Chapter 42

The successful sea trial of the "East Shore Eagle" demonstrated the excellent qualities of the 32nd class of students at the navigation school. On the way back to Tatan Port after the sea trial, the face of Lu Ming, the principal of the navigation school, was beaming with joy. This 31-year-old former shipyard worker had lived, studied, and trained with these children for a year. He could call each of them by name, knew their personalities, and understood their concerns, almost treating them like his own children. He walked around the ship, occasionally chatting with one child and then laughing and joking with another, watching these future naval talents interact with him so closely that Wang Qian even felt a bit envious.

The "East Shore Eagle" returned to the naval shipyard again. After the crew disembarked, the craftsmen would conduct a detailed inspection of the ship. Next, they would listen to the crew's feedback to improve any shortcomings, so that the next ship could be built even better.

After the sea trial, there were two days off. Yulian de Aubry didn't go anywhere; he came back and lay on the hard wooden bed in his dormitory, staring blankly at the ceiling, his thoughts drifting away.

It had been a year since he arrived here. Initially, he was just a prisoner of war sentenced to hard labor, endlessly quarrying stones in a chaotic and dirty mining area, often not having enough to eat, and facing attacks from the savage Charuyans. Yulian now didn't even want to recall those dark days.

He once thought his life would be like this: imprisoned here for life, endlessly mining until he died anonymously from hunger, disease, or a fight. But human fate is always unpredictable. Because he had received systematic and complete naval theory education, he was chosen by the Tatan people to teach at a navigation school, thus escaping the dark mine. Many times, Yulian thanked Madame de Ville, who had once sponsored him to study.

The Tatan people were really generous. They built beautiful houses and classrooms for these 60 children, provided them with the richest food, taught them the most valuable knowledge, and instilled in them the principles of being a good person. These children were truly very lucky. Compared to his own difficult studies in Bordeaux, these children seemed to live in paradise.

Now, he really liked it here. Compared to the humid and hot Saint Christopher Island, there were no cruel pirates, no drunk British, no shameless merchants who sold their souls for money, and no promiscuous dancers—well, Yulian licked his lips, admitting that "promiscuous dancers" could sometimes be quite charming. In short, everything here felt new and exciting. The people here were full of energy and vitality; the buildings were simple, beautiful, and sturdy; the army was well-equipped and well-trained. God, how could Mr. Sean Lafleur have gone mad and decided to attack here? May he rest in peace in heaven.

The children here were very polite, greeting him every day. Their thirst for knowledge was really strong, and they were very diligent and hardworking. Sometimes, Yulian truly felt that teaching these students made him happy. The food provided by the Tatan people was also quite good, with a variety of seafood, beef, pork, and eggs. Moreover, they were generous to teachers. Although he was limited to the status of a prisoner of war and received only two yuan a month, the Tatan people gave him an additional four yuan a month as a subsidy, plus some bonuses during holidays. In the past year, he had saved nearly 80 yuan. This amount of money could support a decent middle-class life even in Paris, let alone here where the cost of living was so low and the supply of daily necessities had become more abundant.

Logically, he should live and teach here quietly, but Yulian was very clear that there was something important far away that tugged at his heart. His thoughts gradually drifted: the Madame de Ville who had sponsored his studies as a teenager, and the Mademoiselle Mathilde who had sponsored his development in the Caribbean colonies.

I owe them. Yulian sighed and sat up from the bed. He pulled out a money bag from under the pillow, counted it, and found 78 one-yuan coins. After thinking for a moment, he took out two more yuan from his pocket and threw them into the money bag. Then he pulled out a piece of paper, picked up a pen, but didn't know whom to write to. Now, Tatan Port had a fixed route to Amsterdam—Captain Kuit's merchant ship made two round trips each year, sometimes also serving as a mail service. As long as you paid enough, they would be happy to help you send letters or items.

Yulian stared blankly at the letter paper, hesitating, when the door was knocked on. He hastily stuffed the money bag under the blanket, got up, and opened the door. Outside was a student, who was holding a letter. Seeing Yulian open the door, the student quickly handed over the letter and said, "Good day, sir! This is your letter, from Bordeaux. The people at the dock just delivered it here."

"Good day, Yury!" Yulian's heart skipped a beat when he heard Bordeaux. He took the letter with trembling hands and said gratefully, "Thank you, Yury!"

"It's my honor, sir," Yury said shyly. "I'll take my leave now."

After waving goodbye to Yury, Yulian felt his heart beating faster. He quickly closed the door and stumbled to the edge of the bed. He trembled as he opened the envelope, and a letter that seemed to carry a fragrance floated out.

"Dear Yulian: When I first heard the news of the Saint Christopher Company's expedition failing and your disappearance, I almost fainted in the garden. At that time, my soul and body no longer belonged to me. I forced myself not to go to the dock every day to inquire about your news. Sister Theresa told me that praying to the Lord could bring peace to the soul. I stayed in the convent for three months until I could no longer bear the longing for you, which even God could not stop.

My troubles had no place to be vented, and my longing had no one to respond. I got up at seven every day, went to the dock to inquire about any news about you or the Tatan people, and then returned home to pray. My father asked me to help him manage the textile factory, but I had no heart for work and always made a mess of things. My father was extremely disappointed and scolded me, and I tried to hold back my tears, with no one to confide in.

Every day and every night, I could neither rest nor find peace. If I fell asleep, tormenting nightmares would wake me up. In my dreams, you always waved goodbye to me.

I lost the meaning of life and could hardly breathe until Mr. Pierre brought news of your safety from Tatan Port. God, when I heard the news of your safety, my tears could not be held back. I happily walked home and shared this joyful news with Sister Theresa, my father, and everyone I met. I felt as if I was walking on a cloud of happiness. Yulian, dear, I miss you so much that I can hardly wait any longer. By the way, Madame de Ville seems to have a new lover. Her sadness over the expedition's failure lasted only one afternoon, and I cannot understand her cheap love.

Next month, my brother will go to Santo Domingo to handle the plantation affairs, and I asked my father to let me go with him, and he agreed. I think I might go to Tatan Port to see you. Love, Mathilde, October 15, 1633, at sunset in Bordeaux."

Yulian lay limp on the bed, the fragrant letter covering his face.

After a long time, he sat up, read the letter several times, and then satisfied, put it back in the envelope and placed it in the bottom of his wardrobe.

Yulian calculated the time and thought Mathilde should already be in Santo Domingo. Her family had large cotton plantations there, and the cotton was shipped to Bordeaux, where it was processed and sold by her father's factory. Such textile factories were common in France, Italy, Spain, and England, especially in England, where Norfolk in the east was full of wool or cotton mills, producing goods for domestic use and export to Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, or the new colonies, with substantial profits.

Recently, the Tatan people had bought several textile machines from England, and a group of people had studied them for a long time. Later, it was said that they were designing a new model that could rely on water power for large-scale industrial production, but it was unknown whether they had succeeded. If successful, the production costs would be greatly reduced. However, even so, it would be difficult to sell to other countries or regions due to trade barriers and high tariffs, which would make even the lowest-cost merchants unprofitable.

Yulian shook his head. He was not good at industrial and commercial matters and decided to think about whether Mathilde would come here. How long had it been since he last saw her? Does she still smile as sweetly as before? As he thought, Yulian became lost in his thoughts...