Chapter 454: Making an Entrance
*Bing-Bong*
Please note that the following scenes will be spoken entirely in Tide Tongue due to them taking place in Roaring Tide.
As such, the quotation marks will now be used to represent dialogue in Tide Tongue while Hoof Speak, will be represented by “{}”.
We now return to your regularly scheduled reading.
*Bing-Bong*
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“BY THE EMPEROR! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!”
“It sounded like a fucking War Horn Goose.”
“Look! Over there!”
“What the hell is that thing?”
“I think it’s a…ship?”
As soon as the PS Nemona had blared the arrival horn, the entirety of Pearl Scale Harbor started to freak the hell out.
An understandable reaction given that steamer ships were rare enough as is, with the added bonus that the horn it employed was loud enough to make even the average war horn sound like a toy kazoo at best.
“Wait, if that thing’s a ship, who is piloting it? A merchant? A pirate?”
“I don’t know, could be one of those private yacht things that the rich folks use.”
“Hey look! The harbor master is heading over to check it out!”
A little after the PS Nemona’s horn ripped through the harbor, the attention of a particular old man with sun-kissed skin, bald head and a neatly trimmed beard, was grabbed almost immediately.
This old man was born other than the harbor master of Pearl Scale Harbor, an appropriate position given his status as a peak Aether Grandmaster.
“What in the nine hells? A steamship? But I thought those were exclusive to Dozing Salamander ports,” the harbor master asked himself for a moment before ascending into the air and flying over to investigate…mostly.
‘A ship this extravagant clearly must have equally extravagant passengers or cargo…perhaps they’ll be willing to part with some of it…’
As the harbor master flew onward, he was soon accompanied by several giant bird beasts that were carrying several guardsmen on their backs.
Leading each group were additional Grandmasters, albeit, only at the first ring.
‘Wait…if memory serves me right, then the Zhen Clan’s enforcer should be returning today. Perhaps that ship is theirs?’
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{By the lords above, I keep forgetting how loud that horn is,} the helmsman complained as rubbed his ears.
Since today was the last day of the voyage, the main bridge of the ship was fully occupied by the relavent officers including the captain.
There was no grand reason for this, but it was a bit of sailor superstition that an arrival to port must be met by the officers onboard.
Granted, this time it was a bit weird given that the cabin boy was up there as well, but he was the only one who knew how the entire ship worked so….it was justified.
{It’s fine, helmsman, I do believe that we’ll only have to use the arrival horn once anyways,} Captain Douglas assured his crewmen.
After a voyage that started crazy, had a very long lull of nothing and then ended with an invasion of monsters that would put most other sea monsters to shame in terms of terror, the passengers and the crew of the PS Nemona were all looking forward to docking.
The passengers were looking forward to being on dry land again and seeing their family members, while the crew was happy to have shore leave for a spell and get drunk on rice wine.
It didn’t hit as hard as Stampeding Bison beer, but it went down a lot smoother.
However, before anybody could even entertain the idea of resupplying and relaxing, an immense aether pressure soon pressed down on them that was accompanied by an aether enhanced voice.
“Attention PS Nemona! Cease your forward momentum and prepare for inspection.”
{Gah! Loud!,} the cabin boy complained, {also, what did he say? I don’t know Tide Tongue.}
{He said to stop the ship,} the captain told the others, {they’re coming onboard for inspection.}
{Ah…}
Normally the crew would be a bit more hesitant and reluctant to these surprise inspections given the dirty nature behind them, usually, but this was the one time they understood why they would do so.
Their ship this time was a bit…ostentatious.
That being stated though, the captain didn’t really worry about this inspection though since there were pair of old guys on board that probably didn’t appreciate this sudden intimidation and were about to handle this, personally.
‘On the way to Pearl Tusk, Zhen Wang did mention the possibility to having to bribe the harbor master on the way back home…wonder if that will still apply now that we got Patriarch Zhen Shi with us?’
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‘Ow! Why the fuck was there back to back loud noises?! The first one woke me up, the second shocked me awake.’
[Morning milord,] Nepherage greeted, [it appears we have just arrived to Pearl Scale Harbor, hence the loud horn.]
‘Okay…what about the fucking voice?’
[It appears to be an old bald guy in a gold and white silk robe?,] Hurricroak answered, [I think he’s in charge of the harbor or something, given the soldiers accompanying his ass and the obvious ivory white seal badge thingy on his chest.]
[Too much white, too easy to stain,] Razorstella griped.
‘So…were either dealing with an uptight inspection man or…corrupt political guy that needs to be bribed?’
[Think…so…]
‘…I am going back to sleep, y’all make sure nothing goes sideways please or feel free to not. I think this is technically grandfather’s purview…’
[Of course, milord.]
[I’ll keep an eye on them maestro.]
[Too…cold…]
[If he tries anything, I’ll turn that silk robe into a silk speedo.]
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“What the f-oh…of course,” Zhen Shi grumbled as he saw why the ship had suddenly stopped.
Zhen Shi had gotten up early that particular morning, wanting to see his homeland at first light, in order to get the feeling in his soul that he was finally back after all of these years.
Which is why he immediately understood why this guy has shown up to stop the steamship from going any further.
“After all these years, bribery still works the same huh?”
Having grown up in the Pearl Scale Empire, more specifically the Zhen Clan owned areas, Zhen Shi understood some of the murkier aspects of upper society. Namely, the employment of bribery in order to avoid inspections and/or to curry favor with people.
This was a world where might makes right after all, and a lot of the time, the offices that held some form of political might had martial might to go along with it.
Not that Zhen Shi enjoyed dealing with it though.
That particular arena was his wife’s arena, which his sons then inherited. Zhen Shi didn’t mind the paperwork that came with being patriarch of a clan, he hated dealing with the political bullshit involved with it.
“Fuck this, I’m going back to my room.”
He was just about to go back to his cabin in order to let his eldest son and Zhen Wang handled this bureaucratic nonsense, until by pure coincidence, the two of them had shown up to where he was just as he was about to leave.
“Oh. Good morning Xiao Long. Zhen Wang. You guys about to go ‘negotiate’ with the harbor master for access?”
“Good morning to you too, and yes father,” Zhen Long answered first, “we were just about to go and do that…but then, Zhen Wang suggested something that might be even faster than the traditional, uh…gift.”
“Oh?”
Without missing a beat, Zhen Wang answered.
“You know how the Pear Scale Empire works, political power and martial prowess tend to get intermingled with familial power,” Zhen Wang began to say, “but I can assure you that the harbor master up there was no bigger political or bloodline relations to anyone higher up on the imperial food chain.”
“O…kay…,” Zhen Shi replied in a confused tone.
“Now I know that the harbor master up there is stronger than me and your son here, but can’t hold a candle to you, the only Aether Lord onboard.”
“That is indeed correct, but what does that have to do with…wait…”
Zhen Shi eyed his firstborn, and guy who has tried to kill him multiple times over the years, with suspicion as he put together what exactly they wanted him to do.
“Are…are y’all seriously asking me to go up there and intimidate him for us?,”Zhen Shi asked in disbelief.
“Didn’t y’all bring a bribe for this kind of thing? Hell, even we remembered to bring a little something something to avoid this shit.”
“Well, yes,” Zhen Wang agreed, “but the bribes we’re prepared under the assumption that we were bringing back a prisoner that was severely wounded, not…well…you.”
To make his point, Zhen Wang gestured towards Zhen Shi.
The gestured subject stared at the man in disbelief before letting out a sigh.
“Fine, I’ll help out in dealing with the harbor master. But I ain’t doing any negotiation shit.”
“That’s fine, your eldest and I can handle it.”
“Good.”
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[I did not expect the maestro’s grandfather to be the anti-social type.]
[I don’t think it’s that, I think it’s more like he hates dealing with politics.]
[Completely understandable. Too much double speak, not enough stabbing at the heart of a matter.]
