Chapter 220: Stealing a Half-Day of Leisure

The tides were surging slowly. Rows of white waves chased each other with whistling sounds, jumping and playing happily, splashing out strings of crisp laughter.

They were like galloping horses, or like giant hands waving up and smashing against the rocks, making a roar that seemed to make the sky fall and the earth crack, spraying snow-white foam.

Sea crabs were moving through the cracks in the stones. Barnacles and oysters covered the rocks densely. Sea cucumbers were wriggling in the clear seawater, spitting out greenish-white mucus. In the sky, seagulls looking for food were gliding at low altitude.

In this scorching weather, there were still some girls wrapping themselves tightly in thick linen. The conical rush hats on their heads, shaped like bamboo hats, were their only tools for shade.

The rugged and towering cliffs were like strong men with bulging black muscles. Pine trees stood tall among the cliffs, with lush branches and leaves, looking like green canopies covering them.

The hemp rope, as thick as an adult man’s thumb, was tied to the green pines at the edge of the cliff. This was the most important support for those girls to move through the reef groups that were scattered like shark teeth. Otherwise, if a big wave hit and they failed to return to a safe position in time, they would likely die and sink into the sea.

Knowing it was so dangerous, why were they still here? Because the seaweed, gooseneck barnacles, oysters, and scallops attached to those reefs were all relatively precious seafood in this world.

Those young girls used the bamboo baskets at their waists and the small shovels and hoes in their hands to support their own livelihood and even that of their families. On these smooth and sharp reefs, they would sometimes fall accidentally and get their heads broken and bleeding.

Scratches on their hands, feet, and limbs, even with the protection of thick clothes, were still bloody wounds that later formed indelible scars. It could be said that among the girls who worked in this trade, almost none had relatively intact skin.

This could be considered the profession in the harbor with the fewest prerequisites to earn a relatively good income. Although sometimes, even with good luck, they might return empty-handed for a few days. But their average daily income was much better than that of the waitresses in the Taverns.

For women who did not want to engage in the flesh trade, or who had families but were under great financial pressure, this was indeed a decent trade.

It was different from the sea women who needed long-term training and guidance from elders. The key skills in that trade were often passed down from mother to daughter, or mother-in-law to daughter-in-law, generation after generation. If someone who did not understand the situation rashly entered the water, they often would not live past three months.

As women who dived into the sea alone to catch lobsters, scallops, abalones, conchs, and other seafood, they relied solely on the oxygen stored in their lungs for free diving. This required the sea women to have excellent physical conditions, as well as good swimming skills and breath-holding abilities.

They went into the water naked or wearing cotton clothes. Of course, they also had to apply sun-proof and antiseptic grease on their faces to prevent being unsightly on land in the future.

However, due to the complex underwater environment and the possibility of attacks by sharks and other carnivorous fish, the risk of the job was extremely high. So they usually went into the sea in groups. Therefore, they also required calm judgment and teamwork coordination skills.

High risks were often accompanied by high incomes; this was an unchanging truth in any world. Although they could also collect jellyfish, kelp, octopus, and other shallow-sea animal and plant products, they often focused on precious seafood—lobsters and pearls were the key.

As for abalone, one of the main sources of income for their counterparts in the world before crossing over, there was not a vast market for it here. It was George who would sometimes use this to offset the taxes receivable on a whim. This behavior was also considered by those sea women and their families as a sign of the Lord’s mercy.

George had not failed to try promoting the edible value of abalone in this world. Unfortunately, perhaps it was because of the appearance of the abalone itself, or the rejection of its taste in this world. Whether fresh or dried, even George’s friends were unwilling to try it again after eating it once.

This made George, who was eager to open up new sources of revenue and had already formulated a package plan, extremely depressed. But in the end, he had to yield to the pressure of reality.

But pearls and lobsters had a considerable market. Coupled with the Lord’s deliberate protection of financial resources, those gangs and idle hooligans found it difficult to extort them. The lives of those sea women were considered stable.

As for why all those who went into the sea were women, it was said that it was because women had more subcutaneous fat, making them suitable for diving.

Moreover, women would adjust their diving time according to the length of their breath, while men tended to show off underwater, so they often encountered accidents. Over time, they were disqualified.

However, in families like that, the sea women often bore most of the household expenses. As a male, it was probably not so easy to accept psychologically.

So, there would be women who, instigated by their husbands, withdrew from that trade. In this world, the atmosphere of male chauvinism was still quite prevalent. In the eyes of many men, suffering to support the family was their responsibility. If they earned less than their wives after marriage, then life really had no meaning.

However, the excuse they used was that staying underwater for a long time could easily damage the body. George initially seemed to agree with this. After all, long-term erosion by seawater, the constant changes in positive and negative pressure in the lungs, and long-term hypoxic breathing could very likely seriously damage a person’s health.

But compared to ordinary people, those sea women were relatively long-lived, which surprised George greatly. Later, thinking about it, the secret lay in the sturdy bodies and large lung capacity developed since childhood. Life indeed comes from exercise!

However, with the continuous prosperity of the port, the proportion of those women who made a living on the seabed and reefs in the economy of the Bolerum Territory became lower and lower. But with the increase of merchants coming and going from north to south, the prices of the seafood they caught also rose steadily. Their lives were gradually becoming prosperous.

Now, George was sitting on the deck of one of the few three-masted sailing ships in the Territory. On the iron plate in front of him were placed oysters just collected from the cliffs.

George skillfully used an iron awl beside him to peel open the hard calcium carbonate shells of those oysters one by one. Then he waved a mirror-like item over them.

Under this scorching sun, it emitted a pale blue light that was almost invisible to the naked eye. After being shone upon like this, those oysters seemed to have no change at first glance. But to George’s perception, he had already discovered that the oysters seemed much cleaner.

Holding the shell with his hand, George sent an oyster into his mouth together with the crystal-clear liquid inside. The tender meat, abundant juice, and rich taste were a perfect combination of sweetness and moistness.

As for oysters, what one ate was the fresh tactile sensation of that mollusk sliding across the mouth and throat. Of course, there was also the full taste of the sea tide contained in the juice.

Then sprinkling some coriander and squeezing a little lemon juice, it had another flavor after entering the mouth. Soon, these soft delicacies in front of him became George’s morning tea snack. The procedure performed with the Magic Item earlier was to purify the pathogens that might be hidden in the oysters.

Mollusks like oysters, like field snails, could be full of various parasites. Not only was eating them fresh dangerous, but even grilled ones had the possibility of causing disease—in order to ensure flavor and so-called nutrition, these oysters were often not grilled thoroughly by the stall owners.

Liver flukes, lung flukes, and even brain flukes could all be caused by eating raw food. The spell in that item earlier—”Purify Food”—was specially prepared by George for this purpose. It was to ensure his own safety while tasting the delicious food.

Even for steaks and lamb chops, if George did not use this item, he would only eat them fully cooked. This was also out of fear of parasite infection. Even in the White Eagle, which claimed to attach great importance to food safety before George crossed over, under the so-called guarantees of “raw food grade” or “minus forty degrees insect killing,” whether gimmicks or technology, it was still impossible to achieve absolute safety.

In the university George attended back then, there were quite a few foreign students. Almost all of them suffered from fluke disease to some extent. This was also the reason why George took this matter so seriously. Even if it could be treated later, he did not want to suffer that sin.

Having enjoyed the delicious food in his mouth, the warm sea breeze, although humid, still brought coolness to George in this scorching summer. Even though it was the largest ship in the Territory, and even though it was docked in a specialized pier, this sailing warship named “Sword and Fire” still swayed with the waves. Matching George’s current posture, it felt a bit like a rocking chair—as if urging people to sleep.

George turned his head to look at the golden beach outside the port. Layer upon layer of waves rose higher and higher, and the sand grains shimmered with pale yellow golden light under the sun. It seemed as if stepping on it would make one feel a warm and soft sensation spread from the soles of the feet to the whole body.

Those children playing on the beach often did not have time to think much before their thoughts and bodies leaped into the embrace of the sea. They used their bodies and minds to truly feel the merciful and warm side of the sea.

“Truly stealing a half-day of leisure from a floating life!” George, who had lowered the straw hat on his head, could not help but sigh in his heart. Two months of hard work had finally borne fruit. The Territory had completely got rid of the shadow of the past, and everything was developing for the better now. Although the cash flow was still quite tight due to the reconstruction project, he could finally catch his breath.

Another reason was that during this period, George had devoted his main energy to improving his own strength. As a result, if he handled government affairs once every three days, what lay before him were either requests from subordinates or decisions that required looking ahead and behind, which were quite troublesome to handle.

And the schedule George set for himself was often fully packed, with almost no free time at all. This kept George’s entire brain running at high speed for a long time. The energy spent was truly enormous! Sometimes, George felt like he was about to collapse. But in the end, he held on. So, although human potential cannot be said to be infinite, pushing oneself appropriately might yield unexpectedly good results!

At the same time, the cultivation of the Steel Soul Style among the Nine Swords had also made quite effective progress. Whether it was “Perfect Spirit” or “Act Before Thought,” he soon achieved a good grasp of them, and the only thing left was to turn them into his own instincts. However, the time required for this next process would be much longer than before.

What was more troublesome was that relying solely on one’s own practice could not achieve it. They needed more confrontation to be deeply imprinted in the Soul and mind. But a problem had been bothering George. “Act Before Thought” could be practiced by dodging while acting as a target. But “Perfect Spirit” required spiritual confrontation. Did he have to find a Mage to constantly use Enchantment or Conjuration spells on him?

This was not just a matter of luxury. Just finding a Mage with a high enough casting level who could also be trusted was a big problem. So when George started to dodge and move within the net of arrows shot by light Crossbows, another method that he had not found a suitable way for before was still missing.

In the end, it was the knowledgeable and experienced Val Knight who came up with a solution. Of course, George could not tell him the truth, that it was to practice this Secret Art. The reason given at the time was to practice confrontation against mental spells, to prevent enemies who could not defeat him on the frontal battlefield from playing dirty tricks behind his back.

This sentence seemed to strike a chord with Val Knight. As a result, early the next morning, he dragged George, who was still eating breakfast, out the door. It was still the same dedicated officer whom Val Knight had taken them to watch the martial arts performance before. Old Chris Knight was also waiting for George’s arrival at that same open space.

Upon reaching the destination, Val Knight turned to George and said, “If you want to deal with the mind-controlling mental power of Mages. Knight, you just need to wait until you become a Formal Knight. In this kind of confrontation, you usually won’t be at a disadvantage easily. Have you heard of any Knight who caused a war to fail due to a Mage’s control?”

“But I’m afraid I won’t be able to wait until I become a Formal Knight before I have to face such an encounter.” George, dressed in a capable outfit, looked very energetic and capable. But his words somewhat damaged his image. Of course, his heart was also beating like a drum, ‘If I really reach the Black Lead Rank, I will soon gain “Mind Barrier” due to the power of Blessing of Order. By then, I can basically ignore any mental spells. Unfortunately, what I’m afraid of is precisely now! And if I spend a lot of money to buy such targeted Magic Items, it feels a bit not worth the cost. After all, these are just transitional items, and in the future, it seems they can only be sold to others or left to gather dust at the bottom of a box. Not to mention whether they can even be bought!’

“Your words earlier reminded me, and now I’m starting to worry about this aspect too. After all, since the other side can conspire with cults, it’s not impossible for them to do such despicable things. It is indeed necessary to make some plans in advance in this regard. Although Magic Items can take effect relatively quickly, I asked my old friends yesterday, and such mental protection accessories are indeed quite rare. It’s not something you can get just by spending money. Besides, since they are items, there will always be times when they are not worn on the body. Relying on external objects is always a bit unstable!” Saying this, Val Knight ran behind Old Chris Knight.

He put his hands on the other’s shoulders and said, “Since it is a mental confrontation, using other supernatural powers for confrontation training without using spells can also have a certain effect. It is said that in the Old Empire period, some specialized elite troops conducted confrontation training with Dragons. Although we don’t have Dragons, we have Old Chris here, who is even stronger in terms of Knight and mental suppression.”

After saying this, Val Knight left a sentence: “Old man, our future Lord is in your hands!”

Then he left in a hurry, no one knew what he was busy with.

In the following month or so, people in the Manor could always see the bearded Knight master and the Acting Lord standing facing each other. And they stood like that for several hours at a time. Later, it seemed that a few Young Masters also joined this “game.”

However, those current farmers who had received orthodox military training did not understand this level of training. They always wondered what was the point of men staring at men. Could it be that the tastes of those few in the Territory were a bit unique? Fortunately, having some experience, they would not gossip about such things. Otherwise, George and the others probably wouldn’t be able to train like this now, because rumors about Brokeback Mountain would definitely be flying all over the sky.

However, judging by the results, it was quite obvious. George could clearly feel his progress almost every day. In this regard, George had finally made up for his shortcoming, and the possibility of being controlled by others in the future would definitely be much less.

As for those two striking techniques and the only stance technique he could learn, George did not invest too much time in them. It was precisely because of the lack of time that George had to make some choices regarding his cultivation. Between killing enemies and protecting himself, George, who sought stability, naturally chose the latter.

Finally, the Territory affairs came to an end, and George, who had achieved some small success in his cultivation, immediately gave himself a whole day off. In any case, a balance between work and rest was the path of sustainable development.

While relaxing his body and mind, he watched the sailors skillfully climbing up and down using cables. George sighed that his investment in the navy over the years should not have been wasted.