26 Getting On The Boat
Howard's head turned and pointed to the sky the moment he got out of the brewery, his eyes focused on the million shimmering stars that dominated the night sky. As he stood there, Kant's body was engulfed with a weak cold breeze, while his modern mind was immediately captivated by the spectacle, rejuvenating old memories from his past life.
Even in the rural parts of the Earth, the night sky was never filled with such jewels of beauty and wonder. The disastrous effects of light pollution on modern human settlements have taken away this beautiful sight. Adam and the crew on the other hand, who had grown up their entire lives, used to this night sky, didn't know what the big deal was.
"You have never seen the sky before, your highness?" one of the crew asked, putting up a sarcastic tone. His attempt at humor prompted Adam to stomp his foot, to keep his attitude in check and remind him that they were dealing with the prince.
"I have. I just wanted to look it at before I go. It has been some time…" he replied.
"You can look at it all you want after we leave, your highness. Now let's go before anyone spots us," Adam spoke up, wanting to leave as soon as possible. Howard turned to fix his gaze on the knight. He nods.
"You are right. I apologized for stalling. Let's go."
Howard followed the crew to a stable nearby, where a bunch of stallions had been prepared for them. Howard, after hopping on its back and sitting on the leather saddle, finds himself accustomed to the creature already; a side effect of occupying the body of a stranger.
Once everyone was prepared, they ventured out of the stables and rode down a paved stone road till they reached a tall, thick iron gate, intergraded into a taller, thicker wall made of stone bricks the size of a human head.
"Halt! State your name and reason for leaving!" One of the knights guarding the gate called out from above. The dark, alongside the strange attire they wore, made it hard for the guard to distinguish their faces.
"We are getting something for Mr. Soloman," Knight Adam yells. The knight immediately retracts inside and swiftly lifts open the gate for them. The crew leaves the urban jungle of Parados behind and enters the vast, flat farmland that surrounds it.
Although Howard would have loved to stop and ogle at these enormous fields that extended out to the horizon, to look and examine each crop and compare it to Earth's own, he was constrained by the lack of time, and the drive to move forward.
Besides, even if he had some time on his hands, the fields were all covered under a blanket of darkness, hampering any beauty it could give out. His lantern, which only emitted a faint yellow light, was barely able to reach 3 meters. It was not powerful enough to provide him with the view he wanted.
It makes Howard question how they would even find this river. He doesn't see anyone holding a map, pointing at where they should go. They are just slowly traveling down the road. It sparks his curiosity and fuels him with the courage to speak up.
"May I ask you gentlemen a question?" Howard first asks, wanting to emulate Kant Maybale as much as he can.
"You don't have to ask for permission to ask us a question. Just speak your mind when you need to, your highness," Adam replies, feeling a tad annoyed.
"Oh alright. I apologize if I frustrated you. Anyway, I would like to ask, how are we supposed to locate the river? I don't see anyone here with a map…"
"We do not need a map, your highness. We have already planned a route to our destination."
"Oh? Is that so? Is there like a road that leads to the edge of the river?"
"Yes, but we won't be taking that path. Instead, the plan is to head to the Funnal Forest and get closer to the river that way. We will use a map when we get there."
"A forest?"
"Yes. The Funnal Forest. One of the safest forests out there. We made sure to eliminate any remaining demons before bringing you there," Adam quickly stated, wanting to ensure that Kant didn't think they were going to bring him anywhere dangerous.
"Won't it be hard to navigate a forest with these lanterns though? I can understand following the road, but a forest?" Howard questioned. He was quite certain there weren't any roads there, as they might need a map to traverse that place.
"Yes, but that is because we are using animal fat to light these up. Once we get there, we will switch to whale oil, and continue our journey."
"Whale oil?"
"Yes, whale oil. It is something we take from the blubber of whales. Used to be very cheap. Now it is only used by rich commoners, without any magical powers," another one of the crew fills in.
Howard already knew what whale oil was. Though the practice of extracting it started in the 16th century, peak production was achieved in the 19th century, at least until significant conservative efforts were put in place to make sure people wouldn't overhunt them. It appears something like that happened in this world.
"What about lanterns? Are they expensive as well? Is that why you resorted to using animal fat till the last minute?"
"Thankfully no. Lanterns are cheap to make. It is just running it that is expensive," one of the crew comments.
"Hm… I see," Howard said, signaling to the crew that his thirst for answers had been vanquished, for now.
Eventually, they made it past the rural farmland areas and into the forest, featuring tall trees with extensive branches, holding small dark green leaves. Just like Howard predicted, there were no paved roads there. Only a few dirt paths and some odd landmarks to guide them.
Thankfully, traversing through the forest wasn't as difficult as Howard thought. The lack of any hostile creatures compounded with the confidence and experience these men brought with them made the journey short, and calm.
Once they reached the river, the men set up a campfire to keep themselves warm and help pass the time as they waited for this boat to arrive. Meanwhile, Howard stepped away from the campfire to give himself some alone time. With his lantern by his side, he lay down on the grass bed and looked up into the sky once more.
How long has it been since he had done this? To touch grass and admire the beauty of the world he lived in. How long has it been since he had properly relaxed, and not bothered spending time to study this foreign world so he could fit in?
"Too long…" he muttered under his breath.
"It has been too long…" he answered himself quietly. As he lay there on the ground, his head rested on his hand pillow, he tried to let himself get lost in his mind, to enjoy and savor this little moment to the very end. His memories of his past life started emerging.
Howard had always been a gifted child. He was a straight-A student with strict parents who made sure he didn't do anything stupid. His grades and other achievements made him a prime candidate to enter America's most prestigious university; Harvard. It was there where he…
"Your Highness! Your highness!" he hears Adam call out.
"The ship has arrived, your highness. We are about to send a signal to tell them to stop," he yelled. Howard, who had just been popped out of his little bubble, reluctantly stood up and walked back to the crew.
Floating in the middle of the river, Howard could see the silhouette of a large ship, around as long as a football field. The only area he could make out was the deck, which was completely lit up by lanterns placed on top of some cloth, probably damp to keep any fires from spreading and burning the wooden ship to the ground.
Knight Adam extended out his hand into the air and started mumbling a few words. A large fireball forms in his hand, and flies out to the sky above. The ship's great sails immediately retract, and the few crew members on the deck carrying a large anchor drop it into the river.
Once the ship comes to a stop, a small boat is lowered into the river. They had a small lantern on board, allowing the crew to see the muscular man singlehandedly rowing the boat to sire.
"There is our ride," Adam comments. The two hop on the row boat, and allow the man to bring them onboard to the ship. After attaching two hooks on the side of the boat, the men on the deck of the small ship pull as hard as they can, bringing the man, Adam, and Howard disguised as Prince Kant up the ship.
As soon as he first steps on the deck, his nose picks up a strong scent of alcohol, mixed in with some kind of strong, sweet fruit smell. The crew, the ones who were on the deck to help Adam and Kant get on the ship, quickly left the scene to fulfill their other duties. Adam comes forward and leans into Kant's ear, telling him what's up.
"They are on a need-to-know basis."
"I already figured that out, Knight Adam," he replies.
"So what do we do now?"
"Well, we go downstairs, take a small bath, and head to bed. We need to wake up as early as possible," Adam answered.
"Expect the bathrooms to be the worst you have ever seen," he added.
"Good to know."
