Chapter 301: Setting Sail

"What is wrong with your brother today?"

Vittorino frowned deeply, questioning his second son in a low whisper, though his gaze remained fixed on Rhys, whose face actually bore a smile, albeit a rather strained one.

Had the sun truly risen from the west today?

Looking at the smile on his brother's face, Jamie felt uncomfortable all over, thinking it would be much more refreshing if the man just gave him a cold scolding instead.

"I am not entirely sure. The servants said he went to duel with Ronin last night, only to suffer a defeat."

Jamie shook his head. "But the servants do not know if there was any wager between Ronin and Rhys. My guess is, could the loser be forced to keep smiling?"

A wager to smile?

Vittorino found it absurd, yet looking at his son's current state, it seemed highly plausible.

If that were truly the case, Ronin was indeed making things difficult for him.

Escorted by a contingent of men, Ronin arrived at the docks of Port Dennis.

Although the Earl of Screaming Island had impacted the Dennis family's business, the port was still quite bustling at this hour.

A considerable number of vessels, large and small, were moored within the harbor. Most of them were a mere ten meters or so in length with very simple cabins, clearly meant for fishing or ferrying to the nearest docks.

The largest vessel Ronin saw was the Dennis III, anchored right before them.

This ship measured thirty meters in length, and according to Jamie's introduction, it was equipped with bedrooms and a galley.

Though it could not compare to modern passenger liners or warships, it was already an extraordinary feat for this era.

At this moment, the Dennis III was secured by ropes to the edge of the harbor. The sailors aboard had already completed their pre-departure preparations; as soon as Ronin and his party boarded, they would set sail.

"My thanks to the Dennis family for your hospitality and escort!"

Ronin expressed his gratitude to Vittorino. The Dennis family's hospitality was beyond reproach; aside from the banquet and the vessel for their journey, they had even sent the family heir to personally escort them.

"I hope the Viscount will seriously consider our cooperation."

Vittorino wore a smile. "I will, Ronin. I wish you all the best in Golden Feather City!"

Led by the captain, Ronin's party boarded the ship.

As the captain barked his orders, the sailors untied the ropes and hoisted the sails, and the great vessel slowly glided out of the port.

"Ante, go inform Baron Hammett to come to Sharp Corner City as soon as possible. Tell him I have urgent matters to discuss."

After a night of consideration, Vittorino had basically agreed to Ronin's proposal. They only needed to wait for the survey to finish and determine the site of the port before proceeding to the next stage of cooperation talks.

Therefore, the surveying needed to be carried out early so they could obtain results sooner.

Aboard the Dennis III, the canvas sails swayed in the sea breeze, making a rustling sound as if whispering ancient tales of the ocean.

The hull rose and fell with the waves, each bump allowing one to feel the grandeur and power of the sea.

Ronin had interacted with the ocean when he subdued Carlos, but the feeling back then was different from now, nor had he been in the leisurely mood to observe the seascape.

"Earl Ronin."

Knight Rhys walked over, speaking in a sarcastic tone, "Your two guards are truly greenhorns; they cannot even withstand this little bit of turbulence."

To this, Ronin could only offer a helpless sigh.

Both David and Tom were seasick. Before they had even sailed a few miles, they began vomiting, and at this moment, they were lying down to rest in a cabin room.

In the future, when the port of the Northern Wuba Territory was built and a fleet was to be formed, he would first need to consider whether his men suffered from seasickness.

"Everyone has a first time. David and Tom both grew up on land, and this is their first time at sea; there is no need to make a fuss about their seasickness."

Ronin eyed Rhys up and down. "Do not tell me you were not seasick the first time you boarded a ship."

Rhys snorted coldly. "As a member of the Dennis family, I am a natural born athlete of the sea. You need not doubt that!"

"Remember to keep smiling, Knight Rhys. Your current attitude does not resemble how a loser should behave."

Rhys froze, defiance flashing in his eyes, but as a knight who kept his word, the corners of his mouth curled up with great difficulty.

"Ronin, you only defeated me by relying on your strength. Once my strength catches up, it will be your turn to lose!"

He spoke fiercely, all while maintaining a false smile. "When that time comes, I will make you keep a smile before me at all times as well!"

Keeping a smile truly was a "cruel" punishment.

"How about this? I see you are smiling with great difficulty, so why not just stop?"

Ronin proposed, "You might consider following me and becoming my knight. That way, I can allow you to carry a long face."

If he could gain Rhys's allegiance, it would not only provide the Northern Wuba Territory with a highly potential powerhouse who was familiar with the sea, but also secure the support of Sharp Corner City.

Rhys gave Ronin a flat glance. "My Lord Earl, do not forget that I am the heir to the Dennis family. In the future, the only one I can follow is the Lord of the Wushan Territory. And as far as I know, you seem to have lost your right of succession to the Wushan Territory, have you not?"

Saying these words made him feel as though he had vented a breath of foul air, and his smile became a bit more natural.

His remark made it rather difficult for Ronin to answer; he could hardly say that he intended to retake his birthright, could he?

"Your father is only fifty-two years old. With his Silver-level physical strength, it is no problem for him to live another forty or fifty years under normal circumstances. For such a long period, you could entirely temper yourself in my territory first."

Ronin tempted him, "I am not the only genius knight in the Northern Wuba Territory. My commander and guard captain are about the same age as you, yet their strength can completely crush you."

A cold light flashed in Rhys's eyes; the word 'crush' seemed to insult him.

"Do not play these provocative tricks before me; I will not be angered by you."

He turned around, wishing to continue communicating with Ronin no longer. "If you want me to follow you, wait until you become a Meteor Knight."

"Very well. If I become a Meteor Knight before you do, then you shall come to the Northern Wuba Territory."

"We shall see when the time comes!" he said, stepping into the cabin.

Ronin shrugged; they would see when the time came, then.

He turned around, gazing out at the vast expanse of the sea. After several hours of sailing, their ship was already dozens of miles away from Port Dennis, and at this time, virtually no other vessels could be seen on the water.

The Screaming Sea did not look large on the map, but its actual area was immense, and it formed an inverted triangle; the further up one went, the wider the sea became, and the greater the distance between the two shores.

Ronin had learned from Captain Wheatbran that the wind speed at sea had not been high recently, so the entire voyage would take half a day longer than usual.

"Oxhorn Bay..."

Ronin softly murmured the name of this harbor.

It was said that when the site was originally chosen, a Gryphon Knight observing from the air had noticed this piece of terrain shaped like an ox horn at a single glance, hence the bay was named "Oxhorn Bay," and the city that subsequently developed here was naturally named Oxhorn City.

This city was located southeast of the royal capital and was directly controlled by Golden Feather City. In a sense, stepping into Oxhorn City was equivalent to arriving at the royal capital.

Sailing was tedious, especially long-duration sailing.

After experiencing the initial sense of novelty, Ronin also grew weary. Looking around, it was always the same scenery, creating a bit of visual fatigue.

By the evening of the second day, the afterglow of the setting sun dyed the sea red.

High up in the cabin, the crew member responsible for the lookout suddenly pointed to the northern sea and shouted, "Captain, look quickly! There is a ship heading south over there."

"Oh? Can you see clearly what kind of vessel it is?"

The lookout tried hard to discern it, but ultimately shook his head.

"It is too far away to see clearly!"

Captain Wheatbran immediately walked onto the high platform, narrowing his eyes to gaze into the distance.

At the edge of the horizon, three vessels had indeed appeared, their sails catching the wind as they bore down from the north, seemingly on a direct collision course with the Dennis III.

Wheatbran instantly roared at the top of his lungs, "Look alive, boys! Keep your eyes glued to those ships, watch the rudder and the canvas, and don't you dare let them run us down!"

At the same time, he gestured to his first mate, "Go inform Lord Reece of the situation. We have officially entered the waters of the Screaming Archipelago."