Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2347: Chapter 2348: Ghost Shipyard

”No, Captain, please let me go, I’m really scared—”

”Stop yelling, shut your mouth, if others misunderstand, I’ll beat you to death.” Although the bearded captain’s words were harsh, he did slightly relax his grip.

Dragging the still-sobbing small man, he pushed open the door.

Outside, it was dim and impossible to see clearly, but the bearded captain showed no reaction, obviously accustomed to such an environment.

Walking on the creaky and noisy dilapidated wooden corridor, the bearded captain spoke to the small man, telling him to shut his jabbering mouth.

”If you keep yelling and attract Renko’s attention, it’ll all be for nothing.”

Perhaps the bearded captain’s words worked, and indeed the small man’s voice grew quieter.

However, the small man’s loud cries inside the room earlier had aroused some people’s suspicions. Not long after the bearded captain began walking down the corridor, not yet out of it, a tall silhouette appeared in the gray mist ahead.

Seeing the figure ahead, the bearded captain cursed under his breath, pinching the small man’s neck fiercely and pushing him aside. Then he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

When the bearded captain opened his eyes again, his gaze had shifted from a fierce wolfish look to an ordinary sly one, and his demeanor transformed from that of a brute to a naive, honest person.

”Captain Baro?” A pleasant and elegant voice came from the front.

”Yes, Mr. Renko, haven’t you gone to rest yet?” Captain Baro, the bearded man, replied with a smile.

”I just came back from the test fields, preparing to record the growth of the Red Carrot before resting.” From the darkness came a tall young man wearing the same linen clothes as Captain Baro. Unlike Baro’s unkempt appearance, the young man looked clean and refined, with a very straight posture. Even on such a gloomy, sunless island, the youth’s hair was neatly combed.

Notably, a slender Knight’s sword hung from his waist.

Renko walked closer to Baro, his gaze unconsciously exploring the small man beside him, filled with curiosity and pondering.

The small man remained completely silent, his eyes drifting, not daring to meet Renko’s gaze.

”I heard little Birch outside just now, shouting ’No, scared’ and such. Did something happen?” Seeing the small man avoid eye contact, Renko directly asked, though his eyes continued to scrutinize the small man, particularly his waist and back.

On this bleak, dim island, where it was mostly men, some people’s moral lines began to stray. The small man Birch was easily targeted, so when Renko heard Birch’s wailing, he hurried over.

Captain Baro naturally caught the implication in Renko’s words and couldn’t help but glare fiercely at Birch from the corner of his eye. This punk got me into trouble! Who would be interested in this guy?

Besides, with Renko, a powerful and self-righteous person maintaining order, nobody would dare to commit any forceful acts at Dock No. 4.

”It’s nothing, it’s nothing. I just wanted to take Birch to the seaside to catch some fish and crabs, but he heard from others that there are glowing ghosts by the sea that devour people and got scared out of his mind. So he’s been fussing about it.” After speaking, Baro nudged Birch with his foot.

Birch was initially unresponsive, but when Baro winked at him, Birch quickly agreed, ”Oh, yeah, the captain’s right. We were just going to the seaside to catch something to eat, yes, that’s it.”

Watching Birch’s dodgy gaze, Baro secretly cursed: This guy is as dumb as a sea cow, can’t even lie properly.

Renko looked at Baro, then at Birch, and finally said softly, ”I don’t care where you’re going, little Birch, just tell me, did you agree to this willingly?”

Birch’s eyes darted around. He wanted to say ”no,” but he understood Renko’s implication. Renko clearly misunderstood his relationship with Captain Baro... Renko didn’t realize that if Captain Baro truly wanted to harm him, there would be plenty of opportunities, and it wouldn’t involve him shouting like that.

He couldn’t tarnish the captain’s name at this point.

Plus, the woman... Just thinking of the words that Little Flea used to describe that woman made Birch feel hot all over, and he did want to see for himself. As long as Man Elder and the others didn’t discover him.

”Mr. Renko, I think you’ve misunderstood, Captain Baro really only wanted to take me to catch fish and crabs, and I really did agree to it voluntarily.” Birch nodded and replied.

Renko gazed at Birch, knowing full well the kid was lying endlessly, but when speaking of ”willingness,” he was genuinely sincere.

”Since you’re willing, then bear the consequences yourself.” Renko said no more, stepping aside to lean against the wooden wall, clearing the path.

The implication was obvious; at least with Renko, they had passed the first hurdle.

Baro no longer held Birch by the collar, slightly nodded to Renko, and gestured for Birch to follow, disappearing into the mist.

On the following route, Baro didn’t speak to Birch any further, moving quickly.

After walking another ten meters, a sudden gust of wind caused the planks beneath to wobble, accompanied by the sound of water splashing.

Baro stood steadily, but Birch was unsteady, leaning against the wooden railing, looking down.

Beneath was a pitch-black expanse of water.

They were on a ship.

Wind moved, boat swayed, silence followed after the wind calmed. Baro finally addressed Birch again, ”Can’t even stand in a bit of wind, not a seafaring man at all.”

Birch murmured in reply, ”I wasn’t a seafaring man either, I only went to sea once, and ended up in this ghostly place.”

Baro knocked Birch on the head. ”Are you rebutting everything I say? Shut up.”

Birch pursed his lips, remaining silent.

Baro was finally satisfied, saying, ”Hurry up and follow me, we need to leave the dock before Renko figures it out.”

They crossed the long wooden corridor, climbed the deck, dropped the rope ladder, and in about five minutes, Baro and Birch finally disembarked.

Standing on the ground at the dock entrance, Baro looked up at the massive yet battered cargo ship, a hint of emotion in his eyes. ”The Moonlight Bird,” he sighed, ”Is there still a chance to set sail?”

Baro shook his head, letting out a long sigh.

Unbeknownst to him, Renko was leaning in the shadow of the mast on the deck, ears twitching slightly.

”Set sail, huh? I hope so,” Renko mused to himself, ”I don’t want to stay on this cursed island forever.”

After murmuring to himself, Renko suddenly lifted his head, looking into the darkness.

”Captain Baro said they were going to the seaside? Hah, but they’re heading north along the inner lake, that’s not the way to the beach.” Renko frowned, ”Could Birch really be with Baro? Seems unlikely. And if they really were up to something, why go outside?”

Outside not only had beasts and venomous snakes, but also the possibility of encountering people from other docks, who had fallen completely into darkness and couldn’t even be called human anymore.

Renko pondered for a bit, hesitating repeatedly, but finally decided to pick up his weapon. His figure flickered and then vanished into the darkness below.

...

This island has no officially recognized name, located in the misty region, almost perpetually shrouded by mist, and sunlight can’t penetrate, making the difference between day and night negligible, always eerie and misty.

However, despite the mist, it’s relatively safe on the island.

There is a huge inland lake on the island, where some old ship wrecks lay, accumulating a large number of dilapidated or sunken ships, making it look like a graveyard of ships.

Therefore, some call this place Ghost Dockyard Island.

The reason it’s called Ghost Dockyard Island, not Ghost Ship Island, is because the inland lake has several large usable dockyards, where the majority of the shipwrecks are piled up in the dockyards.

The Moonlight Tern is docked at Dock 4 of the inland lake.

Other dockyards are also occupied by some people, including Renco’s Broken Blood, which is at Dock 1, the largest and best-equipped dockyard in the inland lake.

This also shows that Renco, who occupies Dock 1, is definitely not to be underestimated.

At this moment, Captain Baro is leading Birch around the lakeside to this renowned Dock 1.

”You know Renko, he doesn’t talk much, but letting us leave might cause some speculation among the others on the ship.” Baro said to Birch, who walked beside him with a gloomy expression: ”Explain when we get back, don’t let them misunderstand the two of us.”

”They didn’t even think how I could possibly look at...” Baro stopped mid-sentence.

Birch naturally understood what Baro meant, though he didn’t dare to retort, he was inwardly echoing Baro’s same thoughts.

”Ah, Renko really has an excess sense of justice. If not for him, we could have discussed with others and snatched it directly... instead of sneaking around like this.” Birch muttered.

Baro stopped, turned around, and pressed his finger hard on Birch’s forehead: ”Now you’re complaining about Renko? Think about it, if it weren’t for Renko, how could the Moonlight Tern have maintained such good order these past six months?”

Although Baro dislikes Renko from a standpoint, he has to admit that having someone as powerful as Renko on board not only prevents major internal chaos on the Moonlight Tern but also repelled many external enemies that coveted the ship’s resources, asserting their strength.

Now on Ghost Dockyard Island, Docks 4 and 1 are almost parallel major forces, which is possible due to Renko’s strength.

However, though Renko brings many benefits, he also imposes some unnecessary restrictions, according to Baro.

For example, Renko still adheres strictly to rules and ethics.

The reason they did not take on Renco’s force despite having the strength to do so is because of Renko’s moral sense, which prevents him from wanting to proactively invade others. Of course, if someone invades them, Renko won’t be polite in response.

Renco also knows some of Renko’s habits, so upon realizing he might not be able to contend with Renko, he has ceased to actively provoke Dock 4.

This has somewhat disappointed the ambitious Baro, who wants to take over Dock 1. After all, without Renko, relying solely on themselves to seize Dock 1, they might not succeed.

On this ghost island where leaving is impossible, and the deepest darkness of human nature has been thoroughly exposed, emphasizing morals is truly foolish. At least Baro thinks so.

This time, Baro is concerned about potential objections, so he took Birch to secretly scope out the situation, knowing full well that if spoken outright, Renko would definitely not agree. After all, Renko has never laid a hand on women.

This is also the difference in standpoint between Renko and Baro.

Ten years ago, Baro was a notorious pirate on the seas. Despite later quitting and joining a shipping company, becoming the captain of the Moonlight Tern, he still retains the pirate’s ruthless streak. Hence, he doesn’t care much about rules.

Renko, however, is different. Renko boarded the Moonlight Tern by chance, intending to go to Flourish Continent as a knight.

Yes, a knight. He claims to be a knight in duty, and his actions adhere to the knightly code: humble, righteous, compassionate, courageous, and just... Although Baro often finds Renko somewhat pedantic, it’s his pedantry that earns the trust of everyone on the ship, including Baro himself.

Hence, although Baro dislikes Renko, he still steps in immediately to defend when Birch criticizes Renko.

Amidst their whispered conversation, they arrived at the lakeside near Dock 1.

Here, Baro became noticeably careful.

Even though the mist and darkness limit visibility, being so close to Dock 1 means any slight movement here may draw attention.

Baro’s intention this time is to sneak around to the ”Pigsty” to see that beautiful woman, not intending to start a war with Renco now, so they must exercise caution, not be reckless.

”We’ll stealthily bypass the dockyard and head to their Pigsty.”

Baro led Birch away from the lakeside, entering the forest, intending to bypass the lakeside and enter through the backdoor of the dockyard.

As the leader of Dock 4, Baro once came to Dock 1 with Renko to meet Renco, discussing so-called ”balance theory.”

The talks and maneuvers then were mostly wasted words, and Baro has forgotten most of it by now. However, he remembers the layout of Dock 1 clearly.

Plus, with Little Flea secretly helping, Baro is well aware of the movements at Dock 1.

Although walking in this dark forest, Birch isn’t as scared as before because he often comes here to meet with Little Flea and is quite familiar with the forest. He even knows where the snakes and birds are.

”Should I send a code to call out Little Flea?” Birch asked.

Baro shook his head: ”No need, Little Flea already came out to see you today. Coming out again within the same day might arouse suspicion. After all, his job doesn’t require him to disembark every day.”

Little Flea is the ship doctor on the Broken Blood. However, he didn’t join voluntarily, having been captured by Renco years ago.

The last time Baro came to Dock 1 for negotiations, Birch saw Little Flea and realized his long-lost friend was abducted by pirates and now trapped on Ghost Dockyard Island.

It’s to be said, Birch boarded the Moonlight Tern from his hometown on Sidro Island with part of the reason being to search for Little Flea.

Unexpectedly, he finally found him, but both are now trapped here, not knowing if it’s lucky or unfortunate.

Since meeting Little Flea, Birch frequently used their childhood codes to call Little Flea. Initially just for exchanging words, later, after Baro found out, they slowly developed Little Flea as their lookout at Dock 1.

Thus, whatever happened at Dock 1, they could learn through Little Flea.

”I know where the Pigsty is, just follow me.”

Baro led Birch into deeper darkness. Just as they moved, Renko appeared at the original spot.

”They’ve come to Dock 1... and they mentioned something about a Pigsty?”