I Became My Healer Elf Character

Hikari was amazed that there existed such a massive museum in this world. Each ship was at least the size of a galleon, but many were frigate sized. Additionally, there were skeletons of large monsters. Suddenly, the elf remembered that she incinerated the large Mosasaur and couldn't help laughing.

It would have made for a great addition to the museum. Nonetheless, there were other prospects they could see. The entry fee for the tour was a couple gold pieces. Expensive, but it seemed worth the price of admission.

A guide worker in a sailor's uniform led them to the first exhibits. "As you can see here, these are the skeletons of the spiders who produce the silk, and these are the silken webs themselves. It's recommended to wear gloves when you touch the raw silk as it can cut through your skin if not handled carefully."

"How do people make them into clothes?" Nona asked.

The woman smiled. "All of the silk gets treated before made into clothing. Another thing to note is that it's only really sharp when it's a single thread. The properties of the silk make it sturdy, so trying to run your hand through it will leave you with a cut. However, if you tie many of them together, the effect would be a sturdy outfit without the cutting. Additionally, when it's treated, it becomes softened on the side of the wearer."

Next, the worker led them to another exhibit. "These are several of the inventions and tools that people used to hunt for the silk. There used to be many more of the spiders, but they've been hunted a lot."

Hikari looked over the strange tools. Each of them was magical in nature. One was a magic mask that allowed breathing under water, and another was a type of shocking wand that would incapacitate the spiders. Normally, spiders on land built webs, so they'd be able to catch bugs. It seemed these spiders worked on the principle of catching fish. It really seemed like a painful death with all of the cutting, but the elf remembered hearing something about fish not being able to feel pain. Though, she had no idea if that was the reality of the situation.

Additionally, the elf was curious about something else. "You don't have protections for the monsters? Is there no way to curb the amount that you're killing?"

"Great question. The truth is that the Empire tried many things. They tried to keep them in captivity, like one would with cattle. However, there was no viable way to keep them. They tried to keep them near the shore and feed them fish, but all of them would end up dying. Later, the Empire tried restrictions on how many could be killed, and we've gone through several iterations of that. Currently, it is only during this season when large voyages can hunt for their silk, but many at the college fear it's only a matter of time before we stop seeing them altogether."

Nona looked at the exhibit with a frown. "Poor little spiders."

"Many believe that the spiders have simply gone and hidden somewhere else, away from the poachers. If they went towards the dragon islands, there's hardly a way to get over there and return safely."

"What do you mean?" Hikari asked.

"There's the threat of dragons once you reach the islands of course, but sailing from this side to over there, your ship is likely to be drowned by crushing waves and raging storms. It's the world's most hostile environment in terms of weather, and you'd need skilled sorcerers to curb it. Many had tried the adventure, only to end up as another name lost to sea."

Her message served as both an ominous warning and a point of intrigue for all of the guests. Hikari found that tales like these were often exaggerated, and the only way to see for certain was to go there herself. For that, she'd have to wait until her business with the Empire was finished. Maybe she'd hire her own crew of sorcerers from the college just to see how strong they were?

"The next exhibit is one of the earliest prototypes of a magic boat. The magic catalyst for this is built into these veins." The woman pointed to several blue markings running along the small boat's frame. "Magic boats can go much faster than sail boats, but they're susceptible to damage from magic and magic storms. This boat was never taken too deep into the sea, and the inventor made his patent open to all companies for a percentage of the revenue."

Hikari tilted her head and looked at the frame of the boat. Her eyes could pick up the faint traces of magic power once channeled through the veins. However, she could also see all of the imperfections. The weave was dangerous and if it was struck by even a small spell, the whole thing would come apart. That was likely why the owner only stuck to the shallows. Even if it had been struck with magic from a fish, the boat would only sink in the shallow water.

The elf looked over towards the larger boats and frigates, noticing that the ones with magic weaves were more intricate than the first boat. Though, the most interesting looking one was the next exhibit.

"The same inventor of that magic prototype made this one. It was an attempt to make a ship that goes under water. In a sense, it was successful, but he could not travel very deep. The Empire found very little use for it."

It was essentially a giant wooden barrel. On one end, there was a quartz window, and on the other end was a small fin. However, the fin didn't seem to move. The real intrigue lay within the white and blue weave. The blue would fill with water to allow the boat to sink, and when it wanted to surface, the white would fill with air, making the whole thing like a large bubble.

The magic weaves of this world were certainly interesting, but Hikari felt like they'd not compare to anything she enchanted with a gem. If she wanted to make her own submarine, she would likely be able to make it using a light magic gem. And that was the biggest problem with these weaves. Maybe she could 'accidentally' leak some knowledge to a scholar just to see what happened?

"Is something the matter, Miss?" The tour guide asked.

"No, I just had a certain thought about this submarine is all."

"Submarine? Oh! That's a good name for it. It's always interesting to hear the ideas of travelers. Is there an elven college?"

Hikari shrugged. "I'm sure there is, but it's not like I've ever been to one."

"Master doesn't need things like a college. For Master, she can simply come up with the answers on her own."

The tour guide grinned. "In that case, I bet it would be very interesting to converse with you. In truth, I'm not actually a full time worker here. I came because I was interested in sea faring, but I'm a college student."

Hikari nodded. "That makes sense. You're well versed in the Empire's History. How long are you supposed to be working here?"

"I'm not working here for much longer. I'll be leaving on the upcoming voyage with the lord's vessel. From there, I will document everyone's work, and when I return, I wish to write a full report. This is all part of my sea faring class, of which I am the most interested."

Hikari chuckled at the girl. "I guess fate is most interesting. As luck would have it, I will also be boarding that ship."

The girl's eyes lit up at that. "Really!? Are you going to be part of the research team? I had no idea that the elves did research into sea faring."

The elf in question waved her hand. "No, I'll not be part of any research team. I'm accompanying them as an adventurer."

"An adventurer? You must be very strong, even though you look so tiny…"

Hikari sighed. "You're not that much bigger yourself, and you must know that size has very little to do with magic. If I was a front liner, maybe you'd have a point."

Kurayami shook her head. "Even if Master served as the front liner, nobody would stand a chance. The only reason these mortals can't tell your strength is because they're too blind."

Hikari giggled at the silly dragon, remembering a certain phrase from Earth. They were all too blind to see Mount Tai. However, in this case, she'd change the wording a bit to go with the occasion. Nobody could sea Mount Tai.

Oddly enough, this did make the elf want to try being at the helm and slapping people down with her staff. It would make her feel like one of those old Kung Fu masters.

Either way, Hikari extended her hand. "I'm Hikari."

"Mellania," the other girl said. Noticing Hikari's expression, she continued. "I already know my name is similar to that explorer guild girl. It's already served as a source of confusion a few times, but we're not related. Both of our names are derived from an old goddess named Mella."