[Count of Monte Cristo] Love and hatred

r082

After Jacob left, Edmund fell into deep thought.

He never thought that he would fall into such a dilemma.The wealth he now possessed should be sufficient to help poor Mr. Morel.But after taking out this money, how long will the plan to rescue Father Faria be postponed?He worried that the priest's physical condition might not be able to wait any longer.

Edmund clenched his fists tightly, for the first time he felt powerless.He only hated himself for not being strong enough to help both of them at the same time.

There was a knock on the door.

"Jacob, I want to be quiet," Edmund said aloud.

The voice stopped immediately, but Edmund's thoughts were already disturbed.

It wasn't that he didn't believe Jacob's story about pirates.Of the famous ships Jacob mentions, the Black Pearl is a legend, and the Flying Dutchman is a famous ghost ship.According to legend, Captain Van der Daken bet his soul and played dice with the devil, and was cursed to travel back and forth in the North Sea until the day of judgment.Back in his days as a sailor on the Queen of Egypt, he had heard many sightings of the flying Dutchman.

In contrast, he believed that the pirate ship that reappeared in the Atlantic Ocean was the Nemesis.That ship belonged to Captain Chevalle, who was born in Marseilles. After defeating the Mermaid King, the pirate king of the Adriatic Sea, it became the overlord of the Mediterranean Sea.The Nemesis has always been the target of plundering merchant ships traveling between Europe and the New World, but at the end of the last century, when Edmund was born, the ship disappeared without any warning.

When Edmund was a child, his father Louis, a sailor, often told him that the Nemesis would return to the Atlantic Ocean one day, and that ship became a horror legend lingering in his childhood.He believed it would come back, so it was the first thing Jacob thought of when he talked about the merchant ships sunk by pirate ships.

However, if the Nemesis really reappears in the Mediterranean, what does it have to do with him?As a smuggler in Livorno, shouldn't it be his job to pray that he doesn't come across it at sea?

The annoying knock on the door sounded again, and Edmund had to repeat what he had just said.

"It's me, I'm here to deliver today's breakfast."

Edmund recognized Mel's voice, and hurried to the door.The moment he opened the door, he suddenly saw the deserted morning with a hint of loneliness.

"It's already morning?" Edmund frowned. He remembered that the first time Jacob came over was in the evening, when they had just set sail.

"Yes, at this speed, if there are no accidents, we will be able to reach Corsica tomorrow," Mai Tess said as she closed the door, and then gently lowered her hood.It was very windy, so she had to wear it on deck to keep out the splashing spray.However, this is quite beneficial for a sailboat sailing with the wind.

She came to the old wooden table and put biscuits, cheese, and pickles on a plate, which was the captain's breakfast.Then she placed beside the saucer a cup of pea soup, by which sailors depend on their meager vitamins in the open sea.

"Mel, I don't really want to eat this morning," Edmund sighed slightly.

"What's the matter?" Mei Tess immediately sensed that something was wrong with the captain's mood, "Is it related to that incident?"

Edmund nodded without denying it.

Regarding the building of the big ship, Edmund only told Mel, and all the preliminary work was done by the two of them.The part that bothered him the most was the blueprints. None of the blueprints provided by the Genoa shipyard were equipped with artillery, but Mel said he had a solution.Edmund didn't believe it at first, but after Mel disappeared for a few days, he really got a blueprint of a warship.

With the blueprints in hand, Edmund could use his excellent sailing experience and the knowledge given to him by Father Faria to make modifications.He first lowered the height of the forecastle and stern, especially the forecastle, so that it would not be too difficult to operate against the wind.Next, he changed the shape of the ship to be narrower and longer. After all, his ship does not require as many people as a warship, and in this way, the speed of the ship will become faster.

As for the matter of contacting the secret shipyard, Edmund handed it over to Mel.Although they each kept secrets, he trusted Mel, especially after the ups and downs of the past few years, Edmund felt that the sincere friendship that had been established between them was strong enough.

At this time, the real purpose of Mei Tess's visit was to discuss with Edmund about building the ship.She sat at the table and said in a low voice, "I have already inquired, as long as we pay half of the deposit first, they will start immediately. But the boss said that they happen to have a good ship there, but they haven't had time to install the artillery. We paid in one lump sum...”

"Mel," interrupted Edmund, "this matter may change a little, because I have a more difficult matter."

Plum Tess questioned him with her eyes.

"I got word recently that a friend of mine has reached the end of his rope and may soon be broke..." explained Edmund.

"You want to use that money?" asked Mei Tess disapprovingly.

"He is my friend and my benefactor." Edmund gritted his teeth. "He helped me when I was at my worst. How can I just watch him go bankrupt? Then he will die."

"But your father..."

"You're right. In the past few years of wandering at sea, as time went by, I became more and more afraid. I was afraid that when I really blasted the gate of the Chateau d'If and opened his cell door , he is no longer there," Edmund shook his head in pain, "During this period of time, I often have such nightmares, and I am really afraid that it will become a reality."

"Is there no other way?" Mei Tess asked subconsciously.

The only answer to her was silence.

Edmund turned his back and buried his eyes on the map of the Mediterranean Sea on the wall.

Mei Tess sighed slightly, she knew that the captain needed an answer, but she couldn't give him an answer.

If it was normal, maybe she would choose to flip a coin to make a decision. In fact, the purpose of doing that is not to let the coin make the choice for her, but at the moment of flipping the coin, she already knows what she really wants. .But now, the captain's problem cannot be solved in that simple way. No matter which side he chooses, he may regret it for the rest of his life.

So she walked over slowly and held his hand, "Captain Sinbad, I know it's difficult. But no matter what choice you make, I will firmly stand by your side!"

The captain raised his head, his blue eyes flickered, and it seemed that several seconds had passed before he said in a voice that was not quite the same as usual, "Thank you..."

It seemed that this morning was destined to be unsettled, and there was a sudden sound outside the door.

Plum Tess hurried over to open the door, only to see Jacob standing by the door, saying incoherently, "Captain, it's...the Nemesis..."