Sea Spring Port.
The docks were crowded with cargo ships and fishing boats.
Some were old-fashioned sailing ships, while others were already clad in steel, their enormous steam chimneys constantly belching black smoke.
The wails of steam whistles, the chants of the dock laborers, and the hawkers' cries all mingled together, forming a lively, clamorous scene.
Fourth Elder Qi was the port's customs officer. He was fat and greasy, with a shiny bald head. At that moment, he spotted another old-fashioned sailing ship approaching across the sea and couldn't help but perk up.
The Sea Profound slowly came to a stop by the shore, and a young man in a short shirt with a crew cut stepped off.
"Who's the shipowner? Come over and declare your taxes!"
Fourth Elder Qi rubbed his fingers together. "There's also a mooring fee. Going by your ship's tonnage, it's one dollar per ton per day. Any fraction of a day counts as a full day..."
"Ship? What ship?"
Zhong Shenxiu gave a suave wave behind him.
He had more or less freeloaded his way into becoming a shipowner, having the Sea Profound ferry him back to the mainland before slipping away.
Now that he was standing on solid ground, with none of the ocean's swaying beneath him, he inexplicably felt much more at ease.
"A ship that big, and you think I'm blind?"
Fourth Elder Qi almost cursed aloud. He pointed toward where the Sea Profound had been, then suddenly froze.
The berth was empty. Where was the ship?
Click, click!
Click, click!
His teeth suddenly began to chatter. He looked up at the sky again. The sun hung high overhead, yet that ship was truly gone...
The Ghost Ship?
A tale from the West suddenly surfaced in Fourth Elder Qi's mind, and his