Chapter 304 - 301: Setting Sail

"What’s wrong with your brother today?"

Vitorino furrowed his brow, whispering to his second son beside him. His gaze, however, remained fixed on Reis. The young man actually had a smile on his face, though it looked a bit pained.

’Did the sun rise in the west today?’

Jamie looked at the smile on his brother’s face and felt a wave of unease. He would have been more comfortable if Reis had just given him a cold glare and a scolding.

"I’m not sure. I heard from the servants that he went to spar with Ronin last night, but he lost."

Jamie shook his head. "But the servants don’t know if Ronin and that guy Reis made some kind of bet. My guess is... the loser has to keep smiling, right?"

A bet to smile?

Vitorino found it incredible, but seeing the look on his son’s face, he thought it was entirely possible.

’If that’s true, then Ronin is quite a taskmaster.’

Escorted by a company of men and horses, Ronin arrived at the docks of Dennis Port.

Although the Earl of Scream Island had affected the Dennis Clan’s business, the port was still quite bustling.

No small number of ships, large and small, were moored in the harbor. Most of them were only about ten meters long, with simple cabins, clearly intended for fishing or ferrying people to the nearest docks.

The largest ship Ronin saw was the one docked before him, the Denis Three.

The ship was thirty meters long and, according to Jamie, was even equipped with bedrooms and a kitchen.

Although it couldn’t compare to a modern passenger liner or warship, it was still quite impressive for this era.

At the moment, the Denis Three was secured to the harbor’s edge with ropes. The sailors on board had already completed their pre-departure preparations; as soon as Ronin and his party boarded, they would set sail.

"Thank you to the Dennis Clan for your hospitality and escort!"

Ronin expressed his gratitude to Vitorino. The Dennis Clan’s hospitality had been impeccable; besides the banquet and the ship for his journey, they had even arranged for the clan’s heir to personally escort him.

"I hope that you, Viscount, will seriously consider our proposed cooperation."

Vitorino smiled. "I will, Ronin. I wish you all the best in Golden Feather City!"

Led by the captain, Ronin’s party boarded the ship.

At the captain’s command, the sailors untied the ropes, hoisted the sails, and the large ship slowly pulled away from the port.

"Ante, go inform Baron Hamet. Tell him to come to Sharp Horn City as soon as possible. Say that I have urgent business with him."

After a night of consideration, Vitorino had basically agreed to Ronin’s proposal. As soon as the survey was complete and a site for the port confirmed, they could proceed to the next stage of partnership negotiations.

Therefore, the survey needed to be conducted soon so they could get results more quickly.

On the Denis Three, the canvas sails swayed in the sea breeze, making a rustling sound as if whispering ancient legends of the ocean.

The hull rose and fell with the waves, and every lurch conveyed the vastness and power of the ocean.

Ronin had encountered the sea when he subdued Carlos, but the feeling then was different from now. Nor had he possessed the leisure to observe the seascape.

"Ronning Count."

Reis Knight walked over and said sarcastically, "Your two guards are real rookies. They can’t even handle a little turbulence."

Ronin was helpless about this.

David and Tom were both seasick. They hadn’t traveled more than a few miles before they started vomiting. They were now resting in their rooms in the cabin.

’When Wubei Port is built in the future and I need to form a fleet, I’ll have to first consider whether or not they get seasick.’

"Everyone has a first time. David and Tom both grew up on land. This is their first time at sea, so it’s not surprising they’d get seasick."

Ronin looked Reis up and down. "Don’t tell me you weren’t seasick your first time on a boat."

Reis snorted coldly. "As a member of the Dennis Clan, I was born to be a master of the sea. You don’t need to doubt that!"

"Remember to keep smiling, Reis Knight. Your current attitude doesn’t seem like one a loser should have."

Reis froze for a moment, defiance flashing in his eyes. But as a Knight who kept his promises, he forced the corners of his mouth to curl up.

"Ronin, you only beat me because of your Power! When I increase my Power, it’ll be your turn to lose!"

He said viciously, through a fake smile, "When that time comes, I’ll make you keep a constant smile in front of me too!"

’Keeping a smile. What a "cruel" punishment.’

"How about this? I can see you’re struggling to smile. Why don’t you just stop?"

Ronin proposed, "You could consider following me and becoming my Knight. If you do, I’ll allow you to walk around with a long face."

If he could gain Reis’s allegiance, not only would Wubei Territory gain a formidable expert of the sea with great potential, but he would also gain the support of Sharp Horn City.

Reis glanced coolly at Ronin. "Lord Count, don’t forget, I am the heir to the Dennis Clan. In the future, the only one I can follow is the Lord of Wushan Territory. And from what I know, it seems you’ve already lost your right to inherit Wushan Territory, haven’t you?"

After saying this, he felt as if he had vented his frustration, and his smile became a little more natural.

This statement left Ronin in a bit of a bind. He couldn’t very well say he planned to take back his inheritance rights, could he?

"Your father is only fifty-two. With his Silver Level physical fortitude, he could easily live another forty or fifty years under normal circumstances. In all that time, you could totally come gain experience in my territory first."

Ronin coaxed, "I’m not the only genius Knight in Wubei Territory. My Commander and my Guard Officer are about your age, but their strength could crush you."

A cold light flashed in Reis’s eyes. The word "crush" seemed to be an insult to him.

"Don’t play these kinds of provoking tricks on me. I won’t be angered by you."

He turned away, not wanting to speak with Ronin any longer. "If you want me to follow you, we can talk again after you become a Meteor Knight."

"Fine. If I become a Meteor Knight before you, then you’ll come to Wubei Territory."

"We’ll see when the time comes!" he said, walking into the cabin.

Ronin shrugged. ’Then we’ll see when the time comes.’

He turned and gazed out at the vast sea. After several hours of sailing, their ship was already dozens of miles from Dennis Port. At this point, there were basically no other ships visible on the water.

The Screaming Sea didn’t look large on a map, but its actual area was huge. It was shaped like an inverted triangle; the farther north you went, the wider the sea became, and the greater the distance between the shores.

Ronin learned from Captain Wheat Bran that the winds had not been strong recently, so the entire journey would take about half a day longer than usual.

"Horn Bay..."

Ronin softly murmured the name of the seaport.

It was said that when the site was first being chosen, a Griffin Knight scouting from the air noticed the horn-shaped piece of land at a glance. He therefore named the harbor "Horn Bay," and the city that subsequently developed there was naturally named Horn City.

This city was located southeast of the Royal Capital and was directly administered by Golden Feather City. In a sense, stepping foot in Horn City was the same as arriving at the Royal Capital.

Sailing was tedious, especially on a long voyage.

After the initial novelty wore off, Ronin grew weary as well. Looking at the same scenery over and over was visually fatiguing.

On the evening of the second day, the afterglow of the sunset dyed the sea’s surface red.

High up on the ship, the crewman on lookout duty suddenly pointed to the north and shouted, "Captain, look! There are ships over there, heading south."

"Oh? Can you make out what kind of ships they are?"

The lookout strained to identify them but ultimately shook his head.

"They’re too far! I can’t see clearly!"

Captain Wheat Bran immediately ascended the high platform, his gaze fixed on the distance.

At the edge of his vision, there were indeed three ships under full sail, heading south. They even seemed to be on a collision course with the Denis Three.

Wheat Bran immediately shouted, "Lads, look alive! Everyone, keep an eye on the direction of those ships! Manage the rudder and sails, and don’t let them hit us!"

At the same time, he signaled to his first mate, "Go inform Lord Reis of the situation. We’ve entered the waters of the Screaming Isles."