''I am so excited!'' Peter said while fixing up his ordinary marine shirt. It had slight wrinkles, which he thought would make him look unprofessional.
I turned to the doorway and thought about leaving as well. I had two hours to spend, might as well spend it somewhere else.
''I will visit the city.'' After walking past Lotus, who was checking out the condition of the curtains, I told her about my willingness to visit the City.
She turned her head halfway and said, ''Return before the two-hour mark.''
I nodded and left the building shortly afterward.
After the black-haired man left. The chore boys gathered around Ox and talked about how jealous they were.
Ox pushed his chest onward. He was very pleased to get the attention he so desperately wanted. Then, he waved his hand and said.
''Hehe, I don't plan to only clean.'' He clenched his large hand into a tight fist and said, ''I will also defeat the pirates and show my worth to the Captain!''
The chore boys exclaimed loudly.
Lotus shook her head after hearing his boastful words, 'We are in New World… This place doesn't have a 'weak' pirates.'
…
After wandering in the streets, I reached a large building. It was built with brown bricks and rocks. The symmetrical square-shaped windows were placed around the building.
The roof was triangular-shaped and was slightly slanted to the left. There were stone stairs leading to the front door, where pair of wooden doors with small round-shaped windows were.
At the top of the building, the word Library was carved into a wooden sign. There was also a Marine symbol painted and a simplified gull above it.
Then, the front door opened, and a soldier wearing a marine outfit with a justice coat draped over his shoulder walked out with stacks of books in his arms.
I gave a simple salute. However, the soldier didn't know about my existence and walked past me before disappearing into another building that seemed to be his residence.
I shrugged my shoulders and stepped on the stairs. Soon, I reached the front doors and saw an enormous room with bookshelves placed neatly.
There were also wooden stairs that took to the second floor, where more bookshelves were located.
A beautiful chandelier illuminated the building in warm honey-like colors on the ceiling.
I opened the door and entered the building. There was a front desk with a librarian, an old lady with eyelids barely staying open.
After reaching the front desk, the old lady was snoring gently. I rubbed my cheek and walked past the desk silently.
I went to check different sections. Then, I stopped after reaching a section where marine fighting manuals were neatly placed on the shelves.
I curiously checked them out, and a few books were locked in chains, while few weren't. I took the first one that caught my eye.
[Marine Swordsmanship - Book 1]
''Hmm… I pulled the book out from the bookshelf and looked around me. There were wooden tables with soft cushioned chairs next to the windows.
I got seated at the smaller table, which could only fit two at most. Then, I opened the first page and curiously began reading.
The first reaction I had was that it seemed relatively simple. There were few complex words, but nothing I wouldn't know with my real-life education.
Ding! Ding!
Out of nowhere, a loud dinging sound rang in my ears. I almost dropped the book because of it.
[Marine Swordsmanship Level 0 - 1%]
''1 percent…'' It seemed that the more I learned, the higher the percentage reached. After it is 100, it might evolve to Marine Swordsmanship Level 1.
After getting a boost of motivation, I began rapidly reading the text.
After half an hour, I finished the book because it had only ten pages. It was a small book with a cover of a marine-outfitted man swinging a sword.
[Marine Swordsmanship Level 0 - 70%]
''30 more…'' I took a deep breath. Then, I turned pages and returned to the first page.
For another half an hour, I read it calmly and attentively.
Then, after reading the last paragraph of the last page. The same dinging noise made its reappearance.
Ding! Ding!
[Marine Swordsmanship Level 0 -> Level 1]
[Marine Swordsmanship Level 1 - 0%]
[Do you want to choose the Swordsman class?]
[Yes/No]
After the unexpected question, I had a dilemma. I had a chance to receive my class, but I am not that into swords.
After debating for several minutes, I pressed no. I still have a chance in the future to choose it, but for now, I want to keep class empty until I find something that would pull my heartstrings.
I dropped my gaze back to the book and continued reading from the first page. However, I noticed that the percentage didn't rise anymore after reading.
Just to be sure, I did read until the fifth page, but still no change. It seemed that this book would only allow me to rise to the first level.
I closed the book and took it back to the manual section. After checking the time, I noticed that it wasn't that long before the time was up.
I left the library. Before that, I checked on the old lady to ensure that she was still alive. She was breathing calmly and steadily. After that, I finally left and soon returned to the residence.
Peter and Ox were already prepared while standing with backs straight. Lotus was tapping the floor impatiently. Once she saw me, she nodded and began leading us to the harbor.
The rest of the chore boys bid farewells and watched from the window as the three chore boys, led by Lotus, walked toward the ships.
After reaching the harbor, the number of ships was still incredible. The ship where we were taken to was already occupied by Marine soldiers.
The ship was operational. The sails were already untied from their knots.
We entered the ship and were taken to our workspaces. Then, Lotus returned back to the residence.
''Here.'' A man that wore a white apron and white neckerchief gave me a bucket full of water and a floor scrubbing brush.
My job was to clean the kitchen. Once the cook had given me the necessary equipment, he went to mingle with other cooks.
I sighed and placed the bucket on the floor. Then, I dipped the brush in the water and began scrubbing the floor from the dirt.
Then, I felt the ship shaking back and forth as it began sailing toward the gate. It didn't take long for the whole ship to be shrouded in endless darkness.
After the ship exited through the gate, the light returned.
The ship began sailing toward the island rapidly, where pirates were last seen.