Chapter 109: First Mate Wang Cheng, Chaos in the East Sea

His dark gaze fell in turn upon his nephew, Lu Yunchen, the Dragon Lady, Lady Yan, and the company commander, Wang Fugui.

He first swept over his nephew. This was the most outstanding grandson of the Lu family’s senior branch. No matter how vast the family’s estate, there must be a successor, or else there was no point in currying favor with the masters of the state. Perhaps for someone with lower moral standards, a single elixir of immortality would be enough to cause father and son to turn on each other, but he could not bring himself to do such a thing.

His gaze then lingered for a moment on the latter two, especially on "Wang Fugui." Even though the Lu family’s reputation was relatively upright, it was not as if they lacked the audacity to eliminate a mere garrison commander to keep a secret. No matter how talented or admirable a person was, they were utterly insignificant compared to such a treasure.

However, upon seeing Lady Yan, who remained close by his side, he finally moved his eyes away with a sigh of resignation. The "insurance" Wang Cheng had prepared in advance had ultimately proven effective. With Lady Yan, a Dragon Lady of profound background, at his side, the risk of "black-on-black" treachery was too high.

'It is safer to make him one of our own. Taking advantage of this naval reform, I will use my connections to elevate this Wang Fugui’s position. Grooming him to be my nephew’s right-hand man would not be a loss. I see he has already reached the peak of the seventh rank; if he could break through to the sixth during this time, that would be even better.'

With this thought, Lu Yi sighed helplessly: "Very well. I have a magic contract here, handwritten by Hai Gangfeng of the Heavenly Class [Director of the Office of Years]. Everyone shall sign it; you are forbidden from leaking the secrets of this ship in any form, or else you shall surely be abhorred by the Three Officials and the ghosts and gods."

This was expected. Wang Cheng, Yun Xiao, and Lu Yunchen did not resist. Furthermore, the three of them either had their own backing, were not human, or were immensely gifted, and had little interest in this so-called immortal medicine grown on human flesh.

At this moment, Lu Yunchen, who lacked social awareness and had no idea what his uncle had just been plotting, took out a jade seal-like talisman and pressed it firmly onto the keel of the sailboat.

*Zzzzt—!*

As a brand-like seal was seared into the wood, the consciousness born within the *Concepción* ceased its resistance and slowly came to a halt on the water.

"Turn around and head back!" Lu Yunchen commanded, full of spirit.

To his surprise, the ghost ship gave him no face at all and did not react. He urged it several more times, but it remained motionless.

Wang Cheng kindly offered a suggestion from the side: "Commander, try saying: *Dar la vuelta y regresar*."

Lu Yunchen parroted the words, and upon trying, it worked immediately; the *Concepción* began to head back obediently. After the initial joy came confusion. He had captured a powerful artifact warship, yet because the command system was incompatible, he couldn't operate it at all? What use was this grand vessel to him then?

He looked back at his third uncle, who was equally helpless, and couldn't help but look expectantly at his brother Fugui once more.

Wang Cheng chuckled inwardly, having already planned for this. He first asked this "jealousy-of-gods-and-ghosts" prodigy a few questions: "Commander, let us see what is missing to make this ship a combat-ready force. First, do you speak Frankish?"

Lu Yunchen took a swig of wine, coughed up a mouthful of blood, and retorted: "No. But I can learn. In three months at most, I will definitely be able to speak as well as you."

"Second, do you know how to sail a wind-powered warship? Do you know when to raise or lower the sails depending on sea conditions, how to use the mainsail, topsail, topgallant, and royal? How to tie knots and drop anchor?"

Lu Yunchen coughed up more blood: "Uh... I can learn that too."

"Third, do you know how to command a naval battle? Do you know how to seize a favorable position when facing an enemy ship, or the effective range of the cannons?..."

"Fourth, can you train a group of skilled sailors to help you control the warship in a crisis and contend with powerful enemies?..."

One question after another, the prodigy was left sweating, his blood-stained handkerchief soaked through. It was like a top student realizing they couldn't answer a single question on an exam—a tragic nightmare! Admitting he didn't know so many things was more painful than killing him; he looked like a defeated man, his posture slumped and gray. Even ghosts and gods would pity him at this moment, pausing their jealousy for three seconds.

The most critical issue was that there was no place more conservative than the Imperial Court. The lineage of ocean-going sailors had been severed; there was simply no talent capable of operating sailing warships, and even if he wanted to learn, there was nowhere to go.

"If you change the subject, we can still be friends... Wait!" The prodigy's eyes suddenly lit up, and he grabbed Wang Cheng’s arm. "Brother Fugui, actually, you know all of this, don't you?"

Wang Cheng remained modest: "I know a little, just a little."

Lu Yunchen was overjoyed: "Brother Fugui, to deal with the coastal pirates, I appoint you as the First Mate of the *Concepción*. You have full authority to recruit crew from the civilian population—be they Great Zhao, Frankish, Netherlandish, or foreigners—as long as you form a complete combat force as soon as possible. I will not return to the capital; I will wait for my appointment with you in the Minzhou administration. It will take no more than half a month, it won't delay anything. Teach me during this time—I will call you teacher!"

Wang Cheng did not agree immediately, feigning difficulty: "I don't mind personally; I share the same aspirations as you, Commander, and putting in some effort is only right. But others have families to support and are struggling for a living; it is difficult to ask them to help without a name or status."

Lu Yunchen didn't even wait for his third uncle’s promise, waving his hand grandly: "Ha, what is that? In the garrison system, a corporal manages ten men, a sergeant manages five corporals, and a company commander manages two sergeants. As a company commander, you can appoint all your own subordinates, and I will give you two seventh-rank sergeant positions and ten minor seventh-rank corporal hats on top of that. Besides, who is our Lu family? Do you think we can't get the pay? It will be plentiful. Just write the vouchers, and I will reimburse you for everything, brother."

Beside them, Yan Yunxiao’s expression remained indifferent, but inside, she kept shaking her head: "Another poor soul who has been sold by little Chengzi and is still helping him count the money."

Lu Yi did not say much either; if he could control his nephew, he wouldn't have to watch him drink and spit blood all day until he became numb to it.

Wang Cheng, however, didn't care about that; not giving him a chance to go back on his word, he immediately clasped his hands in a salute: "Then this subordinate will respectfully obey."

Geniuses who lack social experience are inevitably taken advantage of. He had never heard the story: "If a Brahmin comes to manage your department, soon the entire department will be full of Brahmins."

There was another story: "In other places, if a relative becomes successful, you will likely lose that relative. But in the Minzhou administration, it is different. If one family succeeds, they are likely to pull others up, organizing their kin into an entire upstream and downstream industrial chain."

It was the same when going out to sea. Even under the maritime ban, the Min people, including the boat dwellers, had long spread across the Nanyang countries, huddling together for warmth and establishing numerous settlements. The only ones who could compete with them were the Lingnan people, who ate everything; they loved and consumed each other, and could occasionally get the upper hand over the Min people.

"Since we Min merchants huddle together for warmth due to our regional ties, then monopolizing related industries and squeezing out those who cannot integrate should be very reasonable, right? By making me First Mate, aren't you tacitly agreeing to let the ghost ship belong to me from now on? I understand—just watch me!"

The Lu uncle and nephew clearly had not realized the severity of the problem, both thinking this was a win-win idea.

As they began to inspect the spoils on the ship, they did not forget to continue consulting their expert, probing for information on the other four ships: "Fugui, since there are five ships in the global fleet, do you think they will all run to the coast of our Great Zhao? Besides this [Garden of Abundance], I wonder if they have other abilities?"

Lu Yi was desperate to collect all five sailboats to confirm if they contained five kinds of immortality elixirs, so he could report this good news to his Emperor.

Wang Cheng, needing to borrow the power of such dignitaries, naturally would not hide anything: "Whether it is an adventurer who discovered the New World or one who circumnavigated the globe, they primarily use square-rigged ships for their long-distance expeditions. This is determined by geography; they set sail from the Kingdom of the Franks and immediately encounter the trade winds, which blow from the northeast to the southwest, giving them a tailwind all the way to the Caribbean. Therefore, their philosophy is to use small lateen-rigged ships for scouting and large square-rigged ships as 'camels' to carry supplies. Eventually, when they reach places where the winds are unfavorable, the large ships are either burned after running aground to recover the metal parts, or simply abandoned at sea. I suspect that besides two or three fully rigged carracks, the global adventure fleet must have at least two caravel ships equipped with lateen sails, which possess both speed and mobility. Those are the core of an oceanic fleet. However..."

When the Lu uncle, nephew, and Yunxiao all looked at him, he said solemnly: "News of the global fleet has already spread from Luzon in Nanyang. Those with interest know it earlier than we do, and the great pirates are already restless. Whether it is the artifact sailing warships that carried out the great feat of circumnavigation, or the immortality medicine the adventure team brought back from the depths of the Cangming Ocean, it is enough to make countless people go mad. At this moment, perhaps some have already captured other sailboats, or perhaps even more are swarming toward us. Since they have come, whether they achieve their desires or not, they will not return empty-handed. Has the Imperial Court made preparations to respond?"

Having pierced through the window paper, the expressions of the other three turned somewhat ugly.

At the same time, on Jiufan Island at the southwestern end of the four islands of Yingzhou, the Five Peaks Banner’s East Sea Kingdom, which occupied most of the island, was in a state of chaos. The fires in the port were extinguished, with only broken walls proving that an attack had just occurred. On the shore and in the sea, many people on the dense formations of warships were cheering loudly: "Black Qilin! Black Qilin!..."

In the wide waters in the middle floated a sailing warship whose canvas and rigging moved without wind. Looking at the name carved on the stern gallery, it was none other than the *Santiago*, one of the five sailboats of the global adventure team!

The current leader of the Five Peaks Banner, the adopted son of the King of Pacifying the Seas, formerly Wang Haifeng, now the "Black Qilin" Mao Haifeng, walked out of the cabin and casually cast a talisman to seal the entire warship. Thinking of the scene he had just seen in the cabin, his heart burned with heat: "The kidney flower from the [Five Temples Divine Treasure Flower], an immortal medicine, belongs to me, Mao Haifeng. If I can find the other four ships and refine the treasure medicine, I can gain both an immortality elixir and a vast colonial empire. At that time, what would a mere King of the East Sea be?"

He turned to his trusted aide and ordered: "Pass down the order. Command our secret agents to closely monitor every port in Yingzhou, Great Zhao, and Nanyang. Find the remaining flagships: the *Trinidad*, *San Antonio*, *Concepción*, and *Victoria*. My foster father always aimed to 'share benefits with the people and defend the borders for the country,' spending his life trying to break the maritime ban and interact with all nations. I will use these five artifact sailboats that have connected the entire world to pay tribute to his spirit in heaven."

"Yes, Great Ship-head!"

The King of Pacifying the Seas was gone, but the Five Peaks Banner that inherited his legacy remained. Before they openly attacked the government and turned into plunderers, the surface-level peace could have been maintained for a while longer. But now, the "immortality medicine" that had appeared out of thin air had become a lit fuse, and the situation in the East Sea was detonated by it.

Looking down from high above, countless sailboats from all directions were swarming toward this sea area.