Jiaowan, a place full of opportunities and wealth.

This is the water area with the most developed shipping in the known world. On some busy routes, hundreds of huge cargo ships come and go every day.

The cargo ships are all galley sailboats, and the cabins are full of goods of all kinds. Hundreds of oarsmen are sitting on the seats on both sides of the cabin, sweating like rain, pulling the long handles of the oars to the beat of the chant or drums. Ships provide the power to sail. They were only allowed to rest for a while after the wind had risen, when the modest squaresail on the mast provided a little power.

Most of the oarsmen are slaves bought by the ship owner. They are shackled to the seat and cannot go anywhere. There are various reasons for becoming slaves, some are because the debts cannot be repaid, some are born as slaves, and some are captured because of the war. .

Once locked on the oar seat, it almost determines his tragic fate. A large number of slave oarsmen continue to be locked here even when they are gray-haired, living a dark life under the threat of the supervisor's whip .

There is no decent large plain on the land near the Horn Bay. It is full of hills, and the land is too fragmented. A large country has never been born. Instead, large and small city-states are dotted around the coast.

Due to geographical reasons, it is not suitable for the development of agriculture, so the residents chose business to support themselves.

All the city-states adopted a business-oriented approach and encouraged trade. Merchants played an important role in national politics, and the great nobles in power often also served as great merchants.

Some city-states with closer ties even formed alliances. They canceled tariffs among each other, and levied the same amount of taxes on countries outside the alliance. Some allies are even united in foreign policy, speaking with one voice and exhaling through one nostril. The Angle Bay Alliance is one of the most influential.

Due to the proximity to the sea, commercial trade by shipping is almost a natural choice. Relying on this, generations of Jiaowan merchants have slowly expanded their trade scope to the outside world. They sold fur from the north to the south, grain from the south to the north, and spices from the east to the north. In the West, whatever makes money is resold.

Well-developed commerce has brought a lot of wealth, and the living standard of residents here should be the highest in the world. Even the qióngrén here is not comparable to that of other countries.

Economic prosperity and a good life have made people pay more attention to spiritual pursuit and enjoyment, and a large number of famous writers, artists, and thinkers have emerged in this land. This is also the reason why Paul Greiman entrusted Quiller Foster to bring him more popular works at that time, maybe which writer will be famous in history in the future.

After sailing for more than half a month, Nanfang finally arrived at the waters of Jiaowan.

The journey to the south was fairly smooth, and there were no troubles such as pirates, but when they sailed to the southernmost point of the kingdom's coastline, some sailors on board fell ill, and Captain Quick had to order the Hope to dock to let the sick The sailor went to the shore to recuperate, and left a sum of money for him to return to the Northwest Bay by land after he recovered.

If the sick number on the ship is not dealt with in time, if it becomes contagious, something serious will happen.

"Ah, Captain Quick, I finally understand why all the boats here are rowed with oars."

Allen said with emotion that after entering the sea area of ​​Jiaowan, the Nanfang simply entered the windless zone, and the speed of sailing was like a tortoise crawling on land.

"It is estimated that people on other ships look at us as if they are fools."

Another candidate shrugged resignedly.

Captain Quick cheered them up: "Hmph! This is the place. If it were in other sea areas, our No. Hope would beat them by several blocks in terms of speed and range. By the way, you learn to use the compass and six Are you on the meter?"

The cadets puffed up their small chests one by one, and said proudly: "I have learned it a long time ago! Captain."

"Oh? Then let me test you guys!"

Whether it's these newborn candidates or him, a veteran who has spent many years at sea, this is the first time he has made such a long-distance voyage, facing a strange sea area and a strange environment.

The officers on board did not dare to be careless, and carefully recorded information on ocean currents, weather, temperature, etc. along the way. route.

Quick's captain's log has already written a thick volume, which records everything he saw and obtained in detail.

And this voyage is also a good exercise for the naval cadets on the Nanfang, and the cadets on other warships do not have such a good opportunity.

…

Ladi looked at the candidates who were being inspected by Quick, and was filled with emotion.

When they were just rescued from the pirate's lair by the navy, the eyes of these little guys were still full of confusion and fear of the future.

But now, they can be called the little men at sea. They climb the masts one by one, know the whole process of sail operation, can use the compass and sextant, and know how to observe the stars and distinguish them. Such navigator expertise.

"Mr. Dirac!"

Suddenly someone behind her called her "name".

Ladi turned her head and saw that it was a representative of a merchant. Speaking of the merchant representatives on the ship, they really suffered a great crime. They became seasick not long after leaving Port Fulan, and they were vomiting and diarrhea and couldn't eat. Captain Quick proposed to send them back before Hope had sailed too far, but these guys gritted their teeth and persisted.

This kind of persistence is quite admirable, although their persistence is out of the pursuit of commercial interests-money.

As for Ladi herself, after all, she has experienced quite a long career as an adventurer and has been in all kinds of environments, so she didn't feel particularly uncomfortable during this journey.

I have to find out one thing that makes her uncomfortable, that is, she can't take a bath as she likes. Long-term life at sea is really inconvenient for women.

The representative of the merchant asked, "I heard that Mr. Dirac was born in Jiaowan?"

Ladi nodded slightly: "Yes."

As she gets closer to Jiaowan, her affection for the country grows stronger. In recent days, one thing she often does is to stand on the deck and look into the distance, hoping that the land will suddenly appear in her sight.

"May I interrupt you for a moment?"

In this era of lack of knowledge, ordinary people have always respected scholars, and because Ladi disguised herself as a man, she was not used to talking like a man. The crowd gave the impression of being cold and aloof.

"Don't bother me, do you have anything to do?"

Ladi smiled slightly, which made the business representative stunned for a while.

The business representative was overjoyed. He didn't expect that Mr. Scholar to be so easy to talk to, but the feeling just now was really strange. He actually treated a big man...

"So, do you think our products are... suitable for sale in the South? Will anyone buy them?"

The representative of the businessman asked a little nervously. What he and several other representatives were most worried about was that the trip was in vain.

For them who were born in the northwest bay, Jiaowan is undoubtedly rich and prosperous. After arriving in Jiaowan, will the local people treat them as country bumpkins from the north, and will the goods they want to sell be regarded as The worthless things are ridiculed by people who come from thousands of miles to sell junk.

Ladi saw his worry, she smiled and said in relief:

"Mr. Representative, please rest assured that the things Earl Greyman authorized you to produce should be very popular in Horn Bay."

"As far as I know, the Earl has established a cooperative relationship with the Foster family of the Horn Bay Alliance. They arrange caravans to pick up goods in Huxin Town every month. Even the war in the south of the kingdom has not hindered them at all, if not It can bring huge benefits, presumably the Foster family will not be so persistent."

The business representative was a little surprised: "The Foster family?"

Having done enough homework before setting off, he knew that it was the top family in the south.

"It turns out that the lord has quietly hooked up with the Foster family, and he didn't even take us to play..."

The words of the business representative were a bit tasteful, and there was a hint of resentment in his tone.

"Uh…"

A look of embarrassment appeared on Ladi's face, and she suddenly thought that Paul and the merchants in her territory were all suppliers, which constituted a competitive relationship to some extent, but the supply was in short supply and the competitive relationship was not obvious yet.

He seemed to have accidentally revealed his business secrets, and hoped that the Earl would not blame her when he knew about it.

The merchant representative noticed that what he said was a bit abrupt, and the scholar in front of him seemed to have a lot to do with Earl Greiman, so he immediately changed the subject.

"Speaking of which, Mr. Quick really speaks his mind on this ship."

Ladi agreed very much: "Yes, before boarding the ship, Commander Austin warned me that the captain is the lord of a ship, and no one can challenge his authority."

"We have also received the same warning, and now it seems that it is true. Those officers and soldiers are submissive to him."

"After all, no matter how big or strong a ship is in the ocean, it is as small as a leaf of duckweed. The crew needs a brave and decisive backbone and psychological support. In a critical moment when encountering strong winds and waves, even a wrong decision is better than an unresolved one." Much better to argue."

"You are right."

Suddenly a cry came from the mast: "Land in sight!"

The people on the deck immediately looked at the lookout on the mast, and saw him pointing straight to the east with his arm, shouting excitedly.

They crowded to one side of the deck and looked in the direction pointed by the watchman. After a while, some people with binoculars shouted excitedly.

"Land, indeed, land!"

"Oh! That's a building! That's a port! We were so lucky that we encountered the port directly!"

The news of the discovery of land quickly spread throughout the ship, and everyone crowded onto the deck to look into the distance, and cheers continued to ring out on the ship.

After waiting for everyone to get excited for a while, Quick shouted: "Go back and get back to your positions! Don't you have to work when you're about to land? It's against you!"

Only then did the sailors disperse and continue their work just now, but everyone's faces were filled with excitement, and they were discussing enthusiastically with each other, what kind of foreign land would there be in this country thousands of miles away from home? Style?

Are things expensive there? Is the food good there?

Most importantly, what do the girls look like there?

Only then did Quick order the helmsman to adjust the direction and drive straight towards the discovered port.

…

The coastal city of Horn Bay—Asta, her port welcomed a strange ship today.

This ship didn't have any oars, but a thick and tall mast stood on the deck, on which a particularly large canvas was propped up.

Apparently the canvas powered the ship, allowing it to plod into port.

But in the environment of Jiaowan, what did the people who built this boat think about driving such a boat that relies entirely on wind power?

The officials in charge of the port immediately led the soldiers to row the boat close to the strange ship, and issued a common signal at sea—they wanted to board the ship for inspection.

Nanfang issued a reply, agreeing to board the other party.

Ashtar officials and soldiers climbed up the South through the rope ladder, and he showed a metal plate and introduced himself:

"I'm the clerk of the entry and exit office. Where are you from? This ship seems to have never appeared in the entry and exit records?"

However, he spoke the local language of Jiaowan, and most of the people on board were dumbfounded.

Fortunately, there was Ladi who was born in Kowan, and seeing that everyone was at a loss, she immediately saluted the port officials.

"Hello, this should be Ashtar's port."

"Yes, sir." The green-haired young man in front of him was personable, which made the port officials feel good.

"The name of this ship is Nanfang, and it comes from the northwest bay of the Aldo Kingdom. Its purpose is to open up a trade route from the northwest of the kingdom to the Horn Bay~lightnovelpub.net~ The people on board are all Aldo, they... Can't understand your language."

"So that's it. Are you their translator? The accent is also from the Jiaowan area?"

"Yes, my lord."

The port officials showed a smile on their faces. They especially welcome people who come here to do business, but they only bring a translator when they come to do business. This group of people have really big brains. I hope they will not be tricked too badly.

"It's been hard work for the distinguished guest from afar, please register at the pier."

Ladi immediately said to Quick in Aldo language: "This is the officer in charge of managing the port. He said that you need to register at the dock."

Then he asked incredulously, "Captain Quick, fellow representatives, don't you have anyone who can speak the Horn language?"

Quick didn't seem to understand why: "Jiangwan language? What is Jiaowan language? Could it be that people in the world still speak words that are incomprehensible to each other?"

Several business representatives also looked blank.

None of the people from Northwest Bay have ever been out of the Aldo Kingdom, and most of them have never even left Northwest Bay. In their cognition, there is no such thing as a foreign language at all, and they think that people all over the world Speaking the same language, at best, with different accents.

"This…"

Ladi covered her face with her hands, looking defeated, Earl Greyman just let them escape. If he was not on this ship, it would take a long time to enter the port.

In fact, this is not to blame for Paul, he subconsciously thought that this world is also like in general fantasy settings, the whole world speaks the same language, and the foreigners who have come into contact with them—the Leachman Adventure Group and the Foster Family, they They all speak fluent Aldo, which further deepened his point of view, so...he never considered the problem of language barrier.