Iron Powder and Spellcaster

After being loaded with sugar and tobacco in Taneria, the Skua was cutting through the waves and sailing towards Veneta. Her bow stirred up a huge splash, and the waves parted to both sides of the ship, leaving a faint trace at the stern. It seems like this lone ship is the only one left in the world

The entire hull of the Skua is swaying from side to side with the rhythm of the sea, and the higher it is, the greater the swaying. At the top of the mast, the swing exceeds the width of the ship.

Winters raised his head and watched the sailor who had begged him for a drink a few days ago climbed up the mast on the sail rope. The sailor had no protection on his body, but he was as agile and free as an ape. He climbed to the top of the yard in a few clicks. at.

"It seems that I don't have the talent to work on a ship. I can't do this job." Andre said with fear as he looked at the sailors working at high altitudes.

"I don't have the ability either." Winters looked at the sailor's hands and feet going numb after climbing so high: "What are you going up here for?"

"Tie up all the sails. We will go into the wind for the rest of the voyage, using only the jib and jib sail." The first mate of the Skua enthusiastically gave Andre and Winters some knowledge of navigation.

Because Senas Bay is embraced by land on the west and sheltered by the Taney Islands on the east, it is docile and usually does not have strong winds or waves.

The terrain of the entire Union is higher in the west and lower in the east. The rivers flowing down from the highlands in the west enter the sea, forming many flat and fertile estuary deltas along the coastline. Guitu City and Hailan City are both located on typical alluvial plains.

Therefore, the draft of ships sailing in this sea area is generally not deep in order to be able to sail into shallow seas and estuaries.

The Skua is neither an ocean-going vessel nor an offshore vessel. She is a "hybrid" species and adopts whatever design is useful for her own use. It is a typical pragmatic product.

Although the Skua has a shallow and flat bottom like an offshore ship, it has a keel that can withstand wind and waves. In order to pursue speed, the Skua installed three masts on the small ship, and greedily equipped it with both square sails and triangular sails.

"Going into the wind means we have to go against the wind?" While there was a navigation expert nearby, Winters happened to have a question he had been wanting to ask.

"We don't talk about headwind or tailwind on the ship. We call this situation facing the wind. Next, we have to go into the wind." The first mate reminded the language taboo on the ship.

"Okay, into the wind. But I don't understand why the ship can go into the wind?" This question puzzled Winters.

"Actually, it's very simple." The first mate gestured to Winters: "Put the ship diagonally toward the wind, turn the sails diagonally toward the wind, and the ship will move forward diagonally."

"Then why can you move forward by tilting the ship and its sails toward the wind?" This is the question Winters really wants to know.

"Uh..." This question really stopped the first mate: "Um...I don't know about this either. I just know that this way you can walk diagonally into the wind, but I really don't know why, and I haven't thought about it. Pass."

"It seems that you are also a spell caster." Winters said with a smile: "You can also use a power that you can't explain."

The few passengers who took the ship from Guitu City to Hailan City were also taking a breath on the deck, standing behind Winters. After hearing what Winters said, one of the men secretly looked Winters up and down.

"What is a spell caster?"

"That's the magician."

"Haha, if I were a magician, I would conjure up more gold for myself than I can spend in my lifetime."

"If you could just conjure gold, gold wouldn't be worth anything."

A rapid bell interrupted the chat between the two people, and the lookout at the top of the mast loudly announced, "Forty degrees to port! Sail! Forty degrees to port! Sail!"

The first mate heard the ship on the port side and ran to the forecastle, and Winters followed.

"I didn't see anything." Winters squinted and saw only the sea and the sky.

"When the lookout on the mast can see the other side's mast, we can't see anything from this position. We can't see the other side's mast until the lookout can see the hull." The first mate added: "Look It’s a good thing if we don’t arrive, it means that the other party has also gone around us.”

The captain of the Skua also rushed to the forecastle at this time. The captain was a rich middle-aged man. It is rare for a man at sea to have such a chubby face.

"Forty degrees to port, the lookout saw the sail." The first mate briefly reported the situation.

"The other side has occupied the upper wind." The fat captain did not hesitate at all and immediately ordered the helmsman: "Turn to the wind! Adjust the fore and aft sail!"

The helmsman immediately turned the rudder to the right, and the Skua's hull began to tilt to the left, and the hull made a creaking sound of wood under pressure. A curved track was left on the water, and the Skua turned downwind.

"Let's give up a little position first, then return to the original course and keep a little distance from each other." The fat captain respected these army officers. Seeing that Winters and Andre were confused, he explained casually: " If the other party doesn't have malicious intentions, they will be worried about our intentions and keep their distance from us."

These words made both Winters and Andre look at him with suspicion.

"Malicious? Is it possible that there are still pirates on the inland sea?" Andre felt unbelievable. Senas Bay can be said to be the bathtub, fish pond, and back garden of the alliance, commonly known as the "inland sea". Could it be that such a place would also Are there pirates?

"It's not necessarily pirates, after all, this is a very busy route." The fat captain's tone sounded quite relaxed: "But there are pirates at all times, and because of the prosperity of shipping in the inland sea, there are many pirates. "

He chuckled: "Besides, wasn't the Alliance Navy originally a group of pirates? If you help me rob other people's ships, the Skua will also be a pirate ship."

"Are small boats like the Skua being robbed?"

"The Skua is not a small ship. Smaller ships are robbed, and pirates rob light ships. Big ships have more sailors, making it easier for pirates to attack, but they are safer."

"But there must be navy warships patrolling the inland sea, right?"

"There are not many pure warships in the navy. They are all nominal merchant ships like the Skua. Shipbuilding must make money back!" The fat captain began to tell Winters and Andre about business experience: "A ship can only make money back." The cost of shipbuilding is not considered a loss for the shipowner, it must be the net profit after deducting wages and maintenance. The money after the cost is recovered is the real money earned by the shipowner. Building a warship that does not transport cargo is a pure investment, and iron It’s the same money-losing business.”

"Won't the navy suppress pirates?" In Winters' view, if there are bandits, won't the suppression be over? The Army's standing army is not large, but it does not delay the Army's crackdown on organized robbery gangs.

"There are weapons on merchant ships. Armed merchant ships with evil thoughts are pirates. Those who run ships honestly are merchants. They can't be wiped out cleanly." The fat captain liked these fledgling young men very much and took the trouble to explain: "If you want to completely eliminate pirates, you must start with the sale of stolen goods." , the alliance can’t control it.”

"The Alliance still lets the pirates sell their stolen goods at home?" The news is really more exciting than the last.

"It's not in the alliance, it's in Tanilia. When pirates steal something, they sell it in Tanilia. This is already a very mature process." The fat captain showed a meaningful smile: "My cargo There might be stolen goods inside, who knows? Only pirates have cheap supplies, right?

"Then... what if you are robbed?" The fat captain's concept of mutual benefit and symbiosis with the pirates made Winters and Andre dumbfounded.

The fat captain replied calmly: "As long as you don't get robbed, don't worry too much. It's not that easy to meet pirates."

"Dang! Dang! Dang!" The lookout sounded the alarming bell again and announced at the top of his lungs: "Stern direction! Hull!"

Everyone on the deck quickly rushed to the stern of the ship again. This time, they saw the sail.