First mate is not easy

There are two routes from Barcelona to Palermo.

One is to detour from the upper part of Sardinia, pass the Vatican, Mount Vesuvius, then turn a big right angle all the way south, and finally reach Palermo-the disadvantage of this route is that during the summer and autumn exchange season, other The routes and the monsoon currents do not follow the trend. The advantage is that there are many large wharfs available for replenishment, and the ship can be stopped at any time for rest.

The other route is to go southeast out of Barcelona, ​​circle around the lower part of Sardinia, pass through Skikda, Annaba, go north, and finally reach Palermo-this route belongs to The advantage of the newly opened long-distance route is that it follows the seasonal ocean currents and monsoons, and the speed of the ship is faster. The disadvantage is that the water in the sea is shallow, and the merchant fleet full of cargo with a deep draft must be very careful in this sea area.

There are not many caravans who like to take new routes, because after all, the primary purpose of sailing is profit, so in most cases, they prefer to choose routes they are familiar with. What's more, the Vatican is the center of cultural activities of the church. The end of summer is the period with the most frequent church activities. During this period of time, there will be Roman Royal Navy guards in the Vatican, which can be regarded as a second security shackle for navigation safety—so in the absence of external influence, the vast majority Most caravans will choose to take the old route.

However, the news from the Nautical Guild this year said that Dill, the biggest pirate in the Babylonian Sea, ate the courage of the ambitious leopard and squatted somewhere on the road from the edge of the Vatican to Palermo, waiting for a fat man to come to his door. Rats, then make a big fuss.

For a time, people panic.

Many fleets have changed their routes and headed for the new route without hesitation.

As for the Sheets, Raymond hesitated at first, but the several influential lieutenants left by the old captain on the Sheets unanimously decided to change the route to Skikda and Anna. Raymond tried to persuade them to no avail, but in the end he couldn't resist everyone's repeated tongues, but before sailing, he focused on counting the number of weapons and artillery fire on the Schitz, and then stopped in Barcelona. In a few days, I personally wrote a letter to apply, and spent a considerable amount of money to purchase a batch of new munitions from the Royal Navy.

Before sailing, Lando leaned on the side of the ship, watching the enthusiastic sailors carrying shells to the ship, and asked the man beside him inexplicably: "Why, are we finally going to go to sea, are we going to change our careers to become pirates?"

The first mate of the Schitz who was standing beside him glanced at him and said blankly, "Shut up."

Lando: "..."

In the evening, the sun sank from the sea level, and the largest commercial fleet on the Babylon Sea set sail grandly carrying a batch of precious tobacco and artillery fire equal to the amount of the tobacco.

The route is Barcelona - Skikda - Annaba - Palermo.

It had just set sail for several days, and the people on board the Schitz were panicked. At night, the sailors on duty on duty stared at each other with eyes bigger than copper bells, and stood guard on the observation deck, afraid of being caught in the thick night. A pirate flag floated from the ground until the Sheath passed Annaba smoothly and entered the relatively open and open shallow waters. At this time, the Sheitz had been wandering on the sea for four days and three nights, and these days were enough The weather was calm, and there was not a single pirate hair——

The sailors on the Seaz breathed a sigh of relief almost unanimously, rejoicing in their hearts that the information probably obtained from the Nautical Guild in exchange for a lot of money was genuine information.

The results of it?

As a result, this person, once he relaxes, it is easy to mess with moths.

With the gradual arrival of autumn, the sea breeze at night vigil really felt a little bit cool to the bone marrow. When I came down from the observation deck to change shifts the next day, my face was pale and my hands and feet were cold, as if they had hung on the observation deck to die last night. After a while... the first few days were fine, the fear of pirates was greater than the physical needs, but seeing that the destination was about to be reached, a group of restless sailors seemed to have turned their heads and forgotten the previous days The sad lesson of being caught and punished by Raymond for gambling secretly, he began to think secretly about the rum in the warehouse——

Because the voyage time is long, and the sea is exposed to the wind, rain, and scorching sun, fresh water is not easy to preserve, and it tends to stink after a long time. In most cases, the sailors on board use light beer instead of fresh water to meet their drinking water needs. ...Of course, it would be great if there is a glass of hot whiskey or sweet rum. A small sip of wine will not only satisfy the glutton, but also the warmth from the stomach and back, Not to mention the ecstasy!

Alcohol, a powerful tool for keeping warm at home, sailing and sailing!

pity……

Just like the rule that "gambling is prohibited on board", the Schitz clearly stipulates that anyone who touches alcohol while on duty will be dismissed from his post, exiled to the dock, and will never be re-enlisted.

Exiled to the docks, never to be conscripted again.

...This f*cking thing is much more serious than trivial things like deductions from wages and no promotion for several years.

No matter how severe the punishment for gambling is, people still stay on board.

Being expelled from the ship, that's the big deal.

Who doesn't know that the Schitz led by Chief Officer Raymond is the largest commercial fleet in the Babylon Sea today, and the benefits on board are naturally leveraged compared with those of its peers. It is often necessary to recruit for any position, and the recruitment posters are posted outside. Everyone is gearing up to grab a seat on this ship, because it is not worthwhile to be kicked off the ship after a sip of wine, and never to be re-enlisted. Big and small mistakes, but on the point of "no drinking during duty", no one has ever dared to offend and try.

Therefore, when Little Jieluo proposed that the person on duty that night bring a bottle of rum to the observation deck, everyone's first reaction was: Although a little cautious, they should refuse.

Little Jie Luo snorted, his lovely face was full of meanness, he touched the tip of his nose and rolled his eyes and said, "Why are you so timid? It's just a sip of wine. First officer Raymond is sleeping at night. Who is interested?" Stand on the window to see what you are doing!"

Sailor A: "But, this one is still bad, right?"

Sailor B: "Yes, yes, since there is such a rule, of course there is a reason for its existence. If the pirates come after drinking and we don't pay attention, isn't this a trap for the entire fleet?"

Sailor C: "Yes yes yes yes!"

Little Jieluo raised his eyebrows: "Are there no watchtowers on other ships?"

Sailor A: "Yes, but we are the pilot—"

Sailor B: "We are at the forefront!"

Sailor C: "Yes yes yes yes!"

Little Jie Luo sneered: "It's fine if you don't take it, I'm too lazy to persuade you, anyway, you are the ones who froze to death, not me, and a sip of rum can knock you unconscious, that's really—"

Sailor A: "What nonsense! I can drink well!"

Sailor B: "Can a sip of rum knock me down? Can it? Joke!"

Sailor C: "Yes yes yes yes!"

Little Jieluo let out a long "Oh", and at the same time, he shook the wine bottle in his hand - most of the amber solution in the transparent glass bottle made a tempting sound: "Then do you want to drink it?" Take it?"

Sailor A: "Take it!"

Sailor B: "Isn't it just drinking wine to warm up your body! I don't believe it!"

Sailor C: "Bring it, get it!"

So, crew A with a long scar on his face took the lead and snatched the big bottle of wine from the blond boy squatting on the ground, stuffed it into his arms and covered it with his clothes. A group of sailors who were on duty that night were full of people. Excited as if they were going to take advantage of the dark night and wind tonight to prepare to be a flower picker, a large group of people walked onto the deck, ready to change shifts with the brothers in the day shift.

When the chaotic footsteps disappeared from the stairs, the cabin fell into a strange quiet atmosphere for a while.

Little Jieluo squatted in place and watched the group of cursing crew members leave with a playful smile on his face——until the back of the sailor who walked at the end disappeared from his sight, he restrained his smile and talked with At the same time, the playful mood that seemed to be rippling in those emerald green pupils, which seemed to be always rippling, also subsided slightly, and the beautiful green pupils sank suddenly, as if they had changed from emerald green to lake-like. blue green.

Above his head, the crumbling kerosene lamp swayed gently with the sailing of the ship, and the dim yellow light was projected on the face of the blond boy, illuminating his face flickeringly.

Lando shrank in the corner and did not see the scene in the cabin at this time. He just continued to write his sailing diary that was ridiculed by Raymond as "a monkey's fantasy novel" seriously, and said without raising his head: "You encourage them to mess around like this, if Raymond knows, he might crush you and throw you into the sea to feed the sharks."

Little Jieluo sneered disapprovingly.

Lando was silent for a while, trying to figure out how to describe Raymond as a dwarf and rotten gambler more vividly, and then he said absent-mindedly: "Little Jie Luo, why are you thinking about it so much? What about the well-known caravan sailors? With your rascal aura, you might be able to shine in the Sea of ​​Babylon if you become a pirate."

The black-haired young man murmured a voice that sounded like he was muttering to himself, and the blond-haired boy's ears froze, and the corners of his raised lips stiffened suddenly, and suddenly pulled into a straight line full of danger, and he turned his head subconsciously. , but found that the black-haired young man was sitting in the corner at this moment, maintaining a standard posture of thinking with a quill pen and frowning——

Not looking up at him at all.

It seems to be just saying that casually.

"..." The corners of Little Jieluo's lips curled up, and deep dimples appeared on his beautiful and cute face, "If I want to be a pirate, I will drag you to be a pirate with me, follow me, eat delicious food and drink spicy food! "

When Lando heard "Food and drink spicy", he suddenly raised his head and fantasized for a while, as if he was still excited, and after a few seconds, he fell down again, shook his head and said with pain on his face: "Tsk tsk, come on Well, Raymond knew he had to break my leg."

"He can't beat me, I will protect you."

"...Come on, that guy is amazing, he is the god of war from hell, okay! Invincible!"

Lando stood up while rolling his eyes, packed his books, and was about to walk to the upper deck, but before he could take two steps, he was grabbed by the blond boy, who was stunned and lowered his head to look at him. Those green pupils: "Why?"

Little Jieluo blinked, his face full of confusion: "Get ready for bed, where are you going?"

"I went to the deck to watch. Those drunkards couldn't stop drinking. Don't get really drunk and delay things."

As Lando said, he pulled the hem of his clothes out of the blond boy's hand, turned and left.

He was left alone squatting on the spot, looking up at his leaving back with his neck up.

Until there was a sound of the door being opened and then closed again from the end of the stairs,

Little Jieluo froze in place for a long time, then he frowned suddenly and cursed.