Ben figured out a way to cross the ocean and get to the island. He went to the center of the port town and found a big mansion. It was the mayor's residence.
"He he, with the mayor's help, I'll be sure to get a ship that can take me to the island. This job was issued by the kingdom, so I'm sure the mayor won't be able to refuse." Ben smirked.
That's right, Ben was going to blackmail the mayor to help him. This job was issued by the kingdom. So if he refused, it would essentially mean he's refusing the kingdom's decree.
Ben entered the mansion after showing him the letter from the kingdom. He went to the mayor's office with Bella still laying on his head.
When he entered the office, Ben was surprised to see that the mayor was a woman. He normally encountered elderly men.
"A job issued by the kingdom? I haven't heard about it. But it seems to be real." The mayor said.
"Well, you can contact the kingdom to verify it's real." Ben shrugged his shoulders.
The mayor then asked her secretary to call the kingdom through communication lacrima. While waiting for her secretary, she asked Ben about the job. So Ben informed her of the gist of the job and she understood it.
"Well, after the Alvarez Empire's failed invasion, the people here are afraid to go too far from the island. The newly found island could be the Alvarez Empire's hiding place, that's why they're afraid to take you there." The mayor said.
"Hmm, so that's why the job is classified S-Class. The threat isn't just unknown creatures, but the Alvarez Empire." Ben said.
"S-Class job?!" The mayor exclaimed in surprise.
"Yeah, it is stated in the letter, right?" Ben asked, tilting his head.
The mayor opened the letter again and read it carefully. She finally realized that it was definitely a S-Class job. It surprised her because Ben is still very young and he had already taken an S-Class job.
"Are you a S-Class mage?" The mayor asked Ben.
"Yeah, a S-Class mage from the Cait Shelter guild. Ben Cooper at your service." Ben saluted like a noble.
When Ben bowed a little to do his noble salute, Bella fell off his head. Ben was surprised and caught her immediately. She got angry and hit Ben in the face with her small hands. Ben can only laugh apologetically while scratching his head.
The mayor giggles at their antics, but she was still surprised to hear Ben's name. She had heard him because he is quite famous in the upper circle. Clearing many S-Class jobs that involved S-Class monsters in many regions is enough for multiple mayors to know his name.
Sometime later, the mayor's secretary came back and told her that the job was real. The kingdom also confirmed that Ben was the one taking the job and asked the mayor to help him.
The mayor sighed and assigned her men to help Ben. Ben smiled victoriously and thanked the mayor before leaving the office. He can finally get a ship to cross the ocean.
When he left the office, a man came up to him. He is the mayor's assistant, Marc, who will take care of the ship. He asked Ben to follow him to the port where they'll get the ship.
"This ship is big enough to carry my car, right?" Ben asked.
"Yes, Mr. Ben. It is big enough to carry your magic vehicle." Marc confirmed.
Ben nodded and they head to the port in his car. Marc didn't say anything in the car, but he was impressed by it. As the mayor's assistant, he knew Ben's car was the latest model which is very expensive, and not that many people have it.
They reached the port and Marc showed him the location of their ship, which is on the western side of the port. Ben follows Marc's directions and soon found the ship. He was left speechless after seeing the ship that would take them to the island.
"Are you sure we'll be taking this ship to the island? It's a battleship, you know." Ben said with a shocked expression.
The ship taking them to the island was a battleship constructed entirely of metal. It is similar to the battleships on earth, but it seemed a lot sturdier.
"Yes, we will use this ship to get to the island. This island is still full of unknowns, so only this ship can help us. If something happened, then we will be able to do something about it." Marc replied.
Ben can only blink because these guys were paranoid. But that made sense after the Alvarez Empire's invasion. Besides, the sea was full of magical creatures that might attack them, so a battleship was a good option.
Ben drove his car up towards the ship and entered it after Marc spoke to the soldiers. The battleship had a large crew. They were busy preparing the ship and it's weapons.
Ben didn't say a word and allowed them to do what they needed to. Marc led Ben and Bella to the ship's captain after they parked the car. The captain was a middle-aged man that seemed very strict.
"I've heard about the mission from the town's mayor. Are you the mage that's going to explore the island?" The captain asked.
"Yeah it's me. S-Class mage from Cait Shelter, Ben Cooper." Ben offered his hand to the captain.
The captain took his hand and gripped it strongly. Ben also gripped it strongly and they shake hands. The captain was surprised because he can feel how strong Ben is when they shake hands.
"You're stronger than you look." The captain said with a smile.
"I told you. I am an S-Class mage." Ben said, smiling.
"Most of the mages I've met don't have a strong physique. Well, it's my first time meeting an S-Class mage, so I think you're the same. It seems the S-Class standard is very high." The captain said.
"Of course, if it's low, then everyone can be an S-Class mage." Ben replied.
The captain nodded and told Ben and co that they could tour the ship for now. They still need a few minutes to prepare the ship. They nod and one of the crew members took them around the ship.
10 minutes later, the ship left port. Ben and co head to the front deck and look at the ocean. It's been a long time since Ben was on a battleship and it brought back memories.
As an ex-elite soldier, Ben had some experience with battleships. Although he was not in the Navy and didn't use battleships that often, he still rode on one a few times. He didn't really like it though, he likes land faring vehicles more.
When Ben thought of that, he suddenly felt nauseous. He ran to the ship's railing and puked into the ocean. Then he felt dizzy and laid weakly on the deck.
"Are you alright, Mr. Ben?" Marc asked surprised as he approached him.
"Ugh, I don't feel so good." Ben said with a pale face.
"Do you have seasickness?" Marc asked as he signaled for some crew members to help him.
"I-I don't think so." Ben replied.
Some of the crew members took Ben to the infirmary and gave him medicine. But he still felt nauseous and could only lay weakly on the infirmary's bed.
'Why am I suddenly getting seasickness? I don't really like ships, but I've never had seasickness.' Ben thought while his eyes are spinning.
[It's because you are a strong Dragon Slayer. All Dragon Slayers of the advanced level suffer from severe motion sickness due to the synchronization between the large gap of a human's semicircular canals and a dragon's visual acuity.]
'Motion sickness. But I can drive a car without a issue. Wendy can too.' Ben thought, confused.
[It's because you like cars, but you don't like ships. As for Wendy, she's currently not strong enough.]
'So troublesome.' Ben thought before fainting.