CH 72

Just asking, how would you feel when you see a tall beast lying in front of your door as soon as you go out?

Maldiz held the door handle with a stiff face.

He stood at the door for a long time and didn’t move. He couldn’t go out. He wanted to go back to the room, but he was firmly stared at by a pair of eye-catching tiger eyes as if he would pounce on him as long as he moved a little.

Maldiz really stood in place, unable to advance or retreat.

Just then, a “jingling” sound came from the end of the corridor.

Without waiting for Maldiz to look in doubt, the next moment an iron bell the size of an adult’s palm rolled over along the lines of the carpet.

The bell is full of claw marks and pitted bite marks. It seems that it usually suffered a lot of damage.

Briquette lay lazily on the ground, and his long tail lifted up and flung on the rolling bell. The bell rolled out again, and after a while, it rolled back over. The tiger tail continued to whip…

The time for the bell to roll back is getting shorter and shorter.

In an instant, a dark little leopard came running. His little claws pressed on the iron bell, scratching it again and again, and from time to time bowed his head and bit it fiercely…

When the round ball slipped away from his claw again, Brown Sugar chased after it. Lowering his head and grabbing the red rope tied to the bell, he flung his little tail and ran towards Briquette. But at this moment, he suddenly felt a strong gaze that could not be ignored.

Brown Sugar couldn’t help but stop and raise his head with the bell in his mouth.

Maldiz involuntarily gasped. His hand holding the doorknob tightened, fixing his sight on the little black panther’s beautiful golden eyes. There seem to be countless waves constantly surging in his heart.

He didn’t dare to look at the area where the beasts lay yesterday. Naturally, he didn’t find Brown Sugar sleeping beside Briquette.

He was shocked when he abruptly saw it this morning.

Others may not know.

But he knows that the number of black panthers is extremely rare in their race, only lived in the remote far west, and the black panthers with golden eyes were one in ten thousand.

The only little black panther with golden eyes he saw was a gift from the Kadi tribe to the Pope.

But now… How could it appear in Lord Desinia’s castle?!

Maldiz won’t be mistaken. This is the little black panther carried away by the Pope.

For a while, he couldn’t care about the big black tiger still lying in his doorway.

Maldiz intends to step over and take a closer look at it.

However, as soon as he raised his leg, the lying black tiger suddenly got up, lowered his head, picked up Brown Sugar, and left.

“Hey wait!”

Maldiz subconsciously followed, but how could some elderly cardinal catch up with Briquette?

Fortunately, after a while, they met Xia Zuoyi, who was about to go out, in another corridor.

Brown Sugar was held in Briquette’s mouth all the way, tail drooping, and four claws curled up. When he saw Xia Zuoyi, he whimpered, and the bell fell to the ground with a crisp crashing sound.

Xia Zuoyi bent down to pick up the bell that happened to roll at his feet and asked Briquette to put Brown Sugar down. Then he said to Maldiz, who’s following, “Mr. Howard, but what do you want to tell me?”

He just noticed that the other party had something to ask.     

Maldiz: “This little black panther…”

Xia Zuoyi understood, “Oh, of course, it’s a gift from the Pope.” 

Maldiz whispered “sure enough”, and his mood became even more complicated.

He remembered that a long time ago, the Pope took the golden knights on a long trip. It must have been at that time… He doesn’t know how Lord Desinia had met the Pope, that even the Pope’s Order could be given… 

Maldiz’s thoughts surged.

Xia Zuoyi said, “I’m going to Wissas to take a look. Do you want to go with me?” 

Maldiz came back to his senses. Thinking it may not be a bad idea, he nodded in agreement.

Samuel was thrown to Wissas as soon as Xia Zuoyi brought him back into the territory.

First, collect available shipbuilders as soon as possible, and second, let Samuel familiarize himself with the process of building the Wissas harbor. After all, he will participate in it.

Samuel had no complaints about this but was rather excited. Like a fish in water.

He is indeed a genius, and his character is open and frank.

Although many people in the team were very unconvinced because of the privileges given to him by Xia Zuoyi when he first arrived here, it didn’t take long for these people to be convinced by Samuel’s personality charm.

Of course, they admire Samuel’s shipbuilding ability, rich knowledge, and ability to answer some difficult questions.

…

There is also a self-ringing bell in Wissas. The difference between the one here and in Fort Comoy is that a wind vane is erected at the top of this high bell tower.

The wind is small today, and the wind vane swings slowly.

A circle of rose gardens is planted around the clock tower. At this time, near May, a lot of flower buds had emerged from it. Birds and butterflies stop in it from time to time, which is very eye-catching.

Xia Zuoyi’s carriage drove slowly on the wide road, with a curtain raised on one side so that Maldiz and Paul, who also followed, could see clearly.

Along the way, their eyes looking outside didn’t move away much.

When they’re about to reach the harbor, Maldiz turned his head, and said, “The lord has governed his territory well.” 

Xia Zuoyi’s eyebrows bent. When he was praised, he was not arrogant or impetuous, which made Maldiz sigh in his heart. His mentality and handling of things really didn’t look like they came from a teenager.

Maldiz glanced at Paul, who was still looking around him in amazement and snorted. It’s as if he had never seen the world. His previous calmness was now gone.

But… The reconstruction of the two cities is indeed very shocking and impressive.

While Maldiz is deep in thought, they soon came to the place where the harbor was built, which was on the coast of the Cogit Sea.

This place has changed a lot now.

The coastline of the Cogit Sea is very long. On one side, the salt drying site has been improved by Xia Zuoyi, while on the other side to the west, located on the edge and remote, it can be used as a shipbuilding area. Irrelevant people are prohibited from entering here.

The castle originally standing on the cliff has long been converted into the administrative residence of the harbor base.

Xia Zuoyi went directly to the shipbuilding area, and Samuel was waiting outside with other people.

There’s a simple house that can shelter from the wind and rain, and is used when someone’s tired and needs rest.

The guards who patrol at night live in a tall tower a little farther away from the coastline. This tower will also be used as a lighthouse in the future to illuminate the direction of returning ships.

The carriage slowly stopped near the house. After getting off the carriage, Udit gave the wooden box in his hands to Samuel.

The wooden box was so heavy that Samuel almost couldn’t carry it, and was helped by others before he stood still. After shaking it, there was a dull sound of clattering.

He was surprised, “What’s inside?”

Xia Zuoyi: “Go on, open it and look.” 

When they entered the house, the rest left to do their own things. Only Samuel stayed and opened the wooden box himself—there were piles of small wooden blocks of different shapes inside.

“Are these…?”

Samuel picked up a small wooden block and looked through it in his hand, puzzled, “My lord, what are these pieces for?”

“They won’t be for me to splice…”

He keenly discovered that there were bulges or depressions on the wooden blocks, and they could fit into each other. He picked out two blocks and tried it, and it was true.

Xia Zuoyi: “Didn’t you report that shipbuilding is progressing slowly and you are encountering problems?”

Speaking of this, Samuel nodded bitterly, “Yes, I once built a boat to go to sea alone. Fortunately, with the blessing of the God of Creation, I didn’t bury myself in the sea. After that, I was rescued and was able to return to Helgeda.”

“Therefore, I am also very clear that the ship used to go to sea can not be confused with the ship usually traveling on the river. Moreover, if you want to sail on the unpredictable sea for a long time, the ship of general quality can’t last long.” 

In particular, all aspects must be taken into account, such as the hull, cabin, occupants, and storage…

When he previously voyaged alone, he didn’t have to worry about the size of the ship or any other things.

But this time, he’ll voyage with other people. A large number of people means that the ship must be large, and the larger the ship is, the harder it is to build. The material, draft weight, hull processing, and assembly must be considered.

The shipbuilding process will inevitably encounter difficulties.

Xia Zuoyi patted the wooden box and said, “These things are called building blocks.”

“Building blocks? What are they used for?” Samuel asked curiously.

Maldiz and Paul also looked over in confusion.

“For you to play with.” 

While Xia Zuoyi was talking, he kept taking out building blocks from the box to join together. In a little while, he put together a shape and put it on the table, and then joined two pieces in succession. 

Samuel picked it up in surprise and said, “This is the sail.”

Xia Zuoyi: “These building blocks allow you to build a ship, a ship of your imagination.”

“If some building blocks are not suitable, let someone re-polish them. You can also build a part by yourself. When making a huge boat, it’s really hard to deal with errors, but a small boat like this can be dismantled at will, and you don’t have to worry about wasting materials. Am I right, Samuel?” 

How can Samuel not understand the roles of these blocks? He nodded excitedly, “Yes, my lord, you’re right!”

He couldn’t wait to pounce on the wooden box, his eager eyes seemed to be staring at a treasure.

The problem that plagued him before finally found a solution. He will design on paper and then will repeatedly experiment and practice with these building blocks… 

In a flash, Samuel had thought a lot and almost immediately wanted to immerse himself in it, but reluctantly restrained himself when he thought that the lord was still here.

Fortunately, Xia Zuoyi saw his thoughts and didn’t let him accompany him. After watching for a while, he took Maldiz and left.

At this time, Nate, the diplomat who can be independent, and Gibran, who’s in charge of the finances of the Thorns Chamber of Commerce, are sailing to Anas Empire.

Gibran was ordered by Xia Zuoyi to meet with Boris in the Nagabi Chamber of Commerce to talk about the clothing business with him, and also to ask for some things.

As for Nate, he has other things to deal with.

An eagle cry pierced through the clouds in the sky.

Green Dumpling slowed down, flew low from time to time, and fell on the mast. His huge body shook the ropes tied to the sails and scared away a waterfowl that also landed on the mast.

Before long, Green Dumpling spread his wings and flew away again, as if he fell just to scare these small birds.

Nate could not help but sigh at the beauty and might of Green Dumpling.

He said, “Keno, after you get the news, Green Dumpling will immediately take it back to the lord. How soon do you think Green Dumpling can fly back to the castle?”

Gibran: “It’s less than an hourglass.”

Nate took a deep breath and was even more amazed, “He flies so fast. No wonder the lord asked Green Dumpling to follow and recognize the way. Wouldn’t it be very fast and convenient to deliver any news in the future?”

Gibran nodded, of course. 

Translator’s Note:

Hope you like this, Nani~Laya~~ Again, thank you so much, your generosity is greatly appreciated.

PS. My prelim exams are on Thursday and Friday so unfortunately, I won’t be updating this story (I don’t have any more in stock). Don’t worry, though, ‘cuz if I translated the last half of Chapter 73 on Saturday, then I’ll post that up. Wish me luck on my exam~~