A cat stretched a paw through the gap in the partition and feebly scraped at the ground twice.
Saina turned over the vegetable box the cat had flattened, replanted the seeds, and watered it. She bent down to look at the other seedlings standing upright again in the box, and the corners of her mouth slowly curled up.
The windproof circuit hummed softly. The sea breeze was split into two gentle currents that slid past either side of the vegetable box. The seedlings swayed lightly, yet stood firm.
Saina took a charcoal pencil from her pocket and crookedly wrote three words on the side of the largest vegetable box.
"First Sea Plot."
She straightened up, facing the sea, and drew a deep breath of the salty, damp air.
In the distance, the ship's frame was gilded dark gold by the setting sun. The curve of its keel stretched toward the meeting point of sea and sky, like a great bird spreading its wings.
In a few more months, it would have a deck, sails, a kitchen, vegetable plots, and a chicken coop.
Then it would take them to see the real sea.
Another month passed.
The salty wind in the shipyard had already turned Elonore's white robe grayish-white, and its cuffs still bore rust stains from yesterday's welding sparks.
She crouched beside the propulsor and fitted the last mithril-alloy gasket into the conduit joint. With a twist of her wrist, the clasp snapped into place with a crisp, clean sound.
"The buffer layer's been modified." She rose and patted the iron dust from her knees.
Su Li walked over and circled the propulsor once. The Empire-issued cylindrical casing now had an extra layer of silvery mesh wrapped around it, like a fine, soft lining beneath a crude iron barrel.
"How