The liner passed through the storm and approached the lighthouse.
A small-scale harbor entered the sights of the captain, sailors, and passengers through the gloomy rain.
A short while later, a man in his thirties, who was wearing a blue uniform and holding onto a black umbrella and a glass lantern, appeared at the dock. He used rather uncommon actions to guide the liner to moor.
As the man watched the gangway lower, he opened his mouth and shouted, "Hey matey, where d'ya come from?"
After most of his voice was swallowed by the wind, his voice successfully reached the liner's interior and entered Alfred's ears.
"Do you know what this place is?" Alfred looked carefully at his adjutant and squire.
He wasn't wearing a general's ceremonial attire. Wearing a black trench coat that was commonly seen in Backlund, his dazzling blond hair drooped down casually, and his blue eyes looked like a deep lake in a forest.
The adjutant, who had neatly combed his hair to the back, first shook his head to indicate his uncertainty before he explained, "The storm from before made me lose my bearings."
At this moment, the captain held an umbrella and came to the shipboard. He answered the man, "We left East Balam two days ago and unfortunately encountered a storm.
"What harbor is this?"
The man's eyes darted around for a moment. Without giving a direct answer, he shouted, "Wait a moment, will ya?"
He then turned around, holding the umbrella and the lantern as he ran towards the buildings near the dock.
This reaction was beyond the expectations of Alfred and the other passengers, but it wasn't strange for the experienced ship captain, first mate, and others—they had encountered many abnormalities at the ports along the Berserk Sea. This made them patiently wait for subsequent developments.
Five to six minutes later, the man led a lady over.
The woman didn't have an umbrella and was wearing a hooded raincoat smeared with Donningsman Tree Sap.
As the two of them approached the liner, under the watch of the armed sailors, they climbed up the gangway to the deck.
At such a distance, most of the passengers finally saw what the two of them looked like.
The man had brown hair and brown eyes. His skin was rough, and it was obvious that he was of a lower socioeconomic status and had suffered the elements. The woman was in her twenties, and her eyes were limpid green. She had long, flaxen hair. A few wet strands clung to her face, making her appear pure and charming.
This was a rather pretty lady with a wild temperament.
"Hi there, this is Utopia Harbor," the man impatiently introduced, "I'm Theodore, the interim port cap'n."
As he spoke, he laughed, as though he was happy that he had invented such an amazing position.
Of course, the ship captain knew what a so-called "interim port captain" meant. He didn't take it to heart about this sudden happiness of a small fry.
He frowned slightly and said, "Utopia Harbor? Why haven't I heard of it?"
Theodore looked at him and said, "What ye said is quite common.
"Heh, if it weren't for that landlubber hurricane, ye might never come here!"
Without waiting for him to say anything else, the lady rushed forward and said, "Utopia isn't on the safe sea route. Usually, only people who understand these waters and know of this place will come here for supplies."
So the main clientèle of this harbor are pirates? How could the ship captain not be able to tell what she meant? And in times like this, tacitly acknowledging things without exposing them provided protection to both sides.
He tersely acknowledged and said, "And you are?"
"My name is Tracey." The lady smiled. "I'm the owner of the harbor hotel, and also its receptionist and attendant."
She surveyed the area and said, "It's quite a heavy storm, and the ship will be bumpy. It's not a wise choice to stay in there to rest. The hotel will provide you with stable beds, warm water, clean food, warm blankets, and an environment that will remind you of home. It's only ten pence a night. I'm referring to the price of a single room.
"Other than that, you guys can still drink at the nearby bar and enjoy our warm hospitality."
Clearly, this lady was here to solicit for business.
The captain was rather alert and didn't respond directly. He nodded and said, "I can't decide on behalf of the passengers. They are free to choose for themselves. Of course, as captain, I will stay here with my crew."
Tracey maintained her smile and said, "I'll wait at the hotel for guests who are willing to disembark."
She seemed to have received a certain amount of education. She wasn't as hot and spirited as the women at other ports who spewed vulgarities with every sentence.
Tracey turned around and was about to return when Theodore approached her and said with a sullen expression, "You have to thank me for telling you the news immediately."
As he spoke, his right hand pressed against Tracey's butt before he pinched hard.
Pa!
Tracey swatted away his hand and chided, "You're a jerk who should be f*cked by a donkey!"
She took a few steps forward and left the liner by the gangway.
Theodore shook his hands and cursed with a smile, "B*tch!"
This scene suddenly moved many passengers on board.
To them, the biggest flaw on the ship was that it was boring, and there was a bar at the harbor.
This meant that they could meet cheap street girls who were unlike those from the Northern or Southern Continent. There were local street girls with their unique local charm.
If one was lucky or willing to spend a lot of money, one of them might even be able to sleep with that spirited beauty with an attitude!
Instantly, many passengers packed their luggage and prepared to head to the harbor hotel.
Upon seeing this, Alfred's adjutant asked, "General, are we getting off the ship?"
Alfred shook his head slowly.
"We don't know anything about this place. We have to be careful. Staying on the ship is the best choice."
The adjutant had no objections to this. He asked worriedly, "What about those who have already alighted?"
"That's their choice." Alfred looked out of the window expressionlessly. "If an accident happens, we can only keep more people safe. If it's not serious, then we will be able to resolve it easily."
With that said, he turned to look at his adjutant and squire.
"We'll take turns to keep watch tonight to prevent any accidents."
Alfred, who had interacted with the Numinous Episcopate, the Rose School of Thought, and other organizations in the Southern Continent, had an instinctive sense of vigilance towards unfamiliar places.
After he exchanged his opinion with the ship captain, Alfred got into bed, listening to the strong winds hitting the glass windows and the torrential rain pattering the deck. He was about to doze off.
At this moment, he heard a tender and sad melody coming from the direction of the harbor.
It seemed to come from a flute, intermittent like a human whimpering through the storm.
Alfred was instantly immersed in the music. It was as though he had returned to Backlund, which always appeared in his dreams. He returned to a state that was a mixture of his happy childhood days, the vexing times of his youth, and other emotions.
He shook his head violently and shook off the feeling. He realized that it wasn't a psychological effect, but a normal person's reaction.
Alfred rolled out of bed and walked to the window. Using his Sheriff Beyonder powers, he confirmed that the music he had heard had come from the cheap hotel.
It's not from the guests onboard the ship. Their goal is very clear. They wouldn't be in the mood to play such a melody... There are tourists in Utopia to begin with, or could it be that owner and part-time attendant named Tracey? If it were her, she would be a lady with a story... Alfred sighed and retracted his gaze. He stopped pondering over the matter.
Although he was curious, he had no intention of getting off the ship.
Soon, the sound of the flute stopped. The harbor hotel regained its silence and nothing unexpected happened.
Just like that, time passed, and as the storm stopped, the sky gradually brightened.
At eight in the morning, the liner passengers returned one after another. Every one of them had weak steps and looked haggard.
Upon seeing this, the sailors immediately laughed and said, "The chicks here seem pretty good!"
The passengers shook their heads at the same time and looked regretful.
One of them rubbed his temples and said, "The Lanti Proof here isn't bad. It's cheaper than other places. I wasn't careful and had a little too much to drink and ended up falling asleep. I don't even know if anything happened with that babe. Sigh, I woke up to realize that the ship was about to leave, and I don't even remember what I did after getting drunk. Praise the Lady. ‘She' let me lie in bed and not sleep in the rain."
The other passengers chimed in to express their similar experiences.
Of course, everyone had different details. For example, some passengers praised the breakfast dessert in the cheap hotel.
The sailors were regretful that they didn't manage to drink the cheap and good Lanti Proof. They started teasing the passengers.
"Perhaps the one who spent the night with you wasn't the chicks here but the burly man like Theodore. Since all of you were drunk, there's no way to know what happened!"
"Haha, try touching your assholes!"
Amidst the lively atmosphere, the sailors withdrew the gangway and raised the sails, allowing the liner to set off slowly.
Alfred finally relaxed after they passed through a dark sea and returned to the familiar safe sea route. He smiled at his adjutant and squire and said, "You can mark this place on our map, mentioning that the liquor and desserts here aren't too bad. Yes, the girls have their own traits."
After a few more days of traveling, the passenger finally arrived at Desi Bay's Eskelson Harbor, after traveling along a winding safe sea route.
Alfred, who had the demeanor of a noble, and his socialite instincts, paid a visit to the brass of a nearby military base and shared a good dinner with them.
When he returned to one of his father's vacation villas, he was surprised to find the squire whom he had sent away to gather for information.
"What's wrong?" Alfred put away his disorganized thoughts.
The squire lowered his voice and said, "General, all the official maps in the kingdom have no indication of Utopia Harbor."
