Secondary Profession: Sailor

On a seagoing vessel outside Tortuga Port, Liu Zhi, carrying a pack on his back, was working hard to control the sails. Behind him, a group of mercenaries dressed much like him watched him as though he were an idiot.

They had all been hired by the Governor of Tortuga Port to clear out the nearby Fishmen and safeguard the shipping lanes. Instead of resting properly on the way to the Fishmen's gathering grounds, Liu Zhi was helping the sailors control the sails. No one but him would do something like that.

But Liu Zhi, happily controlling the sails, paid no attention to what they thought. If he had not heard that the Fishmen being encircled this time included the Surging Tides Clan, he would never have waded into this mess.

After boarding the ship, Liu Zhi discovered that they were not heading straight for the Surging Tides Clan. Instead, they would patrol several of Tortuga Port's shipping routes back and forth, striking at the Fishmen clans that appeared nearby.

Although new Fishmen clans would appear on those elusive reefs again a few years later, the shipping lanes would be relatively safe during those years. There would be no more incidents of Fishmen clans actively attacking the Xise Silver Fleet.

Liu Zhi followed the fleet in wiping out two Fishmen clans. Through those two battles, he finally understood just how insignificant his individual strength was. This fleet was merely an escort fleet near Tortuga Port; neither its equipment nor its combat strength was considered the best.

Yet when they fought, they were far stronger than Liu Zhi, who had studied Fishmen for more than ten days.

Once these warships reached the outskirts of a Fishmen clan's gathering grounds, they did not waste any words. First came a barrage of cannon fire that swept the area clean, then large numbers of sailors formed battle formations and charged at the Fishmen.

The mercenaries who had come along to pick up easy rewards followed behind and played a supporting role. In one or two hours, an entire Fishmen clan would be wiped out.

Several times, Liu Zhi had thought that Tortuga Port had recruited mercenaries merely to flex its muscles—to make those mercenaries who would do anything for money behave themselves in Tortuga Port, and not think they could run wild there just because they had a little strength. The people at the Governor's Mansion could kill them in minutes if they wanted to.

But after speaking with the veteran mercenaries, Liu Zhi realized that they had not been recruited for the reason he had imagined. These battles were only the beginning. When the real fighting began, the sailors would not be the first to charge; these mercenaries would be sent in first, because they were hired cannon fodder.

The mercenaries who knew this all stayed on the deck, moving as little as possible to conserve their strength and survive the real battle.

That was precisely why they looked at Liu Zhi as if he were an idiot.

After all, the people of Tortuga Port would not let Liu Zhi charge a step later just because he had helped them control the sails.

But Liu Zhi had his own reasons for volunteering. As he carefully controlled the sails, he scanned the data for [Sailing Skill], quietly calculating in his mind.

At that moment, urgent bells rang out. A sailor in the crow's nest shouted, "The Surging Tides Clan is in sight! They've begun their counterattack!"

Hearing this, the mercenaries rose one after another, drew their weapons, and began loosening up as they made their final preparations before battle.

Liu Zhi, however, did not move. He gave one last hard pull, drawing the sail full.

An old mercenary saw this and could not help shaking his head. He walked over to Liu Zhi's side. "Don't waste your strength. We're about to engage."

Liu Zhi did not stop. He continued pulling hard on the sail. "Just one more time. Just one more gust."

The old mercenary was speechless and was about to say something when a gust of wind swept over. Liu Zhi excitedly stepped back and pulled the sail full again. Only then did he carefully furl it. Yet the excitement in his eyes was unmistakable.

The old mercenary wanted to ask him about it, but Liu Zhi waved him off. After securing the ropes and everything else, he finally retreated into the mercenary ranks.

Liu Zhi had no interest whatsoever in talking to the others. All his attention was fixed on the words that had appeared before him.

[Sailing Skill Level 4 (0+0/9000): Mastery of sail control, an essential skill for sailors. Can even sense the supernatural power of wind in the air. Strength +0.4, Spirit +0.2]

[Supernatural Ability: Strong Wind. Summon a strong wind at a designated location. The wind's strength is related to Spirit.]

[You have met the requirements for the Sailor Secondary Profession (Sailing Skill Level 4/1, Sailor's Basic Swordsmanship Level 4/1). Would you like to become a Sailor?]

Seeing these words, Liu Zhi finally smiled. In truth, he had received a notice that he met the requirements for the Sailor Secondary Profession as soon as he learned Sailing Skill. However, he had checked, and if he took the profession then, he would only become an Apprentice Sailor.

After reading the profession description, Liu Zhi knew what choice he needed to make. So he had forcibly delayed taking the Secondary Profession until now.

Sure enough, after choosing to become a Sailor, several more lines of text appeared before Liu Zhi.

[Successfully became a Sailor Secondary Profession. Based on your strength, you have been rated as a Transcendent Sailor (Apprentice, Ordinary, Elite, Transcendent), Level 1.]

[Sailor Attributes (per level): Strength +0.1, Agility +0.1, Constitution +0.1]

[Sailor Skill: Ship Handling. As a sailor, controlling a ship out at sea is an essential skill. However, the size of the ships that can be controlled differs according to the sailor's strength. Apprentices can control Small Boats; ordinary sailors can operate one-person sailboats; elite sailors can operate small sailboats requiring two people; Transcendent Sailors can operate small sailboats requiring three people.]

[Supernatural Skill: My Ship. As a sailor, cherish your Ships as you would cherish your own body. After controlling a small ship for a sufficient number of years, the ship will become supernatural and gain supernatural effects suited to its Transcendent Sailor.]

"This is exactly what I wanted." Liu Zhi snapped his fingers. Never mind what would be required for the later ranks of Chief Sailor, first mate, and captain; the fact that a Sailor could control a ship and put to sea was already more than enough to justify Liu Zhi's investment over the past few days.

What he wanted was a way to leave whenever he wished. After all, in this Age of Exploration, being trapped in a harbor was an exceedingly unpleasant thing.

Now that he had this Secondary Profession, all he needed was to get himself a small boat, and he could head out to sea whenever and wherever he wanted. He would not have to be like before, forced to let others bring him back to Tortuga Port even after he had already made it halfway there.

With that little thrill in his heart, Liu Zhi loosened his grip on his blade. At that moment, the Surging Tides Clan's Fishmen had already rushed out across the sea. They formed a vast black mass, making gurgling and bubbling sounds as they rode the waves, brandishing tridents and spiked clubs while charging toward the warships.