Chapter 9 9. A Piao
The Winter stopped in a swagger at the mouth of the Grismery River at the junction of Bordreau and Mousillon.
At the estuary, there are cliffs on the Bordeaux side and low-lying swamps on the Mousillon side. The difference in terrain on both sides forms a towering and winding cliff.
The Tullis Warning Lighthouse, perched on a promontory on the Bordreau side, enjoyed a reputation as one of the most reliable beacons in the old world, though no ships now sail there. In reality, it was a temple to the goddess of wisdom, Verena, whose primary purpose was to monitor Mousillon. Legend has it that the temple's priests could wield powerful magic granted by the goddess to peer into the cursed Duchy of Mousillon. They refused to reveal what they were searching for or what they would do if they found it. Furthermore, the priests insisted that they could not enter Mousillon themselves.
It's known that the Lake God's prophetesses, and even the Lake Nymphs, have visited the Tullis Watchtower, though the purpose of their visits remains a mystery. The priests here offer advice to those seeking solutions to their problems, and it's good advice. The temple sells many books, and anyone who purchases one automatically receives a hearing. The priests also occasionally offer unsolicited advice, particularly advising adventurers to venture into Musilon. In two words: landmark.
The people at the Lighthouse Temple must have seen the Winter, but they could only stare blankly at each other. Dacius didn't believe that there were any seeresses or lake nymphs visiting at that moment, and then a Casadora comet hit the ship. How could such a coincidence happen? Besides, the comet had a magical mast when it fell.
Since 1814 of the Imperial Calendar, when the Duke of Lyonnes, who had long been at odds with Musillon, killed the Duke of Merovingian, most of Musillon's northern territory was annexed by Lyonnes, and Musillon has since been left with only a palm-sized area.
Even within the swamp, vaguely human figures could be seen. They were likely the hardworking marshmen, professional snail catchers and frog hunters, whose work was tedious and time-consuming. Legally, all creatures within the swamp belonged to the lord. Becoming a marshman required the tacit approval of the local nobles, with some nobles demanding a lengthy apprenticeship and an oath. Only by calling themselves marshmen were they allowed to hunt within the lord's swamps. Failure to do so would result in a dire fate, as they would be charged with theft from the lord's property.
These swamp dwellers had to constantly be aware of their surroundings while working, as there was a rumor of a giant worm in the swamp that could suffocate a person in one bite. Dead bodies often floated in the river, not to mention bandits and beastmen.
The captured prey is then cleaned by the Frogwives, who are not only experts in cleaning frogs and snails, but also an important part of the social structure of Bretonnian villages.
On the deck, five Duruchi nobles—Darkius, the Takia siblings, and Dastan Coldeye—sipped afternoon drinks while basking in the sun. Flannais was now able to walk normally, though he still couldn't train properly. It must be said that elves were truly formidable.
Darkus wanted to eat the trout from the Grismeri River, so the trainers led the dark Pegasus out and went to the swamp to ask the villagers for some snails.
Edmund and the first mate were fishing with some crew members and soldiers, and some soldiers were on guard. Just now, a crew member was very lucky and caught a fish. The fish wanted to climb onto the boat to take a look, but was ruthlessly stabbed to death by the Dread Spearman with the Sky Piercer.
Fortunately, Nat Pagle hadn't possessed him, so he fished out the dragon leech, a specialty of the Grismeri River. It was a snake-like undead creature eight meters long and one meter wide, with soft, slippery skin that had already rotted away, and no bones in its body. Its mouth was full of teeth, extremely disgusting.
The five Druch nobles were chatting about the customs and culture of Bretonnia, from the noble knights to the truffle dogs, and even to the tomb of the Merovingian Duke.
Darkus slumped in his chair, his eyes half-closed, his legs crossed, his chin resting on his left hand, his right twirling the flintlock pistol, looking incredibly comfortable. He cracked a few Bartorian jokes, making the four nobles roar with laughter. It was unclear whether they were genuinely funny or simply meant to be.
Ryan expressed his desire to go on an expedition, but Darkius ruthlessly rejected it. Who the hell knew where the mausoleum the knights had crowdfunded was located, and where Merovingian lay waiting to be unearthed? Darkius wasn't interested in the armor or the Black Lily Rune Sword. Side storylines? Nonexistent. He was just trying to get by with his KPIs. Besides, he couldn't stay here for too long; the Bretonnian Navy wasn't there to do nothing.
Sailing is boring, especially when you're just staring blankly, and doing nothing is even more boring. Besides Alisa being able to chat with her sisters remotely through a crystal ball, Dacius spent his days practicing combat and archery. He decided to add three more skills: cooking, painting, and a musical instrument. Originally, there were four, plus Go, but Druzian society wasn't suited to it. There were no Go friends, the players were too close, and they were constantly cheating.
The ship's kitchen was state-of-the-art, built entirely of Hag Graves's black marble, with an open fire and a bread oven. The fish were killed by the crew, and Dacius, who was so weak he couldn't bring himself to kill a living creature.
Using the few ingredients he had, Dacius prepared a dish of baked snails and pan-fried trout, the style of Bateau. He then gave some to Edmund and the first mate. The four nobles praised the dish, but Dacius found it just average. Cooking, after all, is all about enjoying it.
After eating, Daquus exercised on the deck for a while and then went back to sleep.
The ship was in dire need of fresh water, which was scarce and had been sitting for so long that it had turned green. Dacius drank wine when he was thirsty, but Druzie's constitution did not require oranges, and there were no such fruits in the plantations of Clarkalond.
However, Darkus didn't want to land in the exiled land of Musilon. Who would dare drink the water there? Besides, the knights there were all some bizarre creatures, like batwolves, blood knights, black knights, and strigos. It would be a thankless task to capture a bunch of zombies? Naggaroth didn't have bicycles for them to ride, nor did it need electricity.
Under the leadership of Lord Batwolf, the old farmer of Barto bravely resisted the Druzy pirates. Daquus didn't dare to think about such a difficult thing.
Continuing north, Lyonnes, after annexing Mousillon, became the duchy with the longest coastline. Its coastline was rugged and dotted with small islands. While offshore currents were difficult for outsiders, they were easily predictable by the locals, and the islands offered better harbors than the mainland. Most of Lyonnes' coastal villages were actually located offshore, scattered across the islands. In some villages, even old farmers would lure ships onto the rocks and plunder the wrecks.
Further north, the Duchy of Le Angoulême boasts a short, rugged coastline. Along much of the coast, towering cliffs plunge directly into the seabed, with reefs rising from the water. The currents near the shore are also extremely treacherous, often causing capsizing even with skilled pilots.
Dastan Lengyan told Daquus that this place is almost industrialized, and some captains of Druzy have even become strategic partners with local knights.
The captains of the Druzy specialize in bringing people to their partners, allowing those black blades or unwelcome offspring to die gloriously in battle, and the knights will gain honor. In addition, the knights will regularly send the unfortunate ones to Naggaroth in the form of goods to experience the local customs and hospitality.
The Black Blades are the illegitimate children of the Druzian society, such as Valahir of Hag Graef and Malus Black Blade, the sixth son of Lehan the Fallen Blade.
Snakes have their ways, rats have their ways. Hearing this, Dacus was stunned, his worldview completely shattered.
It's really outrageous that he has grown up and has gone off the rails.