Chapter 5: The Pirate Ship

Another morning arrived, and Nio was once again the first to wake, his biological clock remarkably accurate.
At a daily marching speed of 20 kilometers, the Gale Team was already 80 kilometers behind. Considering that killing a small group of Cordim scouts earlier wouldn’t go unpunished, Nio believed they must leave Croop by noon at the latest.
It was a sunny day, with no wind or snow, but the temperature was roughly 5–7 degrees lower than the previous two days. This wasn’t just a cold snap—it was a sustained drop in temperature. As the saying goes, winter had arrived, and quite fiercely at that.
After getting up, the members of the Gale Team put on their newly sewn clothes. Looking at each other, they all chuckled—most of them looked like beggars, utterly ridiculous. Yet these clothes were much lighter than their old so-called leather armor and warmer. After wearing them for a while, Edward said, “I get why the captain wanted air holes in these clothes. If they weren’t breathable, they’d get wet in no time! How does the captain know so much?”
“Of course—he’s the captain,” replied Chebman, fastening his belt.
Among the cotton armor sewn by everyone, Boglem’s was the most aesthetically pleasing, which was understandable. Witt’s was second, which was quite surprising—given his appearance, Witt didn’t seem like someone skilled with needlework.
“Thieves and mercenaries are the same—they often have to do everything themselves. You can’t go around naked,” Witt said.
Everyone fell silent.
Can’t they? When pushed to that extreme, one must learn everything. The world’s principles are sometimes that simple.
With six more people working, efficiency naturally increased. Aside from the blacksmith’s shop, the main task that morning was dealing with leather—animal skins and the leather armor everyone was wearing. Nio’s requirement was to tear apart what could be torn, cut what could be cut, and grind and crush whatever remained. Many were confused again, but it didn’t matter—as long as the task was done well.
That day, the blacksmith shop replaced the horseshoes on four draft horses. Horseshoring was originally the blacksmith’s job. As a werewolf, Nio naturally exuded a presence that intimidated wild animals, and since the draft horses were timid, the horseshoeing went smoothly without any issues.
At Nio’s instruction, work ended early that morning, and lunch was eaten sooner as well. A three-meal routine was still hard for many members to get used to—this was Nio’s insistence, mainly due to the intensity of their labor. For the same reason, meat consumption was emphasized, with less grilling and more stewing, often until the food was thoroughly cooked. Nio said this made it easier to digest and absorb. Nutrient intake and digestion were also hard for many illiterate members to understand, but it didn’t matter—as long as they could eat.
After a half-hour rest after lunch, Nio ordered them to pack up and head east.

This time, as they left Cropp, the Fast Wind Squad’s supplies had increased significantly—besides human and beast meat and skins, there were also iron pieces.Neo even went all out, throwing that large anvil into the smelting furnace, where it melted into molten iron that was then poured into molds to create a smaller anvil and a bundle of iron ingots. To ensure speed, White Socks had to wear a snow plow, taking on a considerable amount of weight, whileNeo and everyone else walked on foot.

It was another typical day of winter haze—the sun hung far away, as if behind layers of veils. The snow on the plains was like dust, constantly stirred up by the howling winds, forming chaotic waves of white mist, commonly known as white hair winds.

With proper warmth, spears without metal tips to use as canes, and experienced guides likeNeo and Tony who knew the area well, the 15-member group didn’t find the journey too strenuous. Their goal for the day was Quian.

Traveling was a relatively monotonous activity, butNeo wasn’t bored. He had five minds working simultaneously. Aside from the usual tasks, his fifth mind was mainly used to compare the three groups of Codim beasts they had encountered so far.

Codim was a general term; like werewolves, they also lived in groups. However, while werewolves valued bloodline within clans, Codim simply gathered together—several groups plus some scattered individuals made up a tribe.

Codim also had totem worship, though their totems were so abstract that even they might not fully understand what they represented. Anyway, each group usually had a shaman, and as long as they understood, that was enough.

Most Codim believed that ugliness was a blessing that brought good luck, so they liked to paint themselves with natural dyes like tree sap or rock powder and wear things like beast helmets—the uglier, the better. As a result, both males and females appeared extremely grotesque and wild.

To distinguish themselves—and also due to habits, styles, and environment—each Codim tribe had its own unique tattoo patterns, usually featuring a dominant color as a signature. For example, the onesNeo had killed with Valentina and the others earlier had a blood-red dominant color, while those killed at night were blue-gray. Besides color, another key way to identify them was through their ornaments. That was about allNeo knew about Codim so far.

Neo recalled that the two groups encountered near Quian wore bone ornaments, while those killed in Cropp used stone ornaments. Such a clear difference suggested they belonged to two completely different Codim tribes.

Indeed, the 9 CodimNeo had killed in Cropp were from the ‘Beach Stone’ tribe. By now, about two hundred Beach Stone Codim had arrived in Cropp.

There were traces of battle, little blood, remnants of human scent, and some footprints. Other than that, all the Beach Stone Codim could find were traps. The snow and wind not only cooled the smelting furnace but also covered up many traces.

A particularly muscular Codim, clad in rough black iron armor and a bear pelt shawl, asked an older Codim beside it, “Shaman, can you divine the direction where those humans are?”

With snow-white beard and eyebrows, the old Cordim lowered his eyes, took out a handful of grayish powder from a leather pouch at his waist, muttered something under his breath, then tossed it upward. The powder ignited and dissipated into specks of light in the wind. The old Cordim watched carefully as the light vanished. After a long while, he raised one eyebrow and said, “To the east, they’re passing through a valley. I must warn you—one of them is special. He was cursed by a very powerful dark force, yet it didn’t harm him.”

Cordim in black iron armor frowned and asked, “What is he?”

The Cordim, being beasts, often used vivid terms to describe others—leopard, bear, mountain, venomous snake…

“A dark vortex, a turbulent vortex, a vortex that twists everything,” replied the old Cordim.

This description was clearly rare. Yet the Cordim in black iron armor was full of confidence. With a smirk, he said arrogantly, “Below the swirling water, there’s usually a rock. Break the rock, and the water will naturally calm down.”

The old Cordim smiled silently, revealing a few blackish-yellow teeth.

A new rock naturally needed to be shaped by turbulent water to lose its edges and become a smooth yet hard pebble. As for the possibility of cracks, such issues were common among the Cordim, so they no longer felt special.

The Cordim in black iron armor raised his battle axe, and the other Cordim quickly focused their attention. Their leader declared loudly, “Our target is a valley to the east. We won’t set up camp until we find it!”

In the Cordim tribe, there was no such thing as reason—only coercion and elimination. Ordinary members survived only if they were strong enough, resilient enough, and lucky enough.

In less than an afternoon, they had traveled nearly 23 kilometers.Neo’s group was at least twice as fast as the migration group.Neo joked to ease his own concerns, “Finally, we’re living up to the title ‘Gale’.”

By the time they reached Quian, there was still about an hour and a half until dark. The second, and last, group of residents from Quian had left the day before, leaving behind a desolate scene that appeared even more bleak under the snow and wind.

“Tonight, we’re all guests of Lord Mathuya!” Нио said, pointing at the earth fortress of the Srod family, addressing his team.

“I’ve never lived in a castle.”

“Me neither.”

“Other than being sturdy, there’s nothing remarkable about that place. It’s cold and damp, with dim lighting. You can’t expect it to have big floor-to-ceiling windows letting in warm sunlight.”

“You can burn wood or charcoal to drive away the dampness and cold!”

“Do you think the nobles have enough money to keep charcoal burning in every room of their castle? Besides, even if they wanted to, they’d have to consider whether there are chimneys and good ventilation. Whether a house is warm depends heavily on its structure, not just on burning charcoal. You should all know that,” said Van Lending, a stonemason from Sol’s City who had repaired the eastern section of Sol’s city walls and the Black Iron Square with his father and uncle.

Long-faced Steve said, “Well, that’s true. I’ve been to Viscount Edrith’s greenhouse. It faces south, is on a high ground, has large windows with white glass. During the day, there’s plenty of light inside, so there’s no need to light a fire even in winter. But this year, it might not work—the cold is so severe it could shatter the glass!”
“You’ve actually been to the viscount’s greenhouse? What did you go there for?”
“What else could I do? Of course, as a gardener. I wasn’t really invited, of course…”
Nio’s words sparked another round of lively discussion among the team members. It wasn’t so much that the overnight shelter for the night was particularly attractive; rather, it was because they had reached their destination, and the end of the tedious journey reinvigorated everyone.
Although the Matuya region had mostly poor possessions from top to bottom, the poorer they were, the more reluctant people were to discard them. Valentina had no choice but to follow Kroop’s example—labeling items and storing them to reduce the load on the migration group.
However, Quian didn’t have a large wine cellar like Kroop did. So he had to create one by digging a big cave and using two large vegetable cellars to properly store all the poor possessions. This was also one of the reasons why the people of Matuya split into two migration groups.
Under such circumstances, there was naturally very little available for Nio and his group to use in the Srod family’s earth fortress.
Nio gave some instructions regarding those who would stay behind and assigned the careful Boglem to oversee things. Then he left with Barret and Dick, taking tools like snow shovels, hammers, and chisels.
About an hour later, the three of them returned. The snow shovel was filled with a pile of cut stones. Even before entering the house, they smelled the aroma of food and felt the warmth seeping through the cracks in the door.
The Srod family’s earth fortress wasn’t large—three floors with just over a dozen rooms in total. The Gale Team used only two floors. As per Nio’s instructions, their tents served as door curtains. Except for the designated ventilation openings, everything else was sealed off with these curtains. Additionally, racks were set up in the main activity areas to dry leather, which not only continued to dry the leather but also effectively prevented heat loss. Especially in the central hall on the ground floor, it was very warm, and the team members were wearing only their underwear.
Nio gave a quick inspection and nodded in approval. Boglem was managing the domestic tasks efficiently and in an organized manner.
In this era, meals were truly light—early meals to satisfy hunger, moderate lunches, and small dinners. People thought that since they would be sleeping anyway, eating too much was a waste of food, so they didn’t pay much attention to dinner. But Nio arranged a variety of evening activities for the team members, so dinner was still quite substantial. Tonight’s meal was a stew of scraps, and Hagen’s cooking was excellent—the stew was delicious. According to him, his specialties were things like roasted rat meat and stir-fried grasshoppers. Nio praised him, saying, “Not following the usual path—very good!”
During the rest time after dinner, Nio said to the team members, “We’ve been walking all afternoon and are quite tired. Tonight, we won’t tire our legs—everyone can work while sitting!”
The team members quickly figured out what work to do while sitting—sharpening knives. The stones Nio had brought back earlier were used as grinding stones.

For weapons, sharpness and durability are influenced by three key factors: material, quenching, and sharpening. Sharpening is a task that requires both roughness and precision, especially the final polishing stage, where details often determine the ultimate outcome.Neo is a blacksmith and weapons master skilled in intricate crafting, so he is naturally an expert in this area. Under his guidance, the team quickly got the hang of it, learned useful tips, and carried out the task with great enthusiasm.

Of course, even for the same task, some people do it well while others do it poorly. For example,Vitz is an experienced swordsman with excellent skills; with a little guidance, his work became even more refined—this was simply because he was already a skilled worker with a solid foundation. In terms of talent,Borglem is quite good and meticulous, but the most talented at this kind of work isBarrett, who is detailed, steady, and extremely patient.

The best craftsman isMaher; he has some techniques that evenNeo has seen for the first time. After observing them and thinking about them,Neo found them extremely beneficial. It seems that doing this kind of work easily makes him lost in memories—perhaps due to some personal concerns or out of habit, he unconsciously reveals his true feelings.

Experienced craftsmen can discern their apprentices’ temperaments and even character through their work.Neo follows this approach as well; during the work process, everyone’s personality shows through, and whatNeo observes carefully is far more accurate and reliable than asking directly.

While inheriting the craftsmanship,Neo also carries on certain traditions. For example, he insists on sharpening and maintaining his own weapons. Unconsciously, this habit is passed on to others.Barrett and the others’ main task that night was to “make the newly acquired weapons look beautiful.”

The remaining items that needed sharpening were tools such as scissors, engraving knives, chisels, and awls. These didn’t require a large group working all night, so after observing for a while,Neo assigned a few less talented team members to do other tasks, such as starting the smelting furnace.

Logically, with barbarian tribes lurking nearby, it would be safer to camp in the wild rather than in a village. ButNeo chose the opposite approach, mainly because of the facilities available in the village—a decision full of risk.

InKui’an’s blacksmithy, the anvil had been removed, along with the coke and firewood, but the framework and stove remained.Neo and his team quickly got the smelting furnace working again, melted iron to shape the blanks, and after a night of heating, they could produce another batch of items the next morning.

Before going to bed,Neo and the team used the Srod family’s bathing area together. Although it was essentially just an old wooden barrel with an iron bottom (used to keep the water warm by placing firewood underneath), the thought that the beautiful and valiant Miss Valentina often used this barrel made everyone feel a bit excited, so they took great enthusiasm in bathing.

After bathing,Neo asked them to pair up and massage each other, mainly the legs and arms.

“Relax. By using sleep to allow muscles to rest and recover properly, we ensure our bodies remain in top condition. This habit should be maintained every day if possible. If you can’t do it well…” Neo took out a thin steel rod tightly wrapped in a belt and shook it. “Trust me, with my knowledge of human anatomy and pain points, the experience this little thing brings will be more unforgettable than a leather whip!”

At that time, most of the team members were only superficially afraid of the steel rod, but given Neo’s usual style, they wisely chose to behave well.

In addition to muscle relaxation, Neo emphasized one more thing that day: taking good care of one’s feet. If possible, they must soak their feet before going to bed, avoid wearing loose and thin cloth socks, and instead use more fitting and sweat-absorbing foot coverings. Shoes should be regularly heated near a fire to keep them as dry as possible. Even if the smell was unpleasant, it had to be done.

“Don’t ask me why. Find the answer yourselves. I’ll just make sure you do it properly,” Neo told the team members.

By this point, many team members already felt like they were on a ship bound for trouble. Their captain wasn’t one who lacked rules—he had many rules, but they were imposed little by little: one rule today, another tomorrow. If progress slowed or there was some resistance, he would pause for a few days before adding more rules. As a result, the team members were often faced with choices. Fighting over trivial matters didn’t seem worthwhile, but not resisting meant they’d later be shocked at how accustomed they had become to living under so many rules. The team members later believed that this system was just like that painful little steel rod: it caused pain and itching—scratch it and it hurts; don’t scratch it, and there’s no relief!

Improved hygiene and good sleep habits made the team members sleep deeply and soundly. Only Mah, Boglem, Witz, Dick, and a few others knew that Neo had done the most to ensure this. Besides working alongside everyone as the driving force behind everything, he would also take notes, summarize, plan, and go on night patrols—day after day, without interruption. Such perseverance and diligence were rare even among elite troops, and this excellence was as admirable as strength, if not more so.