And before they realized it, one month had passed.

The Blackjack, with the help of shipwrights and artificers in Whitte, was successfully retrofitted with what the people of Main called arcane tech, technology running on mana particles. It required the engineering team to modify the steam turbines to accommodate the modifications from Main, which they did not object to due to its increased power output and fuel consumption. In fact, the fuel they used were no longer coal, but the mana supplied in the magicites put inside the Blackjack's boiler.

They had an option to wait for a bigger, more efficient, magicite crystal to be created by Thyrell, but Jamie decided to just use smaller crystals, especially after he heard that creating the crystal would take at least half a year, and required a minimum of two proficient artificers. Thyrell admitted that, while creating a big crystal like that was commonplace, it was something his small shop was not equipped for, which Jamie understood.

Even so, for the sake of efficiency, Jamie commissioned the job, anyway, with Adeline handling the fees. The captain, meanwhile, prepared for departure back to Main with his crew and a handful of passengers who felt that it was already a great adventure to reach Main and decided to spread the words to all at home. Similarly, to their arrival, their departure drew crowds not only from Pol Hain, but also from the neighboring towns, including Whitte, where the steamer was retrofitted.

As for the rest of the passengers, their work as the first ambassadors from the Ternor continent to Main had already begun after they finalized the deal for the land and the building that would serve as their trading post and their first embassy, with a dock for any Ternorian ship to use and safe harbor, knowing that docking on Pol Hain would require a rental fee, and that would not be beneficial in the long run, as decided by Adeline and her team.

Cillian Greer, the inventor responsible for the technology on board the Blackjack, started apprenticing with Thyrell after being introduced to the dark elf, so that he could incorporate magic into his inventions and learn the trade of arcane tech. He was willing to learn new things, especially if it would expand his knowledge.

Michael Dune, the Adal farmer who joined the ship for new opportunities, found his on the backyards of the embassy. He admitted that he joined the ship because he was suicidal, but regained his hope when he saw Azureath and learned her story. In addition to Ternorian crops from all the regions of Ternor, he brought crops native of Raptor Island. His crops would help supplant the embassy with money since his crops were mostly unknown to Mainians.

The rest focused on repairing and renovating the dilapidated building. With Azureath's help, they managed to finish repairing the exterior, including the roof, in under two weeks. Then, they focused on cleaning the interior and decorate them with simple furniture at first, at least until they had a steady income to add some more. All in all, it was a steady progress.

One month turned to three, and by this time, the Blackjack had already completed four loops. The steamer, with the upgraded steam turbine and the magicite, along with a more certain naval route, made the journey less risky and less demanding, even through the storm. Jamie was told of the use of magical barrier, which provided him the idea on installing it on the steamer. It worked. However, the concept of magic was very alien for the industrial-minded Ternorians. The upgraded ship ended up becoming an oddity, and not in a good way. Jamie always stated that he was sponsored by the de Rochefort company to prevent anyone else replicating the technology. He feared that some Ternorians saw the continent of Main as land ripe for exploitation, which might sour the relationship early on.

Turned out it wasn't the case, for a development in Ternor halted many of those ideas.

***

Hans enjoyed his work as an ambassador and pioneer for Tragoria, but his mind became more and more distracted as the news from home never reached him. No, it wasn't because of the newspapers being late or the long-range Greer-patented, magicite-powered, wireless telegraph did not work as intended. It was the lack of correspondence from someone familiar. Someone close.

He had not heard from his sister ever since he left Sidve.

He tried not to think about it too much, considering that Lilac had her own life and could possibly find something that made her so preoccupied she had no time to write for him. He was assured that his mail would reach her. Sidve had its own post office with a functioning telegraph, even if it still relied on telegraph poles instead of the more contemporary wireless ones. He never even got a confirmation or anything. The ship clearly reached Angla, especially since he got newspapers sent by the ship.

Then, he started wondering if it was time. Lilac was a village maid and Hans knew she would draw people's eyes, even if she was a werewolf. The black-furred werewolf was aware of some people being more attracted to a werewolf than a human, and Lilac could have found someone not afraid to love her. Maybe, she was no longer in Sidve, but since she moved while the Blackjack was still on the way to Pol Hain, she might not know where to write.

His worries did not distract him from his work that much, but it clearly started to strain his relationship with Ulster and Adeline. In their eyes, Hans was simply not in the mood for a talk. He simply walked out after work for a talk with Azureath, instead. For Hans, he decided not to talk to them, given that they were busy with their own projects and they had started to have a serious romantic relationship. He felt he would end up becoming a nuisance.

So, Hans decided to simply talk to Azureath about his worries. The dragon was willing to listen, mostly because this was what she did for three generations of being the Raptors' guardian. She enjoyed her life as a dragon living in peaceful times, and at her age and everything she went through, she enjoyed the peace, even if it would not last in her lifetime.

But even she had her own problems, and that was the smaller space provided for her in the dragon shelter. That, and also being required to live communally, made her wish that she could return to the Raptor island. She enjoyed living among dragons, but she also enjoyed a bit of privacy, one that she clearly planned to find. Yet, she knew that means she needed to return to her old lair, and she was not prepared to confront her past that far just yet. Unlike the rest of the lands, her old lair was full of bad memories, most of which left wounds that could not heal that easily.

And so, life went on for the rest, and in time, Hans' worries grew worse to the point it became apparent to Adeline and Ulster, both with their desks facing him. He still worked his best with compiling reports from the market results, but they both noticed that he had a lot in his mind. That, and they already had enough of him going out on his own.

"Hey," said Ulster as he closed his book. "You fancy a dinner? Addy's already booked a table."

"You go on ahead. I...still need to finish this work before the end of the day."

"Maybe it's time you tell us what's in your mind, Hans," said Adeline, who proceeded to walk to his table and closed the logbook he was so fixated on. "Azureath is a good listener, but she is a dragon. You need fellow Lycans, not a dragon, to share your worries."

"I would, but you two--"

"Are not as busy as you might think," interrupted Adeline. "Hans, I know you don't want to disturb us, but there are times when friends need to look after one another, too. So, what do you say? Dinner for three?"

Hans started to worry that he might end up becoming a third wheel for the two of them. They were a couple, and he was alone. He might as well be there to split the bill.

"And no. This dinner is about you, Hans, not us," said Adeline, sensing Hans' reluctance. "And I'd really hate to cancel a dinner appointment after all the efforts I do to get us a table. The restaurant is famous, and we might be on the waitlist for days."

"Wait. Did you imply--"

"No!" she snapped. "I would not use such underhanded tactics to convince the manager. It's simply a business negotiation, one which we had a mutual agreement."

"I was talking about you bribing the manager to get into the waitlist."

"Money only corrupts if used the wrong way, Hans. This has a degree of trust in it, so he'll be so disappointed if we end up canceling it. He even gave us a private corner."

"You might as well take it. I heard the seafood's very delicious and they added a little spin on the Pol Hainian special sauce that makes it diff--"

"Okay, okay! You win!" Hans sighed. "Really, Addy, nothing gets through you, huh?"

"Reading people is part of a business strategy, my friend. It's even more important when I consider you a close friend. We got through the Ocean Between together, so we might as well stick together."

Hans could not refuse after that. He clearly underestimated Adeline's skills of negotiation and even her charismatic appeal. All he could do was concede defeat with a short laugh, and said, "I'll go get prepared."

Adeline and Hans smiled to him as he stood up. Hans clearly worked a bit too much, which he had just realized. He put on a rather modest, but respectful vest over a white shirt, with leg straps over his paws. He had been living as a werewolf for a while, not even bothering to return to human form.

The restaurant Adeline had reservations in was one of the biggest draws in the small port town of Pol Hain. Its specialty was sea bass served with special Pol Hainian sauce, one that the restaurant had its own twists that made it so popular. Aside from sea bass, it also served many other foods along with wines vinted from a vineyard outside of town.

Hans started to get a liking to seafoods, especially the spicy ones like the Pol Hainian sauce. In fact, it was the thing he needed to distract him from his problems.

"So, Hans," said Ulster after they finished their food and waiting for the dessert. "You might as well tell us what's on your mind."

Hans couldn't say no, especially not after the mood-lifting spicy Pol Hainian dish he just ate. With a cough to clear his throat, he said, "It's...my sister, you see. Lilac. She never wrote back."

"Maybe she is preoccupied," said Adeline. "It's been four months since we left Angla. Maybe she found something to do while you're away."

"Or even someone," said Ulster.

"But what if it's neither? What if...it's something worse?"

"Then I suggest you get on the Blackjack the next time she docked at the embassy," suggested Adeline. "We have made quite a progress here. You might want to take a leave and get back to your sister. You may think you want to prove yourself first, but family always comes first."

"What about you two? Don't you have people waiting for you, too?"

"They...well, they wrote back," said Adeline. "Father already knows of my intention to stay and wishes me the best."

"And my colleagues wrote to me about the research papers I wrote, and they liked them," said Ulster. "Though they won't publish it until I come home. You know, peer review and all. I might as well go with you the next time the ship's back."

Hans sighed loudly as he heard what he already knew. The two already connected to those back home while his only family could not even give some good news. At this point, he wondered if his sister actually despised him for leaving her all alone, pursuing a selfish dream. He did not want to think that was the case, but his worries started to eat on him to the point of causing him to create stories.

Ulster and Adeline realized that they ended up making the situation worse and tried to salvage it.

"B-but, like we said earlier, she might be preoccupied. I think it's better if you try and not think about it too much, alright? It's not healthy for your fur."

"Yeah," said Hans. "I guess you're right. Maybe I ended up doing this because I'm a selfish bastard. The next time the Blackjack docked, I'll go home. I'll tell Azureath in the morning."

"No, you're not selfish. Stop blaming yourself," said Adeline. "Whatever the case, everything we have here is an effort worth bragging for."

"Yeah. I suppose you're right."

And so, they finished the desert, take home the wine, and went back to the embassy. The three made the embassy's second floor their home away from home after converting it into a five-bedroom apartment that they shared with Michael and Cillian. The rest of the passengers found home closer to the center of the town. It was still not furnished to their liking, however, especially for Adeline, who felt the apartment was bare.

Nevertheless, a warm and comfortable place to sleep was good enough for them. After cleaning themselves up, they each went to their separate bedrooms and had a good sleep, with Hans slowly sleeping after letting go of his worry for Lilac.

Never did he realize how his worry would end up justified.