Knight: Becoming King of the World

Henry waited patiently, but one after another, the other men’s fishing rods started twitching. His, however, remained as still as a mountain.

’Are you kidding me? Are the fish singling me out?’

Perhaps it was just Henry’s bad luck today. Everyone was in the same spot with the same rods and hooks, yet his got no reaction. Henry seriously considered jumping into the sea to slap the fish around a little.

Selas’s eyes were fixed on the surface of the sea when his fishing rod suddenly started to shake violently. He felt a powerful tug; clearly, a big fish was on the hook.

He shouted excitedly, "I’ve got a bite! It’s really strong! This must be a big one!"

Hearing Selas’s shout, Roland immediately put down his own rod and hurried over. He saw Selas’s fishing rod was bent to the point of nearly snapping.

Roland clapped Selas on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Looks like you’ve caught today’s champion. You probably can’t pull it up alone, though. Let me help you."

Working together, the two began to slowly reel in the line.

The fishing line whined in their hands; clearly, the fish in the water was struggling desperately.

The other soldiers also gathered around, cheering for Selas and Roland.

"Go, Knight’s Squire Selas! You can do it!"

"Don’t let it get away!"

After a hard-fought battle, Selas and Roland finally pulled the massive fish out of the water.

Everyone was amazed. This fish was undoubtedly their biggest catch of the day.

"What kind of fish is this? It must weigh seventy or eighty pounds!" Roland said excitedly, panting.

Not wanting to be outdone, the others stared at the sea, praying a fish would take their big hooks. ’It’s the same bait, so why won’t they bite mine?’

The fishing competition lasted the entire afternoon, and everyone was immersed in this simple pleasure—except for Henry.

In the end, Selas and Roland won the competition by catching the biggest fish.

They had caught a large, tuna-like fish about five feet long and weighing around one hundred forty pounds. It was quite an impressive catch.

Even the ship’s captain, whose fishing rod had been requisitioned, praised Selas for his good luck.

The sun slowly sank below the horizon, dyeing the sky golden-red. The supposedly "fun for everyone" fishing competition came to an end.

Henry pursed his lips. ’My stat panel is so stupid. Why aren’t there any life-skill points I can add? This is so user-unfriendly.’

Selas’s face was beaming with a triumphant smile. He said to Henry, "My lord, we can enjoy a delicious seafood feast tonight."

Selas and Roland presented the fish to Henry. Henry ordered that the large fish be served as an extra dish for dinner so everyone could share in the joyous occasion. Orianna and the two other female cooks would probably have a bit more work to do today.

The soldiers cheered, and the great fish was sent to the kitchen to be carefully prepared, destined to become the star of tonight’s feast.

And so, Henry, who had made his own entertainment, passed his second day at sea.

On the third day, a cool breeze drifted over the sea as the sun slowly rose from the eastern horizon. Henry stood on deck, watching the sunrise, but felt a pang of boredom.

The continuous voyage, aside from the fishing competition and the once-in-a-blue-moon incident with the thief, seemed to offer little else in the way of novelty.

To pass the time, Henry began organizing various recreational activities for the soldiers.

He took out a game board and got the soldiers to play with him. At first, the soldiers were enthusiastic, but after their coin purses grew lighter, no one wanted to play with Henry anymore.

Besides board games, Henry also organized wrestling matches.

’They’re idle anyway. A little roughhousing is good exercise and gets the blood flowing.’

’Look at them, bruised and battered. The circulation is great.’

The soldiers marked out an area on the deck, took off their shirts, and revealed their solid muscles. They grappled with each other, trying to throw their opponent to the ground.

The matches were contests of strength and skill, and the watching soldiers frequently broke into cheers and applause, encouraging the participants.

These activities continued for a full two days, with the equally bored soldiers finding enjoyment in wrestling.

On the fifth day, the captain found Henry with good news. "Baron, we should be able to reach Vostrom today. Since we aren’t carrying a heavy cargo, the ship has been faster than expected."

Hearing this, Henry felt a surge of anticipation. He stood at the bow, gazing into the distance, imagining the sights of Vostrom.

It was a bustling port city with a rich culture and vibrant commerce.

Bit by bit, time passed, and the silhouette of Vostrom gradually appeared on the horizon. The prosperous port looked magnificent under the shining sun.

Vostrom’s maritime patrol boats spotted Henry’s fleet. They quickly approached and signaled, demanding to identify the ships and their purpose.

The fleet had no choice but to stop and wait for the patrol boats to come aboard for an inspection.

The patrolmen from the boats boarded Henry’s ship. Upon seeing the large number of armored soldiers and a noble’s banner, their arrogant demeanor instantly turned amicable.

Henry’s noble status and obvious military strength kept the patrol soldiers from trying any audacious moves.

In terms of status, they were actually on the same level as the Militia and the Security Team.

"Baron, we apologize for the disturbance. Our inspection will be very quick, and then we’ll be on our way."

Henry gave a slight nod without saying anything. ’It’s just official business, after all.’

The patrolmen quickly completed their inspection. After confirming there was no contraband on board, they politely returned to their own boat and signaled for the fleet to proceed.

They glanced at the well-behaved captain, leaving with a hint of reluctance.

After the patrol boat left, the captain walked over to Henry and said gratefully, "Baron, thank you for your status and your banner. Otherwise, they would have likely extorted me."

Henry asked, confused, "Why do you say that? Do they just charge fees arbitrarily?"

The captain explained, "In Vostrom, trade fleets are required to pay passage fees, docking fees, protection fees, and supervision fees."

"The smaller the captain and the smaller the merchant, the more they get extorted. But they wouldn’t dare offend a nobleman like you so easily."

Henry nodded. He now understood where the captain’s gratitude came from. His status and banner had invisibly saved them a lot of trouble and extra fees.

’What a "great" emperor. At this rate, the empire will be full of holes and collapsing any day now.’

"Were these four fees established by the great emperor?"

The captain shook his head with a bitter smile. "My lord, what does it matter who established these four fees? When the patrolmen show up, we have no choice but to pay."

Henry’s brows furrowed. His words were truly heartbreaking. And now, he had finally seen with his own eyes what a bitter smile looked like.

It was an expression that mixed helplessness and self-mockery—helplessness in the face of such oppression, and helplessness at his own inability to resist.

The corners of the captain’s eyes drooped slightly, as if silently saying: ’This is life.’

His laugh was soft, almost inaudible, like a faint sigh from the depths of his soul.

Henry was suddenly struck by a feeling—an inexplicable sense of responsibility.

’It’s not that I should lead them in a rebellion. The soil isn’t fertile for it, and the conditions aren’t right. Acting rashly would be like taking too big a step and pulling a groin muscle.’

’But I can still do what’s within my power to reduce some of this rotten business that I can’t stand to see.’

’I’ll just think of it as accumulating good karma.’

"Don’t worry," Henry said. "I will write a letter to the emperor explaining today’s situation. The emperor has been consistently reducing taxes on his subjects—the lower the income, the lower the tax. He will definitely send someone to investigate the situation here."

The captain nodded, a little surprised, and expressed his gratitude, but in his heart, he was still a bit skeptical.

’Can this Baron in front of me really speak to the emperor?’ The captain didn’t understand the empire’s system of nobility, nor did he grasp the significance of titles. He only knew that a Civil Servant or a Security Captain was as high an official as one could imagine.

The ship slowly sailed into the harbor, and Henry and his soldiers prepared to disembark.

The troops organized their gear and checked the supply wagons, making sure everything was ready. The horses also seemed to sense they would soon be back on solid ground and became very lively.

When the ship docked at the pier, Henry led his soldiers onto the soil of Vostrom.

Their arrival caught the attention of everyone at the port. People stared curiously at these soldiers who had come from afar.

As Henry’s feet touched the wooden planks of the dock, he felt an indescribable sense of stability.

This feeling of solid ground under his feet brought a wave of tranquility to his heart. After several days of being rocked about at sea, he had developed a deep longing for this stable ground.

The soldiers also stepped onto the port one by one, their expressions showing a mixture of relief and release.

For them, no matter how plentiful the activities on the ship were, nothing could replace their love for solid land.

They preferred that heavy, firm feeling over the endless rocking of the sea.

"Finally, back on land! This feels so good," a soldier said, stomping his foot forcefully as if to confirm he wasn’t dreaming.

"Yeah. The sea is liberating, but I prefer a place where I can stand steadily."

Henry smiled slightly as he overheard the soldiers’ conversation. He understood how they felt, because he felt the same way.

Henry turned to Claude and said, "Have the soldiers rest here for a bit. Then we’ll go find the Civil Servant. It would be even better if we could meet the Count of this area."

"Yes, my lord."

Henry looked around, observing his new surroundings.

Vostrom’s port was busy yet orderly. Merchant ships and fishing boats came and went, and dockworkers bustled about, loading and unloading cargo.

In the market, vendors hawked all sorts of goods, from fresh seafood to exotic spices—they had everything.

Henry took a deep breath. The air was filled with the salty smell of the sea and the clamor of the market.

But there were some outliers mixed in—parasitic-looking gangster types. They seemed to be overseers, but also like a gang.

’What’s going on? Why does it feel like there are gangs everywhere except in my own Westwood Laine?’