Pillar of Yita

Fang Hong was completely at a loss, but he could guess it was related to Hilveld’s father’s plan—the Seven Seas Traveler. He could roughly infer why Miss Ship’s Officer brought him here, and so he patiently waited.

After a long time, the legendary Alchemist finally came to terms with the situation, smoking a pipe alone for a while before slowly calming down.

He sat on the sofa and waved for Fang Hong and Hilveld to come over. When Fang Hong approached, he clearly saw that the old man looked much more haggard, but his eyes still shone with a mysterious gleam.

The old man sighed and then spoke with a hoarse voice: ”This must be destiny...”

He then turned to Hilveld: ”So I can guess your intentions, little girl from the Albert Family—”

Hilveld glanced at Fang Hong, their eyes met, and then she nodded: ”I have come to seek your help, Mr. Ande. After all, besides my grandfather, you are the only one who knows about the Seven Seas Traveler. I cannot trust anyone else.”

”And Old Copper Nose.” Ande’s mind became noticeably sharper after calming down, as he added while holding up his pipe.

”Uncle Sonan counts too,” Hilveld smiled: ”But we came all the way south.”

”So you came to my territory first?”

She nodded.

”So you want to rebuild the Seven Seas Traveler,” Ande gave Fang Hong a glance: ”With this kid?”

Rebuild? Fang Hong keenly caught this term.

Only then did Hilveld softly explain to him: ”The Seven Seas Traveler was once my father’s flagship, but it retired due to aging ten years ago. Of course, this Seven Seas Traveler only inherited the name, as the previous one was just an ordinary Floating Ship.”

The old man pondered for a moment, murmuring about Fairy Dragon Souls and contract makers before shaking his head: ”Incredible, how could there be such a thing as a Fairy Knight in this world when we have already proven... it’s impossible...”

He muttered to himself for a while, then raised his head again: ”Alright, since you’re so well-prepared... it seems, little girl, your plan might just be possible. So tell me, what do you want from me?”

Hilveld’s eyes danced: ”Lord Captain, you tell him.”

”Me?” Fang Hong was at a loss, what was he supposed to say?

”About the shipyards.”

”The shipyards?” Fang Hong suddenly understood: ”Wait a minute, is Mr. Ande a shipbuilder?”

Hilveld nodded: ”Mr. Ande Ulriel was one of the designers involved with the Seven Seas Traveler, he indeed knows a lot about shipbuilding techniques—” Fang Hong couldn’t help but cast the old man an astonished look; it was well-known that he was a Fairy Master, with remarkable talent in construct design.

Very few people knew that he also understood shipbuilding techniques. But then again, the Seven Seas Traveler wasn’t an ordinary Floating Ship to begin with.

Ande seemed annoyed: ”How come you know nothing, young fellow?”

Seeing Fang Hong scratching his head awkwardly, he couldn’t help but feel vexed, but he still asked: ”Go ahead, Captain of the Albert Family’s little girl, what do you need?”

Now that he knew Ande was a shipbuilder, Fang Hong clearly understood Hilveld’s intention.

He contemplated for a moment, then replied: ”Mr. Ande, we plan to build the Seven Seas Traveler in Lost Bay. We are currently gathering funds and materials, but there’s no shipyard there... we want to construct a temporary shipyard in that place.”

”Lost Bay, is that the Sea of Mist? That’s quite a good place,” Ande repeated: ”I understand, given your grandfather’s involvement, little girl from the Albert Family, I can lend a hand. But don’t expect too much; the Prime Minister’s faction closely monitors the Southern Alliance. I can join this plan only in my personal capacity, but you’ll have to figure out the rest yourselves—”

Fang Hong couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief upon hearing this; building a shipyard, and a dock requires specialized knowledge. If he couldn’t find anyone willing to help, he would have to waste time learning the relevant knowledge, which would be a massive loss of time and experience.

Little did he know, Hilveld had this long planned out, easily resolving a major headache.

Although they still had to find other manpower on their own, as a critical figure, Ande Ulriel, the legendary Alchemist, could provide substantial help. Without a leader, no matter how many workers they recruited, they couldn’t establish a qualified shipyard.

But Hilveld just smiled and said: ”That’s just the first part, Mr. Ande.”

”That’s just the first part,” Ande Ulriel glared at them in annoyance: ”Little girl from the Albert Family, you’re getting more and more demanding, now tell me, what is the second part?”

”It’s about the Rose Heart,” Hilveld replied methodically: ”We want to gain the recognition of the Rose Workshop.”

The old man looked at Fang Hong, who was from the Rose Workshop; upon hearing Hilveld’s words, he understood her intention. ”This kid?” he squinted, ”He’s qualified as a Combat Artisan, but to lead the Rose Workshop, he’s still far from it.”

He turned back: ”You want me to support him as the next successor of the Rose Workshop?”

Miss Ship’s Officer nodded slightly.

...