Chương 51: The Tour of Dreams: Exterior

The Deliverer is still quite far away, docking as the first ship of the ground fleet. Thus, Pan continued his tale, gesturing grandly towards its visible front.

"And after years of designing and building, we finally finished the magnificent beauty."

"Awesome," Kaoru whispered, her eyes wide with marvel as she stared at the figurehead.

"Who does that statue represent?"

"That," Pan said, his voice soft with reverence, "is the Deliverer. It was carved from a single moon-wood trunk by the finest elven artisans. It bears an exact resemblance to Theara, the late wife of our leader." Kaoru looked down, her expression turning somber. She and Ran turned to Galan and bowed.

"Our condolences, Leader." Galan smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Thank you. But what matters now is the hope she left behind." He looked out at the hangar.

"The hope that people of all nations and races can live together in harmony. She fulfilled her promise. Now I have to fulfill mine: to bring peace to this world. For humans and yookai both!" He gave a thumbs-up, his smile cutting through his grief.

"That's very admirable," Kaoru said softly.

"Your late wife was very fortunate." So he has a heart, Ran thought. Quite rare for someone this powerful.

"By the way, what's your name?" Galan asked.

"I am Hanazono Kaoru."

"And I am Hanazono Ran."

"You both have beautiful names," Galan said.

"I'm Odagawa, but call me Oda. A pleasure to meet you."

"Your name is beautiful as well," Kaoru giggled.

"Thanks. Alright, back to you, Pan." Pan wiped his eyes and continued his tour, describing the ship's moon-wood construction and its elegant, understated design, very different from the riveted metals of the surrounding dwarven vessels. As they walked, Meredith came close to Galan.

"Ye never got to properly grieve for her, did you?" she asked, her voice low and remorseful.

"No," he admitted.

"I suppose not." This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"I'm sorry for being so harsh… carrying all of that burden by yourself must've been really difficult."

"Well, we're together now. You can help me fix that when we have the chance." Meredith smiled.

"Hmph… I won't disappoint." As they neared the ship, Galan stopped.

"Alright, we're here." He snapped his fingers. An ornate, grand staircase materialized from the side of the hull, summoned from the ship's own divine vault. The guardrails also vanished at the same time, creating an opening for them to board. Kaoru and Ran stared, mouths agape.

"Impressive, right?" Galan said, looking back at them.

"I added it to the original design to make the boarding process look cooler." He pointed at the other ships.

"Most of the other ships have their crew either need to climb a rope ladder or go in through the back like they're some kind of cargo." They ascended the stairs.

"But wait… wouldn't adding features like this increase the construction cost?" asked Ran.

"It does," Pan replied.

"But our leader doesn't like to cheap out on important things, especially essential amenities. In fact, the Deliverer's maintenance cost is the lowest in its weight class because of his philosophy of doing more than we need now so we won't have to do more than we should later."

"Oh… I didn't know owning a ship could be so complicated," Kaoru said, pretending to understand. He even prioritizes long-term stability, Ran thought, her calculating smile returning. Definitely my kind of guy. On the deck, Kaoru looked around.

"Pan... something is missing. All the ships... they're missing the tall, wooden... erect things. You know, the ones that hold the big white sheets." Ran let out a soft, choked laugh.

"Kaoru! You shouldn't say that! Did you mean the masts?"

"Hahahaha! Yeah, that's what she meant." Galan clarified.

"The reason they're gone is because flying ships don't need sails. We can propel ourselves in any direction we want, so having a sail will only slow us in all directions but one." He's extremely knowledgeable, responsible, and powerful, and he even has immense resources to build all this… Ran cataloged with a calculating smile.

"You are very wise in the ways of sky-ships, Leader," Kaoru said, impressed.

"Eh, these are just the basics," Galan shrugged.

"Pan actually made some poems to help kids understand how they work."

"I can tell you later if you want," Pan offered.

"I would love that!" Kaoru beamed. Ran agreed, her eyes flickering from Galan to Meredith. I have got to make him mine.

"Alright, let's continue the tour," Galan said. He led them to a set of rustic, incredibly detailed double doors made from a pale gold alloy of gold & silver. The right door depicted Helios, the Sun God, riding his fiery chariot. The left showed his sister, Selene, the Moons' Goddess, in her own silver chariot. The whole artwork was framed in the classic, winding Greek Key pattern.

"Those doors look great!" Kaoru said.

"I know, right?" Galan replied. He touched the door. It verified his soul and glided open silently, the chandeliers inside flaring to life.

"Oh," he said, walking backward into the hall.

"And if either of you are thinking of stealing me, you'll have to go through her first." He pointed at Meredith. She looked at them with a devilish grin and cracked her knuckles with a sound like snapping bone. Kaoru froze, a flicker of genuine fear in her eyes. Ran, however, met Meredith's gaze with a challenging smile of her own. If he doesn't mind having multiple wives, she thought, then beating the competition shouldn't be too hard.

But I wonder what sort of things this little one will make me do to win him over.