"Sir?! The younger one has inspected the hull and planks, and repaired the cracks in the bottom tank. As long as the storm is not severe, there will be no problem... The wind is now blowing to the southeast, and the sails can be fully adjusted, and we can make two trips a day. Three hundred miles…”
The cold Siberian wind blows from the northwest and blows into the collar, making it cold and dry. On the boat covering the ocean, shipwright Jin Shanshu bowed his head respectfully, bowed his waist, and wrapped himself tightly in his leather clothes, saluting the two adults in front of him. He was not tall, and his age could not be seen from his dark face. Only a pair of big, calloused, thick and flexible hands hinted at his status as a senior craftsman.
"Watanabe, what did he say?"
"Oh! Murakami-kun, the goldsmith said that the ship is fine and can go to sea!"
Watanabe Masumi, the monk soldier, smiled and simply translated two sentences, obviously missing a lot of content. Murakami Jidong, the ship's supervisor, frowned in dissatisfaction and snorted, but he couldn't understand the language and there was really nothing he could do. He pondered for a moment, glanced at the monk soldier Watanabe, then took out two pieces of fine deerskin and handed them to the shipwright Jin Shanshu.
"Buddha's blessing! Gold Shipwright, you have been of great help to us on this journey north! These two deer skins are a gift from me on behalf of the family head!..."
"Well?"
Seeing Murakami's actions, shipwright Jin Shanshu was startled and looked at Monk Soldier Watanabe.
"Golden Boat Builder, this is what Murakami-kun rewards you for!"
Watanabe Masumi smiled and said simply. He knew what Murakami was trying to do, and he just wanted to win over the goldsmith's ship-repairing skills. However, the identity of this gold shipbuilder was actually a servant of the temple and he had no personal freedom. If the Oyizaki family wants to recruit the other party, they must get Morino Kiyoshi to nod in agreement. Therefore, he does not need to interfere with anything.
"Ayigu (???)! Thank you for the reward, sir. I kowtow to you!..."
Soon, shipwright Jin Shanshu knelt down on the deck and kowtowed twice. Seeing this, Murakami's face felt slightly embarrassed. He originally wanted to have a relationship with this extremely skilled goldsmith, but he didn't expect it would turn out like this.
However, for Jin Shanshu, this kind of kowtow is really ordinary. He was born in Gyeongsangnam-do and has been a craftsman in a government-run shipyard for generations. His father and grandfather were very good at craftsmanship, and their family was once well off, and they could even eat precious rice once a month. However, in the highly hierarchical Kingdom of Korea, as an ordinary civilian, his social status was only slightly better than that of a lowly person. Every time he was in the shipyard or in the town, whether he met the "Liangban" high in the sky or the "Middle Man" high on the ground, he had to kowtow anytime and anywhere.
This kind of life lasted for twenty or thirty years, until the terrible Japanese pirates... Oh no, the Japanese samurai landed, easily broke through the town, kidnapped him as a shipwright, and then went to the Japanese country... From the Western Kingdom to Kyoto, and from Kyoto to Beiland. In a flash, it has been seven or eight years since he left his hometown...
Thinking of this, shipwright Jin Shanshu knelt on the deck, inexplicably confused. He had long been accustomed to God's arrangements, and his face was still full of flattery, but he just sighed quietly in his heart. Then, he stood up respectfully, glanced at the two adults, held the two pieces of leather in his arms, and walked away backwards.
"Murakami-kun, the medicinal materials we received this year are very good, but the quality of the medicines is a bit poor, and the quantity is not large enough..."
The fleet hung up its sails, left the Evenki camp, and sailed toward the vast eastern sea. Watanabe Masumi looked at the dark sea, standing side by side with Murakami Kitichi, avoiding eye contact, and nodded lightly.
"I heard from sailors that to find truly excellent fox and mink furs... you have to go to the ice fields further north..."
"...Hmm. Really good leather is found in the Far North...and the main placer gold..."
Murakami Jitong nodded slightly, with a lot of thoughts in his heart, but his face was just calm. He stared at the boundless sea, felt the smooth sailing of the ship, and couldn't help but sigh.
"This big boat is so nice! It moves without any sway!...Many years ago, I rowed a small morning boat to the north. It was like rowing on the edge of the Santu River. I was ready to die at any moment. …Sometimes one or two big waves hit, and the boat rolls around, and I almost reach the Kusatsu Deep... But at that time, I always have a sense of courage in my heart, I can make decisions, and I am not afraid of anything!..."
Hearing this, Watanabe Masumi's eyes flashed and he listened quietly. He had already anticipated what was coming next, so he needed to be patient even more.
"...Now that I think about it, compared to that time, I am really a bit old! This year I went to sea and had such a good big ship. I floated in the north for more than half a year, but I didn't dare to cross Huatai Island and go to the real place. Beihai...Buddha witnessed it! In the hands of these tribes, there is not even a drop of placer gold...How can I explain it to the head of Enyu?"
As he spoke, Murakami Jitong showed a trace of self-mockery on his face. Watanabe Masumi raised his eyebrows and asked with a smile.
"Murakami-kun, is the real North Sea in the far north really so scary? It makes you fear like a tiger..."
"...Um?!"
Hearing this, Murakami Jitong's eyes sharpened and he was about to say something. But after a few breaths, he pursed his lips again and replied calmly.
"Watanabe, you have never been to the real North Sea. You don't know the storms, ice, snow, fog and tides there. You don't know how unpredictable and terrifying it is, just like a white hell..."
"However, you don't need to provoke me! When we go back, hand over the goods for this trade, and prepare a guarantee for the head of the family... When we go to sea next year, I will make a trip to the Far North! And this trip will take place in a frantic Sailing in the wind and waves, landing on the white coast, looking for tribes in the north, and even going deep into the desolate snowfields, going to their erratic camps to trade... This time, it is impossible to come back before the winter sea is closed, and you must risk life and death. It’s been two years since I left!”
Speaking of this, Murakami Jitong narrowed his eyes, looked at the tall and burly monk soldier Watanabe Masumi, and laughed coldly.
"How about it? Watanabe Shi, are you afraid? Do you still dare to accompany me when we go to sea next year?"
"Haha! Afraid? What is fear?!... Murakami-kun, when I went into battle with my sword regardless of life and death, and charged among hundreds of people, I'm afraid you are still a child who has never seen blood!"
Watanabe Masumi laughed loudly and pointed at his scarred face. Then, he pulled open his clothes, revealing a large scar across his chest.
"This sword! It was struck by a mounted warrior from the Ouchi family while charging into the battle! If it hadn't been for the blessing of the Buddha, I would have died on the spot! ... But even then, I was never afraid! And now, my life, It has been sold to Buddha, it is not mine!...Haha! Murakami-kun, no matter where you go, I will accompany you!"
"hiss!..."
Seeing the scar on Monk Soldier Watanabe's chest, Murakami Kidomi took a deep breath, his face obviously moved. He was silent for a moment, nodded slowly, and changed his honorific for the first time.
"Okay! Watanabe-kun! You can come back from the gate of hell, and you will be as heroic as the Onimusha! Then, next spring, we will go north from the Huatai Peninsula, all the way north, and then eastward around the entire Arctic Sea , and come back from the Thousand Islands in the Northeast!... I have made up my mind, and may the Buddha bless me!"
"Ha! That's settled then! Let's go and see the scenery in the Far North. Is it like hell?"
Monk Soldier Watanabe grinned widely, the scars on his face trembled, as ferocious as King Fudo, but also with the kindness of Buddha nature.
"Amitabha! Namo Amitabha! Haha!"
The north wind is strong, the laughter floats far away, the sails are raised high, and the big ship goes to the distance. Cold waves rose on the gray sea. It is waiting for the freeze in winter and the thaw in spring, and will also witness the ships coming and going, no matter where they come from.
