"What are you doing here?" the king asked the familiar figure who stood together with Egidius in front of one of many work tables. Even from behind and with his awkward stance, Corco had no trouble identifying his giant cousin Atau. In response to Corco's call, the two turned around.

"Ah, yes. Greeting, King Corco," Egidius said. "Since I needed an expert on navigation and s.h.i.+p building, I decided to find one by myself. Captain Atau here was kind enough to provide some of his insight, so I brought him over to help me work out the details of my current projects."

"Hey, Laqhis, we've been waiting for you. For a good while, actually," Atau added. Even ruder than normal, he scratched the inside of his leg, but Corco was willing to overlook it. He had new inventions to worry about.

"So you're the expert?" he asked his cousin as he approached the two.

"Who would be more fitting than the greatest navigator in all four seas to revolutionize sailing for all times?" The captain showed off his c.o.c.ky grin before he grabbed the small test piece Egidius had worked on up until Corco's arrival. Held in his hand was a complex construction of several wooden rods. The rods radiated out from a common center with a partial circle at the bottom to connect them, and a small telescope on the front.

"You got the s.e.xtant done!" Corco beamed as he took the object from Atau. Upon closer inspection, some of the surfaces still looked a bit rough and needed some sanding and varnish, but the basic shape was unmistakable. "You made it from wood though?" he asked after his a.s.sessment and offered Egidius a critical look.

"Of course this is only a preliminary version of the tool, to prove that the principle works in practice. Wood would not be a good choice of material for a precision instrument, even less so on the high seas where it would be under attack from moisture and salt. The final product would be made of some type of metal, I a.s.sume. Though more tests are required for a final version," Egidius answered as he looked over to the table, where the plans for the instrument's future had been strewn about.

"We have done some tests and it appears the readings are sufficiently precise to be useful. However, I cannot claim that the s.e.xtant is done," he added.

"The thing looks pretty complete to me, apart from the material and the finish. What's left to do? Whatever it is, I'm willing to help out. By which I mean, I'm willing to lend you money or more work s.p.a.ce. I really don't have time to actually help you with the designs."

"The instrument itself is fine, but its use is limited so long as we do not have the knowledge to use it properly. The biggest barrier is that we need better, more precise astronomical maps than what we have right now. Even though the tool is already quite useful on its own, it would be much better with the additional knowledge."

"We should be talking to the priests then," Corco said. "I'll ask the Pachayawna in Arguna for support, I'm sure Lord Nasica would love to play intermediary for us again."

"King Corco, not to be rude, but... I am unsure priests would be able to add much to our work," a rude Egidius said, but Atau only laughed in response.

"You got no idea, Arcavian. They're Pacha priests, not Arcavus clergy. The great Pacha encompa.s.ses all the lands of the earth, as well as the water below and the stars above. And the stars are the place where all the Divines sit to watch over the mortals. Most Pacha priests have spent all their lives watching the stars and trying to understand their movements, to read the intentions of the Divines. I don't think anyone in the world knows more about the celestial constellations than the priests do."

Again, Corco ignored Atau's scratching and added his own take.

"Even most of our old stories are coded messages about planetary and celestial movements, in some way or another. If a story from Yakuallpa mentions some specific animals, there's a good chance they stand in for some astrological sign. Like 'the wolf swallowing the raven' means the moon is moving into the wolf constellation. It's quite a neat way to do oral tradition, actually."

"In that case, I will be glad to welcome their support," Egidius said, though he still sounded unconvinced. Corco knew that the clock maker was a radical naturalist and didn't think highly of any religion, even of the useful parts. Instead, he would only value what he could see with his own eyes, so very different from the more metaphysical views of the priests. However, both sides would have to learn to work together. After all, they all had great things to contribute to his kingdom.

"Right, I'll be sending out a runner today, and I hope that I can get some support from the priests soon. Once their astronomers show up, I'll also need to teach them some calculus and show them our new lenses. Oh, that reminds me: I need you to make a second version of the s.e.xtant for horizontal use. That's a small adjustment, right?"

"It is, but what do you plan to do with it, Sire? With a horizontal s.e.xtant, one could only judge the distance between objects on the ground, its use in navigation would be limited."

"Aah, just gonna clean up our horrendous maps. I think it's about time we removed the dragons and serpents."

"Mysteries beyond mysteries. I guess we'll learn what that means when the time is ripe, huh?" Atau said, while his hand once again went between his legs.

"And what the f.u.c.k happened to you? Ever since I came here, you've been scratching yourself like a dog in heat."

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"Ah, sorry about that." Although he tried to play it off, Atau's hand still halted halfway to his crotch for a second and wavered there, unsure whether or not to continue. Only after some visible effort did he finally move it away again, a forced smile on his face. "Ever since the banquet I've had this persistent itch, y'know?"

With a non-plussed look, Corco stared down his cousin who looked more and more uncomfortable in the process, like a kid who had been caught red-handed.

"...I told you to be careful about that girl, didn't I?" Corco finally said in a flat tone.

"Hey, I know what I'm doing," his cousin protested. "There's no way Airi would have given me anything. That was her first time, so it couldn't have been her."

"So if it wasn't that girl, it was another one?" Corco wasn't one to be bulls.h.i.+tted easily. He spotted the holes in Atau's argument right away.

"Well..." Atau answered with a disappearing voice and a guilty look out the window. "It's kinda hard to say which one it was."

"How many did you f.u.c.king f.u.c.k with you f.u.c.kwit?" More astounded than angered, Corco stared at Atau as the atmosphere got increasingly uncomfortable. In the end, Egidius saved the room with a change in topic.

"King Corco, so long as I get the help of a good blacksmith, I should be able to finish the work on the s.e.xtant soon. However, Captain Atau also helped me with a second project, the new rudder. To finish work on it, we may need your help again, Sire."

"Second project?"

Now that he was no longer focused on Atau's loose lifestyle, Corco really took in the mess of a room around him for the first time. Although the workshop couldn't be considered dirty – or even messy – the room was crammed full of all kinds of strange objects. All along the walls, the clock maker had pinned up papers with various kinds of drawings and writings, ideas he had scribbled down in moments of inspiration. Several tables were covered with all kinds of mechanical parts, some looked like useless toys, others like transmissions, some may be half-finished or failed projects. For most, Corco had no idea what they would even be once they were finished.

In one corner, away from the light, Egidius had also piled his paintings. As a naturalist, his subjects ranged from people, to animals, landscapes, and tools. Yet no matter how different they were, all of them were real objects, and all of them were drawn so well that Corco could have mistaken them for photographs. Only the picture on top, a half-finished drawing of a young Yaku woman, gave away the fact that they were indeed painted with oil colors.

"You don't think you're stretching yourself a bit thin?" Rather than be impressed, Corco was concerned about the clock maker's health as he continued to look at all the junk in the room. How could one man focus on so many things and not lose himself or burn out?

"Ah, but all of these things are too interesting. There is no trouble at all. I will be able to fulfill all of your orders sire, and only work on my side projects in my free time."

*Maybe that's what they call a universal genius.*

In the end, Corco decided to leave the clock maker to his devices. Best case, Egidius would be able to handle his creative sparks and the king would have one of the greatest creative minds of their time on his hands. Worst case, Egidius would lose focus, get nothing done and Corco would lose the productive force from a single craftsman. In the face of an entire country, a single talented worker didn't really mean much. A genius did however, so it was worth the gamble.

"Okay," he gave up. "Show me that rudder of yours, and tell me what the problem is."

"Please follow along," an elated Egidius led the cousins across the room.

Together, they walked over to a table cluttered by cogs and rope. However, it was dominated by a scale model of something Corco himself had wanted to introduce for a long time now, yet had never found the time for in between all the constant crises.

"Isn't that a s.h.i.+p's wheel?"

Fascinated by the creation, Corco's fingers ran over the wheel with its eight spokes, as well as the ropes that connected to the tiller. Moved back and forth by the wheel's motion, the tiller in turn would move the rudder in the back of the contraption. Installed on a proper s.h.i.+p, it would increase the response time during navigation and would also reduce the number of men required for sailing.

Up until this point, all crews – be they from Medala, Chutwa or Arcavia – would steer their s.h.i.+ps straight from a tiller connected to the rudder. Several men were required to move the giant wooden stick, which was usually placed below deck, right in front of the rudder itself. It was hard work, and quite unresponsive. However, a s.h.i.+p's wheel could be installed atop the quarterdeck, and its clever use of pulleys made turning a breeze.

This way, Saniya's new crews would only need a single helmsman each, freeing up manpower for other areas and improving maneuverability. It was a true revolution in seafaring, and one Corco himself hadn't even been responsible for. He was sure that he had drawn some version of this in his notes somewhere, but he had never shown it to Egidius, or tasked him to build it.

"That's right, it's a s.h.i.+p's wheel," Atau confirmed with a proud look on his face. "I remember you talking about something like that a couple times back in Arcavia, and I asked Egidius to help me make a proper version, one that's not just in your head. For now it's only a model cause we can't get into the s.h.i.+pyard."

As soon as it had come, Corco's happiness from the first Saniya invention independent of his influence was overshadowed by displeasure.

"What do you mean, 'you can't get inside'? Aren't you the highest ranking officer of our fleet?"

"Sure, but the people at the dock don't see it that way. The entire place is top secret, they tell me." His crooked grin and narrowed eyes showed that the captain wasn't happy at all about his treatment.

"At first, I tried to get inside so we could measure out the dimensions of the actual s.h.i.+ps, to make sure we could fit a full-sized wheel inside one of them," Atau explained further.

"We need to coordinate our efforts with the s.h.i.+pwrights as well. If the builders do not leave s.p.a.ce below the quarterdeck during the construction, we may waste a lot of effort if we wish to include the s.h.i.+p's wheels later," Egidius added.

"Right, of course. It looks like all the secrecy has caused some trouble. I mean, the s.h.i.+pyard is top secret, but at least you should have access," the king said to his cousin. After all, if he couldn't trust Atau, who could he trust? After he had thought about a simple, time-efficient solution for a bit, he came up with an answer.

"Uhm... Captain Atau, you are hereby promoted to admiral I guess. You've been in charge of a large fleet for a while now anyways. And I think we need an admiral or two as our fleet grows in size, so it's not like the t.i.tle is undeserved. With that sort of status, you're the head of the entire fleet, so there's no way the guards can still deny you entry... and we don't need to set the precedent of making exceptions like this. Though I'll have a word with the guards anyways, just in case. You guys have free reigns in the s.h.i.+pyard from now on. Still, I'd like you to make sure you don't show the Arcavian s.h.i.+pwrights the design of the wheel. Install it yourselves, after the s.h.i.+p has been built. After four more years, at least some of them will leave for their home again, and I don't want this sort of technology to end up on a Bornish s.h.i.+p too soon."

"Uhm... thanks, I guess?" Atau scratched his head and received the promotion with the same carelessness Corco had given it out with. "So... does an admiral have more responsibilities than a captain?"

"Of course he has." Corco rea.s.sured his cousin, but Atau looked less than happy to receive the honors.

"You know about my goals, so I really can't take on any more work, at least not for now. I've been waiting for far too long already, and I think it's time to get going."

"Your journey around the world?" Of course Corco remembered Atau's great goal, his plan to sail around the entirety of the known world, from Yakuallpa's east coast, around Arcavia, past Ak'Challa and the unknown parts of the continents, then along Chutwa's entire coastline and back to Saniya on Yakuallpa's west coast.

"I don't want to sound spoiled or anything, but all the others moving ahead with their own goals. Brym's building his business empire, Dedrick's building his reputation and Ronnie's... Ronnie I guess. Only I'm stuck here," Atau explained. "I wanted to get these improvements done and get the s.h.i.+ps on the east coast ready. Then I'd be on my way."

"You know that I need your help here right now." Corco frowned.

"You'll always need me, and almost always more than now," Atau replied as if he had been waiting for the objection. "So now's the perfect time for me to go. Your brothers are busy killing each other and politics in the south are as stable as they'll ever be. There will be a lull in direct conflict, so you can make do with others in that regard. You won't even need me on the seas. We have the support from the Verdant folk, so you don't need my help in the Verduic Sea. Even better, once we run out our first batch of s.h.i.+ps from Saniya's s.h.i.+pyard, no one along the west coast can stand up to us, no matter how incompetent your chosen captains are."

"As for the east coast," Atau sneered. "After they sent over all those fleets and took Port Ulta, we just don't have enough s.h.i.+ps to stand up to the Bornish right now. And we can't build any new ones either. If I take two or three and make my way around the world, no one's gonna miss them until I come back. They'd just be stuck in a harbor otherwise. Even better, I can go find all the plants and animals and minerals and whatnot you wrote down for me before my first trips. Now's the time to make up for all the stuff I missed. I'm sure I can bring back a lot of useful stuff for your new industries when I come home."

Tension rose as Corco thought about the proposal. In truth, he was conflicted. Although what Atau had said made sense, it wasn't something Corco was eager to hear. After all, Atau was one of the very few people the king could fully trust, and he was highly capable as well. Losing an ally like that because of something he didn't consider high priority was a harsh blow during such a crucial time of development. Even more, he was worried about his cousin's safety.

A trip across the high sea was never safe. A trip around the world, through mostly unexplored waters, would be a dance with death itself. However, Corco also thought back to the time when he had first received the memories from his second life. He remembered the oath he had sworn with his friends back then. He would lead them into a brighter future, and so he would not stand in Atau's way either.

"Fine-"

"Yes!" Atau interrupted and was about to give Corco a painfully enthusiastic hug, but the king stepped back and raised his arms in defense.

"However," he continued with a raised voice, "for now it's too dangerous to even start the trip. Even though there hasn't been an official declaration, we're basically at war with Borna and Cahlia. If you start from the east coast, you'll have to get through an entire ocean dominated by them, and then travel past their coastlines. It's a stupid idea. Just wait a while longer, until I can negotiate at least a temporary peace with them. Then, we can consider sending you off. You can use the time to get familiar with the new tools you guys have built, and we'll install them on the east coast s.h.i.+ps as well in the meantime."

"So that means more diplomacy." Pained by past memories, Atau looked like he was about to cry.

"Isn't it fun?" Corco grinned. "Plus, we need to get rid of that itch of yours. Whatever disease you caught in your escapades, it probably won't help you find your way home. For that, like for so many other things, I have the perfect solution ready... soon-ish."

Giddy, Corco soon finished his visit in the clock maker's futuristic workshop and turned towards his next goal. Now that the big issues about the future of the world were out of the way, it was time to turn towards the smallest of issues. He could hardly wait.