Sules paused, then quickly replied, “Alright, alright. So, would you prefer a one-year or a two-month contract?”
With that, she repeated the terms she’d just explained.
Adolf scoffed, “I want to sign for one month.”
Sules frowned.
“Why?”
Adolf answered matter-of-factly, “Because you’re too weak; you’re not worth a two-month contract for me.”
Before Sules could respond, Annabella, with her fiery temper, couldn’t hold back.
“Hey! She already said, either two months or one year. If you don’t want to sign, then don’t!”
Her words also showed her loyalty to Sules.
Sules glanced at her, stopping Annabella’s angry outburst, and looked at Adolf seriously.
“I apologize, but I cannot agree to your proposal. I treat all my crew members equally. I can’t make an exception for you after already stating the terms.”
Adolf suddenly laughed, saying mockingly, “I find you very strange. You clearly want me as your crew, yet you didn’t stop me when I first tried to leave, but instead gave me a bottle of wine. The second time I was stopped, you actively helped me leave. Now, when I’m ready to join, you reject my proposal. Could it be that I guessed wrong, and you don’t actually want to recruit me?”
“Hah, what are you talking about? Don’t flatter yourself. Why would a captain want to recruit someone like you? I even suspect that paper was wrong!”
Annabella said furiously.
She simply couldn’t stand Adolf repeatedly provoking the captain she was about to follow.
Sules again raised a hand to stop her.
“Whether your guess is right or wrong is another matter, but I genuinely want to recruit you. I’ve laid out my conditions; if you want to leave, I have no reason to stop you. As for helping you, it’s based on my principles. Refusing you now is also due to my principles. If you can’t stand it, then we truly are not destined.”
Adolf pondered for a moment, then laughed again.
His deep laughter in the night sounded somewhat terrifying, and combined with his attire, he truly gave off a madman’s vibe.
His laughter grew louder and more intense.
“To be honest…”
The laughter gradually subsided, and Adolf looked up, wiping away tears of laughter from his eyes.
“I really can’t stand your principles. Only a fool would stick to principles in this sea.”
Sules didn’t care about his mockery.
She shrugged, signaling her crew to leave with her.
However, just as she turned, Adolf called out again, “Hey! I’ll sign that one-year contract of yours.”
“What?”
Sules’s eyes widened.
She couldn’t believe her ears and turned to ask, “You want to sign a one-year contract?”
Adolf nodded.
“You heard right.”
“Why?”
Sules frowned in confusion.
“Didn’t you say you couldn’t stand me?”
Adolf lowered his head, revealing a self-deprecating smile in a corner unseen by others.
When he looked up again, his expression was back to his nonchalant self.
“I’ve seen too many smart people; it’s boring. I haven’t seen many fools. I just want to see if a fool paired with a madman can only have one outcome.”
The fool was her, and the madman could only be Adolf himself.
Sules silently looked into his eyes.
From his words and gaze, she seemed to see another cherished, unrepeatable memory—Adolf’s own youthful years.
Without asking further, she nodded directly, summoned the contract, and watched Adolf sign his name on it—”Adolf Bernard.”
Having gained a significant member, Sules suppressed her desire to open the system and check Adolf’s attributes.
She turned to the five people and said, “It’s quite late now. I’ll give you one night to go back and get ready. Then, come find me at the dock tomorrow. We might not be coming ashore again for a while, so make sure to pack your luggage and say goodbye to your families.”
Annabella and the others nodded and turned to leave.
Only Adolf remained.
“I have nothing to pack. I’ll just go back to the ship with you now.”
Sules thought for a moment and didn’t refuse.
It was very late.
Sules had arrived at Saike Tavern at 6:30 PM, and it was now 11 PM.
She stayed there for over four hours.
Claire had been anxious, waiting anxiously on the ship for everyone’s return.
If it weren’t for the fact that in this era, only ships could contact each other through special means, she would definitely have given Sules a flurry of desperate calls.
Seeing Sules and her group approach, Claire’s eyes lit up, and she quickly disembarked to greet them.
“Sules, you’re finally back! I was so worried something had happened to you!”
Sules smiled and patted her shoulder.
“I was recruiting crew, you know. The tavern’s busy at night, so there are more options.”
With that, she stepped aside, revealing Adolf behind her.
“Here, this is one of them—Adolf Bernard. He’s a fisherman. Just call him Adolf.”
Because Adolf was clad in tattered black, he was already inconspicuous in the dark.
With Sules partially blocking him, Claire hadn’t noticed him at all.
Now, hearing Sules, her eyes widened slightly in surprise as she looked at Adolf.
Although Adolf looked like a beggar, Claire didn’t show any signs of disdain.
She just looked at Sules in surprise, and after getting a nod from her, she enthusiastically extended a hand, not minding the dirt.
“Adolf, right? By the Sea God, thank you for joining us. I’m Claire Lovelace, just call me Claire.”
Adolf scoffed lightly but didn’t actually disregard Sules.
He stepped forward and shook her hand.
Then, as if no one else was there, he looked at Sules.
“Your ship is better than I imagined, though still not much to look at. Where do I sleep?”
Sules had already adapted to his strange personality in such a short time and wasn’t embarrassed by his disdain.
She simply said, “First, go take a bath, then change your clothes. We’ll arrange your quarters after you’ve cleaned up.”
Claire quickly nodded.
“I’ll go prepare hot water. We have clothes on the ship, so don’t worry.”
Adolf didn’t comment, following Sules onto the ship.
Once aboard, he immediately took charge, not even waiting for Sules to lead him, and began inspecting her small ship.
As he walked, he kicked things here and peered there.
If you knew, you’d think he was touring; if you didn’t, you’d think Sules had hired a quality control and repairman!
Since the system produced excellent goods, Sules wasn’t worried and calmly followed him.
After a full circle, Adolf stopped, looking at Sules with some surprise.
“Is your captain’s talent related to your ship? Though your ship is low-level, it has no flaws.”
As expected of a master, he roughly guessed her surface talent in one go.
Sules marveled inwardly, then honestly said, “My talent is automatic upgrading. I can upgrade the ship once I gather enough materials. It’s probably because it’s upgraded with the Sea God’s power, so everything is quite perfect.”
Adolf nodded knowingly.
“Then you save on a mechanic in the early stages; that’s a good ability, no wonder the Siren Guild chose you. But speaking of which…”
His gaze suddenly sharpened.
“You won’t be content staying in the Siren Guild forever, will you?”
The other party had already signed a one-year contract with her, so Sules didn’t plan to hide this from him.
“Of course not. Once I turn the ship into a warship, I’ll leave the guild.”
A warship was a type of ship development in the later stages.
Small warships were for exploration, while large ones were for war.
The mainstream development types, besides warships, were merchant ships.
However, generally, merchant ships could only be manufactured with the support of large guilds because they were relatively fragile and usually required protection from several warships.
Without sufficient financial resources, it was simply impossible.
Hearing this, Adolf nodded, seemingly satisfied.
Just then, Claire’s voice called from behind, “The water’s hot, Adolf, come on over!”
Hearing her, Adolf stretched lazily and, without a word to Sules, shuffled towards the back of the ship.
A while later, Claire found Sules in the cabin and sat beside her.
“What’s his background, this Adolf? Why did you choose to recruit him?”
Claire was full of questions.
After all, this Adolf looked like a useless beggar, and she really didn’t understand why Sules chose him.
She had only hidden her thoughts earlier because Adolf was there.
Now that it was just the two of them, she had to ask for clarification.Sules replied, “Unless I’m mistaken, this Adolf is a big shot; you’ll see later. Four more people are coming tomorrow. Did you buy the folding beds I asked you to get?”
Claire nodded.
“Yes, and I also bought the seasonings you wanted.”
Sules snapped her fingers.
“Good. Tomorrow’s first big meal to celebrate the crew’s arrival will be prepared by me. One of those four crew members is a girl; she’ll be staying with us.”
Hearing “girl,” Claire’s expression visibly brightened.
“A girl! That’s wonderful! I thought we wouldn’t have any female crew members for a while! What’s her personality like? Not difficult to get along with, I hope?”
Sules shook her head.
“She has a rather impetuous personality; she should complement you well. You’ll see when you meet her tomorrow. Alright, it’s very late now. You should rest. I’ll go prepare that fellow’s bed.”
Claire was indeed very tired by now.
She and Sules had grown up together and didn’t need to be formal.
Hearing this, she nodded and went back to her room to sleep.
Sules, meanwhile, left the cabin, unfolded a folding bed standing by the door, placed it on the deck, and spread a thin quilt over it.
A simple bed was ready.
She walked to the edge of the deck, resting her hand on the railing, admiring the night.
Although she had experienced a lot today, she felt very clear-headed.
Soon, she would leave the familiar land and return to the sea.
She hadn’t fully thought through the path ahead, so she could only take it one step at a time.
Sules looked at the dark sea, lost in thought.
“Is this my bed?”
Just then, Adolf’s voice suddenly came from behind her.
Sules turned, and the calm in her eyes was immediately broken by surprise.