Volume VII The Inverted Man Chapter 63 A Night Without Abnormalities
As it rocked and swayed, the passenger ship passed through the storm and approached the lighthouse.
A modest harbor was then reflected in the eyes of the captain, the sailors, and the passengers through the obscurity of the rain.
It wasn’t long before a man in his thirties, wearing a blue uniform with a black umbrella and carrying a glass marquee, appeared on the dock and directed the passenger ship through the docking with not-so-standardized movements.
”Hey guys, where’d you come from?” The man opened his mouth and shouted as he watched the gangway being lowered.
After his voice was mostly swallowed up by the wind and rain, it managed to reach the interior of the passenger ship and bore into Alfred’s ears.
”Any idea what this place is?” Alfred glanced cautiously at his adjutant and squire.
He wasn’t wearing his general’s gown, draped in the black trenchcoat common to Berkland, his brilliant blonde hair hanging casually, his azure eyes like deep lakes in the forest.
The adjutant, whose hair was neatly combed back, first shook his head to indicate that he wasn’t aware of it, then opened his mouth to explain:
”The previous storm made me lose my way.”
At that moment, the captain, holding an umbrella, came to the side of the ship and responded to the man:
”We set out two days ago in East Byron and were unfortunate enough to encounter a storm.
”Which port is this?”
The man’s eyes rolled for a moment, not answering positively, and tugged his throat:
”Wait a moment, ye.”
He then turned his body around, holding up his umbrella and carrying his horse’s lamp, and ran towards the complex of buildings near the docks.
Such a reaction was somewhat unexpected from Alfred and the other passengers, but not surprising to the shipping-experienced captain, first mate, and the others – they had encountered too many unconventional incidents in a number of ports along the Raging Sea Route. This made them quite patient as they waited up for further developments.
Five or six minutes later, the man came trotting up with a woman in tow.
The woman had no umbrella and was wearing a hooded raincoat coated with the sap of the Doningsman tree.
The two approached the passenger ship and then made their way down the gangway to the deck, watched by the gun-toting sailors.
It was at this distance that the vast majority of the passengers got a good look at the two men.
The man had brown hair and brown eyes, his skin was rough, and he looked like an underclassman who had suffered from the ravages of the wind and rain, while the woman was in her mid-twenties, with lake-green eyes, and a head of long flaxen hair, a few strands of which rested wetly on her face, adding a bit of innocence and charm to her.
It was a beauty with a wild temperament that was quite nice.
”Gentlemen, this is Utopia Harbor.” The man introduced himself rather impatiently, “My name is Theodore, I’m the harbor, temporary commander.”
As he said this, he smiled, seemingly pleased that he had invented such an impressive sounding position.
The captain, of course, knew what the so-called “temporary commander of the harbor” referred to, and was completely oblivious to the sudden happiness of such a small man.
He frowned slightly and said:
”Utopia Port? I’ve never heard of it.”
Theodore gave him a look and said:
”I’ve heard that phrase many times.
”Heh, if it wasn’t for that storm that should have kicked your asses, you probably wouldn’t have made it here in your lives!”
Without waiting for him to say more, the lady snaps:
”Utopia is not on a safe channel, usually only ships that know these waters and know this place come here to resupply.”
Meaning that the main users of this harbor were pirates? How could the captain not hear the implication, and at a time like this, tacitly refraining from revealing it was a protection for both parties.
He said with a “hmm”:
”And you are?”
”I’m Tracy.” The woman piled on a smile, “The owner of the Harbor Inn, as well as the front desk and waitress.”
She looked around the room and said:
”The storm is heavy and the ship will be bumpy, staying here to rest is not a very wise choice. The inn will provide you with peaceful beds, plenty of hot water, clean food, warm blankets and surroundings that will remind you of your own home for only 10 pence for 1 night, and I mean 1 room.
”As well as all this, you will be able to gulp down a drink and enjoy the hospitality at the bar next door.”
It was clear that the lady was here to solicit business.
The captain was quite wary and didn’t respond to her directly, nodding his head:
”I can’t make decisions on behalf of the passengers, it’s their freedom to choose what to do, but of course, as captain, I’ll stay here with my crew.”
Tracy kept her smile and said:
”I will be waiting at the hotel for guests who wish to disembark.”
She seemed to have some education, unlike the fiery but spirited women the crew had met in other ports who were full of profanity.
Tracy half-turned her body, ready to return, when Theodore leaned in close and `grimaced’:
”You have me to thank for getting the news to you in the first place.”
As he spoke, he brushed his right hand against Tracy’s ass and squeezed it hard.
Snap!
Tracy opened his hand with a sharp curse:
”You deserve to be fucked in the ass by a donkey, you bastard!”
She took a few quick steps and left the passenger ship along the gangway.
Theodore shook off his palm and cursed with an even bigger smile:
”What a bitch!”
The scene caused many of the passengers in the cabin to have a sudden heart attack.
As far as they were concerned, the biggest drawback of the ship was boredom, and there were bars in the harbor.
This meant being able to meet cheap stand-up girls, different from the North Continent, and different from the South Continent, with local specialties.
If they were lucky, or willing to drop a lot of money, there might be someone among them who could make that beauty with the wild temperament just now sleep with them!
In a flash, several passengers packed their luggage and prepared to go straight to the harbor hotel.
Seeing this, Alfred’s adjutant opened his mouth and inquired:
”General, shall we disembark?”
Alfred slowly shook his head:
”We don’t have the slightest knowledge of this place and must be cautious enough. Staying on the ship is the best option.”
The adjutant did not have the slightest objection to this, but only asked with a slight concern:
”What about those who have already disembarked?”
”That is their own choice.” Alfred looked out the window with little expression and said, “If there is an accident, we can only protect the greater majority, unless the matter is not serious and can be solved easily.”
After saying that, he turned his head to the adjutant and the squires:
”Take turns keeping watch tonight in case of accidents.”
Alfred, who had dealt with organizations such as the Spirit Order and the Rose School in the Southern Continent, was instinctively wary of unfamiliar places.
By the time he had exchanged views with the captain, Alfred lay down on his bed, listening to the howling wind that beat against the glass windows and the torrential rain that clattered and pounded against the decks, and prepared rather sedately for sleep.
Just at that moment he heard a melodious and melancholy tune coming from the direction of the harbor.
It seemed to come from a flute, and broke off in the storm like a human whimper.
Alfred was at once immersed in such music such surroundings, as if he were returning to Bécquerade, which always appeared in his dreams, and to the otherworldly moods in which the joys of childhood and the cares of youth are interwoven.
He shook his head violently to rid himself of the feeling, realizing that it was not from a mental influence, but simply a reaction that a normal person should have.
Alfred rolled out of bed and went to the window, using his extraordinary ability as a “sheriff” to determine that the music he had just heard had come from the cheap hotel.
It wasn’t one of the disembarking guests, who had a very specific goal in mind and wouldn’t be in the mood to play such a melody …… Utopia Harbor’s original travelers, or the owner and waitress named Tracy? If it is her, this is a lady with a story …… Alfred sighed twice and withdrew his gaze, no longer paying attention.
Curious as he was, he didn’t get the idea of getting off the ship because of it.
Soon, the sound of the flute ceased, and the harbor inn returned to silence without any accidents.
In this way, time passed by minute by minute, and as the storm stopped, the sky gradually became brighter.
At eight o’clock in the morning, the departing passengers returned one after another, each with a feeble step and a haggard face.
The sailors laughed at the sight:
”The chicks here seem pretty good!”
Those travelers shook their heads almost simultaneously, all showing regret.
One of them rubbed the corner of his forehead and said:
”The Lie Lang Qi here is very good, it’s cheaper than everywhere else, I accidentally drank too much and slept over, I don’t know if something happened with that lovely girl. Oops, I woke up and it was almost time to sail, don’t remember at all what else I did when I was drunk, praise the goddess, k got me back in bed instead of sleeping in the rain.”
Other passengers chimed in with their similar experiences.
Of course, everyone differed in the details; for example, one passenger praised the desserts in the breakfast at the cheap hotel as being quite good.
The sailors, while regretting that they had not been able to drink the cheap and good strong langzi, opened their mouths and flirted with the passengers:
”Maybe it wasn’t one of the chicks here who spent the night with you, but a big guy like Theodore, and anyway you were too drunk to know what was going on!”
”Haha, feel your asses good!”
With much merriment, the sailors stowed the gangway and hoisted the sails, allowing the passenger ship to set sail a little.
Only when they crossed a slightly murky sea and returned to the familiar safety of the channel did Alfred relax completely and laugh at his adjutant and squire:
”We can mark this place well on our map, write that spirits and desserts are good, and well, the girls have their own specialties.”
The passenger ship sailed for a few more days before finally arriving at the port of Escoson on the Gulf of Dissi along a winding, safe channel.
True to his aristocratic demeanor and social instincts melted into his blood, Alfred visited the top brass of the nearby military base and shared a wonderful dinner with them.
When he returned to one of his father’s vacation homes in the area, he was surprised to find the squire he had sent off to find information looking a little pale.
”What’s wrong?” Alfred put away his diffidence for a moment.
The squire pressed his voice:
”General, all of the Kingdom’s formal maps do not have Utopia Harbor labeled.”