20 years later...
[Rejoice, my people! A new fleet has been born! Without a doubt... the Golden Age of Iberia has arrived!]
Click--
Turning off the noisy radio, David, now a father, looked at his teacher.
"Today is the inauguration ceremony of the Stultifera Navis, won't you go and take a look?"
"You've already seen dozens of ships launched, aren't you used to it yet?"
Breogan didn't turn around; he continued revising and drawing on the blueprints.
"Of course! That kind of scene is exhilarating no matter how many times you see it!"
David smiled affirmatively, then his voice gradually lowered.
"Are you really no longer involved in the fleet's construction? His Majesty is even planning to bestow the title of Duke upon you."
"Isn't it you I'm here for?"
Breogan and hummed a popular Iberia ship horn.
"But you don't need to get involved in town design! It's such a waste of your talent!"
"..."
Breogan stopped humming and turned to gaze at the student who had been with him for many years:
Do you still remember the last question I asked when I became your apprentice?
David was taken aback, then spoke from the passage:
"Of course I remember!" He stepped forward, his heart brimming with pride.
"Now I can answer, teacher! Our fleet can not only cross the sea—we can even conquer it!"
"The Iberia flag will fly over all the seas!"
Breogan in return:
"Do you remember what this fleet was originally built for?"
David was stumped. He frowned and tentatively probed:
"Is it... a research vessel? To observe sea monsters?"
"Yes... but now this fleet is going to be taken by the kings for a pilgrimage."
David scratched his head in confusion, a hint of his teenage self in the gesture.
"What's wrong with that? Showing the world the strength of Iberia, don't you feel honored?"
"Glory..."
Breogan whispered the word, then finally just waved wearily.
"Go on, David. The ceremony isn't over yet; you should be there receiving your applause. Just don't forget..."
He paused, his voice soft, almost a sigh.
"Iberia never conquered the sea."
Amid cheers from the crowd, the Stultifera Navis sailed into the ocean.
On the ship, David silently gazed at the low cliffs below.
"What's wrong, our chief designer?"
David turned around in surprise and replied with dissatisfaction:
"Alfonso you confused? The teacher is the chief designer."
"Isn't His Breogan going to resign? I'm not wrong to say that, am I?"
The tall man shook the bottle in his hand and hooked his arm around David's shoulder.
Why do you look so gloomy? Look at your [daughter], how beautiful she is!
At this point, Alfonso raised an eyebrow.
"Too bad she's already mine."
"You scoundrel... Now that you're the navigator of the fleet, can't you be a little more composed?"
David pushed his friend away with a look of disgust, Alfonso, shaking his bottle, asked again.
"So what's wrong? Your brat is demanding to be the captain again?"
David waved his hand weakly and repeated the teacher's words.
He's right.
Alfonso remained silent for a long time before finishing his drink in one gulp.
"Iberia never conquered the sea, but..."
The captain put his arm around his friend's shoulder and pointed to the flags fluttering on the ship.
"Captain Alfonso will take on this great task!"
"Waaaaah!!!"
Just then, the Stultifera Navis sounded its horn for its first official voyage.
The sound waves crashed across the sea and pierced David's chest.
In this resounding gong that symbolized an era, David's last lingering unease was dispelled.
"You're right, Alfonso."
David's voice and the lingering echo of the steam whistle blended strangely together.
We will conquer the sea sooner or later. We will.
Two years later...
[... With this, cruisers numbered thirty-seven through forty-two have all been commissioned! Iberia is spreading her glory across the sea!]
[Without a doubt, this is our Golden Age!]
Click--
David turned off the overly noisy radio, and at the same moment, swiftly slapped away a small young hand that was reaching for the model ship.
"Jack!"
David turned around and looked at his son, who was baring his teeth.
"This is a gift from His Majesty to celebrate the successful maiden voyage of the Stultifera Navis, not your toy!"
"I just want to take a look..."
"Looking is fine, but trying it out is not."
David softened his tone, and his wife, Marianne, came out of the kitchen carrying freshly baked bread.
"All you ever do is fiddle with those blueprints and models."
Marianne said, letting out a soft sigh.
"Everyone outside keeps shouting 'Golden Age,' 'Golden Age,' but the price of flour at the market keeps going up."
"Tom from the docks went missing after encountering a huge wave at sea, and nobody bothered to look for him..."
Jack immediately perked up upon hearing this:
"Mom, in a few years I'll be old enough to participate in the selection. I want to be a captain too, just like Uncle Alfonso!"
Marianne's face paled, and she immediately rejected the idea.
"No way! You've only been to sea a few times. What if you end up like Tom..."
"Tom is on a small cargo ship! If we could Alfonso's fleet, we wouldn't be afraid of any storms!"
David walked over, put his arm around his wife's shoulder, and unexpectedly said:
"Don't worry, Marianne. If Jack really gets on Alfonso's ship, that would be the safest option."
"David?"
Marianne looked at her husband in surprise, while David pointed to the exquisite model on the table.
"Don't you believe that drunkard Alfonso, but you don't believe me?"
"The ships I design will always bring our children home safely, no matter how big the storms they encounter!"
"Exactly! With our Golden Armada here, there's absolutely nothing to worry about!"
Looking at the determined father and son before her, Marianne's worries seemed to lessen, turning into a helpless yet amused expression.
"Very well, captains, now that you've finished your grand pronouncements, shouldn't you be concerned with more practical matters?"
"For example, our future savings?"
"Don't worry! I've already thought it through!"
David walked to the closet, opened a drawer, and found not gold or silver, but all sorts of ornaments inside.
"Collect more things now, and they'll be antiques in a few decades!"
"Dad... you're still the best!"
Marianne held her forehead.
"My God, you really are..."
She shook her head, then finally couldn't help but laugh.
"Never mind, come here for a second, I have something to give you."
Marianne turned around and took out two small items, which were wind chimes made of seashells.
"Here you are, captains."
She tied the wind chimes to David's and Jack's belts respectively.
"The sailors say that if you carry a seashell wind chime with you when you go out to sea, the waves will hear the voice of your homeland and will not be angry."
Jack picked up the wind chime, shook it, and muttered under his breath:
"How can one become a good sailor without experiencing truly great waves..."
Five years later...
"Waaah--"
The long, drawn-out whistle tore through the thin mist of the harbor and drowned out the clamor of the crowd seeing people off.
"Remember to secure your personal belongings; rough seas are no joke."
"If you feel unwell from seasickness, take one pill; don't try to tough it out."
"Also, you must listen to Uncle Alfonso... listen to Captain Alfonso; his experience is more useful than books..."
"I know, Mom, you've said that a hundred times already."
Jack responded helplessly to his mother, and a tall figure appeared above the gangway.
Alfonso leaned against the railing with one hand and waved a bottle at the David family on the dock.
"Don't worry, I've already married your best daughter!"
He patted the hull of the Stultifera Navis.
"Now bring your best son along, and I guarantee in the captain's name that I will bring this kid back safe and sound!"
David looked at his friend; time had etched deeper lines on his face, but the untamed spirit in his eyes remained undiminished.
He stepped forward, wanting to offer a few more words of advice, but Alfonso had already waved his hand dismissively.
"Relax, David! Upon our return from this voyage, Iberia will prove to the world—we have utterly conquered this sea!"
Familiar words pierced through time, and the teacher's sigh resurfaced in David's mind.
Iberia never conquered the sea.
Just as Jack was about to board the ship with Alfonso, David suddenly reached out and grabbed his son's arm.
"Jack, the ocean... we must respect it and always be vigilant."
Seeing the heaviness in his father's eyes, Jack nodded earnestly.
"I understand, Dad."
He then laughed again, trying to dispel the overly heavy atmosphere:
"Alright, Dad, you should worry about your antique shop first. Don't come back victorious only to find your precious shop has gone out of business!"
"You brat!"
David made a move to hit her, and Marianne slapped her husband's arm in annoyance:
"You're about to leave, can't you just behave yourself!"
Remembering something, Marianne hurriedly asked Jack:
"Where's the wind chime I gave you? Do you have it with you?"
Upon hearing this, a hint of embarrassment flashed across Jack's face:
"Mom, I'm not a child anymore, it's not appropriate for me to carry those kinds of things..."
"Jack! What are you dawdling for? We're about to set sail!"
"Ah! Enough said, the formation needs to weigh anchor! I have to go report for duty!"
Jack waved, turned and merged into the crowd, never looking back.
Waaaaaah!!!
With the whistle of the ship's horn, the giant ship slowly sailed away.
He'll be alright... right?
David gripped the wind chime at his waist.
"Certainly..."
"Dad--!!!"
Jack's shout interrupted their worries.
"It's a deal! When I get back this time, the model of the Stultifera Navis is mine!"
David's lips twitched, and all the sadness in his heart vanished.
"Hmph! You'd better not come back!"
"Whoosh--whoosh--!!!"
Breathing rapidly, the old man used the kneeling post to get up.
The memories he recalled caused him excruciating pain in his heart, and he almost couldn't stand up.
He closed his eyes in pain.
If I hadn't said that, would those tragedies have been avoided?
What is that...?
David knelt atop the tower, gazing despairingly at the vast ocean before him.
Iberia never conquered the sea.
Rumble--
A hundred-meter-high wave crashed onto the land, submerging everything that Iberia was proud of.
Without any warning, day turned to night, and paradise became hell.
In an instant, the dazzling gold was swallowed by the deep sea.
David howled in agony, his chest burning with pain, but no sound came out.
[Great Silence]
A terrible disaster engulfed everything, including the cries of loved ones.
The lighthouse ultimately succumbed to its fate; when David awoke again, he was not greeted by his lover's smiling face.
"Wait! Your body can't..."
David practically crawled out of the camp and tumbled into the ruins.
The dark seawater submerged the land, and he could not find his home.
"Mary! Where are you! Where are you?!"
The voice has returned, but the lover no longer responds.
A noise came from the ruins on one side. David dug frantically, but his movements gradually slowed down.
An Aegir boy...
"Quick! Get away from him!"
Numbly turning his head, he saw the rescuers pointing at the boy with horrified expressions.
"It's the devil Aegir! It's this group of devils who brought this disaster!"
The survivors retreated in terror, then slowly came to a stop.
A disgusting flame, like black mud, ignited from the depths of his eyes.
"Kill him..."
"Kill them..."
"Kill these demons! They destroyed our home!"
The survivors wept and tried to strangle the boy, but they collapsed to the ground due to their weakness.
Enraged, they picked up stones and threw them at him, the boy's muffled groan waking David.
Instead of rebuking this crazy act, David lay down and shielded the boy with his body.
The stones struck the weakened body with dull thuds.
Puff--Puff--
"Aaaaaaahh..."
David's desperate cries stunned everyone, and tears mixed with blood dripped from his nose.
As if they had understood something, the attack stopped, and in its place came a series of wails.
The cries were contagious, echoing throughout Iberia.
Iberia was not destroyed.
But "Iberia"... was destroyed.
Bang--!
With great effort, the former chief designer wielded his hammer, building his [large ship] like any ordinary worker.
Click--
The wooden planks shattered, and the old man remained silent for a long time before dragging his tools forward to dismantle them.
After Iberia was stabilized again by the State Church, David returned to his homeland.
It's still that same ruin, and it's still those same hands.
The old man dug numbly, unsure whether he was searching for traces of the past or for his dead self.
The boy standing nearby was the first to achieve results.
A well-preserved cupboard.
Why are you still here...?
David opened it with trembling hands, and the model ship stood quietly inside.
The old man trembled as he lifted the model ship, his face contorted with rage, ready to smash it to pieces.
Why are you still here?!
[It's a deal! When I get back this time, the model of the Stultifera Navis is mine!]
"..."
A glimmer of hope flashed in the boy's eyes as he looked at the old man, David ultimately did not smash the model ship.
The two did not leave, but built a makeshift shelter using materials from the ruins.
The two lived quietly here, the boy watching the old man sit by the sea and gaze into the distance every day.
The elderly are getting older, and the children are growing up.
Year after year...
The State Church was renamed the Inquisition, and more and more people returned to this land.
With the establishment of a new town, the two also had a new place to live.
"I want to open an antique shop."
Looking into the old man's bloodshot eyes, the young man simply nodded.
"Damn it! Don't let these things see me!"
As if they had broken some taboo, on the very first day the antique shop opened, a group of people rushed into the shop and smashed all the antiques to pieces.
The old man desperately shielded the model ship with his body, but he couldn't protect the shop.
The house was reduced to ruins, but the two continued their tedious digging.
Year after year...
The youth grew tall and strong. He did not leave the old man, but simply put on a pair of feathered ears.
"Don't go to the beach anymore, there are too many monsters there..."
The old man didn't say anything, but he still went to the beach the next day.
Year after year...
The new town was renamed Gran Faro, and people resumed work under the guidance of the Inquisition; the cries of newborns echoed throughout Iberia.
Has Iberia returned?
The old man drew the curtains.
No...
Year after year...
The old man's health deteriorated day by day, and finally—
After arriving at the shore as he had done countless times before, the old man this time lost his footing and fell into the sea.
In the cold darkness, the old man's last shred of pride was shattered.
He is not a warrior at all.
He's just a coward who wouldn't even dare to go looking for his own child...
Jones lost control for the first time, smashing items in the store, and finally crying and begging.
The old man agreed.
Was it out of pleading or out of fear?
He couldn't tell...
The next day.
The wife's wind chimes were hung at the shop door. The old man waited for a while in the morning and then returned to the shop on his own.
Day three.
Day four.
"Old man, what are you doing sitting here?"
A stranger...
The old man mechanically answered the young man's questions, perhaps because he was too lazy to think about it, or perhaps because he was genuinely lonely.
The young man followed them back to the shop and immediately took a liking to the model ship.
He recognizes it!
Could it be... that the fleet didn't sink?!
The old man struggled to get up from his chair, but the young man's casual words made him fall back down.
"Because I am the Vampire Demon~"
Hope was shattered again, but there was no grief as I had imagined.
The young man talked with Jones for a long time, but eventually left.
The words drifted on the wind as the wind chimes tinkled.
"It won't happen."
"..."
The old man closed his eyes, letting his body sway with the chair.
Yes, it's impossible to wait...
He was just numbing himself with false hope over and over again.
They despicably used it as an excuse to eke out a living.
A decision needs to be made.
The old man looked at the model ship and stared at its reflection.
"I've come to find you..."
State--!
The hammer struck again, and the rivet was embedded in the hull.
David slumped to the ground, a burning pain shooting through his chest, sweat dripping down his face.
After a long while, he stood up and walked towards his [ship].
"King No. 3..."
Instead of creating any groundbreaking behemoths, this once-renowned ship designer chose his most comical creation from his youth.
The old man stepped forward shakily and onto the large boat made of several planks.
When he was young, he wanted to use this ship to find his father.
In his old age, he sailed on this ship again in search of his son.
The ropes were cut with a knife, and the boat slid into the water along the hatchway.
The old man was pushed down by the sudden force and simply sat there.
David gazed silently at the exit ahead.
The fierce storm poured in from the entrance of the passage, making the old man sway back and forth, as if mocking his overestimation of his abilities.
Even Alfonso wouldn't go out to sea in this weather...
With that thought in mind, the old man began to paddle.
A commotion arose outside the dock, and the old man recognized the voices.
Sorry, Jones...
David increased the force of his strokes, and the exit was closer.
I'm going to cross the ocean.
"..."
The old man's eyes widened, and the storm suddenly stopped?
No! He will never forget it in his entire life!
[Great Silence]
In this absolute silence, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Old man, what are you doing sitting here?"
At the exit, Vane hung upside down, staring blankly at the old man.
"Extreme rafting..."
The sound returned, and the sea was completely obscured by the outstretched wings.
"Can I come with you?"