Shipping Magnate

1:40 p.m.

[Dentist] arrived at their destination with Chen Miemie.

The [Shipyard] was located in the heart of [Wavefoam Port], where the water level rose later than anywhere else whenever the tide came in.

It was a famous place. Even Chen Miemie, who had only been in the city for two days, knew about it—or rather, knew about the power behind it.

Among the top three factions in [Wavefoam Port], the [Tide Palace], as the official authority, unquestionably ranked first. As for whether the [Shipyard] or the [Blacktide Merchant Guild] ranked second, that was still a matter of debate.

[Dentist] knew more than the average citizen. She introduced it this way:

“The [Shipyard] is the second-largest faction in the entire city. If the [Tide Palace] is the government and the [Blacktide Merchant Guild] is private, then the [Shipyard] is a mixture of the two. A lot of people here hold government positions, but shipbuilding as a whole is still a profitable commercial enterprise.”

Chen Miemie was slightly surprised. “I thought you’d rank the [Blacktide Merchant Guild] second. You’re affiliated with them, after all.”

[Dentist] was quite frank.

“The [Blacktide Merchant Guild] only rose to prominence during the previous president’s tenure. At its peak, it could indeed rank second. Unfortunately, purely private organizations tend to rise and fall quickly. After Mr. Bo took the guild’s elites out to sea and never returned, its strength was cut in half. Thanks to Miss Bo’s painstaking efforts over the years, it can only be said that the decline has temporarily been halted.”

Chen Miemie offered a timely conjecture.

“Is it possible that the [Blacktide Merchant Guild] became too powerful back then, growing so large that it was difficult to control, and someone wanted to suppress it?”

Chen Miemie dared to say anything, but [Dentist] didn’t dare to respond carelessly.

The “someone” capable of suppressing the [Blacktide Merchant Guild] at the height of its power could only have been one of the other two members of the top three: the [Tide Palace] or the [Shipyard]. Without any evidence, [Dentist] didn’t dare speculate along those lines.

“Relax. I only agreed to uncover the truth for Bo Yunjian. I never said I’d help her get revenge.”

“Who’s nervous? I just don’t want infighting to break out in the city at a time like this,” [Dentist] insisted stubbornly.

The two stopped walking.

Before them stretched an enormous dockyard.

Dozens, even hundreds, of unfinished ship hulls were moored at the docks. Some already had their main structures completed and were being fitted with sails or painted. Others were still nothing more than frameworks, with workers shaping their keels or bows.

The shipbuilders wore matching red-and-yellow work uniforms as they moved between the various ship frames. Everyone worked swiftly, their footsteps brisk. The entire scene was vibrant and full of energy.

[Dentist] explained, “This is not only the shipyard of [Wavefoam Port], but the shipyard of the entire human world. It can build the largest and finest ships currently in existence.

“The [Shipyard] is divided into an inner district and an outer district. Originally, both were used for shipbuilding and ship sales. But as the city’s tourism industry developed, the place gradually became a tourist attraction. As visitors, we’re free to explore the entire outer district.”

Chen Miemie naturally asked, “What do they do in the inner district?”

“Shipbuilding as well. Processes involving confidential technology are generally carried out in the inner district. Orders with confidentiality requirements are completed there too. And then there’s military production, such as installing non-civilian weapons on ships.”

After answering, [Dentist] noticed that Chen Miemie had fallen silent for quite some time. She found it a little strange. She knew Chen Miemie was endlessly curious and shouldn’t normally be this quiet.

She turned to him and carefully studied his microexpressions. He was staring intently at a ship of modest size.

“What’s wrong? It’s just an ordinary ship.”

Chen Miemie really was lost in thought. He answered absently, “Nothing. I was just thinking that the ships built here are beautiful. Maybe I should buy one of my own.”

“If you want one, then buy one. I can help you take care of the registration, mooring berth, and other paperwork. There are professional boatmen in the city who can pilot it for you,” [Dentist] said, well aware of how wealthy Chen Miemie was.

“I’ll think about it. I haven’t made up my mind yet. I’m only a visitor, and I may not stay here for long. If I bought a ship and only used it for a month or two, I wouldn’t be able to take it with me when I left. Abandoning it would feel a little wrong.”

There was one thought Chen Miemie kept to himself: the ship he wanted couldn’t be an ordinary vessel. Without something mysterious or supernatural about it, it would never be worthy of serving as his personal ride.

The two of them wandered around, occasionally approaching the half-finished hulls to take a look.

The workers were used to tourists like them. As long as they didn’t cause trouble, no one paid them any attention.

“There are so many shipbuilders here. They all look incredibly professional.”

“Of course. Quite a few of them come from families that have made their living building ships for generations. The entire city makes its living from the water. Among ordinary people, fishermen are the most numerous, followed by shipwrights. Shipbuilders and boatmen are both considered shipwrights.”

Chen Miemie was somewhat puzzled.

“Fishermen can at least eat whatever they catch if they can’t sell it. But the shipyard operates all year round and has so many shipbuilders. Does it really have enough orders to support them all?”

“Hahaha, good question. Like tourism, the shipyard has its high and low seasons. Every ship in the city is built here, and there are outside orders as well. The profit on each ship isn’t small, so on average, it’s enough to keep things running.”

The answer had not come from [Dentist], but from an incredibly deep and hearty male voice.

Chen Miemie turned toward it.

Huh? There was no one there.

“I’m down here!” the voice called out again.

Chen Miemie lowered his head and discovered that the speaker was a… man less than a meter tall.

He wore a dark work uniform, with a silk cape draped behind one shoulder.

He was short, but he had the face of a grown man, with rugged features, thick eyebrows, and bright, piercing eyes. He didn’t look young.

“Chen Miemie, welcome to the [Shipyard]. I’m its master, [Ship King]. My surname is Wang, and my given name is Wang Chuan. You can call me by my codename or my real name—either is fine.”

Chen Miemie bent down and shook his hand.

He knew of [Ship King], but he hadn’t known the man would look like this. In Chen Miemie’s intelligence reports, [Ship King] was described as powerful, hearty, imposing, and magnanimous. Now that he had seen him in person, Chen Miemie realized there didn’t seem to be a single word describing him as “tall.”

Chen Miemie refused to let his presence be overshadowed. “I’m [Night Warden] Chen Miemie. You can call me by my codename or my real name as well.”

“[Night Warden]? I’ll call you Chen Miemie.” This was the first time [Ship King] had heard Chen Miemie’s codename.

It wasn’t just [Ship King]. In the eyes of nearly everyone, the name Chen Miemie—or titles such as “Representative of the New Species” and “Third Seat Descendant”—was far more recognizable than his codename.

If things continued this way, the codename [Night Warden], which Chen Miemie had registered himself, might well be ignored. People might even settle on a new default title for him, such as [Weird Diplomat] or [Weird Spokesperson].

After only two sentences, Chen Miemie knew that the other man really was as hearty and straightforward as rumored.

“Since this is our first meeting, I’ll give you a ship as a gift. What kind do you want?” [Ship King] said, pounding his chest with a slap so hard that it sounded painful.

Chen Miemie never bothered with false modesty. He immediately made an extremely demanding request.

“I want a ship that can travel on both land and water, is easy to take with me, beautiful and powerful, and fast. Ideally, it should even be a weird ship. Do you have anything like that?”

Dentist rubbed his forehead. This wasn’t making a request—it was pure wishful thinking.

Chen Miemie felt that her standards were indeed a little high. She thought to herself: It’s better to set the bar high, so I won’t end up owing someone a favor right off the bat.

Unexpectedly, Ship King thumped his chest again and spoke in a booming voice:

“Of course.”