Chapter 38: Several captains

Sules waved her hand casually.

“It’s no big deal. I’m heading back first; we have to set sail tomorrow. These few guys are pretty drunk—if it affects tomorrow, just ask the master for help.”

Those words carried a hint of cruelty—if the master got involved, these men would definitely be punished.

Taylor, as the master’s younger brother, might fare okay, but the other sailors surely wouldn’t be able to stay on this ship any longer.

All of them were Taylor’s right-hand men.

Once they left, Taylor’s influence on the ship would immediately weaken.

Meanwhile, Sules, as the captain, could smoothly ascend to the top position.

Thinking this, Ode couldn’t help but feel a newfound respect for Sules.

Despite looking so young, the captain was surprisingly shrewd and experienced.

Since this power struggle had begun, it was time for him to consider where he stood.

At least for this first round, Sules had emerged a clear victor.

Back in the wheelhouse, Sules took a sip of water to get rid of the lingering taste of alcohol in her mouth.

She really was fine; the alcohol in this era wasn’t very strong due to immature brewing techniques.

Sules had a good tolerance, so drinking a little more wasn’t a problem.

If it had been some strong liquor, she would have quietly poured it out.

Drinking culture was an indispensable part of business dealings, and she had long since learned how to handle it.

However, what Sules hadn’t expected was a knock at the wheelhouse door at eleven that night.

She was a little wary and asked through the glass window on the door, “What’s the matter?”

Kadi scratched his head and said somewhat anxiously, “Captain Sules, I saw you drank quite a bit today. Since you have to sail tomorrow, I brought you some hangover medicine.”

Sules was momentarily taken aback but opened the door.

Sure enough, Kadi was holding a bowl of brownish liquid, smiling as he handed it over.

“This is brewed from Hangover Grass. The sailors love to drink, so we often keep some of this on board.”

Sules took the hangover soup, studied him curiously for a moment, then thanked him softly, “Thank you.”

Kadi didn’t notice her scrutiny; he cheerfully said it was nothing and turned to leave.

Sules looked down at the soup in her hand, opened the window on the other side of the cabin, and poured it all into the sea.

First, she wasn’t drunk at all, so she didn’t need the hangover soup.

Second, she didn’t fully trust this seemingly cheerful guy—who knew what he was thinking behind her back.

She never ate food on the ship unless everyone else had eaten it first.

When out on the road, one’s vigilance had to be maintained—otherwise, who knew when trouble might strike.

As expected, the next day, Taylor and the other four suffered a full night of hangovers, their heads pounding so badly they couldn’t get up.

Sules didn’t bring up the matter, but when it came time to set sail, the start was noticeably slower, and she was replaced.

The master noticed the situation and immediately used the ship’s communication system to ask for an explanation.

Sules pretended to be embarrassed and said, “Captain, we’re a bit short on crew right now, so we weren’t fully prepared at first. But don’t worry, we’ll be ready soon.”

“Short on crew?”

Captain Jam frowned.

“Sixteen sailors should be enough to sail, right?”

Sules hesitated for a moment before replying, “Well… some of our sailors had some problems, so…”

Captain Jam saw Sules stammering and understood that as a new captain, she was reluctant to badmouth others.

He could relate, so he decisively ordered the ship to stop and sent people to check on the situation.

After seeing the condition of Taylor and his men, he immediately called the four sailors over for a stern scolding, then transferred them to other ships and sent some new recruits to Sules.

As for Taylor, he wasn’t transferred; he was just reprimanded a few times and left off.

This clearly showed the master’s favoritism.

After the scolding, Taylor sobered up.

He looked humiliated and immediately wanted to settle scores with Sules.

“You woman, you really love to snitch, huh?”

Sules looked wronged.

“First mate, we’re on the same ship now. How could I possibly snitch on you? It’s really because we’re short-handed and my skills aren’t great, so I dragged everyone down and the master noticed. You can ask him yourself if you don’t believe me.”

She lowered her head slightly, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

There was no way she’d leave any loose ends for herself.

Even if she did snitch, it wouldn’t be her personally reporting it.

Taylor looked at her suspiciously, but seeing her timid demeanor, it didn’t seem like she had the guts to snitch.

After all, what woman would dare?

Taylor sneered disdainfully and warned, “I’m barely willing to trust you this time, but next time, if you run into a problem like this again, you better stop Captain Hebrew for me, or you’ll regret it!”

Sules pretended to be frightened and stepped back, nodding repeatedly.

“Yes, I understand.”

Only then was Taylor satisfied and left.

Sules rested her hands on the railing, feeling the sea breeze on her face as she looked out to the ocean with a sardonic smile.

Next time? If there was a next time, she might just be able to kick Taylor off the ship.

The voyage continued, and the fleet sailed at full speed.

Nothing else happened during this time, except Taylor occasionally bothering and picking fights with her.

He made his attitude very clear—if she didn’t harass him, he’d come looking for trouble.

He even threatened to complain to Captain Jam.

But Sules took it all in stride.

Though he could find fault in even the smallest things, she was the captain after all.

Even if Captain Jam was somewhat biased toward Taylor, he wouldn’t do anything to her as the captain.

Seeing Sules indifferent, Taylor didn’t have the sense to take his complaints to the captain.

But Captain Jam knew full well Taylor was just stirring up trouble and grew irritated.

He warned Taylor that if he brought up such trivial matters again, he should go back to being an ordinary sailor.

This whole game of power and resistance lasted a full six days.

Only after Captain Jam scolded Taylor did it finally end.

Taylor was quiet for a while, but Sules knew he wouldn’t give up easily.

But it didn’t matter.

As long as she did her job well and didn’t make mistakes, Taylor wouldn’t be able to do anything to her.

Only the weak, replaceable ones were at the mercy of others.

She was unique, irreplaceable, and strong enough to protect herself.

During these days, the rain kept falling relentlessly.

As they sailed farther from land, the water level rose accordingly.

Usually, the plum rain season brought continuous light rain, but today’s rain grew heavier.

Sules vaguely sensed something was about to happen.

Sure enough, although it was still afternoon, the sky gradually darkened.

What had been overcast turned into thick, heavy clouds, clearly signaling a looming storm.

The master decisively ordered the four fourth-tier ships to link up with the main ship, and the crew was to take refuge on the main ship.

Seeing Captain Jam act so quickly, Sules couldn’t help but recall her own sluggish response to a storm before.

She realized she still had much to learn.

Once aboard the main ship, she finally met the other three captains.

All were men, the youngest only thirty-two.

They had heard long ago that the captain of the fourth ship was a woman, but had never expected her to be so young—and so beautiful.

“This must be Captain Sules, right?”

The youngest stepped forward to greet her.

“You’re truly young and promising.”

As the saying goes, “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.”

Sules smiled in return.

“That’s me. You look pretty young yourself—I’d say about my age.”

At her words, the man’s smile grew warmer.

The other two captains also gathered around, chatting casually.

There was no conflict of interest between them, so the atmosphere was pleasant.

They didn’t think much about Sules being a woman; after all, being a captain was more about skill and insight than gender.

Sules didn’t know much about Mercury itself, but she had already read through the entire navigation chart, so she didn’t come across as inexperienced.

Besides, her manner of speaking was exceptional and well-liked.

The young captains, all younger themselves, tended to be shy when talking to the others.

Seeing Sules speak confidently, they couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.

Just as she called Captain Jam “Captain,” the eager young captain, who had been itching to give her advice, showed disapproval.

“Captain Sules, I have to point out that since Captain Jam is our master, calling him ‘Captain’ might confuse us and come off as disrespectful. I suggest you call him Captain Jam to be polite.”

Sules was momentarily stunned, then gave a wry smile.

She exchanged a helpless glance with the other two captains and promptly corrected herself, “Okay, Captain Jam.”

The young captain’s face lit up immediately, and he treated her more warmly.

Sules observed this with a slight smile.

This was the wisdom of life—sometimes compromising could lead to better outcomes.

Stubbornly insisting on being right without regard for context was often foolish.

When the topic shifted, one captain sighed and said, “By the way, how are the first mates on your ships? Oh, Captain Sules, you might not know—on all four ships, the first mates are relatives of the captains, assigned to keep an eye on us.”

Sules nodded.

“I know. Since we’re outsiders, Captain Jam’s concerns are understandable.”

The older captain chuckled.

“It’s good you have such a calm mindset. I was worried you’d clash with Taylor—he’s no easy guy.”

The captain just slightly older than Sules seemed long embittered by his own first mate.

Upon hearing this topic, he could no longer hold back and complained, “I don’t know what Captain Jam was thinking. Even if he wanted someone to supervise us, couldn’t he have chosen someone less… meddlesome?”

The captain who had first brought up the subject agreed.

“Yeah, at least pick someone competent, someone who actually works. These days, our first mates do nothing but pick fights on the ship. It’s just annoying.”

The two commiserated, sharing their frustrations.

Sules smiled but said nothing, quietly listening on the side.

Next to her stood the oldest captain, who remained silent on the topic.

They exchanged a glance, then silently left the complaining pair and went back to their rooms to talk.

They tacitly avoided the previous topic and started a new one.

The elder’s name was Anthony, in his late forties, almost fifty.

He had once owned his own ship, but it was lost in an expedition.

Now older and less willing to struggle, he had become a hired captain.

Anthony asked, “By the way, Sules, do you know where we’re headed? You must have gotten some information after being on the ship these days.”

Sules nodded, then shook her head.

“I have a rough idea. Captain Jam must have gotten some treasure map or something, which is why he organized this voyage. But I don’t know the specifics.”

Anthony leaned back in his chair, his aged eyes glowing with fervor.

“You wouldn’t believe it—the destination this time is an eighth-tier sunken ship.”

“Eighth-tier?!”

Sules widened her eyes in surprise.

That was an unexpected bonus.

Looks like this time, she might strike it rich.