Black Sail
Chapter 407: XLII. The Death of Aran

Chapter 407: XLII. The Death of Aran

He had returned to the shore.

He arrived at a small fishing village of about a hundred people.

Located on a flat plane at the foot of the mountains along the Bay Shore, these houses were all brick and stone structures with red-tiled spires and vertical wooden planks on the external walls. All the houses shared a uniform style; even though the village was not large, it was quite a pleasant environment.

There was no concept of a dock here.

Instead, the beach was lined with wooden stakes wrapped with hemp ropes, where fishermen’s small boats were moored—scattered around twenty or thirty of them, some of which were quite dilapidated.

The name of this small town was too long, Liszt heard it once and lost any interest in remembering it.

Although this place was within Aran’s territory, not every area was economically developed, otherwise the Emperor would have been deified directly. Here, there was no concept of tourism, nor were there any local specialties to speak of, as even the roads weren’t well developed.

It was one of the countless underdeveloped towns in Aran.

"The seafood here isn’t even enough to fill the gaps between your teeth, come to my house, let’s slaughter a sheep, and have a feast."

Galen led the adventure group members and Liszt on the dirt path that led into the town.

The group’s eyes lit up at the mention of slaughtering a sheep; such feasts were rare for them, and Galen was really splurging to entertain Liszt.

Liszt initially wanted to refuse, eager to get on the road, but he was quite hungry—you couldn’t expect a remote town like this to have taverns or restaurants, and he was amazed, not by the slaughtering of the sheep, but by the fact that Galen actually had a home and was a local?

After some thought, he realized it was his own misunderstanding; Galen was clean, not associating with despicable people like himself.

To avoid attention, Liszt also used a tattered cloth to make a simple mask to cover his head, which was taller by half a head than Galen, who was over 1.9 meters tall, making him particularly conspicuous in the crowd.

After entering the small town, Liszt noticed something odd about the place.

"Why are there only old people in the town? It’s one thing to have no young women, but there are no young men either."

Liszt was somewhat puzzled.

Galen was candid; to them, Liszt was a legendary figure, almost like a demigod, looked at with a blind fervor.

"Just last year, there were quite a few young, able-bodied people staying in town, but after the start of the year, they said they were going abroad to build railways, with a monthly salary of twenty-five silver coins, including food and accommodation, they all rushed to go,"

Galen laughed. As for the women, no need to mention them, they all went out. Not only to the Magic Energy Industry, but over the last few years, there’s been all kinds of major news, these remote towns haven’t had a single benefit. The influence of the Holy Spirit Church is growing weaker domestically, and the Emperor, in order to counterbalance the Eternal Sect, has caused too much chaos with religious proliferation; it’s like there are gods everywhere, and thus as if there are no gods at all.

Galen, in his thirties, was considered old. Since the Emperor’s ascension, young people born in New Aran, those in their teens and twenties, hardly followed any religion. Women didn’t value chastity and couldn’t be fooled, so they went to work night shifts in the big cities.

"Why don’t you go?"

Liszt was speechless. Being a mediocre adventuring silver rank adventurer, Galen’s adventure group was better off working on the railways. For adventurers, below gold rank, it was all about fooling each other.

Galen remained silent; admitting this was quite embarrassing.

The deputy leader supplemented for him, "The town is full of old people, and occasionally some rogues from outside come to rob and steal. The location is remote, and the Constitutional Soldiers can’t manage it. The local security office is guarded by two useless people, don’t expect those related appointees to arrest anyone."

"Enough said..."

Galen was somewhat embarrassed. "We’re almost at my house."

Liszt pondered, Constitutional Soldiers... Zahak, that damned dog, was already dead. He wondered if there were any family or something behind him; his master was also a Sword King.

That’s a serious problem if Aran Sword King sought revenge for his disciple.

Moreover, this Galen really was something, fighting for those who couldn’t fight. Liszt rarely encountered such people, or rather, in places he often stayed, such people were rare.

Galen’s home was a simple two-story house, and the furnishings in the living room were quite modest, showing some hardship. Aran people liked to cover various pieces of furniture with cloths; the wooden furniture was simple in craftsmanship and somewhat aged.

After entering the room.

Liszt was stunned again, and so were Galen and his mother.

An old woman knitting a sweater sat there, quite aged, with a face full of wrinkles; her hands, calloused like giant pancakes, were marked with scratches and fine lines. Her eyes were also somewhat cloudy. She wore a mud-stained apron and floral sleeve protectors.

"I’m back."

Galen casually greeted the old woman.

"You all stay here, you and you, come with me to slaughter the sheep. We must take good care of Mr. Li."

Saying this, Galen was ready to take people to the sheep pen behind the house to select one.

The old woman, knowing that Galen was mingling with a dubious crowd and pretending to be an adventurer, didn’t care much initially. But upon hearing about slaughtering a sheep, she looked up at Liszt.

She didn’t know what to say; it wasn’t that she didn’t want to entertain guests, but they really didn’t have much money left. Her cloudy eyes carried a melancholic longing. She did some weaving herself. Previously, merchants would come to the town to buy knitted goods in bulk, but in recent years, that had become increasingly rare, and this year, not a single merchant had come. She couldn’t understand what had changed in the world.

Galen’s actions were stunning Liszt; he was quite the character.

Dinner was turning into an awkward affair.

Galen had to accompany him to Chenxi Port; it might involve risks to their lives. Better disburse the settling-in funds first.

"Old lady, I am a merchant traveling here, planning to do business in Chenxi Port. I would like to hire your son as a guide, offering generous payment."

Liszt placed down five Gold Dragons, not knowing the market price in Aran. Last year in Beima Duchy, it was about ten silver coins per head. This money should cover your expenses for a long time.

At that moment, Galen had only one thought.

Following Liszt was definitely the right move.

An hour later.

After finishing the meal, Liszt didn’t expect to find lamb soup with spicy sauce in Aran. The cooking method seemed universally similar—it’s just that the mutton slaughtered at Galen’s house had a bit of a gamey smell, not as good as in restaurants, but it was passable.

"Come back early."

The old woman admonished Galen at the door.

"Stop nagging, I’ll be back before the New Year."

Galen honestly thought it might be hard to return this time. He wasn’t an only child; he had a sister and a brother to take care of their mother, while he could just earn money.

The old woman insisted on seeing the group out of the town, following them for over a hundred meters before Galen, after much persuasion, convinced her to turn back, or else she seemed ready to walk all the way to the mountain pass.

Once out of the mountain pass and walking another dozen or so miles on the beaten path, they would reach the Aran Highway, find a coach station, and take a carriage to Chenxi Port, which should take about two days.

From the advantage point of the mountain pass, Galen gazed at the small town, knowing if he didn’t venture out, his life would rot away.

Liszt understood what he was thinking.

"One can never easily gain things they don’t have by nature; there’s always a price to be paid."

Liszt, hand on his shoulder, just wanted to make it to Chenxi Port quickly. Black Sail needed his news, and he also needed to find Sharon. She was the type who shared good news but kept her sorrows to herself, a remarkably strong person, but she had been struggling to cope.

Galen was still lost in sorrow.

"If we don’t leave now, I’ll start chopping people."

Liszt objected.

Without delay, Galen and others led Liszt toward Mika’s old home, heading for Chenxi Port.