[Well, time is all you have while you sail straight towards the Whirlpool City,] [There are five thousand two hundred and fifteen recipes containing the keyword ‘crab’ in my database. The children stuffed fifty live crabs in the lower decks for you to slowly eat on your journey. You can attempt and fail thirty times if you so desire–]


    … In the end, the ‘Great Crab God’ they worshipped was the island itself, huh? The reason why those white lumps of flesh gave me points, and the reason why you were confused when the island appeared closer than your navigation data suggested… the entire island is the top of one giant crab, ain''t it?


    [Correct. The landmass that I failed to properly identify at first glance is what is known as a ‘horseshoe crab’. The entire forest grows on the top of its shell, and while I do not know what, exactly, it gains out of allowing those tribesmen to live on it, it is clear there is some symbiotic relationship there. It wanted the tribesmen alive, so when the Marauders landed on it, it searched the great blues for a Hasharana who could help it.]


    Why would it do that? Don’t the Hasharana… don’t all bug-slayers kill every giant bug on sight?


    [Not quite. There are plenty of ‘docile’ giant bugs on the mainland continent as well, and slaying them would usually require far more effort than they are worth. Furthermore, some giant bugs are so incredibly massive yet immobile that they form the foundations of entire ecosystems. To remove them when life has already bloomed all around would spell devastation for everyone in the vicinity.]


    So… you ain’t gonna report it to the Hasharana?


    [I will,] [It is still important information to add to the database. I will simply classify that horseshoe crab as a docile giant bug currently hosting a tribe of crab-worshipping children. I imagine, in due time, a Hasharana would access the data and venture there to assess the horseshoe crab’s danger to the children. If they determine it truly is docile, nothing will be done. The Hasharana may even offer modes of communication to the children should the horseshoe crab ever exhibit aberrant behaviour.]


    I see. If you said a Hasharana was going to come and kill the crab—ruining the children’s home as a result—I would’ve ripped you out of my neck to stop you from making that report.


    [I have already made the report, and I will immediately send it to the other Archives once I can connect with them.]


    …


    [... Speaking of those white lumps of flesh, you must have been eating the horseshoe crab’s eggs–]


    Ew. Stop. I don’t wanna hear it. I was hungry and desperate and it ain''t ever gonna happen again.


    And how long will it take to sail to the Whirlpool City? That was a month’s detour, but if I remember correctly, I was only on Captain Antonio’s ship for two days before we were attacked… so, two weeks until the city? Maybe a bit more?


    [The children fashioned the ship’s masts with wide and sturdy sails,] [They also sent you off on a day of strong winds—I am unsure if they calculated it or they simply predicted today would be a good day to kick you off—so right now, you have a good, windy start. There will undoubtedly be ups and downs in speed here and there, but I estimate it will not take two weeks at this rate. With a lot of excess weight tossed off the ship, one and a half weeks should be more than long enough.]


    That’s really fast, ain’t it? What if there’s headwind? There are oars in the lower decks, right?


    [Oh, there is most certainly going to be headwind. The Whirlpool City is built around a volcano island, and the walls constantly emit winds and mist to create an artificial storm around the city,] [The reason behind the artificial storm is manyfold, but the unfortunate result is that this ship will most definitely shatter within five hundred metres of the city’s walls. The storm and the waves will be too much for this meagre vessel to handle. You will have to disembark and skate the final stretch towards the city by yourself.]


    … What? Why didn’t you tell me–


    [Also, while there are emergency oars in the lower decks should you need to manually propel the ship, you are but one little lady. There is no way you can propel the ship by any meaningful margin.] [If the sails are ripped, there are only three replacement sails in the lower decks, but there is no way you can fasten them all by yourself. If the hull is breached, there are certainly replacement wooden planks, but I doubt you will be able to seal any breaches properly. If the winds blow your ship off course, then there is very little you can do to steer it back on track. Furthermore, since this warship’s design screams ‘Marauder’, any patrolling Harbour Imperator ships from the Whirlpool City will immediately fire at you—in essence, I can simulate only one thousand nine hundred and eighty-eight scenarios in which this lone sail to the Whirlpool City can go horribly wrong. There is a zero percent chance that this ship can survive even half the journey there.]


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Wait, wait, wait–


    [I apologise for not being positive enough. Allow me to rephrase: since you are ''sailing'' this warship alone, there is a one hundred percent chance that something will go disastrously wrong.]


    …


    Thank you for being positive, Very helpful.


    [Glad to be of service.]


    And… there’s nothing I can do if something bad happens to this ship?


    [No. To begin with, your decision to head to the Whirlpool City with nothing but glaives for legs was an impossible risky one. At least now, you have a ship to sit on for at least a few days before something bad happens.]


    What do I do now, then?


    [You eat and you train. I estimate the silhouette of the Whirlpool City will come into view on the far distant horizon by tomorrow morning, so until something bad happens, you should prioritise increasing your Hexichor Pool with ninety percent of your point income. Should you have to skate the rest of the way to the Whirlpool City, you will need Hexichor to make sure you do not run out of stamina halfway through and sink into the abyss.]


    <div>


    definitely


    That’s the Whirlpool City, right? Looks… cold. If it’s going to be rainy all the way there, I should probably get some thicker clothes over me, right?


    [Indeed. I estimate we will begin sailing through the rain clouds by tomorrow morning, so if you have a deep yearning for sunlight, turn around now.]


    Like I can steer the ship even if I wanted to.


    [... Oh, but that is quite true.]


    <hr>


    <div>


    I can still kinda see the silhouette of the city out there, though, really How long until we get there again?


    [On the fourteenth day.]


    I’ll be holding you to that, then.


    [Please refrain.]


    <hr>


    <div>


    We’re getting closer, aren’t we?


    [We most certainly are.]


    I''m getting bored of eating crabs.


    [You certainly are.]


    How many points do I have now?


    [Well over two hundred.]


    Should I spend some of them?


    [Keep them as unallocated points until you find yourself in a difficult situation.]


    But I''m bored.


    [You certainly are.]


    <div>


    Are we getting any closer, Archive?


    [Definitely. Please refrain from looking away from the rope. It may snap and whip you across the face.]


    <div>


    Archiveeeee, you goddamn liar–


    [We are making no progress despite sailing tailwind,] [This is strange. The sails are blowing, the ship is groaning, and the waves are definitely moving past us… how peculiar. With you, it is simply nonstop anomaly after anomaly–]


    What are we gonna do? Are we just stuck here? How much food do we have left? I’ve gotten through, like, twenty crabs already, so–


    [Relax, Marisol. Perhaps the ship is stuck on a reef or something,] [Disembark and investigate what is happening at the keel. If it is a coral reef, there is a chance you can dislodge it by kicking it really, really hard.]


    … Do I gotta?


    [You have no other choice.]


    were


    [... Barnacles?] [The bubbles they are expelling are pushing the ship back. Thankfully, they are not particularly difficult to remove, nor do they typically fight back when you try to cut them off. Simply skate over, go underwater for a few moments, and–]


    Nope.


    Nope nope nope nope.


    barely


    [... Oh. I see.]


    [We are in trouble.]


    [Overriding previous objective.]


    <div>


    [Objective #8: Man the warship alone and sail towards the Whirlpool City]</s>