Let's first get some money and identity here. Although we can't use them here, we must pass through customs to get to the United States mainland.
In this era, creating a fake identity requires about as much effort as getting a real one, so let's just register a real one.
"I just swam to your island, thinking it was uninhabited... As a peace offering for coming uninvited, I'll treat you to a meal in Honolulu."
Su Ming stood up and spoke to Bird, his gaze falling on that small cargo ship.
"Haha, there's no need for an offering, but going to town for some good food sounds nice. I must say, you've swum quite a distance. Praise God, your physical stamina is impressive."
Bird readily agreed, showing a hint of envy. Although he was in the navy, even in his younger days, he couldn't swim several nautical miles in the open sea.
The nearest inhabited island from here is at least that far away.
However, he did not ask further. The world is vast, and there are all sorts of remarkable people everywhere. He had once seen someone eating stones in Africa and met a person in India who could go years without eating.
Now he just saw another swimming champion, that's all.
"Maybe it's because I exercise regularly? Haha."
"Wait a bit, and when we load the pineapples and fish onto the boat, we'll head to Honolulu. These goods are usually sold by my steward on the closer Maui Island, but today we'll try our luck on another island."
Bird nodded and started packing up his fishing gear. He didn't care much about the small profits from agricultural products; he just planted some pineapples on the island to pass the time.
The climate here is decent, and there's enough rain, so the pineapple yield is alright. Even though it doesn't cover all the costs, there's still some income.
Su Ming hadn't seen his pineapple fields, but if he only had this handful of people on the island, the scale couldn't be too large. The island was still mostly wildlife's territory, and occasionally the distant calls of monkeys could be heard.
After chatting casually for a bit, Su Ming asked for a piece of canvas and went back into the jungle to bring his armor and weapons.
The Holy Statue Armor looked like chain armor against sharks and was easy to explain, while Nightfall Greatsword and Divine Gold 47 were wrapped together and deliberately bundled to resemble a surfboard. Such an item wouldn't seem out of place on any island.
Su Ming took all his belongings and then followed Bird onto the boat. Bird had his steward give him a brightly patterned short-sleeved shirt, big shorts, and slippers to wear, because after all, they were going to town, and one needed to look decent.
Though it wasn't London, wandering around town shirtless was still improper. How could an English gentleman allow the people around him to look like that?
The shirt had a red base with coconut tree patterns printed on it—quite the fashion in Hawaii, and Su Ming fit right in with the local style.
The little boat was as he had seen before, just a simple fishing boat without even a cargo hold. A few crates of pineapples and some other local products were simply piled on the deck.
Accompanying them were the steward and two workers, and that already made the boat feel quite full.
The steward was responsible for steering the boat, while the workers were not idle on board, having to shovel coal into the furnace. Sweat rolled down their tanned skin.
However, this is already considered a good job for island natives, as working for the British pays more.
Once aboard, Bird insisted on standing behind the steward, commanding him as he steered, occasionally issuing orders.
"Port full rudder."
"Double move four."
"Hold steady."
Su Ming couldn't help but twitch his face. The steward understanding these naval terms wasn't surprising, but executing them was another matter.
"Double move four" refers to both propellers moving forward in fourth gear.
But this is a rudimentary little boat with a single propeller and a small boiler, and no gears; more coal means faster speed.
A World War I destroyer's fourth gear was its maximum speed, cruising at about 25 knots, approximately 46 km/h. But with this little boat's speed, even if the workers exhaust themselves, they couldn't reach that speed.
But putting aside those nostalgic actions and the steward's fairly competent responses...
Su Ming turned his gaze to the sea, where numerous seabirds flew above, trailing the boat, hoping to find some easy food.
But this little boat disappointed them. Pineapples are not a bird's primary diet; they wanted little fish and shrimp, which were hidden under the pineapples by the workers.
Soon, they dispersed.
Su Ming smiled faintly, feeling a sense of tranquility, like this vast ocean. Marvel is also a real and expansive world.
Once they arrive in Honolulu, the plan is to first sell the gold, rest for a few days, and then take care of business. He's been too stressed for too long and needs a break.
...............
Though he said it would be a while, they arrived four hours later.
Su Ming was somewhat impressed with Bird, who even with a missing leg, stood firmly on the creaking deck for four hours, his voice issuing commands as clearly as when they set sail.
Bird really was born for the life of a mariner.
The two sturdy workers seemed accustomed to his performance. They were tying the boat to the dock with ropes and preparing to unload goods and hire a cart to sell them.
Now the sun was high in the sky, just the right time for a meal. Bird pulled out a small stack of pounds, sending the steward and workers to sort things out themselves before coming over to Su Ming.
"Alright, Slade, there's nothing left for me to manage. Let's go eat now."
Su Ming didn't have cash on him, only some gold jewelry to sell, so the first task was to find a place to sell these items.
As a newcomer with no information or connections, banks and formal institutions bought gold but not jewelry. However, there's a place where selling jewelry might fetch a slightly higher price, without needing any identification proof.
That place is the pawnshop.
Many Chinese people have lived in Hawaii since the 18th century, and the Qing Dynasty even had diplomats stationed here.
Of course, the Qing Dynasty fell in 1912, and few Chinese living here returned.
But this had nothing to do with Su Ming; he just needed to find a pawnshop. Though pawnbroking wasn't exclusively a Chinese business, at this time, they undoubtedly asked the least questions.
They acknowledged tickets, not people; goods, not stories. They didn't ask about the origin of items or the whereabouts of the owners. Those were the rules, and Su Ming liked them.
The first Chinese to arrive here were merchants because Hawaii produced sandalwood, which sold at high prices domestically. Hawaii didn't tax merchants then, with profits over 40%, attracting many to travel back and forth.
It was they who gave Honolulu its nickname, which the Celestial Dynasty still calls it today—Sandalwood Mountain.
Moreover, there were surely pawnshops around bustling docks. Sailors often short on cash but craving strong drinks and women to relieve the exhaustion of the sea could turn to them.
Once the captain or owner sold the goods and paid the wages, they could redeem their pawned items.
The harbor of Sandalwood Mountain was much livelier than Bird's private dock. At a glance, there were at least dozens of large cargo ships flying various national flags and thousands of dockworkers busily loading and unloading goods, working in full swing.
Su Ming looked at the buildings along the shore. Some shops flew flags bearing the Chinese character for "liquor," and the architecture resembled old domestic buildings, quickly finding ones with the character "pawn" on them.
"Wait for me a moment; I'm going to the bank."
Su Ming said to Bird.
It must be said that most foreigners took things at face value. If one said this in the Celestial Dynasty, the other party would likely reply, "Oh, really need to get cash? This meal's on me, no rush, get it later."
But Bird simply smiled and nodded, signaling Su Ming to hurry back while he waited at the dock.
This made Su Ming want to buy him a few oranges on the way back.