Chapter 12 – The Great White Sharks

THE NEWS ABOUT THE SEA SERPENT that Raijin caught spread like a wildfire all over Port Royale. By the time Mr. Manta finished preparing his shop by the harbor the next day, all kinds of buyers already lined up in hopes to get good parts from the sea serpent.

Some of the sea serpent's scales were still intact. Since it can be used for jewelry and medicine, different crafters bought the good scales for several hundreds of lanias. Even the damaged and burnt ones were sold as azure scales that could be turned into powder and medicine. Mr. Manta gave those damaged scales a discounted price. Not a bad bargain.

Chefs and restaurateurs came and bought all the good quality meat that could be salvaged. Luckily, most of the sea serpent’s meat was still good. Mr. Manta was paid thousands of lanias for the meat.

The remaining carcass and bones of the sea serpent were bought by blacksmiths to be used as materials for weapons and armor, even the high-quality logs inside it. The logs didn't really make sense to Mr. Manta, so he just gave them away for free. Mr. Manta received a few thousands of lanias from the blacksmiths.

By afternoon, almost all parts of the serpent were sold. Even the innards were sold to be used as bait by other fishermen. A thousand lanias in total were given to Mr. Manta for those.

The money Mr. Manta received will be enough to buy a house and lot or a brand new fishing boat still with change. It made him wonder what young Raijin would do with all the money.

Mr. Manta immediately rang the Maelstrom Tavern to notify Raijin that his sea serpent was sold out. As soon as Raijin heard the good news, he went straightaway to Mr. Manta to receive the payment. Daisuke accompanied him since Riku and Jack were still asleep.

“That was quick, kid,” Mr. Manta had to double look when he saw Raijin already at his stall.

“Me arriving or you selling?” Raijin made a smirk.

Mr. Manta laughed. “I just sell stuff, kid. As long as the product is good, it doesn't matter who sells them.”

“Oh, come now, Mr. Manta. Don't undersell yourself. You are the best merchant here in Port Royale. You know the prices and the how-to's,” Raijin flattered him.

“Alright, alright. Here's your money,” Mr. Manta smilingly handed over Raijin's cut.

Raijin received sixty percent of the total sales while Mr. Manta will take the rest for managing to sell the whole serpent. Raijin wanted a fifty-fifty cut, but Mr. Manta insisted that he get most of it. It was a nice deal considering that Mr. Manta has always been the seller guy of Raijin.

Raijin and Daisuke didn't take too much time of Mr. Manta, he was a busy person after all. After saying their gratitude and goodbyes, they headed back to the tavern.

“How will you divide your earnings now?” Daisuke asked as he watched Raijin count the money.

“Well, with this money, I can use half to pay the Great White Sharks. A quarter can go to the tavern and the rest is mine.”

“Those loan sharks, how much do you owe them?”

“Five million lanias. Plus interest.”

Daisuke’s eye widened, and his jaw dropped as he heard the ridiculous amount.

“But my parents already paid most of it. The loan sharks told me that the remaining balance is around one hundred thousand lanias,” Raijin quickly added.

Daisuke sighed. “But that’s still a lot though.”

“Well, as long as I get to catch a sea serpent now and then, then there will be no problem,” Raijin shrugged.

As they walked back to Maelstrom Tavern, they saw three men walking towards them, the same people that visited Raijin yesterday at the harbor.

“Ahhh! Raijin-boy! Heard you sold another sea serpent!”

“Mr. Sera,” Raijin forced a smile. “Quite early to see you around this place, isn’t it?”

Sera laughed hysterically. “My men and I wanted some fresh air from time to time, kid. And who is this young elf with you?”

“Daisuke. Nice to meet you,” said Daisuke coldy.

“Likewise. So, anyway, Raijin-boy...you’ve got quite a lot there...” Sera was eyeing the money Raijin was holding.

Daisuke wanted to step in, but Raijin simply handed over a certain amount of lanias to Sera. “The earlier the better.”

“Atta boy! Now c’mon boys. I wanna go to the lighthouse,” said Sera as he and his lackeys left.

As soon as Sera and his men were gone, Daisuke faced Raijin. “You should have let me punch those bastards.”

“Don’t try to do anything stupid, Daisuke,” Raijin warned. “The Great White Sharks has been here for a very long time. Sera and his brothers were not even born yet when the Great White Sharks was formed. Not even the United Alliance is trying to touch them.”

“Still...”

As soon as they were back in Maelstrom Tavern, Raijin went to Boris to pay him up. Riku and Jack were already up and eating brunch.

“Good morning, guys. Or noon,” Riku greeted as she filled her face with food. “Where have you two been?”

Daisuke sat down with them. “I went with Raijin to get his payment for the sea serpent.”

“That was fast. Did he receive a good amount?” asked Jack, munching on his fish fillet sandwich and fries.

“Reasonable. I guess it’s already a lot considering his source of income,” Daisuke replied while taking a sip from Riku's milkshake.

While Riku and Jack were eating brunch, Daisuke told them about the conversation he had with Raijin and Boris last night. Riku and Jack both couldn’t believe that they easily got a lead on the possible location of the statue in their first destination on Aria mainland.

“It sounds too good though, but it’s the only lead we have so far,” Jack pondered as he finished his sandwich.

“But going to a country with an active war, isn’t that a problem?” asked Riku worryingly.

“You’re right. For all we know, the country’s borders may be closed,” Jack replied.

“Then we’ll just sneak in,” said Daisuke as he took a sweet potato fries from Jack's plate.

“It’s not that easy, you know,” replied Jack.

“Then let’s just think of something after we get there. It’s still, what, three, four kingdoms away?”

As soon as Riku and Jack finished eating, they cleaned themselves and changed into their cleaned and dried clothes before bidding farewell to Raijin and Boris. They thanked them for letting them stay overnight in the tavern, for providing them with a few supplies, and for the valuable information about their travels.

“Take care now,” said Boris. “I hope you all find what you are looking for.”

“Go easy on the ice cream!!” Raijin added.

* * * * *

The trio then went to the town center to plan out their journey ahead.

“It’s still too early. You all want to go around first before we leave the town?” asked Riku.

“Yeah. We haven’t spent a lot of time here. I was thinking of going to the western side to check what’s in there,” said Jack.

“Isn’t a United Alliance headquarters situated there?” asked Riku.

“Really? Then I guess I can check that out as well.”

“How about you, Daisuke?”

Daisuke was staring at the lighthouse on the eastern side of Port Royale. “Well...I really wanted to check that lighthouse by the cliff.”

“Okay. I wanted to visit some shops before we leave. We could use some other supplies.”

“Great. Then let’s all meet up by the fountain, in front of the post office in...two hours?” Jack suggested.

“Sure,” Daisuke agreed.

“Okay then. I’ll see you both later!” Riku left first.

Jack waved at Riku. “Well, I’m heading this way. See you later, Daisuke,” he waved at him.

As soon as Riku and Jack went to their respective destination, Daisuke went straight to the lighthouse at the cliff, east of Port Royale. The lighthouse was quite far away, so Daisuke took a while to get there.

* * * * *

By the time Daisuke got there, he did not see anyone. He was hoping to find Sera and his lackeys. Too bad, he thought as he sighed.

Daisuke looked around and saw the name of the lighthouse. “Eurusyneim…”

“House of the Arianic God of East Winds, Patron of Sailors.”

Daisuke flinched. He was about to use his power when he turned around and saw a young blonde man. “Oh, umm, am I not supposed to be here?”

The young man laughed. “Anyone is free to visit this old lighthouse. It is said that this lighthouse was built by the second generation of people who settled here in Port Royale. They built this in honor of one of their gods called Eurusyn, and to ensure the safety of seafarers.”

“Which explains the temple-like design,” said Daisuke as he studied the entirety of the temple-like lighthouse. “Are you the caretaker of this lighthouse?”

The young man shook his head as he chuckled. “Name’s Torai. I’m the Captain of the U.A. Navy that’s stationed here. I’m just here to enjoy the fresh breeze.”

“Yeah. Wind’s fresh up here. I’m Daisuke by the way.”

Torai walked toward Daisuke to shake hands with him. It was then that he noticed that Daisuke had some features similar to an elf. “Are you from Maria Island, perhaps?”

“Umm, yeah. I’m with my friends here,” Daisuke answered. He could not shake off the idea of finding Sera and his lackeys, so he asked Torai. “Did you happen to see three people around here?”

“Hmmm, not really. You’re the first one I saw here today. Are they your friends?”

“Oh, no. Just some loan sharks.”

“Ah...People from Great White Sharks, huh? They’re a pretty nasty bunch.”

“Yeah. My friend was even wondering why U.A. isn’t dealing with them.”

Torai stood beside Daisuke, looked at the horizon, and let out a sigh. “As much as we wanted to deal with them, we’re quite preoccupied. Besides, I was told that the Great White Sharks used to be Port Royale's defenders. But when those stupid Shark Brothers became the next leaders, they turned it into some kind of loan shark business and asked people to pay in exchange for defending this place.

“I see. I didn't know about that.”

“That's alright. It was a long time ago anyway. But if it will make you feel any better, we have a plan for them.”

“That's great to know!” Daisuke replied. His voice came out louder than he expected.

Torai laughed. “Well, I hope you guys enjoy your stay here on Port Royale. We’ve got a lot to offer. Especially the ales.”

“Yeah! We had a good one last night. At the Maelstrom Tavern.”

“Ooooh. Nothing beats that tavern’s ales. Anyway, it’s nice meeting you, Daisuke. If you and your friends ever need something, you can find me at the headquarters. It’s just west of Port Royale town-proper.”

“Will do.”

Torai then jumped down the cliff, much to Daisuke's surprise. But what surprised him more was when a clap of thunder boomed and Torai flew hundreds of meters up in the sky. Another deafening thunder boomed as Torai lunged himself towards the headquarters.

* * * * *

At the Hammerhead Tavern, Hammer and his men were preparing all of their weapons: Rifles, explosives, warhammers, battle-axes, swords, spears.

“Sir Hammer, everyone's prepared now. When do we leave?” asked a lackey.

“We leave before sunset. The Fishbone Hunters will arrive when the U.A. least expects it.”

That moment, a telesponder rang.

Hammer picked up the telesponder. “Brother?”

“Gyahahahaha! Brother Hammer! Are your men ready?”

“Yes, brother. My men are always ready,” said Hammer as he fidgets with two runestones.

“Good! We’re near Port Royale now. Looks like the U.A. stationed there are quite lax today.”

“There has been no attack from treasure hunters for the past three weeks. I guess we’ve managed to condition them by stopping any treasure hunters that will try to enter Port Royale.”

“Good! Then all we need is a good distraction. I assume we can rely on you and your men for that.”

“Of course, brother. We’ll take care of that. Just make sure you and your men will get here.”

After the call, the Great White Sharks continued to prepare their weapons for the upcoming attack.

* * * * *

At the market, Riku was looking around for other foods and essentials since they lost most of their belongings at the sea.

Food was not a problem, she thought. They could just hunt down a deer or boar, or whatever’s available on the way. What they needed were some garments that they could use.

While walking around, looking at the clothes, she bumped into a muscular man with a shark tattoo on his shoulder.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going, elf!” said the muscular man.

“Oh. I’m sorry. I was looking at the clothes,” Riku sincerely apologized.

The other two tattooed men went around Riku.

“Hohoho. She doesn’t look bad though, boss.”

“Hey! You wanna come with us?”

“Hmmm, if you come with us, I could consider forgiving you.” Sera offered as the other two laughed.

Riku started to get irritated.

“I’m sorry, but I have more important things to do than to go with you, fish brains.”

The people around started to get nervous at the scene. Some closed their stores. Others left the area.

“Hey! Don’t you know who we are? We’re the Great White Sharks!” Sera grunted.

“What’s the point of asking me if you’re going to answer anyway?” said Riku.

The people who were still around laughed discreetly, but Sera heard them. Even his two lackeys tried to hold their laughter.

Sera’s face turned red in embarrassment. “You’ve done it now!” He took a runestone that turned into a battle-ax. He slashed his ax towards Riku, but Riku simply dodged.

Without even using her magic, Riku attacked Sera by simply kicking him behind his knee. As Sera fell on his knee, Riku kicked him on the back of his head. Sera slammed to the ground so hard that the ground cratered.

The people started to run away because of the commotion. Suddenly, someone took her hand. “Hey! What the---“

“Let’s go! Before more of them arrive!” said Raijin.

The two of them ran away from the area.

“Oy! Wasn’t that the Raijin kid?!” said lackey number one.

“I thought so too. Looks like he knows that elf girl” said lackey number two.

“Let’s help boss Sera first.”

“That kid will be in big trouble now.”