The sky in the rainy season is always overcast, and the thick clouds swing in the wind like a gray linen, but they are never torn apart by the sword condensed by the sun.

A fleet of longships in a torrential rain sped through the river, and the vast sails sewn in thin animal skins bulged into a full arc, allowing experienced sailors to sail southeast with the help of the southwest wind. Captain Luke the Blind stood on the long ship's curved bow with metal nails. He stepped on a wooden warehouse full of goods, and his body was drenched by the torrential rain and the wind and waves that broke the bow of the ship, and he looked like an otter who had just come ashore. Because of the round hat made of cowhide, the captain's hair was not soaked, only a black beard and a string of water beads on his vicissitudes of life.

"Even Thor is celebrating us, the sound of his warhammer beating on the felt with joy!" the captain cried out as he stood there, letting the water splash on his face. It's not uncommon to see such huge waves on a river, so Luke the Blind can't help but think of taming a hurricane in the North Sea.

The sailors who tightened the saillocks immediately let out cheers and laughed loudly in praise of Thor. But the drenched Quaid were frustrated by the jolting sailboats, warriors from the ice fields who were not used to the shaking wooden decks. The feeling of unsteadiness caused some to vomit on the edge of the boat, vomiting all the bread, salted fish, and ale they had eaten in the Harusa tavern in the morning.

Riga also felt her abdomen churning, and the undigested food in her stomach pouch rushed up several times, only to be re-swallowed by the Quaids. "Try this? It's great for seasickness. As the drenched hunter shivered on the wooden crate, the captain stepped down from the hold and shouted. He held a yellowish-brown oval leaf in his hand, and leaned over with a thick hemp rope in one hand.

"Is this a tobacco leaf?" asked the Quid with a snarl in the same way, but he didn't hesitate to shove it into his mouth. The dry leaves were already damp in the wind and waves, but the spicy and bitter smell made the hunter instantly regain some spirits.

"It's useful. Riga nodded, then wrapped the cloak around her body. This is the only way to keep the icy river water out and keep the little warmth in the body. Some of the idle sailors also took the opportunity to give more tobacco to the Quaids in order to regain the strength of the warriors.

The storm soon followed the grey clouds towards Moulton in the north, and the river gradually calmed down. The longship fleet did not suffer any losses in the torrential rain, so Riga soon saw the rest of his companions. The sailors prepared tobacco leaves for them or pine nut wine soaked in them, so the warriors could still lift their spirits.

"This is the border of the city-state of Harusa, and further south is the territory of Longinus. The captain stepped on the mainmast again and looked out at the banks on either side. "The next stretch of the river has its name. ”

"Fabrek, the largest river in the north of our country. The centurion also got up from his seat at this time. After flicking his wet hair into bundles, the horseman, who was also a little uncomfortable, cheered. "He fed all the farmers and warriors in the north. ”

"The word for 'dragon's silk' is the river and they regarded the river as the most precious gift from the platinum dragon god to the dragon. The captain jumped down from the mast again, and his boots made a splash on the wooden deck.

"There's a shipwreck ahead! It's a small fishing boat. The lookout, who had re-climbed the mainmast, interrupted the conversation on deck with a shout. "It looks like there are fishermen in need of help. ”

"Lowering the sail at half-sail, the speed of the boat slows down. Captain Luke gave the order immediately, but he soon added. "Let the Fat Bull join us in rescuing the fishermen, and the rest of the boat will continue south. ”

Another longboat, more than thirty feet long, also lowered half of its sail, then turned its rudder and sailed in the direction of the fishing boat. Riga also poked her head out from the edge of the boat, searching the water almost the same color as the sky with her azure pupils.

"A little further south, there are people still alive. The captain let out a sudden cry at the bow, and the sailor carefully controlled the rudder and brought the boat to the last plank of the fishing boat.

"Reach out, man. You will survive. A sailor screamed and lay on the edge of the boat, and two of his companions stretched out his legs so that he could poke most of his body out. He straightened his arm vigorously, and after three or four attempts, he finally grasped the fisherman's arm.

The fisherman, who had already wrestled a few hourglasses in the water, was already so weak that the sailors threw him on the deck with great force. An old sailor with a disheveled beard immediately rushed up and patted the fisherman in the face, and when he opened his eyes in a daze, he poured the tobacco soaked pine nut wine into his mouth. "Drink some to warm up, you're very weak right now. ”

"Where are my father and brothers? Did you see them?" asked the fisherman, who had swallowed the wine, quickly sat up and sniffled after wrapping himself in a dry blanket.

The old sailor immediately stiffened, and then they heard the lookout's shout. "There were two more people on the river, directly in front of us. ”

"Accelerate!" the captain immediately roared, and then a group of sailors took out the oak oars from the gang and shouted and rowed hard towards the distressed. Sailors will always encounter dangers in their lives, so they are happy to help everyone on the water who needs them.

Another longship, the Fat Bull, also picked up, and the sailors rowed their oars as hard as they could, and soon approached the place the lookout had said. The crew struggled to get the other two fishermen up, only to find that the river had filled their lungs, and only a stream of clear water was still pouring out of their mouths.

The fishermen immediately threw themselves on their loved ones and wept bitterly, but this did not save their lives. The sailors were silent, they had seen such a thing, so they walked away and left the fisherman alone for a while.

"My benefactor, you saved my life. I have decided to serve you forever with a very important piece of news. The two longboats puffed up their sails again, but the fishermen quickly gathered their tears and went to the side of the centurion and Captain Luke, who were talking. "I am a Harusa fisherman, but now I have lost all my relatives and my only property. It was a band of robbers who attacked me, between them the Harusans and the Dragonus, who often sailed two large ships on the Fabrek River. When the storm came, they laughed and sank my little fishing boat with their big boat. ”

I've been on this waterway for three winters, and I haven't met the robbers you mentioned. The captain rolled his eyes, and then he opened his mouth, which was chewing tobacco leaves, and spewed out a puff of air with a bitter taste.

"It's true!" swear by the name of the god of wisdom. They had only been on the river for a few weeks, but they had already snatched three large longboats. The simple fisherman's face turned gray-brown from the wind, and then he said excitedly with all kinds of unknown gestures.

"How many of them are there, and how are the weapons?" asked the centurion, earnestly, in a serious tone. "What's the name of the leader?"

"There were about three dozen of them, and I had seen a few strong men with tomahawks and scimitars. The fisherman was glad that the soldier in his ornate leather armor believed in him, so he spoke as fast as he could. "The leader is a guy called One-Eyed, and everyone says he was a pirate in the North Sea for a while. ”

"One-eyed?" Captain Luke didn't care about the name. "I've never heard of such a guy. By the name of the god of the sea, this must have been used by some bastard to deceive you. ”

But as soon as the captain's words fell, the panicked screams of the lookouts were heard again from the mainmast. "Captain Luke, there are three big ships approaching right ahead! they don't have flags or signs. But before he could finish his breath, the lookout on the other longship screamed. "It's the robbers!, they hang up the black sails!" (To be continued.) )