The Wizarding World's Forbidden Book Administrator

Chapter 20 Relentless Pursuit

Henry gazed at the ocean alone.

The sun rose in the distance, casting a dazzling orange-yellow spot on the sea.

Henry was worried, just like Natalie's hair color: "When will I be able to see her hair again?"

In Cod Village, at the harbor, on the shipping route, Henry felt as if Natalie was always within reach, yet he seemed to glimpse an invisible hand tearing apart his reunion with Natalie.

He had intended to use the speed of the Flying Sail to catch up with the cargo-laden trading ship during the voyage.

However, a month of headwinds caused the Soaring Spaceship a lot of trouble.

Henry had no choice but to order them to proceed in a spiral on the sea.

Am I destined to lose Natalie? Henry sighed deeply. But I promised the curator…

Henry had to slap his face hard to cheer himself up.

It's too early to give up now. There are definitely more than just the Soaring Ships facing headwinds!

Thinking of this, Henry felt a little more at ease, but at the same time, fatigue followed.

Henry had been on guard duty all night, which had long since exhausted him.

Henry, who had already become the captain of the Flying Flyer, did not need to take on this job.

But he had his own plans.

Raven's Nest was the most rocking foothold on the ship. Henry had been away from the sea for many years, and staying here would allow him to adapt to the rhythm of the deck more quickly.

Henry climbed up from the mainmast to the deck and sent other sailors to relieve him, then returned to the captain's cabin to sleep.

Before closing the door, he heard complaints from the other crew members.

For these shrimps who had once risked their lives alongside the old octopus Mattim, Henry, who had only recently joined, was undoubtedly an outsider.

Besides, Henry is still very young.

Therefore, many people were quite dissatisfied with Henry's rule.

However, for now it's just talk behind people's backs. After all, it's a fact that Henry personally killed Matim, and they don't dare to draw their swords in front of Henry easily.

But Henry could foresee that soon people would begin to question his martial arts skills.

Therefore, Henry desperately needs a battle to prove himself.

Matim's bed was soft, and Henry quickly fell asleep...

"Knock knock knock!"

Henry was awakened by urgent knocking on the door, though he didn't know how long he had been asleep.

Henry immediately jumped out of bed and opened the door.

Benson, looking nervous, said from outside the door:

"Boss, something's up. A boat is chasing us."

Henry immediately took a step and went up the side ramp, intending to climb onto the driver's seat.

"What kind of ship?"

"It's still that three-masted sailing ship, with a dog head sculpture on the prow. Boss, that ship seems to have been chasing us all the way."

Henry passed the burly man Micoe at the helm and came to the stern, leaning on the railing and squinting as he gazed into the distance.

He immediately locked onto his target, a heavy, beige ship, which would be more accurately described as a warship.

Ever since they left the port, they have occasionally seen this dog following their ship.

Despite Henry’s repeated attempts to shake it off, the ship was relentless, always managing to catch up like a hunting dog that wouldn’t let go once it had its bite.

"Those must be pursuers sent by the Lord of Caogang."

You mean a loyal dog?

"Well, look at the hound's prow; doesn't that prove it?"

Worry immediately appeared on Benson's face:

"Boss, what should we do? Loyal Dog is a terrifying sea commander; he has wiped out countless pirate crews."

"We cannot fight. To pit a light ship against a heavy ship head-on is tantamount to suicide," Henry declared. "Let's escape!"

Loyal dogs are good at tracking, but seagulls have wings.

Henry turned around to observe the situation on the Flying Flyer.

Each crew member performed their duties, the sails were half-lifted, and the skull and crossbones flag at the top of the mast fluttered to the northwest.

Standing beside Miko, he ordered, "Hard starboard, mainsail 7, foresail 7."

Immediately, the clattering of the zipline and gears could be heard.

Miko shouted in response: "Full starboard!"

Wall and Wilson also shouted back:

"Smooth the mainsail to seven!"

"Smooth the sails!"

As the sound faded, the Soaring began to tilt to starboard.

As the sailboat was about to face due west, Henry gave another order:

"Side rudder, mainsail in the middle, jib in the middle, mainsail fully raised, jib fully raised."

Another series of sounds of operation followed by replies:

"Heading!"

"Middle foresail!"

"Raise all mainsails!"

"Raise the top sails!"

"Main sail!"

At this moment, both the mainsail and the foresail were taut and billowing due to the sea breeze.

The Soaring began to accelerate and head due west.

Seeing this, Benson frowned and said:

"Boss, there's only endless sea to the west. If we encounter a storm, the Soaring will lose its way, and we'll all die on board!"

"This is the only way."

Henry went to the starboard stern and pointed to the relentlessly pursuing warship.

"That boat has oars, so we can't outrun it in headwinds or calm conditions, which is why we always get caught up."

Benson countered, "But it also has sails."

"Although rowing sailboats are agile, their wide hulls result in greater drag. With a downwind and full sails, our light boat is faster."

Henry looked calmly at the yellow dog, his eyes filled with unwavering confidence.

Although he may be the youngest sailor on the ship, he is definitely the most experienced pirate.

Henry was adept at both commanding ships and engaging in boarding combat.

He was born at sea, grew up at sea, the blood of the ocean flows in his veins, and he was born to be the king of the sea.

As the seagulls flew away from the loyal dog, a smile spread across Henry's face.

"Alright, once I've completely shaken them off, I'll figure out how to get ashore."

"Henry, you coward!"

The sudden curse froze the smile on Henry's face.

He looked over and saw that it was Wall who was speaking.

Wilson, who was next to Wall, immediately added:

"We are all warriors of the sea; we should fight our pursuers hand-to-hand, not just run away!"

If there were reactionaries on board, then Wall and Wilson would undoubtedly be the ringleaders.

So it's no surprise that they took the opportunity to launch an attack.

But the octopus must be able to adapt to all kinds of ocean currents, Henry said in an unquestionable tone:

"That's not a battle, that's suicide. The incoming ships belong to Loyal Dog; his reputation needs no further explanation. Or does any of you believe you can defeat Loyal Dog?"

The two leading sheep fell silent for a moment, then Wall changed tactics:

"If it were Matim, he would definitely choose to fight back!"

"Martim is dead. Do you want to follow in his footsteps?"

After speaking, Henry gripped the handle of his axe, a chilling glint flashing in his eyes.

Wall was immediately stunned, and Wilson, seeing this, took the flag:

"But you can't always be a deserter. Look at how you've led us since you became captain. You haven't accomplished anything. I can't even remember the last time we docked."

In fact, the Soaring had never docked since Henry became captain.

"After looting the harbor, we incurred the wrath of the nobles on the south bank, and the coast was blockaded, preventing us from reaching the shore."

Henry said,

"But didn't I send small boats with goods to the port to smuggle them, and in return bring back fine food and good wine?"

Upon hearing this, Wilson spat and roared:

"Pirates aren't smugglers; we plunder, not buy and sell. Only the stench of blood can soothe our brutal souls!"

"If you crave the smell of fish, I'll catch you a fish and let you eat it raw. I guarantee that from then on, you'll feel like vomiting at the mere smell of fish."

Before the crowd could erupt in protest, Henry silenced Wilson, then raised his axe in a show of force.

"Listen up, all of you. If Matim were here, you certainly wouldn't dare let any complaints reach his ears. But don't forget, Matim died by my axe!"

Clearly, the speech did not convince the group, but the pirates still dispersed.

Henry breathed a sigh of relief and temporarily suppressed his "protest".

He certainly understood that eliminating Wall and Wilson, the two ringleaders, was undoubtedly the simplest solution.

However, the undisciplined and free-spirited pirates would inevitably be provoked to rebel, making the situation difficult to control.

In the pirate world, might makes right, so Henry still believed that proving himself as soon as possible was the only solution.

A few days later, the Soaring Spaceship had approached the mainland again and sailed a distance.

Benson found Henry:

"Boss, we're almost at Elbow Point, which is the southernmost point of the Ancent Continent."

Upon hearing this news, Henry fell into deep thought.

All he knew was that Natalie's ship had sailed south, but once it reached Elbow Point, the option of "south" was no longer available.

The trading ships might return the way they came, or head northeast towards the capital, or even cross the Flameheart Sea to the east.

Henry couldn't determine the merchant ship's whereabouts, but it likely stopped at Elbow Point, where clues about Natalie might be found.

So Henry decided to go ashore and investigate himself.

Henry ordered the cargo to be moved onto the small boat, in exchange for some supplies for the ship.

There were three people accompanying him: Benson, Wall, and Wilson.

The reason for bringing Wall and Wilson along was simply because Henry didn't want them to stay on the Flying Leap.

Without Henry's watchful eye, who knows what they might incite the other pirates to do?

Elbow Horn should actually be called Elbow Island. The island is shaped like an elbow bone and is completely separated from the continent of Ancent.

The narrow body of water between the island and the mainland is called the Bone Marrow Gorge.

Along the coast on both sides of the strait lies the southernmost port of the kingdom, Bone Marrow Port.

The four men pulled the small boat ashore and ran it aground not far from the dock, then carried the goods toward the market.

Upon arrival, Henry ordered the three of them to sell the goods and purchase some supplies.

He also secretly instructed Benson to keep an eye on Wall and Wilson.

Henry arrived at the dock alone, intending to conduct an investigation.

Although not a major sea route, the port of Caogang was still bustling with activity.

However, Marrow Harbor is a vital passage connecting the east and west of the Ancent continent, and its prosperity astonished Henry.

The docks on both sides of the strait were filled with ships, and countless goods were being loaded and unloaded from the decks.

The fact that merchants in the port even went to the gangplank to buy and sell their goods shows that trade was thriving in the area.

Unfortunately, Henry wasn't there to soak up the atmosphere; his expression remained serious as he pondered how to find out about Natalie.

Natalie departed from the port on a trade ship, just one day behind the Soaring.

But the continuous headwinds, coupled with the persistent harassment from the loyal dog, caused the seagull to waste a lot of time.

Henry estimated that the trading ship should have arrived five days ago.

If the ship's destination was not Bone Marrow Port, then it must have already departed.

So Henry went to the dock and found an old man who looked like a local, and asked him for advice:

"Excuse me, do you recall if any ships have departed from the port in the last five days?"

The old man rolled his eyes at Henry:

"Leaving port? Don't be ridiculous. Recently, the port has been completely swallowed up by storms, and the outlets at both ends of the port are full of reefs. In this kind of weather, ships simply cannot leave. So recently, ships have been unable to enter or leave the port. You see, that's why the port is overcrowded with ships right now. Only today did the weather finally clear up."

Henry was overjoyed after hearing this description.

In other words, Natalie might still be lingering here!

Henry thanked her and hurriedly ran around the docks, trying to find Natalie.

Unfortunately, he didn't know what the ship looked like, otherwise his search would have been much easier, since finding a ship is easier than finding a person.

Just then, Henry caught a glimpse of a large ship anchored ahead, and his heart skipped a beat.

That beige warship had a dog-head statue on its prow.

The loyal dog has arrived at Bone Marrow Harbor!

What a formidable enemy! It was able to predict the movements of the Soaring. Fortunately, Henry did not rashly sail the ship into the harbor.

The port of Marrow is long and narrow. Once one goes deep into it, it will be difficult to extricate oneself in time after being attacked, and a battle may be inevitable.

There must also be warships of local nobles here. If war breaks out, the consequences will be unimaginable!

"Hey kid, you seem to be staring at that warship!"

Henry was secretly rejoicing when a sudden shout nearly scared him out of his wits.

He quickly turned his head and looked at the man who had spoken to him.

This person has a serious face, an upright posture, and an extraordinary bearing, giving people a feeling of arrogance.

He wore a suit of olive-colored armor, his cloak billowing in the sea breeze, and his right hand rested lightly on the hilt of the greatsword at his waist.

The man was followed by several fully armed soldiers, and Henry knew that he must be a knight, or at least a nobleman.

Henry's mind raced, and he immediately realized that the most urgent task was to avoid being suspected by the person in front of him.

First and foremost, you must not lie:

"Yes, the little one is watching."

Why are you staring at it?

"It's so impressive that before I knew it, I was already looking at it."

The man squinted, clearly considering the credibility of Henry's words.

After a short while, the knight spoke:

"Who are you?"

Henry thought to himself that this man was suspicious, but he did not seem to be impulsive and was someone he could communicate with.

So Henry replied:

"The dockworker, sir."

"How are wages calculated?"

Henry paused for a moment, then replied:

"Three small silver coins and fifty copper coins per trip."

After hearing Henry's reply, the knight remained silent for a moment, then left with his men, leaving behind a piece of advice:

"Working honestly and taking crooked paths will only lead to self-destruction."

Henry breathed a sigh of relief. During the six years he spent in the library, he had worked at the docks quite a bit, which is why he knew the going rate for porters very well.

Henry watched the other person's departing figure, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Those wise words came too late for Henry, who had returned to being a pirate.

However, this knight was no ordinary man. From just a few words, Henry could sense the extraordinary aura emanating from him.

This person was spotted near that dog-headed ship. Could he be the loyal Hubert Payton?

If this is the truth, then he is indeed a fearsome man.

Henry refocused his attention and decided to continue searching for Natalie.

The dock was packed with people, and it was not easy to find a small, thin person in the dense crowd.

If Natalie had stayed in Bone Marrow Port for several days on that trading ship, would she have become one of the locals her age?

It's highly likely; what happened at the trough port is a direct example.

So Henry decided to ask a few children for their opinions.

Suddenly, Henry's gaze fell on a group of people sitting on wooden crates.

The group chatted idly while peeling and eating tangerines.

Henry suddenly remembered that Aoyama oranges were a specialty product exported from Caogang!