The closer they got to Hidden Gold Bay, the more ships they encountered.
Captain Wilson said, "My lord, we'll reach Hidden Gold Bay in three days. We need to stay on high alert for this stretch of the voyage."
"What's wrong?"
"My lord, this stretch of sea is called the Sorrowing Ocean — it's one of the worst hotspots for piracy. Fishing boats, cargo ships, it's best not to let any of them get close. This area isn't patrolled by the Forde Commercial Alliance's Invincible Fleet, so robberies and murders happen all the time. A sailor or crewman who's smiling and asking for help one moment could turn into a ruthless pirate the next. Even some captains and sailors who've taken losses on their trade voyages won't hesitate to play at piracy and plunder a cargo or two to make up for their losses…
When I was still a cargo captain, I learned that lesson the hard way right here. We spotted a half-submerged cargo ship with several women waving for help on deck. I didn't suspect them of being pirates — in fact, I was thinking we might salvage something off that wreck. Turns out the lower holds were packed with nearly a hundred pirates lying in ambush. I surrendered quickly enough and didn't order any resistance, so the pirates let us go," Captain Wilson didn't hide the details of his past misadventure.
"The Sorrowing Ocean? Meaning the heartbreak of merchant sailors?" Lorist said.
"Exactly right, my lord. This stretch of sea is like a crossroads on land. To the west lie the Hanayabada Kingdom and the Shaisiya Kingdom — both are archipelago nations. Shaisiya is known for its spices, while Hanayabada is famous for the slave trade. Its port of Nubite is the largest and most well-known slave market. To the south is Hidden Gold Bay, to the east is the Ametlin port of the Ruorm Duchy, which used to be a smuggling gateway to the old Krisen Empire. And now you can add the northern route to our family's domain," Captain Wilson recalled these sea trade routes vividly.
"Since this stretch is so strategically important, why hasn't the Forde Commercial Alliance's Invincible Fleet extended its patrols here?" Lorist asked.
"My lord, the Invincible Fleet's warships aren't suited for traveling this far out. The seas here get rough, and those castle-type warships of the fleet aren't very stable in heavy weather — they're likely to capsize if they hit a big storm. In truth, the Forde Commercial Alliance built the Invincible Fleet for two purposes: one, to protect Hidden Gold Bay from pirate raids, and two, to safeguard the golden trade route from Hidden Gold Bay to the Golden Coast of the Roman Empire. That stretch of the Sunny Sea is calm and peaceful — it's the Invincible Fleet's showground," Captain Wilson explained.
"Are there any powerful pirate groups in these waters?" Lorist asked once more.
"No, my lord. That's the most ridiculous thing about the Sorrowful Sea." Captain Wilson said with a bitter smile. "Compared to the nearly thousand islands of various sizes scattered across the Sunny Sea, there's nowhere for pirates to hide around here. There was once a pirate group calling themselves the Sea Dragon Pirates that claimed these waters as their territory, but they were quickly wiped out by the Forde Commercial Alliance in conjunction with the fleets of the Hanayabada Kingdom and the Shaisiya Kingdom. They absolutely will not allow any powerful pirate presence here.
So, minor acts of piracy they can turn a blind eye to — it's always the small trading companies or independent smuggling vessel owners who end up bearing the brunt. But once any group threatens the safety of the large trading companies' fleets of ten or several dozen cargo ships, they'll step in and eliminate any pirate band that looks like it might grow into a real threat.
For all ship owners plying the Sorrowful Sea, they have to guard against pirates on one hand while keeping their eyes wide open for suitable targets on the other. In these waters, nobody minds moonlighting as a pirate. It is a lawless, fertile ground — countless sins and restless souls lie buried beneath these thousand miles of azure waves..."
"Whew..." Dorlos, who had been listening to Captain Wilson's lament, let out a long breath. "Wilson, you're not pulling my leg, are you? The waters here look perfectly calm. Look at those ships over there, sailing along quietly — they don't look nearly as chaotic as you're making it out to be. Nothing's happened to any of them, has it?"
"Ha ha," Old Jack, the first mate and helmsman, chuckled. "That's exactly because there are so many ships, Lord Dorlos, that nobody dares to try anything. If there were only two or three ships out here, they'd have blood streaming down their faces by now. None of those ship owners over there are fools — they're afraid that if they attack someone else's ship and take damage in the process, they'll become someone else's target. So the more ships there are, the safer it actually is. What you don't know is that several ships have been sizing us up, but I've already dodged all of them."
"Sizing us up?" Lorist was shocked. "How did I not notice..."
"My lord, look at that cargo ship ahead to our left, about a hundred meters away. It has ill intentions. If we keep sailing straight, you'll see that cargo ship changing its course, cutting diagonally into our lane to block our path. If we were an ordinary cargo ship and noticed the vessel ahead suddenly slowing down, we might not be able to avoid it in time — we'd have to either change course or decelerate, and that would leave us vulnerable to a surprise attack. Once it got close, the sailors aboard could board us and rob us. But our precious vessel isn't so easy to deal with..."
Old Jack turned the helm wheel several times, and the Flying Fish of Dawn glided gracefully across the water in a tight arc, nimbly circumventing the cargo ship that had been cutting across their path, quickly leaving it far behind.
And with that kind of speed — almost twice as fast as those cargo ships — nobody can easily catch us.
Before he could finish, Earl slammed his palm against the railing in frustration. "Old Jack, you didn't have to dodge just now! If they want a fight, let them come — we'll see who ends up robbing whom!"
Josk nodded in agreement with Earl's words.
Lorist chuckled. "It's not about who robs whom, Earl. Even if we took that cargo ship, we wouldn't have enough hands to man it. It would only slow the rest of us down. Forget it — let that ship go for now. We'll teach them a lesson when the chance comes."
November sixteenth. Overcast. Strong winds and rough seas.
Thanks to the underwater fins that extended three meters below the hull, the Dawn's Flying Fish didn't pitch and roll in the waves like those ordinary cargo ships. Its sharp bow cut through wave after wave, and its sleek hull glided like a fish, sails fully unfilled, cutting across the turbulent sea like an arrow.
The November sea wind was bitterly cold, slicing across the face like a blade. Lorist had Schwart stay in the cabin, but he himself remained at the helm beside Old Jack, learning how to steer.
Approaching noon, the lookout's voice rang down from the mast: "Fleet spotted six hundred meters ahead!"
Lorist cursed himself for not having crafted a telescope — even a single-tube one would do. For fleets and navies at sea, it would be an invaluable tool, letting them spot the enemy first and respond calmly to any situation. Without one, the lookout could barely make out objects within a thousand meters at best, and given the weather, spotting anything beyond five or six hundred meters was already impressive.
A short while later, the lookout called out again: "Four hundred meters ahead — large merchant fleet! Eighteen large ocean-going cargo vessels, twenty medium armed cargo ships. Heading south, sailing under half sail."
Captain Wilson let out a sigh of relief. "Nothing to worry about. Fleets sailing these waters are usually owned by the seven great merchant guilds under the Forde Commercial Alliance. Heading south means they're likely bound for the same place we are — Hidden Gold Bay. It's just this weather making it impossible to make out their insignias. Half an hour until we close the distance, and we'll know which guild it is."
"Ahead two hundred meters — large ocean-going merchant fleet! Their banner is a sword stuck in a barrel, surrounded by a circular frame…" the lookout called out again after a moment.
"Chickford Trading Company?" Captain Wilson froze. "Old Jack, change course! Overtake from the outermost edge — don't cut through the middle of the fleet!"
"What's the deal? Why not just sail straight? We have to make a wide detour?" Erle asked in an irritated tone.
Captain Wilson forced a bitter smile. "My lord, surely you know of the Chickford Trading Company?"
Lorist patted Erle on the shoulder. "I know Chickford Trading Company is one of the seven great trading companies under the Forde Commercial Alliance. Back in the early days, the company was actually called Sword and Barrel. Later, when the current president Chickford seized control of the company, he disliked the name and changed it to Chickford Trading Company. In
"My lord, what you say is correct. Chickford Trading Company is a colossus on the seas. They own close to a hundred large ocean-going cargo vessels and countless medium-sized armed merchant ships, along with seven or eight shipyards. They carry enormous weight within the Invincible Fleet. On land, they deal in bulk commodity purchasing and distribution — all their business is with wholesale houses — so most people have no idea.
On the sea, up north Chickford controls the trade routes to the Kingdom of Shaisiya and the Kingdom of Haneabada. Almost all the spices produced by the Kingdom of Shaisiya each year are exclusively distributed by Chickford Trading Company, while the Kingdom of Haneabada uses the enormous wealth earned from the slave trade every year to purchase vast quantities of luxury goods and daily necessities from Chickford. As for the south side of Hidden Gold Bay, Chickford has assembled four large trading fleets, which take turns visiting the various coastal ports along the Golden Shore every three months for commercial trade…"
Captain Wilson licked his lips and continued. "Don't be fooled by Chickford's low profile on land — on the seas they are incredibly arrogant. They routinely use their large ships to bully independent small ship owners and minor trading companies. If it were another company's fleet, they might let us pass through the middle. But Chickford Trading Company's fleet will lure you into the center of their formation, suddenly launch an attack, sink your ship directly, and leave the owners and sailors to struggle in the water screaming for help while they sail away without so much as a backward glance…"
"So that's why you had Old Jack go around them from the outside?" Lorist said with a laugh. "Fine, I trust your judgment. Our ship is fast anyway — we'll have no trouble leaving them behind once we circle around."
…
Inside a lavishly decorated cabin aboard the largest merchant vessel in the Chickford Trading Company's fleet, Chickford Murrayback was in a foul mood. Running into such a massive storm just when he was nearly home was rotten luck. He wasn't particularly worried about any real danger — it was simply that the gale was delaying his arrival, and that grated on his nerves to no end.
As the third heir to the Chickford Trading Company, Murrayback was consumed day and night with thoughts of toppling his two older brothers to win their father's favor and praise. To that end, he had volunteered to lead the fleet to the Shaissea Kingdom to purchase spices. In the first half of that year, the old king of Shaissea had passed away, and the newly crowned young king had no desire to let the Chickford Trading Company monopolize the spice trade. Someone with real authority from the company had to go resolve the matter.
Chickford Murrayback had resolved the problem with ease. The newly crowned young king had suddenly fallen ill and died, and his eight-year-old younger brother became the new king, while the royal uncle — well-fed by the Chickford Trading Company — was installed as regent. The spice trade continued as before.
Murrayback believed he had handled the affair splendidly and would surely earn his father's praise upon his return. What he hadn't anticipated was how grueling life at sea would be — the round trip consumed over three months, leaving him feeling as if each day on the ship lasted a year. The food was terrible, sleep was worse, and had it not been for the four trained female slaves he had purchased in the Haneabada Kingdom, Murrayback would have had no idea how to endure the voyage.
As if the raging storm wasn't miserable enough, the merchant vessel, large as it was, tossed and rolled in the heavy seas. Murrayback had intended to summon the four slaves to help him relax, only to find that all four were seasick, vomiting uncontrollably. Furious, he cursed the slave merchant for being a swindler — claiming they were properly trained when they couldn't even handle the sea. The nerve of the man!
"Young master, don't fret. We'll reach Hidden Gold Bay by tomorrow evening — just endure one more day." This was his faithful old servant, trying to calm him.
A commotion erupted from outside the cabin...
"What are those sons of bitches making all that racket for? Do they want a taste of my whip?!" Murrayback snarled viciously, then strode out of the cabin.
"Young master, young master, look! That ship — it looks so strange, and it's moving incredibly fast!" The first sailor who spotted Murrayback's displeased expression hurriedly pointed toward the rear.
Murrayback spun around and froze. Behind them, a bizarre vessel was gliding at breakneck speed along the outer perimeter of the fleet, some fifty or sixty meters away. It swiftly overtook ship after ship in the convoy, drawing ever closer to his own merchant vessel at the very front.
"That speed is close to fourteen knots, sir. It's the fastest ship I've ever seen." The one who spoke was the captain of the merchant vessel. He had served as captain for the Chiked Trade Company for twenty years.
"No way!" Murrayback was stunned. "It's really that fast?"
"Yes, sir. Trust my judgment. Look at it — running full sail in weather like this, with these massive swells. That ship's wind resistance is extraordinary, and its structure is incredibly solid. The hull is narrow, yet it cuts through the water with perfect stability, nothing like our merchant vessel bouncing in the waves. The designer of that ship is a genius. What he built is a warhorse that can gallop across the sea." The captain sighed in admiration.
Murrayback trusted the captain's words. He believed in the man's loyalty above all else. And if that was the case, a ship this good should belong to him. If he could get his hands on it, he would haul it back to his family's shipyard and study exactly what made it perform so brilliantly. Once he figured out the secret, he could improve his own merchant vessels based on the ship's advantages. His father would certainly praise him handsomely for such an achievement.
Murrayback's heart burned with excitement. He ordered the signal flags raised and the horn sounded, commanding that ship to come alongside — he wanted to meet its owner.
But after all the fuss, that bizarre vessel paid them absolutely no attention whatsoever. It simply went on its way, and before long it had shrunk to a tiny dark speck in the distance ahead.
Murrayback felt as though he had been slapped across the face. Fury nearly drove him mad. When had he ever been subjected to such an insult — someone daring to ignore his goodwill invitation? Very well. Judging by the direction that strange ship was heading, it was bound for Hidden Gold Bay as well. Then after they returned, they would find it, and its crew would experience the warm hospitality of the Chiked Trade Company. Murrayback silently seethed with these thoughts…
…(To be continued.)