Chương 8: 2
"After we had saved up a sum of money, the three of us decided to sell the sampan and then found a ship and started working on it. The life of a sailor was really tough and the pay was low. However, every time we arrived at a city, the three of us would take out all our savings to purchase some goods.
After all, we had heard from other sailors before about what specialties each city had and which goods could be sold at good prices. In this way, going back and forth like this, we actually made quite a fortune. The ship I worked on at that time was the 'Golden Radiance' you see in front of you now. It was a fast ship that specialized in traveling along the coastal waters. At that time, among the ships traveling between Otto and South Port, this kind of ship was the most common."
"It's still the same now," Ivan couldn't help but interject.
"But, the last voyage of the 'Golden Radiance' unfortunately turned into a disaster. At that time, war broke out between Otto and Tor, and all the ships docked in Otto's territory were forcibly requisitioned and used as warships. We couldn't escape from any port at all, and there was also a team of soldiers stationed on our ship.
"As soon as the war started, our ship was dispatched to serve as a transport ship, responsible for transporting food and supplies. It was an extremely dangerous shipping lane. In a long and narrow stretch of sea, it was full of the Tor people's fleets. We had several narrow escapes when we encountered those fleets, relying solely on the flexibility of our fast ship to narrowly avoid them. But eventually, our good luck ran out. The 'Golden Radiance', fully loaded with grain, still encountered the huge fleet of the Tor people.
"The captain of the team stationed on our ship was a particularly stubborn guy. He firmly refused to allow the crew to throw the grain into the sea. As the Tor people were getting closer and closer, one of my friends had no choice but to kill that captain.
Well, then the ship immediately plunged into a melee. Finally, that small team of soldiers was subdued by us, but more than half of our people were sacrificed in the process, including that friend of mine.
"After throwing away the grain, we managed to escape the pursuit of the Tor people with great difficulty, but then we were in a dilemma.
It was impossible to return to Otto. Any port in Otto, if they found us, would surely arrest us all, and the ports in Tor wouldn't accept us either. To save our lives, we could only carefully follow the coastline of Tor and continue moving further east."
"Why didn't you sail in the opposite direction? Then you could have returned to France," Ivan asked in confusion.
"There were a large number of fast ships patrolling in Otto. We simply couldn't escape. Although the ships of Tor were not as flexible and fast as ours, sailing east was the only way to survive at that time. We sailed all the way east like this. Whenever there was a chance along the way, we would go hunting to replenish our supplies. Finally, we arrived at the city of Mia in Lindy.
"We thought we would be safe there, but unexpectedly, the hot climate caused most of the people on the ship to contract incurable diseases. There was no priest on the ship, and we could only watch helplessly as the sailors died painfully one by one. In the end, even the captain and my other friend didn't survive and passed away.
I and the remaining sailors had no choice but to leave the 'Golden Radiance', cross the dense tropical rainforest, climb over the high mountains, and after going through countless hardships, we finally arrived at Chira.
"Compared with other countries in the Far East, this peculiar country obviously had a more developed civilization, but it was a culture that we simply couldn't understand. Obviously, our appearance was also a particularly novel thing for them. Their Emperor even summoned us.
You can't imagine it at all. The monarch of Chira didn't live in an ordinary palace at all. It was a city, a city that completely belonged to him. That city was even much larger than most of the cities here. The monarch of Chira was particularly interested in the stories we told him and generously rewarded us with many things."
"Those must have been quite precious," Ivan said enviously.
"Of course. Even the most ordinary porcelain and silk shipped from Chira could be sold at a very good price in France. And the gifts given to me by that Emperor were the best of the best. Those porcelains were like gems, shining brightly, and the silk had a luster like gold.
When we set off from Chira, everyone was loaded with porcelain and silk. At that time, we thought that as long as we could return to France, it would be a huge fortune."
"After setting off from Chira, we crossed the desert, bypassed the war-torn Salian, climbed over the Sol Mountains, and passed through Rurik before finally returning to France. Along the way, many of our companions died on the way. In the end, only two people were able to return alive to their hometown."
"That's really amazing. Then you must have made a fortune," Ivan said excitedly.
"No. After such a long and difficult journey, all of us understood that life is much more important than wealth. I'm already quite lucky to be able to return alive to my hometown. The gifts given to me by that generous Emperor were lost on the way long ago."
"What a pity. But your experiences are the most precious wealth. If only I could also have such an experience worth remembering for a lifetime one day. By the way, didn't you go back along the original route later to visit that generous Emperor of Chira again?" Ivan asked with longing and curiosity.
"It's impossible. Since the Tor people won that war, they have cut off all the sea and land routes. We took that route because we had no other way out at that time. Now, no crew member is willing to crazily attempt to cross this deadly route," the old man explained helplessly.
And there must be some shocking inside story hidden in the operation they were planning at this moment. Ivan had a faint feeling in his heart that he seemed to be involved in a terribly frightening conspiracy. And this conspiracy was by no means as simple as a successful fraud. The complexity and danger involved behind it made Ivan feel a chill down his spine just by thinking about it.
At this moment, Ivan's mind was in a complete mess, and he didn't pay much attention to the following conversation.
In this way, as the sun gradually set in the west, the Xibai language training finally came to an end.
The time after dinner was Herbert's turn to take the lead. Practicing sharp perception ability in the dark was the most suitable "exercise" before going to sleep.
Ivan gritted his teeth and forced himself to break free from that bewildered state. After all, Herbert's training had always been extremely harsh and it was impossible to get through it easily.
He put on those thin-soled soft shoes and then, like a cat quietly sneaking in the dark, moved around the various obstacles placed in the room nimbly and soundlessly. He walked carefully, always on guard against the sharp blades stuck in the ground that could easily pierce through the soles of his feet.
Now, although Ivan couldn't see as clearly as Herbert in a pitch-black environment as if it were daytime, at least he could already distinguish some small objects, especially those shiny metal objects that could reflect light.
He moved his body forward gently. His toes, like sensitive antennae, carefully sensed any objects in front, especially those blades that could cut his feet. In this way, Ivan slowly moved from the door of the room to the window.
"Not bad!" A hoarse voice suddenly rang out from behind.
behind him like a ghost because he knew very well that there was a huge gap in strength between him and Herbert. The other had too many skills that he couldn't reach.
"You've learned well. If you were planning to escape now, in this house, except for me, no one else should notice," Herbert said coldly, without a trace of warmth in his tone.
"No, I never thought of running away," Ivan quickly explained. He still clearly remembered the three goose quills that deeply pierced through the headboard of the bed and knew how powerful Herbert's means were. He didn't dare to have the idea of running away.
"Then why do you want to learn the skills of a killer from me?" Herbert still asked coldly, his sharp eyes seeming to penetrate Ivan's heart and see through all his thoughts.
"This... this..." Ivan stammered for a long time, but finally decided to tell the truth. After all, he knew in his heart that it was impossible to get away with lying in front of this extremely shrewd killer.
"The necklace you took from my Aunt Jenny is actually the only keepsake left to me by my mother. I originally just wanted to get that necklace back," Ivan said cautiously, observing Herbert's expression as he spoke, feeling a bit nervous and not knowing how the other would react.
"Just for that worthless necklace?" Herbert stared at Ivan closely for quite a while, trying to find a trace of lying on his face. However, he soon realized that everything Ivan said was true and there was no falsehood at all.
"If it's for that necklace, you can find it in the bottom drawer. Go and get it yourself," Herbert said.
Hearing this, Ivan was overjoyed in his heart. He quickly thanked Herbert repeatedly and then walked quietly towards the table. You know, that was the place with the most blades stuck in it, so he had to be extra careful.
He tiptoed and gently opened the drawer. In the dim light, he tried hard to distinguish the things messily piled up inside the drawer. After a lot of effort, he finally found the necklace that was of great significance to him.
"Herbert, thank you for returning the necklace to me," Ivan said gratefully, and his voice was filled with uncontrollable joy.
In the darkness, Herbert nodded and said, "Very good. Even when you were excited, you didn't forget to be careful. Being able to find the necklace in the drawer shows that you already have the night vision of a killer. This month's time hasn't been wasted. From today on, you can go back to your own room. The day after tomorrow, Odrie will be back. You'd better be prepared to take the trials. For you, this will be your first solo operation. You can leave now."
Hearing Herbert's instructions, Ivan could only obediently go back to his own room.
That room hadn't been lived in for a long time. Fortunately, the servants came in to clean it every day, so the room was spotlessly clean.
It was still early at this time. Ivan wasn't sleepy at all. Herbert's lessons had already ended. The next few days should have been a rare holiday for him.
Logically speaking, this should be a fortunate thing, but for some reason, Ivan just couldn't feel happy and felt rather heavy-hearted. After all, he hadn't been psychologically prepared enough to face the upcoming trials. Whenever he thought about it, his heart was filled with worry and uneasiness.
He didn't want to become a criminal at all, nor did he want to be a person who made a living by fraud.
Since he had been with Odrie, Mr. Juan, and Herbert for such a long time, a question had always lingered in Ivan's mind. All three of them could be regarded as learned, resourceful, and highly skilled people.
It seemed that they didn't need to rely on means like deception and murder to make a living at all.
In fact, after months of careful instruction, Ivan knew in his heart that with the skills he had learned, he could live a rather happy and fulfilling life.
Then why did they still choose to be swindlers, the leader of thieves, and killers?
Ivan couldn't figure out the reason no matter how hard he thought about it. This matter was like a fog that always lingered in his heart.
Would he also become like them in the future?
Ivan had been constantly worried about this. This worry was like a heavy stone weighing on his heart, making it hard for him to breathe.
Actually, Ivan hadn't never thought about running away again.
Just as Herbert said, he did have the ability to avoid most people's attention now. But the problem was that Herbert would surely notice his movements.
As the days of getting along with Herbert grew longer, Ivan felt more and more deeply about how formidable Herbert was.
A sentence once said by Mr. Juan was deeply engraved in Ivan's mind.
"If it's a one-on-one duel, no matter what kind of opponent he faces, Herbert will surely be able to achieve an absolute victory."
Not only did Ivan remember this sentence, in fact, everyone living in this house thought so too.
It was impossible to escape from Herbert's hands. It was simply a fantasy.
However, obeying Mr. Juan's wishes and becoming the principal offender in a fraud conspiracy also made Ivan feel extremely uneasy, as if countless ants were crawling around in his heart, which was really uncomfortable.
Although Ivan wasn't an especially devout believer, he also believed that the gods would protect the kind-hearted people, comfort the upright ones with a benevolent heart, bestow them with a happy and peaceful life, and punish the evildoers with just means, making them get what they deserved.
Ivan's original life wasn't like this at all. At that time, he worked dutifully in the store. Although he was bullied by the hunchbacked second shopkeeper, he always had good expectations in his heart, hoping that he could smoothly get through the apprenticeship period.
On weekdays, he learned accounting from the shopkeeper. He thought that as long as he could skillfully settle accounts and accurately check the monthly profits, as well as the situation of goods in and out, he would surely be able to stand out in South Port. After all, that hunchbacked second shopkeeper had worked for so many years but still couldn't learn arithmetic. Ivan felt that he would be able to surpass this thoroughly bad guy one day.
After getting through the apprenticeship period, he would slowly accumulate seniority. After working for ten or eight years, he should be able to be promoted to the position of purchaser or manager. If he was lucky and had the opportunity, he could also follow the young master to go out to sea and purchase goods at the ports of neighboring Xibai and Otto. In this way, he could both fulfill his wishes and increase his income, and he wouldn't have to worry about his future life.
This was his original vision for the future, full of ordinary yet beautiful expectations.
But now, he had become Ivan Este, a direct descendant of an unknown nobleman, and had become an important tool in a huge fraud conspiracy, getting involved in this complex and dangerous vortex and finding it hard to get out.
He didn't know what his final outcome would be. Would he spend the rest of his life miserably in prison, or would he be hanged high on the gallows? Whenever he thought of these terrifying possibilities, Ivan was filled with worry and anxiety. He could only pray piously to the gods again and again, begging the gods to forgive him and show him a merciful rescue, and take him out of this terrible predicament.
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