I Got Fired As an Adventurer, So I’m Starting Anew As an Alchemist! Frontier Exploration? Alright, Leave It to Me!

Chapter 159



159. Departure Feel Nice, Isn’t It?

The departure day was perfectly clear. The blue sky stretched endlessly, without a cloud in sight. Truly, the ideal day to depart.

A large number of citizens gathered at the port, surrounding the steamship. It’s an iron ship powered by a steam engine that uses a moisture-evaporating solution—a combination of Leafan’s technology and Dr. Jabir’s knowledge. With its size and sturdiness, it keeps aquatic monsters at bay. The fittings and test sailing were completed, and today is the official departure.

We’re waiting for the departure ceremony, Kyle and I, but Myrna isn’t here. A large tent has been set up as our waiting room.

“Actually, last night, I got into another argument with Myrna. Today, she’s holed up in her room.”

“I see… She must be having a hard time accepting it.”

“Yes. But this isn’t just a pleasure trip.”

I nodded and patted Kyle on the shoulder. It must feel lonely not to have his twin sister seeing him off. To lift Kyle’s spirits, I changed the subject.

“Hey, take a look at that.”

I pointed to a carriage prominently displayed for everyone to see.

“It made it in time.”

“Yeah. Kyle said he’d ride a horse, but Zaid warned that it wouldn’t look good for the lord to travel on horseback outside of wartime. So we rushed to make this carriage.”

A beautiful carriage with a white base accented by black and gold was on display in a conspicuous place where the citizens could see it. When the ceremony is over, Kyle will board this carriage and then board the ship. Pulling the carriage are my Black Dragon and Kyle’s White Fang. Though crafted with the finest of Leafan’s technology, the carriage is quite heavy. But with Black Dragon around, pulling it is no big deal. Really, it’s only because Kyle’s bringing along his beloved horse that we ended up with this setup.

“They say it’s sturdy on rough terrain and that the wheels rarely get stuck.”

“That’s impressive. So, it’s an upgrade of the carriages doing well on the highways?”

“Those are for cargo, but this one is designed for comfort, with less jostling.”

“If this journey proves its worth, we can offer it to His Majesty.”

“Yeah, that sounds good. By then, we’ll probably have ideas for further improvements.”

“Yes.”

It seemed I had managed to steer the conversation in a different direction. Knowing Kyle, he probably played along knowingly. Just as our conversation reached a pause, Zaid and Dr. Jabir entered the tent.

“Kyle. It’s almost time for your part.”

“Yes, Nii-sama.”

Kyle answered, sounding somewhat happy.

“Kyle-sama, and you too, take care.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t worry. Even if anything happens, I’ll protect Kyle.”

I replied confidently, and the doctor sighed in exasperation.

“Sigh… Kyle-sama, yes, but you should also take good care of yourself.”

“Um… okay. Got it.”

Honestly, the doctor is so kind! Soon, Kyle stepped onto the platform set up at the port. Holding the voice amplification tool, he began to speak slowly.

“Everyone, our lives have stabilized and are gradually becoming more prosperous. Therefore, we must move to the next stage: connecting the fragmented human realms so we can join hands! I am honored to have been entrusted with this noble mission directly by His Majesty the King. I will be away from the territory for a while, but I trust that you all will do your best during my absence.”

As Kyle placed the voice tool down, a cheer erupted throughout the port. From behind, I boarded the carriage with Kyle. Our coachman, by the way, is Ryuuko the maid.

And so, amid thunderous cheers, we set sail.

Currently, this ship carries not only the mission members but also many soldiers. The reason is simple: Raidoc and his group are not on board. They have already set up a base camp on the opposite shore and should be waiting.

The enormous paddle wheels, like giant waterwheels, churned the water as the steel ship pressed forward powerfully. Occasionally, monsters emerged from the water, but the large bows mounted on the ship and the soldiers’ javelins quickly repelled them. The soldiers diligently collected the corpses with nets, extracting the magic stones—quite the hardy bunch.

Crossing this massive river with a regular boat would be a gamble with one’s life. Even so, some merchants and adventurers had braved the dangers. When the grand bridge, stretching to the horizon, is completed, it will make it safe to cross the river that once divided civilizations. Fortunately, we completed this steel steamship first.

“We’re getting close to the other shore… Oh! Kyle! I can see it!”

“Yes!”

I had been spending some idle time on the deck, but when I gestured to Kyle, he came running over.

“From here on, it’s no longer the kingdom’s territory.”

“Right. We’ll need to stay on our toes.”

“Yes.”

A wharf made from barges was already set up on the other shore. The downside of the steamship is that it needs a certain depth to avoid running aground, but it seemed the advance team anticipated this, extending the wharf into deeper waters.

“With spatial storage, we could have landed by boat, though.”

“That may be fine if Craft’s brother were here, but if we’re aiming to trade, it’s a necessity.”

“True enough.”

“We’ll have to start by securing permission to set up a trading port.”

Kyle’s expression grew serious. Here, we were outside the territory claimed by the kingdom. Political skills would be increasingly essential.

At the landing, a few tents had already been set up.

“Hey, you made it.”

It was, of course, Raidoc and his group who welcomed us. Adventurers were also waiting by the tents, though they remained stationed there.

“You’ve built quite an impressive wharf.”

“The steamship captain made several trips delivering supplies as part of the test sailing, even towing barges.”

“I see.”

“Kyle-sama, please come to the tent first. We’ll handle unloading in the meantime.”

“Yes.”

“There isn’t much to unload, just the carriage.”

All the other supplies are already in spatial storage.

“It’s also to test the wharf, I hear. Let the crew handle it.”

“Got it.”

When I turned back, they were already moving the horses and the carriage out of the cargo hold. Best to stay out of the way. We headed to the tent.

“Let me report. We’ve searched the area around the base camp.”

“Did you manage to make contact with any countries?”

“No. We didn’t even find a village, just as the preliminary information suggested.”

“I see.”

Kyle fell into thought.

“If that’s the case, building a temporary port here shouldn’t be an issue.”

“As long as it’s not a permanent port with alchemically hardened rock, right? If we get complaints, we can just dismantle it.”

“True. Let’s pass on a message to the captain to begin construction.”

Ryuuko the maid swiftly placed paper and pen in front of Kyle, and he quickly wrote up instructions.

“Then, we’ll leave this area in the adventurers’ hands and set off right away.”

“Aren’t you going to rest?”

“No need. We’ve had staMyrna potions.”

“I see. Then let’s get going; we’re ready.”

Outside, Leafan and Jitaro were already helping to unload the horses from the ship. Living creatures can’t be put into spatial storage. The spell simply doesn’t activate if you try. So, for creatures like horses and bipedal birds, transporting by ship is the only option. We really can’t wait for the bridge to be completed.

The mission group lined up with the carriage at the center. Kyle, myself, Leafan, Ryuuko, Raidoc, Solar, Eva, Camille, Marilyn, and Jitaro.

Facing everyone, Kyle raised his voice.

“Here, I declare the formation of the mission to the small states!”

“””Oh!!!”””

And so, our adventure began!

…I had no idea that not using spatial storage to unload the carriage from the ship would be something I’d regret.


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