Chapter 203: Chapter 202 Silent Horns
In the blink of an eye, many days had passed.
The large vessel continued its calm voyage across the sea, having successfully navigated from the deep-sea zone to the shallow water area.
Here, although the continent was still not in sight, one could occasionally see huge islands. More ships appeared, and on the deck, one could often see several merchant ships quickly passing in the distance, bringing some liveliness to the sea that was no longer deadly still.
Of course, problems followed.
First, the large vessel frequently adjusted its course to avoid submerged reefs to prevent running aground. Moreover, pirates who had once vanished began to reappear. Although injured Dempsey managed to scare off or outright eliminate the pirates every time, it was always an irksome feeling.
In addition to traditional pirates, a new type of pirate emerged. Compared to the traditional pirates, these new ones were more difficult to handle. They didn’t fly a skull flag but displayed their respective nation’s official flags, wore official, extravagant attire, and approached at high speeds on warships with sailors, then requested to board for inspection and demanded transit fees.
They claimed to be Sea Tax Officers of certain nations, but to everyone, they were more detestable than the pirates. Even Dempsey couldn’t easily dismiss them because sometimes the tax officers themselves were wizards, and they also brought many Wizard Apprentices. Thus, in most situations, Dempsey had no choice but to comply coldly with the extortion and pay the fees. The most outrageous instances saw them encountering tax officers from three different countries in a single day.
Many days later, in the morning.
The large vessel was docked, with a beautifully crafted white warship moored alongside it.
On deck, Dempsey stood expressionless, facing a man in his thirties dressed in light blue official attire; though the man was an ordinary person, he was protected by two persons whose aura far exceeded that of Wizard Apprentices.
“Hello, Master,” the man in blue smiled and introduced himself to Dempsey, “I am Tim, the Sea Tax Officer from the Meren Kingdom. I have inspected your ship, it’s not a merchant ship and doesn’t carry much cargo, but it has quite a number of crew. According to the regulations, you need to pay a certain amount in Crystal Coins as a transit fee. Well, it’s not much, just equivalent to what other countries charge along the way.”
“Sea Tax Officer Tim!” Dempsey’s eyes narrowed slightly, “Since when did Meren Kingdom start taxing this part of the ocean? Just over a month ago, when I passed here with my three companions, I don’t remember you boarding our ship to collect taxes?!”
In truth, Dempsey knew exactly why this was happening; the tax officer saw that there was only one wizard on the large vessel, and with unstable Mana fluctuations indicating severe injuries, he saw an opportunity for extortion. If he had not been injured, or if Siv, Louis, and Quinton had been there, merely standing on the deck would have kept the warship at bay.
Strength was crucial at sea. Without adequate strength, one was simply prey to bullying tax officers.
Although Dempsey understood this, he couldn’t help but voice his sarcasm.
However, after Dempsey’s sarcastic remark, Tax Officer Tim seemed completely oblivious to the underlying implication, his eyebrows raised as he said, “Oh, is that so, then… Master, perhaps… you could pay any unpaid taxes from before?”
Upon hearing this, Dempsey’s gaze turned sharply more incisive, and Mana surged within him.
Sensing something, the two protectors behind Tax Officer Tim immediately became alert, one lightly touching Tim’s shoulder as a reminder.
Tim laughed, facing Dempsey with a brilliant smile, “Ha ha, Master Wizard, please don’t be angry. I was just joking, how could I possibly ask you to pay that? After all, I only took office this month, the previous tax officer is now in the dungeon, and I hardly care about his affairs, ha ha, ha ha.”
“But still,” Tim’s expression became serious again, “this time you still have to pay. After all, it’s not just Meren; other nations like Grand, Stans, Fish, and Wogard along this route do the same. If you have paid the transit fee in other places but skip it here, I would be blamed. Master, pity me, please pay the tax.”
As Tim spoke, his face looked pitiful, but his words were extremely firm—no payment meant no departure.
Dempsey’s brow furrowed tightly, he really didn’t want to linger here and turned his head aside. Third Level Wizard Potter came over and handed a wooden box to Tax Officer Tim.
Tim took it, opened the box quickly, and his eyes brightened; inside were the specified number of Crystal Coins.
Taking the box, Tim bowed to Dempsey, “I appreciate your help, Sir. I must take my leave now.”
Having said that, he left with his men, quickly returning to the warship and sailing away.
Dempsey stood on the deck, his gaze coldly following the departing warship, unable to help coughing lightly a few times, covering his mouth with a handkerchief, which was all bloodied.
“This can’t go on,” Dempsey said. “These vampires are disgusting. At this rate, by the time we reach the White Stone Tower, everything on the giant ship will have been extorted.”
“What about the teacher?” Potter tentatively asked.
Dempsey squinted, pondering for a moment, “First, take the ship out, then I’ll call people to help.”
“Uh.” Potter didn’t ask further, quickly instructing the sailor to proceed.
The giant ship resumed its journey, and half a day later, it stopped in a vast, uncharted sea area.
It was dusk, the setting sun brilliant gold, dyeing the entire sea golden, making the giant ship appear like a vessel crafted from gold.
On the deck, Dempsey stood straight, looking around the sea without saying a word.
Suddenly, footsteps were heard. Potter, holding a box, carefully walked out of the cabin toward Dempsey, presenting it and saying, “Teacher, here’s what you asked for.”
“Hmm.” Dempsey nodded, opened the box, and took out a short horn about fifteen centimeters long.
The horn was a deep black color, with a profound luster, resembling jade. Its surface was engraved with intricate patterns, appearing ancient and mysterious.
Holding the horn, Dempsey activated it with his mana and began to blow.
The horn made no sound, yet it transmitted some sort of message swiftly.
Dempsey blew on it for a while, then put the horn back in the box, followed by another fit of coughing, covering it with a new handkerchief, which became stained red with blood.
Potter, looking worried, spoke, “Teacher, what should we do next?”
“Wait,” Dempsey wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the handkerchief, then put it away.
“Wait?” Potter confused.
“Wait,” Dempsey watched the sun about to dip into the sea, his expression blank but his tone certain.