Chapter 12

Luozhengdao sighed and sighed, raising his hand to scratch his chestnut short hair, and asked in distress:

"What should we do?"

Upon hearing this, Fu Er Xiao Bang remained silent. In his view, as a loyal executor of the Earl's orders, he should not mix his personal opinions into such decisions.

Among the listeners present, Vena Dubov, who had the identity of the Earl's tutor, was responsible for teaching Luozhengdao. The half-elf beauty hesitated slightly, rubbing her white, slender fingertips, and said:

"Will, with our strength, we can't deal with the goblin fleet. Do you want to stay here and wait for them to come?"

Recalling the flames that rose to the sky and the thick smoke that billowed from the burning city on Tahuna Island, Luozhengdao's pupils visibly dilated. He gritted his teeth and said:

"Of course not, we need to leave Selan Island immediately. Fu Er, you go and gather the crew, and dock the Yangwei at the pier. Vena, you take care of the supplies, and we'll meet at the port later."

Twenty minutes later, Luozhengdao appeared at the pier, panting. The scene was bustling with activity, with people moving about everywhere.

"Hurry up, hurry up, quickly hoist the barrels onto the ship, we're about to set sail!"

Fu Er Xiao Bang shouted loudly, and the busy sailors were like diligent little bees. Besides moving supplies onto the ship, they were also preparing for the voyage. The sailors climbed up and down the masts, and it took dozens of them to raise the huge sails. Operating the capstan to lift the anchor chain was a purely physical task, and by the time they were done, they were drenched in sweat.

Luozhengdao, eager to leave, did not forget the harsh reality that his finances were severely strained after buying and repairing the ship. Without money, one cannot survive. The cost of repairing the ship was not high, but the overhaul of the second-hand Yaling warship almost emptied Luozhengdao's spatial bag. The purchase of cannons and ammunition was also a significant expense. No wonder the navy was known as a noble military branch; a barely qualified sixth-level battleship had already drained the resources of this exiled noble. From now on, Luozhengdao would have to support over a hundred people and two ships. If there were only expenses and no income, even a mountain of gold would eventually be depleted.

Fortunately, the servants who had served the Fulu Earl's family for generations were well aware of this. A steward responsible for financial management appeared and offered Luozhengdao a shortcut to wealth.

Selan Island, known as the "Spice Capital" by travelers of the starry sea, was famous for its various spices, which could be easily sold for a profit as they were used in medicine, seasoning, and religious rituals. Trading spices was undoubtedly a lucrative business.

Although he wanted to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible, Luozhengdao slowed his pace and discussed strategies with the stewards. In the end, he decided to purchase as many spices as possible before departure, buying them at the exchange in Ambon Port. At the end of the pier, the Chao Yong and Yangwei, with their sails raised, were loaded with food, fresh water, alcohol, ammunition, ship repair materials, and spare rigging, as well as a variety of spices like pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, and many others that Luozhengdao couldn't even name. He believed these starry sea specialties would bring in a substantial profit.

The white sails billowed in the wind, and the sixth-level battleship Yangwei slowly left Ambon Port. The deep and dark ether sea unfolded before them, and Luozhengdao, standing on the command deck, finally felt his heart settle. These past few days, his greatest worry was being awakened by the thunderous cannon fire of the goblin fleet on a dark and stormy night, leaving him with no way out. Now, being able to leave Ambon Port before the goblins arrived, he felt a bit more secure.

"Vena, where is the next port we will dock?"

Hearing Luozhengdao's question, the half-elf beauty unfolded a beautifully drawn parchment map and pointed to the marked route, saying:

"The Aru Islands. From here, we will head out to the open sea, and after a few days of sailing, we will enter the Sea of Floating Light. The green-skinned creatures rarely travel this far, and they are not familiar with the sea conditions here, so they might give up the pursuit."

Luozhengdao nodded without comment, secretly lamenting that life was hard in any world. The previous owner of this body, Will Nidham, had left him a noble lineage and a decent fortune, but also a lot of troubles. He sincerely hoped the goblins would stop pursuing him. "I haven't dug up your family graves, and if you think I'm flirting with your wives, no human with normal aesthetics would have such a taste. You green-skinned lunatics are like mad dogs, determined to bite me to death. What kind of situation is this?"

Whenever he thought about this, Luozhengdao felt a wave of depression. He hadn't yet figured out the mysteries of the magic cards and the curse of the Wasteland God, and now the goblins were adding to his troubles.

These messy affairs made him feel increasingly anxious and frustrated. In the end, he sighed, as if to comfort himself, and said softly:

"Is that so? I hope they really don't come after us."

As he spoke, Luozhengdao pulled a card from his sleeve. It was a one-star summoning magic card, "Flame Sparrow," with a pattern on the front showing a group of small birds with red flames surrounding their bodies perched and playing on a withered branch.

In recent days, Luozhengdao hadn't spent all his free time flirting with the half-elf beauty. He had spent a lot of time studying the mysteries of the magic cards. Unfortunately, the way they operated, different from the current arcane system, was too obscure and mysterious. Luozhengdao couldn't seek help from others, and despite his efforts, he still couldn't understand how the magic cards could directly confront the Wasteland God. He even failed to correctly activate the power of the cards, making them as useless as decorations in his hands.

However, despite this, Luozhengdao was extremely unwilling to give up. The harsh reality was that both the magic card wielders and the Wasteland God had suffered, and the curse on his body was proof of the magic cards' power. The temptation of controlling such great power was irresistible.

The strong do not die well, and the weak do not live well. This was a common feature of most chaotic times. In comparison, being strong at least made life more comfortable. As for dying, once dead, there wasn't much difference between a good death and a bad one.

As Luozhengdao was lost in thought about the uncertain future, someone ran over. The one-eyed boatswain, Fu Er Xiao Bang, who had been promoted to the captain of the Chao Yong, and the dark-skinned, mohawked Zola Hegel, who had been appointed as the new boatswain of the flagship Yangwei, were now capable of leading their respective ships. The quartermaster was an honest and reliable old sailor, Hail Pop, chosen by the crew. The gunnery officer was the tutor, Vena Dubov, who, as a qualified math teacher, found ballistics to be a simple application of instrument measurement and mathematical calculations.

The new boatswain, Zola Hegel, ran up to Luozhengdao and said loudly:

"Captain, the lookout has spotted a ship following us."

Hearing this, Luozhengdao's body trembled. He ran to the stern, pulled out his monocular, and looked into the misty distance. Due to the poor visibility, he could only vaguely make out the outline of a distant ship, and no more details were visible.

"Who are they?"

Thinking it couldn't hurt to ask, Luozhengdao casually questioned Zola Hegel. The boatswain looked up at the crow's nest on the mainmast, made a few gestures, and then said:

"They are too far away. The lookout can't see clearly with the telescope. He only saw the shadows of two large ships, and he doesn't know if there are any others behind them."

Luozhengdao fully understood the implications of Zola Hegel's words. He sighed, put away his telescope, and frowned, saying:

"Alright, tell the lookout to continue observing the sea for any abnormalities. Maintain our current course and speed."

"Yes, Captain."

As the saying goes: "If you read three hundred Tang poems, you can recite them even if you can't write them." In his university days, Luozhengdao had read many穿越novels. Although he read fewer later, he didn't forget everything. Drawing on the valuable experiences of countless predecessors, he firmly claimed from the beginning that he had amnesia.

Sure enough, this strategy helped him resolve many troubles and potential dangers. As a patient, he, as a weak group, received some preferential treatment. People, feeling sorry for his amnesia, would patiently answer even his most basic questions, such as why the sun rises in the east. Thus, Luozhengdao's understanding of this mysterious new world improved from a complete novice to a relatively low level.

Given the severe mental trauma he suffered from the goblin fleet's pursuit, he now suspected every unidentified ship he saw, probably a lingering effect of being bitten by a snake and fearing a rope for ten years.

Upon learning the bad news about the unidentified ship following them, the half-elf beauty, who had left her navigation post, tried to console her student. Luozhengdao, unable to control his thoughts from slipping into paranoia, managed to maintain a stiff, seemingly calm smile.

PS: This is the first week of the new book's ranking. Currently, it is ranked seventh on the new book list in the fantasy and mysticism category. I need your support and votes!