After calling out the first toast, Li Yundong said,
Sheyan once again raised his glass and shouted out loud.
"May God bless his wife and daughter with good health."
These people had never heard of this toast before, moreover the content seemed to contradict the previous curse? But Sheyan claimed to be from the far east. To Europeans, no matter what their impression of the east was, that place was always shrouded in a veil of mystery. Thus they speculated that this should be a custom unique to the east, in order to show their breadth of mind. But no one responded to this statement.
But Sheyan fiercely gulped down a large mouthful of alcohol and raised his glass again:
"May God bless me to his home!"
When Sheyan shouted out this sentence, most of the people were stunned, then they understood the deeper meaning behind it. They laughed wildly, raising their glasses and shouting:
"May God bless his wife and daughter with good health!" "May God bless me to his home!"
After Sheyan's act, he smoothly blended into the atmosphere of the bar. But when he seriously asked these people how he could become a sailor on the three big ships at the port, he was mercilessly ridiculed.
As it turns out, these three ships had already become the legends of the sea. Every time they went out, they would return with a full load. In layman's terms, it was a 10 to 4 day job with a guaranteed harvest and 2 hours of rest in the afternoon. Those who wanted to become a sailor could be said to be scrambling like a flock of ducks, they had to go through an intense competition. It was even more intense than 30 years ago to become an honourable worker, farmer and soldier university student, and 30 years later to become a civil servant. To Sheyan who only had potential but was an unknown sailor, it was an impossible task.
After paying the price of 5 glasses of rum, Sheyan finally understood that he had 2 paths to take. The first path was to find an unknown pirate ship to mingle with, and after achieving some results, he could slowly scheme to enter the three legendary pirate ships. The second path was to become a good man.
What he meant by becoming a good person wasn't referring to a sex worker earning enough money to go to a famous gynaecology hospital for XXX repair surgery and then find a pure and innocent spendthrift to marry. Instead, it was referring to joining the government's fleet. More accurately speaking, it was referring to joining the two British navy ships south of Tortuga port as a marine. When Sheyan first entered this world, if he turned back to look, he would have seen the flags of the two warships fluttering in the sea breeze.
Choosing the first path was undoubtedly filled with danger and challenge, but of course there would be more opportunities. As for the second path, Sheyan could guess from the description of the pirates. Fixed salary, rigid life, the risks were relatively small, but the opportunities were similarly scarce.
Sheyan was not a person who knew his place. More importantly, from a small perspective, in the entire Pirates of the Caribbean world. The British National Fleet had always been a pathetic character. In the + 4, they were even completely suppressed by the Spanish Invincible Fleet. Looking at the bigger picture, if one made a mistake at the start, then they would be even more passive in the future. They would have to put in ten times or a hundred times more effort to enter the core storyline. Therefore, from a short term perspective, choosing a national fleet was a small risk with a decent return. But from a long term perspective, it would be a huge loss.
After he made up his mind, he no longer hesitated. Scarface Harry looked rather forthright, thus Sheyan straightforwardly requested for him to recommend a ship that lacked manpower. He said that he was willing to slowly earn some travel expenses, and then think of a way to return home. After Scarface Harry heard Sheyan's request, he laughed out loud and said:
"Seaman Yan? You really want to work on a ship? “
Sheyan laughed bitterly.
"I have no other choice now, other than doing my old job, what else can I do? “
Scarface Harry looked deeply into Sheyan's eyes, rubbing his chin and muttering:
"Our ship is still lacking a man to do odd jobs, but he has to lower the sails and scrub the deck. Of course, when it's time to pick up a knife, he has to do it as well. Although the work is tough, our Captain Ammand is rather generous. Not sure if you want to give it a try, but even if I nod my head, it won't be considered a pass. Everyone who joins the ship has to follow the old rules and pass the test. “
When Sheyan heard the name 'Ammand', his heart skipped a beat. This guy seemed to have made an appearance in the Pirates of the Caribbean 3 movie. Moreover, he was one of the seven great pirate lords, the Pirate Lord of the Black Sea. He was especially active in the black sea, commanding Islamic pirates to plunder Christian trading ships. He even successfully allied with the Ultraman Empire, controlling the entire region from Morocco to Turkey.
Currently, this guy had yet to make a name for himself. But without a doubt, to be able to follow a person who would be on equal footing with Jack Sparrow and Barbossa in the future, the opportunities would definitely be much greater.
"I'm willing to try and pass the test." Sheyan stood up, resolutely and decisively declaring. In reality, he was extremely clear in his heart, if not for his arm wrestling and drinking with Scarface Harry, then based on his meager charm, he really would not have the opportunity to join the Bell and Mug pirate ship.
Scarface Harry and Mard who was behind him glanced at each other, their faces revealing a mysterious smile. The few pirates who were waiting by the side saw that Sheyan's' application 'was successful, they tried to strike up a conversation with him but were mercilessly rejected.
Half an hour later, Sheyan stood on the deck of the Bell and Mug.
It was a three-masted North Sea sailing ship that was somewhere between medium and large. Its slender hull was painted with broad stripes of gray and dark blue. On the high mast hung a Latin sail that was carefully sewn with warp and weft yarn. Dozens of thick gray sail ropes crisscrossed in the sunset like a spider web that was trying to capture everything. On the empty lookout deck, there were a few white seagulls that were picking at their feathers and claws. The ship's ram protruded out high, causing one to unconsciously associate it with the protruding tip of a unicorn's head.
The deck was pieced together with wooden planks that were at least 30 years old, not only could it provide a considerable amount of protection, it also reduced the chances of being set on fire. The surface was scrubbed clean, this showed that Scarface Harry was at least a qualified chief officer. Because the clean deck not only gave one a visual and sensory enjoyment, more importantly, details determined success or failure. In the middle of the sea, a ship's violent shaking and swaying was unavoidable, a dirty deck would increase the chances of falling by several folds. This was definitely the beginning of a nightmare, if the consequences were severe, one could even fall into the sea.
Without a doubt, when Scarface Harry brought Sheyan back to the ship, it caused a small commotion. This caused the entire pirate ship's crew to lazily crawl up, using the method of a crowd to welcome this unfamiliar face onto the ship. These people were dressed in tattered clothes, with swords and knives at their waists. They were lazily scattered around the deck, their hands folded in front of their chest, using a thought-provoking gaze to size up Sheyan.
"Oh god! You actually allowed a damned stranger to defile our deck without the captain's permission. Mard, you idiot, if you kneel down and apologise right now and offer me your axe, then I can treat it as if nothing happened. “
The person who spoke had just walked out from the ship's cabin, he was wearing a felt hat, on his hat were two white feathers. If not for his dark skin and deep wrinkles, then he really looked like a noble. Sheyan also noticed that when he spoke, the rude Mard subconsciously shrunk back, obviously this person had considerable authority on the ship.
At this moment, Scarface Harry stood up, his voice resonating like a bell.
"Mister Xiaer, as the chief officer of the Bell and Mug, I believe I have the authority to make adjustments on the ship. Your responsibility is to lead everyone to the correct place, that's all. “
Xiaer was choked by Harry's words, but he remained unyielding.
"Only the great Captain Ammand has the authority to directly appoint a crew member. You can only recommend him, unless he can pass the usual test, otherwise I will definitely not allow a stranger to board the ship! The Bell and Mug would also suffer an inexplicable curse! “
That last sentence incited gasps of astonishment from the crowd. As a veteran crew member, Sheyan was able to clearly understand the situation from the sidelines. He had obviously been drawn into a whirlpool of power struggle. Here, he had to talk about the main structure of a pirate ship.
Firstly, the captain was the overall commander of the ship, the main decision maker, with the highest risk. In an emergency situation, he could manage anything, but under normal circumstances, he would not care about anything.
The chief officer could be understood as a housekeeper: in charge of internal affairs, assigning manpower, taking care of food and sleep, in charge of cargo. Calculating the center of gravity of the cargo, ship stability, and also arranging the cargo. Simply put, the cargo that arrived first cannot be placed below. Also, the types of cargo, tea leaves cannot be placed together with fruits, once the fruits become moist, the tea leaves will be gone. Rubber and oil barrels cannot be placed together, in case of oil leakage ….. If the general cargo ship was to load up to a hundred different types of cargo, without a good chief officer, of course it would be impossible.
Lastly, there was this era's unique character: Navigator: In this era, there was no radar, one could only rely on the stars, compass and weather to determine the location of the ship. Drawing the sea route, sea chart, these all required a wealth of experience and professional knowledge. The navigator was like the eyes of the ship, guiding the correct direction. Because of their higher education, they had to draw the sea chart, and also held the role of a priest and missionary. They would talk to the lonely and scared pirates, solving their mental problems, and spread their faith to the primitive inhabitants. In layman's terms, on the boundless sea, the navigator was like a radar, a playboy magazine, and a mobile phone.
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