The Black Iron Glory
Cruises

Chapter 28

Cruises

the Old Sunny Ships rented them called Arrowfish, as in fish that darted like arrows and were agile like fish in water. However, there are too many small fishing boats in Whitestag and no one cares about their name. Even in the city's private property records, it is only recorded as one single sailing fishing boat belonging to Sunny.

There are three cabins on board and the boards covering them must be removed before entering. The two cabins at the front of the ship were large and small. Inside the larger one was a wooden bed for one person and was there for the crew to take turns resting as they fished through the night. Smaller cabins on the other hand are used for storage. Items such as charcoal, firewood, bowls, plates, and buckets can be found there. Sometimes the crew would start cooking on the ship.

The last cabin was a live broadcast. It is the largest of the three where fish can be kept in water. There are moving boards at the bottom of the ship that can be opened to let the lake water into the cabin. Any fish caught can be kept there. That way, even if the fishing trip reaches two days and three nights, the ships on the ship will not die and they will remain fresh until the journey is over.

Balinga Lake is huge and almost 50 kilometers long and nearly ten kilometers wide. One end is connected to the sea and the other is connected to the Kemda Swamp. In other words, Lake Balinga is the crossing point between sea water and fresh water. However, given the flat and wide terrain, it became a lake near the deep ocean waters.

That was also the reason why the water in Lake Balinga was a bit strange. One-third of it, the part closest to Rawa Kemda, has fresh water, while the third one connected to the sea has salt water. The third from the lake near Whitestag is a mixture of the two, with the water tasting slightly salty.

It is because of the unique environment that Lake Balinga produces unique fish items that will feel beautiful even when preserved dry. For example, most dried swordfish caught from Lake Balinga will be given to the Stellin royal family in honor. There was no other choice but to dry it because the longtail swordfish died three hours after running out of water.

"Lift salls! Arrowfish is leaving!" eriksson shouted with a serious expression on his face as he held the wheel.

Welikro unbuttoned the dock and Claude pulled a hemp rope tied to a pulley on a pole to uncover the worn-out voyage that had been patched up who knew how many times. Borkal on the other hand pushed the pier with a punt and moved the ship to the center of the lake.

Borkal stood in front of the ship, stretched out the middle finger on his right hand and licked it before stretching it in midair. After spinning a little, he shouted to Eriksson, "There is no wind! What's the point of the screen ?!"

"There's no harm in opening it first. There'll be wind once we move further away from the shore." Eriksson then pointed to Welikro and Claude. "Both of you, don't be lazy. Hurry up and start rowing. If we keep this up, we won't be at midnight."

Having no choice, Claude got two oars from the deck and started rowing with Welikro on both sides.

After about ten minutes of paddling, they were about a hundred meters away from the beach. That was when the breeze felt across the lake. Eriksson said happily, "Alright, adjust the screen and pay attention to the direction of the wind. You two don't have to paddle anymore."

After putting down his paddle with Welikro, Claude sat on the deck and rubbed his shoulders while complaining, "Damn it, I'm tired."

"You lack training. See Wero. He's fine" replied Eriksson.

Borkal adjusts the screen and fixes its position with a rope. He then asked, "Given our speed, how much time do we need to reach our goals?"

Eriksson looked at the screen as if he knew what he was doing to judge the wind speed. "Maybe two or three hours. The wind is not strong enough that the sail does not give enough thrust, so the ship will not be able to sail fast enough."

Eriksson looked at the screen as if he knew what he was doing to judge the wind speed. "Maybe two or three hours. The wind is not strong enough that the sail does not give enough thrust, so the ship will not be able to sail fast enough."

"Why do we have to dock at the post near the aqueduct there? Can't we cross Lake Balinga from here to the foot of the mountain? We can dock anywhere there. If the ship is fast enough, we don't need to "I even have to spend an hour" Borkal lamented.

Eriksson smiled and shook his head. “Boa, you are not a fisherman or a sailor. Everyone who makes a living from Lake Balinga whose beach between the foothills of Mount Egret and the shores of Lake Balinga is a marshy mess. No boat could dock. Look at all the water plants and driftwood there. You will immediately drown in the middle of the road if you set foot there and will not be able to move.

“So, even though it is the shortest road, there is no way for us to dock. Instead, we should waste time sailing along the coast to reach the stone outpost to dock and it will take even more time. Since there were hard rocks and a small river there, our boat was able to dock properly. ”

Claude turned to Welikro and asked, “Wero, haven't you gone to Egret with your father for the past two years? Do you use this route too? "

Welikro proudly replied, "No, we didn't do it. We didn't even use boats, because it was winter and the area between Lake Balinga and the Swamp froze with cold. Ice formed quite hard. My father and I would use a sled to travel across the ice surface to react to Egret's legs. Since the swamp area is mostly covered in snow, it is strong enough for us to start climbing the mountain there. "

It is currently the end of the 5th month and the spring flowers are in full bloom. Aquatic plants on the shores of the lake thrive, making the lake look very different from the white and naked state during the winter. There was no easy way to land, so they could only go to the rocky outpost to dock.

Since the ship did not stop during fishing, it was more challenging than usual. Borkal and Welikro each grabbed one pole and went to the tail of the ship. Eriksson stood behind them and announced the start of the match, giving a brief explanation of better fishing skills and anticipating the grilled fish they were going to have dinner with.

Claude on the other hand could not be bothered to get up. He half leaned on the side of the ship and looked at the blue sky. He saw a white cloud hovering above him, feeling nothing but the warmth from the golden rays of sunlight he was enjoying. Water in the distance glittered and small dots, perhaps other fishing boats, could be seen drifting. The surface of the lake around him seemed a little bumpy and fresh breeze was blowing everywhere. It was as if he was in a beautiful landscape painting.

Claude on the other hand could not be bothered to get up. He half leaned on the side of the ship and looked at the blue sky. He saw a white cloud hovering above him, feeling nothing but the warmth from the golden rays of sunlight he was enjoying. Water in the distance glittered and small dots, perhaps other fishing boats, could be seen drifting. The surface of the lake around him seemed a little bumpy and fresh breeze was blowing everywhere. It was as if he was in a beautiful landscape painting.

But not long after, Borkal and Welikro's voices interrupt this rare period of quiet time. The two fools somehow managed to pull together their fishing line and blame each other.

Eriksson said helplessly, "Claude, take the wheel for me. I'll undo those entangled bonds."

Come to think of it, no one on board is as capable as Eriksson. He has been living and breathing sailing since young. Claude had heard more often from experienced sailors on the docks praising Eriksson for being far more capable than the sailors who had sailed for more than six years. The Altroni family has a worthy successor.

Perhaps part of what the sailors said was to appreciate Captain Altroni, but even they would not say something completely without basis. If taking Eriksson, but a few minutes to release the fishing line that Welikro and Borkal could not afford after much time and argument. After checking the hooks and bait before the other two stand on each side of the ship so that they will not get into another argument.

"I think we can fix the wheels in place. Because the lake is so big, we just need to sail in one direction and not have to constantly watch it" Claude said.

Eriksson returned to Claude's side and said with a laugh, "No, the most important part of the yacht is the wheels. It's not just a matter of the journey we take. We should also avoid coral reefs or collisions with others Although we are currently in Lake Balinga and there are no corals here, there are still quite a number of fishing vessels. It is best if the two ships are separated by at least a hundred meters in order not to interfere with each other's capture. Sometimes there is an undercurrent in the lake and many fishing boats will also set up nets in those areas and pull them in from time to time to see if there is a catch. We should pay attention to the wooden buoys on the surface and avoid them. These are all the responsibility of the helmsman. "

Claude nodded. "I understand. I don't think there's so much I have to hold. I always thought that was just the right arrangement."

“Haha, it's nothing once you get used to.” Eriksson stuck out his finger to check the direction of the wind. "Hand the wheel for me as I adjust the lower screen. The wind is a little strong and we can increase the speed of the ship a little more."

They both take turns managing the wheels and Claude uses the opportunity to ask Eriksson to give him a sailing experience. Time passed rather quickly and no one felt bored during the trip at all. Borkal and Welikro on the other hand managed to knock for a full two hours without being able to catch a single fish even though they spent the entire bucket of redbug fish bait that Eriksson had brought for them.

On a distant beach, a broken stone castle could be seen. They were almost at the stone outpost. It is said that centuries ago, pirates were everywhere and they often attacked coastal fishing villages. They plundered, killed, and carried out all sorts of diseases. Of course, the Whitestag did not escape pirate activity either.

They both take turns managing the wheels and Claude uses the opportunity to ask Eriksson to give him a sailing experience. Time passed rather quickly and no one felt bored during the trip at all. Borkal and Welikro on the other hand managed to knock for a full two hours without being able to catch a single fish even though they spent the entire bucket of redbug fish bait that Eriksson had brought for them.

On a distant beach, a broken stone castle could be seen. They were almost at the stone outpost. It is said that centuries ago, pirates were everywhere and they often attacked coastal fishing villages. They plundered, killed, and carried out all sorts of diseases. Of course, the Whitestag did not escape pirate activity either.

As the days passed, the Whitestags formed their own militia and they built a small stone fort at the entrance of the waterway. Initially, it was only used to alert the rest through the use of smoke signals so that the Whitestag people could hide in time. Later, the stone fort came to be known as the stone post and the name has continued to stick ever since.

Later, people realized that pirate ships would lose their mobility and agility after entering long and narrow waterways. So, they started setting traps and ambushing pirate ships, using catapults and fire arrows to take care of all the pirates who came to attack them and get a big catch.

Since then, the stone post has become a military camp. When Stellin IX fired the first shot that began the restoration of the kingdom at Whitestag, one of the firearm brigades of the city's upper barons was stationed at the stone outpost. However, their reinforcement came a little too late. By the time they arrived, Stellin IX had conquered the Whitestag and the land barons had become prisoners.

Later, the brigade's soldiers accepted Stellin IX's recruitment offer and became the first formal combat unit under him. From then on, the military camp at the stone post was left unguarded. When Stellin IX ascended to the throne, he formally abolished the camp there.

"Let me do it" said Eriksson. He took over the wheel when the last part of the trip required him to be in control.

"Did you see it? Next to the waterway across from the stone post was a depressed area. There is a slight waterway inside and we can enter along the depressed area. We're going to dock on our ship there" Eriksson said with one hand at the wheel, and the other pointed forward so Claude could see it.

Claude thought about it and said, "I can tell that the entrance to the aqueduct is not big. I think we can put the net in there. We can check back the next day when we get back. Maybe we might be in for a big surprise. "

After some consideration, Eriksson nodded.