Sail Shadows in the Sea of ​​Fog

Chapter 25 Auctions and Opportunities

After seeing Captain Senfa off, Cheng Lang carried the remaining breakfast to the cargo hold where the oil lamp was still lit.

"Feeling better?"

Cheng Lang asked as he placed the breakfast he brought on an oak barrel.

"much better"

Gerta looked at Cheng Lang hesitantly, and finally held back from saying anything. He just picked up a piece of bread and handed it to the black elf Yafuso who was hiding behind him, then picked up another piece and put it in his mouth and took a bite.

"If nothing unexpected happens, we will leave here early tomorrow morning."

Before Cheng Lang finished speaking, he turned and left the cargo hold and walked into the lower cabin where the lighting was even dimmer.

During the entire day, the 72 gorilla sailors leisurely hid in the lower cabin and enjoyed fine wine all day long.

In addition to the fine wine, the vines of the sea-viewing vine that spread across almost the entire lower cabin also produced blood-red fruits as big as coconuts because the ship was docked.

These fruits are also food for these gorillas, and they attach great importance to them. Even Captain Cheng Lang is not allowed to pick one to taste.

As usual, after filling their oak barrels with fruit wine, Cheng Lang turned and left the lower cabin and even left the Valkyrie. He wanted to go to the Xinweng Tavern not far away to see if he could get any valuable information.

Even if not, at least he can understand more about this world, or even this port.

After greeting the guards on the pier, Cheng Lang walked slowly towards the Xinweng Tavern more than a hundred meters away, while also paying attention to the surrounding situation.

Fortunately, although he rescued Gerta and Yafso, the Boerlan guards did not seem to suspect him, so naturally no soldiers were seen around the Xinweng Tavern.

Slightly relieved, Cheng Lang pushed the door open and walked into the bustling Xinweng Tavern. He found a seat that was secluded but not far from the bar and sat down.

"What would you like, Captain Cheng Lang?"

Lilia, the young maid who worked as a trader yesterday, came over and asked respectfully.

"One blood orange beer, and another."

"Oh!"

Before Cheng Lang could finish ordering, the wooden door of the tavern was thrown open. A sailor, reeking of sea and sweat, rushed in, panting and shouting, "Latest news! The Royal Boerland Demon Hunter Fleet!"

"Wow!"

As soon as these words were spoken, at least half of the diners in the tavern stood up, and some of them even drew their flintlock rifles from their waists.

"They, they, they were in the Sea of ​​Despair, destroyed by the Swallow Island."

"What did you just say?!" The bartender Lizar put down the flintlock rifle that he had just loaded with bullets in surprise. No need to ask, his butt is definitely not clean.

"They were destroyed by the Swallow Island in the Sea of ​​Despair!"

The sailor who ran in took the beer Lilia brought and gulped down half of it in one gulp. He burped again and said, "It is said that there were eight ships in total, seven of which were destroyed by the Swallow Island, and one was taken away by the Swallow Island."

"Is the news reliable?"

As Lizar spoke, he threw a gold coin over.

The sailor took the gold coin, chewed it with his yellow teeth, and then put it in his pocket with satisfaction. He said, "It's absolutely reliable. There was a siren in the waters nearby at the time. He saw the Swallow Island from afar and immediately ran away. When he returned, the only ships left were the sunken ships of the Boerland fleet. There were seven in total!"

At this point, the sailor had already walked to the bar. "I'm the only one who knows the exact location. I'll be auctioning the information at midnight tonight!"

"Tell me your request," Lizar said.

After gulping down the remaining half cup of wine, the sailor bared his yellow teeth and said, "In addition to the highest price, I also need a piece of armor and a cup of Poseidon's blood, and an invitation to enter the second circle of islands."

"Spread the word: an exclusive intelligence auction will be held tonight at midnight."

Lizar said as he brought the sailor a second glass of beer. Meanwhile, the maid Lilia had already hurried upstairs.

Soon, the lettermen standing on the roof of the Xinweng Tavern flapped their wings and flew into the sky, and a red oil lamp was hung at the door of the tavern in broad daylight.

The sailor who brought the news also followed Lizar into a small door behind the bar and disappeared somewhere.

Almost at the same time, Mr. Lu Ting and Captain Senfa also ran down from upstairs, and immediately found Cheng Lang, who was occupying a table alone among the group of sailors who were having a heated discussion.

"Captain Cheng Lang, are you going to participate in the midnight auction?" Captain Senfa came over and asked.

"OK"

Cheng Lang nodded, winked at the same time, and said, "But I guess I might not have enough money. Why don't we take the photo together?"

Senfa was such a shrewd businessman that he immediately realized what the former said and immediately followed up the topic by saying, "This is not the place to talk. Let's go to the boat."

"Come to my boat"

As Cheng Lang spoke, he stood up and walked towards the door of Xinweng Tavern.

Although he didn't even get comfortable sitting on the chair, Cheng Lang felt that the trip was worthwhile.

He had never expected that there were witnesses to the seven boats that were capsized by the Swallow Island. He had never expected that such a thing could be sold for money, and for so much!
Having said that, even if he knew that this kind of information could be sold for money, he would probably keep it to himself.

Now that he couldn't handle this matter any longer, the natural thing for him to do was to run away.

Cheng Lang's mind raced as he brought Captain Senfa and Mr. Lu Ting to the second deck at the stern of the Valkyrie, and without stopping, he led them through the floor-to-ceiling windows into the conference room.

“I didn’t expect that we would be sitting together again so soon.”

Cheng Lang said this and poured each of the two guests a glass of wine from a boat bottle.

Although the wooden cup for holding wine was somewhat out of place, Captain Senfa and Mr. Lu Ting could not find any fault with it, as the environmental conditions on their ship were far worse than this one.

"Captain Cheng Lang, do you know any inside information?" Mr. Lu Ting asked directly.

“It’s not an inside story.”

Cheng Lang waved his hand and said, "Let's talk about the Flamingo Company first. Captain Senfa, Mr. Lu Ting, this is a rare opportunity for you."

"What opportunity?" Senfa couldn't help but ask.

"Chance to safely leave the Junco Islands"

Cheng Lang reminded, "I guess the Swordfish Merchant Group will definitely participate in the auction tonight, right?"

After saying this, Captain Senfa's eyes immediately lit up. He immediately understood Cheng Lang's hint. This was indeed a rare opportunity, an opportunity to leave the Zhuniao Islands safely!
"Captain Cheng Lang, thank you for your reminder." Senfa said excitedly.

"Can your boat be hidden?" Cheng Lang asked suddenly.

Between two captains, this question is as intimate as asking each other about the color of their underwear, but asking this question at this moment is equivalent to pointing out the fact that they have met once before.

After a slight hesitation, Senfa nodded and said, "Indeed, you can."

"Do you think the Swordfish Merchant Group will chase you if you leave?" Cheng Lang continued to ask.

“They will definitely catch up.”

Mr. Lu Ting said with near certainty, "But they will only send two ships at most. Compared to the value of the seven sunken ships, Flamingo Trading Company is no longer a matter of urgency or necessity for them."

"I will find a way to hide after leaving Hong Kong"

Cheng Lang said bluntly, "When your ship passes by, I will deal with the Swordfish Merchants' ship."

"A replay of what happened in the sea fog?" Mr. Lu Ting was the first to react.

"If you need me to escort you for a day."

Cheng Lang smiled and said, "Of course, I still need you to help me purchase all the supplies I need before dark. I need to leave the port before the sun sets."

"need!"

Captain Senfa immediately said, "I can pay it now."

“There’s no rush for this.”

Cheng Lang waved his hand. "How about using the spoils from the overtaking ship to pay for supplies? Also, I'd like to know what goods can be sold at a good price in Pirate City." "Pirate City?"

Mr. Lu Ting smiled and said, "The only commodity that can be sold at a good price in Pirate City is wine. All kinds of wine. That damn place is not suitable for farming, so there are no conditions for winemaking. Wine is always the most sought-after commodity there."

"If Captain Cheng Lang visits Pirate City more often, we can indeed reach a cooperation."

Captain Senfa suppressed his excitement and said, "Rica has the best and cheapest wine in the Star Sea."

"This is exactly why I invited you two to come to the ship to discuss this."

Cheng Lang said, "I hope to use this attack on the Swordfish Merchant Group as the cornerstone for establishing our cooperative relationship."

"As soon as I return to Furnace Port, I will help you find suitable artillery." Captain Senfa also made the promise that Cheng Lang wanted to hear.

"Then it's settled"

Cheng Lang shook hands with the other party and said, "Send the supplies as soon as possible, and find a suitable sea area to blow the Mirage Horn."

"Let's get ready now!"

Captain Senfa had already hurried out of the meeting room before he finished speaking.

"Thank you for your help," said Mr. Lu Ting politely, who was walking behind.

"I should also thank you for your help," Cheng Lang responded politely.

"We have become friends." Lu Ting finally shook hands with Cheng Lang and left the Valkyrie.

"My dear, honorable, respected Captain, your faithful lackey is late in returning."

Just as Lu Ting walked onto the pier, a pale face appeared in the mirror hanging on the pillar behind the indoor driving platform outside the conference room.

"You're back so soon?" Cheng Lang breathed a sigh of relief. It was good news that the magic mirror came back in time.

"I came back when I heard that someone was going to auction the location of the shipwreck," the magic mirror replied flatteringly.

"So you heard our conversation just now?" Cheng Lang asked as he walked towards the office downstairs.

"Yes, of course I heard it."

The magic mirror immediately said, "I also saw the two extra guests in the cargo hold, a fox-eared orc and a rare black elf."

“How can I gain their trust?”

Cheng Lang pushed open the door and asked directly, "I plan to invite them on board to help me grow vegetables in the cabin and serve as the helmsman."

"If you want to keep the murder of Prince Borland a secret, the easiest way is to let them see your true appearance."

"Are black hair inherently sinful?" Cheng Lang sneered disdainfully.

"At least that's what those crazy people in Boerland think."

The magic mirror smiled and said, "If you don't mind letting them know that you killed Prince Boerlan, just give the Dark Elf Dagger to the Dark Elf."

"Give that dagger to that dark elf?" Cheng Lang was stunned for a moment and subconsciously asked "Why".

"The undead in the dagger will tell the living dark elf everything that happened on the Savage Island," the magic mirror answered concisely.

"Is this the talent of the dark elves?" Cheng Lang keenly grasped the crux of the problem.

"Oh—respected Captain, you are as wise as ever."

The magic mirror praised them in a pretentious tone, and then explained, "The reason why dark elves are not accepted in the Elven Kingdom is because they can read the memories of the elves.

In ancient legends, dark elves are actually similar to judges within the elven community.

This posed a threat to the aristocratic rule of the Elven Principality, so after the Valkyrie killed Poseidon, they used this as an excuse to exile the Dark Elves."

"before that."

"Before that, the elves and orcs were just primitive tribes in the Star Sea Forest," the Magic Mirror scoffed. "They even still maintain a matriarchal society to this day."

"Let me think about this for a while."

Cheng Lang said this and turned to look out the French window. At this moment, at the dock, a team of Boerlan guards were lining up and coming to the door of Xinweng Tavern.

However, they did not go into the tavern. Instead, after communicating with the bartender Lizar who came out after hearing the news, they posted a wanted poster at the door of the tavern.

Cheng Lang picked up the telescope on the table beside the cockpit and took a look. He couldn't help but laugh. The wanted poster had portraits of Gerta and Yafso. Under the portraits, the total bounty for each of them was only 50 gold coins.

What’s even more interesting is that in order to post this wanted poster, the captain of the guard team actually paid the bartender Lizar a gold coin.

"This wave of Erlan's demon hunting team is not that good," Cheng Lang couldn't help but teased.

"This tavern existed a hundred years ago," the magic mirror said abruptly, "back then it was still a ship."

"What did you say? A boat?" Cheng Lang asked in surprise.

"I won't be mistaken. The captain of this ship at that time was the governor of this island."

The magic mirror introduced, "According to the information I have received all day, the uncle of the current captain, Mr. Lizar, is the current governor of this island.

I also received some information about the Royal Boerland Witch Hunters who arrived here."

"Tell me about it," Cheng Lang said with interest.

"This ship's appearance here is not accidental. They recently received news that a black elf appeared in the Vermilion Bird Islands, so they rushed here."

The magic mirror paused and continued, "In addition to the dark elves, they are also planning to trade with the governor of this island to purchase a batch of Vermilion Bird Stone. This purchase of Vermilion Bird Stone was negotiated through the bartender, Mr. Lizar."

“So that’s how it is”

Cheng Lang nodded, and then saw several carriages coming from a distance and finally stopped on the pier.

“It moves really fast”

Cheng Lang muttered to himself and took a last look at the Boerlan guards who were walking further and further away, as well as a sailor who tore off the wanted poster at the door of the tavern and used it to blow his nose, before he stepped onto the second-floor open deck.

"Captain Cheng Lang, where are these supplies?" asked Mr. Lu Ting, who personally delivered the supplies.

"Just put it on the deck," Cheng Lang responded enthusiastically.

Hearing this, Mr. Lu Ting waved his hand and directed the sailors he had called over to help deliver barrels and boxes of supplies to the deck.

"This is the prepaid escort fee and the prepared ambush location," Mr. Lu Ting whispered, handing the treasure map and the sea chart rolled inside the treasure map to Cheng Lang.

"I'll be leaving shortly," Cheng Lang whispered back, "You guys should leave when the midnight auction starts. Run as fast as you can."

"no problem"

Mr. Lu Ting whispered, "Now that we've dealt with the Swordfish Merchants' ship, Captain Cheng Lang, would you be interested in going to Pier 12 with us?"

"Pier 12?"

"On the other side of the Suzaku Islands," Mr. Luting explained in a low voice, "we can sell the spoils there."

"It depends," Cheng Lang answered ambiguously.

"Alright"

Mr. Lu Ting did not say anything more. He just waited until all the trucks of supplies were delivered to the deck, then immediately said goodbye and left the ship.

"Great Sage, hoist the sails and set sail!"

With Cheng Lang's shout, the Valkyrie's anchor was lifted first. The guards on the pier immediately helped to untie the ropes and took off their hats to greet Cheng Lang enthusiastically.

At the same time, a group of vine goblins, each of them two meters tall but wearing oversized cloaks purchased in advance by Cheng Lang, also walked onto the open deck. They subtly pulled the vines that served as cables to lower the sails.

Driven by the wind, the Valkyrie lightly left the pier, then turned its sails and headed in the opposite direction of the designated sea area.

(End of this chapter)