Chapter 229: The Silent Sea Is No Longer Calm
After two months of expansion, the pier at Black Forest Port had been significantly extended, and the docks themselves had been widened.
Now, it could accommodate three large cargo ships docked side by side.
On the morning of June tenth, Duane arrived at the docks.
"Sir, we’re all ready. Please board the ship!"
Heck, the young Captain in charge of Black Forest Island’s shipping affairs, came forward to greet him.
Duane nodded at him, then looked at the first mate, navigator, and others behind him.
"You’ve all been running all over the place for me lately. Thank you for your hard work."
They all bowed. "It’s our duty, Sir!"
In the last half-year, Heck’s crew had not only trained two batches of sailors for Black Forest Island but had also thoroughly scouted the area southeast of the island.
First was the matter of the plain Duane had seen from the peak of Heavenly Mountain.
This plain was located southwest of Thorn Valley. It was quite large, and a river flowing down from Heavenly Mountain crossed it, providing a good foundation for farming on both banks.
Duane planned to send the three thousand Slaves Black Forest Island was receiving as reparations to the plain to cultivate new farmland once they arrived.
Additionally, on the other side of the Heavenly Mountain Range, there were many cliffs and precipices, and preliminary surveys had not found a suitable landing spot.
If they needed to transport timber in the future, the first thing they would have to do was use Extraordinary Power to blast a road down the mountain.
Duane boarded the passenger ship and asked, "Are we taking three ships out this time?"
Heck nodded. "Yes, Sir. I’m in command of the main ship, and Jim and Mackenzie are in charge of the ships ahead and behind us, respectively."
He explained, "This is our first long-distance voyage. These young sailors and apprentice first mates and navigators are already champing at the bit!"
"Then let’s set sail!" Duane said with a smile.
Watching the three ships raise their sails and depart from Black Forest Port in an orderly fashion, Duane couldn’t help but feel a surge of exhilaration.
’These ships were either gifts or plunder, but at least I finally have my own fleet. This is real progress.’
"Heck, the fleet needs to be expanded!"
Duane said, "We will have more ships in the future. The twenty or thirty men you have now are far from enough."
Heck grinned. He was naturally happy about the prospect of having more men under his command.
"Sir, we’re always recruiting crew members."
He scratched his head and explained a bit awkwardly, "It’s just that your subjects are all quite busy. Some of them heard that the pay for a crewman isn’t even as high as a manual laborer’s, and you’re away from home often, so many don’t want to join."
Duane nodded slightly.
’If we’re just looking for ordinary sailors, the future prospects are indeed limited.’
’However, if the crew were made part of the official establishment, the situation would be different.’
"Go back and tell the current and future recruits that Black Forest Island will be forming a navy. Anyone who answers your recruitment call now will be directly incorporated into the naval forces, with pay and benefits equal to the Guards."
Heck shuddered, his eyes filled with both shock and excitement.
’Establishing a navy... that’s not something you can do just by saying it.’
’But for Duane to say so, he must have enough confidence and a long-term plan.’
’He knew it. Joining Black Forest Island meant he was destined for a life that was anything but ordinary.’
"Rest assured, Sir! I will definitely pass on your words!"
The two chatted for a few more moments before Jasmine and Owington came out of the cabin to tell Duane his room was ready.
This was their second time going out to sea, the last time being a year ago, and both were very excited.
Duane didn’t ask them to accompany him, only telling them to keep an eye on Fur Ball and not let it fall into the sea.
Afterward, he went to his spacious room alone, preparing to try his hand at making a Spell Scroll.
Level 1 Spell Scrolls could be made using Parchment.
Duane had already prepared a quill and paper; the only thing missing was Magic Ink.
Basic Magic Ink is a compound synthesized from Water, pine soot, Fish Glue, and Basic Magic Energy Essence.
For a spell of a specific Attribute, one must use Magic Energy of that same Attribute. The Arcane Element was an exception to this rule.
These items were all produced on Black Forest Island. Duane had already obtained all of them, and the next step was to mix the Magic Ink.
The ship bobbed gently with the waves; the Silent Sea was as calm as ever.
Three ships from Black Forest Island, flying the banner of the Brian Clan high, sailed across this stretch of sea.
「Four days later.」
The voyage was more than halfway over. In less than two days, they would arrive at Silent Harbor.
Inside his room on the passenger ship, Duane had successfully created three Magic Shield Scrolls. Beside him lay a dozen ruined pieces of Parchment.
’A success rate of only 18%... that’s really low!’
Duane crumpled up another ruined piece of Parchment, tossing it aside with a sense of helplessness.
It wasn’t that he was bad at making Spell Scrolls; rather, the rocking of the ship constantly affected the strokes as he drew the Spell Model. The slightest deviation resulted in immediate failure.
Despite the numerous failures, the accumulated experience still raised Duane’s Skill Level for Level 1 Magic Shield to Entry.
The only pity was that his Solidification Spell had only been used three times and was thus still at the Initial stage.
’Every spell corresponds to a type of Spell Scroll. I currently know 32 spells. If I raise all their corresponding Spell Scroll Skills to Perfection, I can get 35.2 attribute points.’
’I don’t have to worry at all that putting all my attribute points into Strength will make it difficult to raise my Spirit.’
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
Just as Duane was reviewing the problems he’d encountered while making Spell Scrolls, a series of urgent knocks rang out, accompanied by Owington’s voice.
"Sir, Jack sent me to inform you—there’s something happening on the sea!"
Hm?
Duane was taken aback for a moment. ’The Silent Sea isn’t so silent anymore?’
He quickly got up and left the room. "What’s happening?"
Owington reported urgently, "There are two ships heading toward us! Captain Heck and the others have already waved flags signaling for them to give way, but they’re not responding!"
Just then, the ship veered sharply. Duane stumbled, steadying himself against a wall.
Owington lost his footing and pitched forward, but thankfully Duane reached out and caught him in time.
"Thank you, Sir!"
Duane grunted in acknowledgment and strode outside. "Looks like trouble has found us!"
Before he even reached the deck, he could hear Heck’s anxious shouts to turn the rudder and trim the sails.
"What’s going on?"
Duane went to the bow. Heck had already taken the helm, and the young crewmen around him looked flustered and disorganized.
"Pirates! We’ve run into pirates, Sir!"
Duane could already see the enemy ships. To be precise, they were less than a thousand meters away.
A huge, blood-red skull banner flying from the enemy ship was incredibly conspicuous.
Jack and his security team stood anxiously on both sides of the ship, ready to defend.
But they were all landlubbers, and having come from the security team, they had never experienced a situation like this. They were extremely tense and uneasy.
’Seeing this, Duane knew that training subordinates with real combat experience would be a long and arduous task.’
"Don’t panic!"
Duane shouted, "Heck, wave the flags! Signal Mackenzie and Jim to move closer."
"Already on it, Sir!"
Barbossa stood on high, waving two small red flags. This was how the Black Forest Island fleet communicated.
"Sir, their ship has the wind! It’s faster than ours! We need to prepare for battle!"
Heck yelled, his voice unsteady from the rocking of the ship.
"The pirates’ usual boarding tactic is to get in close, connect the ships with grappling hooks, ropes, or planks, and then use shield tactics to board and engage in close-quarters combat!"
Hearing this, Jack reacted at once, ordering his men:
"We need to stop them from getting close! If they throw any grappling hooks, cut them all loose!"
’Duane nodded slightly. Aside from the experienced Boatswain Barbossa, Heck, and his crew, Jack was the quickest to react.’
As they spoke, the three ships from Black Forest Island completed their turn while drawing closer to one another, swerving to one side to evade.
Duane observed that Jim and Mackenzie had also taken command of the other two ships. With veterans in charge, the novices weren’t as panicked.
"Let’s wait and see."
Duane was in no hurry to intercept them.
’He could use this incident to forge the courage of these rookies.’