abnabooks Chapter 41 The House of Pleasure
Chapter 41 The House of Pleasure
Flameheart Sea is located to the east of the Kingdom of Giant Canon and to the west of the Duchy of the Holy Envoy.
The sea in this area is calm and rarely experiences extreme weather. It is also a necessary route for East-West shipping, so merchant ships come and go in an endless stream.
Where there are sheep, there are wolves, and thus pirates thrive.
With its horns pointing eastward, the Black Goat sailed slowly across the Flameheart Sea.
On the cockpit, Benson pointed to the distant, faintly visible island and said:
"Look! Boss, we've arrived! That's the Burning Heart Islands!"
Henry simply nodded calmly, his face expressionless.
If the goat hadn't been lame, they could have arrived here at least half a month earlier.
Although Henry won the final naval battle south of Elbow Point, the cost was equally heavy.
Almost all of his crew members were killed, and the Soaring was destroyed.
The great ship he conquered was also badly damaged.
Henry's enchanted fire not only destroyed the entire main deck but also broke two masts.
There are two remaining, one of which is also teetering on the brink of collapse.
Fortunately, the mainmast was large and had a layer of iron wrapped around its bottom, which saved it from being ravaged by flames.
However, the sail was still inevitably riddled with holes.
For this reason, the Black Goat, which was not designed with oars, could only move slowly on the sea.
Fortunately, they finally arrived.
Henry naturally did not want to leave the coast of the Kingdom of Gruden, but due to the circumstances, he had no other choice.
As the harsh winter arrived, the Black Goat lost its main deck, and the biting wind blew into the cabins without any shelter.
Such harsh conditions are beyond what cotton-padded clothes and cloaks can handle.
He had no choice but to order his troops to head to the Flame Heart Sea.
The flames killed most of the crew of the Black Goat and the Soaring, leaving fewer than sixty men.
If they had arrived a few days later, the cold wind would have frozen their partner to death.
The outline of the Burning Heart Islands gradually became clear in Henry's eyes.
If pirates had a home base, it would undoubtedly be this archipelago.
Burning Heart Island is far from both the Kingdom of Giant Canon and the Duchy of the Holy Envoy, so the law and justice have little reach over this carefree land.
Moreover, the climate here is excellent, with spring-like weather all year round, which can always give pirates who are constantly adrift in the wind and waves some warm memories.
The warm current will sweep across the islands on the seabed in autumn and leave at the end of winter.
In early spring, cold fronts will gain the upper hand, bringing cool relief throughout the sweltering summer.
Henry also felt a sense of attachment to this place, and his mind naturally calmed down.
Benson reminded him:
"Boss, be careful. There's a ring of reefs around the archipelago. Without an experienced navigator, it's easy to run aground."
"I know," Henry nodded.
That ring of reefs is called the pericardial atoll, which is a natural barrier for the island.
The reefs are of varying depths, sometimes bright and sometimes dark, making them difficult for newcomers to discern.
But Henry had been here countless times and knew the route to the island like the back of his hand.
Henry then began to direct Micoe to dock safely.
After some trouble, the Black Goat anchored in the port of Right Heart Island, the westernmost island in the archipelago.
Henry looked serious.
Pirate ships come to the Burning Heart Islands for two reasons: to escape the winter or to indulge in lust.
Henry was naturally after the former, but for most of the pirates on the ship, the latter was clearly more anticipated.
However, Henry ordered that none of the crew members were to disembark without further instructions.
Benson asked Henry, "Boss, why?"
"This is the home of pirates, and there are no kind souls to be found here. Ships are the foundation of piracy, but look at the Black Goat now, it's dilapidated and has almost no fighting power. Danger lurks everywhere, and we must prepare for the worst."
"But your shrimps probably won't accept that reason," Benson warned.
Henry understood this to be sincere advice, and so he replied:
"Then tell them that a doctor will be boarding the ship later to treat everyone's injuries."
In the Battle of Yangniao, almost everyone was wounded, but the ship's doctor's mediocre medical skills were simply insufficient to heal everyone.
And burns are highly susceptible to infection, a reason that no one can deny.