"You're back! I made seafood soup with the conches and oysters that I didn't sell in the afternoon. It's just out of the pot, and it's still warm!" Marvin heard footsteps and happily poked his head out of the kitchen in a leather apron, only to see an unfamiliar red-haired girl.
"Anne, this is Marvin from the Sea Lion. Marvin, this is Anne from the Golden Swallow. She's a new resident here. She'll be staying here for a while, until … uh, she finds her own place on the island."
"Seafood soup?" Anne sniffed. "Can I have a bowl?"
Marvin froze for a moment, then hurriedly said, "Of course, I made a lot. It's enough for three people, but …"
Before he could finish, the red-haired girl had already rushed into the kitchen. Ignoring the scalding heat, she grabbed a spoon and started drinking. She looked like she had been starving for a long time. After gulping down a few mouthfuls, she scooped herself a bowl of oysters with the biggest bowl she could find. She then walked out of the kitchen with the bowl in her hand and gave the farmer's son a sideways glance. "But what?"
"Hmm, I want to say it, but if it's not salty enough, I can add more salt," Marvin said softly, intimidated by the red-haired girl's imposing manner.
"It's just food. It's enough to satisfy my hunger. The taste doesn't matter at all," Anne said as she sat down at the dining table in the living room.
"I … I must speak out against this heresy." Mr. Chef mustered up his courage and expressed his protest in a voice smaller than a mosquito's.
According to Anne, she was born in a wealthy family. Her father was a lawyer who owned a large orchard and other miscellaneous properties. Her mother, however, was just a maid. Anne was their illegitimate daughter, and ever since she was born, both mother and daughter were arranged to live in a secret manor. Her father, on the other hand, was quite reliable. At least, he didn't mistreat them when it came to money. He even hired a teacher for Anne, hoping to raise her into a virtuous lady.
Anne was different from other girls. She had no interest in reading or dancing. Instead, she liked to play with swords and guns. Because of her childhood experiences, she longed for freedom more and more. Especially when she was young, the stories of pirates that her mother told her before she went to bed had an incomparable attraction to her.
In the end, she escaped from the manor with a passing sailor, escaping from her father's control. They ran all the way to Nassau, the legendary pirate kingdom. Anne was one step closer to her dream life. However, she did not expect to face the dilemma of not being able to find a job. Although she easily defeated the pirates in the tavern who were responsible for recruiting people, not a single pirate ship was willing to accept her.
The reason was simply that she was a woman.
When it rains, it pours. What about James the sailor who brought her to Nassau? Bernie had a showdown with Anne, saying that he would not take care of her indefinitely unless she was willing to marry him. In the end, the irascible red-haired girl kicked Bernie in the groin, slammed the door, and stormed out of the tavern.
But now, it seemed that all of that was in the past. Anne received a recommendation letter from the Golden Swallow, got a job, and at the same time, found a place to stay. It seemed like a new page in her life was about to turn over.
…
Anne's incident was considered a small interlude. After Zhang Heng learned about her experience, he left her alone. The only good thing about the house he rented was that it was big enough. Even if he gave Anne a room, there would still be plenty of empty rooms. Especially when he and Marvin went out to sea, uninvited guests would often come to this place. Instead of letting the homeless people take advantage of them, it was better to let Anne stay. There was no reason for him to refuse such a simple favor.
But after that, Zhang Heng shifted his attention back to the most important thing at hand.
Since the quest this time was going to take a long time, he wasn't in a hurry. This was especially true during the early stages of the quest. Zhang Heng did not plan to rush into battle.
Compared to other players, his biggest advantage was time. Zhang Heng could easily spend one to two years to level up his skills before embarking on the main quest. His luck was pretty good. The Sea Lion was one of the strongest pirate groups in Nassau. This meant that there were many things he could learn from it. Among them, controlling the sails was definitely one of his main goals.
It wasn't too long before they set sail for the fourth time. On the last night before they set sail, Zhang Heng found the boatswain of the Sea Lion.
Unlike most pirates who left their homes to make a name for themselves, Rothko was the kind of person who had nothing to worry about. Rumor had it that he used to be the captain of a cargo ship. Halfway through his journey, he was intercepted by a Royal Navy warship. Without any warning or negotiation, the warship sunk Rothko's cargo ship. Worse still, Rothko's wife and five-year-old daughter were on the ship at the time.
Though Rothko survived, he lost everything. When he returned to his country, no one believed his story. On the contrary, he was saddled with a huge debt. In the end, he had no choice but to leave civilization and become a pirate.
He had no family, no relatives, and was one of the most bachelor people on the ship. He didn't buy any property on the island, and every time he disembarked, he would go straight to a brothel. Well, considering his age, his ability in certain aspects was indeed quite good.
In short, for the old man, there were only two ideal endings in his life. One was to die at sea, the other was to die in a bed in a brothel. In order to ensure that no one would take advantage of him after he died, he almost didn't save any money.
When Zhang Heng found Rothko, the latter was playing a game of king and prisoner.
Zhang Heng pushed the door open and took a quick look at the scene inside. Half a minute later, a prostitute hurried out of the room, wrapped in a bedsheet.
No one would be in a good mood if they were interrupted while they were having fun. Rothko couldn't help but curse as he put on his clothes. "How many f * cking times have I told you? Unless I'm too old to walk anymore, don't even think about learning my skills. There's no room for negotiation. I'll count to three. If you don't get the f * ck out of my sight, even if I retire, you won't be able to …"
"Koror, your daughter," Zhang Heng interrupted the old man. "After she fell into the water, she drifted at sea for three days. When she was dying, she was lucky enough to meet a Spanish civilian ship. The people on the ship rescued her and later sent her back to England. However, you were no longer around at that time. So, she was adopted by a kind-hearted family. When she grew up, she married a miller and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Now, she is a grandmother."
"Impossible! You're lying!" Rothko wasn't happy when he heard that. Instead, he was furious. "You despicable liar! I don't know where you heard my story, but you made up such a clumsy lie to cheat me of my most prized skill. You'll never succeed!"
This time, Zhang Heng didn't say a word. Instead, he placed the wooden horse in front of the old man.
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