The group dispersed at the port, each person getting busy with their own tasks.
Charles went to the bank and deposited one million Echo Coins into his account before rushing toward the shipyard.
His heart raced as he went. Charles hadn't felt this way in a long while; it was like the nervous excitement of confessing to a girl for the first time.
At the steel-filled shipyard, Charles was received by an old man with two attendants. He was the owner.
"Good day, sir. How may I assist you?"
"I need an Exploration Ship."
When the old man heard Charles wanted neither a cargo ship nor a fishing boat, but an Exploration Ship, his face registered considerable surprise.
"Sir, are you sure you want an Exploration Ship? Have you applied with the Explorer Association?" he asked hesitantly, seeking confirmation.
"Not yet. Can't I buy a ship without applying first?"
Wood, sensing a touch of displeasure in the customer's voice, quickly explained.
"No, no, no, of course you can. It's just a routine check. After all, there are fewer and fewer adventurous people like you these days."
Discovering an island was certainly lucrative, but behind every success were thousands of failures.
The invention of the turbine allowed humans to venture into more unknown seas and search for new homelands more efficiently. For a time, they believed they were on the brink of conquering the oceans.
Unfortunately, humans were not the main characters in this story. Easily explored islands were a minority. Most were extremely dangerous, inhabited by strange natives, or surrounded by treacherous depths, all of which served as a sobering blow.
The number of missing Exploration Ships grew, and more people lost their husbands and children. Death eventually cooled humanity's enthusiasm. Slowly, people stopped seeing explorers as heroes, instead calling them fools with a death wish in hushed tones.
Wood recalled that the last person to purchase an Exploration Ship had done so five years ago. Naturally, that person ended up dead at sea.
"Sir, what kind of ship do you need? Please, tell me."
"The ship mustn't be too large, under 70 meters in length. The engine must be a Glorious Turbine, and the forward cannon must be a 125mm rifled gun." Charles rattled off his specifications.
To get home, he had been preparing for far too long. The configurations of various Exploration Ships were etched into his mind.
The transaction proceeded swiftly. An hour later, Charles saw the exterior of his new ship.
Its streamlined white hull was neatly lined with rivets, and its thickness was several times greater than the Rat's.
Thicker smokestacks attested to the turbine's formidable power.
At first glance, it looked like a larger, refurbished version of the Rat. However, the cannon on the foredeck, brimming with industrial beauty, instantly distinguished it from a secondhand cargo ship.
Length: 65 meters. Width: 10 meters. Draft: 5.5 meters.
"This ship was originally reserved for the Governor's Navy, but they aren't in a hurry. If you need it urgently, I can prioritize it for you."
"This one will do. When can it be launched?"
"Some of the interior facilities you need aren't ready yet. Even with expediting, I estimate it will be in the water in about half a month."
"With the subsidy from the Explorer Association, you only need to pay 3.5 million Echo Coins."
Charles silently calculated the amount. My account has just enough. Selling the Rat will cover the supplies for the next exploration.
"Alright, get it done as quickly as possible. I'll be here to collect the ship in half a month."
After leaving the shipyard, Charles headed straight for the Explorer Association.
Now that he had an Exploration Ship, he planned to join the Explorer Association. It was a loose organization present on every human island, with its members being the captains of Exploration Ships. Membership wasn't compulsory, but Charles wasn't one to reject something beneficial.
Once he became an Explorer, the Association's vast collection of sea charts would be open to him free of charge. He knew these items would cost a fortune on the outside. In addition to the charts, there were other perks as well; he had done his homework on the organization. Of course, becoming an Explorer wasn't without its downsides. Members had to land on an island at least once a year. Failing to meet this exploration quota resulted in the loss of one's Explorer status. However, this drawback was virtually non-existent for Charles, as exploring islands was precisely what he was here to do.
The Explorer Association wasn't far from the Dock District. Its white stone building was very conspicuous.
Charles glanced at the ship emblem hanging high on the building and stepped inside.
The interior was vast and empty, so much so that he could hear the echo of his own footsteps.
Aside from a few counters in the distance, only a handful of men and women were seated on the sofas to the left. The tricorn hats resting on the tables indicated they shared a similar status to Charles.
As Charles observed them, they were also curiously sizing up the new face at the door.
After making out the words written above the counters, Charles walked toward the one on the far left. Just as he was filling out the application form with a quill, a pale arm slung around his neck.
SWISH. Charles's right hand shot to his waist, and the barrel of his Revolver was already pressed against the stomach of the person behind him.
A husky female voice sounded in his ear. "Relax, newbie. This isn't the sea. There's no danger here."
The person released his neck, dragged over a stool, and sat down next to him with her legs crossed.
The newcomer was a seductive woman with bright-white hair, long, straight legs, and an alluring, deliberately exposed neckline.
If not for her imposing stature of nearly two meters, any man would want to get closer to her.
More than her beauty, Charles was interested in the wooden staff at her waist, which seemed to be her weapon. Women who went to sea were rare, and those who survived were not to be underestimated.
"What do you want?" Charles asked, putting his gun away.
"It's been a while since we've seen a new face, so I came over to get to know you. I'm Elizabeth, Captain of the Black Rose. What's your name, sweetheart?" the giant beauty asked with a smile.
Charles didn't answer. He simply continued to fill out his application. The hostile environment at sea had sapped his interest in mingling with strangers.
However, the woman next to him didn't seem to get the hint.
A delicate fragrance wafted over as Elizabeth leaned in, brazenly peeking at Charles's application.
"Charles? That's a good name. Ah, that part isn't very important. Just write whatever," she suggested.
A burly man on a sofa laughed out loud. "Elizabeth, you weren't this enthusiastic when I first came!"
Elizabeth shot him a disdainful look. "You're nothing like him. I don't want to sleep with you, so why on earth would I help you?"
The burly man wasn't offended. He just slapped his thigh and laughed heartily along with his companions.
With a harsh scrape, Charles's quill poked a hole through the application.
He'd guessed the woman had a hidden agenda, but this particular motive was not one he'd foreseen. Women who could make a living at sea were truly a different breed.
Ignoring Elizabeth, Charles quickly finished writing and handed over the application.
The staff member took the form and began to operate a machine composed of various gears with practiced ease.
Elizabeth didn't seem the least bit concerned that he was ignoring her and continued talking as if to herself.
"Charles, since it's your first time here, let me give you the rundown. The purpose of the Explorer Association is actually quite simple: to help us find new islands."
"Of course, it's not free. Any Captain who joins the Association and later becomes a Governor must establish a branch of the Association on his island."
"Thanks for the heads-up," Charles interrupted, "but I already know all that. You don't need to remind me."
"Oh? It seems Mr. Charles did his homework before coming. Are you free later? Want to come and visit my ship?"