“This kind of honor, why don’t you want it yourself? Bandage is my first mate, he can’t leave just yet, there are things that need to be handed over.” Charles gave James a look, and the big guy carried Bandage and retreated.

Hook looked a bit anxious, as if this statue was more important than anything else. After giving Charles a deep look, he hurriedly rushed back.

“A cripple—if Captain Charles wants him, he’s yours.”

After they left the dock, Dean was the first to run up to Bandage, shouting.

“First mate, what were you thinking? He was about to throw you into the sea to feed the fish, and you actually thanked him?!”

Bandage remained silent.

“Do you know what it means to be sacrificed to the god Futan? Why did you agree?” Charles walked up to him and asked.

If Bandage started spouting the nonsense from the Futan doctrine, Charles was ready to send him straight to a mental hospital for treatment.

“I... I don’t know, I just... I long to be sacrificed, I’ve forgotten so many things... I don’t remember...” Bandage gave a completely unexpected answer.

After pacing back and forth for a while, Charles suddenly stopped, looked at the eyes hidden behind Bandage, and said, “Say no more. My new ship needs a first mate. Will you join?”

Bandage was silent for a few seconds. “But I don’t have legs...”

“It’s just one leg less, it’s not a big deal. You can steer just as well with a chair.”

When he saw Bandage nod, a gratified smile appeared on Charles’s face.

After recruiting a new first mate, he looked up at his crew, considered for a moment, and then said, “I know even without saying it—we’re getting an exploration ship! An exploration ship much bigger than the Mouse!”

Hearing the captain’s announcement, everyone’s face lit up with excitement. Not to mention the benefits of discovering a habitable island, just the salary alone—on an exploration ship, the same position pays nearly three times as much as on a cargo ship.

As for the dangers that come with such huge rewards, men who make their living by the sea have never been afraid.

“So, Captain, are we heading to the shipyard now?” Dean had just asked when he saw his captain shake his head.

“I’ll handle the ship. You all have your own tasks. James, you’re the chief engineer of the new ship. During this time, try to recruit a first and second assistant engineer.”

The burly man, all muscle, shook his head repeatedly as if frightened. “No, Captain, I can’t... I really—”

“Don’t tell me you can’t find anyone. There’s a professional job agency at the port. All you have to do is go and pick. That’s your task.”

Charles didn’t listen to James’s excuses at all. He turned to the eager young man and said, “Dean, you’re the boatswain. Go recruit four sailors.”

Hearing he’d be in charge of so many sailors, the young man wasn’t nervous at all—instead, he was very excited.

“I get to manage five people now! This is so exciting!”

“Freyr, with so many people, you can’t handle the kitchen alone. Go find an assistant cook.”

“No problem, Captain.”

Chapter 14: The Explorer’s Association

The group split up at the port, each busy with their own tasks.

Charles went to the bank first to deposit one million Echoes into his account, then rushed to the shipyard.

His heart was pounding the whole way—Charles hadn’t felt this way in a long time. It was like the excitement of confessing to a girl for the first time.

Inside the shipyard, filled with steel everywhere, Charles was received by an old man accompanied by two attendants. He was the owner of the shipyard.

“Hello, sir. How can I help you?”

“I need an exploration ship.”

When he heard that Charles wasn’t looking for a cargo ship or a fishing boat, but actually wanted an exploration ship, the old man’s face showed a look of great surprise.

“Sir, are you sure you want an exploration ship? Have you applied at the Explorer’s Association?” he asked again, hesitantly.

“Not yet. Can’t I buy a ship without applying?”

Wood heard a hint of displeasure in the customer’s tone and quickly explained.

“No, no, of course you can. I just wanted to confirm, that’s all. After all, there are fewer and fewer people as adventurous as you these days.”

Discovering a new island could bring huge profits, but behind every successful explorer were thousands of failures.

The advent of the turbine engine allowed humans to venture into more unknown seas, to search for new homes more efficiently. For a while, they thought they were about to conquer the ocean.

But unfortunately, humans were not the protagonists here. Easy-to-explore islands were rare; most were extremely dangerous, with bizarre natives and the deep sea giving them a harsh reality check.

More and more exploration ships went missing, more and more people lost husbands and children, and death finally cooled people’s enthusiasm. Gradually, people stopped seeing explorers as heroes, and instead called them fools courting death behind their backs.

Wood remembered the last time someone bought an exploration ship was five years ago. That guy, unsurprisingly, died at sea.

“Sir, what kind of ship do you need? Please tell me.”

“Not too big—a length under 70 meters. The engine must be a Glory Turbine, and the forward gun must be a 125mm rifled cannon.” Charles rattled off his requirements.