Star Forge Titan

The experience of living in the sewer before she restored contact with her men was a stain on her brilliant life and must not be known to others.

"Tsk, sheet metal breastplate." Khayon curled his lips and muttered softly.

"What did you say!" Bai Xia was stunned. The seemingly full bulge on her chest looked extremely stiff, just like her body shape.

"Okay, no kidding, when will the 'Beautiful Brigade' you mentioned arrive in Linde? Moreover, the destination of that ship seems to be marked as Genoa." Before the other party really got angry, Khayang suddenly changed the subject.

"Hmph, that's a standard Carrick three-masted sailing ship. As long as the sea conditions are normal, it will reach Linde in no more than 21 days."

"As for the destination, although the ship is heading to Genoa, it will enter the mouth of the Seine on the way, go up the river and dock in Lutetia, the capital of Linde, for mid-way trading. Just remember to get off the ship when the time comes." Boxia said quickly, just wanting to get rid of this annoying guy as soon as possible.

"I see. I understand." Ka Yang nodded and picked up his small luggage, which was a wooden suitcase wrapped in cowhide.

"Well, goodbye, Miss Boshia." The young wizard, dressed as a small businessman, adjusted his black wide-brimmed hat and walked towards the three-masted sailing ship in the distance in a casual manner.

"Hmph, you finally left, you annoying guy." The half-elf female spy curled her lips, showing an expression of finally feeling relieved.

"Oh, by the way, your secret base may have been exposed. After all, I am wanted by the kingdom." Khayon's voice came with the sea breeze, making Boxia tremble with anger.

"Ka-Yang-!"

"Sorry, I'm an Elrond after all." Listening to the angry roar behind him, Khayon shrugged indifferently.

At the same time, Ivan, who had parted with Afrediya, had already boarded the sailboat he was going to take with his suitcase.

He was now wearing a white shirt and a thick black long coat. The coat, which was originally a dress coat, had been stripped of all the complicated Lind-style decorations, such as the gold embroidery on the edges and the large lace decoration on the collar. Only the two sleeves and a row of brass buttons on the front were valuable. However, overall, it was very simple and seemed to be within the price range that a young scholar traveling could afford.

However, the suitcase the black-haired boy was carrying was quite novel. It was made of canvas instead of the traditional wood, and its shape was also different from the old suitcases. It was square in shape, instead of the traditional round shape that was difficult to carry.

"Beautiful Brigade? Why does this name sound familiar?" Walking on the boarding plank, Alvin glanced at the copper nameplate nailed under the stern freeboard. He seemed vaguely familiar with the name, but he couldn't remember what specific mission it was from.

"Sir?" The sailor who was temporarily in charge of welcoming the guests couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, sorry, I was a little distracted." Alvin nodded apologetically to the other party.

As he spoke, the young man's golden eagle eyes swept over, but he did not sense any overly strong magical reaction.

In other words, there were no extraordinary people on this ship, or in other words, no extraordinary people who didn't hide their identities. If there were extraordinary people who concealed their identities, they would probably not cause trouble in a high-profile manner, just like himself.

Thinking of this, the black-haired boy who concealed his true identity did not hesitate and stepped onto the three-masted sailing ship named "Beautiful Brigade".

This ship is the earliest merchant ship to depart from Linde in recent times. Although it is partly used for cargo transportation, which is why its destination is Genoa, it also has passenger transport capabilities.

Besides the cargo hold on the lower level, the captain had prepared numerous rooms on the middle deck of the sailboat, capable of accommodating a considerable number of passengers. However, the experience wouldn't be as good as on a dedicated passenger ship. Alvin had purchased a second-class ticket, so his accommodations were limited to a small wooden room. Through the thin partitions, he could even hear coughs coming from the room next door.

But considering the time issue, he had nothing to complain about.

Furthermore, his current identity, that of a young scholar from Genoa, was actually a fake. Even with the cover of Elrond's intelligence agency, he would be better off choosing less conspicuous ships. Therefore, a luxury liner was naturally not a top target.

Ships like the "Beautiful Group," which primarily carry cargo and occasionally transport passengers, are more suitable. Port inspectors generally focus more on inspecting the cargo they carry and give the few individual passengers a pass. Even if there are wanted criminals among them, there is a high probability that they will be overlooked.

After putting down the suitcase, Alvin briefly checked the items he was carrying.

Putting aside clothes and daily necessities, the most precious items are naturally the 'Flawless Gem - Eternal Flame' and the 'Legendary Weapon - Burning Justice', both of which are carried close to his body in the form of pendants.

Next up is the "Diplomat Ring," a seemingly unremarkable item with camouflaging abilities. This ring is what disguises Ivan's appearance as a well-proportioned, 1.85-meter-tall scholar. While his strength and constitution are slightly restricted, his other attributes like perception remain unchanged, and his charm actually increases slightly.

Moreover, this ring can conceal the user's magical fluctuations to a certain extent, making him look more like an ordinary person.

By the way, when he got on board, Alvin claimed to be an oceanographer. Relying on the miscellaneous knowledge he gained from popular science books, he actually stunned the sailors.

Apart from those magical equipment, he didn't carry either the mithril mask or the mithril full body armor. Because that would easily reveal his identity, and there was no need to be fully armed when traveling, right?

The purpose of his action this time was basically to obtain the various magical equipment blueprints and related theoretical research results unique to Lind in the Central Empire.

If you want to succeed, you have to work harder on intelligence and intelligence.

Generally speaking, in such actions, the use of force should come second... right?

After a moment of uncertainty, Ivan didn't take it too seriously. As someone who possessed the power of [Reshaping the World], he could be fully armed anytime, anywhere, as long as he had enough materials.

For now, let's just peacefully enjoy the unique experience of traveling in Palladia. The handsome, dark-haired boy put his worries aside, left his room, and walked onto the deck of the sailboat, beginning to enjoy the warm yet gentle early spring sunshine.

Soon, the ship began to leave the harbor. In sight, the rolling walls of Avonmore gradually merged with the horizon. The mighty river would carry the ship along its path to the sea. Then, the sea breeze would take over the task of propelling the ship, carrying it all the way to its destination.

I heard footsteps behind me, and it seemed that other guests were preparing to leave the small room.

Suddenly, the footsteps stopped without warning. Alvin's enhanced hearing allowed him to notice that the person's heartbeat suddenly quickened, and then he actually began to retreat.

"Huh?" The black-haired boy was stunned for a moment, then turned his head to look behind him, only to find a familiar guy staring at him with an awkward but polite smile.

How old are you?

Why is it always you?

The sharpness in Ivan's eyes made Khayang's awkward yet polite smile even more stiff.

Chapter 2 Microwaves

In fact, Alvin's appearance now is quite different from before.

Although the appearance-changing function of the 'Elrond Diplomat Ring' did not change his appearance, the change in his body shape was enough to affect his entire temperament.

Even if they are of the same height, a muscular man with prominent muscles all over his body and a young man with a well-proportioned and slender figure will naturally give people completely different impressions.

Compared to the powerful and aggressive majesty before, the handsome young man now looks as calm as the sea. With the black hair neatly trimmed by Afrediya herself, it can even be said that he has a bit of bookish air.

If this were not the case, his behavior of calling himself a scholar after boarding the ship would not have been recognized by others.

After all, a northern barbarian with long, wild hair like a lion's mane and covered in animal skins would only be looked at with horror as if he were an insane person, even if he said he was a well-read scholar.

Now, if someone who was not so familiar with him walked directly in front of Ivan, it would be difficult to connect him with Prince Elrond, who was over two meters tall, had loose black hair, and wore a mithril mask all day long.

But who is Khayon? He's the co-pilot (gun pod) that Ivan held in his arms during the Ace Combat.

Just by looking at his back, he recognized the tall, black-haired boy who was standing on the deck looking at the scenery. He looked elegant, easy-going, approachable, gentle, and had a terrifying temperament. What kind of a terrifying existence was he!

Even if he puts on the appearance of a scholar, it can't change his inner barbarian nature! I got on the wrong boat!

However, it was too late for Khayon to realize this. He was surrounded by the sea and could not even escape.

When those sharp, sword-like eyes swept over him, the young mage with his messy, straw-colored hair could only muster all his willpower to force out an ugly, twisted smile. He was obviously very good at faking smiles, but at this moment, he felt that he couldn't smile at all.

"In other words, in order to avoid being wanted, you plan to go to Linde to hide?" Alvin asked with a smile while leaning against the side of the boat.

"Ah, that's about it." Ka Yang stood sideways a few steps away, inexplicably feeling that if you come over, I will jump off the boat.

"What a coincidence! I thought you were going there because you wanted to learn Linde's magical engineering." Ivan looked at Khayang deeply, and the implicit mockery in his eyes made the latter's scalp tingle.

"Also? Okay, I admit that I am a little interested in those things." The young wizard raised his hand in surrender, and his current attire as a small businessman made him look inexplicably funny.

"Then maybe we can go together, just as companions," Alvin said kindly.

...Can I refuse?

Ka Yang really wanted to ask this, but there was no need to say it out loud when he knew the answer.

At this time, other passengers also came to the deck to get some fresh air.

Alvin found that there were no elderly people among them, and most of them were young people. However, there were a few toddlers and children under ten years old who were held in their arms.

In addition, they have one thing in common: none of them have undergone the transformation of the Elrond Mysteries. In other words, these passengers are not Elrond demons, but ordinary people.

Even looking at their clothing, most of them lived in very poor conditions, which might be why they did not receive any transformation.

These people dispersed in twos and threes, and the originally quiet deck soon became lively.

The black-haired boy narrowed his eyes, and his golden pupils emitted a radiant glow from his pupils to the outer irises.

In the special vision after activating the [Eagle Eye of Vidoflnir], a faint light rises from everyone's body like flames or smoke. It is the innate magic power of living things that is naturally exchanged with the magic power of the external environment, similar to breathing. Only extraordinary people can actively control and change this process.

Considering that these eyes could see through disguises, Alvin was certain that except for himself and Khayon, everyone on the ship, including the sailors, was an ordinary person without any extraordinary powers.

Actually, this wasn't a surprising thing. Before the rise of the various nations, transcendents were relatively uncommon. Even most adventurers, mercenaries, and even regular soldiers were merely ordinary people who had received a certain degree of professional training. He had been in the same situation when he first entered the game as a player in his previous life.

"Be careful, there's something wrong with this ship." Khayon suddenly said in a low voice.

"Oh?" Alvin raised his eyebrows and looked calmly at the sailors working around the deck, and found that several of them were secretly looking at all the passengers.

"As a merchant ship that occasionally carries passengers, it has too many cabins." Khayon habitually showed that flawless fake smile, which was actually a sign of his seriousness.

"And that's not a very good environment. To be honest, if it weren't for people like you and me who need to conceal our identities, most civilians with decent living conditions wouldn't choose to board this ship, let alone those wealthy and powerful nobles or big businessmen."

"So, you think the main customers of this ship are poor people?" Alvin grasped the key point sharply.

"Yes." Ka Yang nodded slightly with an almost imperceptible amplitude.

"But logically speaking, unless they absolutely have to travel by water or simply want to migrate to another place, poor people generally don't choose to take a boat. They are more accustomed to traveling by land."

"Then the question is, it is not easy to gather a ship full of people who meet the above conditions, but this ship does not seem to care about this. So how do they usually make a living?" The young necromancer showed a somewhat dangerous smile.

"Human trafficking, or something worse." Alvin's expression gradually cooled.

"In short, please be vigilant, Your Majesty." When saying the last title, Khayang's voice was slightly teasing and a little unhappy.

"Heh." Alvin didn't react much to this, he even smiled at the other party.

"..." This made Khayon's expression freeze, and a thousand Elrond curse words surged in his heart like a mudslide, wanting to burst out, but in the end he forced himself to swallow them back in his throat.

Then, like two fellow travelers who had just met, they raised their voices a little, exchanged a few simple and ordinary words, and then went their separate ways.

This scene was seen by the sailors who were secretly observing the passengers. Soon, one of the sailors informed the relevant information to the number one manager of the "Beautiful Brigade", the captain of the ship, Mr. Henry Gonçalves.

Half of the gentleman's body was shrouded in shadow, and only a little candlelight barely illuminated a small part of his face. One could vaguely see that his eyebrows and hair were very sparse, but his beard was extremely thick, and his skin was very pale, as if he had not seen the sun for several months.

"The last two people who boarded the ship knew each other?" Captain Henry, who had a big beard, frowned.

"Oh, they probably met after getting on the ship. Anyway, I'm not too sure." The sailor who came to report the situation said hesitantly.

"Is there any reaction to the crystal given to us by the Lord?" the captain asked.

"No, it's just like other 'cargo', there's nothing special about it." The sailor was quite sure this time.

"Well, they are just two ordinary people. It's no big deal even if they know each other." Captain Henry Gonsalves shook his head and continued to flip through the notebook in his hand that recorded the passenger information.

"Anyway, the people who went to the port to inquire about the situation came back saying that they were an ordinary small businessman and a young scholar who was planning to return to the Genoa Confederation."

"Then, shall I go and inform the helmsman to change course?" the sailor asked in a low voice.

"Well, sure." Captain Henry nodded in affirmation.

So the sailor quickly left the captain's room.

In the dim cabin, a candle flickered faintly, emitting a faint light. Captain Henry, who had a big beard but an extremely pale face, licked his fingers and began to look through the thick notebook again.

There was an extremely excited expression on his face, as if he was counting a thick stack of banknotes or counting the coins rattling in a cash box.

"Excluding the crew, there are a total of sixty passengers this time. Well, not bad, not bad, not bad!"

As he spoke, an irrepressible smile appeared at the corners of Captain Henry's mouth, which were unusually red under his beard.

“It’s really exciting.”

Chapter 3: Dark Waves

After the two talked, they left.

Meanwhile, Alvin walked into his room, packed up all his things, took out the reassembled 'Burning Justice' and 'Eternal Flame' to check the weapon status, and then fell asleep at the speed of light without any burden.

Elsewhere, Khayon, returning to his room, immediately took out his dagger and began making a simple measuring tool on the spot. Under candlelight, he first used the dagger to cut two pieces of wood from the bedside, and with some effort, he made a ruler, and then deftly connected one end of them to form a pair of compasses.

The connecting part is made of an iron pin pried off a stool in the room, so the connection is movable, which allows the two legs of the compass to open and close freely.

After this, even though it was already late at night, Khayon lay in bed, tossing and turning like a pancake, unable to fall asleep. He was the type of person who would get stressed out when things were on his mind, but he wouldn't show it outwardly. And thinking back to the three deliberate pats the barbarian had given him on the back when they parted, it probably meant something was going to happen at three in the morning.

I just hope that the impact can be minimized under the cover of night. After all, as a wanted criminal, it is not suitable for him to take high-profile actions.

Sure enough, at three o'clock in the morning, Alvin, who was originally sleeping soundly, opened his eyes very accurately.

The black-haired boy got up, changed into a white shirt and black trousers, then put on the dark brown boots and carefully tied the laces, then he pushed the door open and walked out.

Not surprisingly, Alvin saw a crew member with a sailor's scimitar on his waist in the corridor. He was guarding the cabin on this floor used to accommodate passengers.

"Sir, what's the matter so late at night?" the sailor asked warily, his hand already on the hilt of his knife.

"Oh, I just couldn't sleep. Is there anything to eat in the kitchen?" Alvin greeted the other party with a smile, looking completely harmless.

At the same time, he was deeply impressed. If it were Yazi before using the Diplomat Ring, with his perfectly proportioned muscles and his "Power of Strength" talent fully activated, not to mention being harmless, the fact that he didn't terrify his enemies and flee in all directions was already the result of his efforts to reduce the pressure of his magic.

Now, seeing the young man who claimed to be an ocean scholar say this, the sailor's tense muscles relaxed.

To be honest, the oceanographic knowledge the other party had revealed during their casual conversation had in some ways astonished even a veteran sailor like him. If he hadn't known the captain's character, he would have most likely persuaded him to join his side, at least to avoid...

The sailor's thoughts ended here. Ivan, who had already walked a few steps away from him, suddenly became blurred.