xv. Adam Alp

The armada of forty ships of Admiral Lee Howon finally docked in the nearest seaport two days later. All the ships moored at the harbor. It made the city looked like as if it expanded when seen from the sky.

What unexpected was all the citizen greeted them with triumph. Even the mayor took his time personally welcoming Admiral Lee Howon in Sky Blade, taking a small boat, hugging him tightly. Expressing his gratitude. "The pirates had been troubling us for ten years, O The Great Admiral. Trading couldn't be branched out, the prosperity of my people fallen back day after day. You are really the hero of my town."

Admiral Lee Howon smiled, really surprised.

Armada of Floating City needed more workers, woods, pegs, sails, ropes, wheels, and any other equipments to mend Sky Blade and the other nine warships. This rousing welcome meant a lot.

"There aren't carpenters and shipwrights better than the ones from this town in this southern continent." The mayor raised his glass. Toast!

The fleets also in need of more new soldiers and sailors. To replace hundreds of crews who lose their life in that forty days battle.

"There aren't stronger sailors than the younglings from this town in this southern continent." Once again the mayor raised his glass. Toast!

They also in need of foods, fresh waters, medicaments, and any other supplies to continue their expedition.

"We can provide them all, it would be our pleasure." The mayor's words followed by nods of agreement from his officials.

But what they couldn't provide was time. Mending all the ships took a long time. Even with a hundred workmen, they needed at least four months, that was what Sungyeol told Sunggyu that afternoon, after they had been escorted to the lodging provided for the ship crews.

The low-ranks sailors and soldiers had returned to their respective cabins, meanwhile the higher-rank sailors and soldiers were invited by the mayor to stay in any rooms in any inns in the city.

To tell the truth, Admiral Lee Howon didn't really agree with that kind of allotment, but his crews who had to return to the ship shrugged their shoulders. "It's okay, really, we can party overnight, and there's no admiral to nag at us," they laughed.

They really didn't care where they had to sleep. After witnessing the admiral's greatness and cleverness in commanding his fleet to defeat the legendary pirates, they were very impressed with the admiral. So even if the admiral commanded them to not sleep for the rest of the year, they would definitely obey him!

Sunggyu and Sungyeol didn't return to the ship, they got a room allotment. No. Both of them weren't low rank sailors or soldiers anymore. A day ago, before they docked to that seaport, with Admiral Lee Howon's consent, Eagle Eye promoted them to twin platoon leader. Commanders for forty-eight other soldiers.

Because of the shrewdness of Sungyeol's swordplay and the coldness in Sunggyu's eyes in the last weeks of their battle against Pirate Zhang Yixing, made them worthy to be be promoted.

"Now we can't call him the Crying Sailor again!" Eagle Eye tried joking. But his face didn't change much even when he was laughing, still terrifying. Even so, all the soldiers and sailors clapped their hands, laughing along with him.

"Starting from today, we can call him the Crying Platoon Leader!" someone shouted. The crowds really laughed now. Sungyeol grinned. Sunggyu chuckled. He had been changed now, so much.

Sunggyu was not an uneducated coward anymore.

--

"What are you going to do tomorrow morning?" Sunggyu asked Sungyeol. The one who was asked was staring down at the city from their room in the third floor of an inn. The night was getting late.

The people in this town was really advanced in their architecture. The houses built tall. The roofs curved beautifully. Pretty lampoons hinged in every corners, making the city glows glamorously. Specially at that night, the citizen put up more lampoons in their celebration for the defeat of the pirates.

Half moon hung in the sky. Stars were like spilled forming hundreds stunning formations. But Sungyeol dreamily stared at the dark silhouette of a mountain in the distance.

"I'll go there first thing in the morning!" Sungyeol's voice was faint, soft like a whisper.

Sunggyu turned his head, slightly surprised. "Where?"

"That mountain."

"Moun… tain…?"

Sungyeol nodded with confidence.

"For what?"

"Sunggyu, I know this city so well… I still remember every details told by the pastor from my old church. Every day he mentioned about that mountain top, hoping to set his foot there although only once before his death… Telling me that it was his dream that never achieved… And regretfully he indeed never arrived at that mountain top… The top where the first man in the world was said to be disembarked… The Adam Alp… That pastor had died due to his age before he could come here…"

Sunggyu looked confusedly at Sungyeol, following his line of sight toward the mountain.

"I want to see it… So when I return to my city, I could stand in front of the tomb of that kind pastor. I'll tell him that I've set my foot in Adam Alp on his behalf… I want to thank him for all of his kindness by bringing his dream into reality…" Sungyeol grimaced.

Sunggyu still didn't understand him, kept staring.

"It's okay, we would only need less than three months to get to the top… More than enough before our fleet sail again. Let's take this as a vacation after almost a year we only see water, water and more water…" Sungyeol's lips formed a thin smile.

Sunggyu shook his head. How could Sungyeol said climbing the mountain top as vacation, and he also relaxedly said there was nothing to worry about. Sunggyu gulped