Chapter 424: Fees of A Lord (2/2)

It was no easy matter to find the sea child, but Arthur knew he would have to start somewhere. A good place for that would be to investigate the nobles responsible for the area.

They were bound to be aware, or at least have a clue. Arthur himself wasn't a noble or anything, but he was the Lord of Hidden City. Anyone of a lesser rank or a smaller estate needs to, at the very least, show respect to his wishes.

'I thought it would be less complicated to build a city,' Arthur mused to himself as he looked through the harbor. 'Why can't I just throw many at the land and see it turn into a city?'

Arthur knew it was wishful thinking because of how tired he was. A problem followed every solution, and Arthur felt tired from constantly going forward and solving everyone's problem.

'I'm not playing a role-playing game for all I care,' Arthur sighed as he looked at the endless crowd. 'I need an ending, no matter how undesirable.'

His thoughts started taking a darker turn into a lonesome and dark feeling. It might be the impact of Dia's absence after meeting her again, or it might be Gala's death finally being processed.

'I need to stop wasting my time,' Arthur thought to himself as he walked into a carpenter's shop. This street was specialized in shipbuilding, and Arthur needed to find workers who weren't affiliated with the association.

”Greetings, dear customer,” the carpenter welcomed him with a respect that far exceeded the one shown by Rony, even though Arthur has yet to reveal his identity.

”Hello, I want to hire some workers,” Arthur greeted as he looked around the giant workshop, which had a wide range of creations.

”For what exactly, dear customer?” the man asked, looking at Arthur's missing arm with suspicion.

”I want to build a few ships and a dock,” Arthur revealed, and the man's face grew pale before he bowed down heavily.

”I'm sorry, My Lord. However, I received instructions from the association to refuse to create anything for you, as there is a pending agreement in place. Therefore, please show mercy to my workshop.”

The man seemed genuinely frightened by Arthur's visit, as he was put between a hammer and a hard place. After seeing the man's frightened attitude, Arthur sighed and left the shop, not wishing to give them any trouble.

The words that Rony left seem to be more than empty threats. Arthur never expected the shipbuilder association to be such a united entity, but it seems they had to fend for themselves with the increased demand.

'How am I going to find shipbuilders now?' Arthur wondered to himself as he walked out of the workshop into the crowded street again.

As he made his way with a mind full of worry, Arthur passed by countless strangers, all running to earn their next coin. The diversity in the crowd made Arthur feel out of place, even with his uncommon features. The Demis and humans dressed and acted differently than he did, and it worked well to enhance the differences between Earth and Alka.

'I need to find someone to build me ships or build them myself.' Arthur was sure that Rumi could design ships for him, even if he had to go through trials and failures.

Adrian would have been the best person to build his ships. Arthur would have tiny little vessels in his pocket, which he would throw into the sea to build a fleet.

However, the whereabouts of that carpenter was unknown. So Adrian worked restlessly to prepare for the ending of this world, tasked with an ancient being who seemed to have planned it all.

As his thoughts grew more distant, Arthur's body brushed against someone. For the briefest second, a feeling of recognition dawned on him that released him from the chains of being an outsider.

”Who?” muttered the Seika as he turned to look at the moving crowd, full of endless people. His body moved on its own to seek the familiarity again, but the crowd was endless.

As his feet carried him to the end of the harbor, Arthur stopped to stare at the countless ships leaving the dock. The lights reflected from the surface of the water to light up the darkness of the night. But then, Arthur saw that person again.