Smaller-sized ships were boats, and these were wooden, metallic, or nicer-looking sailboats. Docks had many of them on the open sea, but William could not look at them due to the street and things in the way. He noticed that most factories were built into the water, with semi-closed assembly lines constructed inside. There were also privately owned businesses, and one such place was the one Ellie had in mind for today.

  Using high-quality wood was cheaper and easier to manage from an economic standpoint than steel. Most didn't even have electricity, fuel, or engines in mind due to their nature. Sails or pedals would suffice, as such things were historical yet old and still working. Wind was a power source for millennia and required little engineering and knowledge.

  Much to Ellie's plan, the company in charge of her trip was right around the corner.

  Called Ulrich Company, all kinds of smaller boats and yachts were constructed here. It was a multigenerational business with a rich history and private ownership.

  Stationed around the perimeter beside the ocean, it had an open workshop with quite a bit of space. It was almost as if dozens of blacksmithing workshops fused together. That's how big it was, yet it was still tiny compared to the largest companies.

  On the right side of this place was... that. A massive was an understatement—the big sign showing the Iron Clad Company aimed at a military-style business.

  In charge was a Rank 7 Walker called Ironclad, who built this place thanks to his friends and history in the USA. He used to be from the place called Great Texas and grew up Outside. For the most part, of course. He was old and semi-retired, so he created this company and many great things.

  Ellie said a surprising fact that shocked William. They were also creating specialized equipment for Walkers, which was impressive even by her standards.

  After all, why make special equipment if Arcana was already so damn special? William wondered about it as they walked closer to their goal.

  Ellie pushed him further because her justification was clever. Due to the night, tickets would expire, or so she said. William had no choice but to give up on sightseeing, unaware of the fact that no expiration date existed.

  Ellie didn't even get it from her father. Mi-Yung straight-up used her connection and let her seize a boat for this rare travel and put that damn boy out of his misery.

  It was safe to say that fishing was always popular for getting money and food at the same time. It was one of the prime jobs for thousands of people, and this place had great water full of fish.

  Being in the middle of the ocean had its merits, albeit the major problem was still the distance from anything else. It was both good and bad. It wasn't like it mattered, since anything big and close was full of Darks.

  Just those tanker expeditions taxed this land, and if one failed, the Federation would lose years of progress. Unfortunately, without danger, chances wouldn't come.

  Hence, these expeditions were known as one of the most challenging missions. Due to their nature, random picks of Walkers were fair, and every Division was part of this randomness, apart from high-ranking Walkers who couldn't refuse. One would never refuse Assembly Island, which was in charge of every expedition.

  It had no volunteers among regular people. Miners and everyone else had to come through business and work, so it was lucrative, albeit dangerous. They had strict policies and hefty amounts of rewards with benefits that no person would refuse. For some people, spending weeks out there and returning with a year's worth of credits was worth any danger.

  There were always deaths. Be it among Walkers or workers, it was that sort of trip. Securing more Walkers wasn't even possible because of limitations and missions. The Darks always arrived, and many dangers in the mines and the land in general were inescapable.

  William didn't know full, detailed reports of these expeditions, but thanks to his effort and time, he had read more than most at his Rank. Sure, there were youths and elites with equal status, but the time part and willingness weren't always there.

  The terms were expansive, following strict schedules and purposes.

  Fuel wasn't even everything. The Assembly had to juggle a lot of things at the same time, and Walkers were using it as a chance to prove, create, do justice, or advance.

  According to notes William had read, delving into nests and upgrading specific Walkers within their Ranks was a common tactic. Frankly, uncovering the locations of expeditions shocked him more than the specific methods for gathering teams or helping each other.

  In truth, he was more shaken by the locations. They were nasty, and Walkers would be literally stranded in the middle of the Dark Territory, chunks of the Gulf of Mexico, portions of South America, and even the southern USA.

  Their importance varied depending on the purpose of the expedition. All in all, William encountered dozens of locations. The easiest was in the north. Others were going to the south, Florida, New York City, the Gulf of Mexico, and even farther south.

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  Safety was relative, with anything close to South America being seen as excessively dangerous in William's opinion and a broader spectrum of knowledge.

  He bet Ellie would agree, though he never spoke to her about any of these discoveries. He felt it would be awkward to do that, considering she was busy with Celeste, and... well, he figured strange things were happening with her.

  South America was known as a Hellscape among Walkers, and going closer or deeper into these lands was problematic, or like asking for a beating. However, for the basic premise of oil, hunting, and mining, many things had to happen.

  The worst kind of expeditions didn't happen very often. One enormous expedition, full of Walkers, occurred once a year, while many others sprinkled here and there.

  Without a tanker with the capacity to fuel the entire Federation for years in a single trip, such missions were something else altogether. People didn't need to know more, for there were facts and deceptions in all sorts of things.

  Many resources went to organizations, either through transactions or buyouts, and then... there was the world. Many places were simply unable to mine or get fuel, so the Federation created a great deal of power in this hazardous endeavor. Many of those deals were unknown to anyone other than Assembly Island. Even William didn't discover further details.

  Compared to them, his current expectations for this trip were mild as he walked with Ellie to a building.

  Knocking on the door, she waited for her deal and hoped Mi-Yung wouldn't pop up out of nowhere or make a prank elsewhere. It was kind of late for any customers, but she wasn't one to be exact.

  A rough-looking man shoved the door open in a minute, looked at the sudden guests, and politely smiled at them.

  "Oh, at last. Good. Greetings. Greetings. Good night to both of you. We have the cruise ready, so come in." The man was far too cheerful, in William's opinion. Like a snake, he gestured inside and stepped away. "You can wait on the lower dock. We will get ready shortly and give you the trip of your dreams."

  "Dreams?" William frowned, and his steps hesitated on their own. Not for long. Ellie grabbed his arms, pushed him inside, and tossed her fake tickets to the man.

  He took them, smirking and appearing polite after knowing that the Assembly was behind these youths. After bowing, he pointed to the lower floor leading to an open deck that was half-covered with a tall roof over the ocean.

  The direction was simple, so William reached the stairs and glanced at a massive corridor right before him. The dock was partly open and closed, giving ships their space and allowing repairs to be calmer and out of the weather.

  William was surprised to see the scale of the dozen or so docks, even though this shop looked much smaller than its neighbor. Still, the boats were nice, even if there were no ample sailing vessels. Some did have pedals, but most had engines with typical mechanical steering.

  "What do you say? I didn't bring you this close for nothing." Ellie said to William, who still wore his new hat.

  "I guess. Are we going out in one of those boats? Which?"

  Ellie was glad to hear his enthusiasm and grinned. By this point, a different man approached them.

  This one was the owner, and Ellie knew him.

  "There you are, Ellie. Fabulous night, isn't it?" A middle-aged man greeted the pair with open arms, but they waited for no one. He was a gentleman with an average build and business demeanor, though William bet his casual suit hid some muscles. Like the man before, he was very sincere towards them until Ellie got involved.

  "No hug?" he asked, his arms open and a look of sadness aimed at her alone.

  "No hug, Uncle Haggard," Ellie said awkwardly, trying to smile. This was an inevitable part of this trip because one thing was true: It was about family connection, and Mi-Yung wouldn't go overboard with her offers. Ellie didn't ask her uncle for any favors.

  "How brutal. So young and afraid of hugs. I am shocked. Taking care of your uncle in such a manner. How sad." Haggard said in a fake tone of sadness that his niece had forced on him.

  It seemed to run in the family from time to time, but this girl was different. She was great and managed to work personally for many Walkers at such a young age.

  Ellie cut to the chase. "Is the boat ready, uncle?"

  "Hm. Who do we have here?" Haggard changed his eyes, glancing at William, who was curious about this hilarious uncle.

  "Greetings, sir. My name is William. A friend of Ellie."

  "Yes. Yes. A friend, I see. Greetings to you, William. I am Haggard, a humble boatmaker and brother of her father, if that makes sense."

  "Don't spout nonsense, uncle. You know why I am here."

  "Of course. Family is sad, uh. A ride to the Assembly is fine at this hour, and... well, I've got permission for today, and tonight is an excellent way to get closer. It will be cozy and nice, I swore. There is no wind. Small waves are nice. A perfect date!" Haggard explained, casually tossing his hand around like a madman.

  Ellie's cheeks reddened, and she wished to pull her uncle away to scold him or kick his knees. William barely registered his meaning and glanced at the boats and calm ocean. Lamps aside, the water provided light, and the moon did the rest, illuminating the docks with thin, white, azure, and red covers.

  "Like the calm before the storm," William mumbled the quote he read from a book.

  "Calm? I don't know about that, boy. The ocean is a never-ending place of marvels and uncertainty. Even this uncle has no idea what sort of weather will happen tomorrow. All I can do is see and tell that today is going to be nice." Grinning in confidence, Haggard was certain of it and slammed his hefty chest.

  "Again, uncle," Ellie glared at him and got impatient with his crap-talk. He was quite chatty, but almost nothing meaningful came out of his mouth. It wasn't too odd for chattiness to run in the family. William knew at least two people who would give this man a run for his money.

  "Alright. Let me show you the boat. I have prepared everything!" Haggard scratched his blond hair and led the pair toward a deck.

  On the go, he explained every passing boat and work until stopping before the most significant work of art. It had a single level but seemed large. A curved roof of a shiny wooden structure covered a seating area. It looked aerodynamic, speedy, and luxurious. The curvature of the main body wasn't something William had ever seen. It had two big engines in the back, no sails, and was far too clean for a boat.

  "It is a speedy one, but I won't travel too fast tonight. It will be a cozy journey, I swear." Haggard said with a proud attitude over his masterpiece. He was a designer and builder, which made him a great engineer in his own right. In practice, he was still an Enginist, but not like there were exams to become someone better. One had to prove oneself.

  The boat's distinct curves and lines of wood had a wild and aggressive design. It could cleave the waves apart and hop over them without a problem.

  "It looks good, uncle. Let's go, William, or he will bore us with the boat talk." Ellie kept grabbing William and forcing him onto the mini-yacht. That was a bit disingenuous since, for William, a boat was a boat and this had no sail, so... what was it?