Strongest Among the Heavens
Chapter 346: Early

Chapter 346: Early

A common trait between fishermen all over the world was waking up early. Two hours after sunrise, Kazi found Masanori near the communal building, inspecting the day’s catch with a group of fishermen. As Kazi approached, the head fisherman looked up and gave a nod of acknowledgment.

"Masanori," Kazi said, a hand raised, "I need to speak with you. Can we take a walk?"

"Don’t see why not. Is it something important?"

"Yep. You’ll see."

They walked—probably much more than the fisherman expected. They made the treacherous walk to the shore and stopped when they stood on the sand.

"So, what are we here for, traveller? I hope ya didn’t make me walk all this way for shits."

Kazi dropped down. Masanori did the same and watched as the foreigner began drawing in the sand. "You’re going to announce your plan later in the day."

Kazi didn’t ask, he was making a statement—and he was correct. Masanori nodded.

"We are. We plan to teach ya travellers on how to use our canoes as well as establish teams in accordance with your magic. We do this shit every time."

"Question: has this strategy worked out for you before?"

"...not exactly, no. However, this time, it will be different."

"Why?"

"We will plan smarter. Train better."

So like fighting a tough boss, he planned to make the players keep fighting bullishly until they achieved victory.

"Here." Kazi’s finger stopped. Masanori glanced down at the illustration in the sand. He squinted. There was one large ships and nineteen smaller ships that were the same but less detailed.

"What’s this?"

"These boats, called Kobaya, were swift and maneuverable. They were used by samurai in the late Sengoku period. The hulls are low and narrow, so they can cut through the water with speed. They have reinforced sides to withstand assaults and can carry about twenty to thirty people each. Lots of rowing involved but with players, this can mitigated. We can attain more speed, speed, strength, and space. In tiny boats, a fundamental issue is spacing. We cannot make formations in tiny spaces. But in the Kobaya, we can."

"...what?"

Kazi laughed. "Sorry, sorry, I like to over explain sometimes. The point is that these things are meant for war. For battle."

"Ohh." Masanori looked down at the illustrations. They were strangely detailed. Kazi waited to ensure Masanori was following. "Large boats, hm?" The fisherman nodded, his eyes fixed on the drawing. "I am listening, traveller."

Kazi continued drawing, adding details to the design.

"We’ll need twenty of these ships," Kazi said, pointing to the various parts of the boat he’d drawn. "Like I mentioned, one will carry twenty-five-ish people. Twenty Kobayas will be enough for the five hundred players we have as well as the hundred fishermen. The plan is for us, the travellers, to attack while you drive and navigate the ships. In previous attempts, I assume you had string connecting each canoe?"

That way, the fisherman and players could stay connected and even warn each other. Masanori blinked and narrowed his eyes. "You noticed?"

"I saw the stockpile of string in one of your homes," Kazi said. "It will take about three days to build these ships if we work efficiently and split into teams."

Masanori curled fingers around his chin. "It’s not a terrible idea, but do you know why we haven’t done something like this in the past? We simply don’t have enough wood. We’d have to cut down a lot of trees that we don’t."

"So we use the wood of the canoes."

"What the hell did you just say!?"

He said something offensive. Kazi couldn’t afford to pussyfoot around though. Masanori was a fisherman. Either stand your ground or say nothing. "Listen, Masanori. We either end this now or never. Clinging to old, half-broken canoes is foolish. They won’t protect us or get us to the island safely. We need these ships. We have the manpower. We have the skills."

"But the canoes are from the time of our grandfathers—"

Kazi poked his heart, silencing him. "We have a choice toward victory, Masanori. Princess Otohime gives everything she has to protect herself. To murder an innocent, kind man and get away with it, she has slaughtered and survived through sacrifice. Will you do the same? Will you sacrifice and seize victory? Or cower and let your people die again and again?"

Masanori stared at the drawing, then at Kazi. The logic was undeniable, but the fear of the unknown loomed large. He clicked his tongue. "My grandfathers and their ships were not weak."

"They are. They were. They will continue to be."

"You...! You think you can say that and—"

"Get away with it? Yes. You know I’m stronger than you. You know we possess the wisdom and help of the gods. You do not. It is why you always wait for us."

The brutal, honest truth. Sometimes, it was the only way. Masanori glared and breathed angrily through his nose.

"I’ll ask you once more: will you continue to lose the same way over and over? Or will you change and win?"

Masanori clicked his tongue and returned to his full height. He glared down at the illustrations. "I don’t understand a lick of this thing and how it works," he said. "Are you sure it’ll work?"

"I am a traveller that has come here to help. If you can’t accept my advice, then you should accept no one’s; and I know that isn’t the kind of leader you are. You are rough but you are noble." Kazi stood up with him. "So please. Let’s choose victory."

Masanori pursed his lips. His head tilted back down. "Fine. Fine! We’ll do it your way. But everyone needs to be on board so you better convince your people!" Right, his people would follow him to the ends of the Earth. "We can’t afford any dissent."

Kazi smiled, clapping Masanori on the shoulder. "They will listen and we will win." For the leader of the fishermen, it was hard not to believe it when the man claiming it wore such a bright, hopeful smile.

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