Sail Shadows in the Sea of ​​Fog

Chapter 147 The Seafood Tavern in Frostflower Town
On the slightly bumpy ice wolf sled, Cheng Lang, who had never set foot on the Star Sea Continent before, was filled with anticipation for Frost Flower Port.

As the distance closed, more and more sailboats appeared on the ice.

Some of these sailboats had already hired boatmen to tow them slowly forward in a line, while others had already left the waterway and unloaded all their cargo, sorting it into large sleds.

In addition, there are numerous ice houses on these ice surfaces, selling alcohol, food, red lotus flower tea, and other goods, as well as meat in every sense of the word.

There are even many "flower boats" similar to the Miracle of Life here. Although these boats are also equipped with ice sleds, the ice sleds themselves and even the bottom of the boat have been frozen to the ice surface.

The cheerful laughter emanating from the ship drew frequent glances from the sailors, some even taking their money bags to investigate.

"Snapped!"

On the sled pulled by the ice wolf, Yun Ji smacked Shen Ba on the back of the head in the front row, saying, "What are you staring at?"

I'll just take a look.

Shenba, who had almost stuck his head into the cabin of those flower boats, shrank back and muttered something.

"How long does it take to get into this kind of queue?" Cheng Lang started a new topic, which was a way of indirectly saving Shenba's life.

"It will take at least 10 days."

Gerta said, "There's no other way. Frostflower Island is only so big, and there aren't many ships that can dock at one time. Moreover, Frostflower Port only taxes goods, so unless there's a necessary reason, everyone usually loads and unloads goods on the ice."

At this point, as Gerta maneuvered the sled around a large ship, everyone could clearly see a beautiful lighthouse in the dim light.

Without a doubt, this tall lighthouse must have been built of ice blocks, which is why it emits a striking ice-blue light that stands out in the night, like a giant luminous pillar.

"That's the lighthouse in Frostflower Harbor; it's built with ice cores."

Gerta gave a luxurious answer that shattered Cheng Lang's guess: "Of course, ice cores aren't very expensive here, I mean, for a port."

"How many ice cores does such a large lighthouse require?" Shenba strained his neck to look at the lighthouse that was getting closer and closer.

"Every sailor who arrives at Frostflower Harbor for the first time asks this question."

Gerta's tone grew increasingly proud, "But even the sailors who come here regularly can't give an answer."

Amid the discussion about the lighthouse at Frostflower Harbor, the sleds overtook the slow, almost motionless merchant ships and sped along an ice track reserved for them, mingling with the many cargo sleds, toward the peninsula that stretched out into the icy sea like a giant sausage.

With the light emanating from the enormous ice core lighthouse, and thanks to the excellent eyesight of the dark elves, Cheng Lang could see clearly.

On this long, narrow peninsula, almost all the parts that meet the ice have been built into ice docks, with a wide but still crowded road running through the middle that extends deep into the peninsula.

In the dim night, apart from the winding ribbons of light formed by the boat lights hanging from the sleds on the road, there was no end in sight.

As the surrounding sleds ascended the gentle ice slope to the island, the road branched off again. Those going ashore and those leaving the island were separated by the snow walls in the middle, as were those carrying people and those carrying goods. Furthermore, on those snow walls, orc warriors armed with flintlock rifles patrolled back and forth.

Compared to the congested ice outside the port, these ice tracks were remarkably smooth to navigate. However, the peninsula was larger than they had anticipated, or rather, longer.

"Mr. Gerta, how long do we need to run along this road?" Yun Lan finally couldn't help but ask.

"It takes most of the night to get here."

Gerta seemed to have been waiting for this question. "Frostflower Island is very large, and this road is very long. At our current speed, we may not be able to leave Frostflower Island until before dawn."

"What's on the island?" Shenba asked expectantly.

"Inns, warehouses, taverns, and bathhouses—that's all there is in Frostflower."

Gerta explained, "In the entire Starsea Continent, only the Frost Duchy and the Elf Duchy strictly prohibit the flesh trade; even prostitutes are not allowed to exist there."

If caught, in the Frost Duchy, one would be buried in an ice core and frozen to death; in the Elf Duchy, it is said that…

"They will be burned to death, and their souls will be taken away by the Verdant Sacred Tree." Yun Ji and Yun Lan answered this question in unison.

"So those just now..." Shenba subconsciously glanced behind him, where the colorful lanterns hanging on the flower boats they had passed earlier were still faintly visible.

"The sex trade has existed since the beginning of monetary transactions, and there is absolutely no way to completely prohibit it," Cheng Lang said, adding, "in any world."

"Absolutely no mistake."

Gerta said, "The laws of the Frost Duchy do not apply to the Bear Clan boat-pulling tribe on the Ice Sea, nor do they apply to those pleasure boats, but the Frost Duchy will prohibit those engaged in these businesses and mermaid eggs from entering the country."

"Is it related to the law that forbids intermarriage between elves and orcs?" Cheng Lang asked curiously.

"Maybe, who knows."

Gerta scoffed dismissively, “While that may be true in the Elf Duchy and the Frost Duchy, in other places, you can find elven musicians wherever there’s a tavern, and you can find girls or even boys with at least elven or beastman blood wherever there’s a trade.”

"And it's very popular. Oh my!"

Just as Shenba was about to express his opinion, he was slapped on the back of the head by Yunji again, despite his fearlessness.

Amidst the laughter of the crowd, the sled went faster and faster, and the people pulled their face masks, which were meant to keep them warm, even tighter.

During the long wait, a large patch of lights gradually appeared directly in front of them. As the lights became clearer, everyone recognized them as brightly lit buildings.

"We're going to the Seafood Tavern later."

Gerta tightened the reins slightly, slowing the ice wolves down a bit. "That tavern is full of elves preparing to set sail, drunken elves."

At this point, everyone noticed that the road ahead began to widen, and several small wooden houses appeared directly in front of them.

“Each person entering the country needs to pay an entry fee of 50 silver coins,” Gerta said, already prepared, as he pulled out three gold coins and held them in his hand.

"Isn't the Frost Duchy worried about someone invading from Frostflower Harbor?" Shenba asked, puzzled.

"Then they'll probably have to wait in line for a very long time."

Gerta laughed heartily in response, his tone filled with anticipation rather than worry. Without queuing, Gerta urged the ice wolf to slow down slightly. Passing a wooden house by the roadside, he handed over three gold coins. The people inside immediately presented six palm-sized animal hides strung together with leather ropes and readily allowed him to pass.

After crossing the border so easily, Gerta urged the ice wolf sled to pick up speed again and turned left shortly afterward.

At this point, the people on the sled could also see the buildings on both sides.

Just as Gerta said before, there are only inns, warehouses, taverns and bathhouses here.

Of course, despite the streets being covered with a thick layer of ice and snow, the port town was unusually lively.

What's even stranger is that, although this place is located on the mainland, many of the buildings here are constructed of ice blocks, just like those of the Bear Clan's Ladder-Pulling People tribe.

However, besides the ice structures, there are also a considerable number of buildings here that are simply sailboats that have come ashore or haven't even had a chance to be launched yet.

Gerta then parked the sled at the stern of a large ship with three masts, but no sails on the masts; instead, the masts were covered with many glowing bottles.

Although the ship is located on land, it is very well maintained, and there are quite a few elves on the open deck chatting and drinking.

"Although this place is officially open only to elves, no one checks anyone, and you can go in wearing a hood."

As Gerta spoke, he had already secured the sled and led everyone through a small door under the stern wheel.

Inside this small door lies the ship's lower deck. Although the light is exceptionally dim, the ship's heart, still beating, can be clearly seen behind the bar on the side next to the entrance.

Welcome to Seafood Tavern

Inside the bar, a silver-haired elf bartender enthusiastically explained, "The rules of the Pirate Library require an extra 10 silver coins for each floor you go up. This ship only has two staircases, located at the bow and stern respectively."

After saying that, the bartender lowered his head and continued to carefully wipe the crystal glass in his hand.

"Six toasts for the long voyage, please deliver them to us later."

As Gerta spoke, he took out six silver coins and placed them on the bar. Then he led the group to a dimly lit corner of the lower deck, found a table, and sat around the surrounding oak barrels.

"That heart of the ship."

"it is true"

Gerta explained in a low voice, "Although most elves scoff at the idea of ​​going to sea to be a sailor, a considerable number of them still dream of becoming a sailor or even a captain."

But due to his inherent nature, the Shipheart didn't recognize the elf, so drinking a sea-smelling cocktail laced with the Shipheart's blood became a compromise between dream and reality.

As she spoke, Gerta lowered her voice slightly, "You can wander around as you please. Nine out of ten elves are drunkards, and the other one is probably sleeping soundly under the table."

As he spoke, Gerta pulled out a bottle of Poseidon's Blood and poured it onto his hypocritical mask, then smeared it onto the face of an elf lying on a bench beside him.

Seeing this, before the wine was served, everyone immediately dispersed and went looking for their own targets.

Soon, Cheng Lang spotted a man snoring against a wall, holding a harp. Beside him, on an oak barrel, was a large glass of beer, along with two flintlock pistols in holsters, soaking in vomit.

Looking around, Cheng Lang grabbed the other person's sleeve and wiped the stains from the corner of their mouth. Then he smeared the mask of hypocrisy, which had been stained with Poseidon's blood, onto the mask and immediately ripped it off and stuffed it into his pocket.

When he returned, the others sat back down one after another, each making an OK sign that they had learned from Cheng Lang.

Almost simultaneously, a silver-haired elf also brought over six glasses of blue and white cocktails.

“Try it, it’s a specialty of this tavern.” Gerta said, already picking up his glass and gulping down the entire drink.

After taking a sip, Cheng Lang had to admit that the cocktail, which had little to no alcohol taste and was sweet with a hint of saltiness, was quite delicious. He could actually taste the ocean in it.

Knowing this wasn't the place to discuss business, the six men, having already accomplished their main objective, quietly finished their drinks and, while "imagining" the troubles they might encounter after setting sail, got up and left.

"Let's find a hotel to rest next."

As Cheng Lang changed the mask of hypocrisy into an elven one, he said in a low voice, "Once we get to the tavern, everyone change your clothes. Gerta, take Shenba with you to buy some essential supplies for the long journey, as well as goods to use as cover."

"No problem, come with me."

Gerta also transformed his hypocritical mask into an elven appearance, beckoning everyone to get back on the sled and continue running inland. After about the time it takes to drink a glass of wine, they stopped in front of a rather inconspicuous two-story stone building.

"Let's do it here."

Gerta said, "I'll go and buy the supplies. You can go in on your own."

"We stayed here when we left last time."

As Yavso jumped out of the car, she said, "The owner here is a very kind grandmother."

As she spoke, Yafso led Cheng Lang and the others into the stone building. At the same time, Gerta led Shenba, who hadn't gotten out of the car, back in the direction they had come from.

Cheng Lang and the others were unaware that while they were following the shop owner up to the second floor, in the Xiong Clan's boat-pulling tribe where they had stopped, someone had already begun offering a high price to inquire about information related to the Miracle of Life, as well as information about the ships that had left on the same day.

I know of a Red Pearl.

The stall owner, who used to sell oak barrels and corpse boxes, said after receiving a stack of gold coins, "They bought some oak barrels frozen in ice and a corpse from me. I found those things on the ice."

As he spoke, the stall owner pointed to an oak barrel in the corner of the igloo, "That oak barrel is what I carved out of that block of ice; it's just some fish oil."

After glancing at the inconspicuous mark on the oak barrel, the informant pulled out a stack of gold coins and asked, "Which direction did that ship go? What do that ship and its captain look like?"

"This"

After failing to take the stack of gold coins, the stall owner said, "I can confirm that their ship was called the Red Pearl, and the captain was a young, strong man who looked like he had no brains. As for what he looked like, I can help you ask the driver who drove their sled back then."

"Take me there now."

The person who bought the information couldn't wait any longer and stood up, becoming the first to walk out of the igloo.

(End of this chapter)