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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Twenty-One: Sailing
On the vast ocean, the sea stretched endlessly, and a merchant ship sailed toward the horizon.
The sails billowed, filled with wind, as the bow sliced through the waves, creating ripples in its wake.
"I'm so tired."
On the deck, a young boy sat there, moving his shoulders, his expression filled with exhaustion.
"Marcel, are you tired already after unloading just a little cargo?"
Beside him stood a middle-aged man leaning against the ship's railing, holding a bottle of wine and looking at the boy with a smile on his face.
"Uncle Jozef."
Marcel sighed upon seeing him and said, "I never expected it to be this tiring."
"This is what your father has been doing all along." Jozef took a sip from the bottle, his expression somewhat wistful. "Now that he is gone, you are the only man in the family. You must support this household."
Hearing this, Marcel's gaze became resolute as he clenched his fists and said, "I will do my best to complete my work."
"That's a good lad." Jozef ruffled Marcel's hair.
"And then, I will practice my swordsmanship diligently and kill those pirates to avenge my father." Marcel's eyes were filled with hatred.
Half a month ago, the Merchant Association's Merchant Ship was robbed by a Pirate Crew. To establish their dominance, the Pirate Crew killed two people, one of whom was Marcel's father.
Without his father, Marcel's family lost its only source of income.
There was still a younger brother and a sister at home, with the brother still in swaddling clothes and needing their mother's care.
Initially, their mother intended to take care of the brother herself, but her health was poor. Thus, sixteen-year-old Marcel decisively joined the Merchant Ship as a Stevedore to help support the family.
Though it was tough, as a man, he needed to shoulder this responsibility.
The crew on the ship took good care of him. His efficiency was the lowest, but he worked alongside the others, loading and unloading based on an hourly wage.
The hourly wage for a Stevedore was four thousand Berries. Each voyage could cover ten villages and involve ten unloadings, yielding at least forty thousand in rewards.
With two voyages a month, that amounted to eighty thousand Berries in earnings.
Eighty thousand Berries, if saved carefully, could basically cover the family's expenses.
As long as he worked for two or three years and became proficient at his tasks on the Sea Vessel, he could not only continue as a Stevedore but also take on roles like helmsman, sailor, lookout, or bookkeeper.
He could even catch some fish along the way to sell or eat.
Marcel was filled with hope for the future and believed in his own potential.
Turning to Uncle Jozef, he smiled and said, "Uncle Jozef, can I have a sip of Rum?"
"Want to drink? You're too young; Rum isn't something you should be having right now," Jozef said with a smile.
Marcel replied, dissatisfied, "Uncle Jozef, I've been working; I can drink now."
"Then have a little."
Jozef thought for a moment and handed the bottle to Marcel.
Marcel took the bottle, brought it to his lips, and gulped down a mouthful.
Cough, cough, cough.
Marcel began to cough violently, his face turning bright red.
"Hahaha."
Jozef laughed heartily, and once Marcel stopped coughing, he said, "You drank too much. Rum is different from beer; it's much stronger. It's your first time drinking, so don't take so much at once."
Marcel nodded, handing the bottle back to Jozef and shaking his head, feeling a bit dazed.
He needed to build up his tolerance.
What sailor couldn't drink on the sea?
Marcel thought as he rubbed his flushed face. At that moment, a voice called out from afar, "There's a fish swimming below us, following our boat."
“Caver, it’s just a fish, nothing we haven’t seen before. What’s the big deal?” Jozef shouted towards the distance.
“This fish is huge.”
A burly man was leaning over the side of the ship, staring into the water.
“What kind of fish? We should catch it with a net. The Merchant Ship has some extra space; we could sell it once we bring it up.”
An old man shouted from afar.
“Old Joen, don’t you dare catch it.”
Caver chuckled, looking at the fish and said, “This fish is about twenty meters long; it’s too big.”
“Twenty meters?”
Jozef and Marcel rushed to the edge of the ship to look down.
In the shadow of the water, a massive sea fish was following the Sea Vessel.
The fish was approximately twenty meters long, completely black, with a huge head and a thick body.
Its head had prominent horns, and the first dorsal fin on its back jutted out like a sickle, with additional horns in front of the dorsal fin.
“That's enormous.”
“Uncle Jozef, what kind of fish is this?” Marcel couldn't help but ask.
Jozef examined it for a moment and replied, “I haven't seen it before; it looks a bit strange.”
“Why is it following us?” Marcel asked curiously.
Jozef shrugged and said, “It could be hiding behind the boat, or perhaps the arrival of the ship stirs up the water, causing fish to be driven up for feeding. It might just find it entertaining; there are many possibilities.”
“I see,” Marcel nodded, looking down at the seabed. Suddenly, he put his fingers to his lips and whistled.
...
“Hm?”
Underwater, Xiaqiu heard the sharp whistle and slightly lifted her eyelids.
The fish following the Merchant Ship was none other than Xiaqiu herself.
Having killed the Naval Colonel, she knew the Navy would come to hunt her in this area, so Xiaqiu chose to leave.
The ocean is vast; as long as she left this region, the Navy would have no way to track her. After searching in vain for her, they would not remember her at all.
Thus, Xiaqiu decided to leave, but she needed to consider how to do so.
One cannot blindly seek a direction, especially considering the dangers of the East Sea, where Sea Beasts and Sea Kings lurk. Even in the near sea, there are Near-Sea Kings to contend with.
I still need to find the next island. Most islands have surrounding waters that are relatively shallow, typically less than thirty meters deep, with only a few areas reaching up to a hundred meters.
Of course, there are islands where the shallow waters drop off into cliffs or vertical straits, sometimes plunging to several hundred meters.
A harbor is considered a deep-water port if it has a depth of over fifteen meters, which is sufficient for an 8U cargo ship to dock.
In shallower waters, larger fish rarely venture there, particularly those over thirty meters in length.
My combat capability can handle sea creatures between thirty and forty meters long; this poses a danger but is still manageable.
Thus, I must search for the next island while avoiding Sea Kings and Sea Beasts as much as possible. The best method is to travel alongside ships.
Narl Village has many Merchant Ships and Cargo Ships that travel between islands, which can help me reach my next destination.
I chose not to board a massive Cargo Ship that transports salt weekly; these vessels are heavily loaded with Table Salt and head towards companies and factories that process it.
Most of those companies and factories are located in towns or larger islands.
There’s no need for me to go to a large island, as they attract more powerful pirates and have a Navy presence. It's worth noting that a Naval Branch Base is stationed in the town, which oversees about twenty villages.
Therefore, I aim for smaller islands and need to find Merchant Ships that can take me there.
For instance, this Merchant Ship is quite large; even after unloading some cargo, its draft remains significant.
The Merchant Ship was certainly not just transporting daily necessities for a single village.
It must be heading to the next island in need of goods, and that island wouldn't be too large.
Moreover, such a massive Merchant Ship would definitely have precautions against Sea Kings and Sea Beasts, so the chosen route should mostly avoid areas inhabited by them.
This would ensure basic safety.
Xiaqiu did not respond to the loud calls from the Sea Vessel. Instead, he closed his eyes, slowed his pace slightly, and then leisurely followed the Merchant Ship as it continued onward.
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