Since the ship was already in the waters near the capitals of the River Domain, the return journey was smooth and uneventful.
In just a few days, the Sea Sparrow was docked securely in the harbor.
Stepping off the deck and onto solid ground, Roland stretched and let out a long sigh.
Although half a month at sea had accustod him to the rocking of the ship, no amount of adaptation could compare to the stability of having his feet on the ground.
"Goodbye, Captain Roland!"
"Captain Roland! Next ti you set sail, don’t forget to call on again!"
Crew mbers passing by called out their greetings to him.
Seeing that his once-fair skin was now tanned a healthy bronze, their eyes filled with a certain admiration.
When they first received Hobbit’s orders, these crew mbers had been sowhat dismissive.
That disdain only deepened after they saw Roland’s rather aristocratic appearance for the first ti, assuming the job was nothing more than entertaining so young noble at play.
So, while they were respectful on the surface, they harbored a bit of scorn in their hearts.
However, after spending the last half-month together day in and day out, their impression of Roland had changed dramatically.
The young man had not only eaten and lived alongside them, but he also never slacked off during daily sailing practice. His hard work and diligence were plain for all to see.
Their initial scorn had long since vanished, replaced by sincere respect.
"Goodbye, everyone!"
Roland returned the farewells of the hundred or so crew mbers.
Just then, the soft sound of footsteps approached from his side.
"Mr. Roland."
The Half-Elf Hobbit walked over, holding a thick stack of parchnt, and gently offered it to him.
"This is a detailed list of expenses for the half-month voyage. Please look it over."
"Hobbit, I already told you..."
Roland took the list, his eyes casually scanning a few lines.
Seeing that the numbers were nearly identical to the Half-Elf’s estimate before they set sail, he pushed the ledger and the card storing the Gold Coins back into Hobbit’s hands.
"I trust you completely with this. For the expenses, just take this card to the rchant guild to make a withdrawal. But speaking of other things..."
Roland leaned down slightly and put an arm around the Half-Elf’s shoulder.
"Hobbit, what do you think... with the Sea Sparrow and this crew, what are our chances if we went up against the pirates in the surrounding waters?"
"After all, sailing on the high seas tests more than just seafaring skills..."
Roland said, rubbing the tip of his nose in slight embarrassnt.
"Fighting people is an unavoidable part of the journey, isn’t it? Of course..."
"This Sea Sparrow was temporarily lent to by your older brother. If he doesn’t agree to using it for combat, I can find another ship to rent..."
"Mr. Roland, you don’t need to worry about that."
The Half-Elf Hobbit smiled faintly.
"When my older brother lent you this ship to hone your sailing skills, he had already considered the possibility of combat. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have specifically instructed to gather these experienced, battle-hardened crewn. As for taking on pirates..."
Hobbit furrowed his brow, pondering for a mont before continuing.
"If the enemy’s numbers aren’t large and they choose to initiate a boarding battle, we should have no problem handling them."
"My brother ntioned that most pirates in the nearby waters only dare to engage in Plundering small rchant ships. They don’t have much real skill."
"I understand!"
Roland patted Hobbit’s shoulder and nodded.
Although he had fought countless battles, he had very little experience with fighting on the sea.
Hobbit’s assessnt gave him so much-needed confidence.
’It seems ship-to-ship combat isn’t as complicated as I imagined...’
Roland thought to himself.
However, mories from his past life quietly surfaced, making him furrow his brow once again.
Although he wasn’t very knowledgeable about naval warfare, in the movies, TV shows, and novels of his past life, when two ships fought, they often started by trading long-range attacks to strike and probe the enemy. Boarding was more of a final, decisive tactic.
But in this world...
Gunpowder didn’t seem to exist.
He had privately tried the formulas from his mory countless tis but could never recreate the familiar explosion. He could only attribute this failure to the different Laws of this world.
But on the day he boarded the ship of Hobbit’s older brother, the Half-Elf Trevor, he had clearly seen so kind of device that resembled a cannon.
This thought cast a shadow of worry over Roland’s heart.
The Sea Sparrow wasn’t equipped with the kind of Long-Range Weapons that were on Trevor’s ship.
If the pirates had long-range attack thods, while his side could only passively take the hits...
Wouldn’t they just be floating targets on the sea?
At this thought, Roland blurted out his concerns.
Hearing Roland’s words, Hobbit chuckled and patiently explained.
"Don’t worry, Mr. Roland. Those things installed on my brother’s ship are called Magic Energy Cannons."
"Magic Energy Cannons?"
The na made Roland raise an eyebrow.
He could guess from the na alone that it was most likely a device powered by Magic Elents. As for its effect, it was probably similar to the cannons from his past life.
"That’s right!"
Hobbit’s face flushed slightly as he recalled the sight of his brother demonstrating the power of the Magic Energy Cannons, and he nodded with a hint of pride.
"That thing does indeed allow a ship to perform long-range attacks at sea, but it’s the newest gadget the Dwarves have tinkered with. It’s still in the experintal stage."
"If my brother hadn’t beco good friends with a Dwarf from the Dwarf Realm during a long voyage, he never would have gotten his hands on them. So, you can forget about those pirates having any."
"I see."
Roland nodded in understanding.
’Looks like naval battles in this era are still dominated by boarding actions, after all.’
Thinking of this, the last of his worries imdiately dissipated.
With his current Power and the boost from [Anchor Stance], if it ca to a boarding battle, he alone would be enough to take care of an entire ship of pirates.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Roland also asked Hobbit to help him gather information on the pirates in the nearby waters. Then, the two of them waved goodbye.
This ti, however, Hobbit didn’t head ho with Roland.
To accompany Roland on his training voyage, he had taken a full half-month of leave from the Knight Academy.
Although his instructor, Reggie, and the Dean, Graham, hadn’t said much—out of respect for Roland—and had even readily approved the leave due to Hobbit’s excellent grades, the Half-Elf still felt a little uneasy.
Therefore, as soon as he parted ways with Roland, he hurried off in the direction of the Knight Academy.
Roland didn’t linger at the port either, starting on his way ho with a light step.
On the way ho, his thoughts couldn’t help but drift back to the Magic Energy Cannons he had just discussed with Hobbit.
’The Dwarves’ latest creation... It seems that with the resurgence of the Magic Elents, it’s not just the Demons that are mutating. Other Races are also stirring in the shadows, building up their power...’
Rembering Bronson’s prophecy that the world would fall into conflict due to the resurgence of Magic Power, his desire to increase his own Power beca even more urgent.
Just as he approached his courtyard, the sound of a lodious song drifted out to his ears.
Hearing the voice, Roland pushed open the courtyard gate without hesitation.
"Galvis!"
Hearing his na, the Minstrel turned his head. Upon seeing Roland, a joyful smile blood on his face.
"Roland! You’re finally back!"
Galvis hurried forward, curiously sizing up Roland’s sun-bronzed skin, then switched to a mournful tone.
"Teresa leaves early and cos back late every day, Mr. Bronson locks himself in his room all day, and I’m the only one left here! I’m about to die of boredom. Even food has lost its taste..."
Roland listened to his complaints, his gaze sweeping over the other man’s noticeably rounder cheeks, and raised a hand to stop him from lanting further.
"Alright, Galvis. Have you heard anything about that matter I asked you to look into last ti?"
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