1.
An inconspicuous boat sailed into Hongliu Port. These days are the peak season for shipping, there is a huge flow of people coming and going, and everyone is covered with the impetuous smell of alcohol and the strong fragrance of flowers. O'Brien sneezed several times as soon as he got off the ship.
A young man arrived at the pier early, helped him take the suitcase in his hand, and joked casually: "It seems that you have stayed in Dragon's Rest Castle for too long, and you are no longer used to the smell of our Dream City."
"How is it possible? I planned to come back quickly half a year ago, but in the end, I was forced to stay there for two months, and there happened to be a big tide in Canglang Bay in the middle, so I was delayed for another month." O'Brien wiped his nose, Sneezed again. He looked around, "Why are you the only one here, Hailian?"
The young man gave him a bitter face, "He must have forgotten."
"This guy, how many times have you let me go..." O'Brien shook his head and smiled wryly. He looked at the young man again as he said, "It's been a long time since I saw you, the kid seems to have grown taller again."
Ake laughed sheepishly. The boy's previously too thin limbs are now well-proportioned and slender, and the curly brown hair like a chicken coop is as vibrant as before. He is wearing Jiumeng's latest clothes. The sparkling sea surface is worn on the body.
"Brother Hailian always said that I can't grow any longer. If I grow longer, I'll be taller than him. He doesn't like it." He compared his height and tipped his feet slightly. He's as tall."
"It's fine now." The writer smiled and patted Ake on the shoulder, "Go, take me to meet him."
All the luggage was carried to the carriage not far away by the porter brought by Ake. O'Brien handed the boat fare to the boatman. The boatman glanced at the pattern on the copper coin, shook his head and refused to accept it, "You give Wrong money!"
"What?" O'Brien was taken aback.
"His Majesty the King promulgated a new decree half a year ago to exchange all the old money for new coins," the old man said, and was about to hand the money back. "It's not worthwhile for me to go to the city alone for these few copper coins!"
"Let me give it to you," Ake took out a few new coins from his pocket and handed them over, explaining, "You also know that a lot of messy laws and decrees have been implemented after Berensu ascended the throne—the former Tisu copper coin engraved with The one with the red flower pattern, half a year ago he suddenly said that the red flower is the symbol of the Amber King, all must be destroyed and replaced with a buttercup pattern. Actually..." He moved closer to O'Brien and said in a low voice, "Hailian My brother and Mr. Faluko have calculated in private that after changing the pattern, each piece of copper will lose two cents in weight, and the accumulation is not a small amount."
O'Brien raised his eyebrows: "He's not stupid."
"The one who is not stupid is not Berensu, but the Duke." Ake said, "The king is responsible for eating, drinking and enjoying himself, and Simona handles all the money exchange processes. Do you think things can enter the treasury?"
"..." O'Brien opened his mouth wide, "Speaking of which, you have learned a lot from being with Hailian."
"It's because he didn't want to take care of these twists and turns, which forced me to follow along," Ake complained, "If I help him remember something, if he makes a mistake one day, All of us are going to die!"
Starting from Hongliu Port, after passing through three narrow intersections, we came to the main road. O'Brien glanced out the window and frowned: "This is not the way to his house."
"You mean the small building near the embassy?" Ake replied, "That house has been sold."
"sold?"
"It was sold shortly after you left. He used part of the money to refit his two boats," Ake said, "and the rest was for the people in the mud zone to drink."
O'Brien didn't quite agree, "In this way, people in the White Bird District will definitely dislike him even more."
"Anyway, he doesn't want to see the nobles in the White Bird District, so he doesn't care about it." Ake said, "Let me remind you, don't mention his house when you meet him. Last time someone talked about that small building In the past, a man from Dongzhou bought Jinwu Zangjiao, and that night he was beaten up by Brother Hailian in a sack."
The writer was startled: "I haven't seen you for a year, why is he getting more tempered?"
The young man curled his lips and made a helpless expression: "Anyway, ask less and make less mistakes. It's good not to ask."
"He doesn't have a home now, where does he live?" O'Brien was speechless, "I can't live back... er, in Mrs. Golden Bell Flower's broken building?"
Even today, when the words Mrs. Jinlinghua are mentioned, this great writer who is already well-known in Tisu is a little embarrassed.
"How is that possible." Ake smiled, "He went out to sea some time ago, probably hijacked a smuggling ship, and bought fourteen jars of Dongzhou wine. He opened two jars a day for everyone who came to drink. Today, just finished drinking, if you go to see him now, maybe you can still get a share." He pointed out the window, and the carriage rattled westward from the avenue, and went straight into Yulan Port.
No matter how many ships in Yulan Harbor are dazzling, the Lady in the Clouds is still the most dazzling pearl-it seems a bit inappropriate to describe her as a pearl. In the past, she was just a silent dead thing, but now there is salty water in the gap between the masts. The grains of salt, the traces of gunfire on the pattern on the bow, and the busy crowd on the deck all show that she is no longer a quiet girl, but a brave female general who has experienced many battles.
All the sailors on the ship knew Ake, greeted him cheerfully, and asked who was behind him. "A friend of the captain." Ake replied.
"Jiumeng City is full of the captain's friends!" Everyone laughed loudly, "Everyone wants to come and have a glass of Jinghua wine with Hailian!"
Ake also laughed, and he led O'Brien off the deck to the lobby of the cabin. The place hadn't had time to clean up the mess after last night's mischief, the wine bottle that fell on the ground swayed back and forth with the waves, and accidentally bumped into O'Brien's toes. Young boys and girls wiped away the residual makeup at the end of their eyes with their little fingers, walked past O'Brien arm in arm and yawning. A girl recognized him and threw a kiss at him: "Great writer, when You can arrange a role for me in the Grand Theater!" She only said this as a joke, which made the other partners laugh, and the ribbon on the wrist swayed in the morning light.
O'Brien looked at Ake, who gave him a helpless expression, and pointed forward to a door that was concealed: "He's inside."
The moment the writer opened the door, the colored paper tapes and gold powder on the ground were blown up by the convective wind and scattered at his feet. A few pieces of confetti were so light that they made two extra circles in the air. , and finally landed reluctantly on the cushion of the bench in the center of the room.
A person was lying horizontally on the bench, with his head resting on a soft cushion, sleeping deeply in the mess. He didn't take off his boots, one foot was hanging on the ground, the other was standing on the arm of the bench, and his body was randomly covered with a ball of thin fleece, which also covered the crumpled linen shirt after the carnival—Lady in the cloud The captain of the ship is still very young and very beautiful, so such a presumptuous sleeping position can be forgiven.
Just as O'Brien was about to call him, the other party seemed to sense the presence of someone. The young man's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes with a frown.
He barely sat up and leaned against the back of the chair, muttered something in his throat, and then said softly: "...how is it you?"
"Why isn't it me?" O'Brien laughed, "I think you really drank too much."
Hai Lian was still in a dazed state. He waited until his consciousness slowly came to his senses, and then he said, as if he had suddenly realized: "Sorry, I forgot... how did you find it?"
"You forgot, at least your little housekeeper didn't forget, otherwise I would have to stare at the house you sold." O'Brien poured a glass of water from the table and handed it to Hailian, " Drink it quickly to wake up the smell of alcohol on your face."
"Ake is not the housekeeper, but my first mate." Hai connected the cup, "I didn't drink much yesterday, but I was too tired recently, so I didn't sleep well."
While defending, Hai Lian drank the clear water in one gulp. He put the glass aside, and then showed a refreshing smile to O'Brien, "Welcome back to Jiumeng City, great writer."
"Thank you very much for your welcome." O'Brien gave the other party a disrespectful salute, "Your Excellency the Baron."
Hailian sneered, "Don't call me Baron."
"Then what should I call you?" O'Brien raised his eyebrows, "Nowadays, who doesn't know that the most troublesome thing in Yunhai is not the pirates of the Sixteen Islands, nor the navy of any country, but you and your two ships. An invincible battleship like ghosts and gods. I can hear all kinds of glorious deeds of you no matter in Taiyan City or Dragon's Rest Castle... By the way, those guys even gave you a new name."
"What do you call me?"
"The Lord of the Sea."