The salty sea breeze, carrying the smell of fish, assailed Luo En, who stood on the swaying deck, looking at the port, which was much smaller than Bayam.
"We've arrived," Danitz said with a sigh of relief.
"What now?" Luo En asked.
"Of course, we're going to contact the Captain and them. If nothing goes wrong, the Golden Dream should be in the nearby waters."
Luo En, however, did not move. He stared at Danitz's bandaged calf: "Are you sure it's safe here? Since Steel could ambush you once, he could ambush you a second time..."
"Impossible," Danitz interrupted Luo En, "We've already left Bayam."
With that, he was about to get off the ship.
"Hey," Luo En suddenly grabbed Danitz, who was about to disembark, "Tell me honestly."
He looked directly into the Pirate's eyes: "Do you really have the authority to bring an outsider onto the Golden Dream?"
"Of course..." Danitz's eyes flickered, and after a moment, he sighed, "But, those mystical knowledge I promised you..."
"I'll have to ask the Captain's opinion first..."
Unlike typical Pirate crews, because Iceberg Admiral is a Reader Pathway, she has strict requirements regarding knowledge. All the Sailors on the ship must attend classes regularly.
Therefore, Danitz knew some ritual magic for communication and could contact their Captain when not far from the Golden Dream.
Subsequently, the two of them found an empty alley to try.
...
"The Captain agreed, and the Golden Dream's location is very close to us," Danitz said excitedly.
Upon hearing this, Luo En pulled out a coin, flicked it lightly into the air, then quickly caught it, glancing to see that it was heads.
"What do we do next?" He looked at Danitz.
"Follow me!"
Danitz did not enter the city but led Luo En to a private port, bypassing the main area. They boarded a simple fishing boat and headed out to sea.
Nearly two hours later, a clean and tidy sailboat, tens of meters long, reflecting a golden color in the sunlight, appeared in Luo En's sight.
"The Golden Dream"... Luo En examined the ship before him.
It certainly looked impressive, completely unlike the dilapidated and dirty Pirate ships in his memory from movies.
That was... Luo En's attention was drawn to a main cannon on the ship. Compared to the cannons he remembered, it seemed extremely special. Symbols and patterns layered on the barrel, flowing with a faint but pure light. From its appearance, it looked somewhat similar to the main cannon of an ironclad ship.
As if seeing Luo En's shock, Danitz proudly introduced: "That's the Cannon of Purification. It can only be used ten times, and then it requires six Priests of Light to perform a ritual, praying to the deity to refill its spirituality."
'Priest of Light'... deity... Judging from Danitz's previous attitude towards deities, this so-called deity should be a True God. This means their Pirate crew actually has Official backing. Luo En remained calm on the surface, but he was muttering inwardly.
A Pirate crew with Official backing...
The mystical level of that Cannon of Purification must be high. The Golden Dream being able to operate it clearly indicates they have sufficient mystical knowledge. This trip was worth it.
Before long, the Golden Dream lowered a small boat, which quickly approached the fishing vessel.
Danitz leaped down, landing steadily on the small boat.
He whistled excitedly, then greeted the Pirate driving the small boat warmly. Back at sea, he was beaming.
"Ahem!"
Luo En lightly coughed, indicating he was still there.
Damn it! I forgot about this guy... Danitz put away his smile and introduced Luo En to his companions.
Luo En also smiled and greeted them.
On the small boat, Danitz moved beside Luo En, lowering his voice: "Hey, remember what we agreed on, what happened these past few days stays between us."
...
Luo En said nothing, just curved his lips and looked at him.
That expression made Danitz's heart pound.
"Hey, are you going to go back on your word!"
...
...
After a moment of silence, Luo En chuckled:
"How could I? I'm not a bad person..."
A few minutes later, Luo En successfully boarded the Golden Dream's deck and saw a figure leaning against the mast.
That was a beautiful lady with an oval face, a high nose bridge, thin lips, and a pair of light blue eyes like clear spring water.
Intellectual, beautiful, and graceful, dressed impeccably.
Luo En hadn't expected these words to apply to a Pirate.
This was "Iceberg Admiral"? No wonder Danitz had a crush on her.
Luo En did not let his gaze linger too long, or it would appear rude.
Thanks to the influence of "Phantom" and the inherent characteristics of a "Robot," Luo En's resistance to females was much higher than that of ordinary people.
"Hello, Mr. Monchi Brandu," Iceberg Admiral spoke first.
"I am Edwina Edwards."
"Hello, Captain," Luo En bowed slightly in greeting.
"Thank you for helping Danitz," Edwina continued.
"He told me you are his new subordinate."
Subordinate? Is that what Danitz said?
Luo En frowned slightly, glancing at the somewhat embarrassed Danitz beside him, and after a brief thought, he spoke:
"More than a subordinate, I should be a friend. Danitz and I hit it off immediately and became close friends after experiencing some ups and downs."
Luo En then briefly described what had happened recently, of course, he was still very loyal and omitted some awkward little secrets.
Edwina calmly listened to Luo En's narration, "Danitz told me you just want to stay on the Golden Dream to study?"
Luo En nodded: "Yes, I heard that you are very knowledgeable."
"Mr. Brando, have you received an education?" Edwina suddenly changed the subject and asked.
What kind of question is this? Is there an academic requirement here? After a slight pause, Luo En replied: "Currently enrolled in university."
As for whether it's a university in this world, don't ask.
Enrolled? Hearing this, Danitz, who was beside him, also turned his gaze.
Noticing some of the gazes around him, Luo En explained:
"There was a change in my family, so I temporarily took a leave of absence."
...
"What languages do you master?" Edwina asked again.
Why does it feel like a teacher asking questions? Luo En grumbled inwardly but still answered truthfully:
"Hermes, some Giant, and Elvish."
Edwina nodded slightly.
"How is your mastery of other mystical knowledge?"
If I knew a lot, I wouldn't be here.
As if sensing the question in Luo En's eyes, Edwina explained:
"I must consider how to answer questions based on your knowledge level, so you can understand them more easily."
This... Luo En was a little surprised. This wasn't a Pirate; this was clearly a young female teacher with a stern but kind and approachable demeanor.
Then the two chatted briefly for a while. Edwina also understood Luo En's desire to learn more advanced mystical knowledge.
"You can stay on the Golden Dream to study, and I will also give you some guidance."
"You can attend morning classes with the Sailors tomorrow."
Morning classes? There's such a thing? Is this really not a school?
Somehow, Luo En suddenly felt a deep, soul-piercing fear about his upcoming life.
"Meow?"
As the two conversed, Lachi poked her head out of Luo En's satchel, yawning quite humanly, looking around with a sleepy expression.
Before Luo En could react, she leaped out of the satchel and began to explore, seemingly completely unconcerned by the Pirates around her.
"Meow~" After circling once, she came to Edwina's front, meowing happily.
"What a clever cat!" Edwina's red lips moved, a rare smile gracing her face.
"She's my pet. There shouldn't be any rule against keeping cats on board, right?"
"Of course not," Edwina said softly.
...
Finally, Edwina looked at Danitz, "Your food, clothing, and lodging on the ship will be arranged by Danitz."
...
After Iceberg Admiral left, Luo En, holding Lachi, went to Danitz, who was shooing away his colleagues, and said coldly:
"Subordinate?"
Danitz awkwardly forced a smile: "Let me explain."
Luo En waved his hand: "Let's talk about the saw and the leg!"