Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 14: Explorers Society

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The group dispersed at the port and began to busy themselves with their own affairs.

After Charles went to the bank and deposited $1 million into his account, he rushed to the shipyard.

His heart was beating fast along the way. Charles hadn't felt this way for a long time. It was like the excitement of confessing his love to a girl for the first time.

In the shipyard full of steel, Charles was received by an old man with two servants. He was the owner of the shipyard.

"Hello, sir, what can I do for you?"

"I need an exploration ship."

When he heard that Charles didn't want a cargo ship or a fishing boat but an exploration ship, the old man showed a very surprised expression on his face.

"Sir, are you sure it's an exploration ship? Have you applied to the Explorers Association?" He hesitated to confirm again.

"Not yet. Can't I buy a boat without applying?"

Wood heard a hint of displeasure in the customer's words and hurried to explain.

"No, no, of course you can. I just wanted to confirm it. After all, there are fewer and fewer people as adventurous as you."

Exploring an island is, of course, very profitable, but behind those successful ones are thousands of failures.

The emergence of turbines allowed humans to explore more unknown waters and find new homes more efficiently. They once thought they were about to conquer the ocean.

Unfortunately, humans are not the protagonists here. After all, there are only a few islands that are easy to explore. Most of the extremely dangerous islands, strange natives and deep seabed give them a wake-up call.

More and more exploration ships were missing, and more and more people were losing their husbands and children. Death finally cooled down humanity. Slowly, people no longer regarded the exploration ships as heroes, but instead called them fools who were seeking death behind their backs.

Wood remembered that the last person who bought an exploration ship was five years ago, and that guy naturally died in the sea later.

"Sir, please tell me what kind of boat you need."

"The ship shouldn't be too big, within 70 meters in length, it must be powered by a brilliant turbine, and the front gun must be a 125mm rifled gun." Charles rattled it all off.

He had been preparing for returning home for a long time, and he had already memorized the various configurations of the exploration ships.

The transaction went quickly, and an hour later, Charles saw the appearance of his new boat.

The streamlined white hull was neatly lined with rivets, and was several times thicker than that of the Mouse.

The thicker chimney is a testament to the powerful turbine.

At first glance, it looked like a larger refurbished Rat, but the cannon on the foredeck, full of industrial beauty, immediately distinguished it from a second-hand cargo ship.

Length: 65m Width: 10m Draft: 5.5m

"This warship was originally reserved by the Governor's Navy, but they are not in a hurry. If you are in a hurry, I can give it to you first."

"This is the one. When can it be launched?"

"Some of the facilities you need in the cabin have not been prepared yet. If we rush, it will probably take half a month to launch it."

"Because of the Explorers Association's partial subsidy, you only need to pay 3.5 million Echo Coins."

Charles silently estimated the amount, "I have just enough in my account. If I sell the Mouse, I'll have enough supplies for the next expedition."

"Okay, get it done as soon as possible. I'll pick up the boat in half a month."

After coming out of the shipyard, Charles headed straight for the Explorers Society.

After you have an exploration ship, you join the Explorers Association, which is a loose organization on every human island. The members are all captains of exploration ships.

Of course, it doesn’t mean that he must join, but Charles will not refuse anything that is beneficial to him.

As long as he becomes an explorer, the massive nautical charts in the association will be open to him for free. You should know that these things have to be purchased outside, and in addition to the nautical charts, there are some other benefits. He has already done enough homework on this organization.

Of course, becoming an explorer is not all advantages and no disadvantages. After becoming an explorer, you must visit the island at least once a year. If you fail to meet the exploration targets, you will be disqualified as an explorer.

The Explorers Society is not far from the dock area, and the white stone building is very eye-catching.

Charles glanced at the ship logo hanging on the top of the building and walked in.

It was very large and spacious inside, and he could hear the echo of his own footsteps when he walked in.

Apart from a few counters in the distance, there were only a few men and women sitting on the sofa on the left. The triangular-brimmed hats on the table proved that they had the same identity as Charles.

While Charles was looking at them, they were also curiously looking at the unfamiliar faces at the door.

After simply identifying the words above the counter, Charles walked to the counter on the far left. Just as he was filling out the application form with a feather pen, a white arm wrapped around his neck.

"Swish." Charles reached for his waist with his right hand, and the muzzle of the revolver was already against the stomach of the man behind him.

A slightly hoarse female voice sounded in his ears, "Relax, newcomer, this is not the sea, there is no danger."

The man let go of Charles' neck, pulled over a stool, and sat down beside it with his feet up.

The person who came was a sexy woman with bright white hair, straight long legs and the seductive curves of her chest deliberately exposed.

If you ignore her oppressive height of nearly two meters, any man would want to get close to her.

Compared with her beauty, Charles was more concerned about the wooden stick on her waist, which seemed to be her weapon. There were few women who went to sea, but none of the women who could survive at sea were ordinary people.

"What's the matter?" Charles put the gun back.

"I haven't seen new people for a long time. Come and introduce yourself. My name is Elizabeth, the captain of the Black Rose. Dear, what's your name?" The giant beauty asked with a smile on her face.

Charles did not answer and just concentrated on filling out the application form. The harsh environment at sea made him not interested in dealing with strangers.

But the woman next to her didn't seem to know what was going on and left.

A faint fragrance wafted by, and Elizabeth leaned over and blatantly peeked at Charles' application form.

"Charles? What a nice name. Ah, that place isn't very important, just write it casually."

A sturdy man on the sofa in the distance laughed and said, "Elizabeth, why weren't you so enthusiastic when I first came?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes at him with disdain. "Of course you are different from him. I don't want to sleep with you, so why should I help you?"

The strong man was not angry. He slapped his thigh and laughed along with his companions.

With a "swish", Charles poked a hole in the application form.

He had guessed that this woman had impure motives, but he had never expected this motive. A woman who could make a living at sea was indeed extraordinary.

Ignoring Elizabeth beside him, Charles quickly finished writing and handed it over.

The staff member took the application form, put it into the machine composed of various gears and started operating it skillfully.

Elizabeth didn't care at all that the man in front of her ignored her and continued talking to herself.

"Charles, this is your first time here, so let me introduce you to the Explorers Association. The role is actually very simple, which is to assist us in finding new islands."

"Of course, this is not free. Once you join the association, any captain who becomes a governor in the future must open an Explorers' Club on his island."

Charles interrupted her, "Thank you for reminding me, I already knew all this, no need to remind me."

"Hmm? It seems that Mr. Charles has made a lot of preparations before coming. Are you free later? Do you want to come and sit on my boat?"

(End of this chapter)