Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1010 - 103

Chapter 1010: 103

After exchanging pleasantries, Luo’er subtly praised Wadulan until he was blooming with joy, and his gaze towards Luo’er changed significantly, filled with smiles.

Standing at the dock, he warmly invited everyone to board the ship. Seeing the arms they carried with them, he was initially stunned for quite some time, but soon his smile returned.

"Captain Wadulan." After boarding, Luo’er looked around and then called back.

"What’s up, Captain Luo’er?" Wadulan, holding his belly, ran up to the deck, asking with a smile.

"Is there any armament on the ship?" Luo’er inquired while looking around.

"Oh, that," Wadulan glanced at the rifle on his shoulder and then shook his head with a smile, "we haven’t hired any special armed forces, but there are a few guns stored in case of danger, which the sailors can use to defend against enemies."

"I see," Luo’er nodded and then said, "When I was on aboat on the East Coast, it seemed that the pirates there were quite rampant. The ships generally carried arms, but it still seemed insufficient. Is it better over here?"

"Ah, Captain Luo’er need not worry," Wadulan relaxed and waved his hands reassuringly, "Although the western coastline isn’t entirely safe, it’s much safer than the East Coast. The pirates here are mostly from tribes of the Beastman Race. Since the outbreak of the civil war in the Kabarguru Peninsula tribes, the coastal routes from the north to the south have been practically cut off by these Beastmen. We can only depart from Blue Bay and conduct business as far as Northern Luscaque. Although it doesn’t make much money, it’s surely better than being plundered by pirates and having our ship destroyed and crew killed."

"So those Beastman pirates won’t invade the Blue Bay and the northern coastal routes?" Luo’er asked.

"No, no," Wadulan waved his hand, "The naval forces of Oudallo and Odelanqi have jointly established the Blue Bay defense fleet, primarily patrolling with Blue Bay as the center to prevent these Beastman pirates from intruding into the shallow areas of Blue Bay, ensuring the safety of merchant ships. Of course, if you insist on heading south, that would be seeking your own death; even if pirates intercept you, the Blue Bay defense won’t assist."

"Oh, I see," Luo’er nodded knowingly.

"Of course, some merchant ships are fully armed, stronger than warships, and often a few ships form a fleet. Pirates barely stand a chance against such fleets and can easily head south. Ordinary merchant ships can also join this fleet, but you must either contribute or pay a protection fee so the fleet will take your ship southward to the south," Wadulan explained.

"So it seems, there is indeed still some north-south travel, I thought that after the civil war broke out in Kabarguru Peninsula, the north-south routes had already been cut off," Luo’er said.

"Not at all," Wadulan shook his head, "It’s just that coordinating such fleet combinations takes time, so normally we head south only once every two or three months. And, as you know, on this northern side, the Church Court’s influence is strong; they disallow merchant ships from going south to do business with the Ancient States, so these trips are essentially in a gray area."

"So with the Blue Bay defense blocking the routes, is this northern route essentially considered safe?" Luo’er inquired.

"Not entirely," Wadulan explained, "As you know, although there are Leviathans in the deep sea, not every trip into the deep sea encounters a Leviathan, so some pirates brave it out and intercept merchant ships en route through the deep sea. In such cases, the Blue Bay defense is helpless, and the pirated merchant ships can only fend for themselves. Therefore, it’s necessary to have some arms on board."

"Hmm," Luo’er nodded and then said with a smile, "Since we are an armed squad and have been kindly hosted by the captain, if the captain doesn’t mind, during this trip south, we can temporarily act as the armed force for the merchant ship. I wonder if the captain would agree?"

"Ah, that would be most welcome," hearing that the Advance Team was offering their help voluntarily for the escort, Wadulan clapped his hands excitedly, and then warmly said, "Captain Luo’er treats me this well, come come come, as honored guests, all expenses on the ship are on me. Whatever you want, just let me know."

"This, Captain, that’s too kind..." Luo’er feigned a troubled expression, then looked back at his team, which showed delighted expressions.

"No, no, no, Captain Luo’er, you are too kind. Even without this contract, I, Wadulan, would be more than happy to make a forthright friend like Captain Luo’er," Wadulan said, warmly wrapping his arms around Luo’er’s waist and gesturing him toward the cabin, with a familiarity that even made Tangmo feel a bit jealous.

"Two grown men hugging and cuddling like that, what does it look like? Is that fat guy coveting my Luo’er’s beauty?" Tangmo frowned and muttered under his breath.

"Sister Moumou, don’t talk nonsense," Baiyue gently tugged at her sleeve and said.

"Wow, what’s with Luo’er, how did he suddenly become so eloquent?" Cheng Ziang couldn’t help but exclaim.

"The boss is just being honest and respectful, that’s why he’s popular. You just keep being jealous," Hu Daoke said, curling his lip.

Under Luo’er’s excellent negotiation, Captain Wadulan had cleaned up all the cabins intended for guests, and even changed the sheets and bedding to accommodate the members of the Advance Team. If it were not for Luo’er’s refusal, Wadulan would have even liked to share a bed with Luo’er, to facilitate deep conversations into the night.

However, to Tangmo, it looked more like Wadulan coveting Luo’er’s beauty. Even if Luo’er agreed, she would be the first to object. She could barely control herself sharing a bed with Luo’er, let alone anyone else.

After the members of the Advance Team were settled on board, Wadulan didn’t hang around to load more cargo but directly weighed anchor and sailed out of the ice-bound port of Luscaque.

Cheng Ziang and Hu Daoke stood at the stern, ignoring the biting cold wind, and watched the gradually receding Luscaque with reluctant gazes.

It must be said, if one purely appreciates beauty, then Ilanadale’s Divine Wood Down and the Snow Domain’s Luscaque are definitely the best places to go. The Elf Race, indeed, was a creation of the Ancestors based on their own aesthetics, appealing to both Earthlings and people of the Otherworld.

The warm currents flowing northward along the coastline causes the nearby seawaters’ temperatures to stay above freezing, hence maintaining a natural non-freezing shipping route.

Therefore, from the ship, one could clearly see such a scene: the distant snow-capped landscapes juxtaposed with the sparkling sea nearby. The warming effect of the seawater also impacts the local air temperatures, causing widespread melting of the snow along the coastline.

Although it was already spring, the Snow Domain still had strong northern winds. From Luscaque to Blue Bay, the journey was mostly downwind, requiring only that the sails be filled and the ship steered clear of reefs.

Apart from the captain, there were about twenty sailors aboard, with five or six in charge of steering. The reason for having so many helmsmen was to allow for rotation.

Coastal navigation is different from deep-sea voyages as it requires constant vigilance to avoid running the ship aground on beaches. It’s a highly focused and intense task, and typically after two hours of steering, a helmsman would be completely exhausted.

When Captain Wadulan was young, he was a helmsman and had built up good muscles from over a decade at the helm. However, as he transitioned from helmsman to a merchant captain, his physique expanded rapidly, resulting in his current portly appearance.

In his captain’s quarters, there was still a portrait of him from his younger days which Wadulan took great pleasure in showing Luo’er, then he would sigh deeply about how stout he was back then, and now sickly and weak, rambling on and on until Luo’er was mentally exhausted.

At night, because the visibility was reduced, it was not suitable to navigate, so they could only anchor and wait for daylight the next day. So, despite the speed with the wind, they could only sail during the day.