Chapter 458: In Search of Githarks

Ambrose hadn't fully grasped what it meant to be a historian before watching Heki Stone scribble without pause. He found himself with a grudging respect for the dwarf.

Though, or perhaps only because, he had no idea what Heki was writing.

The ink Heki Stone used was evidently something unusual: Ambrose's senses couldn't detect a single word on the page. What was even more baffling was that the historian flatly refused to let him see.

In Heki Stone's own words, recording history was a matter of the utmost gravity, and as a rule the subject was not permitted to read the account in progress, lest dissatisfaction on their part influence the historian's pen and compromise the integrity of the record.

Ambrose was fairly certain the man was embellishing wildly, but without proof, he let it go for the time being.

If Heki Stone ever dared to publish a "history" that diverged from actual fact, Ambrose would simply show up at his home and remove every last piece of gold as compensation for emotional damage.

Business came first. Once Ambrose turned his attention to the matter at hand, he mostly stopped paying attention to whatever Heki Stone was scratching out.

He stayed at the castle for only half a day. Most of that time was spent tracking down references. Less than an hour was left over for Isabel: a brief check-in on the welfare of his most productive asset, and a look at whatever alchemical problems she had run into.

What he found was that Isabel's skill had advanced considerably. In certain areas, she already surpassed him.

Her specialization was potion-brewing. The slow-thaw retardant she had developed to manipulate the desert traders had been her own independent creation. Potions with that effect had existed before, but none that were transparent.

Isabel had successfully improved both the formula and the appearance, and that had been no fortunate accident. It was entirely based on her own research.

No wonder Gustavo Flynn had been dropping hints at Ambrose for so long in hopes of taking Isabel on as his student.

Gifted, diligent, and deeply devoted to her craft without any distracting obsession with wealth or reputation—a student like that was destined to go far. Ambrose made an indirect suggestion that Isabel was welcome to study under Gustavo Flynn.

There was no point in keeping talented people bound to him unnecessarily. Clever people had their pride.

When Isabel had been merely an apprentice, Ambrose could make whatever demands he liked. Isabel's standing was quite different now, and she warranted proportional respect.

If she nursed a grievance, who was to say she wouldn't introduce a carefully timed "mistake" at some critical juncture?

So in the absence of any obvious conflict, Ambrose preferred mutual benefit. Their relationship had affection as its foundation, mutual interest as its bond, and cooperation as its structure. That was the most stable arrangement, and the one least likely to go wrong.

Isabel, however, refused without a moment's hesitation.

"Master, I only want to learn from you."

Her tone was firm. Ambrose found that he couldn't argue.

"There's very little left I can actually teach you. Not only is Gustavo Flynn a master of potion-brewing, his skill in crafting enchanted equipment ranks among the finest in the world. Studying under him would cost you nothing and gain you everything."

Ambrose had swindled Gustavo Flynn on more than one occasion, but he had never thought less of the man's ability for it. Flynn was a genuine master of his craft. That was why kingdoms received him as an honored guest.

Isabel's expression grew slightly flustered as she listened, but she seemed unable to articulate whatever was going through her mind. Finally, she landed on a reason. "Master Flynn has been spending a great deal of time with people from the goblin bank lately. His borrowing has been remarkably frequent. I suspect he's in serious financial difficulty."

Isabel's choice suddenly made sense to Ambrose.

"In that case, absolutely not. We can't have you getting dragged into that. Students are morally obligated to help their masters pay off debts—this crafty old fellow must have been angling at me all along."

It hadn't occurred to Ambrose that his scheme with the God of Alchemy's coin had pushed Gustavo Flynn into a financial crisis severe enough to send him to goblin moneylenders. That was a race that made vampires look restrained.

He'd need to be more careful about their future dealings. If the old man went bankrupt, goblins would be coming after Ambrose to sort out the mess.

Meanwhile, Heki Stone sat watching the exchange, his quill never stopping. "The radiance of wisdom is like the eternal lamp in an ancient library, illuminating the corners of knowledge, and, quite without meaning to, illuminating a student's heart. A pity, then, that a lich is an unfeeling creature of evil, forever incapable of understanding such delicate things..."

Ambrose turned with a puzzled frown. "What are you writing over there? Does this have anything to do with the kouto goddess?"

"More than you'd think," Heki Stone said promptly. "The reason you ended up in conflict with the kouto goddess is ultimately a matter of competing interests, isn't it? How am I supposed to construct a proper dialectical analysis without detailed contextual records?"

"Remarkably convincing," Ambrose said, with a look of mild contempt, but he didn't pursue it further.

He had nothing to feel guilty about on the financial front. His business dealings had always been straightforward: what he promised, he delivered. Let the dwarf record away. The world would know that Ambrose was honest, reliable, and the finest partner one could ask for.

With that, they left the castle. Ambrose made straight for the Ragetide Kingdom.

The alchemical factory there had already broken ground. Master craftsmen hired from the dwarven kingdoms were overseeing the construction, and working on an island presented no difficulties for them. The factory had been laid out according to the plans, and the construction was expected to finish soon.

Ambrose found Princess Ariel on the busy construction site, personally directing the Ragetide Kingdom's fishermen as they assisted the dwarves.

The arrival of the first grain shipment had put a smile on her face that she seemed incapable of suppressing.

For the first time, the people of the Ragetide Kingdom were eating soft bread. For the first time, they were tasting various kinds of meat. These foods were more nourishing than fish, and the workers had more energy for their labor because of it.

The Ragetide Kingdom was visibly moving in a better direction, and Ariel was genuinely delighted. All her effort was finally bearing fruit.

Because of that, when she saw Ambrose again, she forgot her dignity as a princess entirely and greeted the lich with unguarded warmth.

"Master Megaman, have you come to inspect the factory construction?"

Ever since Ambrose had used Terraform to reshape the terrain and spared the people of the Ragetide Kingdom a forced relocation, Ariel had found herself thinking that this Master Megaman was a person of decent character, not the greedy and ruthless figure the rumors described.

After all, displacing a portion of the kingdom's population would have been nothing to him—the kingdom would have had to comply no matter how reluctant they were. Yet he hadn't forced the issue. Instead, he'd solved the problem with a single formidable spell.

What spellcaster in the world was that easy to work with? And he was a lich, no less. By undead standards, that kind of temperament was practically saintly.

"Your Highness, I have a favor to ask."

Though the request came without any preamble, Ariel responded immediately. "I'll help however I can. What do you need, Master Megaman?"

"I know this ocean is vast, and there are likely many islands too inhospitable for human settlement that could nonetheless support a few thousand githarks scraping by.

"I need to find those githarks. Races that live beneath the sea know which trenches hold the richest fishing grounds, but only a people who live on the islands themselves know where there might be land enough to survive. That's why I need your help."

Ariel agreed without a second thought.

It was simply a matter of showing the way. How could she possibly refuse?

"Of course. It's no difficulty at all. I'll personally lead our most experienced navigators, and my vessel—"

Before she could finish, Ambrose interrupted, "Speaking of vessels, Princess Ariel, allow me to present you with a gift."

He led Ariel to a clear stretch of ground. In a flash of light from a teleportation array, a twenty-meter-long blue warship materialized on the open land.

"Freshly built by dwarven craftsmen, and commissioned specifically for you, as a token of our partnership. Would you do the honor of naming her?"

The ship was no match for the Blacktide, but it was among the finer vessels Ambrose had recently commissioned.

Thanks to Gustavo Flynn's use of the God of Alchemy's coin, a significant portion of the production costs had been redirected into Flynn's account. With the Mimetic Soul costs factored in, the total had come to no more than twenty thousand gold—a small enough sum to make an excellent gift.

Ariel looked at the blue warship. Along the hull, the triple lightning bolt emblem of Thanos had been worked into the design. This gift had clearly been prepared well in advance.

She was genuinely moved. Master Megaman had put real thought into this gift.

"Thank you. If you'll let me name her..." Ariel considered for a moment. "Then let her be called Greywater."

Ambrose was silent for a beat. The name left him faintly uncomfortable.

This was precisely why he disliked fake identities. Situations like this had a way of arising.

"One should always look forward," he offered.

Ariel smiled. "Quite right, Master Megaman, but looking forward doesn't mean giving up on honoring the past."

Ambrose regarded her with a new appreciation. That was a more thoughtful response than he would have expected. She had truly grown considerably.

"Very well. In that case, Your Highness, I'd ask that you make your preparations. I'm rather pressed for time."

Ariel nodded and headed off to gather her most seasoned navigators and the sailors who knew these waters best, so as to help Master Megaman find the githarks.

Once she had gone, Heki Stone materialized at Ambrose's side from behind an umbrella.

"God of Alchemy above, have you been lurking behind me this whole time?" Ambrose exclaimed, genuinely startled.

"You really think I'm incapable of anything? I am a legend, you know." Heki Stone scrutinized Ambrose. "You really are something, aren't you? The undead queen, the elven queen, the goddess, and now this Ragetide princess... What is it about this skeletal frame of yours that draws them all in?"

"What are you going on about?"

"Nothing at all. I'm quite pleased that you look so completely oblivious."

He opened his notebook and the quill flew once more. "His manner of speech was like a melody in a classical composition, harmonious and effortlessly compelling, always catching noble ladies off guard and moving their hearts without intention. A pity that no living heart beats within his chest, only the hollow moan of cold wind passing through empty bone. He is a creature of death, forever incapable of understanding what it means to feel..."

Ambrose watched him for a moment, then said: "I'll remind you that I'm a diviner. My instincts tend to be accurate."

Heki Stone looked up. "I swear on everything I hold dear that every word I write is the truth, without the slightest embellishment. I swear it on my honor as a historian!"

Ambrose gave a cold smile. "If you're lying, I look forward to presenting you with the invoice for my emotional damages."

Before long, Ariel returned at the head of a group of weather-worn sailors.

Ambrose gave a sweeping gesture and turned to Heki Stone. "Let's go, historian. Time to find the githarks."

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