Chapter 616: Free Port
Freeport is the most famous city in the central region of Midgard's east coast, a veritable "free trade port" founded by colonists, smugglers and pirates.
The winding streets of the port are lined with taverns, brothels, casinos, and other miscellaneous places. The city's bustling bazaars are filled with contraband, contraband, and stolen goods of all kinds.
For years, a storm giant named "Helal" ruled the port. Lord Herel's castle, Freedom Tower, sits atop a high seaside cliff overlooking the walled city and deep-water port.
Pirate captains and smugglers on the east coast of Wilnoa regularly come to Heral's castle to attend the "parliament" to resolve their disputes and discuss business prospects.
Although there is no real evidence, it is generally believed that there is a close relationship between the "Pirate Council" in Freeport and the "Sons of Liberty", and it is even suspected that Lord Herel himself is one of the founders of the "Sons of Liberty".
For many years, the Midgard colonial authorities have silently tolerated the existence of the "Freeport" smuggling base, not only because Herel controls the armed smuggling joint fleet on the east coast, but also because Herel has a close relationship with the high-level members of the Midgard Colonial Company .
Colonial companies and even senior government officials occasionally need to borrow Herrell's hands to handle some "dirty work" that does not comply with the law.
Joan didn't want to stay longer in this "outlaw place". After entering the city, he went straight to the pier, intending to buy a ticket to Midgard City, and take a ride to complete the last part of the journey.
If there is no accident, you can take a boat to reach Asa Gulf where Midgard City is located within a week at most.
The sails are fluttering on the wharf, occasionally you can see "chug" roaring magical steamships flexibly shuttling among the old-fashioned sailing ships, unloading and loading workers can be seen everywhere, sailors wandering around, the whole port looks very lively.
Joan walked around the pier and found that the ships here are mainly cargo ships, and there are very few passenger ships, and there is no visit to Midgard City in the near future.
Joan had lived in Leiden Port for more than half a year, and he knew the situation on the pier quite well. He was not discouraged when he couldn't find a suitable passenger ship, so he turned and walked into a tavern called "Mermaid's Arm" near the pier.
The noisy tavern was full of sailors who came to get drunk, Joan didn't intend to stay for a long time, looked around, and soon found a bulletin board on a wall. I walked over to have a look, and sure enough, there were many notices recruiting "navigation mages".
One of the notices was issued by the captain of the cargo ship "Mercury". Unfortunately, the original navigator on board suffered from acute dysentery and suffered from severe diarrhea. Before rushing to the port of Midgard, unloading a large amount of cane sugar trafficked from the Siwa Islands, if it is not overdue, he will have to pay a large amount of liquidated damages.
In order to meet the deadline, the "Mercury" will sail out of the port early tomorrow morning at the latest, and the sick navigator has not yet recovered, so the captain has to temporarily recruit a new person to replace him. Recruitment notices were posted in various taverns on the wharf.
To live at sea, you always have to deal with all kinds of unexpected accidents. The dilemma faced by the "Mercury" is not special.
If you really can't recruit suitable candidates, you can only sail without a navigator. If you encounter abnormal weather or pirate attacks on the way, you will inevitably fall into a passive position without a navigator.
Joan wrote down the contact information marked on the recruitment notice, turned and left the tavern.
Across a street, the building opposite is the "Port Authority" office building. The first and second floors are offices, and the third floor is the location of a club called "Navigator".
In the New World, the social cultures of the South and the North were very different.
The south is a traditional agricultural society. Social activities take place in the living rooms of major plantation owners. The owners either throw a big banquet to call for friends, or call neighbors to hunt foxes on horseback.
The slightly more refined ones, like the Custis sisters, invited relatives and friends to dinner every weekend, held dances in their living room, played the piano and chatted.
Generally speaking, it is a "salon-style" social culture, and the participants are limited to the small circle formed by relatives, friends and acquaintances who introduced each other.
In the north, however, in this environment where industry and commerce overwhelm agriculture, the social stage has long gone beyond the scope of family salons, and has turned to various "clubs" as the stage, and its nature has also expanded from the interaction between relatives and friends to classmates and schoolmates. Gatherings of social groups, industry colleagues, and even social groups with similar religious and political ideas are actually closer to "parties" or "associations."
In the social circle of family salons in the south, people chat about family affairs, weddings and funerals, harvests, and occasionally literature and art.
In the social circle of clubs in the north, people sit together to play cards and chat, and most of the conversations revolve around the two eternal topics of "business" and "politics".
The "Pilot Club" is a typical northern social venue. The members of the club are all captains of major ships. They gather together to kill time in their spare time. The exchange of feelings is secondary, and the main thing is to exchange information on the business field.
Joan went up the old stairs to the third floor of the Port Authority Building, and saw the signboard of "Pilot Club" in front of him. There was a young waiter wearing white gloves standing in front of the door, looking at him suspiciously. Obviously, Joan's immature face doesn't look like a captain anyway.
"Sir, what can I do for you?"
"I'm here to find someone." Joan looked at the recruitment notice in his hand, "Excuse me, is Captain McQuay of the 'Mercury' here?"
"Mr. McQuay is playing golf. What is your business with him?" asked the club waiter.
"Apply." Joan handed over the recruitment notice.
"Wait a moment." The waiter turned and walked into the club hall, and hurried back within two minutes, "This gentleman, Mr. McQuay invites you to go in and have an interview."
Joan followed the waiter into the club hall, and was immediately coughed by the strong smell of tobacco. The whole hall was shrouded in second-hand smoke, and people were looming in the thick smoke, just like the scene of a fire!
Joan raised his hand to touch the prosthetic eye, and opened the "fog vision". Through the hazy smoke, he saw four card tables in the hall, all of which were full of people, playing cards attentively.
Near the window, there is a particularly wide rectangular table. The table covered with green velvet tablecloth is sunken downwards, and the edge is raised upwards. There are fist-sized holes in the four corners and the center of the long side of the table. Attached to the net bag below.
The two men each hold a long club in their hands, walking around the long table while chatting, sometimes leaning down in turn, leaning closer to the table and hitting the ball.
Ask for a monthly ticket recommendation ticket