Comprehensive network wizard, magic emperor.

Chapter 51 The Return of the Treasure Ship

In the early morning, the heavy rain gradually subsided.

The night watchman stood on the roof of a house, overlooking the slowly quieting Stone Tower Town. With his hands behind his back, one finger was hooked on the whale oil lamp that had long since burned out, and water droplets condensed on the glass lampshade.

The hurricane's king was moving farther and farther away in the roar, and continued to rush towards the sea. The fierce and heavy words still continued to tell of the salty and fishy smell of the warm sea water near the equator and the scorching sun all day long, which was the source of the vitality of the tropical cyclone.

This terrifying friend is always so restless, and its revelry continues until it runs out of energy and dies.

The dense dark clouds were its galloping horses, pulling the peaceful throne of the eye of the storm towards the horizon. The last drizzle and gentle breeze gently blew on Lin Bo's sleeves and hair, turning into a soft and tranquil farewell.

"(magic words) Have a good journey."

The wizard looked up at the dawn sky where the dark clouds had disappeared and the stars were gradually falling asleep in the gray-blue sky. He jumped lightly into the air and flew towards the lighthouse.

The sky brightened, and the warm and bright autumn sun gently warmed the earth after the disaster.

The distant and clear chirping of birds can be heard in the silent forest. Water drips from the brown tiles of the houses in front of the doors. The undried water on the ground is like a miniature lake several feet wide, reflecting the sunlight and shining brightly.

The townspeople who walked out of their homes lowered their heads to avoid puddles and walked on the dark, dry road. Those who had to go to church went to church, those who had to go to work went to work, and those who had to go to the dock also went to the dock.

Around this time, a steamer came from the sea, blew a loud whistle from afar, and the roar shook the sleepy morning air of Shita Town.

This is a small ferry that sets out from Kimbe Port to search for treasure and has been wandering at sea during the hurricane's landfall.

Last night, a hurricane broke out from the coast and headed straight for them. The crew steered the ferry hard, braved the torrential rain and waves, and sailed along the light of the lighthouse, finally approaching the coast this morning. This is also the first treasure ship to return.

The ship that had experienced the disaster was like a gloomy and destitute stray dog. The masts on the deck had been broken, and the fluttering colorful flags were drooping on the side. The flagman standing on the lookout tower was waving flags, requesting to anchor.

Fishermen from Shita Town on the dock looked out at the iron ferry and cheered loudly for the captain and sailors who had sailed through the storm. They quickly raised flags to signal that they would wait, as the dock needed to be cleared of fishing boats before they could dock.

Two hours later, the ferry arrived at the Shita Town Pier.

People who heard the news came to greet the crew and passengers who got off the ship. Many tired and frightened survivors screamed and leaned over to kiss the soil when their feet set foot on land.

Many of the well-dressed guests among them looked haggard at this time, and the shock of surviving the disaster had not yet subsided. As soon as they got off the boat, they asked the surrounding townspeople for clean water and food.

The mayor accidentally found Lady Hongdu and the professor from the university in the crowd. He hurriedly went up to ask about the whereabouts of Viscount Pearl.

"Oh, Willen Pearl, he, he..." The lady from Hongdu burst into tears.

The professor of archaeology sighed, comforted the students who were crying, and then turned to ask the mayor to prepare some food so that they could continue the conversation after they had recovered.

Seeing this, the mayor and officials all felt depressed.

The survivors who walked out of the docked ferry bought food and alcohol in Shita Town, booked the Bailuo Tavern, and ate and drank to their heart's content.

Everyone had a lot to say about their treasure hunts and storms at sea. When the tavern owner asked, the sailors at the counter all vied with each other to tell their stories.

None of them reached the islands recorded in the nautical charts. The hurricane came too quickly, and many expedition ships capsized in the huge waves. Many people went missing and have not been heard from since.

The ferry rescued many people who survived the shipwreck while fleeing the hurricane.

The captain drank a few glasses of moonshine, and his face turned pink and shiny, like a wrinkled peach.

He stopped a passing waitress and loudly asked who the lighthouse keeper of this town was. He said that it was thanks to the "damn" light, otherwise they would have been lost last night. Of course, the five gods blessed them to be able to pass through such a storm and return to the offshore, but they also had to thank the night watchman here.

"You can't find him. He must be out now. If you want to thank him, just wait until evening to go to the lighthouse." Ji Ling spoke quickly.

"I'm afraid it's too late then." The captain smacked his lips, took money out of his pocket to buy a bottle of liquor, and asked the tavern owner to deliver it to the night watchman. "After we replenish the whale oil and supplies and repair the engine group, we will set sail for Jinbei Port around this afternoon."

After experiencing such a disaster, the crew and passengers all wanted to go home as soon as possible, rest for a few days, and put the bad experience behind them.

As for the rumors of lost treasure, some people still yearn for it, while others have decided to put it behind them, perhaps one day in the future it will become a topic of conversation when reminiscing about their youth.

Around 3 p.m., a long line formed in front of the lighthouse again. After a long period of rain and a sharp drop in temperature, fevers and colds became more common, especially among the elderly and children.

Lin Bo himself was experiencing some nasal congestion and difficulty breathing, the result of too much rain over the past two days. So, in the afternoon, he spent the afternoon in the mushroom garden, encouraging the spawn to produce more medicinal mushrooms that would be suitable for his condition.

Now I'm back at the lighthouse, preparing the medicine according to the prescription and making a bunch of standard-sized medicine bags.

If any townspeople developed typical symptoms such as headaches, fever, and sore throats, they would first be given acupuncture to relieve the symptoms, and then medicine packets would be distributed, and they would be asked to take them home and boil them for consumption. The dosage for patients of different ages was also carefully stated.

Visitors to the lighthouse always chat about all kinds of gossip, which is also the main way for Lin Bo to collect various news about the town in a day.

When the tavern waitress Ji Ling came to help, she brought a bottle of liquor, saying it was a gift from the captain. She then told everyone present the story of the shipwreck she had heard, which aroused a burst of sympathetic murmurs.

"Thanks to the miracle that protected our Stone Tower Town, otherwise we'd be just as pathetic as those fools who went out to sea," the old fishermen whispered among themselves. The misfortunes of others only fueled their reverence. As Jilling helped distribute the medicine kits, she asked, "Night Watchman, have you encountered any Miracle Walkers?"

"Yes." Lin Bo nodded.

"Are you scared by him?" Ji Ling asked excitedly.

"I didn't look closely. Is he scary?"

"It's terrifying! But the old priest said he was sent by the Five Gods to save Stone Tower Town, so he must be an ugly but kind-hearted angel."

"That makes sense." Lin Bo agreed, told the patient who had received the injection to sit by the wall, and then rang the bell.

Jingle Bell--

After the crisp sound, a group of people rushed in from outside the door. The mayor and the guests from Hongdu came to visit again, but they were no longer as high-spirited as when they first met. The lady's eyes were red, and several men had depressed brows. The leader, Viscount Pearl, was also missing.

The mayor quickly approached the night watchman, sweat on his forehead, and said in the softest tone, "Sir, Viscount Pearl has lost contact at sea. These distinguished guests want to see you because you warned us of the coming hurricane. They may want to know how you can predict natural disasters."

Lin Bo and the slightly overweight official looked at each other. The mayor lowered his head deeply, avoiding the night watchman's gaze.

"I see."

The mayor nodded, bent down and stepped back to the nobles.

Such obvious respect for him seemed a little strange to the distinguished guests from Hongdu.

It was as if the mayor was not facing a lighthouse keeper. Even in front of Viscount Pearl, he was not so humble.

In the warm orange incandescent light, the well-dressed visitors from Hongdu stared at them, silent as flags. The sturdy and capable residents of the stone towers by the wall stared at them, silent as reefs. The night watchman raised his hand and greeted them with a smile, "Find a place to sit."

The distinguished guests looked at each other, the ladies from Hongdu lifted their skirts to greet them, the men also bowed slightly, and Lin Bo nodded in return from behind the table.

"Mr. Lighthouse Keeper, you once reminded the people in this town to be careful of hurricanes, so how do you judge the weather?" Lady Hongdu sat at the table, her eyes fixed on Lin Bo's face, her tone very gentle.

"This is a judgment based on experience. There are always some signs before a storm comes. I am deeply sorry for what you have experienced."

"If only... Alas, it's no use saying these things." When she mentioned this, the lady from Hongdu lowered her head and burst into tears again, choking with sobs.

The professor of archaeology stepped forward and said, "We are here to thank you, Night Watchman. The lighthouse you guarded saved our lives."

"The duty lies."

The people of Hongdu showed their courtesy and casually took out a full ten thousand copper coins as a small reward for the lighthouse keeper's loyalty to his duty.

They were determined and Lin Bo had no way to refuse, so he accepted it.

The lady at the table wiped her tears, stood up and said goodbye, and immediately led her companions away.

Soon after they left, the mayor returned to the lighthouse alone and said, "The Hondu people left in their carriage."

After the big shot left, the townspeople relaxed and started talking about the inside story.

Lin Bo rang the bell to let the next patient in. While he was seeing the patient, he listened to the mayor explain the whole story.

A few days ago, the yacht that Viscount Pearl and his party were on capsized in a storm. They were drifting in the sea holding lifebuoys, tied together with ropes to avoid getting separated. Unfortunately, Viscount Pearl's lifebuoy was not tied with a rope, and he was drifting away from everyone else in the wind and waves.

His companions on the boat could only watch him get lost. Everyone else was found and salvaged by the ferry, but the Viscount was still missing.

The patients in the lighthouse whispered to each other, and they felt quite sympathetic towards the lord's plight, but their sympathy was only verbal as they felt that he had suffered misfortune because of not listening to advice.

"Old man, please bless our Viscount, he will return home safely." It is always a good idea to add a few more words of blessing without paying.

"Yes, yes, after all, this is a place protected by miracles." The proud statement drew a chorus of agreement.

"If the Viscount dies, who will inherit this place?" the townspeople began to murmur.

Limbo rang the bell again.

The mayor stayed at the lighthouse until nightfall, then left with the crowd. He only said goodbye to the night watchman, "See you tomorrow, sir."

"Ok."

The mayor walked away with a smile on his face and a brisk pace.

(End of this chapter)