According to Nila they still had a few days until they reached the floating city for the big meeting about the hassles that the shipments going to the Northern Continent were facing. The Wave Riders were highly annoyed after a series of attacks on them, and the leadership decided that the Giants had forgotten the value of showing respect for the Wave Riders. That was an oversight that that simply couldn't tolerate, the safe and secure transport of the goods they produced and pilfered required that people remember who they were dealing with. If one started to openly disrespect them without retaliation, others would as well.
The response was going to be predictably bloody and swiftly executed. All that was left was to discuss the exact details. Because she was Mythic Quality with a number of useful skills for rapid transportation, Nila played a central role in their plan to launch the attack, bringing a spearhead of ships with her through the void to launch the attack from the back lines when they finally found the enemy's true identity and home base.
There was even more good news for Cain today as well. More than one of the ships in the fleet had the potion best known as Frost Giant Vodka and they were willing to trade some to him for a reasonable price, owing to the cooperation of his Companion in their missions.
Many of the Captains were eager to greet Cain, and most had at least heard of him before, so a large party was thrown in honor of his visit. Not that the Wave Rider Captains needed much of a reason to throw a party, but today they had one. Cain brought out the Mythic Fruit Juice, and they brought out the Frost Giant Vodka, making it an even trade in the minds of the Wave Riders.
"Do you think that the Giants have decided to expand beyond just the Western Continent?" Cain asked the man drinking next to him while they listened to a group talk about their adventures with an overly powerful sea monster.
"It doesn't seem all that unlikely. Their numbers have been going up, and nobody really knows what happened after the Gnomes went crazy. I heard that the short fellows managed to throw the majority of their population through a dimensional portal the day that everything started to change. Without the Gnomes around to remind them of the dangers, those overgrown morons are capable of almost anything." The old elf grumbled.
"So the Gnomes were working with the Giants? I don't know much about the Western Continent." Cain asked.
"Yes and no. The continent is one big country, ruled by a council. They agreed that all decisions needed to be one vote short of anonymous. If everyone else agrees, the last one to vote must vote against it, and the one that voted no must plan for the opposite outcome. If more than one votes against it, the measure fails. That way they kept things running smoothly after the war. But most of the giant species lack common sense and have a lot of pent-up aggression. Without the Gnomes and their technology, the council will be unbalanced." The Captain explained, enlightening Cain on how things were done in the most mysterious of regions.
"That actually sounds like it would work fairly well. How do the Wave Riders do it?"
"Oh, we have the most simple system of all. If the Elders can't decide, like they couldn't decide what to do about this issue, they call a council of Captains. Either we agree, or we fight our differences out with no magic. Afterward, we drink and argue again until an agreement is reached." The Elf laughed, his ash black ears twitching in time with his laughter.
"It's a great system. It can take some time though, so I hope you weren't in a really big hurry." One of the other Captains interjected, and Cain just shrugged.
Nila answered for him before Cain could come up with anything to say. "As long as there aren't any big attacks coming towards the coast I don't see any rush, but if the coastal cities spot an attacking flotilla then he will have to head out to keep his word to the Dragon Riders."
The Wave Riders were big on honor and keeping promises that had been made, so they fully understood that condition. Plus, they were also worried about the coastal cities on the Northern Continent, so having someone volunteer to go intercept attackers during the Council of Captains made their life a lot easier.
The next day passed without incident, other than a lot of hungover Elves and one terrified pack of level 105 Giant Squid who fled in terror from the mere sight of Leviathan hovering over the ocean.
It was almost dark again when they caught sight of the Floating City. Cain had heard that it was made out of ships tied together, but from the sight, that was just the Wave Riders being incredibly humble.
It was no smaller than many castles, with hundreds of ships docked around its perimeter. Leviathan had swum down beneath the city to see if the Elves were lying, but it really did float. There were over a hundred meters of the city below the water, and an enchanted hull to keep the sheer weight from collapsing the city in on itself, but it did indeed float.
Being so large, with ballast at the bottom, the city looked like an island, stationary in the water while the waves crashed against it. A true marvel of magical engineering the likes of which Cain had never even considered.
Above the water, the structures were mostly made of very lightweight alloys, enchanted for rust prevention when necessary, and painted a wide variety of colors to suit the tastes of the Elven residents. Towards the center, the city was built up higher, reinforcing the impression that this was in fact a mountainous island and not an enormous seafaring vessel topped with a polished black castle.
At first, Cain wondered about the design choices, since the elevated structure would leave a large amount of internal space that was never exposed to sunlight. Then it finally dawned on him. Despite their affinity for the sea, these are still Dark Elves. The underground caverns are their natural habitat, of course the inner buildings would be comfortable for them.
"Hold at the back. Since Queen Rose isn't officially a Wave Rider vessel it will be docked outside of another vessel that will serve as the host, guaranteeing your good behavior while you are in the Floating City." The old Captain that Cain was drinking with last night explains to him as he maneuvers his own vessel away to take his dock.
There seems to be some elaborate ranking system that determines who goes where, and the vessels are now scattering, moving from their random spot in the convoy towards their designated spot around the city. Cain also notices he won't be the only one docked outside the main ring, tied bow to stern with another vessel, there are a few more in sight docked the same way, all wearing the colors of major merchant groups.
"I don't think I've ever heard of the city accepting this many visitors in a decade, much less all at once." Nila laughed as she pointed to where a group of Wood Elves from the Eastern Continent was gawking at the city's structure.
For them, this place must be a nightmare. They thrive in living environments and sunlight. Most of this city has neither.
"Checking out the hippies?" The Wave Rider assigned to be their Pilot for the docking process laughs, giving Cain a sly wink.
"Hippie chicks get freaky. You should give it a try yourself." Cain teases the young man, who blushes a light shade of purple, with the red blood flooding his gray-blue-tanned face.
"The berth assignment is in, head for dock seventeen on the South Side of the city." He manages to stammer out a few seconds later, making Nila shake her head at how easily flustered he is.
"You know, if you can't even take teasing from Cain, you'll be eaten alive by a proper crew. They are merciless once they learn your weakness. You blush like that in front of a Captain like Druze and he will taunt you until you're living in a tree house with a dozen little hippie children." Cain's Companion half-jokes.
Only half-jokes, because the Captain might push him that far just for the entertainment value of seeing him embarrassed, but a dozen elven children would take nearly a century to make, and he would certainly get bored of the game by then even if the boy was still fun to tease.
Their dock is behind a longer than usual Wave Rider vessel, though it is still three-masted and fairly narrow for fast travel through the water. The dock is also further from the docks around it by a few meters more than usual and Cain wonders if it's a place of honor, or if it's a cargo dock, where they would expect larger, more heavily laden vessels to be tied up instead of the sleek warships that they are best known for.
Cain gave Nila a questioning look to get his answer but she didn't know, so he turned to their Pilot.
"So, which one is it? A flagship berth or a Cargo Dock?" Cain asked and the intent to lie was clearly visible on the boy's face for a moment before he realized it would be pointless.
"It's a Cargo dock. But it's not an insult, they put you closest to the hotel and tavern district, so you can settle in without having to cross the whole city." The boy's hurried speech showed Cain that he truly meant what he said, and feared reprisal, so he gave the Pilot the gentlest look he could before whistling to the ship in front of them to catch the mooring lines so that he could tie off to them and head into the city.
"I appreciate it, friend. Here, split this flagon of Mythic Fruit Juice with your crew." Cain told the Captain, hopping aboard.
The Wave Rider looked confused for a second, wondering why only Wave Riders were on a pink ship and tied off in the second row. Then he saw Mythryll and recalled all the gossip about a Summoned pair of Wave Rider twins taking a Hippie Elf as a bride, which meant that the unknown man must be Cain, the Ancient.
A quick scan with his interface confirmed his suspicions and the Captain gladly took the flagon of potion.
"I'll remember your kindness, friend. The others had great things to say about your Southern Continent Juices."
That was likely because Cain mixed a bit of aphrodisiac strawberry juice into the mix for the party, but hey, whatever wins over the hearts and minds of his allies.
