Chapter 102

Having settled his dinner, Zhang Heng checked on his character panel . He noticed that it had been updated .

Name: Zhang Heng

Gender: Male

Age: 19

Player ID: 07958

Games completed: 3

Current game points: 777

Items in possession: Shadow Key (E), Shadow Moment (D)

Skills: Piano LV 1 . Language proficiency LV 1 (able to communicate in three languages) . Modifying and repairing LV 1 . Skiing LV 1 . Rock climbing LV 1 . Archery LV 2 . Outdoor survival skills LV 2 . Driving LV 2 . Shooting LV 2 .

Evaluation: Player is protected by a shadow . He knows how to drive, shoot a gun, proficient in archery, and can survive in the wilderness . Player has the ability to protect himself . No other outstanding issues . He is estimated to be able to complete at least seven rounds of the game .

…… .

After three months of practice, coupled with the extra 24 hours he had in the real world, Zhang Heng had increased his rock climbing level from LV 0 to LV 1 . Right now, scaling most man-made rock walls wasn’t much of an issue for him . As for natural rock walls, however, there were different angles to worry about, and the compound of the rock greatly affected its climbing difficulty .

Shooting and skiing were the two new skills that he learned during his quest . Until now, his shooting was the best skill amongst all the others he possessed, spending only a month to improve it to LV 1 . During the night he escaped the base camp with Simone, his hidden potential was showcased as he went up against the mysterious shooter that was almost invisible in the woods . Not only did he win the shootout, but he even managed to increase his shooting skills to LV 2 as well .

That was not the end of it, though . When he was with Simone in Sweden, they would both constantly head to the woods to hunt, where Simone would teach him everything she knew . In other words, Zhang Heng’s shooting skill was actually higher than LV 2 . The only thing he was unsure of was how far off he was from LV 3 .

Besides, he noticed that upgrading from LV 2 to LV 3 was a tall order to say the least . Being at LV 2 meant Zhang Heng could perform those skills better than the benchmark .

For example, Zhang Heng felt that no matter what he did, he could no longer improve his archery skill from LV 2 to LV 3 . He would need the assistance of external factors and move above and beyond his capabilities if he wanted to stimulate his archery prowess .

The shootout at the Finnish lakeside was an example of an external stimulant—however, it was merely a chance encounter, and if possible, Zhang Heng wished that he would never have to risk his life like that ever again .

After reading all the information on his character panel, he turned it off . The ocean turned out to increase in ferocity during the night, violently rocking the vessel as high waves crashed into the boat with no respite .

His dinner churned in his stomach, and he felt queasy . This, however, wasnt his first experience on a ship . That said, his journey only lasted half a day, and seasickness didn’t present itself in such a short period .

It was a whole new ball game now, having being stuffed inside a tiny room, coming in contact with sweaty pirates who had not bathed in a long time . The foul air in the cramped space soon turned his stomach upside down . The rocking of the boat was no lullaby either .

In the end, Zhang Heng could not hold back and wrenched his guts out, puking out everything he had eaten in a matter of seconds .

“What a joke?! Is this your first time at sea?”

“I’m starting to regret that he joined us . ”

Since they had nothing better to do, it was basic instinct for them to look for something to entertain themselves with . Fortunately, there was still kindness amongst them . A pirate of African origin handed Zhang Heng a barrel, asking him to throw up into it . He even brought a glass of water .

“Thank you . ”

After turning his stomach inside out, Zhang Heng felt much better . He gave his mouth a quick wash with the drinking water as he thanked the pirate .

“You are welcome . Don’t mind them . They may have a mean mouth, but they have good hearts . You will know I’m telling the truth after you stay with us for some time . My name is Goodwin, the Sea Lion’s cannoneer,” he continued while extending his hand to Zhang Heng .

“Zhang Heng . ”

With one hand holding the barrel, Zhang Heng quickly put out his other arm to shake the black man’s hand .

“I saw your performance on the deck earlier . Awe-inspiring stuff, I must say . What did you do before this? A soldier?”

“Yes . Something along those lines . I fought in a war before . ”

“Did you win?”

“Not really, but at least the person I cared about survived the war . ”

“You are one lucky guy . I was in a war before this, but unfortunately, we lost the battle in the end . ”

Goodwin pulled his collar aside, displaying a badly burnt scar on his left chest to Zhang Heng .

“My tribe was defeated by another tribe . They killed my father, mother, and all the elderly during the war . After that, they captured me, my brother, and my little six-year-old sister . They then sold us to a gang of slave traders . We were being shoved into a ship . I don’t remember how long I was down the deep, dark hole . All I can remember was that we were all shackled and we were packed in the worst unsanitary conditions you could think of . I could hardly move and breathe inside the hold . When we arrived at the place they called the New World, there were less than 80 of us still breathing out of the 300 that came . Oh, and my little brother died in my arms . ”

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that . ”

The trading of black slaves started in the 15th century, reaching its peak in the 17th and 18th centuries . To carry out their massive expansion plans, the colonial powers needed a tremendous amount of manpower . Clearly, immigrants from Europe weren’t enough, so, the crafty powers that be turned their sights to Africa .

Europe and several other countries competed against each other to build trade centers or fortresses over there . Their goal was to mess up tribal relations . When they fought, they would incite trouble by suggesting that the winning side capture the losers . They then would buy the slaves from the winners . Some would even go as far as to hunt the natives on their own .

The era that Zhang Heng was in right now was the era where a triangular trade thrived . A large number of business people would travel from Europe to Africa to purchase black slaves, consecutively selling to large plantations in America . After that, they would purchase gold, coffee, and cotton from America and send them back to Europe, a venture which raked in massive profits for the prospective merchants .

This culture lasted until the end of the beginning of the 19th century . England, America, and other countries started to ban the slave trade . Although such culture no longer gained the support of the governments, certain quarters still did it in secret . The trading of black slaves officially ended by the 19th century .

“I was working on a coffee plantation in Charleston for eight years . After that, the owner sold me to a ship, and I became a sailor . I was forced to work nonstop and was fed with the least food amongst all the sailors until she found us . ”

COMMENT

“Who found you?”

“The Sea Lion . She gives me freedom and accepts me for who I am . The people here see me as their partner and brother . During our battles, we would watch out for each other’s backs . There’s no such thing as slavery here . Everyone is equal, and all of us here are from the same place . ”

“Where?”

“Nassau . ”