Chapter 15

Title: Preparing for docking

(AN: So this is kinda important now. In the lore everything that happened from -9k before canon until 100 years before canon, we have no idea what happened in Ionia, it is basically an empty void. The only things we know about are that Ionia is called the first lands, some human monks became the first Vastayasha'Rei to fight against the Titans, and that some of the monasteries are really old. I won't add any factions out of nowhere, but as we don't know how strong some groups were when they were founded and whatnot I'll just be making assumptions that they have been around for some time. i.e Wuju, Shadow Order)

As the last week on the ship passed Ionia entered the crew's sights and they started preparing for docking at a port. The ship captain told Phesto and Nejime that they would arrive in a coastal town called Raikkon, the main produce of that town are their berries aptly named Raikkon Berries, the berries and their juices can, in conjunction with other ingredients, be used for many different types of ink.

Though Phesto wondered who would buy berries from another continent for ink because seemingly there was a market for it.

"So captain, who are you even selling the berries to, once you're back in Shurima? Are the berries special or do some people just have too much money?"

"It's a mix of both. Almost all plants in Ionia are in some ways magical, and as for the too much money part I won't disagree there, but I'll tell you about who exactly buys the berries and for what purpose.

The main buyer is the Shuriman empire, or to be exact the honorary librarian of Shurima's grand libraries, Nasus. A few decades ago Nasus introduced a competition to happen every 5 years. In this competition, contestants should showcase different inks and papers to be used as a new standard. And a few years ago I brought ink made from the berries, and guess what?" And with a beaming smile, he asked Phesto.

"You won the competition?"

"Almost, when I was asked about the ink I couldn't exactly lie to them so I told them its main ingredient came from a small town in Ionia and their production capacity was limited, I brought over seeds but they wouldn't grow in Shurima. So they decided that while the ink was of high quality and worthy of being used for magical tomes, as it was of limited quantity, they couldn't introduce it as the new standard. Though I think it's better this way, with the berries not being the standard, Shurima never built a good infrastructure around it and while the demand is high I am pretty much the only supply around."

"So you're stinking rich?"

"Not yet, but one day. Ionians don't really interact with outsiders much right? Trade with some coastal towns is pretty much the limit, but my trade with this Town has been going really well and I think they might start selling me more products soon. And with more products comes more profit and with more profit, I can get more ships. And the cycle continues. Hahahahaha" Thinking about his grand plans of building up a trade emporium the captain lost himself in his thoughts for a bit before he snapped out of it.

Still, in a good mood, the captain was really open to talking about what he knew about Ionia and Phesto learned a lot about the town they were docking, other towns they previously docked, some surrounding villages as well as important landmarks he heard about.

Grateful for his advice Phesto really didn't know how to thank him for all the advice. The captain just laughed it off and said to him.

"Don't sweat it, nothing wrong with helping one another out. Ionia is a hard place to live in if you aren't used to it and you've been good company during this ship ride. But, hmmm... you know what I know what you can do. I'll continue trading on this route until I retire so until then you have the time to show me your gratitude with something you're satisfied with, how does that sound?"

"One day then, one day."

(AN: pls comment which faction in Ionia, Nejimes mother should belong to.)