Chapter 91: To Each Their Own (Patreon)

On our first day in Zhenjiang, Mahya first dragged us to a baby wipes factory and bought a ton of wipes. No, I'm not exaggerating; she bought one ton of baby wipes.

"Why do you need so much?"

"I converted the Clean Spell to an engineering skill. I need something to clean with, and these wipes are great."

After shopping, we went sightseeing. The search I did on the phone revealed that the interesting things here are mountains and hills, so that's what we saw. We visited Jinshan Moutain, Maoshan Moutain, Jiaoshan Moutain, Mountain Mao, and Jiaoshan Hill, and concluded that we had seen enough mountains for the foreseeable future. We sailed to Nantong after spending a week in Zhenjiang.

Three hours after we started sailing, Mahya, Alfonsen, and Rue complained of stomachaches. I diagnosed them and found out they had a mild case of food poisoning. After healing them, I investigated the cause. I knew my food was perfectly fine because I always cast Clean and Purify on everything I cooked and the dishes, so the culprit must have been the water.

I used my mana sense to explore the water and found tiny organisms.

"It was a good idea to buy the aluminum sheets." I thought.

I couldn't work with the big aluminum sheet on the boat, so when we started sailing past nature and not villages, I dropped the anchor and used the E-foil to get to shore. After cutting three pieces of the main sheet, I created three "Purifying Aluminum Blobs," as I was calling them, and dropped them in the water tanks.

When I returned to the boat, I asked Mahya, "You think my blobs will purify salt from the seawater in our ocean crossing?"

"I have no idea."

"But you made it!"

"I helped build it and was in charge of the wood enchantment. The water system is Magitech, and it was Lis's responsibility."

"I think we should find this out, and if it doesn't, we need to examine the house and copy the system. We can't stock up on enough water for an ocean crossing."

"You can always park the house on the ocean, fill the boat from the house, and then fill the house from the ocean."

"Hmm, yeah, that might work."

That reminded me I had forgotten to check what she meant about my ability to control the house in my Storage. I turned my attention into the Storage and looked at the house. Once I did that, I felt more connected to the dungeon core. When the house was outside, I felt its presence strongly. However, when I stored it, I experienced a dim feeling, as if it were in the back of my mind. Now, I felt the connection much stronger, but not as strong as when I was inside or near the house.

I commanded the core to inflate the pontoons, and it worked! I couldn't figure out how it happened, as Storage keeps everything suspended. But it's a fact that the pontoons got inflated. It solved the water problem and provided a way to park the house on the ocean.

I checked the Archive, and there was still no message from Lis, but there were new messages on the call for help from the Traveler in the US.

_________________

Tr. RVF

"Frozen-Tail"

I need your help urgently. Someone captured me after I crossed the Gate to Dirt, and they are currently holding me in captivity. They drugged me and examined me. Don't go through the same gate as I did; they will capture you too. They have a force field that nullifies magic and cuts off access to mana. I believe they converse in a language known as English, and an earthquake occurred recently. Maybe it will help you locate me. Try to find the blue

________________

Tr. SS

This is Sonak Susil from Lulum, seeking information from the Traveler Guar Shum from Tamya. I need to know the location of the Gate to Dirt. As you see above, a friend is in need.

________________

Tr. GS

The Gate I passed through is in Shimoor. You said you traveled there. It is in the southeastern part of the continent, close to the center, with no cities or towns nearby—you can't mistake it. Good luck with your friend.

________________

It looks like we'll have a Travelers' Party.

I added to the thread:

_____________ 

Tr. JR

Hello, Sonak Susil. My name is John Rue, and I'm currently on planet Earth with two other Travelers. The world is called Earth, Terra, or Gaia, not Dirt.

Your friend is being held in a military base called "Nellis Air Force Base" in Nevada, in a country called the "United States of America," or USA for short. The army base is located near the city of Las Vegas.

We will head there soon, but we still need to figure out how to overcome the mana-nullifying field. If you arrive before us, please don't do anything until we arrive. In Las Vegas, we will stay at a hotel named Bellagio. Please wait for us.

Another Gate to Earth is in Shimoor, southwest of the capital of Talis. Both Shimoor Gates lead to a country on Earth named Germany. I'll check this thread and wait for your response.

______________

Putting it out of my mind, I continued with my mana practice. I was learning to immerse myself in the mana faster, but still needed the mind split; otherwise, I lost all awareness of my surroundings. I reached a point where I could control the helm and the sails while sitting on the boat's back deck, and I felt like a very accomplished wizard.

Mahya approached me to say she would take over the helm, and I saw Alfonsen sitting near me with a book. I asked him, "Do you practice controlling your mana?"

"No, why should I?"

"To advance it and exercise control over it!"

"Why? Eventually, I'll get the Mage Class, like my family, and have spells."

"Don't you want to control your mana like a tool without relying on a spell?"

"What for? I can buy spells from the Guidance or spell scrolls for everything; I have the money. Why bother?"

I found this point of view difficult to understand. I enjoyed discovering what I could do with my mana and advancing my control. How can somebody give up this chance? It was utterly incomprehensible to me.

"What are you reading?"

"A romance with vampires and werewolves."

Well, to each their own, I guessed.

We arrived in Nantong and explored the Chongchuan District. I also discovered a safari park in the area, and after convincing Mahya that she wouldn't attempt to abduct a panda, we visited it. She found a bear she liked and spent time with it until we had to leave. She was upset with me for making her swear, and gave me the evil eye for the rest of the day.

We spent only three days in Nantong and continued to Shanghai. We were approaching a cluster of three Gates and wanted to get on with it.

We docked at the Shanghai marina, and I consulted with Mahya at dinner.

"I have a dilemma."

"What?"

"During the boat's restoration, I took precautions to store all electrical devices to prevent mana damage, yet I still damaged the lights, as you know. When I worked on the boat's hull, I concentrated on small areas and used minimal mana to avoid damaging the engine. If we plan to sail the boat in the ocean, I want to perform a full restoration. But this will undoubtedly burn the engine, and we can't remove it and store it for safety. Do you have an idea for a solution?"

"I have a complete plan to turn the boat into a Magitec, but there is one minor problem."

"Need a dungeon core?"

"Yes, that's the root of the problem. But right now, the problem is that if there's a storm, we'll have to close the sails and sail with the engine, but a day's sailing requires at least fifteen hundred mana, or even more."

"I can supply fifteen hundred mana a day, with a little help from you, while I'm regenerating."

"What's your mana level?"

"9,300."

"Wow! I understand why Lis was jealous. Mine is 2,500. What's your mana level, Alfonsen?"

"4,200."

"Yes, we can manage that without a problem. So, I think we should stop in Shanghai for a while and take care of the engine."

"I understand nothing about Magitech, and it doesn't interest me." Alfonsen said, "John, can you find me more workshops? I know you and Mahya have over a hundred points. I only have twenty-three, and I want to fill the pool."

"Yeah, no problem. I'll sign you up tomorrow."

After dinner, we went to an unused cabin. Mahya put away all the furniture and spread out the largest blueprint I've ever seen on the floor. The blueprint contained detailed information about each part of the engine, including runes marked by name and specified locations for placing mana crystals until we could find a dungeon core. The blueprint showed we would no longer need the crystals once we placed the dungeon core in the center.

"Do we have enough crystals?" I asked.

"I have twelve, and at your house, the charging station has at least ten more. Do you have more?"

Checking my storage, I saw I only had the crystals from Shimoor. I took them out, removed their earth aspect, and gave them to Mahya.

"Get all the crystals out of the house." She told me.

"I can't park the house at the marina. We'll have to go somewhere discreet."

"Just remove the crystals without taking out the house. Haven't you mastered the art of extracting items from their respective containers yet?"

Right! I've done it before.

I focused and retrieved only the crystals, getting an additional fourteen. Mahya went over the plans and said, "We can manage with that, but if one of the nearby Gates or the Gates in Tibet lead somewhere not too dangerous, we'd better pick up at least twenty more to be sure everything will work perfectly."

"Okay, what now?"

"Now you sit and learn." She said, handing me a book of runes. It was a rune language I hadn't learned yet.

I sighed and mumbled, "Why does everything somehow involve studies?"

She playfully kicked my leg and jokingly said, "Don't talk like Alfonsen."

Alfonsen shouted from the saloon, "I heard that!"

We chuckled, and I let out another sigh before opening the Rune book. I guessed I was going back to school.