Chapter 66: 4. Iceberg Queen
Along the corridor outside, many glass windows were arranged, allowing a view of the situation on the deck as soon as one entered the room. At that moment, the sunshine was just right, but the sea breeze outside was somewhat strong, and not many people stood on the deck. Instead, there were quite a few passengers conversing in the corridor.
For example, couples with children were talking to the crew, elderly people engaged in conversation, and ship women were soliciting customers.
Fisher scanned the guests in the corridor but continued walking without stopping. He wasn’t sure if there were vendors selling items here, so he decided to check out the restaurant below.
“Sir! Sir! Please wait a moment.”
When the voice came from behind at first, Fisher thought it wasn’t calling him. It wasn’t until he felt a hand patting his shoulder and turned back to see a middle-aged man with a small beard and a hat, panting heavily, that he realized someone was indeed calling him.
“Is there something wrong?”
“Ah, finally stopped! If I’m not mistaken, you are looking for a place that sells cigarettes, right? Let me introduce myself, I’m Leiba, a merchant. I happen to have some for sale, would you like to take a look?”
As he spoke, he unfastened his coat and pulled out several packs of cigarettes that were currently popular in Saint Nali from the inner pockets.
“These are from the Saint Lady brand, used exclusively by the royal family, and Banaba brand. This brand is new and has a strong flavor, made with some specialties from the Southern Continent. This is new stock I just got.”
“How did you know I was looking for cigarettes?”
While smiling and promoting his goods, he noticed Fisher’s cautious gaze and realized his approach was a bit abrupt. He awkwardly explained, “Well, it is business after all. How many gentlemen in Nali like cigarettes? Eighty percent? Or even more? They look more anxious to find cigarettes than you do, but there are also quite a few like you who remain calm. Yet not paying any attention to the people around, just walking forward—either looking for the restroom or cigarettes, hehe.”
What Leiba said was not wrong; gentlemen of Saint Nali indeed had such habits, and from top to bottom, they loved such things. Even the king used to indulge in them every day during work when he was in good health, but recently, due to poor health, the royal doctor had strictly forbidden it.
Fisher was among those who used it the least, only occasionally indulging while working on his writing.
He pointed at the Saint Lady brand cigarettes in his hands and took out his wallet, “How much?”
“75 euros, which is 10 euros more than retail in Saint Nali, considering the extra shipping costs.”
Leiba rubbed his hands, and after taking the money, placed the box of Saint Lady cigarettes in Fisher’s palm, also giving him a box of matches, “This is a free gift.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m the one who should be thanking you for supporting my business. Ah, now that the wind outside has died down a bit, would you like to step outside for a breather? It’s stifling in the room; I feel it too.”
Leiba glanced at the sunny sky outside and smiled, inviting Fisher to get some fresh air, as the corridor was filled with smoke and the noisy disputes over prices between ship women and customers.
Fisher nodded, mainly because he didn’t want to return to the room and see that annoying Renee again; it was also a good opportunity to go out and change his mood.
His article was nearly finished, and after writing the last bit tonight, he would consider the phrasing carefully to avoid any mistakes. The scholars of Saint Nali might not be proficient in many things, but their skill in scrutinizing language was exceptional; even a phrase that could cause ambiguity or lack clarity could be explosively picked apart in their papers. When one is left speechless while trying to explain, they would just switch stances and press their attack, which could be quite frustrating.
“Do you do business on the Southern Continent?”
As soon as they were outside, the two began to chat casually. Fisher glanced at Leiba, wrapped in his heavy coat, and asked.
“Yes, I deal in cigarettes and fine wine. The people of the Southern Continent lack nothing, except for that taste in Saint Nali; sometimes you can search the entire wilderness and not find a single cigarette or drop of wine—it’s infuriating. I’m responsible for bringing over these fine goods from Nali, doing a bit of wholesale.” Then Leiba looked over at Fisher with a smile, “Occasionally, I also do some retail.”
“With so many city lords in the Southern Continent, how do you sell your goods? Do you really have to go to each store one by one?”
“Of course not! That would be too laborious, and I dare not wander around the wilderness of the Southern Continent. I’ve heard that it’s filled with man-eating goblins—all sorts of subhumans that look like monsters. I’m just responsible for transporting the goods from Nali; how they are sold is the concern of the middlemen here. Earning less is fine, but it’s incredibly safe, and I don’t have to deal with the tax issues of various cities.”
“Let me tell you, sir, the Southern Continent is perilous. Just a few days ago, at Krit Port, when I was unloading goods and stepped outside the enclosure, I saw a red dragon man, about this tall, taller than me, come over and speak in Nali that there was a gentleman injured on a hillside in the distance. My goodness, Nali language! That dragon man could speak Nali!”
He animatedly gestured to indicate a height slightly above his head, then, quite excitedly, said, “By Mother’s blessing, when I took the port soldiers to that hillside, there was nothing there! I was drenched in cold sweat! That must have been a trap set by that dragon! I’ve heard that the city lords of Shivali are waging war against subhumans, and they must want to take revenge on humans! Stupid subhumans! I am a gentleman of Nali, why not go bother that group of homosexuals in Shivali?!”
…
Fisher’s expression slightly froze, seemingly understanding something, and nodded; Rafael must have notified the humans at Krit Port to take care of himself when injured, but he must have been discovered and taken away by Renee halfway through.
Renee would hide herself, and no one else would discover her.
The sea breeze blew past, and indeed the air outside was much fresher than indoors. Standing there, stretching, and looking at the calm sea, he felt all the fatigue in his body washed away completely.
As a merchant who frequently traveled between the two continents over the sea, Leiba had a broad knowledge and would often share fascinating legends or legendary stories with Fisher, including sea monsters in the depths and cursed golden treasures on islands in the ocean, although most of them were just myths, intended to be captivating stories.
“Hey, so you’re a scholar? I could tell long ago that only the smartest people in Saint Nali have that kind of aura. What are you studying?”
“Subhuman races.”
“Ah, oh! Subhuman races, huh? My goodness, there are still people who study such things?”
Actually, he also studied magic and social sciences, but there was no need for Fisher to reveal everything.
“So, are there subhuman races in the sea as well?”
Leiba was smoking, looking down at the vast blue ocean, suddenly curious.
“Not clear; we haven’t found any subhuman races from the ocean so far. They either don’t exist, or they conceal themselves too deeply to be discovered by humans.”
But in reality, Fisher speculated that they did exist, after all, the handbook clearly stated that there was a subhuman race known as the “Mysterious Child of the Sea” that destroyed human civilization.
“Well, that makes sense. But currently, the most dreadful thing on the sea is not those elusive subhumans and sea monsters, but rather the pirates that are giving several governments headaches. Just think about it: a group of desperate rogues sailing a vessel that appears and disappears without a trace, with a skull on their flag, carrying several cannons stolen from Shivali, robbing left and right on the ocean—that’s truly terrifying.”
“…If there was a ship, quite large, with a hull painted deep green, with a blue flag depicting an upside-down hammer, and the front of the ship had something resembling a giant spear, equipped with many cannons on the sides—could that be a pirate ship?”
Hearing Fisher’s inquiry, Leiba was taken aback for a moment before he exclaimed in surprise,
“You also know the legend of the ‘Four Great Pirates’?! You must be referring to the ‘Iceberg Queen,’ which hails from the ‘Northern Region.’ The giant spear at the front is used for breaking ice in the cold seas of the North, manned entirely by those brutish women from the North! But I’ve heard they only rob from Shivali; how could…”
Leiba was excitedly speaking when suddenly his peripheral vision met Fisher’s, looking toward the calm sea not far away.
There, on the distant, tranquil ocean, it seemed that a massive vessel, resembling a sea beast, had suddenly surfaced from the horizon, steadily heading towards them. The deep blue flag flapping in the wind on the mast matched exactly with Fisher’s description, and the massive cannons on both sides of the ship glinted with a deadly light; in this moment, that ship was racing toward their cruise liner at full speed.
“Iceberg Queen?!”
Leiba’s lips trembled; it seemed he lacked the strength even to hold the cigarette in his mouth. The half-smoked cigarette slipped from the railing into the sea, sinking into the cold water, reminding them that they were being targeted by a gigantic pirate ship.
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(End of Chapter)
