Of the three ships remaining with the Blue Flag mercenaries, two were Galleons and the other was Misthia's Flagship. Which is a 200-foot-long ship with two gun decks and 64 bronze cannons.
Currently, within the Flagship,
Mistia, her Vice Commander, and Captains are gathered in the discussion room.
A heavy leather map is placed on the wooden table in the room. The room was illuminated by the candlelight. The people in the room are observing the map with an serious eye
"Commander, from my experience I can say that we are still in the North Ocean." The man who said this was their ship's Captain Gostab, an old man in his sixties.
"Well, it's a good thing we haven't gone too far. But the North Ocean was still very big."
"Commander, what was your decision now?"
"We will go to that island tomorrow morning. But I feel something may not be right on that island," Misthia said.
Recently they found an island in the sea. Although it was a small island, they were hoping that they could get enough food from that island to help them continue their journey.
"But Commander, we have no choice. We are running out of food, and this island is our only hope."
"You're right. Hmmm.... Then tell everyone to get ready. We'll go to the island tomorrow morning."
____________
3:40 am
The ship's crew was preparing.
They are putting their weapons and other equipment in the small boats.
Their faces are worried, but their eyes are determined.
"Miss Misthia, can we go with you?"
"Huh! Why did you come again," Misthia said, annoyed.
Misthia looked at Gareth and Eric who had approached her. There was a cold look in her eyes.
"Miss Misthia, we know you don't like us, but we can help too. I am a Swordmaster and Sir Gareth was a former Knight Captain of our country. Please allow us to help you."
Misthia was silent for a moment. She looked at her Vice Commander and Captain Gostab. They nodded in agreement.
"Okay, I give you permission to come. But you can't do anything against my orders."
Eric was happy and expressed his gratitude, "Thank you for letting us come with you."
The sailors on the ship finished their preparations.
A sailor announced, "Boats are ready!"
Small boats were lowered into the water one by one from the middle of the ship. One by one, the crew boarded the boats.
The crew, in six boats from three ships, began to head towards the island.
There was a cold wind blowing on the sea and a thick fog all around, so they were carrying torches in their hands.
In a while, these boats reached the island and the sailors started to get off the boats.
"It seems that no one lives on this island."
"But we should explore this island thoroughly. Our goal is to collect everything edible on this island."
Misthia shouted to her men, "Everyone, split up into teams and enter the island. If you are in danger, use the red smoke signal, and if everything is okay, use the green smoke signal."
"Understood, ma'am!"
All the sailors shouted
"You two will come with me,"
Misthia looked at Eric and Gareth.
"Hmm, okay."
The sailors split up into teams and entered the island. Each team travelled in one direction, hoping to find food and clean water on this mysterious island.
But the island seemed strange to them. The branches of the trees were strangely distorted as if they had entered a haunted forest. The island was also very quiet.
***
A sailor is advancing through the bushes, holding a burning torch in one hand and a sharp sword in the other.
Behind him are Misthia, Gareth and Eric, and behind them are seven other people. Three of them are carrying baskets on their backs.
As they moved forward, the light of the sailor's torch fell on a grove of coconut trees. Even in the near darkness, the trees' thick trunks and tall leaves became clearly visible.
"Look, there are a lot of coconut palms here," the sailor said with a hint of relief.
They saw many coconut trees that were up to 100 feet tall
"Oi, Piddo, go and bring all the coconuts."
Misthia looked at a sailor. He looked to be in his twenties. He was wearing leather clothing and carrying a Dao sword.
"I understand, Commander," the boy said briskly. Despite his young age, he looked very brave.
"There's no need for that." Gareth stepped forward and cut down the huge coconut tree with a single blow of his sword. He quickly cut down all the coconut trees as well. The coconut trees began to fall with a roar, their massive trunks crashing to the earth with a bone-jarring thud. Coconuts scattered in all directions, some rolling away like brown bowling balls, others bouncing off the ground with a metallic clang.
The sailors were amazed by his speed and sword skills. Fear and admiration were mixed in their eyes. But Misthia still maintained a serious expression.
"Quickly collect all the coconuts instead of standing around like this," Misthia said, waving to the sailors.
"Yes, Commander," the sailors replied in unison.
As the sailors got busy collecting coconuts, Misthia began to observe her surroundings closely. Her eyes travelled to every corner of the jungle, analyzing every sound and smell. Her vision was sharp.
"Miss, what are you thinking?"
Eric asked curiously.
"I'm just thinking we haven't seen any animals since we got here.
Also, it looks like it rained heavily here."
Misthia looked at the trees. Every tree was wet, raindrops were hanging on the leaves, and the ground was wet, too. As if a heavy rain had fallen a while ago.
"Hmm.... Maybe all the animals have taken shelter somewhere because of the rain. We should find that place." Eric said, a vague smile on his face.
"Huh! I didn't mean to imply that," Misthia said, her words filled with annoyance. "I mean it looks like it was happened a while ago, but we haven't seen anything like this. I didn't see a single cloud in the sky."
While Mistia was thinking about this, her foot stepped on something.
She looked down and saw that there was a herring fish under her feet.
"What was it doing here?" she asked in surprise.
Mistia carefully picked up the fish. The fish was still alive, its thin gills moving slightly.
Eric and the other crew were also surprised. They had not noticed it because the island was covered in fog. However, as morning approached, the fog began to lift.
They also saw many starfish, crabs, lobsters, and salmon on the ground. Some fish are still moving. But what surprised them the most was that there were also many fish stuck in the trees.
"What the hell is that!? "
"Mam, Red smoke " A sailor shouted.
They saw red smoke rising from many parts of the island.
....
Meanwhile, Edith was cleaning Hanna inside the ship
After cleaning her excrement, she was soaking her body in a cloth.
Hanna's condition saddens her, a helpless look flickering in her eyes.
After cleaning her, she dressed her, then she started cleaning the room.
Just then she hears footsteps and looks towards the door.
"Vice Captain Ridny"
A man in his 30s stood in front of the door.
"Ah, you remember my name."
"My memory is not so weak that I would forget your name"
"Hehehe, you are very interesting," Ridny said with a slight smile, a hint of cuteness floating in his eyes.
"So what are you here for?"
The man leaned against the wall and took out a cigarette, "You may know that most of the people on the ship went to the island in search of food."
"Yes, I know Master Eric and Sir Gareth have been there too."
"Hmm, that's why I came here, because I was bored," Ridny said, blowing cigarette smoke out of his nose
"So, have you ever thought about using your skills to make money?" Ridny said with a smile.
Edith stopped her work and looked at Ridny. "What do you mean?"
"Ah, don't pretend you don't understand anything," Ridny says, letting out a cigarette smoke.
"Your master has lost the fight for the throne. His brother will kill him if he finds him. You will only waste your life by staying with him. You should leave him. You can join us if you want. We know how to evaluate talents. Although we have suffered a lot of losses due to the Black Fleet pirates, it will not take long to recover. If you join our team, you will be able to earn a lot of money."
Edith looks at him crossly.
"Thank you very much for your offer. But I decline it. I have vowed to serve Prince Eric until my last breath. I will never leave him."
"Girl, don't be stupid. I've seen life more than you. Everything you say was based on your emotions. You're still very young. Take a good look at yourself. Your clothes are dirty, your hands are rough, your skin was dry." Ridny said in a cold voice, "You haven't taken care of yourself properly, and here you are taking care of someone else. Little one, I'm saying this for your own good. If you don't want to join us, there's no problem. I feel very sorry for you, so I advise you - you should leave him. You would find a much better master than him."
Edith's face suddenly hardened. Ridny's words plunged her into thought. Her hand almost involuntarily entangled itself in the lap of her dress. At this moment, Ridny's words kept ringing in her mind clearly, and this question began to haunt her - was she really trapped in the web of her feelings?