Water Magician-Chapter 646: Port Town Mei-Hey

Editor: Tseirp

Seven days had passed since food had been procured with the akumas’ help.

“Is this today’s plan?”

“Yes—calling at the Peiyu nation’s port, Mei-Hey.”

In a corner of the Tenth Ship’s First Deck, the usual water-attribute magician and the swordsman were chatting.

Until a little while ago, the water-attribute magician had been tinkering with an alchemy tool while the swordsman practiced his blade.

“Land in sight!”

A lookout on the mast shouted, and the two of them heard it.

“Do you think we can enter the port of Peiyu without trouble? They fought Darwei not long ago, right?”

“Ah—wasn’t that what Prince Ryun intercepted?”

While the two of them had been away negotiating with the ghost ship Ruri, Peiyu suddenly marched south and invaded Darwei.

Prince Ryun, acting on the emperor’s orders, moved north and repelled them.

They say a ceasefire treaty was later concluded, but still…

“The Tenth Ship will anchor offshore. We’ll head to the port in a cutter.”

Captain La Wu explained this to the pair in the corner.

“A cutter?”

“Like a lifeboat?”

Neither Abel nor Ryo knew much about this area.

But when they saw the ship anchored and preparations being made, they understood.

A cutter for about twenty people was being lowered from the Tenth Ship.

It was a hand-rowed boat that larger vessels always carry.

Larger ports aside, many smaller ports cannot accommodate a big ship.

In such cases, it’s common to anchor offshore like this and go ashore in a cutter.

“The ship will be left in the care of First Mate Sun Ma and First Navigator Myan Mar; I will go ashore. I want to obtain charts and information about these northern waters. How about you two?”

“Let’s go.”

“Yes—let’s go.”

Abel answered immediately to Captain La Wu’s question, and Ryo nodded as well.

They both wanted to know what lay to the north.

So Ryo, Abel, and Captain La Wu went ashore at Mei-Hey with seventeen crewmen.

Soon after the twenty landed, men who appeared to be port guards came up to them.

The ship anchored offshore was visible from the port.

Their response was natural enough.

“We are the Mei-Hey Port Defense. I am Captain Moa Shu. Who are you?”

A bearded man with respectable equipment announced himself.

About ten port guards stood behind him, each holding something like a spear.

They weren’t raising them, but they did present an imposing air.

“I am La Wu, captain of Darwei Imperial State Vessel Tenth Ship, currently anchored offshore. We operate under orders from the Imperial Household. I would like to speak with the person responsible for the port.”

La Wu’s tone was not arrogant.

But it was firm— the kind of announcement that suggested he would not be easily swayed.

For an instant, Captain Moa Shu seemed taken aback; Ryo and Abel noticed it too.

But it was only a moment.

A true captain does not show weakness before his men.

“The port official is the harbor magistrate, but he is absent.”

“Who is second in command?”

“I am.”

Moa Shu answered clearly.

“I see. Captain Moa Shu, I have something I wish to discuss. Is there a place?”

“The magistrate’s office will do. Follow me.”

They were led to what appeared to be the magistrate’s reception room.

Twenty people could not fit.

So only La Wu, Ryo, and Abel went inside; the other seventeen waited in an adjacent room.

“First, this is the Imperial Household’s order from Imperial Prince Ryun.”

La Wu said, producing the order they had once received from Ryo and the others.

Of course, it did not detail operational plans.

In short, it authorized the Tenth Ship’s actions under Prince Ryun’s authority.

That, however, implied that the Imperial Household stood behind and approved the ship’s movements.

Captain Moa Shu read it and nodded.

Then returned the document politely.

“Some time ago, an unfortunate clash occurred between Peiyu and Darwei.”

Moa Shu began.

“I hear the Darwei commander who stopped our southward advance was Prince Ryun. Is he the same person named in this order?”

“Yes. The same Prince Ryun.”

La Wu answered plainly.

Moa Shu’s intent in asking was unclear.

Perhaps he held a grudge against Prince Ryun.

Maybe someone close to him had died in that fight…

Lying here would be a bad move.

Once asked, the only sensible action is to answer honestly.

And if honest, to answer boldly and plainly.

“I see.”

Moa Shu sighed.

There was a silence.

La Wu said nothing.

Ryo and Abel were quiet as well.

“That southward expedition of ours was baffling even to our own soldiers.”

Moa Shu spoke.

“Baffling?”

La Wu tilted his head and asked.

Ryo and Abel exchanged glances but… of course, did not understand.

“No one could rationally expect Peiyu to defeat Darwei. The disparity in strength was too great. Yet the royal court decided, the order came down, and the southern campaign was launched… many soldiers fell on Darwei soil.”

“Good heavens…”

Moa Shu’s face mixed regret and sorrow.

La Wu’s was one of stunned comprehension.

Both men carried responsibility for many under their command.

So they understood.

The anguish of being forced by reckless orders to send subordinates into deadly peril.

Decisions from the high command are usually based on information not passed down to lower ranks.

Even if those below shout, “Why such an order?!” it often does no good.

Still…

“Those who surrendered were returned home promptly and without abuse. For that fairness shown by Prince Ryun, I give respect.”

“…”

“There was a nephew among those who returned. He was a child my wife adored… I can’t forget my wife’s face then.”

“War is not good for anyone.”

La Wu said, shaking his head slightly in agreement with Moa Shu.

La Wu was only thirty, but he had already been through harsh trials.

Otherwise, he could not have become captain of a state vessel at that age.

After a long silence, Moa Shu spoke again.

“Forgive me. I have yet to ask why Darwei’s state vessel has called here. You cannot reveal operational details, but I suppose you are here because you seek our cooperation?”

“That is correct.”

La Wu paused, then continued.

“We intend to proceed further north.”

He deliberately withheld the nation’s name.

“I see— to the northern country.”

By phrasing it as ‘the northern country’, Moa Shu let it be understood without explicit naming.

Keeping certain names unspoken can reduce damage if information leaks later.

Saying “I never thought it would be the Choouchi Empire!” can be used as a defense if needed.

Sometimes a single spoken word can save many lives…

“Right now, the northern border is tense.”

“Tense?”

La Wu frowned at Moa Shu’s words.

Tense is not a welcome word.

“We’ve heard that the northern country has deployed troops to our border.”

“Does that mean Peiyu will go to war?”

“That I cannot say. Little news of national importance reaches a mere port defense captain.”

Moa Shu answered with a rueful tone to La Wu’s query.

Indeed, Mei-Hey is just a port town of Peiyu, and Moa Shu is merely the defense captain.

Peiyu has a few towns that could be called port cities.

Among them, Mei-Hey is said to be the largest.

That stems from Peiyu’s realities and the Peiyu people themselves.

The Peiyu are an equestrian tribe.

They are essentially a landfolk who spend their lives with horses; they are not a people who go to sea.

For that reason, port towns hold little importance within Peiyu.

“If I may advise you, you should not proceed north by sea.”

“What? Why is that?”

“Besides ice drifting south from the north… the biggest problem is kraken lairs.”

La Wu was startled by Moa Shu’s words.

Ryo and Abel were even more surprised.

They exchanged looks and both frowned.

Yes— krakens. Again.

“I don’t know the reason, but in the past year, northern krakens have been moving south with disturbing frequency. Still, I can’t say they’ve left the north entirely. So I advise against heading north by sea.”

“I see.”

La Wu averted his gaze at Moa Shu’s remark.

Abel took that cue and spoke up.

“Ryo and I will travel by land.”

“Yes.”

Ryo nodded.

“The terrain near the northern border is quite troublesome. Horses won’t do.”

“I had never planned to ride. Ryo’s not good at it, after all.”

“If only Andalusia were here…”

At Moa Shu’s comment, Abel shrugged and Ryo answered with a rueful look.

A trustworthy steed is truly the most necessary companion for travel, they realized…

“I’ll give you a map up to the border. It’s not very detailed, but it’s better than nothing and will give you a general idea. Honestly, coastal routes are few; our country is a horse nation. The inland areas are more developed.”

“Is that all right? Even if we take the map?”

“No problem. I’ll just hand over the same maps kept by any town.”

Moa Shu fell silent for a moment and then said quietly:

“The northern country is unsettling even to us, and it could become belligerent. By the proverb ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’, giving you maps isn’t necessarily wrong.”

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