Chapter 129: The Ship of Kul Tiras

The sun rose from the sea level, no longer hiding its face. The sunlight shone horizontally on the sides of everything in the entire port, dividing everyone and every ship into light and dark halves.

The Great Conqueror of Baladin is a black wooden sailing ship made in the Kingdom of Lordaeron. It can be seen that it has been modified with goblin characteristics and looks more aggressive.

Jess doesn't understand sailing, but he can roughly estimate that the deck of this ship is about one hundred and twenty or thirty feet long, forty meters.

If he were in his previous life, he would never think that a forty-meter-long ship is very large. After all, he had heard of aircraft carriers that were probably two or three hundred meters long at that time.

But here, what he can see with his own eyes, this ship is definitely huge, especially compared to other ships on the dock.

In the entire port of Stormwind, only a battleship with the flag of the Lion King hanging in the distance seems to be a bit longer than this ship. But it's only because the bowsprit of that ship is long and stretched out, like a lance thrust forward when a heavy knight charges. It has a lot more momentum than this fat transport ship here.

At this time, there are thirty or forty people busy on the deck. It feels like this ship can carry two hundred people in the end without any problem, even when it is carrying a lot of cargo.

Especially since there are many goblin crew members, it may be able to carry even more.

Jess sat on the edge of the deck and looked at the shore. He noticed that unlike the lively onlookers of other ships, this Conqueror of Baladin had no send-offs.

"What kind of people do you think are on this ship?" Jess asked Gerred beside him.

Gerred was chewing on bread. Reluctantly turning his head while chewing, he glanced at the high bridge. Several goblins were sitting there also looking this way.

"This is a ship operated by the goblins of the Steamwheedle Cartel. As long as you pay, anyone can come and any cargo can be loaded. Let me say, I can't say for sure. There must be many people like us who came late and couldn't get tickets and had to board this ship, Jess."

Jess could only hope that there are more people who came late. Otherwise, if it's all thieves and bandits and the like, he still has to stay at sea for half a month. It's simply impossible to live.

Thinking of this, he sighed. Gerred asked with a sideways glance, "What's wrong? Do you think the passengers on this ship are not good people?"

"The proportion of good people may be a bit lower than on other ships." Jess said helplessly.

"Do you think you are a good thing?"

"Ah? Why am I not a good thing?"

"Go and ask these passengers. Would they rather ride on the same ship with a thief or with a warlock?"

"..."

Looking at Jess's reaction, Gerred laughed and said, "If people who often travel with goblins might rather sit with ogres than with warlocks... You, after the ship sets sail, find a place quietly and lie down. Don't cause any trouble, my little Jess. In case you expose something and others catch me as a demon worshiper and throw us both into the sea to feed the fish, that would be bad."

What Gerred said is absolutely right. Nowadays, the reputation of warlocks is almost the same as that of goblins and thieves. At most, it's only a little better than real pirates.

And Jess is a real warlock. Not only does he master dark magic, but he also joins an underground warlock group. The purity is extremely high.

Thinking about this, those who boarded the ship immediately became much more pleasant-looking. It turns out that I am the worst one.

After a while, a goblin behind them shouted: "Are all the goods on board?"

"We just checked. Not a single one is missing!" A dull response came from below.

"Then weigh anchor! Weigh anchor!"

"Are there any guests who haven't boarded yet?"

"What time is it now? As long as the goods are on board, it's fine. The sun is already out! Let those who are not punctual pay the price!"

"Weigh anchor! Weigh anchor! The Great Conqueror of Baladin is about to depart!"

"Damn it, quickly remove that wooden plank!"

"Yes!"

"Hurry up!"

A large group of goblins surrounded the winch and turned it frantically. A job that originally only required two people now requires such a large group of goblins to do together.

Jess's original thought that this ship might be able to carry more passengers because there are many goblin sailors disappeared at this moment.

The ship trembled slightly, and the sound of "clanking" chains came from the bottom of the ship.

"The ship is about to set sail." Gerred said while looking into the distance. Jess followed his gaze and saw Stormwind Keep on the hillside.

That huge castle leans against the mountain like a shield, while the distant Cathedral of Light is like a silver spear soaring into the sky.

Jess couldn't help but think of the journey ahead, the possible troubles he might encounter, and the possible scenery he might see. From the Baladin Bay to the Alterac Valley, the more he thought about it, the farther away it seemed and the more blurred it became.

"What are you thinking about?" Gerred asked.

"I'm thinking about what we will become when we return here." Jess said.

"Ah, I've thought about a similar question." Gerred turned sideways and said: "The difference is that I have changed. Having been with you for so long, I feel that I am almost becoming a human."

"What do you mean?" Jess asked.

The dwarf pointed at the densely packed houses in Stormwind in the distance and said: "Leaving the caves, the carved gate corridors, and the rooms full of runes... Living in these tall buildings, wooden houses, hiding behind stone walls, changing a little every day. After a long time, it will deteriorate. Sometimes on the streets of Stormwind, I feel like I'm just a very short and strong human."

"This reminds me of a story." Jess said.

"Tell me, Jess. I need a story right now." The dwarf turned his head with interest.

Jess said: "A long time ago, when Kul Tiras was still part of the Arathor Empire, they built a very powerful warship. After decades of protracted war, she still hadn't been sunk. But by the end of the war, all her parts had been replaced at least once."

"So, is this ship still the original warship?"

"Of course it is." Gerred said without hesitation: "No matter how many parts are replaced, it still has the same name."

"So you have the answer, Gerred." Jess said.

"Is that what you mean?" Gerred suddenly realized. He leaned on the railing and cupped his chin and said: "It does make sense, but there's something not quite right."

Jess knew that this slightly adapted story of Theseus' ship was only suitable for comforting Gerred a little.

If he was gradually replaced by shadow or fel energy in every part of his body like that ship, it might be hard to be called the original Jess Setho.

Unconsciously, this Conqueror of Baladin has been getting farther and farther away from the port.

Stormwind is getting smaller and smaller, and the things on the port are becoming more and more blurred. The sound of the sea waves and the shouts of the sailors gradually drown out the noise drifting from the city.