"Um... excuse me." Rhode greeted the three men.
The two captains barely reacted, but Nat Pagle stood and nodded to Rhode. "Hello, Mage Rhode."
"Oh? A mage, are you?" Captain Sander looked slightly surprised, but quickly regained his composure.
After all, a captain who traveled far and wide had seen much more than the average townsfolk.
"What can we do for you, Master Mage?" Captain Hans asked.
"Forgive me for intruding, but I overheard you talking about the docks..." Rhode said. "Would expanding Southshore's docks really turn a profit?"
Both captains nodded.
"Absolutely. Why do you think the goblins' Steamwheedle Cartel is so rich?" Captain Sander said. "Because they control all the best ports. Just look at Booty Bay. That place really is a treasure trove!"
Rhode understood what the captain meant. This "treasure trove" didn't mean there was literally treasure hidden there, but that flourishing trade had made the local economy prosperous.
If you wanted to get rich, build roads first. Apparently, that principle held true everywhere.
Except that in Azeroth, overland routes were often more dangerous, making sea transport particularly important.
"This place is actually in a great location," Captain Hans added. "Sail west, and you can reach the Kingdom of Gilneas directly. You can even follow the coast north to Lordaeron's capital. To the east lies Stromgarde. And that's not even counting the Wetlands to the south, or Stormwind City farther away."
"Unfortunately," Captain Sander shrugged, "the docks are just too small. If they could be expanded into a major port, all those sea routes could be opened up."
"Then goods could start circulating." Rhode nodded slightly. "Faster circulation of goods improves the balance between supply and demand, while production keeps growing with demand. More production inevitably means more jobs, which raises incomes across society. Higher incomes drive increased consumption, and then the economy can enter a cycle of healthy growth..."
As a long-suffering veteran of university life, he still knew this much basic economics.
Of course, the captains only seemed to half understand him.
"But we're far too short on labor here." Nat Pagle shook his head.
Rhode understood what he meant.
They had the will, but not the means.
With Southshore's current workforce, it was already an achievement to keep the farms and mines running. There simply wasn't any labor to spare.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have left Rhode to look after such a large farm all by himself.
"So it's all just talk." Captain Sander laughed. "It's been fun chatting with you. Would you like to come aboard our ships for a look around later? We won't be leaving until tomorrow."
"I'm in," Nat Pagle answered without hesitation. "I've been fishing all this time, but I've never tried fishing out at sea."
"I..."
Before Rhode could answer, Lilia's clear, childish voice rang out beside his ear. "We'll go too! Rhode, let's go too!"
"All right," Rhode said helplessly.
He always found it hard to refuse Lilia's requests.
Still, he actually did want to have a look out at sea himself.
Neither in his previous life nor this one had he ever truly ventured out onto the ocean and felt the embrace of the sea breeze.
"Great! Shall we head out in a bit? Haha..." Captain Sander gave another hearty laugh. "We happen to be picking up some seafood from the little island to the south later, so we can take you along for the ride."
Perhaps everyone who spent years drifting across the sea had that sort of personality. Straightforward and swift as the wind.
"Uh... let us finish eating first." Rhode looked toward the table where he had been sitting.
The food Lilia had ordered had already arrived.
A plump, golden-brown goose with lightly charred skin sat at one end of the table. At the other end, a portion of pan-fried Turtle Meat rested on a sheet of crinkled paper. The staple was sweet potato bread with soft caramel and crunchy nuts, and there was Dragonbreath Chili, strawberry juice... all in all, the assortment of food nearly covered the entire table.
Feeling the rather empty purse tied at his waist, Rhode turned to Lilia and threatened, "You're not leaving until you finish it all."
Lilia was brimming with confidence. "No problem."
Of course, they didn't finish it.
Even after Rhode invited the two captains and the fishing champion to share their feast, they still couldn't finish everything.
No matter. They packed up the leftovers.
They couldn't waste food.
And so, the five of them arrived at Southshore's docks, burping from their full stomachs, and boarded a small boat.
The boat carried them out of the docks and around a little bay, bringing two large ships anchored in the shallows into view.
Once Rhode boarded Captain Sander's ship with him, he saw busy sailors and workers hauling cargo all over the deck, along with a few people carrying muskets and bows.
Clearly, although sea routes were relatively safe, there was still a chance of encountering pirates and the like, so even a merchant ship like this had armed protection.
There were no cannons, of course. Those were probably reserved for proper naval vessels.
"They're getting ready to set sail," Captain Sander explained. "We'll be able to leave shortly. Only this ship is going. Hans's ship doesn't have any business over on the island."
Captain Hans had boarded his own ship and hadn't followed them over.
Rhode nodded.
They could just wait until the ship got underway.
Lilia was already bouncing excitedly around the deck, nearly bumping into the sailors moving back and forth.
Meanwhile, Nat Pagle stood at the railing, silently setting up his fishing rod, baiting the hook, and lowering his line.
This fellow really did fish anytime, anywhere!
And his fishing line certainly was long, if he could cast from a ship this high.
"May the Azure Dragon guide you to fish by the river all day when you have ten mana." Rhode moved over beside Nat Pagle, feeling an inexplicable urge to say those words.
"What did you say?" Sure enough, Nat Pagle looked rather confused.
But he didn't dwell on it. His attention was already entirely focused on his fishing rod.
He watched the line, muttering to himself.
"Let's see what kind of fish there are here..."
"Surely there can't be any Longjaw Mud Snapper. The sea's so deep..."
"Huh? A bite already?"
He flicked his rod up.
Rhode leaned in to look as well.
"Ah, just another Spotted Catfish." Nat Pagle shook his head.
He cast again.
"This one's not bad. A Blackmouth, of all things. You can use it to make Blackmouth Oil, but it doesn't taste very good..."
"..."
Nat Pagle was indeed an expert angler, reeling in fish after fish.
But he didn't seem satisfied. Perhaps it was because he hadn't caught anything big.
Suddenly, Nat Pagle's hands tightened, and his rod dipped sharply!
Rhode couldn't help growing tense as well.
With that much force, it had to be a big fish!
Nat Pagle raised the rod with both hands, applying steady pressure, presumably afraid of snapping the line.
Then, apparently sensing the pull at the other end of the line easing, Nat Pagle gave a hard tug.
Huh? It wouldn't budge?
Rhode hurried to help.
Mage Hand appeared, gripped the fishing rod, and pulled alongside him.
"One, two, three... up you come!"
"Ooh-wah-da-la-la-la-la-da-wah-ooh-wah-wah-wah..."
Before you continue