CHAPTER 52: CHAPTER 52: BEAUTY SHELL

The Duke only took away more than three hundred gold coins and a few valuable gemstones.

If he were to take all the gold coins, it would be too heavy, not suitable for a long journey.

The Duke tried it out, and he would have to carry a huge chest filled with gold coins and take it everywhere with him.

Not only would it be inconvenient to carry, but it would also easily attract attention and cause some trouble.

After consideration, the Duke handed over the remaining hard-to-carry gold coins to Mr. Wood, so that he and the villagers could use the money.

The villagers had no ability to manage money, giving it to them would harm them, giving it to Mr. Wood was just right.

Even if this money runs out, Yining Village is still under the care of Earl Hardy, and there won’t be any major problems.

...

In early March, on the vast plains of Maple Hill County, some peasants were working in the fields, now was the time for sowing wheat.

Aunt Anna murmured while sowing, "Little Duke said he would go far away, how far is far?"

"Probably leaving Jade Province." Uncle John looked at the vast endless fields ahead, as if seeing the scene of ripe wheat in a few months.

He had a vague feeling that perhaps by the time the Duke returned, he would no longer be in this world.

But when the Duke returned, he would surely still see the vast plains with the waves of wheat rolling.

...

Ruijin Port is the largest port in Parad Province, from a geographic perspective it’s like a corner extending out from the Florence Continent, surrounded by sea on three sides.

The Duke and his party took over a month to travel from Jade Province to here.

Earl Hardy personally came to see them off, bringing a team of elite guards from his territory.

They had been in Ruijin Port for some time, just waiting for the agreed ship to arrive.

The ship that should have arrived five days ago had no sign yet, but this was actually normal.

The situation at sea changes rapidly, very few ships can arrive at the next port exactly on time, delays of some kind are common.

The port was filled with various types of ships, with ships arriving and leaving the port at any time.

Most were flat-bottomed single-masted sailboats, usually used for coastal trade, not for long-distance voyages.

The Duke even saw some oar-powered sailboats, relying solely on a small sail and manual rowing for propulsion.

These small boats were very nimble, but had a small cargo capacity, there were quite a few in the port, shipping various goods back and forth.

The Duke and his party were naturally not waiting for a small boat, setting out on the vast sea for several months or even starting at half a year required at least a multi-masted ship.

The port was always bustling, every day a group of sun-darkened sailors would disembark, eagerly charging towards the port’s pubs and brothels after unloading their goods at the dock.

These sailors often stayed at sea for a long time, and once they earned some money, they would immediately spend it at the dock, then go back to sea for months, cycling like this.

For them, there’s no such thing as saving money.

The sea’s conditions change in an instant, life and death are uncertain, and no one knows if they will see tomorrow’s sun.

During these days at the port, the Duke also saw some sailors saying heartfelt goodbyes to some prostitutes, seemingly already old acquaintances.

Two days later, a giant ship over thirty meters high sailed into Ruijin Port, drawing countless people’s attention and amazement.

Only Ruijin Port could accommodate such a large ship, ordinary small ports were too shallow, and such a large ship had too deep a draught to dock at small ports.

The ship’s deck had two-story high ship towers at the front and back, serving as lookout towers and the captain’s navigation and living quarters.

Below the deck, it was not apparent how many layers there were, but visually it looked like five or six layers high.

A ship like this could carry a large amount of cargo, and when docked at Ruijin Port, it looked like a behemoth compared to other ships.

The Duke knew, the ship they were waiting for had arrived.

Once the ship docked, some sailors began to disembark, unloading many wooden crates from it.

The Duke noticed that these sailors were burly and had indeed studied the Breathing Technique as Knight Attendants, strong and vigorous.

Even the ordinary sailors had such skills, so there must be even greater strength on the ship.

Earl Hardy then went over to explain the reason for their visit and presented a pass-like document, bearing the royal seal of the Vera Kingdom.

This ship was contacted through Earl Hardy’s channels with the Vera Kingdom’s royal family, costing a significant fortune.

A burly middle-aged man with a thick beard walked down from the ship.

This was the ship’s captain, named Blake.

Captain Blake, after hearing Earl Hardy’s explanation, tucked away the pass, turned to glance at the Duke and Vivian, and gestured for them to come over.

"You’re going to the West Coast as wizard apprentices?" Captain Blake asked.

The Duke and Vivian exchanged a look and nodded.

Blake frowned and asked, "Have you ever eaten Beauty Shells?"

"Beauty Shell? What’s that?" The Duke was puzzled.

"It’s a delicacy favored by wizards, carrying the curse of the sea. If anyone dares to eat Beauty Shells and board my ship, believe me, I’ll hang them from the mast!" Captain Blake said through clenched teeth, seemingly recalling some unpleasant memories.

The Duke was even more curious about this Beauty Shell, but seeing Captain Blake’s fierce dislike for it, he chose not to ask more.

"Alright, get on board, we won’t be staying here long, we’re leaving today," Captain Blake said, glancing at the sky.

He then shouted to the sailors in the distance, "Hurry up, guys!"

"Father..." Vivian turned to look at Earl Hardy, her voice choked with emotion.

She had always thought of herself as a strong girl, but at this moment, a feeling of sadness arose that she couldn’t suppress no matter how hard she tried.

Earl Hardy’s usually stern face showed a rare soft expression. He patted Vivian’s helmet-covered head and said, "Go, child, this day was bound to come. Once you’re there, learn to adapt to the rules there. Do you remember the saying from the Vera Kingdom?"

"The wolves eat the sheep without asking the sheep’s name."

Earl Hardy had spent some time with Wizard Grace and knew that the world of wizards wasn’t so wonderful.

If you can’t adapt to its rules, you’ll be eliminated by the environment there.

The Duke had also heard this saying but didn’t have a deep understanding of it yet, he just silently memorized it in his heart.

"My lord Earl, I will take good care of Vivian!" The Duke said earnestly, but Earl Hardy didn’t even spare him a glance.