My Manor

"We're here!" Edward patted the car door, turned around, and said to Jiang Hai, who was sleeping in the back seat.

"Ah, are we here?" Hearing Edward's words, Jiang Hai rubbed his eyes and sat up in a daze.

He then stretched his arms, looked outside the window, and saw a large ship—about 100 meters long and 30 meters wide. Compared to ordinary ships, this was clearly no regular fishing boat or cruise ship. It looked more like a warship.

In fact, it wasn't just like a warship—it was a warship that had been retired for a long time, with all its weapons dismantled. Clearly, this ship had been scrapped for quite some time and was simply parked next to the port. There were many colored lights on it, shining in various hues under the night. A sign hung in the middle of the ship, reading "Sea Warrior."

It seemed that this was the name of the ship.

"Well, it's really big." Jiang Hai opened the car door and jumped out. Looking at the large boat in front of him, he muttered to himself. Edward Anderson also jumped out of the car on the other side.

They had gone fishing earlier in the day and caught two nets to sell. After selling them, it was about two o'clock in the afternoon. Originally, Jiang Hai had planned to treat Edward and Philemon to a meal, but Edward told him that today was not the time for a leisurely outing. Jiang Hai and his companions first drove the boat back to Jiang Hai's port, then moved the remaining fish back to the residential area.

After all, it was impossible to sell all the fish when fishing. Robbins and his friends also needed to eat fish. Instead of buying them, they preferred to eat what they caught. So, the fish they sold accounted for only about 95% of the total catch. There were still more than 100 kilograms of fish left, enough for each family to share more than 10 kilograms, which would last for a while. However, compared to fish, shrimp, crabs, and most lobsters were Jiang Hai's special delicacies. The only problem was... he couldn't cook.

After unloading the fish, if they weren't processed immediately, they would spoil. So, Jiang Hai and his friends had been busy cleaning the fish since they moved them. By the time they were finished, it was already past five in the afternoon, and it had gotten dark.

Everyone had a seafood dinner at home, and then Edward brought Jiang Hai here to recruit people.

Originally, Jiang Hai had planned for Robbins and Philemon to accompany him, but where there are people, there are bound to be rivalries. For example, in Winthrop—no, it should be said that across the entire United States—the struggle between land and sea has always existed. Cowboys look down on sailors, and sailors look down on cowboys.

In a sense, sailors will not go to cowboys' bars, and cowboys will naturally avoid sailors' territories.

This dynamic could be seen between Edward and Robbins. They were from the same town, but if it weren't for the fact that Edward knew Philemon when recruiting him, and Philemon wasn't a pure cowboy, Jiang Hai might not have recruited him.

They weren't even friends in everyday life. Even at the manor, they all worked for Jiang Hai. Robbins and others would never go to Edward's group for fun. Of course, when they came together, at least on the surface, they were very harmonious. It was precisely because of this that Jiang Hai's decision to recruit sailors had made Robbins and others feel a little awkward. In the end, Edward explained the situation, and Jiang Hai realized he had been a bit unreasonable.

But once he understood this, he naturally wouldn't force them to come, so it was just him and Edward who came.

"The owner of this Sea Warrior is called Al Claude. You can just call him Al. He participated in World War II and was a major in the Navy before he retired. This destroyer was the ship he commanded at the time. It once attacked Midway Island, but was later bombed and sunk in Pearl Harbor. Although it was salvaged afterward, it had been severely damaged. After the war, he retired with the ship and later made a fortune in business. More than a decade ago, when the government sold the ship, he bought it and converted it into a bar. This is the favorite entertainment spot for all the sailors nearby." After Jiang Hai got out of the car, Edward also parked it, jumped out, walked over to Jiang Hai, and introduced the ship.

"Let's go in and check it out," Jiang Hai said with a smile after hearing Edward's explanation, and the two walked toward the big ship. Clearly, sailors were wealthier than cowboys. Even the Navy earned more than the Army.

The customers here were wealthier and more willing to spend money, so naturally, the facilities here were better.

Not only was the exterior of the ship a warship, but once inside, Jiang Hai saw that the interior décor was also unique. Although it couldn't compare to the top hotels, western restaurants, and bars, it was certainly a few levels above Old Tony's Cowboy Song. The décor inside was nearly as nice as Jiang Hai's residential area.

It was understandable that if Cowboy Song had been decorated like this, Old Tony would probably go bankrupt. But cowboys weren't fond of places with too much style—they preferred more casual settings for their cattle herding and drinking.

Sailors, on the other hand, earned more money, and although they were still rough men, Americans were generally more willing to enjoy life in their spare time. They were willing to spend more money for a better experience, and if the service didn't meet their expectations, they would curse on the street.

Of course, there were some sailors' bars like Cowboy Song in Winthrop, but they didn't attract as much attention as this one. Here, you didn't need to verify your identity just to enter.

Ordinary kids weren't allowed in. If Jiang Hai hadn't been with Edward, he probably wouldn't have been allowed entry.

Once inside the bar, Jiang Hai realized that this place was far from Cowboy Song. It seemed like more than just a bar. As soon as he entered the hall, he noticed a notice posted nearby, outlining the entertainment options available on the ship.

The ship was divided into three floors. The bottom floor housed a disco, which was quite lively. Jiang Hai could feel the ground shaking from the music below, but it was clearly not the type of place he liked to visit.

The first floor featured a bar, divided into two sections. The left side had a more traditional bar layout, similar to Cowboy Song, but more luxurious. The tables and chairs were better, and many people played billiards and darts. The right side was also a bar, but it was a music bar. Unlike the disco below, it played country or sailor music, and although the style was similar, the atmosphere was entirely different.

As for the top floor, it had private rooms. According to Edward's introduction to Jiang Hai, some people went up there for special services, while others gambled small amounts of money. Although Winthrop wasn't Las Vegas, not everyone in the U.S. could afford to go there for a little fun, and not everyone needed to waste time either.

Today, Edward took Jiang Hai to the music bar on the right. According to Edward, most of the people who went to the left side were young, and in his eyes, young people were generally unreliable.

As soon as Jiang Hai entered, he felt a distinct vibe. A special twist rushed into his mind. Jiang Hai knew what R&B was, but didn't know exactly what it meant, as he wasn't a musician. Following the music, he saw a large, 200-pound black woman on stage. She wore a shiny, tight dress and had a band behind her. Her curly, fluffy long hair was tied behind her head with a hairpin, making her look like a large pineapple. Jiang Hai, who initially found the music pleasant, lost interest instantly. Yet, below the stage, there were quite a few burly men who seemed to enjoy it.

"Boss, wait here for a minute. I'll check if those old guys are here," Edward said, oblivious to whether Jiang Hai was interested or not. He thought they were here to recruit people, not for the music. After telling Jiang Hai this, he walked toward the crowd in the distance, leaving Jiang Hai to sit at the bar and look around.

"Hello, is there anything I can help you with?" A blonde girl wearing a white shirt and plaid skirt came over and asked Jiang Hai. Jiang Hai knew this outfit was the standard bartender uniform here. Both men and women wore it, since the boss, a descendant of Scottish ancestry, preferred it. Jiang Hai had reservations about men wearing skirts, but the girls looked good in them. The girl in front of him was quite pretty—about 1.65 meters tall, with blonde hair, light blue eyes, and some freckles on her fair skin. She looked very fresh-faced.

"One beer, thank you," Jiang Hai said. He wasn't the type to flirt, so he simply glanced at the price list on the bar and ordered a beer. After hearing Jiang Hai's order, the girl went to the side, poured the beer, and placed it in front of him. Jiang Hai took a sip. It was German dark beer, slightly bitter but with a nice aftertaste. Though it wasn't as good as the wheat beer brewed by Old Thor, it was still drinkable.

"You look unfamiliar. Is this your first time here?" the girl asked. The bar was different from the underground section. Most of the people here were men over 40 years old, unlike the younger crowd on the other side. There's an old Chinese saying: "A man over 40 is no longer confused," meaning that after 40, men are more settled in their lives. Although the U.S. doesn't have this saying, men over 40 are typically married and have established careers. Those who come here to drink usually aren't short of money. Such people have strong self-control and are stable. So, the girl was curious about the young Jiang Hai, who was only around 26 or 27.