"Wave! The wave is coming!!! " The pirate on the port side shouted, but his voice was soon swallowed by the wind and waves. A six-meter-high wave slammed on the deck, and the group of pirates on the deck was thrown off balance. Zhang Heng immediately grabbed the rope to prevent himself from being carried away.
Marvin, who was in the cabin, was not feeling well either. He was peeling a potato, and he almost cut his finger off. The whole ship was shaking violently, and the bacon hanging on his head was dancing wildly. The sound of the huge waves hitting the hull of the ship sounded as horrible as the end of the world. One could not help but wonder if the planks that were pieced together could withstand the power of nature.
The farmer's son couldn't help but crouch in a corner, praying.
This was the sea. It had a gentle side, but it also had a cruel side. It was like a moody girl, smiling at you one second, and the next, it would change color and set off a storm.
Compared to the other flustered pirates on the ship, Rothko's expression was unusually calm. This old man had spent most of his life at sea, and had weathered many storms and waves. This scene before him was not enough to scare him.
He even took the opportunity to teach Zhang Heng a lesson. "Here, feel it. The current speed is almost the limit of the Sea Lion. If the wind gets any stronger, the sails won't be able to handle it. We have to loosen the truss and retract the sails in time. Otherwise, the mast will break."
Rothko's attitude towards Zhang Heng was completely different from a month ago. The latter didn't follow Frazer's advice and threaten Rothko with the whereabouts of the old pirate's daughter. That was the safest way to keep Rothko on board, but there was no such thing as an absolute standard when it came to teaching skills. There was a huge difference between being diligent and not.
Rothko was the best sailor in Nassau, but it didn't mean that Zhang Heng wouldn't be able to learn how to control the sails without him. A rebellious Rothko might not be any better than the others.
That was why Zhang Heng was willing to take the gamble. That night, he told Rothko the address of the old pirate's daughter. As a result, Rothko left the brothel that very night. Zhang Heng thought that he had done all this for nothing. However, the next morning, the old man magically appeared on the Sea Lion. With a straight face, he said, "I've told the captain that I want you to work for me. I will stay in Nassau for another three months. This is the longest I can give you. Don't blame me for not being clear. You can learn as much as you can in three months."
At one point, Zhang Heng thought that the old man had finally found his conscience. But one night, Rothko got a little drunk and told him the truth. Rothko had been living a life of pleasure, and he couldn't afford to save any money. The journey back to England from Nassau cost him a lot of money, and it had been years since he last saw his daughter. He didn't want to go back empty-handed.
Regardless, Zhang Heng now had another teacher. As the two got to know each other, Rothko's attitude towards Zhang Heng improved as well.
Be it as a captain or as a pirate, the old man had never seen someone as disciplined as Rothko. Every day, Zhang Heng would wake up two hours early to do some basic training. An hour later, Owen would come to the deck, and the two would start practicing. After that, all the pirates would wake up and have their meals. Then, Zhang Heng would come to the old man's place to learn how to observe the weather and operate the sails. Other than that, Zhang Heng and Marvin would also work together. Through food and money, Zhang Heng managed to get to know the other old sailors. From them, he learned how to steer, fire, and read nautical charts.
"I heard that your only daughter is still alive. Congratulations." The helmsman, Orff, suddenly appeared behind Rothko. He looked at Zhang Heng with interest. "What do you think? Will he become a threat to us?"
"I don't think so. Shouldn't you be more concerned about Goodwin? I heard that he has gained the support of more than half of the pirates. It won't be long before he challenges you. "
"He's just a clown. Don't change the subject. You should know that your favorite student is very close to Frazer. I heard that he even helped Frazer collect his debts." Orff snorted disdainfully.
"So?"
"Did you really think that Frazer would obediently leave the ship and enjoy his retirement? If I remember correctly, you were the one who suggested to kill him back then."
Rothko snorted. "I still remember that you were the one who tried to keep him alive."
"You know that I had no other choice. You have to admit that Frazer was very influential among the crew. Although we forged the pardon letter, there were still a lot of people who doubted us. If we had killed him at that time, we would have been in a very dangerous situation," Orff said as he sat down beside Rosco. "That's right.
"It doesn't matter. It's all in the past. I'm going to retire." Rothko shook his head.
Orff knew that the old man did not want to continue the topic. "We will miss you. Maybe many years from now, I will tell my children that I once sailed with the best boatswain in the Caribbean," said Orff.
"Then I will tell my granddaughter that the most boring boatswain in the entire Caribbean kept talking nonsense in my ears," Rothko said with a straight face.
"Say hi to Koror for me." Orff smiled. He patted the old man's shoulder and left the deck.
… …..
Three months passed by in the blink of an eye. Since the last raid took a long time, when the Sea Lion finally returned to Nassau, it had been almost four months since Rothko started teaching Zhang Heng how to control the sails. The old man had also collected enough money for the trip and gifts. He could not wait any longer, so he bade farewell to the captain before he disembarked the ship.
Zhang Heng checked his interface. The system did not list sail control as a separate skill. Instead, it grouped it with other skills like steering and weather observation into a skill called Sailing.
This skill was now Lvl 1. Other than that, his swordsmanship had also reached Lvl 1 a month ago. Among the pirates, he was considered one of the better ones. Although he still could not defeat Owen, he could still fight back if Owen went easy on him.
Zhang Heng was quite satisfied with the progress he made during this period. However, some people were not so happy.
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