Bilgewater

More than twenty days had passed since the day they set sail.

The captain of the ship was sitting by the rail, holding a fishing rod.

"Captain, here it is."

Jia Ruo emerged from the lower deck, carrying a barrel on his shoulder.

Thud!

He set it down on a small table beside the captain.

A small pot sat on the table, heating over fuel made from animal fat. Beside it were bottles and jars of seasoning, along with a few cups.

A sharp little knife was also nailed to the tabletop.

Pop~

Jia Ruo pulled the bung from the barrel and picked up a cup from the table.

Glug, glug, glug~

The white foam of the light beer quickly rose to the rim.

"Got one!"

At the same time, the captain sharply jerked his fishing rod, hauling up a foot-long sea fish.

"Heh heh, you're just in time, kid. Come share a little something with me."

The captain laughed, pulled the knife from the table, and swiftly gutted the fish, removing its innards and tossing them into the sea.

Then he dropped the cleaned fish into the pot, which was already boiling, sprinkled in some seasoning, and added a ladleful of fresh water.

"What're you standing around for? Pour yourself a cup, too."

Jia Ruo snapped out of it and poured himself a drink as well. He pulled over a crate and sat down opposite the captain.

The captain rinsed his hands with seawater from the barrel, then leaned back in his chair.

"Ah, look at that sunset. Every time I see it, I feel like I'm getting old."

He gazed out at the horizon as he spoke to Jia Ruo.

"Unlike you, you little punk. You've got the energy to bounce around all day."

Jia Ruo gave an awkward smile and clinked cups with the captain.

The captain liked the two young fellows. They were nothing like the sailors; they worked quickly and efficiently.

Unlike those old hands, who were always trying to shirk their duties.

And they even kept themselves clean. The two of them actually jumped into the sea to bathe every day?

Though the sea stink only got stronger when they washed with seawater.

Still, they were leagues better than the sailors, who only washed off the sweat and stink when the captain yelled at them in anger.

The older brother also looked after his younger brother, taking on a larger share of any task they were given.

The captain thought of the time, years ago, when he and his three brothers had all gone to sea together.

But now, only he and his disabled eldest brother remained.

His brother, who had lost his right arm, was at least grateful to still be alive. He was content to live as a small-time landowner in the countryside.

As for the captain, he still sailed the seas. The old ship beneath him had been with him for most of his life.

There was no place like a ship for peace and quiet.

He was used to life aboard.

Jia Ruo picked up the barrel and topped off the captain's beer.

Hey, the kid had some sense after all.

Holding a big wooden mug made of staves banded together like a barrel, Jia Ruo found it a little sticky. The beer stains in the cracks between the staves were hard to clean.

"Captain..."

Jia Ruo began, "Why are we sailing through the waters between Noxus and Bilgewater? Neither place seems particularly peaceful."

"What would you do, then, you little punk?" the captain asked with interest.

"If it were up to me, I'd go around the east side of Bilgewater."

Jia Ruo took a tentative sip. It wasn't very good—quite bitter.

"I wouldn't even go near Bilgewater. I hear it's a mess. What if something happens to the merchant ship?"

He added.

"Pirates, empires—what a load of crap. In the face of the Miasma, they're just a flock of lambs."

The captain cut off a large piece of fish with his little knife, then lifted it straight into his mouth.

"The Miasma isn't some old wives' tale meant to scare you into bed. When the dead crawl out of it and come right up to you, don't say I didn't warn you."

"Ptooey!"

The captain spat out a fish bone.

"They're not like me. They don't spit out bones."

Right, there were a bunch of powerful undead on the Shadow Isles. Jia Ruo shuddered.

They were definitely not to be trifled with. Keeping his distance was the wise thing to do.

"You can run from pirates and imperial warships. If you can't outrun them, you can negotiate. And if that doesn't work, you can play dirty. But the Miasma is different. The dead within it only want your life... I encountered it once before."

The captain narrowed his eyes, remembering how the undead had seized his eldest brother and how his brother had screamed for him to cut off his arm.

He lost interest.

The captain stood up. "Kid, clean up this mess for me."

With that, he took his fishing rod and went back to his cabin.

As soon as he left, several sailors who had been dozing against the rail wandered over.

Fresh water was a precious resource on a ship, and beer was even more so. The sailors were craving a drink.

Besides, the captain wasn't about to let his crew get dead drunk.

"Jia Ruo! Where's my beer?"

The captain bellowed, "I was just saying how sharp you were!"

Jia Ruo hurriedly carried the barrel and cup into the captain's cabin...

After cleaning up the things on the captain's small table, Jia Ruo returned to the room he shared with Neeko. It had originally belonged to the first mate, but he had never come back after taking an advance on his pay.

The captain couldn't be bothered to appoint another damned first mate. He was in charge of the ship anyway.

Now, he had specially allowed the two siblings to stay there.

"You're back~"

Neeko was already sprawled on the broken bed, looking over an old, worn map.

She pointed to the Sea of Conquerors on the map. "We're here."

Neeko's slender finger moved across the map and stopped at Ionia in the upper right.

"Where are they, then? Where could they be now? Do they have enough to eat?"

Neeko meant the members of the Wu Wei Clan.

"Get some sleep."

Jia Ruo patted Neeko's head and squeezed onto the bed.

They didn't have to cram into the sailors' bunkroom, but this room wasn't big.

Aside from a cabinet and the bed, there was barely room to stand.

Neeko wrapped her arms around Jia Ruo from behind. On this filthy, noisy ship, only Jia Ruo could make her feel familiar and safe.

Jia Ruo lay on his side but didn't fall asleep right away.

He continued to commune with the magical elements in his body, helping them grow stronger with each breath while also improving his physique.

This was a use for mana that he had recently figured out. The results were negligible, but it was better than nothing.

It also improved his control over the magical elements.

Early the next morning, when the sun had only half appeared, Jia Ruo was woken by the noise.

"Get up, you lazy bastards."

The first mate pounded on the walls of the cabin with a crowbar. "Bilgewater's just ahead. Get those damned cannons out for me!"

The captain was still fast asleep.

But his number-one lackey, the loyal first mate, had already started assigning tasks to the sailors.

"Take this!"

The first mate shoved the crowbar into Jia Ruo's hands.

"Get those cannonballs out and let them dry. It'll be a hell of a surprise if they're damp when we need them."

The other sailors strained to drag the heavy cannons out of the hold, securing each one in a round opening along the rail.

There was a knack to dealing with the people of Bilgewater.

The captain had long-standing ties with the local power brokers—in other words, whenever he went ashore to resupply, he dutifully paid protection money.

But they still had to put on a show. The people of Bilgewater were the best in the world at turning on you in an instant. If you didn't show some strength, they'd think you were an easy mark.

You know, in Bilgewater, schemes and betrayals were everyday fare.

The sailors cleaned the cannon barrels and oiled the insides.

Then they checked the flintlock pistols at their waists, making sure they wouldn't jam at a crucial moment.

That's right: cannons and flintlock pistols.

Even in the magic-rich world of Runeterra, people still used these crude firearms.

For low-ranking pirates and sailors, they were the quickest way to get armed: they didn't cost much, and they required no special talent.

At that moment, a stretch of land appeared on the distant horizon, coming into view before Jia Ruo's eyes.

That was the Blue Flame Isles, where Bilgewater was located.