Chapter 136 – I Made A Fishing Boat!
“This…is very useful.”
Iria said as she looked into the hand mirror.
“I was making larger mirrors as part of the furniture, when one of the Tengus said it would be nice to have a portable one. So I tried crafting one.”
“I see. Yes, I will be able to fix my hair anywhere with this.”
Iria said as she held the hand mirror and checked her face.
It was during times like these that she seemed like an ordinary young woman, which was rather cute.
“Si-Sir Joshua… You are staring at me.”
Iria blushed.
“Oh, sorry. I was just wondering if it was reflecting properly.”
Apparently, I had been staring at her.
That day, I spent my time making hand mirrors for the demihumans.
It wasn’t just for reasons of personal grooming, but the mirrors could be used to reflect sunlight and send signals.
…Of course, it was up to individuals whether these were necessary or not.
And so these days, I would just make things on a whim, or anything else that someone happened to want.
“Alright, that’s enough mirrors for now. There are a hundred, and I can always make more if needed… Still, now I’ve completely run out of things to craft.”
“In that case, why don’t you make something that you want, Sir Joshua? I will help you!”
“Indeed… But I have everything that I need. As for something I want… I want…”
I thought about it for some time.
However, I could not think of anything.
“I…just realized it. I don’t really have anything like a hobby…”
I said as my shoulders sagged.
Perhaps it was because I had been so focused on work. I had never had the time to find something I enjoyed doing, or something that I wanted.
But even then, I would read books while in town, or look at clothes and study the design.
“So-sorry, Sir Joshua. But what if you were to make a place where you could relax a little?”
“A place where I could relax?”
“Yes. I noticed it while watching you, but you always seem a little more lively when you are steering a boat or are fishing.”
I rarely had an opportunity to go out to sea or rivers when I worked at the Knights Order. So perhaps that was why.
“Yes, that may be… But I already go fishing quite a lot when I have the time.”
“In that case, why don’t you make a boat that you can sleep in?”
“I see. Like those pleasure boats that kings and nobles have. I could fish in the river or sea, and sleep if I get tired… Oh, now that does seem interesting! That is a good idea!”
“Hehe. I am glad that you think so!”
“Aye. I shall start making it at once.”
Like this, I decided to build a boat for my hobby.
That being said, I also wanted to make it so that it could be used for transportation, if the need arose.
I also had to keep in mind that we could go out to sea, and so I wanted it to be large and durable as well.
Well, there is also the matter of the Demon King Army, so I could not sail too far out, just in case something happened.
So for some time, I probably wouldn’t even be able to go fishing in the sea.
Still, even if it was just staying out on the river at night, it was different from the norm, and sounded like fun.
And so I immediately headed to the pier on the east side of the village.
“How big should I make it…”
“If it is just going to be used by you, Sir Joshua, then surely it can be small?”
“Well, I would like to make it large enough for everyone as well… So it would have to be at least four beters wide. And about three times as long as that.”
As for the shape, it could be an ordinary sailboat. However, there would be a house-like structure on the stern.
“There will be two masts. Yes, something like this.”
And so I started to build the ship in magic workshop.
The hull was mainly built with iron oak and purple iron.
Iron oak was hard and light, while purple iron did not rust.
With these two materials combined, I should be able to make a durable and fast boat.
As for the cabin in the stern, I added glass windows so that it would be bright.
Once the boat was complete, I made it float on top of the river.
Iria raised her voice.
“Ohh! It is bigger than the previous one!”
“Aye. I thought I might as well make something that we can all eat and drink on.”
This was the biggest boat I had ever made in this village.
If I was being honest, I wanted to make an even bigger boat in the future.
And so I planned to test if these float properly, and make them bigger, little by little.
Of course, I had never worked in a shipyard, so I was a little anxious about my designs. Safety was more important than anything.
However, this time, I based it off the plans of an airship that I had found in the dungeon.
Given where it had come from, I felt that it must have a very strong structure.
The hull was long and sleek, which did not look the most sturdy, I suppose. However, it was quite beautiful.
“Alright. I’ll ride it and see if it stays afloat.”
And so I jumped off of the pier and into the boat.
Obviously, one person was not enough to make it rock.
And so Iria jumped in after me. But there was still no problem.
“So you can jump inside and it is fine. We’ll wait a little longer, and if it doesn’t start sinking, then it will be fine.”
There was some space between the bottom of the ship and the deck.
It would be too low for humans to walk, but the dwarves and slimes would be able to.
There were rocks on the very bottom in order to weigh the boat down, but there was plenty of space to put your belongings as well. As long as the water did not enter it, then everything would be good.
Iria said,
“Well, why don’t we eat while we wait?”
“Indeed. I know. I’ll catch some fish, and we can eat that.”
And so for some time after that, I fished on the deck of my new boat.