Black Sail

Twenty years before the Battle of the Great Wall, Beima Duchy was still a kingdom.

The undeparted King Philip V took the prime minister's advice and imitated the systems of Pedan Kingdom. He opened national academies in the central Royal Capital and the East Shore, using them to prevent the retention of talent in the jurisdictions of local nobles. This effort weakened the ruling power of all Lords and absorbed fresh blood to serve the court. The "Enlightenment Act" was introduced, taking a substantial amount of money from the national treasury to support education.

Anyone who had at least a middle-level educational background and could pass the entrance exam to an academy was eligible for this policy.

Whether it was the exemption of boarding and miscellaneous fees for rural students, the substantial scholarships for outstanding students, or even the possibility for excellent students to attend school for free (aside from meals) and earn money.

Those who truly had substance after graduation were also arranged for, directly entering the court and rising rapidly through the ranks.

The Beima Kingdom became a paradise for academics, as more and more outstanding talents emerged. Academies blossomed all over the East Shore in a time of Grand Scenery, with no natural disasters and the national strength at an unprecedented peak.

That was until the year 1274 of the Saint Aran Calendar when the Great Wall defenses collapsed. The Alan Heavenly Army broke through. Philip V committed suicide in his isolated city, and his orthodox successor, the sixth, was lured into a trap and met his end in a Foreign Country.

In the following years, except for the Beima National Arcane Academy in the Royal Capital, all other academies were transformed by the puppet king into joint stock companies, cheaply sold off to the Great Nobles.

Even though the strength of the teachers remained and various facilities and teaching materials were still available, the "Enlightenment Act" was no more.

And because of the former regime's system, many people in Beima Duchy still firmly believed that education was the way out. Despite the exorbitant tuition that could drain a middle-class family, there were still many students.

This also gave Mika a perfect opportunity.

Earning dozens of Golden Dragons for just one job, Mika was definitely one of the wealthiest.

Inside a luxurious suite on the tenth floor of a high-end hotel in the inner ring of Londen City.

Opening the curtains offered a view of the infinite blue of the Grand Scenery by the port and the spectacular sight of nearly a thousand ships moored, with seagulls circling and crying above the bustling streets.

The room was fragrant with the scent of rose incense, the polished fine wood grain flooring shiny and immaculate, pale violet fluorite crystal chandeliers hanging above, the space incredibly spacious, and the coffee tables and chaise lounges were also made of precious wood. An interlocked pattern of protective wall panels and finely detailed floral tapestry adorned the walls, and there was a small pool on the balcony.

On the large bed, Mika, with his upper body naked, had finished the first round. He watched calmly as three female university students frolicked and played in the pool. After a while, he became lost in thought, considering other matters.

These female students came from various parts of Beima Duchy. Two of them were Beima people, while one had fuzzy beast ears and a tail on her hips; otherwise, she looked no different from an ordinary person. This race, possessing only a few animal characteristics, was known as the Yisu people. Unlike the legitimate Beastmen from Reinswan on the Western Continent, Yisu people came from a land in the direction above the South Sea of the Western Continent. The legend was that their ancestors yearned for the Strength of all spirits and beings which led to the entire race being cursed, but it was just a rumor. They lived their lives quite normally and were also known to be a relatively good-looking race.

All three women were youthful and attractive, their skin firm and supple, their scanty garments clinging tightly to their curves, wet and translucent from the water.

They had never been to such a high-end hotel before. On the tenth-floor high-rise, there was even a small garden and pool on the viewing balcony, and they could hardly imagine how much it would cost to stay for a day. It must be only visiting Great Nobles or Knight Priests who could afford such luxurious accommodations.

One of the female students beckoned with her finger, inviting Mika over. She thought Mika must be of no ordinary status and if she could secure him as a long-term meal ticket, that would be more than ideal.

What they could not fathom was that Mika was a pirate who didn't blink an eye at murder.

Seeing the flirtation of the female student, Mika didn't waste words. He got out of bed and walked slowly toward the pool to start the second round.

Evening.

Bloody sunset.

During a boarding battle, someone had crept into the ship's medicine store, and Mika had to hack at their neck with an axe—several times before they finally died. That dead person's gaze, solidified in horror and endless remorse and resentment.

Mika woke from a nightmare, startling the Yisu woman who was among the three in the bed also awake, rubbing her eyes in confusion.

"This room is yours until ten o'clock tomorrow morning."

Mika left this message and hurriedly got dressed. The tuition had already been paid at noon, double the market price. Mika preferred to pay upfront, not fearing someone might run off—otherwise, some women, nervously fearing being taken advantage of, may provide unsatisfactory services while distracted.

"How much longer will you stay in Londen City?"

The Yisu woman asked. He was generous, choosing only first-class places, and though his skin was rough, his appearance was fairly easy on the eyes and he didn't have any perverse habits—in short, a rarity of a good man.

"Maybe for half a month more, see you around if fate allows."

Mika lived by the principle of not returning to the same person a second time, except in the case of exceptionally high quality.

He got dressed and left the room, walking towards the gallery.

The hotel's common area was first-rate, illuminated by high-quality fluorite tube lamps, with landscape paintings hanging on both sides.

Mika descended the stairs, planning to return to the ship, remembering he needed to recruit crew members these next few days. If he ended up recruiting a few with contagious diseases, that would be a real problem.

As Mika reached the bottom floor and was about to enter the lobby, he caught sight of a group of fully armed military masters—not from Londen City—and instantly got a jolt. His broad face was printed and published, and due to professional habits, he immediately turned back up the stairs to the second floor, and jumped straight out of the window.

Pedestrians on the street were all shocked to see a man jumping from the second floor, a distance of about five meters to the ground. Mika, whose agility was not as good as others on the ship, twisted his ankle in the urgent situation, and without time to properly massage and reposition it, limped away quickly. Seeing a Land Bird-pulled cab, he hailed it urgently and headed towards the city gate.

Hotel lobby.

"The standard room costs four silver coins a day, and you can upgrade to a better room by paying another four silver coins. Additionally, we offer rooms with a garden and swimming pool for fifteen silver coins a day..."

The counter's well-featured female attendant didn't finish speaking.

"What kind of damn hotel is this? Fifteen silver coins? Might as well kill me and sell my head for the money."

A soldier wearing chain armor was shocked by the price. Even in a place as rich as Aran, a decent hotel would cost about the same. Could this place even compare to Aran?

"Don't make a scene," Claude scolded, thinking that since the hotel came recommended by that person, they should stay. He handed over ten Golden Dragons, not fretting over the sum. To redeem his nobility and grease the wheels of relationships required at least eight hundred Golden Dragons. Once the heat died down and he had earned enough, he would leave this foreign country. "Book five standard rooms; we'll crowd in. Those who need to bunk will bunk."

Though enough money was available for each man to have his room for ten days to half a month, it wasn't the time to be wasteful. Ten Golden Dragons were not to be given away lightly. Those people were indeed the best option at present. Surely they wouldn't go to a merchant ship to work as sailors? They wouldn't earn the sum back in ten thousand years.

He had already written back to Aran to seek help through local contacts, but his situation now, compared to the glory days, was entirely different. He wondered if any friends would generously offer their aid; more likely they too would want to distance themselves from him.