Following the rope ladder, Lorraine climbed onto the deck of the Jackdaw.

Caterina obviously knew about Lorraine's disguise in advance from Carmen and the others, and she greeted Lorraine with a natural face and stretched out her hand to Lorraine.

Her hands were icy, soft but powerful, and the handshake was as crisp and crisp as those of a determined gentleman.

Lorraine couldn't help but smile: "I've worked hard for you these days." ”

"Returning to Zhao, Mr. Captain, the Jackdaw is fully prepared."

"Foolproof ......"

Lorraine knew that Caterina's words were not a pretext, and that the Jackdaw was indeed prepared for smuggling.

Through Leonard's private purchase of the Slupp, the two sides established a bond early.

Caterina registered the Jackdaw under the Spanish flag under Lorraine's remote command.

She is now a legal Spanish civilian ship, or more precisely, a black merchant ship that does not have a legal license to operate, just like the original Artis Beauty.

Her owner is Donna, a second-generation immigrant born in New Orleans. Linka, now captain herself, is a third-generation immigrant from Baton Rouge. Kenway.

All the information about the associated characters is fake, and in Louisiana, where the household registration management is messy and many forces are entangled, it is difficult to even verify.

How much can it be done?

Lorraine took a deep breath and slapped the ship's mainmast hard: "Take off the pirate flag, hoist the sails, and set sail!" Gentlemen, let's go to the New World to pan for gold. ”

"Go panning for gold!"

"Go get rich!"

"Wow!"

……

The Jackdaw set sail, crossed the Yucatan Strait diagonally along the outer edge of the Cayman Islands, rested overnight at Perez Island, and sailed north across the Gulf of Mexico, where it finally came to a vast marshland after six days.

This is the world-famous Mississippi River Delta.

The raging Mississippi River is the father of all waters in the Indian population. Originating from the Great Lakes and flowing through the vast expanse of New France, she converging tributaries along the way, carrying endless sediment and depositing in the Gulf of Mexico this huge impact fan 24 to 80 kilometers long, with a total area of more than 12,000 square kilometers.

The rivers disperse in this alluvial fan, turning into capillaries of varying widths and depths, cutting countless deltas, forming swamps and sand islands, reaching the outermost part of the delta, the Shandlull Islands.

This arc-shaped chain of islands serves as the gateway to the delta, separating the ocean from the swamp.

It is also the only shipping route into New Orleans, with an average water depth of only 6.5 meters, which not only cuts off the possibility of battleships entering and exiting, but also the giant merchant ships such as the Jackdaw, can only be cautious in the main channel, and will never dare to rush into this forbidden area without a navigator who is familiar with the local hydrology.

Lorraine ordered the Jackdaw, which bears the "blood and gold" flag symbolizing Spain, to anchor off the coast of Breton Island, on the southern edge of the Chandlull Islands, and to lay down its assault boat.

He called Acharin: "Acharin, protect Carmen and Caterina to hire a navigator on the island, and we will enter the port from the main northwest passageway." ”

Acharin blinked: "Captain, I'm the gunner. ”

"I know you're a gunner, but New Orleans is friendlier to the French and Spaniards, and I've heard they don't like to speak English."

"It seems that the British are the enemies of romance, this is the consensus."

Acharin shrugged helplessly, boarded the assault boat, and took on the responsibility of protecting the flower messenger.

A short time later, they boarded the ship with a pilot with a spear on his back, and Carmen whispered to Lorraine, "Pilot three shillings at a time, but Mr. Charles is willing to sell his own hand-drawn hydrographic map of the main channel for ten pounds." ”

"You bought it?"

Carmen nodded, and shoved a roll of parchment into Lorraine's hand: "I only paid fifty percent, as for whether to pay the remaining fifty percent after arriving in New Orleans or leave him on the delta to feed the crocodiles, it depends on the results of your verification." ”

"Shouldering a heavy responsibility......"

The Jackdaw, having been given a pilot, restarted its voyage and entered the delta from between the islands of Breton and the Great Gorzy, sailing slowly and steadily into the offshore marshes of the delta with only one snort.

The scenery on both sides of the river is picturesque, with waterfowl soaring, crocodiles roaming, and snowdrift-like sandbanks dotted among the green grass, like pearls, reflecting dazzling brilliance in the sun.

The most common species here is a large seabird called the brown pelican, which has a long blue and white beak, a dark brown neck and gray feathers, and often wanders in the shallow waters, occasionally flying out in pairs and flying out into the sea to hunt for a full meal.

Lorraine put most of his experience on the newly obtained hydrological map.

The map outlines five wide channels with twists and turns like a bird's claw, and the data on the channel is dense, clear and accurate, not only marking the stranding points that must be bypassed, but also marking the shallow water channels between three and four meters deep, although the Jackdaw cannot drive in, but the smaller ships can rely on this map to play hide and seek with powerful enemies in this complex water.

Lorraine was very pleased with the Navigator's professionalism and was able to get Carmen to settle the balance after successfully navigating the fifth stranding point.

The navigator, who had reaped the huge sums of money, became even more diligent, pointing to the trees of different shapes on the sandbar, and imparting the know-how and experience of navigating without a map to Lorraine.

After ten hours of sailing, the Jackdaw finally sailed out of the delta and into the wide, deep mouth of the Mississippi River.

The swells were noticeably stronger, but the sailors on board breathed a sigh of relief, and the Jackdaw meandered its way along the riverbank, finally slowly mooring into the busy dock berths of Mississippi River Harbor before nightfall.

Standing on the towering bow of the ship, Lorraine takes in the splendor of New Orleans as the sun sets.

It is a peculiar town, built along the river in the shape of a crescent moon.

Directly in front of the pier is a large church square with a circular fountain in the middle, and a majestic church with a towering bell tower in the corner.

Beyond the church square, the houses are closely connected and there are no gaps. On top of the mottled old wall, the small balconies with carved railings on the second floor are covered with green hanging flowers and plants, which are gorgeous and gorgeous.

Those more flamboyant homes also hang colorful carnival beads in this green, with a few statues of birds and beasts dotted among the flowers and plants, or hang a few strings of copper wind chimes swaying in the wind, making the city full of rich tropical atmosphere more like a small hanging tropical rainforest.

The street side is another scene.

Residents along the street cover their private spaces tightly, the doors are mostly protected by carved cast iron security doors, and the windows are often covered by brightly colored wooden panels to prevent people from peeking into the interior, which looks exclusive and closed.

There are many shops, guns, swords, ready-to-wear, food, and the most indispensable brothels and pubs in the docks.

The streets are full of pedestrians.

Men, women, blacks, whites, and especially Lorraine, it is not uncommon to see black men in tuxedos stepping out of carriages like gentlemen of Europe, laughing and laughing with whites in the company of Indian attendants in bright national costumes.

This opened Lorraine's eyes, and she couldn't help but sigh: "I never thought that one day I would be able to see a black gentleman in the white world......"

Carmen laughed behind her: "The essence of politics is compromise and integration. There were too many blacks trafficked in the New World, and many of the early pioneers were not of noble blood, and it was not incomprehensible that they had joined together in the pursuit of power. ”

"But the blacks of New Orleans were not the early pioneers of emancipation." Caterina walked over heroically, "They only got the right 10 years ago. ”

Through Caterina's mouth, Lorraine heard a strange history of the city's founding.

In 1719, the French, under the guidance of the Indians, built New Orleans on the only plateau at the mouth of the Mississippi River.

They did not pay much attention to this seaport, hidden deep behind the delta, until the precious beaver pelts became popular in Europe, which became the most important export port for hides from the New World.

The French took control of the entire Mississippi Mainstream in the course of their hunt, establishing the most extensive colony in the New World, known as New France.

But then, Britain rose.

France ceded nearly half of New France to England, and in order to seek allies, it gave New Orleans to Spain in the Treaty of Maple&Bau.

Then the dog's blood began.

The French in New Orleans did not know that they had been abandoned by their own king.

In 1762, New Orleans belonged to Spain, and in 65, Spain sent its first governor, and in 68, the French in the city united with the Germans in a peaceful coup d'état and ousted the governor.

The treachery of the French made Spain very angry, and the new governor was iron-blooded and decisive, and used a night banquet to wipe out the renegade French, and shot five people on the parade ground in front of the church.

The French in the city had their backbones broken, and they were left with only indulgence, and they no longer even called themselves French, but called themselves Clios.

The white men were white cleos, and the black slaves and Indians were black cleos, and through this childish means they wanted to make the Spanish governor let down his guard against them, so that they could launch another peaceful rebellion.

And yet they failed.

Since both whites and blacks had become Creoles, the Governor allowed the black slaves of New Orleans to buy their freedom, setting off the first black slave emancipation movement in human history on the land of New Orleans.

Ten years on, quite a few Black Clios already own their own properties, and some have joined Parliament. They were desperate for Spain, and because of one name, the French completely lost this important port.

Lorraine and Carmen listened with relish, and when Caterina finished speaking, Lorraine smiled and thanked her.

"You've increased my knowledge, and I'm even happier that you're willing to take the initiative to share stories with us, which is how true companions get along."

"Actually, I'm not coming to you to share the stupidity ......of the French," Caterina bit her lip, "and you've been busy with business the other day, and there's something I haven't been able to get a chance to give you. Is it the trophy of the Battle of the Black Mamba, or rather...... It's the sequelae. ”