The next morning, Asval's docks were almost unrecognizable. Where there had been shouting and smoke, there was now the rhythmic echo of work—hammers striking, ropes creaking, and the soft hum of repaired cranes moving cargo for the first time in weeks.
Ryuu stood near the edge of the pier, coffee cup in hand, staring out at the gray horizon. Cecilia sat on a barrel nearby, now dressed in plain linen and a light cloak—her divine aura masked beneath simple human form. She kicked her legs idly, watching a trio of dockhands measure timber under the crane he'd rebuilt.
"That's some good coffee," Ryuu said, sipping. "Thank you."
Cecilia smiled, pleased. "You're welcome. Catherine said the beans came from the inland provinces. She looked almost proud giving me a cup that didn't taste like boiled rust."
Ryuu grunted, enjoying the warmth against the sea breeze. "A decent cup is a luxury in a place like this."
From behind them came a familiar voice, bright and teasing. "You know what else is a luxury? Someone who actually fixes things instead of breaking them."
Catherine approached, arms folded, her vest buttoned just enough to look respectable and unbuttoned enough to suggest she had more pressing concerns than fashion. A faint smudge of grease stained her left cheek—proof she hadn't been idle since yesterday.
"Morning, Catherine," Ryuu said, lowering his cup. "Dock's holding up?"
She nodded. "Better than it has in months. You've got half the workers believing you're some kind of miracle engineer. The other half think you're just crazy enough to make the cranes afraid to break again."
Cecilia snickered. "They're both right."
Catherine grinned, then motioned for them to follow. "Come on. If you're planning to stick around, you'll need to get registered with the Guild properly. Can't have you fixing half the port without the paperwork catching up."
They walked through the guild hall again, though the chaos from yesterday had dimmed. Tables were being cleared, ledgers reopened, and a few workers were patching up the walls. The scent of sawdust, coffee, and brine mingled in the morning air.
At the front counter, Catherine placed a thick, worn ledger in front of Ryuu. "Here's how this works," she said, flipping through the pages with a flick of her wrist. "Every shipwright in Osceania operates under the Guild system. Keeps things organized—more or less."
"Hold still." Ryuu drew a small cloth from his pocket and brushed a streak of grease from her cheek. "You missed a spot."
Catherine blinked, color rushing to her face.
Ryuu leaned over the counter, scanning the names and stamps on the ledger as if nothing had happened.
"Ehem-" Cecilia interrupted, making Catherine jolt back a bit.
"R-right—Each name you see here," Catherine continued, "belongs to a ranked shipwright. The ranks go from Apprentice to Journeyman, then Master, Chief Shipwright, and the rare few who reach Grand Constructor."
Cecilia tilted her head. "And what separates them?"
"Reputation, quality of work, and how many official Guild requests you've completed." Catherine turned the book so they could see a chart of symbols beside each name. "There are three main request types:
Repair Requests – structural, dock, or hull repairs.
Combat Requests – defending trade routes, escorting convoys, handling pirate raids or rogue machines; popular with naval cadets and officers, but Shipwrights with combat experience are welcome.
Supply Acquisition – salvaging, mining, or securing materials for ship construction."
She paused, meeting Ryuu's gaze. "Do enough good work, and your reputation grows. Fail a job—or worse, cause more damage—and your mark drops. Reputation is currency as much as coin here."
Speaking of which, she pulled open a drawer and slid forward a handful of gleaming coins. "You'll also need these. Osgold. One Osgold's worth buys you a cup of coffee. It's Gold mixed with silver, stamped with the Crest of Osceania."
Ryuu picked one up, rolling it between his fingers. The coin caught the light—one side bearing the trident and ship crest, the other engraved with a wave motif.
"So, maybe about a dollar a coin," he muttered. "Heavier than I expected."
"Sorry, I what?" Catherine tilted her head sideways.
"N-nothing."
Cecilia leaned in close, curious. "Doesn't rust either. Nice craftsmanship."
Catherine smiled. "We like to think our currency lasts longer than our ships."
"By chance, will she be registering, too?"
Cecilia looker her way, "Nope, I'm good!"
"Very well." She reached behind the counter and placed a fresh clipboard on top of the ledger. "Now then, let's make it official. You'll start as a Journeyman Shipwright given your... unorthodox qualifications."
Ryuu signed the form without hesitation.
Catherine reached under the counter and produced a small badge the size of a coin—bronze, stamped with the Crest of Osceania: a trident wrapped around a ship's hull. She held it out. "Here is your guild badge. All registered shipwrights wear one. It won't draw from your magic—it doesn't need to."
When Ryuu clipped it to his belt, the badge emitted a soft chime. A faint glyph shimmered across his vision as the Shipwright's Log synchronized to it. A compact interface appeared, neatly overlaid in front of him:
Catherine reached under the counter and produced a small bronze badge stamped with the Crest of Osceania—a trident wrapped around a ship's hull. "Guild badge," she said, sliding it across. "Wear it somewhere visible. It'll sync you with the Asval Guild Board—new jobs, payment notices, emergency calls. Doesn't need mana, just old relay tech."
Ryuu took the badge, turning it in his hand. "Relay tech, huh?" The faint engravings pulsed weakly, like something that had seen better days.
Cecilia leaned closer, eyes glimmering with curiosity. "Crude... but interesting. It runs on trace resonance rather than mana—primitive, yet functional."
"Meaning?" Ryuu asked.
"Meaning it can be linked," she said with a sly smile, placing a finger against the badge. A soft ring of light spread from her touch, etching small runes across the metal before fading.
A system chime flickered into Ryuu's field of view.
[Osceania Shipwright Log — External Device Detected][Runic Bridge Established][Source: Asval Guild Badge (Journeyman Rank)][New Module: Guild Relay Network Enabled][Current Objective: Repair Dock Crane (Primary)][Completed: Prototype Raft (Hybrid Frame)]
Ryuu blinked. "You just hacked the badge."
Cecilia crossed her arms, proud. "Improved. Their relay system is clunky—I rerouted it through your Shipwright Log. Now you'll receive guild updates, quest assignments, and communications directly, no mana cost."
"Great," Ryuu said dryly, clipping it to his belt. "Now I have a divine programmer."
"Correction," Cecilia grinned. "A very efficient one."
Catherine tilted her head, confused about the two's exchange. "It should start working any moment now," she said, smiling. "Welcome to the Guild, Ryuu."
Ryuu gave a faint nod. "Yeah. I think it already has."
Catherine tucked her clipboard under her arm, satisfied. "You've done good work," she said, nodding toward the repaired crane. "The guild likes results, and you've just earned yourself a proper welcome."
Ryuu wiped his hands with a rag. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"It is," she replied, smiling faintly. "Come on. You're not planning to sleep in the workshop, are you? There's an inn nearby—The Mooring Lamp. It's the only decent Inn in Asval. My treat."
Ryuu blinked. "You don't have to—"
"I insist," she said, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "The guild covers hospitality costs. Consider it... encouragement to stay."
Cecilia stepped beside Ryuu, tilting her head. "Hospitality, hm? You certainly work fast."
Catherine glanced her way. "I'm actually curious about you... you are...?"
"His partner," Cecilia said with a bright, disarming smile. "Cecilia."
Catherine's brow arched slightly, the kind of subtle lift only women in silent competition notice. "Partner, is it? How professional."
Ryuu rubbed his temple. "She means assistant. She helps with the... technical side of things."
"Of course," Catherine said smoothly, though her smirk said otherwise. "Let's get you somewhere less noisy."
The Mooring Lamp sat on a rise overlooking the harbor, its sign creaking softly in the sea wind. Warm light spilled through the windows, casting gold on cobblestone and mist. The smell of grilled fish and oak smoke met them at the door—a rare comfort in a town half sinking under despair.
Inside, laughter mixed with the clatter of plates. Dockworkers, scavengers, and guild members crowded the common room, but Catherine led them confidently to a corner table.
"Best view in the house," she said, unfastening her coat. "You can see the repaired crane from here when the fog lifts."
Ryuu took a seat opposite her, setting his tools down beside him. Cecilia slid gracefully into the chair beside him, folding her hands primly, but with a faint, teasing smirk aimed Catherine's way.
"So," Catherine began, signaling the server. "Two plates of the catch of the day—and for you two, drinks?"
"Coffee," Ryuu said instantly.
"Tea," Cecilia added, eyes closed in calm satisfaction.
Catherine leaned forward. "Make that wine for me, then." She smiled faintly. "You'll need it to put up with this one, Cecilia."
"Oh, I can handle him," Cecilia said, eyes glinting. "He's been remarkably obedient so far."
Ryuu sighed. "You two are going to make this entire dinner unbearable, aren't you?"
The server returned with steaming plates of whitefish, buttered vegetables, and freshly baked bread. Catherine cut into hers neatly. "So tell me, Ryuu—what's your plan now that you're part of the guild? Most who join this late in the season just wait for salvage work."
Ryuu chewed thoughtfully. "Depends what's needed. If the docks can't hold, no ships move, no trade flows. The town dies. So I'll start with that."
Cecilia nodded approvingly. "He's good at fixing things—metal, wood, even morale now, apparently."
Catherine's smile softened, though her eyes stayed sharp. "I think I can agree to that."
When the plates were nearly empty, Catherine leaned back. "You'll need rest. The salvage convoy departs at dawn. Meet me at the southern gate before sunrise."
"Got it," Ryuu said, pushing his empty cup aside. "What kind of salvage?"
"Old hulls from the eastern bay," she said. "Most of them sank during the first wave of raids. Whatever we can recover is better than letting them rot."
Cecilia rested her chin on her hand. "Sounds dangerous. I like it."
Catherine chuckled. "Then you'll fit right in, partner."
The two women exchanged a smile that didn't quite reach their eyes.
Ryuu sighed. "I get the feeling tomorrow's going to be less about salvage and more about survival."
Cecilia smirked. "Don't worry. You've got a goddess assistant on your side."
Catherine raised her brow. "And a guild to keep you paid."
Ryuu rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Wonderful. Two kinds of trouble, one engineer."
Cecilia and Catherine, in perfect sync, replied:
"Get used to it."