Chapter 110 - Black Sail XV (2/2)

“Why did you come see me then?” the old pirate asked.

“The Sea Lion was originally yours. Rothko is the oldest crew member on the s.h.i.+p. You must know him pretty well, right?”

“Oh, that old fox? He may not be a man of many principles, but his sailing skills are pretty good, I must say. You’ll never find a better bosun in the whole of Na.s.sau,” proclaimed a thoughtful Frazer.

“Ah, I really miss those times. There was this once, we came across pirate hunters and we were forced to head into a storm as we were a lot slower than them. Had it been someone else manning the sails, the s.h.i.+p would’ve been wrecked, and we would all have been dead. But no! Rothko and I worked together to secure the main mast, and, by a stroke of luck, we miraculously returned to Na.s.sau in one piece. I only admire a few people in my entire life, and Rothko is, by the narrowest of margins, one of them. You must drink to that guy’s excellent skills.”

The old pirate picked the gla.s.s of beer in front of him.

Zhang Heng did not beat around the bush and jumped straight to the point. “What do I need to do to make him teach me those skills?”

The pirate looked amused. “You want to learn how to sail? Why?”

“One should always learn as much as he can while he’s young, right?”

Frazer grinned. “So, you’re going to persuade me with all this nonsense?” He lowered the knife and fork and stared at Zhang Heng with hollow eyes. Only after a while did he continue.

“It would seem you’re in luck today. I’ve found myself in a bit of trouble recently. If you can help me solve my problem, I wouldn’t mind telling you how to make Rothko more compliant.”

“What is it?”

“There’s a fool called Jacob in the city. He just stole a bag of black pearls from me this afternoon. If you can, find him in half a day and get my pearls back. I will meet your requirements then.”

“Sounds fair to me,” Zhang Heng said as he stood up.

“Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I hired another guy. He started an hour earlier than you, so I can only wish you the best of luck.”

…

Zhang Heng left the tavern.

As he stepped outside, he saw a group of kids frolicking by the side of the road. When a food peddler pa.s.sed them by, a couple of them pretended to have a row. The peddler had his attention diverted while the smallest one among them slipped his tiny hand into the peddler’s pockets. As soon as their ruse was a success, they dispersed into oblivion.

This was Na.s.sau, and petty theft was not an uncommon occurrence. Ever since Zhang Heng began renting the hut, he had never left anything valuable inside. Whenever he returned from a voyage at sea, he often caught the urchins sleeping in his place, G.o.d knows how they got in anyway. He would eventually rough them up and throw them out every time.

It was not going to be easy to find a pearl thief amongst a jungle of villains, not when all he had was a name for a clue.