Reborn As a Pirate

This is the smell of the sea...

After half a year, Lorraine returned to Plymouth again, and everything changed.

Here is one of the most famous ports in England, Europe, and even the world, and belongs to the great Royal Navy.

The powerful Channel Fleet is stationed here, and the glorious predecessor of the Royal Naval School of Great Britain, the alma mater of Lorraine, the Plymouth Sea School teaches here.

Devonport is at the heart of Plymouth.

The world's top Devonport Dockyard stands next to the red lighthouse, where the best shipbuilders are working day and night to build moving and powerful sailing warships for the Royal Navy.

There is also a long row of mooring piers like floating islands on the sea, from which the huge warships flying the Union Jack sailed to the ocean, and the sailors in high spirits sang on the deck.

But perhaps because Devonport's reputation is so prominent, people often forget that along the calm Plymouth Bay, there are also a long string of pearl-like civilian ports.

They are also part of Plymouth, and even for a long time, they were the preferred place for sailing and returning from England.

Soto Port is such a civil port.

Like most civilian ports, it is chaotic and free, and various houses are built at will. Behind the bright and tidy pier, there are countless dirty dark alleys, dedicated to hiding dirt and evil practices.

Walking among them, you can see pious priests, flamboyant adventurers, hardworking farmers, coquettish prostitutes, as well as liars, brokers, lawyers, craftsmen, and bankrupt craftsmen.

Of course, the most common sights here are sweaty dock workers, drunken sailors and the true spiritual symbols of England, those greedy, fearless and cunning sea merchants.

Coming out of Tavistock, Lorraine exchanged all the money on his body for a carriage ticket to Soto Port, and carrying his broken leather bag, he went all the way to a pawn shop called [People Have Three Urgencies].

Before he can put Shaq's arrogance under his feet, he has to eat first.

Across the tall counter, which can almost reach the tip of the chin, the simple and honest black clerk is pricing the most valuable things in Lorraine with an extremely professional attitude.

"A pocket watch with needles..." Brother Hei glanced at the clock in the store, "It's a mess, it can't be regarded as a clock at all."

Lorraine shrugged.

The miniaturization of clocks and watches is a new trend that has only emerged in recent years, and accurate needle movement is a fantasy. Most of the time, pocket watches are still just regarded as a kind of luxurious jewelry, a symbol of aristocratic status.

Seeing that Lorraine had no objection, Brother Hei closed the cover of the watch, brought out a single-tube jewelry mirror, and tapped it into the eye socket.

"Well... an emerald, about two carats, can be cut to give 80 points, but the color is a bit poor. The dial is made of silver, with scratches, many scratches, and dirt..."

He frowned and pulled out the jewelry mirror, looking at Lorraine solemnly.

"Sir, can we be more careful next time we rob? Jewels are delicate white women, and a gentleman shouldn't step on their faces with a boot."

"If I'm going to rob." Lorraine bit Ruo very hard, "I will respect your opinion."

Brother Hei felt a little regretful, because Lorraine was very cunning, and he didn't want to admit that pocket watches were dirty things, which made him lose a legitimate reason to lower the price.

He wrapped the pocket watch in black velvet, and packed up the identification tools on the table.

"Sir, a broken pocket watch is 30% new. Our shop is willing to offer eight pence."

"How many?"

"Eight pence." He compared his black and fat palms to six, and said confidently, "I dare say this is the highest asking price in the port area. The owner's generosity is well known."

"It's only eight pence..." Lorraine frowned, "Give me back the pocket watch."

Brother Hei's face changed slightly, and he subconsciously tugged at the black velvet at his hand.

"gentlemen,

I use the credit of the owner to guarantee that even if you search Soto Port, you will not be able to find a store with a higher price than ours, so why waste your time? "

"real?"

Although in this life Lorraine grew up with a golden spoon in his mouth and did not have the opportunity to make a living, but in the last life...

His small movements aroused Lorraine's vigilance.

With a snap, Lorraine slapped the sword on his waist against the counter, and asked with a smile, "Do you know it?"

Brother Hei swallowed involuntarily: "This is the royal family..."

"Lieutenant Commander of the Royal Navy commanding the sword."

Lorraine spoke word by word, drew the sword slowly, and unscrupulously showed its sharp edge in front of the black buddies.

"It belongs to the same person as the pocket watch. Ten years ago, that person killed a French baron with this sword in a boarding, captured a fourth-class ship, and stepped on the pocket watch in your hand. Therefore, he got promoted."

"The scratches on the pocket watch are from that battle, and the pattern on the back of the pocket watch is the family crest of that baronial family. It is recorded on page 162 of "Aristocratic Heraldry". You should take a look."

Lorraine paused, raised his eyelids and glanced at Brother Hei's face, "Do you know why they fell into my hands?"

Brother Hei's black and white eye sockets were a little bloodshot.

He suddenly realized that the young man in front of him, although his black hair and brown eyes were not aristocratic, and his shabby clothes looked like a tramp, but his words and deeds, sitting and walking, all showed good upbringing and With a strong and rigid military temperament...

A well-educated young man who has served in the army... Such a person can only have one identity...

Lorraine smiled and pushed the sword to his heart.

"Did you know? According to English law, if I stabbed the sword down, I would probably be ordered to pay six to eight shillings for accidental damage to national property."

"I believe the pocket watch will be worth a little more than that, and after payment, the amount left is still well over eightpence."

Lorraine's sword tip deflected, provoking the name tag on Brother Hei's chest.

"Mr. Friday...I didn't expect your master to be a fan of Mr. Defoe...Mr. Friday, do you think I should stab it?"

"Thirteen shillings and sixpence!" Friday said quickly, his face darkened, "the master has gone to Spain, and he has given me only so much authority. One more penny, and he will kill me when he comes back, and there is no need to report to anyone. People pay compensation!"

"Although it's still a little short..." Lorraine sighed regretfully, put his sword back into its sheath, "However, it's a deal."

...

"Which ship needs sailors..."

The pier in Soto Port is full of boats of all kinds.

There is the most common Kirk type among offshore merchant ships, the small single-masted Sroop type, and occasionally the Snaku type with more masts. Only the current mainstream of the navy is not seen, and it is most suitable for ocean-going sailing. Galen type three-masted sailing ship.

This did not surprise Lorraine.

Soto Port is a gathering place for small businessmen, whose main business is offshore trade.

For the Dover Strait, where the wind is calm and the waves are flat, the old sailboats are cheaper, and there is no obvious disadvantage in cargo capacity and speed, so they are the best choice for these offshore merchants.

Lorraine originally planned to start from here, while accumulating funds, while observing the trading skills of contemporary maritime merchants, but things did not go as smoothly as he thought.

People come and go in the port, and almost every ship needs dockworkers and sailors, but rarely seamen.

Even if there are a few companies that show up occasionally, after seeing Lorraine's age and appearance, they are unwilling to give him a chance for an interview.

In the concept of a businessman, an outstanding person like a seaman can only stand out from among the senior sailors. They are not only the skilled workers on the ship, but also the foreman of the sailors and the captain's assistant.

Sea school students who have received systematic teaching are of course an exception.

The problem is that although Lorraine was a top student in a sea school, he dropped out of school halfway without a certificate. Now that he has a red mouth and white teeth, it is really impossible for strangers to believe that his resume is too good.

After being rejected four times in a row, the disheartened Lorraine dragged his legs to the central square, looked at the carefree pigeons, sighed and took out the black bread he had just bought.

The taste of black bread is very rough, but the price is cheap. You can buy a dictionary-sized piece for two pennies, enough to last a week.

And it's dry, easy to store, and one of the most seafaring staples.

Lorraine broke off a small piece, ate some by himself, crushed it and sprinkled it out, and let the pigeons eat a little too.

The pigeons quickly gathered and huddled around his bench, cooing so loudly that it was impossible to concentrate on self-pity.

Lorraine muttered to himself: "What do you mean you can get it by yourself? You can't even get on the boat right now. How can I get it?"

He laughed at himself, put away the bread and stood up, ready to continue his efforts, when suddenly he saw a lot of people gathered by the fountain, just like a lot of pigeons gathered around him.

A voice rang out from among the crowd.

"A... The Artis Chamber of Commerce is looking for senior sailors who can sail ships, and also welcomes those who are interested in business! I have a ship! I have a big ship!"