Set Sail!

"Congratulations to the North Pole for finding another new crew member! Cheers!"

In the dim light of the Walnut Bar, a captain picked up his whiskey, but there was an inexplicable sense of mockery in his tone.

The sailors burst into laughter. "Old John is getting old, and the rest of the crew on the North Pole are all new. Surely they can't even throw the grappling hook properly?"

Zhang Jian looked at the sailors and whispered to Qing Chen, "Let's talk somewhere else. We can discuss your salary and what you'll be doing here."

"Okay," Qing Chen nodded with a smile.

However, just as the two were about to leave, a captain named Craig stood up and said, "Wait, sir... Qing, my Alps also needs crew. Why don't you join us? You'll definitely earn more than you did on the North Pole."

The sailors were taken aback.

The Alps were the crab-catching champion last year, and they are very strict in selecting crew members, generally not using new crew members.

On deck, all the sailors shared the risks and faced waves that could be as high as nine meters or even higher.

Everyone hopes to have an experienced veteran by their side when facing danger, as this would increase their chances of survival.

You should know that this is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world...

In order to suppress Zhang Jian and obtain his quota, Craig chose to poach his crew, which was not a wise move, because the Alps was already full, and Qing Chen was still a novice.

But Craig didn't say much. He looked at Qing Chen and said, "All you need to do is know how to cook, Alps will reserve a place for you."

Everyone understood that Craig wanted to spend money to prevent Zhang Jian from gathering a crew and thus making it impossible for him to set sail.

If Zhang Jian sells the quota, then even if Craig has to support one more person, he'll still make a profit.

Qing Chen just smiled and said, "No need, I prefer adventurous things."

Seeing that Qing Chen had made his decision, Craig stopped talking. He then turned to Zhang Jian and asked, "Are you sure you want to use this young man? Do you think he has the strength to pull the crab traps on the deck?"

Zhang Jian hesitated for a moment. "You don't need to worry about that."

Qing Chen said with a smile, "I'm very strong."

After saying that, he turned and left the Walnut Bar.

Zhang Jian hurriedly followed.

In the cold wind, Zhang Jian asked with a hint of excitement, "How old are you this year?"

Qing Chen smiled and said, "17 years old."

Zhang Jian was taken aback. "So small?"

Adult males typically don't fully develop their physical strength until around age 24. At 17, it's not a matter of age, but rather that their energy and stamina may not be able to keep up with the pace of the crab fishing boats.

However... Zhang Jian couldn't find fault with him. He instructed, "There are five crew members on our ship, including you: me, Old John, Nedup, George, and you. Once on board, listen to Old John's instructions carefully; he will take good care of you... I hope you can hold on."

Qing Chen changed the subject, asking curiously, "Are you Chinese? Can you speak Chinese?"

"I can speak it, but not fluently," Zhang Jian continued in English. "My grandfather came to Europe to settle in the 1940s and worked in the fishing industry. It wasn't until my father's generation that they had their own fishing boat and worked hard to get a license to catch king crabs, but it may be lost in my hands."

"Don't worry," Qing Chen smiled, "I'll try my best not to hold everyone back."

Zhang Jian asked, "By the way, which ships have you worked on before? Cruise ships?"

Cruise ships typically hire sailors like Qing Chen as waiters, but strictly speaking, such waiters are not considered sailors.

Qing Chen explained earnestly, "Actually, the crab-catching trip that followed was my first time going out to sea."

Zhang Jian stared at Qing Chen with his mouth agape on the dimly lit street outside the harbor. "What? Your first time at sea?! You're not kidding me, are you? Do you know how big the waves are in the Barents Sea? I've seen waves several stories high when a hurricane hits at 50 knots! You probably don't even know if you get seasick. If you do, there's really no one on board to take care of you."

Qing Chen thought for a moment and said, "Don't worry, I won't get seasick."

At one point, Zhang Jian suddenly noticed that when he mentioned the rough Barents Sea, the new crew member's eyes lit up as if he were looking forward to it.

It's like saying: Really? That's great!

Zhang Jian said earnestly, "Qing Chen, it's not that I look down on you for not having sailor experience, but I have to be responsible for your life. To be honest, I really wanted to bring you on board to make up the numbers, but you would die at sea. You have no idea what we're about to face!"

"So?" Qing Chen asked.

"So I can't take you out to sea. You should go back," Zhang Jian said. "This place isn't suitable for you."

"What if I only want a base salary and don't want a share?" Qing Chen asked with a smile. "Although I've never been to sea, I have a strong learning ability and I'm willing to work. You should know how hardworking our Chinese compatriots are."

Zhang Jian was tempted...

The basic salary for crew members is very low, at least it can't compare to the profit-sharing.

When going to sea, the biggest costs are the boat, fuel, and people. If Qing Chen only asks for a base salary, then he is no different from picking up free labor.

Qing Chen added, "If I board the ship, I can do some work. But if you don't let me board, you won't be able to gather enough crew members. You might not even have the standard four crew members on deck."

On the deck, someone operates the crane, two people pull up the crab traps, and others sort the king crabs and put them into the cargo hold.

If you can't gather all four people, then there's really no point in going out to sea.

Zhang Jian fell silent. He might not be able to find any other crew members, but he had Qing Chen here, and he shouldn't give up.

After all, with Qing Chen included, their manpower was already very tight, and they didn't even have time to rest.

However, Zhang Jian still said seriously, "No, although I am very tempted, I still can't take you out to sea for an adventure. You don't know what you will face, but I know that long-term exhaustion will make you die at sea."

Qing Chen thought for a moment, "What if I could hire another crew member, and we both only get the base salary?"

Zhang Jian paused for a moment, then said, "This... seems like it could work."

The next second, Qing Chen took out his phone and dialed. "Come quick, come quick, let's get on the boat together."

Zhang Jian stood there stunned for a long time. More than ten minutes later, a girl wearing a thin sweatshirt and a hoodie walked over with a small bag on her back.

Qing Chen said with a smile, "Let me introduce you. This is my friend Yang Yang. She's also willing to come along to catch king crabs."

In fact, when Qing Chen decided to come overseas to complete his third Life and Death Trial, he had already planned to have Yang Yang as his protector.

The dangers faced by knights come not only from nature, but also from the human heart.

Qing Chen knew he was being watched, so it wouldn't be unreasonable for him to seek a protector at this point.

You should know that his senior brother Chen Jiazhang was deliberately sabotaged during a certain challenge, which forced Chen Jiazhang to reverse his Reverse Breathing Technique and cut off his path to becoming a demigod.

Yang Yang arrived at Schiphol Airport a day early, and even the black plastic bag in the toilet that helped Qing Chen disguise his escape was one she had hidden there beforehand.

Before she left, Qing Chen specifically reminded her to take a plane and not to walk if she could use public transportation, otherwise it might cause her to miss a lot of things.

Fortunately, Yang Yang did as instructed.

Zhang Jian was stunned. Could such a thin and frail girl really be a sailor?

Qing Chen, a high school dropout, and a thin girl, how did the North Pole end up in this state?

Zhang Jian asked, "You two aren't international students here to experience life, are you? You don't have work visas either."

Yang Yang laughed and said, "Does that matter? If we only take the basic salary, we can just be tourists on the crab fishing boat."

"But you two..."

Yang Yang said earnestly, "I'm a runner-up in a sailing competition and I've sailed across the Indian Ocean solo, so I'm a bit better than Qing Chen next to me. I know what I'll encounter in the Barents Sea, so don't worry."

Qing Chen turned to look at the girl in surprise. Why was she starting to put her down?

However, the girl seemed to be in a very good mood. After a long time traveling through time, she was looking forward to a trip, and she readily agreed after receiving Qing Chen's call.

Zhang Jian silently observed the young couple in front of him, feeling that his crab-catching season this year was full of absurdity.

He thought for a long time before finally saying, "Okay, the first voyage will take about 7 days. If you two can't stand the hardships on the ship, you can leave when you return to port for the first time."

The crab fishing season typically lasts 15 days, and at most it will not exceed one month.

Crab fishing boats will go out to sea several times, and they usually return to port when the cargo holds are full.

The North Pole's quota was 300,000 pounds, while North Pole cargo hold capacity was 150,000 pounds. So it returned to port to unload cargo, replenish fuel and fresh water, and then set sail again.

However, last year the North Pole had a very small catch, with only 70,000 pounds of king crabs caught in two trips, just enough to cover the cost of fuel.

This year, Zhang Jian spent another 400,000 euros to repair the ship. After his father passed away, there is also a large inheritance tax to pay. He even rented 180 crab cages for 15 days, which must be returned on the due date.

Therefore, Zhang Jian had no way out.

He has to take a gamble this time.

This is also why other captains squeezed him out and tried to take away his quota.

Qing Chen looked at Zhang Jian: "By the way, where are the other crew members?"

During the two days of waiting for the sea to open, news spread from who-knows-where that the North Pole had hired a high school dropout and a female crew member for this voyage.

The sailors in the port were all smiles. Who would use a female crew member to catch king crabs?

The work on crab fishing boats is too strenuous and brutal; few women can endure it.

In the bar, many people started betting on how many king crabs the North Pole would catch this year.

Some say it's the same as last year, 70,000 pounds.

Some say it might be less than 50,000 pounds.

Everyone thought that Zhang Jian might not even be able to recoup his fuel costs this year, and he wouldn't be able to afford the rent for the crab traps.

The fact that Zhang Jian dared to recruit a 17-year-old boy and girl as crew members shows that he was truly desperate.

It seems that Zhang Jian will have no choice but to file for personal bankruptcy when this crab-catching season ends.

From beginning to end, no one thought that Qing Chen and Yang Yang could be of any help on the ship.

Just one day before the fishing season was about to open, a Turkish Airlines Boeing plane landed at Schiphol Airport.

He Jinqiu was in first class, stood up and stretched.

The flight attendant said warmly, "Hello Mr. He, please take the shuttle bus provided for first-class passengers at the airport to leave."

He Jinqiu walked out, took two steps and then stopped, smiling as she said to the flight attendant, "By the way, I have a friend in economy class, he'll be taking the shuttle bus with me."

As they were talking, Zheng Yuandong, dressed in a Zhongshan suit, came out from the back of the cabin. He was wearing gloves, which completely covered his mechanical limbs.

As the leader of Kunlun, he naturally didn't need to worry about security checks when going abroad.

Amsterdam hasn't issued any special rules for Time Walker' entry and exit; everyone is free to come and go. Even He Jinqiu, the leader of Jiuzhou who loves to cause trouble overseas, hasn't been restricted from entering...

This is one of the few European countries that hasn't imposed entry restrictions on He Jinqiu...

He Jinqiu stepped off the plane, he said enthusiastically, "Old squad leader, I really didn't expect to run into you on this plane. Don't worry, I won't mind you getting involved in overseas affairs. If Jiuzhou and Kunlun can merge, you can get involved however you want."

Zheng Yuandong gave He Jinqiu a cold look. "Bad luck."

He Jinqiu wasn't angry. He continued with a smile, "Old Squad Leader, you're here for Qing Chen too, right? You must have heard that people from Kashima and Kamishiro suddenly entered Amsterdam, Netherlands, so you know he's in danger. But, since we're here together, it's their bad luck. This time, we'll teach 'Future' in North America and Kashima and Kamishiro a lesson, and show them what it means to uphold our national prestige."

Zheng Yuandong glanced at He Jinqiu and said, "I'm not very interested in stirring up trouble, it's just that there's someone I want to kill."

He Jinqiu laughed, "Is it that guy who's good at creating illusions? Found him? So, he's caused trouble in China, Boss Zheng is willing to hunt him down even overseas. That sounds pretty impressive. Don't worry, if we join forces, he's doomed. You're surnamed Zheng, and I'm surnamed He, so together we'll be called Zheng He's Voyages to the West. Back when Zheng He sailed the West, he really did..."

Zheng Yuandong glanced at He Jinqiu: "Can't you be a little more cultured? Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean took him through the Indian Ocean, not here."

He Jinqiu laughed and said, "I was talking about the Atlantic Ocean, so there's nothing wrong with that."

Zheng Yuandong looked at He Jinqiu: "Where is Qing Chen now?"

"Have no idea."

"Have no idea?!"

He Jinqiu sat on the shuttle bus, somewhat displeased. "My Jiuzhou only has three offices in Europe. With so many people in Europe, how can I possibly keep an eye on him? Don't even mention me, even Kamishiro and Kashima can't find him. You don't know, so many people have been looking for him these past few days, but he hasn't checked into any hotels or made any credit card transactions."

"We've searched every public place he might have gone to. People are watching him at tourist attractions and famous restaurants, but he's just vanished into thin air."

Finding someone can be easy at times, but also difficult at others.

Generally, people first look for clues, such as where UnionPay cards were used, or places the other party might go.

But at this critical juncture, Qing Chen did not go to any of the places everyone had guessed.

It makes you wonder, what on earth is this guy doing here?!

They never imagined that Qing Chen had worked so hard, spending 27,000 yuan in first class to come here, only to work!

And it's on one of the most dangerous crab fishing boats in the world!

Who goes to work during serious Time Walker?!

He Jinqiu said, "Now, we can only wait for him to appear. If he doesn't appear, no one will make a move."

At this moment, Qing Chen, whom the whole world was searching for, had just arrived at the port where the North Pole was docked. He looked up at the North Pole's newly painted surface and thought the blue and white ship looked quite nice.

The upper half of the North Pole ship is white, and the lower half is dark blue, making it look like it's wearing a naval uniform.

However, when Qing Chen boarded the ship, he noticed that the handrails on the ship were in a bad state.

Only by looking at the details of the North Pole can one realize that it was actually a crab fishing boat struggling to survive.

When Zhang Jian saw the two of them, his expression was complicated. "Are you really going to sea?"

Qing Chen laughed and said, "We're not the type to joke around. By the way, where are the other crew members?"

Zhang Jian's expression darkened further. "Nedup is tying crab traps on the ship, Old John just finished drinking and fell asleep in the cabin, George... called at the last minute to say he's not coming. I heard he's on Craig's Alps right now."

"Huh? Is it possible to not come at the last minute? The crab fishing season starts today, what if we're short one person?" Qing Chen asked.

In fact, Qing Chen was more worried about how he would get to the Barents Sea if the ship could not set sail smoothly.

At one point, the boy even considered calling Boss He Jinqiu directly to call for reinforcements. He knew there must be experts in Jiuzhou here. He had helped out when he fought against Shindai and Kashima in Luocheng before, so it wouldn't be unreasonable to bring them over to make up the numbers, right?

However, if they were to bring in Boss He directly, their North Pole expedition wouldn't look like crabbing anymore, but rather like whaling or murder...

After much hesitation, Zhang Jian finally called Craig of the Alps: "I want to sell my quota."

But then Craig laughed arrogantly, "If you want to sell now, I'll take it at half price..."

Before he could say anything more, Zhang Jian hung up the phone with a livid face.

Zhang Jian looked at Qing Chen and said, "There's no other way now. Even if George doesn't come, we still have to go out to sea and try. Of course, if you feel you're short-handed, you can withdraw now... But if you're willing to stay, I'm willing to break the previous contract and give you some profit sharing!"

"It's alright," Qing Chen said with a smile. "There's an old Chinese saying, 'Since you're here, make the best of it.' Let's go!"

As long as he can reach the Barents Sea smoothly, Qing Chen doesn't care how many king crabs he can catch.

Qing Chen, carrying a long, rectangular backpack, climbed onto the deck. He noticed a string of silver crosses hanging at the bow and asked, "What's that?"

Zhang Jian explained, "Mascots. Every captain prepares many mascots to ensure our safety in the Barents Sea... What's in the bag you're carrying on your back?"

Qing Chen grinned and said, "This? This is my mascot."

Zhang Jian: "..."

Sailors' mascots are all kinds of strange and wonderful. Some wear necklaces given by their families, while others wear dolls. But Qing Chen's mascot is clearly the biggest among all the sailors.

Dude, there's clearly a surfboard in that bag!

Zhang Jian found it strange. Could this boy be planning to surf in the Barents Sea?

Once aboard, Old John swayed as he emerged from the cabin and said to Zhang Jian, "This voyage is because your father saved my life years ago. Remember, don't come looking for me next year. I can't even find a proper crew member. Why are you so determined to conquer the Barents Sea? It belongs to the strong."

Zhang Jian was a little embarrassed. He didn't say anything and walked into the cockpit, slowly steering the North Pole away from the port.

Just as they were about to leave port, the Alps sped past the North Pole. Seven sailors Qing Chen North Pole Yang Yang.

Qing Chen stood on the deck and looked at Yang Yang: "That's terrible."

Yang Yang said with a smile, "It really is quite tragic."

Just then, Yang Yang's phone rang. She answered, "Hello, I can't go back right now, I'm abroad."

A loud voice came from the other end of the phone, asking in surprise, "Wait a minute, when did you run over there? Why didn't you tell your best friend?"

"I'm in Amsterdam now, we'll talk about it when I get back," Yang Yang said.

"What are you going to Amsterdam for?" Yang Yang's best friend asked.

Yang Yang thought for a moment and said with a smile, "For our honeymoon."

Yang Yang's best friend. "???"

Qing Chen: "???"

Sure enough, Yang Yang is still the same Yang Yang who can drive at will...

The North Pole will sail into the open sea and embark on a 20-hour journey to reach the crab fishing area in the Barents Sea.

On the way, Old John never let go of his cigarette; nicotine was the most needed thing for the crew members who were working under high intensity.

It is said that many sailors did not die in shipwrecks, but from lung cancer.

After the boat set sail, Old John didn't drink a drop of alcohol. He looked at Qing Chen, Yang Yang, and young Nedup with a clear mind. "According to the old custom, we have to bite the cod head after the boat sets sail. Qing, you bite it."

Cod is used as bait for crabbing; the dead fish smell incredibly foul, making one feel that life is hard just by smelling them.

Crab fishermen will cut them open and put them in crab traps, then sink them to the seabed and wait for the king crabs to crawl into the traps on their own.

Qing Chen asked curiously, "Why are you biting the cod head?"

"It's a tradition among crab fishermen," Old John said slowly. "Only by biting the cod's head when setting sail can you have a good catch. That's what king crabs eat. Biting the cod's head means we're part of nature and it reminds the crew to be in awe of it."

"I see," Qing Chen said without hesitation, grabbing a cod and taking a bite.

In an instant, a fishy, foul smell filled his mouth.

Old John was a little surprised that the Asian boy didn't even flinch.

Actually, the tradition among crab fishermen is that the sailors draw lots to decide who gets to bite the crabs. Old John just wanted to make things difficult for this reckless young man, but he didn't expect that the other party didn't care about such things at all.

It was only then that he noticed a problem: the crab boat was rocking on the waves, but the Asian boy and girl stood on the boat as if their feet were nailed to the deck, and their bodies did not sway at all.

Old John muttered to himself, "Maybe I drank fake alcohol."

The chapter is 6,000 words long. 13,000 words have been updated today. I'll catch up on what I owe and finish the rest tomorrow.

Thank you to IPO for becoming Silver Alliance of this book; the boss is very generous.

Thanks to Jiazi, Aiai's Big Cute Sisi, WayneW, Jue Lian Fan Jian, Da Di Hu Bao Zhe_Gaia, Duan Duan Chen Feng, and Qiu Wu for becoming new allies of this book.

I hope all bosses have easy jobs, unlike me who's so tired...