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There was also the issue of how quickly they could load it. She had made a mistake – she reckoned – in choosing the iron ship, because they had taken too long to load it, and as a result, they had been caught by the city guard as they attempted to flee.

No, she needed something light and easy to remove.

The number of guards that patrolled the port highlighted the importance of such a thing. There were a hundred, at least. Most of them were sitting down, looking out at sea, but a few were hastling the traders.

She ignored the various arguments that were going on, and worked on staying inconspicuous as she looked out across the port. A duo of European men walked passed her, carrying a crate of muskets, and she could not help but stare.

’If we were to sack a ship like that... We’d have enough cargo to equal ten of the smaller vessels.’

But there were numerous problems with that. The loading times would be far too long. The only way that could be conveivable would be if they managed to take control of the ship itself, and then sail it away.

In the end, she shrugged such thoughts from her mind. It was too risky – especially since it was only their second raid – and she cautioned herself against growing too greedy.

With her veil on, the looks her way were minimal, and she was able to concentrate fully on her task. The difficulty merely lay in time. Not all the vessels were constantly loading or unloading, and so she had to be patient to find out what they kept under the deck.

Eventually, her interest was piqued by a certain vessel in which the captain came off carrying an arm full of silk rolls. A single armful was not worth the hassle, but if the entire lower deck was laden with them, then they would have their opportunity.

She felt an excited sensation rise up from with her chest as she saw men begin to disembark behind him, each carrying an armful of silken rolls.

’Ho... This shows promise.’

She decided. There was more than enough cargo for them to make a handsome amount of. All that lay in question now was her to find out whether such a thing was a regular occurrence, and such information would only be attained after using a certain skill.

As the last man walked off with his load, she loosened the kimono around her chest, so that her wares could better be shown, and then she moved into his path, looking the other way, as though distracted.

They bumped shoulders and she fell to the floor with a yelp.

He opened his mouth, about to curse, but when he looked down, the veil had shifted slightly, and he was able to get a better look at her face. That, and the slightest peek of her chest was enough to quieten him.

"Ah... Are you alright?"

He asked instead, attempting to help her to her feet. She allowed him to do as he pleased, and grasped his arm, heaving herself upwards as though it was difficult.

"Thank you... I’m sorry for getting in your way. But my, you really are strong."

She said, feigning being impressed. He was holding the rolls of silk in one arm, whilst he lifted her to his feet with another. It was enough strength to be considered average, but having her compliment it – with due justifaction he thought – did much to smooth things over.

"Aha! Strongest on my crew, it’s true. And no worries lass."

He paused there, looking as though he wished to say more, but he could not think of the words. The men of his crew had looked back and seen him chatting to her now, and were shouting at him to hurry up.

"I... Men like you, are the reason I still haven’t given up hope. I would love to have a drink with you – if you wouldn’t mind – but I have to leave for my village for a few days."

She said, looking genuinely sad. Her acting skills – as Gengyo had noted when they first met – were impressive indeed.

His face too was a mask of emotion, a smile broke out as he heard the beginning part of the sentence, but that smile was replaced to bitterness towards the end. It seemed like she was simply letting him down easily because she did not want to offend him.

"Ha. It’s fine."

He lamented, trying to not seem too upset – it was her that brought it up anyway.

"No! It’s not like that. I really do want to. Will you be coming back to Toyokawa soon?"

She asked, looking up at him with big pleading eyes.

"Ah..? Ah! Yes, we will. In five days time – another load of silk I’m told. So I’ll see you then?"

He asked, seeking confirmation.

"Perfect! I will be here in five days, waiting at the port, as I was today."

His smile grew, and she glanced toward his crewmates who were shouting and jeering at him, telling him to stop wasting time on women, and get over there and help them.

"You had better go before you get in trouble."

"Aye! See you later, lass."

He said giddly, as he walked away with a spring in his step.

As soon he disappeared, her smile faded, and she resumed a cold mask, readjusting her kimono, and realigning her veil.

’Perfect.’

She complimented herself. With a few simple words that were devoid of true intent, she was able to squeeze the information from him. He had even clarified what goods they would be taking. The stars had aligned for their second raid, it seemed. No doubt the others would be pleased.

Before she left, she walked along the port once more. This time her intent was more focused on the military vessels. They needed to keep a firm eye out for the city guard as they carried out these raids, and if she could give them a rough estimate of how many military vessels there were, then they would be able to plan ahead.

All she could spy, after walking up and down the port several times, was three small bow sh.i.p.s, and another large ship alongside them. Whilst large, it was still half the size of any European vessels. Yet it was likely superior to the small bow-dependant sh.i.p.s, as it was designed to be able to withstand collisions with its strong hull, and it’s wide deck was suited to allowing many men to fight at once.

It was more like an attempt at replicating the land, by simply making a wide flat surface able to float. It was so inferior to the European vessels that it was almost laughable. Both ship types were oar-powered, and their little black-flagged ship could not doubt out speed them – especially the larger vessel.

With that, she was able to leave, more confident that they would be able to deal with what was in front of them.

...

...

"What news, lass?"

Morohira called out, seeing her descend down the steps into the cove. It was late evening by now, but there were still numerous fires within their settlement to keep them warm, and by their orange glow, they were able to make out her familiar face.

She had ridden hard, with great speed. She was the only limiting factor on how much gold they could make, and she was not liable to take rest until they had a steady stream coming in.

The cove was being transformed greatly, and by now, there were a couple of small log cabins for them to sleep in. Such wood was courtesy of the oxen, who had been taken into the forest, as they went on another logging spree.

The ship was fully repaired, sails, hull, and all. It was only her that they were all waiting on.

The crew were sitting cross-legged around the fire, sharing idle conversation, as she descended. Jikouji had been left behind at the mansion, claiming that he had various managerial things to attend to. It was unsurprising, as Gengyo was biased towards the more complicated things, and the various repetitive tasks had been neglected by him.

She did not speak until she came closer. Surprise was reflected on some of their faces. They had not expected her until at least the next day. But somehow, she had managed to leave just after Gengyo, and had somehow acquired information and come straight to the port, all on the same day.

"I’ve got one. A silk ship."

She announced, as she stood alongside them. Waiting to receive their questions before she sat down. The roasting fish on the fire were mouth-watering, especially since she had not yet eaten that day.

"When’s it coming?"

Morohira asked, not bothering to hide his excitement.

"Five days from today. Time of day is unknown, but today they arrived at noon. So if we are ready and waiting for them before then, it should work out fine."

"Five days..."

He lamented, disappointed. He had hoped for something more immediate.

"Yes, five days. There are very few sh.i.p.s that deliver goods on the daily, so this was the best I could find."

It was disappointing to see that in her voice there was an apologetic tone. It needn’t have been present, and Togashi moved to rectify it.

"Don’t worry about such things, Ishi. You’ve secured us a ship – and a good one at that. I expect you were looking out for something easy to load? Well, you’ve really hit the jackpot here. We’ll be able to load silk extremely quickly."

"Yes, I was thinking that too."

Seeing the look Togashi was shooting him, Morohira frowned, and reassured her as well.

"Aye, it’s better to have something than nothing. There just isn’t much to do, aside from training."

Morojo stroked his beard at that, and made a proposition.

"Well, I’ve been thinking of building a jetty for your ship – so you don’t have to keep crashing it into the sand – what do you reckon about helping with that?"

The discussion went to the men, as Isabella sat down beside Rin and Akiko, following their incessant motioning for her to do so. They were sweet girls, she had decided. They looked innocent, and were friendly enough, but she had no doubt that they were almost as twisted as she. What normal woman would be able to cover her blade in blood without batting an eye?

"That sounds good! It’ll be good strength training for Ii."

Rokkaku put in. Carrying logs were certainly a burdensome task, and though his muscles were lean, Ii lacked any real strength.

The young boy frowned, and moved to protest, but Morohira immediately spoke over him.

"We can do. I do miss that kind of work. We’ll have to send the oxen back to get more logs though. We’re running out."

"That’s easily done. We’ll have something to surprise the boss with when he gets back, eh?"

Morojo replied.

They turned to him, eyebrows raised. It was the first time he had referred to Gengyo as ’the boss’.

"What..? Well he is, isn’t he?"

He defended, fl.u.s.tered.

"Aye, that he is is."

Morohira agreed with a hearty chuckle, slapping his back.