6 The Black Sparrow's Voyage (Complete, Double Chapter, 8

That night at 10:46, the Black Sparrow set sail.

It departed from the second port of Trade Station A-310-7, taking the fastest route and passing through two resupply points. If nothing went wrong along the way, the Black Sparrow would reach Nuceria in no more than a week.

This was not Rohl's first time traveling this route, but it was certainly the strangest—under normal circumstances, he would never still be on the bridge at this hour.

He stood distractedly amid the hanging cables and star charts, head lowered and brows tightly furrowed. He looked as though he were deep in thought about the voyage, so the sailors wisely chose not to disturb him.

Another hour passed before the Black Sparrow officially entered the vast sea of stars, and it was only then that Rohl turned and left.

He hurried along the corridors, quickly making his way from the bridge to his room.

Those unfamiliar with short-haul freight shipping might have assumed that, as captain, he could use his privileges to secure a luxurious room for himself. The reality was nothing of the sort. Compared with the others, Rohl's room merely had a few more books. It was not even particularly large.

This was a trait shared by freight ship owners—they were often reluctant to spend money on themselves, always wanting to save it for upgrading their ships or greasing the right palms.

Of course, Rohl was an exception. Though he did not spend money on himself, he did not spend it on the Black Sparrow or so-called connections either.

He slammed the door shut and, as though he could barely breathe, tore open every button on his blue coat in one breath. He took it off and threw it to the floor, only to return after taking a few steps,