There are ships.
After all, Wind Capital once had extremely prosperous maritime trade and fishing industries.
Although now only some fishing boats are engaged in coastal fishing and there are no large ships for ocean voyages, the ships that were left behind are still there.
A natural cliff cave not far from Wind Capital.
The inside of the cliff was hollowed out, cold and damp, but wide enough.
Beneath the steep, knife-cut rock face, the gaping, dark maw of the cave revealed a giant ship slumbering within.
The ship's hull had long since lost its old paint, leaving only a withered, grayish-black base. Layers of peeling paint, like dead skin flaking from a dying creature, were a shocking sight in the gloom.
The bow was deeply embedded in the cave wall, askew, as if it had been violently driven into the rock by an irresistible force.
The ship was tilted, one side deeply submerged beneath the dark water.
The other side was highly elevated, exposing its decayed hull, gnawed by countless storms.
Broken masts lay across the deck, and rotten planks were long ago quietly overgrown by moss and unknown vines, as if wrapped in a giant, wet, green net.
The once sturdy railings on the ship's side had long since rotted away, their jagged breaks hanging limply, like broken teeth remaining in the mouth of a giant beast, revealing a desolate ferocity in the faint light.
A long, narrow crack split the cave's dome, and a ray of natural light slanted down from above, like a pale blade, precisely cutting across the tilted ship's bridge.
Dust motes danced up and down in the light beam, like disturbed spirits.
"Actually, there aren't many giant ships left in Wind Capital. Most of them were either dismantled and sold for money after sea monsters became rampant and long-distance voyages became impossible, or they rotted away over long years of erosion."
Just then.
A Vicissitudes voice came from the crack in the cave's dome.
As footsteps drew closer, Naruto, Heather, Doria, and others, accompanied by a weathered old man and several dwarves, stood by the cave crack, looking down.
"What a fine ship," Naruto praised.
It was clear that this ship had crashed into the cave, and despite enduring such a long time, it had not yet rotted and collapsed, demonstrating its incredible sturdiness.
The oldest and most experienced helmsman of Wind Capital looked respectfully at the blonde young man, who was much younger than him, and answered with a chuckle, "Lord Naruto, you have excellent judgment. This ship was once the best ship in Wind Capital.
It was also a glorious symbol of Wind Capital's Age of Sail, and was even directly named 'Wind Capital Ship'."
"I heard that this ship's keel was made from a real Dragon Bone. Tsunamis and hurricanes couldn't destroy it, and if it hit a reef, the reef would shatter instead. It's simply indestructible and can ride the wind and break the waves!"
"Hehe… All the other ships were dismantled, but this one wasn't."
"The gods above destined it to sleep here, quietly awaiting the day it would see the light again."
Heather casually swung her Fire Crystal Spear, cutting off the vines hanging from the crack, and asked, "How long will it take to repair it?"
The old helmsman pondered for a moment, then turned to look at the stocky dwarves beside him.
"Although this ship's keel is made from a real Dragon Bone, it's been too long, and other parts of the hull are severely rotted and damaged."
"We can't just rely on a single Dragon Bone to ride the wind and waves and traverse the ocean."
"Even if we gather the strength of the entire city, it will probably take more than half a month to repair."
"If we improve it, it will take a month!"
Heather laughed, "A month is no problem at all."
The ship, food, and teammates—the most difficult to solve was the ship.
Wind Capital was originally a major grain-producing city, although the dragon disaster two days ago caused the wheat fields to burn.
However, thanks to Naruto's timely firefighting, the actual losses were not too severe.
Teammates were simple; it was just a few Gold-Grade Adventurers.
Heather extended an invitation; if they wanted to come, they would, and if not, then so be it.
So, looking at it, the ship was the most important and most difficult to handle.
"A month, not a big problem."
"A month for a giant dragon is just a nap."
"Plus, with this overproduction, Dragon Mother Tiamat must still be in a weakened state and won't be running around."
Naruto analyzed.
The dwarf replied, "Lord Shinigami is right, but the repair materials are expensive. The better the materials, the greater the impact they can withstand."
"Materials?"
Naruto, Heather, and Doria exchanged a knowing glance.
"There's no shortage of materials to repair the Wind Capital Ship; there are plenty right now."
Back in Wind Capital, Heather stood on a damaged arrow tower, spear in hand, looking out at a Red Dragon imprisoned in an Absolute Cube outside the city.
At this moment, the Absolute Cube was already in a state of complete oxygen deprivation.
No water, no air, no elements, no light, no supplies whatsoever.
Even a powerful Pureblood Dragon was on the verge of suffocation.
As for when it would die, that depended on how long the Flying Dragon could last.
After all, before this, there had been no such precedent on the continent of the Goblin Slayer World.
"Let's pick it. I'll get some practice."
Heather's eyes were bright, and her blood began to boil.
"Okay, I'm going to release this cube. Be careful."
Naruto said, forming hand seals.
The Red Dragon, lying sick in the Absolute Cube, suddenly lost its support and plummeted to the ground.
But the fresh air, abundant elements, brilliant sunlight, and a hint of salty sea breeze that surged from all directions made the Red Dragon ecstatic.
"Roar—!!"
The Red Dragon, freed from its predicament, roared excitedly, "Whoosh!" fully spreading its wide dragon wings and flapping them frantically, flying up again before hitting the ground.
However.
It did not choose to seek revenge on Naruto, who had imprisoned it, but instead flew towards the vast ocean at the fastest possible speed.
Escape!
Only one thought—escape!!
If it had been a day ago, the Red Dragon might have challenged Naruto.
But after two or three days, the Red Dragon, completely despairing of the Absolute Cube, was tormented to the point of having no fighting spirit, only wanting to escape Wind Capital quickly and return to its dragon lair.
It wanted to report to Dragon Mother Tiamat, then make a comeback and destroy Wind Capital!!
The shame of the Dragon Race would be washed away with human blood!
"Want to escape? Did you ask me first?!"
Heather's apricot eyes widened, and she let out a delicate shout. She kicked the butt of her spear with her toe, gripped the middle of the Fire Crystal Spear with one hand, leaned back to gather strength, and chanted, "Spirit of Fire, leap! Roll! The spear is your stage! Show your explosive power! Compress, compress, compress again!"
"Blazing Meteor Spear!"
The incantation was finished rapidly, the charge completed. Heather stomped her foot on the gun arm, shattering the arrow tower's ground, and fiercely hurled it towards the Red Dragon.
"Whoosh!"
The Fire Crystal spearhead flashed with dazzling sparks a few times, a flame shot up, engulfing the spear body, and the moment it left her hand, it "popped" through the sound barrier, transforming into a brilliant streaking fire across the sky, chasing the fleeing Red Dragon.
"What incredible speed," Naruto said, looking at Heather in surprise.
Is this the true value of a Gold-Grade Adventurer?
It's simply incomparable to other ranks.
No wonder in the original work, the six-person team formed by the Sword Saintess and several other Gold-Grade Adventurers could prevent the Demon Lord's resurrection.
As one of the attackers in the six-person team, Heather's offensive power was truly not to be underestimated.
After the Red Dragon sensed the crisis erupting behind it, it looked back, and the rapidly approaching fiery light was reflected in its dark-gold vertical pupils.
"What is this thing?"
The Red Dragon just wanted to dodge, but unfortunately, it was too late.
The Fire Crystal Spear directly pierced through the Red Dragon's inverse scale, deeply plunging into its Dragon Heart. A terrifying fiery energy instantly surged throughout its entire body, igniting it into a giant fireball, which then plummeted into the vast ocean below, creating huge waves, followed by a rising cloud of white steam.
One-hit kill!
This was Heather's strength.
"Hahaha, I've made you laugh. Next, I'll have to trouble Doria to retrieve the Flying Dragon." Heather said with a smile, seemingly unconcerned about slaying a Flying Dragon.
"Okay~ Okay~ Leave it to me~"
Doria stepped on the Wind Vortex and headed to the location where the dragon fell.
After a while.
A giant water ball containing the dragon's corpse rose from the sea, transported back to Wind Capital by Doria using wind magic.
The task of dissecting the Flying Dragon was naturally left to the other people of Wind Capital.
Dragon scales, dragon wings, dragon claws, dragon teeth—all good stuff.
The most valuable was still the Dragon Blood!
Heather pulled out her Fire Crystal Spear, filled a mithril container with Dragon Blood, and then presented it to Naruto.
"The Dragon Blood I gave you last time wasn't enough. Bathe in it again this time; it can continue to strengthen your physique."
Naruto did not refuse, replying, "With so many Flying Dragons in the sky, how much Dragon Blood could we possibly need?"
"Hahaha, you're right."
"We'll take out the several Flying Dragons outside the city, and it'll be just enough to repair the 'Wind Capital Ship'."
Next.
Naruto and Heather cooperated to eliminate the four Flying Dragons outside the city, one by one.
With a total of five Flying Dragons, the materials and Dragon Blood were more than sufficient.
Naruto wanted to continue imprisoning the remaining Flying Dragons to see how long a Pureblood Dragon could survive in a vacuum without water, air, or elements.
If he could kill them quickly, Naruto might even be able to use the same method to trap Dragon Mother Tiamat in an Absolute Cube, imprisoning her in a vacuum.
If it took too long, then it would be a direct confrontation!
Night.
The moon was bright and the stars sparse, the sky profound, and the sea outside the cliff was pitch black.
Outside Wind Capital City, atop the lighthouse.
Before setting off to slay the dragons, Naruto stayed at Doria's house.
The lighthouse was large enough anyway.
Naruto just picked a floor to stay on; sleeping in a tent was fine.
Tonight, Naruto was on the top floor of the lighthouse, enjoying the night view while soaking in a wooden tub mixed with Dragon Blood. He held a delicate mithril horn goblet filled with similarly hot Dragon Blood.
He was preparing to try drinking Dragon Blood directly.
Just then, light footsteps came from the spiral staircase leading to the lower levels.
Doria, wrapped in a white bath towel, poked her head out, looking mischievous.
"C-can I join you? There's only o-one bathtub in the tower, and I'm too lazy to—too lazy to heat more water."
She clumsily made excuses.
Naruto hesitated for a moment, then replied, "The proportion of Dragon Blood in the tub is a bit high. I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it. It will be very painful if you soak directly."
"N-no, it's fine. I'm not afraid of pain…
"In fact… I kinda like pain…"
"Hmm?"
Naruto was stunned.