From the Ship of Fools to Earl of Wugang

Two days later, the Grey Swallow sailed into the waters off Cape Lo, the largest port in the Principality of Plichni, at dawn.

This is indeed a bustling and impressive port, with buildings predominantly constructed of light-colored stone. Two long breakwaters extend outwards from the coast, creating an impressive expanse of coastline.

The Grey Swallow slowed down to await pilotage, while Edmund conducted a final check of the baggage, including medals retrieved from the lost-port ship's bell.

He borrowed the shipping yearbook from the Grey Swallow under the pretext of checking the age of the ship's clocks and found some relevant information.

The Knights of the Laurel were active on the western shore of the Heartbreak Sea more than a hundred years ago, responsible for maritime relief, medical care, ransom services, lighthouse maintenance, and escorting merchant ships.

At that time, there was a Sir Armand von Schinkel who led his knightly order to defeat the once-glorious pirate organization "Black Crown Fleet" and rescue the kidnapped members of the Prishini royal family. As a result, he was made Earl of Twilight Harbor.

The whereabouts of the Black Crown were only vaguely described, stating that the captured pirate flagship disappeared after encountering a storm on its return voyage.

Before long, the Grey Swallow finally anchored and came to a stop, and a small cheer broke out among the passengers.

Edmund followed the flow of people into the port and plunged into the tedious immigration checks at Cape Loch.

The questioning and inspection went smoothly, and the official placed a pale yellow sheet of paper in front of Edmund.

"Your application lacks an inviting party within the country, therefore you can only obtain a seven-day temporary permit. You need to complete registration and obtain local sponsorship at your actual place of stay within seven days."

After the seal was affixed, Edmund Lockman officially set foot on the land of Prishini.

He first went to the office of United Shipping Company and received a check for a decent amount, which was a small supplement as local income with a transparent source and clear records.

Leaving the United Shipping Company, he crossed the bustling streets and headed towards the nearby train station.

The train to Dusk Harbor wouldn't depart until noon. Edmund bought a ticket and a newspaper at a newsstand in the station.

The front pages discussed parliamentary taxation and the upcoming international banquet hosted by the royal family. One newspaper's social section published the public guest list for the banquet at the Silver Bell Palace, which would include Grand Duke and Duchess Plichin, the two princes, and the newly-adult princess.

Edmund scratched his chin, sensing that these rulers would soon face some trouble, given that the country seemed to have been targeted by the Abyssal Order.

The train's departure bell rang soon after, and Edmund boarded the carriage bound for Dusk Harbor.

The railway tracks stretched on beneath the wheels, and occasionally, he could see the silvery-gray light reflected from the Cracked Heart Sea outside the window. He silently pondered his next plan.

Before formally meeting the Earl, he needed to conduct some local research. At the very least, he needed to find out what the Earl still had in order to formulate a corresponding plan.

After several hours of travel, the train stopped at a small station with only two platforms.

Besides a few taxis of varying ages outside the train station, there were even horse-drawn carriages. Edmund paid a not-so-cheap fare to find a driver willing to take him.

The car moved slowly along the road through the hills. As it approached the coast, a crescent-shaped harbor gradually came into view. The afternoon sun shone on the sea, and in the distance, fishing boats were returning to port one by one.

This place truly possesses a natural harbor: the land on both sides extends into the sea, shielding the harbor from most of the open ocean's winds and waves. The harbor itself has a vast expanse of water, and the shore also has flat areas suitable for building large piers.

Judging from the terrain alone, Twilight Port should not have declined to this extent, but in reality, he saw that only a few berths in the port area were still in use.

The well-preserved buildings and ships all bear the same red anchor logo, which the driver said belonged to the Red Anchor Development Company.

The car stopped in the council square, and Edmund got out and saw a badly weathered statue of a knight with a sword and shield, the shield carved with a pattern of laurel flowers surrounding a ship's lamp.

The statue's base was covered with council notices, and Edmund could barely make out some of Armann von Schinkel's achievements, such as defeating the Black Crown Fleet, through the inscriptions in the gaps.

Thanks to the fact that a small part of the laundering process for the Order’s funds had already reached its end, Edmund quickly found a hotel near Council Square that was willing to accept temporary permission. He readily paid for a week’s accommodation, dropped off his luggage, and headed to the Port Council.

The council occupies a stone building converted from the old chamber of commerce, with the interior divided into multiple service windows by wooden counters.

People lined up in several queues to register for labor, change of property rights, and lease warehouses. Staff members were constantly flipping through documents and explaining regulations, and the noise level was almost the same as that of a port cargo hall.

Edmund waited in line at the foreign affairs window for nearly half an hour before finally sitting down in front of a middle-aged clerk wearing round-framed glasses.

After reviewing the seven-day permit, the clerk then examined the liquidation documents of North Shore Company.

"If you intend to find storage in Twilight Harbor, you will first need a local guarantor. Hotels can only be used as temporary addresses and cannot be used for business registration."

"I'm still investigating the local market...who can provide a guarantee?"

The clerk, while searching through documents, explained: "Local businesses operating normally, property owners, professional associations recognized by the council, and members of the nobility of high status can all provide guarantees."

Edmund asked, "Is the Earl of Twilight Harbor still considered a nobleman?"

The clerk looked up and carefully examined the out-of-town businessman.

"The Earl of Schenkel's title and status remain valid; however, some of the Earl's assets are currently in bank trusteeship, so the Earl's guarantee requires additional funding."

"It sounds like his signature will bring in a lot of documents."

The clerk pursed his lips and tilted his head slightly: "Legally speaking, it's valid, although this nobleman's credit is rather poor."

He went to get the application form, and Edmund then got up and went to the bulletin board in the foyer to look at the resolutions and notices posted there over the past few months.

[Public Notice Regarding the Renewal of the North Breakwater Maintenance Contract by Chimao Development Company.] [Announcement Regarding the Results of the Disposal of Debt Claims from the Former Schenkel Third Warehouse.]

[Resolution on rejecting the Earl of Schenkel's application for underwater survey funding for the old outer anchorage.] [Notification on restricting private vessels' access to the western sinking hazard waters.]

......

On the same bulletin board, "Schenkel" appears repeatedly, but rarely with any celebratory content.

Continuing down, in the corner is an accident ruling from several months ago.

A diver named Marlowe Finn, employed by a contractor of Red Anchor Development, was tasked with inspecting the underwater pile foundations of a breakwater when he went missing underwater.

The contractor determined that Marlowe had deviated from the designated work area and refused to pay full workers' compensation. The council upheld this determination in the absence of a body and witnesses.

Below the announcement, someone seems to have written in pencil, "The safety rope will not untie itself," before it was erased.

Edmund wrote Marlowe's name on the back of the application form.

Given the presence of an old port near Dusk Harbor that can drag ships into dense fog, it's hard to explain the disappearance of a diver who was always tethered to a safety rope in the same area as simply bad luck.