Early in the morning, the pirates in the sailor's cabin were busy washing up. Suddenly, someone rushed down from the deck. "Land in sight! We're home! "
The pirates were stunned for a moment, then burst into cheers and ran to the deck.
Zhang Heng and Marvin were also brought out of the cabin by the crowd. When they arrived at the bow of the ship, they saw the harbor in the distance. During this period, they had heard the sailors mention this place more than once.
They praised it, cursed it, praised it, and despised it. But there was no doubt that no one could live without it.
This was Nassau, the capital of Panama. It was located on the northernmost island of the western Indian Ocean, New Providence Island. It had the best seaport in the entire Bahamas. The original inhabitants of the island were the Lucayos, who lived a life of fishing and hunting for generations. In 1492, Columbus discovered the island, and in 1647, the first group of European settlers set foot on the land and built a settlement.
"You will love this place. If you love freedom and adventure, it's hard to resist its charm," said Goodwin. "This used to be a Spanish colony, and later, it passed to the British."
"What about now?" asked the farmer's son curiously.
"Now, this place belongs to us. "Welcome to Nassau, the home of pirates, and the land of the free." Goodwin grinned.
The merchant ship sailed into the bay with the Sea Lion. The pirates happily put the wooden boat into the water and rowed to the shore. After being out at sea for more than a month, everyone was bored to death. Now, all they could think of was how to release themselves on land. Other than those who still had duties to fulfill, they all rushed off the ship.
Dufresne picked a dozen or so men and began to unload the cargo. Marvin looked a little nervous, and he couldn't help but look towards the kitchen until the old pirate patted him on the back. "Don't worry about that barrel. Come find me at the tavern when you're done with what you're doing." After that, Dufresne boarded the boat as well.
Zhang Heng and the farmer's son worked until the afternoon before they finally moved all the goods to the trading house on shore. As expected, the person in charge of inventory did not enter the kitchen. When they were done, Marvin went back to take a look and found that the barrel of smoked fish was gone.
Dufresne called out to the two of them. "You have nothing to do with this raid, but I can't just let the two of you get off the ship with nothing on you." He took out a money bag. "Here are 50 silver pesos. Consider it an advance payment. It should be enough for you to live on shore for the next few days. If you want to make money, you can find some work in town. But don't sign a long-term contract. Someone will inform you before you go to sea next time."
After thanking Dufresne, Zhang Heng and Marvin left the trading house. However, not long after they left, Marvin shamelessly asked for his share of the money.
Zhang Heng knew what the farmer's son was thinking. Along the way, the farmer's son had been sneaking glances at the ships docked at the port. Nassau was very close to the American colonies, and it wouldn't take long to reach New York or Boston. No matter how he looked at it, being the young master of his family's farm was much more promising than being a cook on a pirate ship.
However, Zhang Heng knew that there was no way he could run away. If the pirates couldn't even prepare for something like this, they wouldn't have let the two of them get off the ship. Zhang Heng had no intention of reminding Marvin, though. Seeing that Marvin wanted to break up with him, he agreed without hesitation. They split the money, each taking 25 silver pesos.
Marvin obviously didn't want to keep his promise with the old pirate. When he saw the money in his bag, he hurried to the port.
Zhang Heng, on the other hand, took a look at the small town he was in. In the 18th century, Europe's productivity had developed to a pretty good level. The Renaissance had just ended, and the aesthetics of architecture and decoration had reached new heights.
But it was different here. The first impression Nassau gave was that it was a messy place. There were no theaters, no towering churches, no bell towers, no gorgeous ladies and gentlemen who were getting ready for a ball. There were only low, dilapidated wooden houses, stone houses, and countless palm trees. It was like a huge slum.
Scantily clad prostitutes solicited business by the roadside, baring their breasts to the men who passed by. Imps ran barefoot on the dirt road. At times like this, every traveler had to keep an eye on their wallet. The streets were filled with armed pirates, walking in groups of threes and fours. They walked out of the taverns and then into the casinos. Other than that, there were fishermen and hawkers hawking their wares in the market, and a young priest preached in the open space, talking about how people could wash away their sins.
However, under its crude appearance, there was a strong sense of prosperity and vitality.
Zhang Heng could feel the prosperity of this town from where he stood.
The time flow in this quest was the longest he had ever experienced. It was a full 300 days, and with the extra 24 hours, he would stay in this world for 3,900 days, which was more than the total time he had spent in all the previous games combined.
This was going to be a long journey, and Zhang Heng had no idea what awaited him. Now that the game had begun, all he could do was to move forward.
… …
Zhang Heng tidied up his belongings. He had taken out all the game items he had hidden under the floor before he disembarked the ship. Other than that, he had a short gun with the initials "FH" engraved on its handle. Zhang Heng figured that its owner was probably gone. He also had a dagger that he could use, but even if he took it out, it wouldn't sell for much. And 35 silver pesos, a Spanish silver coin that was quite popular in the colonies.
That was all he had.
In addition to these assets, he still had a debt to pay.
Zhang Heng visited several taverns in a row and finally found the old pirate in the fourth tavern on the west side of the city near the reef. The latter was sitting there, enjoying the erotic dance on the stage. When he saw Zhang Heng at the door, he knocked on the seat on his left. "If I remember correctly, I seem to have hired two people. So, where's our fat friend? When is he coming?"
"He won't be coming," Zhang Heng said as he sat down.
"Tsk tsk, that's not a wise move. He doesn't seem to be aware of his situation," the old pirate lamented. "I hope the person who catches him is Owen and not Phoebe. Otherwise, I'm afraid he's going to suffer."
Zhang Heng didn't care what happened to the farmer's son. "When do we start working?"
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