Zoe thought carefully for a while, but all she felt was a creeping unease.
"You mean Blood Port is even more dangerous than pirates?"
"We'll know soon enough, Miss Zoe." Erwin said no more, turning to direct the Faithguard Army as they took up firing positions.
Before long, the ship from Blood Port sailed close. Even Zoe sensed that something was wrong—it was not one ship, but two.
The two vessels sailed one behind the other, deliberately lined up in a straight line. Zoe's group could only see the one in front, and only realized there were two ships once they drew near.
Why hide the existence of the other ship?
Zoe's heart rose into her throat.
As they approached, the ships opposite slowed somewhat. Castel's vessel had clearly taken them by surprise.
First, it had no masts. Paddle steamers did exist in this era, but they were rare.
Second, there were simply too many people aboard.
Cargo ships generally did not carry many passengers, and Castel's paddle steamer did not look like a passenger vessel at all. After hesitating for a moment, the other side sent someone to the bow and began waving flags.
"Mr. Erwin, what do they mean?"
"I don't know either."
"Huh?"
"I've only been here a few times. I'm not a sailor." Erwin shrugged.
Castel was simply too remote. It did not even have a proper port. The most the islanders ever came into contact with were fishing boats. Even pirates usually recruited in Gem Bay instead. Though some islanders occasionally became sailors, most of them went elsewhere.
The previous batch of sailors had also set sail with Jeremiah aboard the Black Pearl.
Among those heading to Blood Port this time, there was not a single sailor. It would have been fine if Jeremiah had