A Little Surprise!

As summer gave way to autumn, the weather in Port Nyanzaru grew increasingly unpredictable.

A fishing boat loaded with seafood returned to the harbor. Dockworkers soon came over to unload it, carrying barrels of fresh fish ashore, where plenty of merchants were already waiting. As a coastal city, Port Nyanzaru had cheap seafood in abundant supply. Its wealthy residents rarely ate it; the fresh fish went mostly to poorer commoners and laborers who had moved there for work. Even slaves often got to eat fish.

The rich disliked the fishy smell, but even they could not afford the spices that would mask it.

Sometimes, those spices were worth their weight in gold.

"Old Jack!"

A portly merchant approached the fishing boat. After a quick look, he said, "Send me a batch of fish. Did you catch any sharks this time? If you did, I'll take one!"

Shark meat was the cheapest.

For some reason, only the lower class ate most parts of a shark. A few cuts were exceptions, but the rest fetched rock-bottom prices.

"We did!"

A bearded old man nodded and quickly told his crew to send one over. Many newcomers had arrived in Port Nyanzaru lately, driving up demand for all kinds of food. Fish remained cheap and sold so well that this was already their third trip out to sea that week. As the sailors worked, several of them threw their arms around one another and headed for a tavern, eager to enjoy their day off.

Old Jack called after them, then warned them in earnest, "No gambling!"

"Save some money and find yourselves wives. Lose it all, and you'll stay bachelors forever."

The sailors grinned and nodded. Old Jack was a good man. No one would have guessed that he had once been a bloodstained