After yesterday’s hunting mission, Eust was exhausted. Fortunately, after a night’s rest, he had mostly recovered. Today, his plan was to train in swordsmanship and do a bit of physical training, but with a controlled amount of effort.
As Eust was heading out, he saw the little girl, Rika, showing her mother a shell necklace, eagerly awaiting her mother’s evaluation. Eust walked over and praised Rika, making her giggle happily. With a smile on his face, Eust set off for his training.
Eust went to his usual training spot, which was suitable for training and familiar to him. He practiced diligently in the morning, mastering basic sword techniques. Eust was confident that he had reached the entry level of swordsmanship.
Lunch was a feast, and for Eust, the fishing king, catching fish was no big deal.
While Eust and Sunny were enjoying their meal, a small, damaged boat approached the shore. Two people got off, and Eust’s expression changed upon recognizing them.
These unexpected visitors carried long swords and were dressed like guards of a trade caravan.
Eust’s reaction was because he recognized the insignia on their swords, which was from the Franklin Trading Company.
“What’s going on? Another encounter with someone from the Franklin Trading Company,” Eust thought, continuing to eat his grilled meat. The newcomers likely didn’t recognize him, so he wasn’t too worried.
Even though he had been helped before, Eust felt he had paid his dues by “contributing” a jewel to the extortionist, Jack. He believed he owed them nothing.
Eust saw no need to greet the newcomers and continued enjoying his meal. However, the two guards, for now called the “guard duo,” approached and greeted him.
“What’s going on?” Eust thought to himself.
“Hello, sir. My name is Shook, and this is Beta. We were guards for the Franklin Trading Company, but our ships encountered disasters and sank. We’ve been stranded here without food and hope to buy some from you,” Shook said, offering some Berries.
“So there are polite guards in the Franklin Trading Company,” Eust mused.
“Hello, Shook and Beta. I’m Eust, and this cat is Sunny. Food isn’t worth much; I caught it by the shore. Since you were shipwrecked, you’ll need your money for other things. Don’t worry about paying. Please, help yourselves,” Eust said, observing the two.
Shook, Beta seemed young and likely hadn’t been guards for long. They didn’t seem like the type to be involved in something like the bloodthirsty Karl.
Eust had put effort into preparing lunch but felt it was only right to help shipwreck survivors without charging them. Shook insisted on paying, but Eust refused, saying he’d rather hear about their shipwreck in exchange.
Shook and Beta accepted Eust’s hospitality and sat by the fire, eating and talking. Eust noticed that Shook did all the talking while Beta remained silent, which Shook explained was due to an injury that had left Beta unable to speak. They communicated through gestures that Shook understood perfectly.
Shook was saddened as he recounted the fate of the Franklin Trading Company. Eust listened, occasionally eating his grilled meat. Once they finished eating, Shook shared more details about their ordeal.
“The Franklin Trading Company is as good as finished. The Titan and Nika both sank, Titan was killed by a traitor, and Miss Nika went down with her ship. The company has no future,” Shook lamented.
“What exactly happened?” Eust asked.
“We were attacked by sea beasts. The Titan was the first to be hit and started sinking. We might have saved it, but the guard leader, Jack, and his men betrayed us, killing Titan and looting the ship. Our leader, Ross, went after Jack in a rage,” Shook explained.
“The Titan fell into chaos. The sea beasts kept attacking, and Titan’s leader died. Eventually, the Titan sank, with many crew members falling victim to the sea beasts. The Nika rescued most of the crew and escaped,” he continued.
“But after the Titan incident, everyone on the Nika was depressed, and Miss Nika fell ill. The next night, a severe storm hit, and the Nika sank as well. In the chaos, Miss Nika ordered everyone to abandon ship. Beta and I were lucky to survive that night,” Shook said.
“We used our navigation skills to make it back here,” Shook concluded with a sigh.
“What are your plans now?” Eust asked.
“We’ll rest and resupply in Shells Town, then row home to let our families know we’re safe. We used to dream of the sea, but after seeing its dangers, we plan to rest at home before deciding if we’ll return to the sea for a living,” Shook replied.
“That sounds reasonable,” Eust agreed.
Their conversation shifted to Shook and Beta’s hometown. Shook invited Eust to visit them on Keys Island if he ever had the chance. Intrigued by Shook’s mention of delicious cheese, Eust made a mental note of the island.
After lunch, Shook and Beta left in their small boat, and Eust resumed his training.
Eust had previously considered inviting Nika to join him, curious about her navigation skills. But learning of her fate, he abandoned the idea. Besides, as a leader of the trading company, she would unlikely leave to join a crew for adventure.
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