While the Portuguese maintained their curious expressions, the sailors and captains of Brow’s fleet were busy at work.

“Two months! We have to make them usable in two months!”

“At least get them to understand what they’re being told to do!”

Brow’s fleet trained the slaves right in front of Ceuta’s harbor.

They rigorously drilled them on raising and lowering sails, and turning the yards left and right according to wind direction.

Throughout this process, slaves who failed to adapt properly were sold back to the slave market and replaced with new ones.

The sailors treated the slaves harshly, but the slaves desperately followed their commands.

Through the English interpreter’s clumsy translation, they had heard they would gain freedom if the voyage succeeded.

And having witnessed how those who fell behind were immediately put back on the slave market, the slaves had no choice but to cling desperately to their opportunity.

The slave merchants of Ceuta were as troubled as the English were determined to find usable slaves.

“Another return?”

“Why are they so picky…”

One of the conditions set by the English was particularly demanding.

• They should understand at least some basic Latin.

Latin was the common language in the Mediterranean region at that time, so captains and veteran sailors—especially those aspiring to officer positions like captain or navigator—used Latin proficiently.

Therefore, they required slaves who could understand simple commands given in a Latin word or two.

However, more than 60% of slaves entering Ceuta’s slave market were freshly captured from Africa.

The slaves who met the English requirements were those from the Suez railway construction, but the problem was that the English weren’t the only ones seeking them.

Since Latin—albeit at a basic level of strung-together words—was the language used between imperial people and alliance nationals at the Suez construction site, slaves from there understood Latin.

Furthermore, thanks to the meticulous management by imperial people, slaves from the Suez site were strong and efficient workers.

Incidentally, through the slaves from the Suez construction site and the alliance nationals who managed the site, one imperial word spread throughout the Mediterranean.

This was because there were slaves who managed other slaves, and staff who constantly used certain imperial words.

“Ppalli! Ppalli!” (Quickly! Quickly!)

Whenever that phrase was uttered, slaves from the construction site would speed up their actions.

***

The imperial supervisors at the site improved slave efficiency using methods that had worked well in their homeland.

This was another method where Hyang had added his “MSG.”

They organized slaves into units and appointed unit leaders. Units that performed well received more abundant food than other units and were even given days off.

Finally, unit leaders received additional food rations on top of what their units got, plus a small amount of money.

Ultimately, if a unit leader maintained good performance without incidents for more than six months, they would become free people and be hired as regular employees at the site.

Having witnessed slaves like themselves becoming free people and receiving respect right before their eyes, the slaves were completely motivated.

“Ppalli! Ppalli!”

When they heard that word, slaves squeezed out strength they didn’t know they had and increased their pace.

“Praise may make a whale dance, but incentives can make a whale fly.”

That’s what Hyang had muttered when first introducing the “reward system.”

***

Due to these advantages, slaves from the Suez site were highly sought after.

The Ottomans acquired the most Suez-sourced slaves, followed by Italians.

Now the English had entered the competition.

As a result, Ceuta’s slave market was booming daily.

***

When Brow’s fleet had spent nearly two months in Ceuta, Brow reported to the clan representative.

“I believe we’re ready to depart now.”

“Can we leave right away?”

“As soon as we stock up on food and water, we can depart.”

“Then let’s leave as quickly as possible!”

As soon as the decision came down, captains and sailors sprang into action.

As they scoured Ceuta’s markets buying all kinds of provisions, beer, wine, and more, local merchants introduced them to the most popular products these days.

The merchant Captain Thomas met was no exception.

“You’re going far, right? Then this is the best!”

“What is it?”

“It’s called ‘dried rations’ made in the ‘Country of the Flower.'”

“Dried rations?”

As Captain Thomas showed interest, the merchant brought over a large paper bag and opened it.

“This.”

“Grain powder?”

“It’s a powder made from grains, dried meat, dried vegetables, and more mixed together. Just add hot water and…”

The merchant poured some dried ration powder into a small cup, added hot water, and handed it to Thomas with a small spoon.

“Try it.”

“Hmm… slurp!”

After tasting the ration from the cup, Captain Thomas nodded lightly.

“Not bad. Decent flavor.”

“For long voyages, you usually carry dried bread, but is that bread? It’s more like a rock.”

Captain Thomas nodded at the merchant’s observation.

When he had previously sailed to the Country of the Flower on a Portuguese ship, eating that bread had been the most torturous part.

It had been somewhat manageable with occasional port calls, but when they couldn’t visit ports due to epidemics or storms, they had to endure by eating that damned bread.

‘To be honest, I ate it just to stay alive….’

Recalling the painful memory, Captain Thomas asked the merchant:

“How much should one eat per meal?”

“With some salted meat, roughly…”

Other captains had similar experiences to Thomas.

“So we have to eat porridge instead of bread?”

The clan representative made a forlorn face, but the sailors’ expressions brightened.

“You mean we don’t have to eat that damned bread?”

The imperial products purchased by the fleet weren’t limited to dried rations. They also loaded distillation apparatus for producing fresh water, modified from soju stills, which Hyang had developed and distributed.

“This is rather expensive…”

As the captains balked at the considerable price, the merchants pointed to the “flower emblem” stamped on the apparatus and ration bags, raising their voices:

“See this? Products from the ‘Country of the Flower’! Both the water distillers and dried rations are cheaper from Ming, but buying cheap Ming products is a recipe for disaster!”

“That’s true enough…”

At the merchants’ words, the captains opened their purses.

***

Once departure preparations were complete, Captain Brow convinced the clan representative to host a feast.

Renting the largest tavern in the port, Captain Brow climbed onto a table and raised his glass high.

“To the success of our voyage!”

“To success!”

“Drink up!”

Responding to Captain Brow’s toast, the captains and sailors began emptying their glasses.

Amid the boisterous noise from all directions, Captain Brow and the clan representative conversed in a jovial atmosphere.

“It’s fortunate we could meet the timing.”

“Indeed.”

“I’m slightly worried about the slaves we brought in at the last minute, but will they be alright?”

“We’ll have to train them as we go, but I think they’ll be fine.”

While the tavern was bustling with activity, those assigned guard duty looked on with envy, licking their lips.

“Damn. If only I hadn’t been picked in that draw…”

“Still, they’ll bring us food and drinks soon, so we just need to be patient until then.”

Two days later, Brow’s fleet, fully prepared, departed from Ceuta.

“God’s blessing!”

“God’s blessing!”

As port workers and tavern women flocked to the docks to bid them an enthusiastic farewell, several robust men moved stealthily in the background.

“Tell them they’ve departed.”

“Yes.”

***

After leaving Ceuta, Brow’s fleet advanced quickly toward the Mediterranean entrance.

“Thankfully the wind is helping us. We’re grateful.”

Expressing gratitude for the timely wind, Captain Brow ordered his crew:

“Keep a sharp lookout! From now on, we’re in pirate territory!”

“Aye!”

“Raise the signal flags too!”

As signal flags rose on the mast of the flagship “Golden Brow,” other ships raised their flags as well.

The sailors of Brow’s fleet carefully scanned their surroundings. Tense as they surveyed the area, they uniformly cursed the Portuguese.

“Damn Portuguese bastards…”

***

The entrance to the Mediterranean was notorious for swarming with pirates.

The original plan had been to accompany a Portuguese fleet departing from Ceuta for Lisbon. However, for some reason, the Portuguese refused to travel together.

“Due to circumstances we cannot disclose, our departure has been delayed.”

“How long is the delay?”

“At least a month?”

“Blast!”

After hearing the Portuguese response, Brow explained the situation to the clan representative.

“It seems the Portuguese are deliberately obstructing us.”

“Portugal? Why?”

“Who stands to lose the most if our exploration succeeds?”

“Ah…”

In the end, Brow’s fleet had no choice but to decide on departing alone. They couldn’t afford to remain in Ceuta any longer due to financial constraints.

***

Just as Brow’s fleet reached the Mediterranean entrance, the lookout in the crow’s nest shouted:

“Port bow! Multiple unidentified vessels!”

At the lookout’s cry, Captain Brow rushed to the forecastle and pulled out his monocular.

“They’re neither Portuguese nor Spanish… High probability they’re pirates.”

After confirming the approaching vessels, Captain Brow loudly commanded:

“Battle stations! Raise the signal flag!”

Ding-ding-ding-ding!

“Battle stations! Battle stations!”

As alarm bells rang throughout the fleet’s ships upon seeing the signal flag, sailors moved busily.

Hatches covering the gun ports were opened, and the muzzles of loaded cannons protruded.

While the cannons on the main deck completed their battle preparations, longbowmen and musketeers in leather armor took positions on the upper deck.

“Preparations complete!”

Receiving the report from his lieutenant, Captain Brow turned to the clan representative beside him:

“It’s dangerous. You’d better go to the cabin.”

In response to Captain Brow’s advice, the clan representative drew his longsword.

“I may not look it, but I’m a former knight.”

“If that’s the case…”

Slightly smiling at the representative’s display of fighting spirit, Captain Brow raised his monocular to observe the approaching fleet.

Seeing the ships coming straight ahead without changing course, Captain Brow shouted:

“Pirates! War!”

***

The battle at the Mediterranean entrance was fierce.

The fleet’s flagship “Golden Brow” and Captain Thomas’s “Golden Mary” were quite large even among carracks.

As a result, the two carracks each carried ten main cannons, with five on each side, and numerous light cannons on their forecastles and sterncastles. The three caravels had no main cannons but each carried about ten light cannons.

Thanks to this, the fleet was quite powerful in terms of firepower.

The pirates who attacked them were a group of about twenty small, fast dhows.

They compensated for their inferior firepower with maneuverability and numbers.

And their targets were not the powerful carracks but the caravels.