A few days later, Mingna began to feel anxious. Uncle Yutan clearly said that the boat would be arranged soon, so why hadn't he mentioned sending her home yet? She heard that there was a ship going out to sea a few days ago, but she was not notified. She asked, and the answer she got was that the ship was not going to Matt, and it was not going along the way. She was determined to ask about the return date, but seeing that Yutan's whole family was busy with the matter of the ship being impounded, she was embarrassed to press too hard.
She felt her life was boring. Although Yutan seems to be very loose with her, he is actually not as indulgent as grandpa. No matter she is at home or out, someone will follow her, and she can only move around in the uptown area when she goes out. There were only two or three commercial streets in the entire upper city. After two days of shopping, she got tired of shopping. She went to the dock to watch people moving goods and ships entering and leaving the port, but it was just to pass the time. She had a history of escaping, so Yutan kept a close watch on her and even stopped her from playing on other people's boats. In addition, since Sibylla borrowed the ring to wear it that day and was told by her father that her fingers were thick, she became angry with her and became cold towards her. Mingna counted the days on her fingers every day, feeling that time was hard to bear.
She originally wanted to review potions when she had time, but when Yutan heard that she had this plan, he said that he had neglected her, and specially found a local singing artist to relieve her boredom, and also gave her a lot of toys. This made Sibylla very unhappy. Ming Na was embarrassed and stopped mentioning it.
Finally, the atmosphere in Yutan's house became more relaxed in the past two days, and Yutan himself had more smiles on his face. Ming Na asked the housekeeper curiously, and found out that it was someone from Matt Trading Company who sent a letter, saying that the detained ship had been returned, and the follow-up matters had been successfully resolved. The business was back on track, so the whole family was very happy. Yutan even asked the housekeeper to reward each servant in the family with fifty copper coins.
Mingna was also happy about this and hurriedly went to find Yutan. After congratulating her, she carefully mentioned her return home.
Yutan pondered for a moment, then smiled and said: "No problem, it was not convenient for me at home a few days ago, so I have been delaying this matter. I will ask someone to arrange it now. However, there is still a big ship on the dock. In two days, we will go south to Shaonan to transport goods. This has been agreed with the merchants there. There is also a medium-sized one being repaired in the dock. It will not be able to go to sea in three days. The only ones left are you and your grandfather. We took a small boat when we went to the Holy Mountain. A small boat is not as stable as a big boat. How about you wait for three more days?"
Mingna was so bored that she didn't want to wait another three days, so she hurriedly said: "Just take a boat, Uncle Yutan, I want to go home to see my parents early, just promise me." The boat said It's "little", but actually it's not that little anymore. She's not afraid.
Yutan thought about it for a while and reluctantly agreed: "Okay, I'll ask someone to make arrangements. The weather has been calm these days, the sun is good, and the boat can run smoothly. I will send a few more crew members to follow. You first Go back and come over to play again when you are free, and I will take Sibylla to see you and your parents."
Ming Na was overjoyed and hurriedly thanked him. Hearing his words about bringing more crew members, Minna couldn't help but think of Corbin and his friend named Ruel. Ruhl injured his hand last time. In order to make more money, he would rather sneak Corbin on the boat and the two would share the reward equally than give up the job. Sending myself home by boat this time is also a job, right? If we let them come together, wouldn't they be able to make more money
So Minna said again: "Uncle Yutan, if you want to send a crew, can you ask Corbin and Ruel to come together? Last time I went to the Holy Mountain, they also went with me. I am familiar with them."
Although Yutan was a little surprised, he still agreed. He said that he wanted to promote Corbyn. Let Corbyn go to sea more times and increase his qualifications.
Ming Na got her wish and left happily. But Youtan looked at the "storage ring" on her chest that was swaying with the silk rope with some worry, and sighed slightly.
He spent several days trying to think of a way to get the ring back without disturbing Ming Na. Unexpectedly, he shot himself in the foot.
He gave the silk rope that day just because he didn't want Ming Na to find out there was something wrong with the ring, and he tried to avoid letting her use the ring in the past few days. However, originally, Mingna would take off the ring and put it in her pocket when taking a shower or washing her face because of the inconvenience of wearing it. If others want to do something, there is still a chance. But now, she hung the ring around her neck as a pendant. Even when taking a bath, she only cast a water-avoiding spell and never took it off. He had no chance to do anything.
The silk rope could not be cut with ordinary scissors. It was impossible for him to take off the ring without telling Ming Na. And now his daughter is angry with him because she didn't get the magic crystal and refuses to help him anymore. He originally wanted to keep Ming Na for a few more days and think of other solutions, but now he can no longer delay. Does he really want to tell the little girl what happened? Every time he saw her trusting eyes, he felt uncomfortable.
The accountant stood behind him at some point: "Boss, if you can't exchange it, you can't exchange it. Let's just send the ring back to Zhu Fa's house." Yuta sighed: "That's the only way. Court, go arrange the crew. , including Corbin and Ruel, we will set off tomorrow, take the ring and the box of crystal gems and send Minna back."
Court hesitated to speak, and Youtan was a little confused: "What's wrong? Don't you really want to go to Zhu Fa's house?"
"No..." Court hesitated for a moment, and finally said, "Boss, I think... it doesn't matter if the gems and rings are slower. Arthurs wrote a letter from Manado, not that although Wood Auction House got two of our The ship, but the compensation came to nothing. Is Wood's face a little gloomy? I'm afraid he will come up with some conspiracy to deal with us again. We don't have much funds on hand, and with those gems, we can have multiple escape routes... Don't be angry, please listen to me. I'm not asking you to be greedy for these treasures, I'm just keeping them for a few more days just in case. Even if they are really used, as long as we can pass the test smoothly, we can just use the money to make up for it later. If you don't do this, if we are framed by Wood and go bankrupt, won't we never be able to repay the money we owe Miss Minna's family?"
Yutan was very pleased with what he said. If it was just for a few days, it wouldn't matter much. He didn't want his family fortune to be ruined in Wood's hands.
When Court saw this, he continued to persuade him: "In fact, as long as Arthurs' side progresses smoothly, the payment is collected from the orderer, and the ship and shop are sold, then everything will be fine. We can send the things back right away. Go to Zhu Fa's family. No matter whether there is a chance to cooperate with Zhu Fa's family in the future, there is no need to be afraid of Wood. Isn't that medium-sized sea-going ship in the dock able to be repaired in a few days? You said you would use it to evacuate all our people. Just drop the things off when the time comes. Just wait three or four days."
Yutan thought for a while and sighed again: "Forget it, I'll do as you want." After a pause, he added: "I'll leave the matters in the boat shop to you. I've been tired recently and want to rest." A few days." Court was delighted and quickly agreed.
Minna didn't know that someone was talking about her family's property. She just packed her luggage happily, putting her clothes, wand, change and some other belongings into her satchel. The rest was packed by the housekeeper and delivered by a dedicated person. Get on the boat.
Sibylla stood by the door and watched her busy, snorted coldly, turned around and left. After Minna heard it, she chased after her: "Sibylla, I'm leaving tomorrow and going to find my mother. Can you come to my house to play in the future?"
Sibylla turned her head disdainfully: "I don't care about it!"
Ming Na was dissatisfied with her attitude: "Why do you say that? We were good at first, but you suddenly ignored me these days. Is it because of what happened that day? But it's not me who said you were fat. Why did you Are you going to be angry with me?"
Sibylla was so excited by her words: "I'm not fat! My father has always loved me the most. He will agree to whatever I want. But because of you, he has scolded me several times. It's all your fault! I don't want to care about you!" After saying that, he pushed her hard, turned around and left.
Ming Na was also annoyed by her: "Ignore it, ignore it. Do you think I want to endure your bad temper?!" She also turned around and went back to the room. Sibylla's nanny saw it nearby and didn't know what to do, so she had to chase her eldest daughter.
Until she left the next day, Minna never paid attention to Sibylla again. She also grew up being pampered by her parents, and she was once a willful little girl. Although she became much better-behaved under her grandfather's guidance, her grandfather always loved her and would never let her be so angry. She tolerated Sibylla a lot for Yutan's sake, but that didn't mean she would forgive her inexplicable falling out again and again. Now her heart was filled with the joy of going home to see her relatives, so there was no leisure left to deal with the unruly things. A willful young lady
At the dock in the early morning, the autumn air is crisp.
Although the weather was a bit cold, people did not feel the chill due to the sunshine. Mingna put on warm clothes and vest, pigtails, and carried a shoulder bag, and got on the boat neatly. She turned around and said goodbye to Yutan and others, and said: "Uncle Yutan, I will miss you. Come on." Matt or Ito, remember to come and see me."
Yutan smiled and said: "Okay... we will have a ship to Matt in a few days, and Court will be responsible for escorting the ship. When the time comes, he will definitely come to see you."
Mingna knew that Court was the accountant uncle's name, and turned to him in surprise: "Really? Then you must come, and I'll treat you to the most delicious orange cake." She blinked: "There's no blood on it."
Court laughed dryly and said to his boss with some embarrassment: "It's getting late, let them set off. Taking advantage of the favorable wind, they might be able to reach Matt earlier."
Yutan nodded, and the ship quickly set off from the shore. Minna stood on the deck and said goodbye to the people on the shore again. She accidentally caught a glimpse of Sibylla hiding behind and watching the leaving ship from a distance, looking a little lonely. Ming Na tilted her head, smiled and waved to her, but saw her roll her eyes and hide away. Ming Na was stunned and couldn't help but make people snicker.
Because it was a favorable wind, the crew raised the full sail, and the ship quickly left the port. After a while, the city of Kamega disappeared from their sight.
For this voyage, Yutan arranged for an experienced captain and an experienced first mate. However, because the ship was small, there were only five crew members and two boatmen. Corbin was very lucky to be appointed as the first mate's assistant. . Now, everyone is under the captain's arrangement, each keeping his own position and performing his duties, and everything is in order.
Minna ran briskly on the deck. Although the ship was not big, it was enough for her to pass the time. There are crew members everywhere, and she is not worried about any danger. Blowing the sea breeze and looking at the endless blue ocean, she felt very happy. Thinking that she would see her mother soon, she couldn't sit still for a moment and wandered around on the boat.
Occasionally she came to the side of the boat and found that there were no traces of the boat that day, and the rope loop had been removed long ago. However, when she lay on the railing and looked down, she admired her own courage that day and actually followed the rope. Climb that high.
Looking at the fish leaping up from time to time on the sea, Ming Na suddenly had an idea. She caught a glimpse of a few bundles of hemp rope piled beside the mast next to her. She rolled her eyes and secretly got one without warning and tied one end to it. On the railing, the other end did not make a circle, just hung down like this, and moved it with my hands, teasing the fish again and again to induce them to bite the rope. But seeing that they were about to bite, I pulled the rope. Pull the other end and let them fly away. Seeing those fish jumping and jumping on the sea surface, but unable to bite the rope, Mingna giggled and made faces at them.
"Is it Miss Ming Na? What are you doing?" Suddenly there was a voice from behind. Ming Na was startled and threw the rope away. She stood up and turned around, trying to cover the rope as much as possible. She found that it was Corbin who was walking over. .
He looked behind Ming Na: "What is that?"
"Nothing, nothing." Mingna waved her hands in a panic, then rushed forward and pulled him away, "You came just in time, I was looking for you, come with me." She was afraid that someone would discover her prank. , and hurriedly dragged Corbin to the cabin and into his room.
"What does Miss Minna want from me?" Corbin stood in the room, looking a little uncomfortable. His impression of this little girl was that of an aristocratic lady who was more well-behaved than the eldest lady. Although she was easy to get along with, she would also cause headaches if she was willful. It was because of her boldness last time that he and Ruel indirectly lost a large sum of reward money. Although he got the job opportunity thanks to her this time, he felt uneasy when he thought about what he had done. . Why did she come to him
Ming Na hesitated for a long time before asking: "Corbin, I heard others say... Your family is very poor, right? Do you owe a lot of money?"
Corbin's face was a little stiff, and he thought: Why is she asking this? Could it be...that he knew about his whistle-blowing
"Really? In fact, I also asked Ruel, and he told me about your family's situation." Mingna did not notice Corbin's pale face, but just took out a money bag from her bag, "There are ten The gold coins should be enough for you to pay off your debt, right? This is not given to you, it is lent to you. I borrowed it. When you have money in the future, remember to return it to me." She remembered that her grandfather once said that some people cannot give money directly. The other party will be angry and can only say it was borrowed.
Corbin's face became even stiffer and he stared straight at the money bag without saying anything.
Ming Na pushed him in confusion: "What's wrong with you? Take it, I told you, this is not for you, it's a loan! When you have the money, you must pay me back, uh... no interest required Yes. You must often follow the boat to the Port of Matter, right? When you want to pay back the money, just send it to my grandpa's house." So there should be no problem, right
Corbin silently took the money bag, and suddenly his eyes turned red: "Miss Mingna, I..." He opened his mouth, but nothing could be said.
Ming Na patted his shoulder like an adult: "I understand, I understand, there's no need to say anything. Let's work hard and make money from now on." She looked at Corbin with a smile, but the latter felt sour in his heart. , with all the flavors, rolled into a ball. After a long while, he nodded slightly and said, "Don't worry, I will work hard to return the money to you as soon as possible..." He couldn't say any more: "I... I'm going to do... work first..."
He turned around and walked out of the room. He didn't go very far when his feet gave way and he sat down in the hallway. He wanted to cry, but he couldn't. He clenched his fists and felt heavy in his heart.
If he had known that the matter could be solved so easily, he wouldn't... wouldn't...
Minna thought that Corbin was too excited to speak because she was too happy. She felt that she had done a good thing and was in a very happy mood. When she saw Corbin again later, there was nothing strange about his words and deeds, so she was unaware of his mood.
Their ship had favorable winds for two days in a row, was moving very fast, and the sea was calm. They were really lucky. On the morning of the third day, when Mingna heard the captain say that she could reach the Port of Matter at night and have breakfast at her grandpa's house tomorrow morning, she was so happy that she turned somersaults on the deck, making the crew members laugh.
"Look, what is that?!" A crew member suddenly shouted. The person standing next to him followed his hand and couldn't help but scream.
"What happened?" The captain pushed aside the crowd and walked over, setting up a pergola to look out. His face suddenly changed: "Oh no, it's a pirate! And it's a black skull and crossbones flag!"
Everyone was in an uproar and looked at the approaching black shadow on the horizon. They all returned to their posts in a panic. Following the captain's instructions, they tried to speed up to avoid the ship.
Minna hurriedly pulled Ruer who was closest to her and asked: "What is the black skull flag? Are there pirates on the sea here?" Ruer hurriedly said "This is the first time I have seen it" and left.
However, an old boatman answered Ming Na's question: "These are pirates from the southern waters of Shaonan. They use the black skull flag as a symbol and specialize in robbing passing merchant ships. Although they will not kill all the people on board, they will encounter strong ones." All men are tied up and sold as slaves, and only women and children are spared. However, those women and children usually cannot return home alive..."
He paused and thought thoughtfully: "Strange, I heard that they only come out to rob in winter and spring, and rarely come to the north of Bath. This is hundreds of miles away from Bath. It’s autumn again, why are they here? And, no one discovered them along the way?”
After listening to his words, Ming Na looked at the approaching ship in the distance and the black and white skull and crossbones flag that she could clearly see, and she felt an ominous premonition in her heart.
(T_T Another 5K... In this chapter, deputy: Arthurs, accountant: Court. It's not easy, these two have appeared in several chapters, and they only have names now... By the way, I want to start abusing the birds ~~~)