying.
“Yes. Mister Daiv. I want to be your patron.”
“To a sailor like me? Just what is the reason……..?”
Roan replied without even a trace of hesitation.
“The reason I want to do it……..”
He paused for a moment and then smiled brightly.
“It’s because there’s a future in Poskein lake.”
“Fu……ture?”
Daiv couldn’t understand and frowned.
Roan added.
“The country that dominates Poskein lake will be able to posses the water bodies of the four kingdoms.”
Strength was put in the voice.
“Probably, the commercial rights utilized in this lake will develop widely in a short time. Incredible amounts of goods will come and go with the 4 kingdoms as the center. And if there is perhaps someone that dominates Poskein lake……”
“He will be able to gain an incredible amount of passing rights. No, is it still lacking? You wouldn’t even be able to sail a ship without permission.”
Daiv continued saying and opened his mouth.
“But what are you going to do after I betray you? And if I act as if I don’t know you even after receiving the investment?”
Quite a provocative question.
But Roan’s expression was still calm.
“I wonder. I will have to think of that by then. If I already start thinking about that…….”
His mouth raised.
“I can’t do anything about it.”
Roan had many things he had to do from now on.
And also had many plans.
Because of that, if he focused too much on a failure there was a big possibility he would be too late or wouldn’t even be able to accomplish it.
‘It’s better to do several things at once taking into account the probability of failure.’
Even if Daiv failed or betrayed him, it didn’t matter.
Anyways, it’s impossible to conquest Poskein lake alone.
Roan was planning to find other sailors, invest in them, and make a big organization.
‘This is no different than the first step.’
The light in his eyes dimmed calmly.
‘I will slowly need a lot of money.’
His head spun quickly.
As he ran a plan, the other one came immediately.
Then, Daiv’s voice was heard.
“Those are good words. That if you have many worries in your head, you won’t be able to do anything.”
He smiled faintly and continued saying.
Meanwhile, the ship reached a small fishing port in Potter region called Tig.
The west wind kept blowing,
*****
Spring was ending and summer approaching, but even if that was the case, it was too hot.
A heat wave raised on the main road.
“Ugh. So hot.”
“Right? It is indeed hot.”
People gathered below a tree that was next to the road.
They kept fanning with their hands without stop.
Then, their sight was directed to the end of the road.
“That person doesn’t seem to be hot at all.”
“He doesn’t even shed a drop of sweat.”
“Is it because he’s young?”
The youth who was walking at the end of the road was walking towards them.
A strong body that couldn’t be hidden with clothes and messy hair.
The identity of the youth that gave a wild feeling was Roan.
He separated with Daiv in Tig village and started to walk towards the south without stop.
‘If it wasn’t because of Brent’s ring I would also be dying because of the heat.’
He touched the ring on his finger and let out a long sigh.
Roan could bear the heat because of Brent’s ring.
“Oy! Youth! The weather is hot, come and rest for a moment! Drink some water!”
The people that were resting in the shade made hand signs towards Roan.
Roan moved towards them and then shook his head.
“I still have a long way to go.”
At those words, the middle aged man with a hawk nose asked.
“Where are you going?”
Roan pointed the south.
“I’m going to Maiel mountain.”
“Mmm.”
At that moment, the people glanced at each other and shook their heads.
The hawk nosed man let out a long sigh.
“Whew. If it isn’t for something important don’t even be around it.”
At those words Roan frowned.
“Did something happen?”
“Right. There is. Yes.”
The hawk nosed man nodded and then said as if he was whispering.
“Nowadays peculiar thing are happening on the mountain. Just like beasts coming down the mountain, or bugs crying like crazy and dying, and even birds hiding themselves.”
“Right.”
Roan’s expression became severe.
“That’s why it will be better to be away of the mountain for now.”
The hawk nosed man put a really preoccupied face.
Roan slightly bowed.
“Thanks for worrying.”
He also put on a worried face just like the other people.
But he was a bit hurried inwardly.
‘It’s already starting.’
Roan looked towards the south.
‘I have to hurry a bit more.’
End
Translator’s note: Thank you for reading!
Translator : Subak
Proofreader: st8_lupe.
Editor’s Note: Happy Birthday Comrade