radiothebook Chapter 51 Deceiving the Heavens
Chapter 51 Deceiving the Heavens
The sun was shining brightly, and a warm breeze was blowing.
The curly-haired man and the burly man carried two large fish baskets as they walked through the fishing village.
"Hey! Curly hair, showing off again today?"
Fishermen sitting in the fish market chatting and playing cards shouted at the two men.
The woman with curly hair smiled and said, "I never boasted. I just wanted to share the joy and fruits of my harvest with my friends!"
"Keep the sardines," the fisherman shrugged, "but please don't mention the heresy again."
The curly-haired man waved to signal, and the burly man placed the fish basket on the ground.
The fishermen nearby rushed forward to grab the loot.
For these people, taking less of something that's free is considered a loss.
The curly-haired woman then spoke: "If it weren't for the sea god's blessing, how could I have caught so many fish so easily? And even be so generous in giving them to you?"
The fisherman, however, was quickly stuffing his baskets and even pockets with his catch while scoffing at the sight of fish:
"The sea god? The sea god is merely the embodiment of the Lord's left foot. All blessings originate from the Lord."
"Hey, Curly," said another fisherman, "you always give us goodies, that's why we listen to your nagging. So I'd also like to give you a piece of advice: you should give up your so-called sea god faith as soon as possible... if you don't want to be burned at the stake... in the Principality of the Holy Envoy, the Lord's position is not to be questioned!"
The curly-haired woman didn't seem to care, simply saying:
"Whatever, I'm not here to promote Poseidon."
"Since you say faith doesn't matter, then what's the reason you're able to catch so many fish so easily?"
The fisherman suddenly squinted.
"You must have some tricks up your sleeve! Tell us, Curly. I appreciate it when you give us fish, but we'd rather have the fishing rod than the fish. We'd love to hear your fishing secrets!"
"Exactly!" the other fishermen chimed in.
"Pharmacists don't reveal their formulas, musicians don't publish their scores, so why would I casually share my secrets?"
Upon hearing this, a chorus of disdainful "tsk" erupted.
Upon hearing this, the curly-haired man suddenly smiled and said:
"However, I am willing to provide you with a way to make money!"
The fishermen's eyes lit up immediately, and they all pricked up their ears to look at the curly-haired man.
"Though you may not believe me, I did indeed hear the whispers of the sea god. He told me the migration route of the fish, and I was merely following the deity's guidance. Of course, you can simply replace 'sea god' with 'the Lord' in my words. And I already know the time and place of the next gathering of the fish!"
Then came an urgent follow-up question:
"when?"
"Where?"
……
Curly Hair and the burly man arrived at the beach and found a lean man pulling another boat ashore next to their small boat.
As they approached, the man immediately shouted:
"Thank God! Boss, I've finally found you!"
"I was just about to go back," Henry said.
Then they pushed the small boat back out to sea.
The two boats were tied end to end with a cable, and then everyone boarded the first one.
The small boat began its return journey.
Benson said:
"Boss, you've got some nerve. This place is less than fifty miles from Sun City, and the only fleet of the Holy Envoy Duchy is there."
"They didn't know we were pirates, and the fishermen in the nearby villages were even more convinced that we were fishermen," Henry said.
"They would burn you a hundred times over if they knew that you did not have God in your heart."
"My heart can hold the Lord," Henry thought, "but it also holds the sea god and the stars."
"But so far, I am still safe and sound," Henry said. "And for the time being, I don't need to come back."
"Oh! Thank goodness!"
Benson sighed,
"Boss, you should know that the crew has long harbored resentment over our abrupt departure from the Burning Heart Islands. Now you're making them repair the ship day and night, and then sending them fishing? If they were willing to work, why would they have become pirates?"
"It's just casting and hauling in the net, simple and not tiring, and it only happens once in a long while," Henry said.
"And yet you're handing over the fish you worked so hard to catch to those damned fishermen!" Benson shook his head. "Boss, now even I don't understand what you're thinking."
You never understand, Henry thought.
But he still said:
"That's why I brought Miko with me. He never asks many questions; he just executes orders. By the way, why did you suddenly come to see me?"
Upon hearing this, Benson's expression turned serious:
"We have news!"
Then, Benson handed Henry a piece of parchment.
Henry quickly unfolded the book and read it word by word.
Benson asked, "What does it say?"
"They agreed," Henry replied briefly.
Benson's eyes lit up with excitement, but then his brows furrowed with worry.
"Boss, I must remind you that unlike Mattim, Raymond and Riley are both great pirates. Together with Edwin, they are the three great pirate leaders of the Flameheart Sea."
Henry, however, was unconvinced: "I've never heard of any pirate leader before."
"That happened after Joachim died."
"Since they are the kind of people who wouldn't dare to cause trouble while Joachim was alive, why should I fear them?"
Henry said coldly,
"Don't forget, I'm also a Gihano, and I've even killed a so-called 'leader'."
"But no matter how you look at it, it is not a wise move to fight both of them at the same time," Benson continued to advise loyally.
“I’m only declaring war on Raymond,” Henry said.
“Oh! I have no doubt that Riley will get involved,” Benson said. “One of them wants your ship, and the other wants the giant crossbows on it.”
"I understand, Benson," Henry said, "but I will bring victory to the Black Goat."
"You have another plan?" Benson asked.
Henry laughed: "Of course!"
Two small boats returned to the Black Goat, which was anchored in the deep sea.
At this moment, they were not far from the southwest coast of the Holy Envoy Duchy.
After escaping the Burning Isles, the Black Goat, still alive from the flames, could not withstand the bitter cold, so Henry had no choice but to sail to a warmer place.
The land of Yongxia in the south of the Holy Envoy Principality was undoubtedly his first choice.
Not far away lies Lieyang City, the southernmost city in the world.
The Black Goat has been adrift in the middle of the sea ever since, having survived almost the entire winter.
Back on the ship, stepping onto the newly replaced planks, Henry headed straight for Victor.
"How's the progress?" Henry asked.
"What do you mean, sir?"
Victor bowed to Henry.
"If you're referring to the mast, we replaced the midmast long ago and attached a piece of burnt wood to the aft mast, which should be usable for a while."
"If it's nail plates, the feedback you receive on your wool boots is more convincing than our words."
"If you're referring to anything else, what about our cooking skills do you find objectionable?"
Henry said, "I meant the giant crossbow."
"Oh! That's a huge and exquisite piece; we're truly amazed!"
Viktor seemed to get excited when he talked about this topic.
"Unfortunately, it was damaged in the fire, and some parts were destroyed, rendering it unusable."
"That's why I asked you if you could fix it?"
"It will take some time to fully repair it; we need to understand the underlying principles, but..."
As Victor spoke, he paused to observe Henry's expression.
"If we rob Peter to pay Paul, we might be able to get one of them back in operation, but the other will inevitably have to be scrapped."
"How long will it take?"
"We have enough manpower, at least two days."
"Then let's get started right away," Henry patted Victor on the shoulder, "maybe we can fix it before the war starts."
Victor was taken aback: "War? Sir, this ship was just repaired!"
Henry raised an eyebrow and nodded.
"But I'm not a pirate," Victor said, spreading his hands. "Sir, could you please send someone to take me to a safe place?"
Henry smiled slightly and whispered in response:
"If you don't want to perish at sea with the goat, you'd better get to work, shipwright."
Then Henry heard Victor's energetic shouts.
……
On the morning of the third day, Henry ordered the ship to be sailed to the agreed-upon area.
Benson looked towards the western sea and was speechless with astonishment:
"Boss, my God! They have at least twenty ships!"
Longboats were lined up on the sea, some in deep water and some in shallow water, in a disorderly manner.
"But compared to a goat, it's just a rabbit's den," Henry said calmly.
"Even a rabbit will bite when cornered," Benson argued. "If we let the enemy ship get close, jam our hull, and board the Black Goat, we might not have the upper hand in boarding action."
This is true, and Henry naturally understood it as well.
Since the Battle of the Goat, the Black Goat has not been replenished with sailors, and now there are only about fifty pirates on board.
Assuming each ship has fifteen sailors, the enemy fleet's combat strength must exceed three hundred.
Henry asked Victor, "Is the giant crossbow repaired?"
Viktor nodded: "Although there was no test firing, it should be fine."
"Then push it to the right position and aim it at the enemy ship," Henry said. "Once the battle begins, fire immediately to gain the upper hand."
"Yes, we'll get right on it," Victor said, turning around to get to work immediately.
Then Henry heard a murmur: "Wait a minute, we're not pirates, why would we do something like this..."
Benson, however, caught the key phrase: "Boss, you just said 'once'?"
Henry did not answer, but continued to issue orders:
"Tell the jellyfish to use flag signals to convey their demands for negotiation to the enemy ships."
A moment later, the pirates under the mast reported:
"The enemy ships have agreed!"
Henry smiled calmly and said to Benson:
"Come with me!"
The Black Goat lowered its small boat, and Henry and Benson jumped aboard.
Benson sat at the stern rowing, while Henry stood at the bow.
"Boss, with a major battle imminent, what's the point of negotiating now? It's just a waste of breath!" Benson seemed somewhat puzzled.
Henry simply replied, "To achieve victory without bloodshed."
Soon, the small boat reached the area right between the enemy and our side.
The Black Goat sent one ship, while the fleet sent two.
Raymond and Riley each took one.
Benson was right; Riley did indeed want to intervene in this dispute.
The three boats met on the undulating sea, the sound of the waves almost shattering eardrums.
If you don't shout at the top of your lungs, it's probably difficult for your words to be accurately conveyed to the other person's ears.
Raymond spoke first:
"Henry, you really tricked me last time. I didn't realize you didn't have a ship's flag until I heard the Black Goat had made a hasty departure!"
Riley also said, "At this point, what else do you want to say!"
"I'd like to discuss with you whether there's any possibility of avoiding this naval battle," Henry said calmly.