Chapter 63: A Night Without Abnormalities

Chapter 63: A Night Without Abnormalities

Amid the rocking and swaying, the passenger ship passed through the storm and approached the lighthouse.

Soon, a small harbor appeared through the gloomy curtain of rain, entering the eyes of the captain, sailors, and passengers.

Before long, a man in his thirties wearing a blue uniform, holding a black umbrella and carrying a glass lantern, appeared on the pier. With movements that were not especially standard, he directed the passenger ship to complete its docking.

“Hey, folks, where are you coming from?” the man shouted loudly while watching the gangway lower.

Most of his voice was swallowed by wind and rain, but it successfully reached the interior of the passenger ship and entered Alfred’s ears.

“Do you know where this is?” Alfred cautiously glanced at his adjutant and attendants.

He was not wearing a general’s dress uniform. A black trench coat commonly seen in Backlund covered him. His bright blond hair hung casually, and his blue eyes resembled deep lakes in a forest.

The adjutant, whose hair was neatly combed back, first shook his head to indicate that he did not know, then explained,

“The earlier storm made me lose my bearings.”

At that moment, the captain, holding an umbrella, came to the side of the ship and responded to the man.

“We set sail from East Balam two days ago and unfortunately encountered a storm.

“What harbor is this?”

The man’s eyes moved slightly. Instead of answering directly, he raised his voice and shouted,

“Wait here.”

He then turned, lifting his umbrella and carrying his lantern as he ran toward the cluster of buildings near the pier.

That reaction was somewhat beyond the expectations of Alfred and the other passengers. Yet for the captain, chief mate, and others with rich shipping experience, it was not strange at all. They had encountered far too many irregular incidents at many harbors along the Berserk Sea routes. This made them quite patiently wait for what would happen next.

Five or six minutes later, the man led a lady as they jogged back.

The lady carried no umbrella. She wore a hooded raincoat coated with Donningsman tree sap.

After the two approached the passenger ship, they climbed the gangway step by step beneath the watch of gun-carrying sailors and came onto the deck.

At that distance, most passengers finally saw their appearances clearly.

The man had brown hair and brown eyes. His skin was rough, and one could tell at a glance that he was someone from the lower classes who had suffered long from wind and rain. The woman was in her twenties, with lake-green eyes and long flaxen hair. Several wet strands clung to her face, lending her an added feeling that was both pure and seductive.

She was a rather beautiful woman with a wild temperament.

“Everyone, this is Utopia Harbor.” The man introduced the place with some impatience. “My name is Theodore. I am the harbor’s temporary commander.”

As he spoke, he laughed, as though delighted by having invented a title that sounded very impressive.

The captain naturally understood what the so-called “temporary harbor commander” referred to and paid no attention to this minor figure’s sudden happiness.

He slightly furrowed his brows.

“Utopia Harbor? I have never heard of it.”

Theodore glanced at him.

“I have heard that sentence many times already.

“Heh. If not for that donkey-ass-kicking storm, you people might never have come here in your lives!”

Before he could say more, the lady spoke first.

“Utopia is not on the safe route. Usually, only ships that know this stretch of sea and know this place come here for resupply.”

Meaning this harbor is mainly used by pirates? How could the captain fail to understand the implication? And at such a time, tacitly not exposing it protected both sides.

He gave an “Mm.”

“And you are?”

“My name is Tracy.” The lady put on a smile. “I am the owner of the harbor inn, as well as its receptionist and server.”

She looked around.

“The storm is very strong, and the ship will rock badly. Staying here to rest is not a very wise choice. The inn can provide stable beds, enough hot water, clean food, warm blankets, and an environment that will remind you of home. It costs only ten pence per night—I mean per room.

“Besides that, you can drink to your heart’s content at the bar next door and enjoy warm hospitality.”

Clearly, this lady had come to drum up business.

The captain was rather cautious and did not answer her directly. He nodded and said,

“I cannot decide for the passengers. How they choose is their freedom. Of course, as captain, I will remain here with my sailors.”

Tracy maintained her smile.

“I will wait at the inn for any guests willing to disembark.”

She seemed to have received a certain education. Unlike the ladies sailors encountered at other harbors, she was not fiery, fierce, and foul-mouthed with every sentence.

As Tracy half turned and prepared to leave, Theodore drew close to her and said shamelessly,

“You have to thank me. I told you the news at the first possible moment.”

As he spoke, his right hand suddenly slapped against Tracy’s bottom and squeezed hard.

Pa!

Tracy knocked his hand away and cursed sharply,

“You donkey-ass-fucked bastard!”

She took a few quick steps and left the passenger ship along the gangway.

Theodore shook his palm, smiling even more broadly as he cursed,

“What a bitch!”

That scene suddenly stirred the hearts of quite a few passengers inside the cabins.

To them, the ship’s greatest flaw was boredom, and the harbor had a bar.

That meant they could meet cheap streetwalkers—streetwalkers with local characteristics, unlike those on the Northern Continent and unlike those on the Southern Continent.

If they were lucky, or willing to spend a great deal of money, perhaps one of them might even get that beautiful woman with wild temperament from earlier to spend the night with him.

For a time, many passengers packed up their luggage and prepared to head straight for the harbor inn.

Seeing this, Alfred’s adjutant asked,

“General, should we disembark?”

Alfred slowly shook his head.

“We know nothing about this place. We must be cautious enough. Staying on the ship is the best choice.”

His adjutant had no objection at all. He only asked with some concern,

“What about those who have already gone ashore?”

“That is their own choice.” Alfred looked out the window without much expression. “If an accident occurs, we can only protect the majority, unless the matter is not serious and can be resolved easily.”

With that said, he turned his head and looked at the adjutant and attendants.

“Take turns keeping watch tonight and guard against accidents.”

Having dealt with organizations such as the Numinous Episcopate and the Rose School of Thought on the Southern Continent, Alfred possessed instinctive vigilance toward unfamiliar places.

After exchanging opinions with the captain, Alfred lay down on the bed, listening to the raging wind striking the glass window and the heavy rain splashing loudly onto the deck. Quite calmly, he prepared to sleep.

At that moment, he heard a graceful, sorrowful melody coming from the direction of the harbor.

It seemed to come from a flute. Amid the storm, it drifted in fragments, like a person sobbing.

Alfred was instantly immersed in such music and such an environment, as though he had returned to Backlund, which always appeared in his dreams, returning to that peculiar mood woven together from childhood joy and youthful troubles.

He abruptly shook his head and broke free of the feeling, discovering that it did not come from a mental influence. It was merely the normal reaction a normal person should have.

Alfred turned over and got out of bed. He walked to the window and used the Beyonder ability of a Sheriff to confirm that the music he had just heard came from that cheap inn.

Not the guests who went ashore. Their goal was very clear; they would not be in the mood to play such a melody… A traveler who was already in Utopia Harbor, or that owner-and-server named Tracy? If it is her, then she is a lady with a story… Alfred sighed twice inwardly, withdrew his gaze, and paid no further attention.

Curiosity was curiosity, but it did not produce any thought of disembarking.

Soon, the flute stopped, and the harbor inn returned to quiet. No accident occurred.

Just like that, time passed second by second. As the storm stopped, the sky gradually brightened.

At eight in the morning, the passengers who had left the ship returned one after another, each with unsteady steps and haggard faces.

Seeing this, the sailors immediately burst into laughter.

“The girls here seem pretty good!”

Almost simultaneously, those passengers shook their heads, all showing regretful expressions.

One of them rubbed his forehead and said,

“The strong Relangqi here is very good. It’s cheaper than anywhere else. I accidentally drank too much and fell asleep. I don’t even know whether anything happened with that lovely girl. Sigh. When I woke, it was almost time to sail. I don’t remember at all what I did after getting drunk. Praise the Goddess. She let me lie back in bed instead of sleeping in the rain.”

The other passengers echoed him one after another, saying their experiences were similar.

Of course, everyone differed in details. For example, one passenger praised the desserts in the cheap inn’s breakfast as quite good.

The sailors lamented missing out on cheap and decent strong Relangqi while teasing the passengers in succession:

“Maybe the one who spent the night with you wasn’t a girl here, but a big man like Theodore. In any case, all of you were drunk like that. No way to know what really happened!”

“Haha! Better feel your backsides carefully!”

Amid the joyful atmosphere, the sailors stored the gangway, raised the sails, and let the passenger ship gradually set off.

Only after they passed through a slightly dim stretch of sea and returned to the familiar safe route did Alfred finally relax completely. Smiling, he said to his adjutant and attendants,

“We can mark this place on our map. Write that the liquor and desserts are quite good. Mm, and that the girls have their own characteristics.”

After sailing for several more days, the passenger ship finally arrived at Eskosen Harbor in Desi Bay along the winding safe route.

Upholding noble manners and the social instincts flowing through his blood, Alfred visited the higher-ups of the nearby military base and shared a wonderful dinner with them.

When he returned to his father’s holiday villa there, he unexpectedly discovered that the attendant he had sent to find materials had a somewhat pale face.

“What happened?” Alfred instantly put away his relaxed attitude.

The attendant lowered his voice.

“General, none of the kingdom’s official maps mark Utopia Harbor.”