Chapter 132 - Burial at Sea (2/2)

After he was appointed the boatswain’s leader, the system awarded him with another five game-points, though he had no idea if this was a good or bad thing. He would be leaving the s.h.i.+p in a month and didn’t mind if he didn’t become a leader of any position. Noticing that the election went so smoothly, it proved that he had quite an influence on the vessel. Sadly, this could have been the very reason why Orff saw him as a significant threat on this s.h.i.+p.

To Zhang Heng’s surprise, another person had looked for him before Orff. During lunchtime, a limp old pirate sat right opposite him.

“Are you a man of faith?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Don’t misunderstand my intention. I’m just trying to give you a good reminder. Under the leaders.h.i.+p of Teach and Orff, whatever happened this morning will continue to happen. Eventually, we will all die on this s.h.i.+p. I’m right, am I not? The residents of Na.s.sau would usually use the Thetis ritual to send away the dead. They believe that their souls would travel the deeper parts of the ocean. If you have someplace you wish to go, I think you should tell Frazer. After all, all these things have something to do with personal freedom. Of course, that includes the freedom of religion.”

“There had been only one exception since I joined this s.h.i.+p. That kid was an Alava from Saint Vincent. According to the culture of their tribe, they would usually devour their dead. Alava believes that the ritual allows them to stay with their loved ones forever and ever. We feared that he would die someday. Unfortunately, his right leg was shot during one of the raids, leading to its amputation. In the end, he did not survive the surgery. So, we are all voting to break his tradition. We chose not to devour him. Oh, right. Let me introduce myself to you. I’m Kent, cannoneer of this s.h.i.+p.”

“Cannoneer?”

“I know that everyone prefers to call me the carpenter. I would use a saw to slice an enemy into half during a battle. That’s how I got this nickname.”

Suddenly, Kent lowered his voice and looked around cautiously.

“This is not a good place to talk. Orff is watching us. We need to talk. Come look for in the carpenter’s quarters on the second floor.”

Zhang Heng did not say a single word after that.

“Did you know, a lot of pirates on this s.h.i.+p are related to Frazer? Why is Orff so cautious of you? Frazer will never simply get a debt collector without a good reason. Throughout the many years, Frazer had only two debt collectors working for him. You and the only other being our captain. In other words, both of you are his disciples.”

“Edward Teach used to collect debts for Frazer?!”

“Yes. Frazer groomed him to become captain, hoping that he would take his place someday. Unfortunately, Teach conspired with Orff to betray him in the end. Right now, you are in grave danger, and I’m the only one who can help you!”