Swaying and rocking, the passenger ship made its way through the Storm and approached the lighthouse.
A small port then came into view through the gloomy rain, appearing before the captain, Sailor, and passengers.
Not long after, a man in his thirties, wearing a blue uniform, holding a black umbrella, and carrying a glass lantern, appeared on the dock and directed the passenger ship to dock with somewhat clumsy movements.
"Hey guys, where are you from?" the man shouted as he watched the gangway being lowered.
His voice, though mostly swallowed by the wind and rain, successfully reached inside the passenger ship and into Alfred's ears.
"Do you know where this is?" Alfred asked cautiously, glancing at his adjutant and entourage.
He wasn't wearing a general's uniform, but rather a black trench coat commonly seen in Backlund, his brilliant blond hair hanging down casually, and his azure eyes like a deep lake in the forest.
The adjutant, whose hair was neatly combed back, first shook his head, indicating that he did not know, and then explained:
"The previous Storm disoriented me."
At this moment, the captain, holding an umbrella, came to the ship's side and responded to the man:
"We set off from East Balam two days ago and unfortunately encountered a Storm."
Which port is this?
The man's eyes darted around, but he didn't answer directly. Instead, he raised his voice and said:
"Wait a minute."
He then turned around, holding an umbrella and a lantern, and ran towards the buildings near the dock.
This reaction was somewhat unexpected for Alfred and the other passengers, but it wasn't surprising to the experienced captain, first mate, and others. They had encountered too many unusual events in the ports along the Raging Sea. This made them quite patient as they waited for further developments.
About five or six minutes later, the man led a young woman over at a brisk pace.
The woman was not using an umbrella; she was wearing a hooded raincoat smeared with sap from the Doningsman Tree.
After approaching the passenger ship, the two men, under the watchful eyes of the armed Sailor, made their way up the gangway to the deck.
At this distance, most passengers were able to clearly see what the two people looked like.
The man had brown hair and brown eyes, and rough skin, clearly a person from the lower class who had suffered greatly from the hardships of life. The woman was in her early twenties, with lake-green eyes and long flaxen hair, a few strands of which were wet and fell across her face, giving her a sense of both innocence and allure.
She is a stunningly beautiful woman with a wild and untamed spirit.
"Gentlemen, this is Utopia Port," the man introduced somewhat impatiently. "My name is Theodore, and I'm the interim commander of the port."
As he spoke, he laughed, seemingly pleased with himself for inventing such a prestigious-sounding position.
The captain, of course, knew what the so-called "temporary port commander" meant, and paid no attention to the sudden joy of this insignificant man.
He frowned slightly and said:
Utopia Port? I've never heard of it.
Theodore glanced at him and said:
I've heard that sentence many times.
"Ha, if it weren't for that Storm that deserved a donkey's kick in the ass, you probably would never have come here in your entire lives!"
Before he could say anything more, the woman interrupted:
" Utopia isn't on a safe shipping lane; only ships familiar with this area come here for resupply."
Does this mean that the main users of this port are pirates? The captain could easily understand the implication, and in such a situation, tacitly not revealing it is a way to protect both sides.
He grunted in agreement.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Trissy," the woman said with a smile. "I'm the owner of the Harbor Hotel, and also work as a receptionist and waitress."
She looked around and said:
" The Storm is strong, and the ship will be very rocking. Staying here to rest is not a wise choice. The hotel will provide you with comfortable beds, plenty of hot water, clean food, warm blankets, and an environment that will remind you of home. It only costs 10 pence per night, I mean per room."
"Besides these, you can also enjoy drinks at the bar next door and experience warm hospitality."
Clearly, this woman was there to solicit business.
The captain was quite wary and didn't respond directly, but nodded and said:
"I cannot make decisions for the passengers; their choice is their own. Of course, as captain, I will stay here with my crew."
Trissy maintained her smile and said:
"I will wait at the hotel for guests who wish to disembark."
She seemed to have received some education, unlike the fiery and brash women the sailors encountered in other ports, who were always swearing.
As Trissy turned halfway around, preparing to return, Theodore approached her and said shamelessly:
"You should thank me for telling you the news so quickly."
As he spoke, his right hand suddenly landed on Trissy's buttocks and gave it a hard pinch.
Snap!
Trissy slapped his hand away and cursed loudly:
"You bastard who deserves to have his ass fucked by a donkey!"
She quickened her pace and disembarked from the passenger ship via the gangway.
Theodore shook his hand, his smile widening as he cursed:
"What a bitch!"
This scene suddenly captivated many passengers in the cabin.
For them, the biggest drawback of the ship was boredom, while there were bars in the harbor.
This means you can encounter cheap streetwalkers, unlike those in the Northern Continent or the Southern Continent, with local characteristics.
If they're lucky, or willing to spend a lot of money, one of them might even be able to get that wild and beautiful woman to sleep with them!
In no time, many passengers packed their luggage and prepared to head straight to the port hotel.
Seeing this, Alfred's adjutant asked:
"General, shall we disembark?"
Alfred slowly shook his head:
"We know absolutely nothing about this place; we must be extremely cautious. Staying on the ship is the best option."
The adjutant had no objection to this, but asked with slight concern:
What about those who had already disembarked?
"That was their own choice," Alfred said, gazing expressionlessly out the window. "If something goes wrong, we can only protect more people, unless the situation isn't serious and can be easily resolved."
After speaking, he turned to look at his adjutant and attendants:
"We'll take turns keeping watch tonight, in case of any unforeseen circumstances."
Having dealt with organizations such as the Spirituality Religion and the Rose School of Thought in the Southern Continent, Alfred has an instinctive wariness of unfamiliar places.
After exchanging views with the captain, Alfred lay down on his bed, listening to the howling wind pounding against the windows and the torrential rain crashing against the deck, quite calmly preparing to fall asleep.
Just then, he heard a melodious and sorrowful tune coming from the direction of the port.
It seemed to come from a flute, its notes broken and intermittent in the storm, like a person sobbing.
Alfred was immediately immersed in the music and the environment, as if he had returned to Backlund, which always appeared in his dreams, and to the unique emotions that were intertwined with the joys of childhood and the troubles of adolescence.
He shook his head violently, shaking off the feeling, and realized that it was not a psychological influence, but just a normal person's reaction.
Alfred rolled out of bed, walked to the window, and used his " Sheriff's" extraordinary abilities to determine that the music he had just heard came from that cheap hotel.
It wasn't the passengers disembarking; their destination was very clear, and they wouldn't be in the mood to play such a melody... Or were they passengers who were already in Utopia Port, or that owner and waitress named Trissy? If it was her, she was a woman with a story... Alfred sighed a couple of times, then looked away and stopped paying attention.
He was curious, but that didn't make him consider getting off the ship.
Soon, the flute music stopped, and the port hotel returned to silence; nothing unexpected happened.
And so, time passed second by second, and as the storm subsided, the sky gradually brightened.
By eight o'clock in the morning, the disembarked passengers returned one after another, each with unsteady steps and a haggard appearance.
Upon seeing this, the Sailor burst into laughter:
"The girls here seem pretty good!"
The passengers shook their heads almost simultaneously, all showing expressions of regret.
One of them rubbed his temples and said:
" The Lerunqi' here is quite nice, cheaper than anywhere else. I accidentally drank too much and passed out. I wonder if anything happened with that lovely girl. Sigh, I woke up just before the ship was about to depart. I have absolutely no recollection of what I did while drunk. Praise be to Goddess, she made me lie back in bed instead of sleeping in the rain."
Other passengers echoed this sentiment, saying they had similar experiences.
Of course, everyone is different in their preferences when it comes to details. For example, one passenger praised the desserts at the budget hotel breakfast as being quite good.
While the Sailor lamented not being able to drink the cheap and delicious Lerunqi, they began to tease the passengers:
"Maybe it wasn't one of these girls you spent the night with, but a big guy like Theodore. Anyway, you were both so drunk you wouldn't know what actually happened!"
"Haha, have a good pat on your butts!"
In a lively atmosphere, the Sailor stowed the gangway, hoisted the sails, and slowly set sail for the passenger ship.
Once they had traversed a slightly gloomy stretch of sea and returned to the familiar, safe waterway, Alfred finally relaxed completely, smiling as he addressed his adjutant and retinue:
"We could mark this place on our map and write 'spirits and desserts' on it. Hmm, the girls have their own unique characteristics too."
After sailing for several more days, the passenger ship finally arrived at the Port Escoson in Desi Bay along a winding and safe waterway.
With aristocratic manners and innate social instincts, Alfred visited the high-ranking officers at the nearby military base and shared a pleasant dinner with them.
When he returned to his father's vacation villa, he was surprised to find that the bodyguard he had sent to find the documents looked rather pale.
"What's wrong?" Alfred immediately dropped his nonchalant demeanor.
The attendant lowered his voice and said:
"General, none of the kingdom's official maps mark Utopia Port."
P. S.: Requesting monthly votes and recommendation votes on Monday!