"But… but what about lunch?!" Fel protested as Exel led his crew back on board their airship.They left George staring at their back on the docks with a sinking feeling in his heart.
"I couldn"t stop them. I couldn"t even protect her…" George muttered darkly.
"George! I got them as soon as I could!" Alani came running up. "We have thirty-nine people now!"
"Thirty-nine?" George"s face fell. "I asked for a hundred…"
"But… but there aren"t many people who can channel magic!" Alani protested. "I tried my best! I really did!"
"I know. I know you did." George sighed, rubbing his forehead. "It"s not your fault. It"s just… without mana crystals, we need people to power the airship engines magically. Thirty-nine people are barely enough to move one Sky Fortress."
"Or nineteen Corvettes. Twenty, if you count yourself in."
"Twenty Corvettes." George shook his head. "That"s not going to be enough to stop a military-grade Galleon and six Frigates. We"d just be giving them target practice."
"You want to stop those guys?" Alani stared. "Why? How?"
"Why? Because they"ve practically kidnapped Mindy and they"re likely to cause all sorts of trouble with the Wilds. The same Wilds that we JUST managed to reach a peaceful accord with! If they provoke the Wilds and we start fighting again, then… then everything Remian just fought for…"
"Okay. But would shooting them down really stop them? I think they"re just going to send more and more people if you do that." Alani observed. "Speaking of which… there"s another fleet incoming. Only three airships, but all three are Galleons."
"Ugh." George lowered his head into his hands. "What are the odds that they"re here looking for the Source of Magic too?"
Alani shook her head. "I"m not taking that bet."
***
The second fleet came in for a landing, three High-grade Galleons outfitted for mobility rather than combat. High-grade airships were the middle ground between Commercial-grade and Military-grade. Where Commercial-grade ships aimed at value-for-money, and Military-grade ships sought to have cutting edge combat ability, High-grade ships tried for quality without breaking the bank.
That is, to say, this second fleet was a lot cheaper than the military fleet that just left. However, in terms of power, three Galleons could likely overpower one Galleon and six Frigates, and in terms of speed, these ships were outfitted for mobility rather than combat. If it came to a race and a tussle over the Source of Magic, they were definitely capable of challenging Exel"s expedition for it.
"We"re just here for a short break." The leader of the new fleet was a woman better described as handsome than beautiful. She was dressed smartly in a military uniform, though George really couldn"t recognize any of the insignia she wore.
"Where are you from?" George asked. What he really wanted to ask was, "who are you?", and "what can we do to make you leave?", but he held back.
"We"re from Bellas. We"re with Fantasia. Ever heard of it?" she asked, with an expectant smile.
"Uh… no…?" George winced.
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"You"ve never bought our products?" she stared, disbelieving. "What about Club Fairy Wing? We"re their sponsors!"
Alani tugged at George"s sleeve. "Mom uses their facial cream."
"Ah. So you"re here for…?"
"The Source of Magic." She said openly.
George let out a sigh. "Of course you are. Anyone else coming?"
"We have some reinforcements and supply ships on the way, yes." She nodded. "Please take care of them for me."
Why the heck would I do anything for you?! George wanted to yell it, but again, he held back.
"George! More ships incoming!" one of the airport crews yelled.
"More of yours?" George asked the Fantasia leader.
"Not mine." She said, peering into the horizon. "Those ships… they seem to be from the Dragon Empire."
George let out a long, heartfelt groan.
***
Indeed they were. Oddly enough, they were led by an older teenager.
"Hi. I"m Wu Lin. Thank you for having us." He saluted George with clasps fists and a short bow. "We"re students from Club Tian Di. We"re here on a Field Trip to tour the Wildlands and study the Source of Magic."
"Students?" George eyed the bearded, burly men on board the nine Frigates they"d brought.
"Yes. Those older men are our bodyguards. We have some friendly relations with the Seven Sects Alliance." Wu Lin said, by way of explanation. "Whenever we go someplace dangerous, we like to ask our seniors for help."
"But you"re basically all from the Dragon Empire, aren"t you?"
"Of course."
So… three expeditions in one day, flying the flags of Club Sacred Sigil, Club Fantasia, and Club Tian Di, but really, they may as well say that Ecclesia, Bellas, and the Dragon Empire were all racing for the Source of Magic.
"I don"t suppose this is all the people you"re bringing along?" George glanced over the nine Frigates.
"Well, we do have supply ships and some friends coming along later…"
"Uhuh." George just plain didn"t know what to say any more. He turned to Alani. "You handle it."
"Me?" Alani gaped.
George walked away without another word.
Behind him, Alani gulped, and said, "Toilets are that way, and there"s a cafeteria over there. Also, we have cla.s.sier restaurants downstairs…"
***
But the biggest expedition came from a coalition of ships from Ashdale, La Vive and Itarim. Thirty ships arrived, including five Galleons of varying cla.s.ses. They said they were a refugee transport, but then four of the Galleons, nine of the Frigates and five Corvettes only stopped for a resupply and a break before they took off again and headed farther south.
"And where are they going?" George asked the refugees who got off.
"We heard there"s another nice settlement called Three Pines to the south. Maybe they like trees more than tunnels?"
George didn"t believe it for an instant.
***
And then twelve airships from Germat arrived. And three from Hispanol. And nine from Ceres. And four from Auria. And… and…
As the day went on, more and more airships arrived. Twelve from Germat. Three from Hispanol. Nine from Ceres. Four from Auria. Sixteen of various sizes from the Coalition of Six, especially the Ira Caliphate. There were even airships from Port Gale, Bulrak, Romantia, Mendev and… goodness, there was even one from Libertaria!
"The whole world has found out about the Source of Magic and everyone wants it." George gave up trying to count the ships and nations represented at KarGoth by dinner time.
"Well, hopefully it"s all over now." Alani offered helpfully.
But by breakfast the next day, airships from Torres, Hyung, and Yakh arrived. By lunch, there was even one from Embris Erie and one from the Yellow Empire. By dinner time, ships from Veles, Brazon, Azte, Incares and Rizonia had reached KarGoth. When a final late Frigate arrived all the way from Kiwi Ko while George was at supper, he wondered whether it was possible to call together a proper convention of nations at the Source of Magic since it seemed basically every nation in the world he ever heard of was present.
Those, on top of the reinforcements and supply ships following the expeditions from Ecclesia, Bellas and the Dragon Empire.
"Should we expand our airport? We"ve totally blown past the point of full capacity today." Arnold observed.
"Don"t. Just don"t." George groaned. "Right now, I"m starting to regret ever building the thing in the first place!"
***
At that time, Remian was completely oblivious to all the trouble starting up. He was studying ancient artifacts, devices he couldn"t make head or tail of, and had finally reached what seemed to be a crown that had been broken, a loop that ended in a jagged gap instead of closing a full circle. But the material was odd and undecorated, made of some blackish, almost flexible stuff, and it seemed a little big to sit on his head right. Holding it in his hands, he turned it about until it was vertical.
Seeing Remian holding it, Phoebe barked a laugh. "You know, when it"s broken like that, that rather looks like a girl"s hairband."
"You mean... like this?" Remian joked, putting it on vertically, the way a girl would put on her headband.
Suddenly the whole world disappeared.