Chapter 2079 Pirate Secret Port
On Misty Island, the city wall above the water gate bore a steel plaque. A large number of ships sailed in and out of the water gate, their prosperity undoubtedly comparable to a fine port. The only difference was that most of the ships here were armed with cannons and flew black flags.
On the watchtower of the water gate, I saw creatures that seemed to have crawled out of nightmares. They had heads like sea snakes, with fins growing around their cheeks, human bodies with snake tails, and their entire bodies were covered in scales.
They wielded massive polearms, giant tridents, large all-metal spears, long-handled sabers, and more. They looked naturally powerful.
Naga, legends say they are an otherworldly race that originated from elves who collectively mutated after believing in an ancient god. They inhabit cities in the deep sea, hidden from sunlight, but they also venture ashore to accept employment from other races.
Even the sea teemed with many Naga. As we approached the water gate, three Naga climbed aboard the Blood Hawk, and Naga also boarded the other six ships. Their ferocious visages frightened several Qing people, causing them to retreat a few steps.
The elves I had previously encountered were all uniformly handsome men and beautiful women. But on the Naga, I couldn’t see any of that dreamlike nobility and beauty. Only on the female Naga could I vaguely discern some of the original elven features in their facial contours.
Mermaids had a similar body structure, except their snake tails were replaced with fish tails. However, mermaids were far more beautiful than them; their appearances were on entirely different levels.
Especially the scales covering their skin, and the fact that they had four arms, perhaps due to mutation, made people feel fear upon seeing Naga, let alone any desire.
“Hiss! What kind of ship are you, and where are you from? What is your purpose here?” the leading Naga said. His voice mixed with a hissing sound, like a snake flicking its tongue, which sounded very uncomfortable.
Aniya, who had boarded, replied, “We just finished a raid and are here to sell goods. All seven ships are a group. We hope the King of the Frozen Sea will be lenient.”
This was the advantage of these Undead pirates. I had arranged Undead pirates on all seven ships, including two Tsarist Russian transport ships, the former Navy’s Sea Power’s Hammer, and the Viking’s Fang, all equipped with pirate crews.
These pirates were familiar with the industry’s jargon, and many had been to Misty Island before. Their speech immediately identified them as old pirates, making it easy for the Naga to let us pass.
As for the Vikings, although this was their homeland, they had been dead for too long and were out of sync with the times. During their active era, Misty Island didn’t even exist. Therefore, several Undead pirates were stationed on the Fang as well.
“Twenty gold coins per ship, hiss!” the Naga stated the port entry fee. Just as Aniya had said, anyone could enter Misty Island; the admission requirements were actually very lenient, as long as one had money.
Actually, you could enter without money if you agreed to perform public service for Misty Island, which could offset the port entry fee. After completing the work and repaying the debt, you could leave the port.
“We’ll pay it all together, seven ships, one hundred and forty gold coins,” I said, handing over the money. In the Holy Roman Empire, gold coins were more valuable than in the Iberian Peninsula, so this port fee was quite expensive.
This did not even include the cost of supplies, ship maintenance, and purchasing goods after entering the port. It was merely an entry fee; the entire port was a money pit.
The Naga took the money bag, weighed it, and upon opening it, saw it was indeed full of gold coins. He nodded with satisfaction, then let out a long howl.
This was the Sea Tribe language. Although many within the Naga tribe still spoke Elvish, due to their long communication with other aquatic beings in the deep sea, they had become accustomed to speaking the Sea Tribe language.
Although it was the same language family as Mermaids, the Naga’s Sea Tribe language was hoarse and unpleasant, sounding not like a song but like intermittent howls. If Mermaids heard it, they might consider it a dialect with a heavy accent.
“What are they saying?” Mr. Zhang frowned and asked in confusion. He could tell these Naga were saying something, but he couldn’t understand.
I could understand the Sea Tribe language, so I translated directly for them, “He’s shouting to their kin on the city wall and other ships, saying we’ve passed inspection and can enter.”
“Master is truly amazing, to even understand the Sea Tribe language. But their port entry is too casual,” Mr. Zhang marveled. The simplicity of entering the port was completely on a different level from any port he had seen before.
Normal ports required at least registering the ship’s model, submitting a crew list, stating the country or organization of origin, followed by inspections of personnel and cargo to ensure no plague or contraband was carried before entry was granted.
This Misty Island, however, had no manual inspection, just a spoken word, and they didn’t even state their origin. Money was all it took to enter, which was far too easy.
“What can we do? They’re pirates, after all. How can they be so formal? Moreover, if they enforced such strict entry regulations within, coupled with the surrounding mist and dangerous areas, probably very few ships would dare to enter this port. Now it’s tight on the outside and loose on the inside. As long as you break through the dangerous outer environment, you can basically enter the port.”
As expected, after hearing their comrade’s howl, the Naga on the other six ships responded, indicating they understood. They quickly registered our ship, handed us a black iron token, and then all jumped into the water, swimming towards the ships behind us.
Two Sea Giants still stood by the pillars of the water gate, like door gods, on the platform of the water gate. The giant ship anchors in their hands could easily block or sink any ship attempting to force its way in. The Sea Giants would be the final check of our token before granting passage.
After passing through the water gate, the interior opened up. Before us lay a beautiful crescent-shaped bay, a naturally fine harbor with such a large bay space inside.
A large number of ships were docked along the shore. The entire shoreline of the port had been completely converted into docks and shipyards. Many shipyards even extended outwards, built directly on the sea.
“Let me see, we’ve been assigned to dock number thirty, over there. Let’s steer towards it,” Aniya said, looking at the iron token given to us. Then, all seven of our ships sailed together to the assigned dock.
This was a rather dilapidated dock, just large enough to accommodate our ships, but its maintenance capabilities were likely poor, and the facilities were incomplete.
But regardless, we had finally entered the port. After disembarking, we met the person in charge of dock number thirty, a man with a stubbled face, one eye covered with an eyepatch, and his left leg broken, necessitating the use of a cane for support.
“Heh heh, another greenhorn dreaming of becoming a pirate? I was a renowned pirate in my day, until I took an arrow to the knee,” he roared with laughter.
