“I observed the sounds of your battles against the UBM and the Mock. Such excellence!” Satomi said, applauding intensely. Riella had no idea how to react. “The Mock is one thing, but to slay an Ancient Legendary UBM with just one ship... I would expect nothing less from the cutting edge of Granvaloa’s shipyards—the flagship of the adventure fleet!”
He showered the Adventure II in praise.
How he knew that Whalunder was Ancient Legendary tier was hardly much of a question at all. If his sonic detection technology was so advanced, it would be trivial for him to make something similar to sonar that could give him a rough estimate of a monster’s power. He might’ve brought such a device to help him search for Abyss Shellder.
What he’d said so far was of little concern. But that certainly didn’t apply to what followed...
“It’s more than worthy of competing with my strongest battleship!”
“What?!” At first, Riella couldn’t understand what he was saying—it seemed like a ridiculous statement.
“I shall repeat myself! Because your cutting-edge ship is so powerful, it deserves to have its capabilities tested against my strongest battleship! Duel me!”
This was the “condition” that made him so troublesome—he couldn’t help but compare, compare, compare. If there were weapons said to be better than his, he would not rest until he tested the rumor directly. And now, the target of his disposition was the ultimate masterwork of Granvaloan state-owned shipyards—Riella’s Adventure II.
“Are you kiddin’ me?!” Riella’s crew had come to the South Sea to hunt down the Abyss Shellder. Fighting another pillar of Granvaloan power now would have been a truly idiotic move—wasteful and meaningless for her no matter which of them sunk. Even if the Adventure II won, the wear on its weaponry and the expenditure of ammunition would be too great a cost.
“If you don’t accept my challenge, I will simply not open this dock,” Satomi continued, turning this conversation into blackmail. “I have orders to bring you back regardless. I have no problem with simply keeping you locked here within Mu and slowly returning to Granvaloa. Disappointing as that would be.”
“You...goddamn...!” From Granvaloa’s perspective, Riella’s crew were at least runaways, if not fugitives.
In terms of law, Satomi was completely in the right.
“Basically,” Satomi said. “If you want to defeat Abyss Shellder yourselves, you have no choice but to overcome my ship and prove you have the power to do so. That’s all there is to it.”
This entire offer was driven by Satomi’s selfish desires, yet Riella’s crew was unable to refuse it.
“Don’t worry,” Satomi continued to explain. “I have also received the request to kill Abyss Shellder. Once I defeat you, I’ll go and do just that. I’ve been preparing for this.”
“Then just let us do it ourselves first! We’ll duel ya all ya want after that!”
“But the UBM battle could damage the Adventure II. It won’t be a good comparison if you aren’t at peak performance.”
Granvaloa’s duels were unlike those of the other six major countries.
The proper barrier facilities that predated even the pre-ancient civilization were all on land, so a country that only controlled the water had to do things differently.
Their duels weren’t between individuals, but between ships—and the winner was the one that sank the other.
Because of this, the dueling crews wore Lifesaving Brooches and equipment to help breathe underwater, and it was common for there to be third-party rescue teams ready to help those hurt and thrown overboard.
These measures were far less reliable than dueling barriers, and the unlucky could still die.
Because of this, Granvaloan duels were often seen as a pastime solely for the warriors of the sea who feared no danger.
“It’s possible that the test will kill some unfortunate souls,” Satomi continued. “But the casualties will surely be lower than if you were to fight Abyss Shellder, so I’m sure the other fleets would understand. After all...”
Satomi wanted to make Riella accept the challenge at any cost...
“Last time, that monster wiped you all out like it was nothing.”
...even if it meant going for where it truly hurt.
“You damn...” Riella’s tone grew harsher—and who could blame her? Satomi was using the death of her father and the failure of the adventure fleet as a tool to incite her.
She knew full well that this was just a dirty trick to provoke her, but those words were not spoken lightly enough for her to ignore them.
“Fine. Let’s do this!” Riella rallied the anger she had been bottling up since yesterday and got ready to accept the challenge...
“Duel me! I’ll goddamn kill— Mmph!”
...but someone shut her mouth.
“Whoa! Let’s paws fur a second here.”
Or, rather, a large, fluffy bear paw fully covered her face.
“Who are you?” Satomi said. “Wait. That voice... You’re the one who predicted my approach.” Clearly there had been no man in a bear costume on the crew list given to Satomi by Granvaloa, but he quickly realized that he’d heard his voice before. “What a weird appearance. A Master, I assume?” Satomi asked.
“A uniformed nerd like you shouldn’t be insultin’ my pelt,” Shu fired back, but Satomi paid no mind to it.
“I would prefer it if an outsider like you stayed out of this. This is all about comparing my new ship and the Adventure II.”
To Satomi, Shu was nothing but an obstacle.
However, Shu didn’t back down.
“If you bear with me and hear me out, you’ll want to fight me instead.”
“What?”
Shu neatly raised one of the costume’s claws.
“Reason one: I’m the one who took down that whale UBM. Not this ship,” he said, taking out a whale costume. “Here’s the proof.”
“Mm-hmm. But that is no reason for me to not fight the ship, nor does it inspire me to fight you instead. Even if it didn’t defeat the UBM, the Adventure II is the pinnacle of Granvaloan shipbuilding. You are not a ship, no matter what monsters you defeat, and thus you are not a fitting target of comparison for my masterwork. Even if I beat you, it won’t satisfy my pride.”
Indeed—Satomi wanted to compare ships and confirm that his were better. No matter how strong his opponent was, he had no intention of competing in another field.
“That’s why I said you should hear me out.” Shu didn’t back down, and instead raised a second claw, giving the second reason he was a fitting opponent for Satomi—one that would surely guarantee their duel.
“My Superior Embryo is a battleship.”
It was Shu’s ultimate bargaining chip, as well as one of his many closely guarded secrets.
“...What?” Satomi’s face on the monitor was overcome with shock.
“You get what I’m sayin’, right? It’s a chance to test your masterpiece against a Superior Embryo,” Shu continued, emphasizing his point.
Satomi was stunned into silence.
“Got a problem with my proposal still?”
“Oh. No, not at all. Heh heh...”
Satomi cracked a smile at this unexpected stroke of luck. He was a man who found meaning in comparing his masterpieces against other weapons, and he had always wondered whether his creations could win against a ship Superior Embryo, so Shu’s offer was a true windfall for him—he couldn’t ask for a better subject of comparison.