blogombal 49: Gaya Island! Mogok Town!
49: Gaya Island! Mogok Town!
In the early winter of the year 1470 in the Ocean Calendar, the Gold Fleet's route was completely free of cold.
The azure sea was gilded with a layer of shimmering gold by the afternoon sun. The Golden Dawn and the newly renovated Lombard cut through the waves together, slowly approaching the island whose outline was gradually becoming clearer ahead.
The pure gold sun motifs on the two sails unfurled in the wind, contrasting sharply with the dark brown land at the edge of Gaya Island in the distance.
It was an island mostly covered by dense jungle, but with jagged rocks exposed along the coast. Just looking at it from afar, you could almost smell the rough scent of mud and sea salt.
Oro stood on the observation platform, surrounded by a constantly trembling liquid gold.
Since the fleet entered the waters around Gaya Island, his heart and the gold under his control began to stir like never before, a kind of tremor that was almost a "resonance".
At first, it was just a slight tingling sensation, but as the ship drew closer, the tremor became stronger and stronger, as if the sea beneath his feet and the distant islands were conveying some kind of "call" to him.
"Aurora, are we almost there?"
Gails looked up and called out from the deck, her light golden braids swaying gently in the sea breeze.
"Lingling has asked for the third time. She said she can smell barbecue on the island, but she doesn't know if it tastes good."
"Almost there!"
Oro snapped out of his daze and responded loudly, but his gaze remained fixed on the direction of Gaya Island.
He raised his hand and waved it, and the liquid gold instantly sublimated, with countless nano-sized gold powders drifting towards the island.
"Not just on the ground."
Auro was somewhat shocked, carefully sensing the intense fluctuations transmitted back by the gold dust.
He looked up at the sky, and golden light shone in his pupils:
"Even in the air currents at high altitudes, there are unusually dense gold atoms floating."
"That island... really is a floating golden fortress."
"Auro! Gals! Look! There's a dock!"
Lingling's excited shouts came from the stern of the boat.
Oro's senses extended to a wooden pier along the coast on the west side of Gaya Island.
Four or five pirate ships were moored beside the dock, their sails adorned with all sorts of menacing skull and crossbones flags.
Several shirtless pirates were leaning against the railing smoking, their eyes warily fixed on the two ships, one large and one small, that were slowly approaching.
Especially the Golden Dawn, such a magnificent giant ship, in this waters it's like a nobleman who has mistakenly wandered into a slum, it's hard not to attract attention.
Gaya Island has deep-water ports, large enough for the Golden Dawn to dock.
The two boats docked steadily at the edge of the pier. Auro jumped off the boat first, and as soon as his feet touched the wooden gangway, he felt a clearer tremor under his feet.
His gaze swept around, and on both sides of the path leading inland from the dock were low red-roofed wooden houses with dried vegetable stalks hanging under the eaves.
Several civilians dressed in patched clothes were hurrying past with their heads down. When they saw this group of "outsiders," their eyes were filled with fear, and they quickened their pace.
Gaya Island in 1470 did not appear to be as wealthy as it would be 40 years later.
"We've never traveled this route before, and to be honest, the atmosphere here is a bit strange."
York followed behind, carrying his scimitar. Ever since his trip to the Fear Triangle, he had grown to loathe the oppressive atmosphere.
Brooke followed beside York, a hint of seriousness appearing in his hollow eyes:
"Yohohoho~ Besides the salty smell of seawater, there's also a faint smell of blood in the air. Looks like things aren't going to be peaceful here."
Oro raised his hand to signal everyone, his gaze sweeping over each person on and off the boat:
"Remember our purpose. While figuring out the situation on this island, try to be mindful of your image. Population is also a very important resource."
"Gails, go to town with Lingling and take a look."
"York, Brooke, you take your combat troops and guard the dock. Don't be afraid of conflict; it's better if someone fires the first shot."
"Taylor, take the mermaids underwater to scout the currents around the island, especially near the jungle on the west side. Be careful."
"Understood!" everyone responded in unison.
Lingling had been itching to get started, but when she followed Gails into the town and saw the charred roasted meat and rock-hard bread at the roadside stalls, her face fell.
"What is this?! The meat is burnt, and the bread has no flavor. It's nowhere near as good as the seaweed cookies Gail makes!"
Gails crouched down and picked up a relatively intact fruit with her fingers. It was a local fruit with a dark purple skin and a faint fragrance of wildflowers.
"Lingling, look, these might make a really good jam pie. By the way, a pie is a main course, not a dessert."
Upon hearing about the jam pie, Lingling instantly forgot her dissatisfaction and nodded vigorously.
"Then buy more! I'll carry them! I can carry a lot!"
Meanwhile, the mermaids had already silently slipped into the sea.
They went in pairs, their tails swaying gently, creating almost invisible ripples in the seawater.
Following Oro's instructions, Taylor swam with Coral toward the western jungle and soon sensed an unusual undercurrent.
The current didn't seem to be a naturally formed ocean current; it appeared to follow some kind of pattern, as if it were being pulled by something, surging towards the reef area below the jungle.
"Strange water flow..."
Taylor and Coral lay behind a huge rock, carefully observing the direction of the current.
"And the water is flowing faster and faster, as if it's surging underground..."
They dared not get too close, but could only note the trajectory of the undercurrent, preparing to return and report to Oro.
......
After searching through the town of Mogu covered in gold dust, Oro headed straight for the most prominent tavern in town, whose sign read "Bonebreaker".
As soon as I opened the door, a mixture of smells of alcohol, tobacco, and sweat hit me.
The tavern was bustling with noise. A dozen or so pirates sat around several wooden tables, some playing drinking games loudly, others boasting about their "achievements".
The bartender behind the bar was a middle-aged man with a burly face and a hideous knife scar tattooed on his arm. When he saw the well-dressed Auro walk in, his face broke into a wide grin.
Oro found a seat in the center of the tavern, ordered the most expensive drink, put his feet up on the table, and leisurely sensed the information transmitted back by the gold dust around him.
His relaxed and carefree demeanor actually made the pirates in the tavern wary, and they dared not cause trouble easily.
The pirates at the next table were talking about a guy named "Bonebreaker" Sekari.
According to them, this guy is the local tyrant who controls Mogu Town. He is ruthless and likes to smash his enemies' bones with his fists. The pirates and civilians in the town are all afraid of him.
Aside from that, much of the discussion revolved around the names "Ape Man" and "Nolando the Great Liar".
"Hahaha! Do you remember that 'big liar' Noland? He said there was a golden land on Jaya Island, but when the king sent ships to search, they didn't even find a single gold particle!"
A bearded pirate slammed his fist on the table and laughed so hard he nearly knocked over his wine glass.
"And those ape-men, who hide in the jungle all day like savages, I heard they even throw stones at people."
"These monkeys might still be using seashells to buy things... oh wait! They live in trees, so they probably use leaves! Hahaha!"
The surrounding pirates joined in the laughter, but one man sitting in the far corner of the bar didn't laugh.