Chapter 739

Chapter 3: The Journey Home – Part I

Early in February, a cold wind suddenly swept across the sea, making the waves more turbulent. Along the route, many of the smaller ships with shallower drafts were hesitant to speed ahead. However, the barksail ship named “Calivere” could still move forward at a slower but steady pace, though the vessel still rocked and swayed. Among those on board who were traveling with favorable winds, some began showing signs of seasickness.

“Guh—”

On the stern deck, a young girl wrapped in a cloak was still clutching a wet, dirty rag, having only half-finished wiping the wooden planks when she staggered to her feet and rushed to the railing, leaning over the side and leaning her head down, dry-heaving weakly before collapsing back, limp and exhausted.

What bad luck…

The sea breeze whistled past her ears. She lifted her head, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and the hood that had been covering her head was slightly blown askew by the wind, revealing part of her pale face.

…How can I still be feeling seasick?

It made no sense…

“Alright, alright, stop asking!”

At this moment, a traveler approached the deck to inquire about the situation and happened to encounter the bosun walking towards them. Before he could say much, he snapped, “Once this spell of wind passes, the ship will stabilize again. There’s nothing we can do about it; don’t bother me! If you can’t handle it, just jump overboard…”

Due to the recent turbulence of the ship, many travelers and merchants aboard could not understand the weather conditions along the route. They thought the ship was moving too slowly or unstably and worried themselves sick, constantly asking questions and accusing each other, which frustrated the first mate, second mate, and bosun. The girl had seen such scenes multiple times recently. Yesterday, someone almost came to blows with the navigator, but the bosun tied him up and now he was locked in the storage area below the stern.

Soon after, the traveler who had argued with the bosun was finally led to the aft cabin. A short while later, the girl heard retching sounds coming from there. She pursed her lips and felt like she might vomit too, but she held it back, readjusted her hood, and stood up again after a moment.

Just throw up…

Throw up a bit, and you get used to it.

“Hey! Sharmen girl, what are you standing there for? Trying to slack off?!”

A sudden shout of rebuke came from in front of her. The girl paused, lifting her head slightly. Through the hood, she saw the bosun’s legs, his belt slightly loose, and his muscular abdomen.

“Weren’t you supposed to clean this side of the deck before resting? What’s wrong with you, swaying? Can’t even stand straight because of seasickness? So, you’re one of those puny, useless little girls… tsk, you can’t do anything right, but you sure can eat. I should have just thrown you overboard…”

He pushed her shoulder hard, causing her to stagger backward several steps: “Go on, go on! Stop working, drop your rag, if you feel dizzy, go rest… Hey, you! Take care of this side… Less talk! Are you a woman just because others are women…”

The bosun seemed to be talking to himself, not giving the girl a chance to respond or refute. He continued cursing as he walked away, calling someone else to take care of the work. The girl, steadying herself after being pushed, shrugged and adjusted her clothing slightly before turning toward the direction of the cabin.

…Of course, she didn’t feel angry.

Because she didn’t care.

And being scolded by the bosun wasn’t something new to her.

But he was a good man.

That man, despite his short temper and crude behavior, had actually been looking out for her since she boarded the ship. His actions just now were meant to make her rest, but it was a rule that the ship did not carry idle people. Everyone on board was busy at this point, pulling ropes, rowing, while she seemed to be unable to do anything…

A few days ago, someone had already complained about this, because

I accidentally knocked over a few dishes due to my clumsy movements and lack of attention, and the boatswain came over to scold me, even kicking me in front of everyone, telling me to go back down to the hold and stop doing those things.

His fierce demeanor at that time had intimidated some who were planning to cause trouble, but I suspect he was still harboring resentment. This kind of incident happened too often since I boarded the ship. Today, I was again interrupted mid-task and told to rest, and if I had shown any more composure, then someone like me—a “lowly girl” with no status or connections—would not have been able to live in peace on this ship.

Well, at least in the eyes of the boatswain, things were probably like this.

He was a good person, but that didn’t mean everyone on the ship was like him.

In fact, these people who had been wandering the seas for years, especially in such times, could hardly be considered good—many were known for their bad behavior and disregard for rules. Some had even been bandits, with several lives on their hands, and they might even be the majority.

And someone like me… weak and frail, easily knocked down by the wind? At least in their eyes, I was like a little girl, seemingly helpless and alone, a tiny lamb ready to be slaughtered if not for the boatswain’s protection.

There was a severe shortage of women at sea.

So even though I did everything well, there were still those with nowhere to vent their energy who would come up to me, and as long as I remained on this ship, I would occasionally be harassed by those people.

Often, they would be drunk and suddenly come over to tease me, trying to lift my cloak to see what I looked like—though few actually cared what I looked like; they just wanted a woman, so they would sometimes break into my cabin late at night, disregarding everything to try and take advantage of me.

Fortunately, although this ship wasn’t large, it still had basic rules, and most of those around my cabin were long-term crew members, and the boatswain’s cabin was nearby. Thus, their actions were always stopped in time.

If not for this…

Probably no more than half of the people on this ship would still be alive.

…it might have saved their lives.

Actually, if something like this had happened before, I might have gotten really angry, very angry, feeling disgusted, and becoming impulsive, resulting in some physical confrontations—I wouldn’t have killed them, but breaking their noses would have been natural.

But now…

They were just annoying ants to me.

They couldn’t provoke my anger anymore, so whether I paid attention to them or ignored them, it didn’t matter.

I wasn’t angry, didn’t call for help, and seemed to have no intention of resisting, always letting things pass silently—this attitude might make some think I was easy to bully, but throughout this journey, no bloodshed had ever occurred.

The reason was due to my unremarkable appearance, like a homeless girl on the streets. The boatswain, out of protection, never asked me to remove my wide hood to show my face. So, only those with the lowest status on the ship, whom the boatswain could control, were attracted to me.

Those with status, like the first mate or the navigator, had never given me a second glance.

Otherwise, I would have had to find another way to reach West Continent.

Only those who considered me an easy target bothered me, even if they were unruly, they wouldn’t dare act too wildly once stopped.

Because besides travelers and crew members, there was also a small squad of about a hundred men wearing light armor and carrying long spears and crossbows—reportedly famous mercenaries from Norgavir’s harbor, often working with the “Caliver” merchant ship and accompanying it on every voyage.

With these people around, the order on the ship would never be disturbed.

However, the primary responsibility of these mercenaries was not to maintain order on the ship.

They were guarding against the Ipos pirates, who roamed and operated in various seas, ruthless and vicious.