Chapter 1003: Eat your heart out, Jolly Roger
“Whoa…when you guys said you’d fix up the boat, I wasn’t expecting this.”
“Nah. I figured you’d try to shove a diesel engine in it.”
=We’re still researching on appropriate substitutes for oil.=
“Ah.”
When Zhen Liu claimed the [Storm Queen’s Galleon], her state wasn’t the greatest.
Aside from the ship’s wheel, which was pristine as hell and radiating with power, the vessel itself was damaged and then some.
Sure, it still radiated with the power of [Chaos], but the physical look of the galleon made it appear like a haunted ship that was about to sink at any moment. That and there was an issue that couldn’t be physically seen, but felt on a spiritual level.
As such, when Zhen Liu managed to get the vessel into the library, Logos and Pathos immediately went to work in getting the ship ready to be used…with the help of a small team or zakos that had been mutated into being better shipwrights.
Surprisingly though, it took the curators and zakos quite a bit of time to overhaul everything.
But now he could see why.
All of the rotted timber has been removed and replaced with fresh wood and plates of metal, the sails had been replaced with new ones and of spider silk, and the inner compartments had been given a thorough scrub down in order to remove the infused stench of swamp water and corpses.
Even the figurehead, which was worn down by both time and tide was replaced with the figurehead of lion, a reference to his immediate family’s aether beast specialty.
On paper and in-person, the Storm Queen’s Galleon was impressive, large and apparently very accommodating.
At least, that’s the impression Zhen Liu got when he toured the vessel with Logos and Pathos as the guide.
=Alright, so here is the office space which we have detailed down to the ink bottle holder. Of course, the main function is the door which you can use to access the [Library of Nowhere] whenever the need arises. We even made sure to enhance the door so nobody can damage it.=
‘I am working on it.’
=Aside from that, thanks to sudden re-opening of a certain section for the library, we remembered how to apply special arrays that expand the size of the internal space of the galleon to at least twice its original size and we added a time stasis storage chamber for perishable goods. Food, water, what have you. That said, please do not put anything or anyone in there that is capable of sentient thoughts.=
‘Dare I ask why?’
‘…eventually, they stopped thinking entirely. Got it.’
Logos and Pathos weren’t kidding when it came to existence of extra space.
Aside from the office space being large enough to be considered a third of the ship on a normal vessel, the rooms themselves, numbering in a total of six, were big enough to he considered luxury hotel suites on dry land.
Not to mention that the ship’s valley was a legitimate kitchen.
Of course, no galleon was complete without an overview of the ship’s guns.
Which Zhen Liu felt was a little redundant.
“Wait, you guys added naval cannons? Isn’t that…kind of unnecessary in a world at least half of the populace is able to throw boulders at mach five, while the other half can spit fire balls like loogies?,” Zhen Liu asked while remembering that one of his girlfriends was able to fire arrows like ballista bolts, while one of his fiancee had literal dragon power.
Apparently though, these weren’t normal cannons.
=Normally, you’d be right milord. Normal cannons would only be effective against those Aether Master rank or equivalent.=
‘Say what?’
=Anyways, these cannons are what we’re calling [Kaijin Cannons].=
‘Kaijin…cannons?’
Shortly after Pathos made the call, Nepherage appeared like a ninja from an anime, kneeling on the floor with her arm across her chest.
[You called for me?]
‘Nice entrance.’
[Thank you, milord.]
=Nepherage, would you mind demonstrating the functionality of the kaijin cannons for our lord?=
[Of course.]
Prompted by Logos, Nepherage proceeded to position herself behind one of the cannons and grasped it like she was about to fire it off.
As she did, Zhen Liu noticed that both her innate aether and [Chaos] began to flow into the cannon.
…
Hold up.
‘Wait a minute…are these things based on the [Godoku Gourd]?’
The aformentioned [Chaos] treasure was constructed after Zhen Liu had defeated some weirdo bloodliner named Leech. The guy had attempted to drain him of his aether and life force a long time ago, but it turned out that [Chaos] was incredibly indigestible. That particular encounter ended with a blood balloon going pop.
As for the gourd itself, the main function of it was to convert his kaijin into a devasting beam attack that he had used with great effect…once.
He had been incredibly cautious when using the thing because it was way too flashy for the sneaky shit he usually does. That and the one time he did used it, he accidentally created a kaijin by accident.
He did make sure to practice it’s function in private though.
‘Oh?’
=It’s main function is to allow the kaijin to concentrate their energy into the barrel so that they can quickly launch attacks. Like so. Charge and fire when ready!=
[Aye!]
Prompted by Logos, Nepherage began to channel her aether and [Chaos,] into the aformentioned cannon. As she did, the Cannon’s barrel began to glow with a reddish orange light as heat began to build up.
While this was happening, a target made of energy manifested several dozen feet away. It was lined up perfectly for the cannon.
KABOOM!
Seconds later, a literal cannonball of molten rock fired out of the barrel and impacted the manifested target, obliterating it.
Whatever remnants remained was slowly being melted by the lava that made up the cannonball.
‘Huh…is it safe to assume that the payload changes depending on the kaijin using the cannon.’
<=Without saying.=>
‘Same with the zakos?’
=The former just do pure kinetic force damage. Like a bullet.=
‘Ah.’
Already, Zhen Liu was pleased with what he was seeing. The [Kaijin Cannons] meant that he wouldn’t have to worry about the kaijin leaving the ship defenseless in order to attack enemies that might…wait a minute…
“Y’all just stated that the energy cannon ball was the main function.”
<=We did.=>
“What’s the secondary function?”
If there’s one thing that Zhen Liu could consistently predict in regards to Logos and Pathos, is that nothing they ever created for him was ever straightforward.
Not in terms of functionality, just…that he could always sense that there was something extra in them.
He just couldn’t access them due to some invisible requirement he was unaware of.
Hell, even that art he learned from the Storm Queen’s doppelganger had something hidden beneath it.
That said, this was one of the times Zhen Liu actually got a straight answer.
=Well…you know how the kaijin are able to change their forms rather freely due to being made of [Chaos]?=
“Yes…”
“Oh boy.”
<=Nepherage. Do the thing.=>
[Got it]
Once again, a target manifested away from the cannon.
However, instead of channeling aether and [Chaos] into the cannon like before, Nepherage had transformed herself into a shower of energy before entering the cannon herself.
“Oh balls.”
KABOOM!
[Break for me!]
The cannon then proceeded to fire a red and black cannonball that sailed through the air before transforming back into Nepherage, moments before impact. Once she had transformed back to normal, Nepherage proceeded to break apart the target with her bare hands.
<=Well? What do you think?=>
On the one hand, he could understand the tactical advantages of such a weapon. Everyone expects ranged attacks, nobody expects a flung attacker.
On the other, Zhen Liu couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed as yet another part of his childhood was dug up and made real.
“Impressive, but I now have one question.”
<=Yes?=>
“How am I getting this boat out of here?”
<=Ah. Follow us.=>
As soon as they made that simultaneous noise of acknowledgement, Logos and Pathos directed Zhen Liu to the ship’s wheel.
