Chapter 34: Pirates

The "Popeye the Sailor" cargo ship continued its steady journey northward. Sixteen days had passed since their departure. Along the way, they made a brief stop at Lyon Port, another commercial free port, for fresh water, vegetables, and meat. The rest of the time, they sailed nonstop, day and night.

The weather was remarkably cooperative, with clear skies and gentle winds, allowing them to make significant progress toward their destination. According to Saberi's calculations, they were only four to five days away from their goal.

Under normal circumstances, the journey would have taken much longer due to the lack of advanced maritime routes in this world. Ships typically hugged the coastline to avoid dangers, extending the travel time and limiting nighttime navigation. However, Saberi had invented a unique compass and star navigation method. As long as the weather remained favorable, they could sail straight through the deep sea, avoiding the coast and cutting down travel time significantly.

Once a route had been established and recorded on Saberi's compass, navigation became straightforward. By following the compass's direction, they could reliably reach their destination. This innovation allowed Saberi to compress a two-month journey into roughly twenty days. If the ship's speed improved, Saberi claimed he could reduce the travel time to under ten days.

Despite the reduced journey time and fewer days spent at sea, Ethan couldn't find joy. He spent his days worrying about how to secure the settlement and its supplies. He consulted the three wilderness experts accompanying them, who each had different suggestions for winter accommodations. Some recommended building simple shelters, while others suggested finding natural hideouts. Although they all agreed that proper insulation could make winter survival possible, none could offer a reliable method to store the winter supplies.

Ethan knew that the ship lacked sufficient waterproof materials. Without proper storage, the supplies could be damaged by water or wildlife. While winter might mitigate some damage, the risk of enemy attacks loomed large. If their enemies found their supplies unprotected, they could easily burn everything, leaving the group defenseless and desperate.

He also heard that every winter, the orcs would brave the cold to raid across the Anji Mountains. If they saw the supplies left out in the open, it would attract the entire tribe. Ethan didn't want to invite trouble, so he pressed the experts for a foolproof method to protect the supplies. They shrugged, leaving the matter to fate, but Ethan couldn't accept such uncertainty. He believed that relying solely on makeshift shelters and outdoor storage would be disastrous.

Unable to devise a solution, Ethan lost sleep, worrying endlessly about the problem. His thoughts were interrupted when he saw a medium-sized cargo ship approaching directly toward the "Popeye the Sailor," seemingly on a collision course. Ethan was startled.

"Saberi, there's a ship heading straight for us!"

"Don't worry," Saberi responded casually. "They'll veer off soon. It's an old trick."

"What do you mean?" Ethan was puzzled. "Who are they, and what trick?"

"Oh!" Saberi realized Ethan was new to sea travel and explained, "These are pirates. They often target cargo ships like ours. Despite being called pirates, they have powerful backers. Their goal is to disrupt our maritime operations. If you look closely, you can see the skull flag on their mast. That signifies they're supported by the Trelane family. If it were a sword and shield flag, they'd be backed by the Adrian family."

Saberi continued, "These two families used to dominate land transportation and suffered huge losses with the rise of maritime trade. Their territories are centrally located in the empire, making them vital routes for all major towns. When everything was land-based, they made a fortune from exorbitant tolls without lifting a finger. Their greed caused immense losses for many families in Maro City, especially ours.

"I vividly remember an urgent situation where our family mobilized vast resources to deliver food to the border troops. Despite the emergency, these families not only refused to waive the tolls but also raised the fees thirtyfold. We had no choice but to pay up to save lives. That incident cemented our decision to switch to maritime routes. And the person who spearheaded this change? You know her. She was only seven at the time."

"Sophia?" Ethan asked, astonished.

Saberi nodded, eyes filled with admiration. "Indeed, Sophia. So, you might wonder why our family is the only one in Maro City, or even the entire Aslan Empire, to secure a territory at the border."

Ethan was shocked once more. "Are you saying that territory was a gift from the Grand Duke of the Northern Frontier?"