Two hours earlier, Delai Port.
When a freighter sailed into the harbor with its lights on, it immediately caught the attention of Lieutenant Joseph, who was on duty at the port.
"Where did this freighter come from?"
He stood up and looked outside at the freighter approaching the docks, then shifted his gaze to check the schedule in his hand.
"The White Cloud Peak... it's three hours ahead of schedule?"
Lieutenant Joseph was surprised by the entry on his schedule, but the subordinate beside him was clearly used to this and offered a sarcastic remark.
"These sailors really will risk their lives for money. Who knows whether their boilers can take it?"
The others chuckled as well. They knew exactly what he meant. To ensure a steady supply of logistical resources from the rear, regulations stipulated that freighters delivering supplies would receive a reward if they reached the docks on time or ahead of schedule. Conversely, late arrivals would be penalized.
Of course, since traveling at full speed caused some wear and damage to a freighter's steam engine and other components, most freighters settled for arriving on time or a few dozen minutes early at most.
But the White Cloud Peak had arrived a full three hours ahead of schedule. Who knew whether its boilers had been pushed to their limits? They might even be on the verge of exploding.
Unfortunately, the White Cloud Peak had picked a bad time to arrive. As mentioned before, most freighters reached the port on schedule. Since Delai Port was not a deepwater port and had no docks capable of accommodating large freighters, the cargo vessels were all relatively small. Naturally, they made up for that with numbers.
For that very reason, Delai Port was currently packed with freighters, all busy loading and unloading