Chapter 499 - Traveling the North (Patreon)

Sami's journey from Saniya to Hueatlan had been wrought with difficulties, yet filled with excitement. On their route to Rasacopa, they had to navigate the complex waters of the Verdant Isles, which had been a great challenge for their inexperienced crews and captains. Beyond the Verdant Isles, they had experienced the vast, empty Verduic Sea, which had truly taxed the crew's morale and the quartermaster's navigational skills.

Not only did such a journey require intimate knowledge of the local geography — as well as advanced navigational tools — it also led them through quite possibly the most pirate-infested waters in the world. In fact, their route was brand-new, and had only existed for a few years. Not too long ago, traveling directly from southern Medala to Chutwa via the Verdant Isles had been considered impossible.

In the past, fear of pirates had prevented anyone from daring such a route. Even now that Saniya had managed to control much of the islands, this fear was only somewhat relieved. Without a fast and sturdy ship like their galleons, armed to the teeth with modern cannons, they could have never attempted the route.

Even beyond the threat of pirates, older ships hadn't been physically capable of taking this path in the first place. Only the new galleons had a large build with a deep draught, resistant to the mighty storms of the high seas east of Chutwa. Finally, new tools like spirit compass and sextant had made travel across the open sea without any coastlines or islands in sight a possibility for the first time in history.

Thus, a series of political developments and technological innovations had finally allowed them to take the direct route to Chutwa, a trip worth telling in tales. Of course, that didn't even mention their personal journey yet, their battle against the pirates, the battle of the Deep Well, or their trip to Saniya's secret Chutwa Glaze manufactories in Hueatlan.

In comparison to such adventures, their return trip was downright banal, as it had led them along the traditional safe route traveled by the Yaku people for countless generations. Without any proper navigational tools, their ancestors had been forced to travel all the way north, and then east along the southern shores of the Great Mountains north of the Twin Isles, which were often called the Ch'unchu Mountains - mountains of the barbarians - even though they were really just a continuation of the Sallqata Mountain Range which ran through Medala from south to north.

Not only had navigation along the shore prevented them from losing their way, their proximity to land had also guaranteed them protection from pirates. Those lawless bandits were far less likely to attack near civilization, where the powerful fleets of local lords could teach them the value of an honest day's work. Of course, there were always some who took great risks for profit, but with the development of the new Verduic route and the subsequent reduction in trade along the north, even such foolhardy attacks had ceased almost entirely.

Thus unburdened by any further interference, Sami and Chanca set off from Hueatlan and traveled north along the eastern coastline of Chutwa, until they reached the many Chutwa tributary states in its north-east. All along the way, Chanca would disappear at every harbor, to 'collect information', as he claimed.

Since Sami had nothing better to do, he did the same. Throughout their journey back, he compiled notes on the customs and economies of the various countries which surrounded the Verduic Sea. From east to west, they passed the tributaries of Chichitlaca, Tetzotzontl and Tequitlali. Every time they docked, another chapter was added to Sami's little notebook. Eventually, they found themselves at the mouth of Mullu Bay, with the barbarian lands of the mighty Ch'unchu Mountain Range to their north and the 'enlightened' Scholarly Kingdom of Northern Medala to their south.

Compared to their visits to other ports, their stop in Challwala was largely unremarkable, apart from the city's foreign influence. Where Hueatlan looked more medalan than Sami had expected from a Chutwa town, Challwala looked more chutwa-ish — though he wasn't sure that was a word — than he had thought.

Not only did the buildings look less inviting than at any other port they had seen, Challwala also lacked the meticulous guest service all the other ports had provided. Even during their visit in the Chutwa tributary states — which were quite hostile to outsiders — they had at the very least found basic accommodations for merchants who were docking at the ports. If nothing else, they could always find a soothing drink, a warm meal and a dry bed for a price. Some wholesalers and other basic infrastructure to do their business would also be a given, since these countries had gone through centuries of trade with the outside world. If they didn't cater to their guests at least a little, how would the local money men do business?

In contrast, most people in Challwala wouldn't even deign talk to them after they had gone ashore. When they weren't ignored, they were met with open disdain and hostility. Although he managed to find a cold and dingy tavern which would serve him drinks, no one would tell Sami anything no matter how much he asked. They wouldn't even accept the free drinks he offered. Apparently, here alone, the old traditions of Medala — which had always despised merchants as an even lower class than peasants — were still alive and well. Compounded with the disdain the local scholars had for medalans in general, it became impossible to gain anything of value here.

As usual, Chanca had disappeared in the city as soon as they had docked at the harbor. This time however, he returned soon, and ordered to speed up their unloading process. Apparently, even Ekkoko's connections were useless in this northern land which was now so heavily restrained by the power of the scholars.

Since no one in this place was willing to talk to them, there was nothing to gain from staying here much longer anyways. From the large number of soldiers on the streets alone, Sami could surmise the heightened scrutiny towards outsiders. Of course, the presence of soldiers, and the overall tense atmosphere, also made him a lot less eager to press his luck and snoop around, just in case the locals mistook him for a spy.

Thus, they quickly sold all their loaded goods before they got into trouble. Although the people here didn't seem to like them, they had no problem accepting the treasures they had brought along. After all, they were carrying two cargo holds filled to the brim with precious luxury goods from Chutwa, even though some of them were fake. Still, the desirable goods were quickly sold to local merchants who were none the wiser, at ludicrous prices at that. After their transaction was completed, Sami and Chanca left as quickly as they had arrived.

Since there was no need to load any more goods, they soon set off for the south, their holds filled with gold and silver. After all, were they to convert all the money they had made so far back into traded goods, the amount would be too much to fit into their limited cargo holds. Only if they bought goods which were more valuable by weight than silver would they be able to load all of them. However, nothing the north was producing was valuable enough, and at the same time in sufficiently high demand back home. Even the valuable coral jewelry of Challwala wouldn't match gold by weight, and they could only buy a limited amount, unless they planned to make an extended stay here and scrape together all the local supplies.

Thus, rather than waste their time and risk complications, they simply carried their coins back home. Back in Saniya, they would use their newly gained wealth to add new ships to their fleet and then repeat their first, successful journey at a larger scale. Soon, they would grow into large merchants themselves, men who would never have to worry about money anymore. By now, Sami had made his peace with his new profession. He no longer thought back to his times as a craftsman, and he no longer felt inadequate, or like a fraud, whenever he gave orders to his men or whenever he didn't help them with physical tasks. At this point, he had truly regained his previously lost nerves, as well as his old confidence. Still, despite the new-found comfort in his new role, it simply wasn't in his nature to be lazy.

Thus, early in the morning when the stars were still barely visible, he stood at the bow of his ship and confirmed their course with a sextant. Of course, they simply had to follow the coastline south until they reached the Narrow Sea, so they wouldn't get lost even if he didn't do anything. However, it was still good practice for the inexperienced captain, especially at dawn, when the stars were harder to spot.

As he stared out towards the depths of the sky, he couldn't help but think of Ulan, who was waiting for him beyond the horizon, in their new home. He couldn't wait to come back and tell her of their great success. He wanted nothing more than to share their joy, just how they had shared their sorrow before. Truly, he would have been fully contented, with his mind completely at ease, had there not been that one thing around still bothering him.

"Hey, how come you are always stuck on my ship when I'm busy? Why are you never on your own? I thought you were a captain, too," Sami complained as he put down the navigational tool. When he didn't receive an answer straight away, he turned and stared at the man who was lazily leaned against the railing next to him: His friend Chanca, whose constant presence had steadily turned into a nuisance in recent days.

"It's admiral, not captain," Chanca corrected him after he tore his eyes away from the red clouds along the horizon. "And I don't do a thing worth anything on my own ship anyways. If I didn't hang out here, I would just feel useless. What am I supposed to do over there anyways, bother those paid hands?"

"So instead, you've come over here to bother me?" an annoyed Sami asked.

"Exactly." Chanca grinned, oblivious of or indifferent towards his friend's true thoughts.

But I also have work to do, the annoyed captain lamented in his head. Throughout the second half of their journey, Chanca had spent almost every moment on land hiding away in taverns and other shady establishments. Yet almost every moment on water, he spent here, on Sami's ship.

Meanwhile, Chanca's 'Kallpa' was entirely being run by Ekkoko's men, without their captain's involvement. From what he had heard from the ship's crew, Chanca's presence over there had been less than helpful, though he didn't know how much of that was just because they didn't want anyone with authority around. Either way, in the face of an unhappy and uncooperative crew, Chanca's tactical retreat made sense. Still, as he watched the great admiral with the carefree smile hum a song into the wind, Sami couldn't help but get upset.

"You know, if you spent less time bothering me, and more time learning your new trade, you wouldn't have to rely on me to chart our course all the time," he finally couldn't help but say. After all, what kind of damage to their reputation would it do if his friend let himself get chased off his own ship that easily? Without authority, a captain's title was useless, or even dangerous. There was no police at sea. No one could prove that a mutiny had occurred if the crew simply threw their bodies overboard.

"If I didn't rely on you, who else would I rely on?" Chanca asked back. The careless retort only served to annoy Sami more. Thus, he only returned a critical stare, until Chanca couldn't take the silence any more and finally added: "Okay, in fact, I've been busy with other tasks on the side. I had no time to learn all this sailor stuff. Isn't it smarter if we split our work, instead of doing everything twice? You handle the sailing, and I handle the rest. As for gaining the crew's respect — and making father's men listen for once — I already have a plan for that one too."

That much, Sami didn't doubt. At least, he was certain Chanca had been disappearing at every port for more than just girls and drink after a few boring days at sea. After their talk on Rasacopa, he realized that Chanca was doing a lot of work in places he couldn't see, even if Sami didn't always consider that work worthwhile. Since his friend seemed to believe that he had found a way to be useful, and a way to regain control of his crew again, it was certainly worth asking more.

"Then, what is it you have been up to this time?" Sami thus took the bait.

"With some luck, you'll get to find out soon," Chanca pretended to be mysterious. His smile grew even more annoying in the process. Yet before Sami could complain again, the admiral added: "By the way, how good do you know the area around here? Our route, I mean."

"You mean along the medalan west coast? I know it as well as any other part of our route, as well as I can without seeing it for myself. Why?" a confused Sami asked. However, Chanca seemed to have no interest in answering his question.

"You know any good places to hide, or to ambush someone?" he asked back instead.

"Why?" Sami repeated, ever more confused.

"You'll see," Chanca repeated as well. This time however, Sami just returned a stare he thought would be particularly piercing. Why was this guy playing around again, even when Sami was just trying to help out with his plan? Was acting mysterious really more important than having a clear plan?

After a prolonged silence, Chanca finally pushed off the railing and turned towards Sami. He even dropped his annoying grin, and instead looked serious as he said: "Come on, humor me for once."

Against his better judgment, Sami finally put away the sextant and relented.

"Fine, come with me," he said, and led his friend towards the captain's quarters, where he had stored their maps.

Hermit's Notes: Gonna post two chapters today, and then another two tomorrow, to finish up this little arc and be all caught up again.