Navigator: I have a double six-story house

Early in the morning, before the fog had completely dissipated over Midway Island, the crew had already begun another day of hard labor.

Su Qing and Wang Yao slept until the sun was high in the sky before stepping onto the concrete road of Midway Island.

Wang Yao yawned.

"Su-zai, are you sure you're going to just wander around the streets today?"

"Didn't you say you were hiring?"

"This is a recruitment drive."

As Su Qing walked, her eyes scanned back and forth on both sides of the road.

"We made quite a stir on the island before, so those who want to come will naturally come, but I need to let those who are still observing know a message."

"What information?"

"I do need to hire people, but I'm not looking for just anyone."

Wang Yao understood as well; Su Qing's reputation on Midway Island had spread over the past two days.

He and Fengxi Chamber of Commerce have personal connections, capable subordinates, and are generous spenders.

But because of his brutal killing yesterday, no one dares to approach him now.

Having trouble finding people and having no one willing to come are two different things.

Su Qing needs to send out this signal.

The two walked along the main street for half a day. Many sailors saw them on the street; some lowered their heads to avoid eye contact, while others followed at a distance, but no one went up to them.

Su Qing wasn't in a hurry; she simply took Wang Yao for a leisurely stroll.

Finally, some people couldn't hold back any longer.

A sailor by the roadside gritted his teeth and walked over awkwardly.

"Captain Su," he said, his voice a little hoarse, "my name is Chen Pingzhou, I'm a navigator. Are you still hiring?"

Wang Yao looked the man up and down. He was dressed in rags and looked emaciated. It seemed that he had taken Su Zai as his lifeline.

Su Qing stopped in his tracks. He knew about this profession, but he still asked the other person, "Navigator? Tell me about your skills."

When Chen Pingzhou heard Su Qing ask the question, he didn't refuse directly. He was a little excited and quickly answered.

"I have two job skills. One is [Follow the Wind], which increases the ship's speed as long as I'm on board."

"The other is [wave suppressant], which reduces the impact of waves on ships and the effect of severe weather on ship speed."

After he finished speaking, he stared intently at Su Qing's expression, like a student waiting for a teacher to grade their paper.

Su Qing didn't respond immediately, rubbing her chin with her fingers, looking like she was seriously thinking.

After a moment, he responded: "Navigators are purely support-oriented, and they basically have no combat ability in the early stages, right?"

Chen Pingzhou's eyes darkened. He thought to himself that this captain who had recently stirred up trouble at Midway was indeed not simple. He had directly pointed out the sore spot of his profession.

But he didn't leave; deep down, he still held onto a last glimmer of hope.

Su Qing nodded slightly, then changed the subject.

"But in the later stages of the voyage, the navigator's skills become very important."

Chen Pingzhou raised his head, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"The further outward you go from the central sea area, the more unstable the weather becomes. You might encounter storms, eddies, fog, or anything else."

"A ship without a navigator is very likely to suffer heavy losses in extreme weather, or even be destroyed and lose all its crew."

"Not to mention the subsequent fleet battles and raids, where the navigator's ability directly determines the initiative in the battle."

Chen Pingzhou's heart pounded; he had finally met a captain who recognized his abilities.

"Captain Su is right! My profession is a late-game type; just give me a chance..."

"However," Su Qing interrupted him, continuing in a calm tone.

"Navigators have no combat power in the early stages, but it's not difficult for captains who can survive to the late game to obtain a navigator job change scroll."

"It's something that can be solved by spending some resources to convert any crew member into a navigator; there's no need to use a quota to support them in the early stages."

Chen Pingzhou fell silent.

Captain Su's words were not malicious; they were merely stating objective facts. It is precisely because they are facts that they are irrefutable.

He lowered his head, his lips moved slightly, but he didn't say anything in the end. He turned and left.

I had only taken two steps when a hand landed on my shoulder.

Chen Pingzhou turned around and saw Su Qing smiling.

"It's not something we can't consider."

Chen Pingzhou was stunned.

Su Qing released her grip. "I really can't give you an answer right now. Let's add each other as friends first."

"Even if the collaboration doesn't succeed this time, it's just a matter of sending an invitation if the opportunity arises in the future."

Chen Pingzhou's expression changed several times, from disappointment to surprise to gratitude, and finally he nodded with tears in his eyes.

"OK!"

The system popped up a friend request. After adding the friend, Chen Pingzhou hesitated for a moment, bowed, and turned to leave.

This scene was witnessed by many people around.

Su Qing ignored the onlookers and looked up at the drifting mist in the sky.

Wang Yao stood next to him, facing the group of crew members watching from a distance.

He cleared his throat and addressed the crowd, his voice deep and powerful.

"Captain Su is planning to recruit a capable crew member. Anyone who thinks they are qualified can give it a try."

He paused, then added, "Those who are just good with words shouldn't come, otherwise..."

He didn't finish his sentence; he just smiled at the crowd.

That smile was warm and clean, just like the smile of the older brother next door in the sunlight.

But everyone present was startled.

This is the expression on the man's face when he beat that hotheaded monkey to death.

The crowd began to disperse, but this time it wasn't because they were scared off; some people genuinely went back to consider it.

Over the next day, people started coming to us one after another.

They were mostly crew members with some skill, but not the kind you couldn't let go of if you encountered them.

Su Qing chatted earnestly with each person who came, without being perfunctory or making empty promises.

Leave a suitable way to contact them; if not, state the reason directly.

By the end of the day, he had added five more people to his friend list, but none of them made him make a decision on the spot.

Wang Yao was getting anxious. "Su Zai, these people would be considered quite good on other ships. Aren't your standards too high?"

Su Qing shook her head.

"Initially, there are limited spots available, so every crew member must be someone who can change the situation."

"These people are not bad, but they are not enough."

"Besides, I didn't say I wouldn't choose them, it's just that they need to pass the next 'test'."

Wang Yao nodded and said nothing more.

Anyway, Su Zi is in charge of making the decisions, and he is in charge of carrying them out.

The next day, the two continued to wander the streets. Su Qing thought that "trouble" would occur, but it didn't.

By the afternoon of the third day, no perfectly suitable candidate had appeared, and the trouble remained.

Over the course of three days, more than a dozen more names appeared on the friend list, but there were still only Su Qing and Wang Yao on the ship.

Today is the fourth day that Su Qing's ship has been anchored at Midway Island. He will be leaving port tomorrow.

As evening fell, in the reception room on the second floor of the Wind Breeze Chamber of Commerce, Su Qing sat opposite Mr. Ziloti, holding a cup of hot tea in her hands.

Mr. Zloty took a sip of tea and put down his cup.

"Captain Su is supposed to leave tomorrow. Is he trying to avoid 'trouble' and is he staying with me to lay low?"

Su Qing picked up her teacup and took a small sip.

"No, no."

"Four days have passed, and not a single crew member has been recruited," Mr. Zloty's tone was devoid of emotion. "Are you planning to give up on this recruitment?"

Su Qing put down her teacup and said only four words.

"Better to have none than something of poor quality."

Mr. Zloty smiled slightly.

"That's what all the legendary captains I know say."

"I hope you can become another legendary captain among my friends."

Su Qing smiled but did not respond.

Just then, the system notified him of a friend's message. He clicked on it and a playful expression appeared on his face.