The seagulls cried, and the waves crashed.
The salty sea breeze gathered these noisy sounds and delivered them to the ear, forming a loud symphony.
Yet it couldn't drown out the sailors' unanimous cheers.
On the deck at the bow, it was now crowded with figures dressed in grey-white linen short sleeves.
They jostled each other, stood on tiptoes, and eagerly shouted towards the land not far away!
"Bananka—!"
Creak.
On the other side, Colin also pushed open the captain's cabin door and stepped out.
The sea breeze gently brushed against him, stirring his golden fringe.
'Bananka…'
He gazed at the clearly visible island not far away, exhaled softly, and his heart also relaxed slightly.
Bananka Island was almost within reach.
At last, they could escape the perilous environment at sea and take a breather for a moment.
After a brief thought, he walked towards the deck at the bow.
"My lord."
The sailors saw him coming, and without agreement, they all greeted him and moved aside, making way for him.
Behind the ram of the three-masted ship and below the foremast, there was a small deck.
The view there was excellent, an ideal viewing platform.
Colin quickly reached the railing there and looked out.
A crescent-shaped prosperous port came into view.
As the distance shortened, the long coastline now filled his entire view.
On the azure sea surface, countless ships of various forms drifted.
Wooden sailing ships like theirs formed only a small part, yet their number and variety were not small—
Single-masted, double-masted, multi-masted, flat-bottomed, pointed-bottomed, broad-headed, slender-headed, even catamarans.
Of course, the more numerous were iron steamships without sails, puffing black smoke.
Whoo—
The sound of steam horns blared intermittently.
Those grey-blue iron ships split the waves with the powerful force of steam engines, speeding forward and stirring up white foam.
These steamships, similar in appearance to those of Colin's previous life, had several large smokestacks on their grey-blue decks.
But upon closer observation, there were many differences still.
This world's steamships were overall more rugged, and in many details, they showed clear traces of witchcraft.
Closer to the port.
More ships appeared to the left and right, and Captain Riel maneuvered the three-masted ship, maintaining a safe distance from them.
At this point, the sailors no longer gathered at the bow, and under Riel's command, they gradually lowered the sails and steered towards an empty spot at the dock, preparing to berth.
"Stop!"
Suddenly, a sharp call abruptly rang out on the empty deck.
"Turn to the right, three-masted ship, you cannot berth at this spot."
The voice continued.
Following the faint Magic Power fluctuations, Colin looked towards its source.
On an iron lookout tower not far ahead of the bow, a figure holding something like a megaphone from his previous life was watching them.
The figure noticed his gaze, and his lips moved.
A clear voice resounded once again on the deck.
"Don't look at me, quickly turn, there are more ships waiting to enter the harbor!" The voice was cold and impatiently urged.
'My lord?' Riel came forward, his face showing hesitation.
"Turn," Colin said indifferently, not minding the megaphone holder's attitude.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do; it was normal for a large port like Bananka to have some rules for berthing… Perhaps that spot at the port was specifically reserved for their use.
Riel nodded, turned back, and directed the sailors to slowly turn the ship towards a corner spot.
"All sails down!"
"Sailor Chief, watch the sea in front, the water here isn't as deep as before."
He kept instructing.
Large ships anchoring and berthing couldn't just choose any location.
They needed to consider the depth of the water and the geological environment of the seabed.
If it was too deep, the anchor couldn't reach the seabed, having no effect in securing the ship, making it a wasted effort.
If the seabed was too soft, it also could not secure the ship, likewise a wasted effort.
If the seabed was all rocky, it was very likely that once the anchor was thrown, it might not be retrievable.
Metal anchors could easily get hooked on rocks, unable to be pulled back.
However, most areas near the harbor were suitable for anchoring, so there wasn't too much need to worry.
Atop the lookout tower.
The megaphone holder watched them gradually turn and nodded in satisfaction.
'This ordinary three-masted sailing ship could dock anywhere...
The good spots should be reserved for the wizards' steamships, it's a waste on them.'
'That leading captain has never even seen long-distance voice transmission used by wizards... probably a rustic from some remote area.'
As he thought this to himself, he picked up the brown notebook from the table and carefully noted Colin's clothing and physical features.
[Blond hair, blue eyes.]
[Handsome.]
He pondered for a moment and added "very" in the middle.
[Age between ten and thirty years.]
[Wearing a gray wizard robe with a triangular emblem.]
[The ship is an old, ordinary three-masted sailing ship.]
[...]
[Note: Hasn't seen long-distance voice transmission, likely a rustic from a small place.]
After recording these details, he closed the notebook and put it aside.
He continued to direct the docking of the ships.
Information like this was something the dock's sea dogs would come to him for every day.
For him, it was also a sizable, extra income.
Splash!
The huge black anchor dropped into the water from the bow.
Ding~ Ding~ Ding.
The thick iron chain attached to the anchor clanked metal-on-metal.
The muffled sound of the anchor hitting the seabed came through.
With a creak, the slowly moving sailing ship suddenly jolted to a halt.
After a while,
Two small boats launched from near the harbor side and headed toward the dock.
Before the boats even reached the dock, a cacophony of sounds slowly reached Colin's ears.
Vendors hawking goods, porters touting for business, and the noisy chatter of the passing crowd.
Although he couldn't yet see the actual scene, the sounds alone painted a vivid, bustling picture.
The harbor was a hive of activity, an ideal spot for a marketplace.
Previously, Blackstone Island had been a small island, mostly closed off from the outside world, devoid of foreign visitors, and naturally couldn't form a harbor market like this.
Listening to the noisy sounds, Colin couldn't help but feel a bit excited.
It didn't take long.
Under the robust rowing of the sailors, they quickly reached the dock.
Stepping onto the dock, Colin was met with a scene just as lively and bustling as he had imagined!
On the vast open space, people moved back and forth.
There were those in knight armor, those in wizard robes, and others with horns or an extra tail.
Between the flow of people, carts big and small laden with goods and passengers made their way through.
Now and then, a large steam locomotive would pass by, puffing black smoke.
Further on, there was an area filled with various vendor stalls.
At a glance, the scene looked chaotic, but on closer inspection, it revealed a unique order.
The sailors behind him, who had never witnessed such a scene, were so shocked they were left speechless.
Renee's sisters also couldn't help but show a nervous expression, instinctively moving closer to him.
"Let's go, let's find a place to stay first," he said, leading Renee forward.
As for the crew behind him.
He had already explained everything to them before disembarking.
He would inevitably set sail again soon.
And the crew members were just ordinary people, and the ship was just an old three-masted sailing ship.
Whether for the people or for the ship, ocean voyages were far too dangerous.
So, upon reaching Bananka Island, it was time for him to part ways with the crew.
"Big…"
Riel, who was gaping in shock behind him, saw him leaving and subconsciously started to call out.
But quickly, he came to his senses and swallowed the words he hadn't finished.
Colin had already made it very clear.
Staying on Bananka Island was the best choice for them...
Nevertheless,
Looking around at all the unfamiliar surroundings, he couldn't help but feel a bit worried and overwhelmed.
But glancing back at the large group of crew gathered behind him, thinking of the three-masted sailing ship docked at the harbor,
his heart suddenly felt reassured.
Before long.
After a brief discussion, the crew also stepped forward, gradually blending into the surrounding crowd.