Super Magician: The Magic Network Collapsed Again at the Start

Chapter 48 Some Coincidences Are Not Accidental
At dawn, Silverscale Bay awakens from its slumber, bustling with people.

There's almost no nightlife here; people go to bed early and wake up early.

The town is situated along the bay, long and crescent-shaped, with a main street winding through the entire town. This is the widest and most bustling street in Silverscale Bay.

The streets were lined with all sorts of shops, and the aromas, fishy smells, and strange odors mixed with the sea breeze wafted into people's noses.

"What is this? How much is it?" Blatt stopped in front of a small shop where a halfling was selling a colorful dish with a strong aroma.

"A halfling stew, sir." The halfling's tone was strange, but his manner was enthusiastic. "Chicken soup with shredded chicken, onions, potatoes, red bell peppers, corn, carrots...it's delicious, and only costs nine copper coins..."

"what about this?"

"Oatmeal cookies, four copper coins each, you know, everything's going up in price these days..." The halfling spoke quickly, his words slurred and unclear, making it a bit difficult to understand.

"Three big dishes and six cookies." Blatt had just received a share of the "stolen money" and was quite wealthy.

"Please wait a moment, sir." The halfling took the money, his voice rising several octaves.

The mixed stew has broth, which is served in a round bowl made of an unknown large leaf. The sweet cake is also wrapped in leaves, so it is not hot to the touch and has a fresh herbal fragrance.

"Eat it while it's hot." Blatt handed the food to Anser and Finn.

“Didn’t you already eat?” Anser waved his hand, taking only one cookie.

The cookies were smaller than his palm, about an inch thick, and golden in color. One bite filled his mouth with a rich oat and milk flavor.

However, selling such a small amount for 4 copper coins is really a rip-off. Most workers can only earn a few copper coins a day, which, at current prices, isn't even enough to eat.

"Moonshadow Quiling's breakfast portions are too small and too bland. This is much more satisfying," Blatt complained.

“Yes.” Finn wholeheartedly agreed.

Breakfast at Moonshadow Valley is free, but it only consists of bread, pumpkin, and herbal tea, one serving per person, and once it's gone, that's it. Blatt and his companion are never full.

"This stew is really good, but there's too little meat." Blatt ate as he walked, the aroma making several passersby swallow hard.

"Be content, prices may keep rising," Anser sighed.

Silverscale Bay has fish, farms, and trade routes that haven't been disrupted, so food supplies are still adequate. However, as the number of refugees increases, the situation may worsen.

Blatt quickly finished his portion of the mixed stew, poured the broth into Anser's portion, stirred it, and continued eating.

The portion of the mixed stew was neither too big nor too small; an average person could eat their fill with a few pieces of bread, but Blatter ate two or three times as much as an average person.

When they arrived at the dock, the two had just finished eating, and Anser stuffed the remaining three cookies into his backpack.

“This must be Fishbone Wharf. Aren’t there lots of boats here?” Blatt said, pointing to the bustling wharf ahead.

"Don't rush, let's go take a look." It was Anser's first time seeing so many sailboats, and he found it quite novel.

Silverscale Bay has many wharves, with Fishbone Wharf being the largest, located in the middle of the bay, where passenger ships from all over the world gather.

The dock was crowded, with many people carrying luggage, but only a few were able to board the ship.

Anser and his companions found the house that sold boat tickets. There were signs saying "sold out" on the door and windows, and many people were waiting outside with blankets.

A passenger ship was checking tickets and boarding. A large crowd had gathered, with some trying to board in the chaos, others trying to buy other people's tickets, and still others crying and begging. It was a complete mess.

“Careno is right, you can’t buy it unless you take a small boat.” Blatt’s hopes were dashed, and he was somewhat disappointed.

"It's alright, we're not in a hurry," Anser reassured them. They were originally going to sell things, and just stopped by to take a look.

He walked south along the dock, carefully examining the antique-looking wooden sailboats. The intricate ropes and sails made his head spin, and he couldn't help but wonder how they were operated.

Here, a 30-meter sailboat is considered a medium-sized sailboat; in his previous life, he had seen many fishing boats that were much larger than this.

'How can you not get seasick?' He felt that traveling on such a ship to the open ocean might be more painful than going to jail.

Blatt's focus was on the cannons: "I've heard that these cannons are very powerful, and even a professional can't withstand a single shot."

“Yes.” Anser certainly knew.

Faerûn's muskets and cannons are outdated, having remained at the level of muzzle-loading smoothbore guns for many years, resulting in poor accuracy. However, they are still firearms, so their power is not weak. Light smoothbore cannons with a caliber of a dozen pounds can reach a maximum range of 2400 feet (≥720 meters), with a hit damage of 8d10 (8-80). Low-level professionals mainly rely on dodging; taking the hit head-on is suicidal.

At this moment, a medium-sized sailboat slowly approached the berth next to it. Before the mooring lines were even tied, a bearded man stood on the side of the ship carrying a bell.

"Dang Dang Dang..."

The urgent ringing of the bell suddenly attracted the attention of many people.

"Anyone going to Palos City? It's only five gold coins per person, food included. We only need 80 people, we'll leave once we're full..."

Before he could finish speaking, a crowd surged forward, and Anser and his group, who were right next to the berth, were almost pushed into the sea.

"I...I...I have money..."

"I'll buy three tickets..."

"Don't push..."

"Mother……"

"..."

The bearded man laughed heartily: "Don't push, line up properly..."

Soon, the sailboat came to a stop, and a group of crew members wearing leather armor and carrying muskets came out of the cabin. They quickly lowered the ladder, spread out, and looked around warily.

The crowd had no patience to wait and rushed to climb onto the boat.

The crew members didn't stop him. The bearded man held a bag in his hand and let those people throw money into it without counting it.

Some people even took advantage of the situation and casually threw in a few silver coins.

Blatt frowned and nudged Anser with his elbow: "That's not right, there's no way it's like that."

There are rules and procedures for passenger ships to pick up passengers. The time, destination and cost are set, tickets are printed, and passengers board the ship at the appointed time with their tickets. Moreover, the departure and berthing must be reported to the dock and taxes must be paid.

“Five gold coins, it’s like doing charity.” Anser touched the holy emblem on his chest, which was burning hot.

He had heard of Paros, a small port city, which seemed to be more than a hundred miles north of Baldur's Gate.

Normally, a boat ticket costs no less than three gold coins, but these are extraordinary times, and people are willing to pay twenty or thirty gold coins to board. Five gold coins is practically charity.

Besides, can such a small boat fit eighty passengers and dozens of crew members? Unless they're treated like livestock.

Anser and his group could see the problem, and of course, others also noticed something was wrong. Many people had doubts and stayed outside, not going forward.

“Slave traders!” Blatt whispered, his hand instinctively resting on the hilt of his sword.

Anser shook his head slightly at him. It wasn't that he was cold-blooded; he just couldn't control it.

His gaze focused on the bearded man:

[First Mate of the Conch Ship, Human, Level 4 Warrior (Combat Master)]

Among the crew were professionals, and everyone had a musket. After several volleys, Blatter and his companion would probably be riddled with bullets.

　Thank you to "Where are you, Yarn?" and "Book Friend 20190124165609900" for their donations.

　　1. Hodgepodge:
　　In a small saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add rosemary, garlic, and a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and let the butter infuse the spices.

　　In a Dutch cast iron pot or large saucepan, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, red bell pepper, bay leaf, thyme, and 1 teaspoon of salt, stirring constantly, and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to release their juices, about 8 minutes. Add the chicken broth and potatoes, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to very low, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the green beans, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to very low, cover, and simmer until the green beans are beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the leeks, corn, chicken, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of pepper, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to very low, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are completely tender, the green beans are tender, the leeks are wilted, and the corn and chicken are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

　　Return the seasoned butter to medium heat and melt. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve. Ladle the soup into servings and drizzle one or two teaspoons of seasoned butter over each serving.

　　2. Muskets: Faerûn had muskets and cannons, but their quality varied.

　　Handgun: 1d10 piercing, range 30/90;

　　Musket: 1d12 piercing, range 40/120.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)