Chapter 147

The Hunter’s Blessing differed from the Lucky’s Rabbit’s Foot by having a more unusual function, which was why Zhang Heng didn’t get a chance to use it yet .

It wasn’t before the fourth quest, entering the pirate world and bringing the Jackdaw to begin his own hunting journey that he had any use for this item again .

The necklace was useful to him now, increasing their chances of encountering a target every time they got out to sea . On top of that, the Lucky Rabbit’s Foot should also be able to enhance the necklace’s effect . However, probability-based game props such as these generally took effect only after some time .

In fact, in the past ten days, the Jackdaw did not encounter any prey worth capturing, and the Spanish merchant ship that Billy talked about did not appear .

The morale on the ship had diminished to a new low, compared to when they first left the dock . Although the crew continued to carry out their duties each day, they were not as enthusiastic as before . There was even some slacking amongst the men . Nevertheless, as long as everything was kept in check, Billy and the crew said nothing . No matter how outstanding the helmsman or captain was, it was impossible to keep the crew at an excited state forever; unless they had some sort of driving force such as Kidd’s treasure .

On top of that, the newly recruited cook and carpenter seemed a little unreliable, where the chef’s unimaginative cooking caused a lack of appetite among the sailors . Fortunately, the batch of dried vegetables and fruits that Zhang Heng prepared came in handy . The pirates knew how rare those things were out at sea, and the lemonade was a source of relief that greatly subdued the complaints on the ship .

There were also many problems with the resident carpenter . Here was a guy that claimed a flawless resume and excellent theoretical knowledge, but after boarding the ship, he could not even do the simplest of repairs on a barrel . His skills were far from what he had described during the interview .

Of course, Zhang Heng was mentally prepared for this . There were bound to be all kinds of problems with the new recruits . However, having older men from the Sea Lion was much better than building the team up from nothing . In fact, just two days ago, Billy worked with Zhang Heng to disperse a fight among the crew . Because the experienced seamen quickly found out about the brawl, it was resolved before things got worse . Neither party in the dispute used weapons, and thankfully, the damage it incurred was minimum . In the end, they were only punished to two weeks of deck cleaning .

In general, the atmosphere on the ship was manageable, but on the eleventh day, Billy knocked on the door of the captain’s cabin .

“It looks like we’ll need to change targets . ”

The helmsman appeared a little troubled . Situations like this were not uncommon . Most of the information about merchant ships came from the island’s information dealers, who collected their intelligence mainly from the boats docked in Nassau . Along the lines of transmission, packets of information would be either lost or mistranslated . To make matters worse, last-minute route changes often occurred . Thus, obtaining information did not necessarily mean that they would surely find the target .

To be able to survive the high seas, neither merchants nor pirates had a definite route . Every so often, when the captains found out that their travel plans were disclosed, they would immediately set up a backup plan and divert course .

“I have one more lead . It’s the Duffy, a tobacco carrier . But then again, tobacco is everywhere in the New World; it’s price can’t match up to perfume . There’s good news, though . The Duffy is also on this route, so we won’t have to change course . We just need to continue chasing . ” Billy paused for a moment, attempting to avoid adding more pressure on Zhang Heng . He tried to encourage his captain, adding, “We have only been at sea for ten days . We still have time . Our food and water on board are enough to last us for a month and a half . We will definitely return fully loaded . ”

Still, perhaps it was due to the helmsman’s recent raising of the flag that the Jackdaw’s gains in the following week were few and far between . They did not even catch a glimpse of the Duffy’s shadow . They did, however, come across two other merchant ships that didn’t even put up a fight . The moment they caught sight of the Jackdaw’s black flag, they immediately surrendered .

The pirates’ excitement were short-lived, though . The ships turned out to be transporting a less than lucrative cargo . One carried potatoes while the other hauled copper ore . There was plenty of it, but they were worth very little even in the colony . Also, if they moved those things back to the Jackdaw, her speed would be significantly reduced . As a result, the heavy vessel might fail to catch up to her main target .

After much deliberation, the crew decided to give up robbing the two ships . Unfortunately, the failure to plunder anything had turned the seamen anxious . Billy, the representative of the crew, felt it the most and started to blame himself .

He had purchased the two pieces of information from dealers that he was familiar with . He was also the one who recommended this route to Zhang Heng . Ultimately, this caused them to be in the predicament that they were in now . The Jackdaw had powerful guns, but she couldn’t find a target worthy of her firepower . Factoring in the time it would take for them to return, they were desperately running out of time to hunt .

So, on the nineteenth day, Billy went to meet Zhang Heng . “This is all my mistake . We shouldn’t have chosen this unpopular route . You reminded me of the risks, but I let that perfume ship get to my head . If we had chosen a more popular route from the beginning, we would’ve made a lot of money by now . ”

“Billy, this is not your fault . We discussed this together and even had the crew’s consent . You’re not responsible for our situation right now,” Zhang Heng said . “Anyone getting such information back on the island would surely give it a try . ”

“But this is our maiden voyage; that’s the problem,” lamented the helmsman who smiled bitterly . “Right now, we don’t have a lot of room to make mistakes . I thought the intelligence was good since there is little pirate activity in the vicinity . I really don’t know why we still haven’t seen the two ships–which is why I’m suggesting that we change course immediately and try our luck on a more popular route . The nearest one from here only takes about five days . If we are lucky, we can still hunt for about a week . ”

“But that route is also frequented by pirate hunters and the navy,” Zhang Heng said . “If you had told me that you wanted to go there when we left port, I wouldn’t have said anything against it . But with the low morale on the ship right now, what do you think our chances of winning are?”

Billy fell silent . He knew what Zhang Heng said was true . The helmsman sighed, “We should have taken that copper ship . At least, we could hand out some money to everyone . ”

Zhang Heng shook his head . “Those things are useless . We are a warship, and our cargo hold is limited . If we want to take anything, it would have to be valuable . Besides, this is our first voyage . Only a big win can boost our reputation . ”

Billy looked a little confused . Naturally, Zhang Heng, the captain, should have been most anxious . If they returned from their first voyage empty-handed, it would mean that the captain would likely be removed from his position . Right now, however, Zhang Heng did not seem worried at all .

Zhang Heng pointed to a small island on the map . “Based on our course and speed, we should arrive at this spot tonight . ”