The coastline of Wangfeng Harbor is long and straight, and it is crowded with countless ships of all sizes, from all over the world, some of them have already docked, busy loading and unloading goods, and some are about to enter the port, constantly honking and shouting. There are warships, whaling ships and free trade ships, galleons and galleons, flat-bottomed boats, large oars, longships and swan boats, spice ships from the Duke of Windsor's castle as large as a palace, twin rudder multimasts from Haken Island, and sealed slatted ships used by the city-states of ale to transport good wine.

In the evening, Wangfeng Harbor is unusually busy, with the wheels of goods squeaking and bumping on the long stone pavement, the hot air rising in the streets, and the surrounding scenery is hazy. There are many warehouses and docks, shops and temporary stalls on the waterfront. The fishmongers all went out and shouted to sell the last catch. Buckets of fresh cod, swordfish and sardines are fished ashore, and crabs crawl around in seaweed-filled buckets. Many vendors grill fish steaks with onions and beets, or sell spicy fish soup stewed in small tin cans.

The docks were crowded with all sorts of well-dressed people, mercenaries in elaborate colored armor, circus troupes from Scambrai, slave traders with colorful butterflies tattooed on their faces, foreigners, hillbillies and freedmen.

Reina escorted Vanessa through the crowd from behind the Fishermen's Square, unoblivious to the occasional shouting and swearing. A man stood in the way, but the archer held the hilt of his sword at his waist and drew a one-foot-long blade outward, which frightened him back, and the man next to him immediately gave way to the way.

Vanessa's injuries worsened on the way out of Crescent City, and the torture she had endured in Da Zhou, combined with the recent arrow wounds, forced them to rent a room with a feather bed in a small inn outside Crescent City, so that Reina could treat her with broth and herbs. It took the princess four full days to recover her body, and the money she brought with her from Glab was not spent. Now they must find a ship willing to take them to the Land of the Wine Valley for free, because after selling the last bear skin that Reina hunted, all they have on them is only three copper cents.

Merchant ships carrying passengers did not usually carry guests for free, and women were not welcome on cargo ships, so they had to ask for help from the smuggling ships, but after a goatee captain had promised to do so, they did not dare to sit down, for the captain looked at Vanessa like a hungry wolf looking at his prey.

Passing by a one-eyed woman's oyster stand, Reyner used the three copper cents left to buy Vanessa a bowl of oyster stew, and the kind woman gave them the information they wanted that the "Happy Harvest" at Pier 13 was recruiting crew, and that maybe they could try their luck there.

Eventually, the two found the Happy Harvest at the docks, a sturdy two-masted multi-oared ship with a wide keel and a deep draft for sailing in the sea. Unlike the passing ships, the Happy Harvest had no bright colours or an elaborate bow, she was painted an earthy yellow, and the paint was mottled to look like she had just rolled in the mud, and her huge mainstay was equally unpretentious, so simple that it was devoid of ornamentation, except for a merchant flag on the mainmast. An inconspicuous ship, that's exactly what Vanessa needs right now.

The captain was a thin, lean middle-aged man who called himself Dylan (the god of the sea, the god of waves), whose well-trimmed beard gave his face an almost mean look, and his eyes sunken into their sockets added to his face a shrewd and capable character. Seeing Vanie Rothsa, Dylan frowned, "We only need sailors, not prostitutes." ”

At this time, Vanessa had already taken off her blood-stained long skirt and changed into an ordinary girl's brown cotton dress, her skin was white and smooth, her facial features were exquisite, and her thick black curls looked even more delicate and moving, no wonder the captain wanted to think of her as a plaything around a man.

Reina was about to have a seizure, but was stopped by Vanessa in time, "Words are like the wind, what really hurts people is knives and swords." She smiled and turned to Dylan and said, "We are brother and sister, and we are going to the Temple of Dionysus to inherit my uncle's inheritance, and if you can make us ship to pay, we will pay you double the ship's price; If not," Vanessa winked at Reina, "my brother has the strength, and he can do hard labor for free." ”

"Well, everybody says that," Dylan muttered as he instructed the sailors to carry the spices, "and I'm going to feed two more mouthfuls." If it weren't for the fact that Poseidon had taken my three sailors the night before, I wouldn't have let the woman aboard my ship. He led the two of them off deck, and Vanessa was dizzy by the smell of the cabin, and the smell of feces and urine that had accumulated over the years was so perfect that the smell of sweat on the man's body was so perfect that the salty smell of the sea and the fishy smell of the harbor were completely masked. Here," the captain said, pointing to the big bag of fennel, cardamom and onions in the corner, "you sleep here." ”

"No!" Almost in unison, Vanessa and Reina exclaimed, "We need a room, even if it's just one!" ”

"Ha, I know," Dylan shrewdly cocked his chin, "you're not brother and sister, you're a little couple who eloped." ”

"Listen, Captain Dylan," Rainer whispered, pulling the captain aside, "my sister is pregnant, and we come from a noble family, and if the family knew that she had given birth out of wedlock, they would have killed her, so I would take her to the child's father's house, and I beg of you, give us a room, and I will work hard to ensure that I will not disappoint you." ”

Dylan looked at them incredulously, and finally shrugged his shoulders, "Say whatever you like, there's a cargo hold next door for wine, but you can only sleep in the aisle." ”

Reyna and Vanessa thanked the captain for sending off the captain, and then they breathed a sigh of relief, and Vanessa poked Reina: "Pregnant, huh?" How did you come up with this idea? ”

"When you want me to work hard."

The two men looked at each other and smiled

(l~1`x*>+``+