Chapter 11

At this moment, as the shipyard owner, the bald, fat uncle unhesitatingly handed the paint bucket with the brush stuck in it to Luo Zhengdao, smiling and said:

"Please write the ship's name on the hull."

The excuse of amnesia is too useful for time travelers; no wonder since the advent of time travel literature in the old world, all time travelers have used it to cover up their true origins. Luo Zhengdao had no problem mastering the local language, but learning and recognizing the alphabetic script known as "Common Language" was indeed a challenge for him. Luo Zhengdao had struggled with English in the old world, passing the CET-4 and CET-6 exams only with the help of high-tech gadgets like those in 007 movies, and of course, the extra expenses were not cheap! Learning a foreign language in the old world was already a thrilling experience, let alone starting from scratch to learn a completely unfamiliar writing system. If not for his pretense of amnesia, it would be impossible to explain how a nobleman who had received the strictest education from a young age could suddenly become an illiterate.

Knowing that Luo Zhengdao would struggle with such technical issues, the meticulous and patient Vina Dubov had given him a note in advance, repeatedly urging him to practice and prepare cheat sheets. Now, Luo Zhengdao could simply copy the letters one by one, and it would be fine.

Luo Zhengdao, lacking confidence, stepped forward and wrote the ship's name in one stroke. The row of white-painted letters looked crooked no matter how you looked at them. The ship's name "Yangwei" appeared on the side of the hull near the bow, and all the onlookers were taken aback. As the main character, Luo Zhengdao had his moment in the spotlight, though it was certainly not a good one.

In the primitive era without compulsory education, there were no shortage of illiterate ship owners with a few coins in their pockets. They at least had self-awareness; no matter how uneducated they were, they would practice diligently before writing the ship's name in public, at the very least ensuring that the letters were written neatly. A few ship owners who really couldn't write would rather claim they were unwell and ask someone else to write for them, rather than show their incompetence in public. It was rare to see someone so shameless as to flaunt their illiteracy in public, but today, the onlookers were fortunate enough to witness a genuine illiterate nobleman, and the crowd couldn't help but burst into laughter.

In the old world, there was a famous saying: "If the teacher is not strict, the student will be lazy." The new world didn't have this saying, but if the student is not upright, the teacher cannot escape responsibility.

Vina Dubov, the governess, was infuriated by the scrutinizing gazes and laughter of the crowd, as if they were looking at zoo animals. She secretly pinched Luo Zhengdao's arm and angrily asked:

"Will, what's wrong? Can't you even write your name?"

Seeing this, Luo Zhengdao couldn't use his amnesia as an excuse to shirk responsibility. If he had practiced the letters a bit more, they wouldn't have looked like they were scratched by cats, dogs, and cockroaches. It was purely due to his lack of effort. He mumbled:

"Ah! I don't know, my hand starts shaking as soon as I pick up a pen."

Fortunately, the ceremony for the ship's launch wouldn't be halted by a minor mishap. The bald uncle, who had just made a big deal, was in a good mood and wouldn't mock the golden client's poor handwriting. He continued to call out:

"Fire the salute!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom..."

After the salute, there was a ceremony of divine blessing and baptism. After these lively scenes, Luo Zhengdao took attendance of the sailors present. The one-eyed boatswain, Fuller, loudly called out to form the ranks and then lowered his voice to Luo Zhengdao:

"All 130 sailors should be present, but only 117 are here."

Hearing this, Luo Zhengdao frowned and looked around, asking:

"Where are the others? Didn't we tell them they had to be here?"

"Ha ha ha, that red-haired little slut has such strong thighs, she almost broke my back."

At this moment, a burst of laughter and playful banter came from nearby. Luo Zhengdao listened carefully and his face turned black. As the ship owner, he had come early to attend the ceremony; what right did the sailors have to act so arrogantly?

"Will, should I take care of it?"

The half-elf beauty saw through Luo Zhengdao's thoughts and offered to handle it. Luo Zhengdao shook his head and said:

"No need, I can deal with these scoundrels."

He stepped forward to the group of recruited sailors and raised his voice:

"Have you forgotten what day it is today?"

A sailor with vine-like tattoos and braided hair, holding a bottle of alcohol, seemed to be still in a state of hangover. Hearing this, he chuckled and pointed at Luo Zhengdao to his companions:

"Ha ha ha, look at this little brat trying to act like an adult, how funny, ha ha ha..."

Amidst the malicious laughter, Luo Zhengdao felt the strange gazes of the people around him and was inwardly alarmed. If he couldn't resolve this, he would never be able to hold his head up in front of his crew.

Thinking this, Luo Zhengdao steeled his resolve, his hand gripping the sword hilt turning pale from the force. He said sternly:

"You must apologize to me! Apologize now!"

"Ha ha ha..."

The troublemakers were not part of Zola Blackwell's gang but were free sailors recruited separately. The former pirate first mate watched with a half-smile. Luo Zhengdao, catching Zola's slightly disdainful expression from the corner of his eye, immediately dismissed any other thoughts and drew his sword, swinging it forward.

"Thud! Ah—"

The sailor who had provoked him first, in a state of shock, tried to cover the gushing wound on his neck with his hands, blood spewing from his mouth as he stared at Luo Zhengdao in disbelief, then fell to the ground.

Holding the dripping sword, Luo Zhengdao panted heavily, his bloodshot eyes gleaming with a bloodthirsty look. He scanned the latecomers with a cold tone:

"Each of you will receive twenty lashes from the boatswain. If you don't like the whip, you'll end up like him. Choose for yourself!"

In the world of the Ether Sea, people abide by the rules. Besides the gods, the captain is the highest authority. Seeing Luo Zhengdao's murderous intent, the sailors, unable to argue, weighed their fighting abilities, hesitated for a moment, and then slunk off to the one-eyed boatswain to receive their punishment.

"Smack! Smack! Smack..."

"Ouch! Ouch!"

The nine-tailed cat, soaked in seawater, lashed the bare backs of the sailors, causing a pain that would be unforgettable for a lifetime. The flogging left the punished sailors in a state of near-death. Even so, the sailors who received the lashes obediently lined up to the cross, and the cries of pain continued for over half an hour.

Biting his teeth, Luo Zhengdao had made an example of these troublemakers, temporarily suppressing the arrogance of the unruly and lawless crew, solidifying his leadership. Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the nausea and vomiting that inevitably followed his first kill hit him. He covered his mouth and asked the ship's doctor, Derek King, for a cup of strong liquor, gulping it down to suppress the urge to vomit.

The goblin soldiers he had killed in the previous battle were a different species from humans, and their terrifying appearance made it hard for Luo Zhengdao to feel guilty about killing them. This time, there was no denying that he had taken a life.

Luo Zhengdao's pale, bloodless face looked to others like that of a severely injured person, but he knew the reason for everything. The peaceful life he had known before the time travel had come to an end. To survive in the new world, he had to choose between killing and being killed. Rather than leaving it to fate, he had to strive to rise above. This was the reality that time travelers could not avoid. Too often, life doesn't give you a way out but locks you in a dark room. Without fighting and breaking free, there is only death.

.................................................................................

"What? The goblin fleet is chasing us? That's impossible!"

Upon hearing the news, Luo Zhengdao, who was practicing writing, was so startled that his hand trembled, and the quill pen fell on the table, spilling ink and staining the tablecloth with a black, circular stain.

During the recent stay on Selan Island for repairs and the fitting out of the new warship, the Yangwei, and the training of the new crew, the two-masted schooner Chao Yong, which Luo Zhengdao had used to escape, was also almost fully repaired. As long as the keel and other important parts of the wooden ship were not rotten or damaged, general repairs were relatively simple. Just as Luo Zhengdao was bored and wondering what significant deeds he should undertake as a new pirate to make his time travel worthwhile, a new piece of news came, scaring him almost to the point of losing his breath.

The boatswain, Fuller Chopin, cursed by the new sailors as a hairy one-eyed monster, had served the Flur family for six generations. Even though the current Flur Earl, Luo Zhengdao, had become a fugitive, Fuller still maintained a respectful attitude towards his lord.

Hearing Luo Zhengdao's exclamation, Fuller Chopin lowered his head and respectfully replied:

"Milord, the information is absolutely reliable. It was sent by a spy we planted in Xiangjiang using a homing pigeon. The message also states that the goblin fleet's commander, Mordo Blackwater, could not report to the military and the Senate after failing to capture you at Tahuna Island, so he submitted a report requesting an extension of the return voyage. The goblins rested for a few days at Tahuna Island and then resumed their pursuit."

Being part of a noble family that had lasted for thousands of years, Luo Zhengdao truly understood the deep roots of the noble system. Even in the main continent where most humans had become slaves, the secret channels for information leakage could not be stopped, and the great nobles of the Bright Dynasty were not all just a bunch of drunkards and fools!

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