Indeed, because of the powerful guilds, many resource-rich sea areas were occupied by them.
Wild seas, unwanted by guilds, usually had few fish.
The fact that they managed to net so many meant they were incredibly lucky.
Speaking of which, Sules had to be grateful that this was the free East Sea.
If it were the honor-focused Sicilian Sea, they wouldn’t even find a safe wild sea.
Because there, the places unwanted by guilds were probably only those frequently frequented by sea beasts.
A net full of fish brought a strong fishy smell to the entire ship.
Sules wrinkled her nose and, with Claire, piled the fish at the stern.
Once they reached shore, these would be the travel expenses to replenish their supplies.
After organizing the fish, Claire naturally said, “Sules, we need to hurry. Same old, I’ll row, and you go to the cockpit and steer.”
How on earth could she steer a ship?!
It was absurd to ask someone in finance to steer a ship.
Besides, wasn’t this small, broken boat, which didn’t even have sails, supposed to be rowed by hand?
However, facts proved that you can never judge a game world with normal logic; this ship actually had a cockpit.
The cockpit was behind the sleeping quarters, very small, with only a large ship’s wheel and some devices Sules couldn’t understand.
What was amazing was that above the ship’s wheel, there was a seemingly advanced crystal screen displaying a dynamic navigation map, like a GPS, preventing the possibility of navigators getting lost.
This was clearly not a rare item for modern technology, but in this nearly medieval European environment, it seemed particularly out of place.
Sules’ eyes widened, looking at it with some confusion.
Even in a game world, shouldn’t there be some scientific logic?
Claire finished speaking and left confidently.
As soon as she left, Sules’ expression couldn’t hold.
She looked at the ship’s wheel with a bitter face, wondering what to do.
Not to mention operating these gadgets, she might not even be able to control the direction.
Forget it, let’s treat a desperate situation with desperate measures!
Anyway, there was navigation, and this ship was relatively simple.
What if she tried and it worked?
Sules gritted her teeth and placed her hand directly on the ship’s wheel.
The next second, the system prompt suddenly sounded, “Ding! Given that the player cannot steer the ship, the system will now take over.”
At the same time, Sules felt her whole body relax, and her hand unconsciously began to move, skillfully operating the ship’s wheel to guide the ship’s direction.
She looked up and saw a time indicator in the upper right corner:
Distance to destination: 5 hours
They would reach land in five hours!
It even had this function?
Sules was overjoyed and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Taking advantage of this moment, she tentatively asked her question, “System, what on earth is this crystal screen? This era shouldn’t have such technology, right?”
This was a common-sense question, so the system unhesitatingly answered Sules’s confusion, “This crystal is generated by the captain’s internal energy and has nothing to do with technology. If you insist on a connection, it should be a gift from the Sea God.”
“Wait, wait?”
Sules’s mouth twitched, “Sea God? Are you serious? You, a high-tech product, are not an atheist? Does this world really have a Sea God? And does the Sea God know about my transmigration?”
The system started playing ostrich again, staying silent.
Sules had already known that she wouldn’t get any answers, so she pouted and didn’t continue to ask.
She began to concentrate on watching how she was operating, trying to remember the steps and understand them.
In this regard, Sules was very clear-headed.
She didn’t know how long she would live in this world, and if she really couldn’t go back, she couldn’t always rely on the system’s help.
As a captain, steering a ship was an essential skill.
She had to learn from the system, lest she be completely screwed if the system ever left her.
Preparedness prevents problems.
After about an hour of sailing, Claire called from outside, “Sules! I’m out of strength! Let’s take a break!”
Their ship was quite old and had no mechanical oars.
Frankly, Sules was already surprised that Claire could last an hour.
Hearing this, she naturally had no objection.
She took back control of her body, stretched, and walked out of the cockpit.
Claire was currently slumped in a deck chair, drenched in sweat and looking utterly exhausted.
Seeing Sules come out, she looked up at her and asked, “How much longer until we reach the mainland?”
“Four hours, we’re almost there. If nothing unexpected happens, we’ll arrive tonight. But I think we should stay on the sea for another night and go ashore during the day.”
After all, they were two girls.
She herself was useless; she had no fighting strength.
Claire, the only one with a bit of combat power, was only level two in the game, which was nowhere near enough.
Night always brought more trouble than day.
If they went ashore late at night to find an inn, Sules was afraid she might be sold directly by the innkeeper.
“Claire thought the same thing. She nodded, a hint of relief in her voice, ‘Suleth, you’ve finally grown up.’
Suleth laughed and scolded, ‘Don’t act like an elder with me, we’re clearly the same age.'”
***
In the plot of “Return of the Voyage,” she and Claire grew up together since childhood.
Their parents originally had a good relationship, but a shipwreck turned the two young girls into orphans.
By calculation, this was only a year ago.
Fortunately, their parents left them this ship, and Suleth was discovered to have the potential to awaken a captain’s talent, which gave them a way out.
This is why Claire’s loyalty to her is so high and why she’s already bound to her.
Since it was decided they would go ashore tomorrow, the two weren’t in a hurry.
They had a good harvest today, but unfortunately, their ship had no cooking facilities.
So, dinner still consisted of the pre-prepared salted fish and bread.
However, because they were in a good mood, they both enjoyed this dinner very much.
The next day, when they went ashore, Suleth and Claire were forced to experience what it was like to be the center of attention.
On Mercury, where the male-female ratio was even more imbalanced than on Earth, Suleth and Claire were both beauties with their own distinct styles.
When they went ashore together, it was hard not to attract the attention of others.
Upon seeing them peek out from the cabin, the dock workers and crew couldn’t help but cast their gazes over.
Then, when they saw Suleth’s shabby little boat, looks of disdain and covetousness appeared on their faces.
Two beautiful women with no power or influence, truly pitiable.
Suleth felt these gazes, and while she was uncomfortable inside, her face showed no emotion.
In fact, ever since her parents died and left her that house, such gazes had often fallen on her, and she had long grown numb to them.
Claire, who had always lived at sea and rarely interacted with outsiders, was very unaccustomed to such malicious stares.
But she still tried to stand in front of Suleth, helping her fend off these ill-intentioned looks.
Suleth patted her shoulder and stepped forward.
“Don’t be afraid, Claire, don’t worry, I have a way.”
***
Under the tempering of those “vampire” relatives, Suleth indeed had her own methods for dealing with such people.
To deal with them, one either had to become strong enough oneself or gain a protective charm.
Suleth patiently moored the ship, brought fifty copper coins in a small bag she carried, and then, with Claire, laboriously pulled the previously salvaged seafood onto the shore and set it aside.
Then, led by the shore staff, they went to register.
The registrar had no ill intentions towards them and straightforwardly explained, “We will help preserve your ship during your time ashore. However, for each day you stay ashore, you will need to pay three copper coins. After a week, the price doubles, and so on, with payment due every three days. If you cannot pay enough, your ship will be auctioned off to cover the debt, and you will be arrested and thrown directly into the sea. Please bear this in mind.”
Suleth nodded and thanked the staff.
If nothing unexpected happened, they would leave tomorrow after awakening their talents, so there was no need to worry about this point.
The staff member then gave her a special fish-skin map, “This is a map of the East Continent, marking the larger landmarks here, including the locations of each Temple of the Sea God. It can help you get your bearings on the continent initially.”
The East Continent was the central continent of the Morodaya Sea.
Each sea area had such a continent.
And for fairness, the game’s official settings made all four continents roughly the same size.
If she remembered correctly, the game official had set each continent to be about the size of Australia.
Because the continent was too small and too many people wanted to settle there, even though the first thing that greeted them ashore were residential houses, the housing prices here were still ridiculously high.
As soon as they left the registration office, a shifty-eyed man approached them.
“By the Sea God, ladies, would you like to find an inn to stay at? I have quite a few good recommendations here.”
The docks were a mixed bag; people who made a living there were either those with some background or scoundrels who cheated and swindled.
Although the captain profession was noble on Mercury, it wasn’t particularly eye-catching in a place like the docks.
After all, people with backgrounds naturally didn’t need to make a living under a captain, and the scoundrels themselves specialized in preying on wealthy captains.
The man in front of them was clearly a scoundrel looking to cause trouble.
Claire frowned, immediately wanting to refuse.
After all, this man clearly had ill intentions.
If they let him recommend a place, there was no telling if he would take them to some shady inn that would exploit them.
Suleth stopped Claire’s words before they could blurt out, a smile on her face, and intentionally said loudly, “Of course, we need one. We’re going ashore this time to awaken our talents, so we hope to find an inn close to the Temple of the Sea God. Do you have any recommendations?”
***
The Temple of the Sea God was somewhat equivalent to a medieval church, with the presence of clergy like bishops.
However, the difference was that they truly represented the Sea God and were protected by him.
And precisely because of this, the hearts of the clergy were pure; they wouldn’t engage in power struggles or schemes for personal gain.
Captains who wished to awaken their talents had to go to the Temple of the Sea God on Awakening Day to receive the Sea God’s baptism.
Suleth’s voice was loud, and everyone around heard it.
As soon as they heard she was going to awaken, their gazes immediately became much more restrained; at least, they no longer dared to be so blatant.
The man in front of her changed his expression even more, putting away his ugly facade from earlier, and chuckled awkwardly, “Alright, alright, I’ll definitely find you a suitable inn, please rest assured.”