"Okay, now, I'll tell you what happened at that time..."

Captain One-Eyed Dragon was satisfied and drank half a glass of rum and burped again before he began to recall what happened at that time.

"That happened more than a month ago. At that time, I was worried about my livelihood. You also know that at that time, I was about to go bankrupt and the crew members were not going to be able to afford the wages. I was thinking, how can I get a quick money?"

Captain One-Eyed Dragon's dilemma at that time still remembers his own embarrassment. At that time, he was almost finished!

"But unexpectedly, an accident made me hear the news that Port Royal had a reward for transportation urgently needed items, and after signing the contract, I could still get a small part of the payment in advance? So I drove a boat to sea, intending to go there to try my luck and see if I could get some work to do."

Captain One-Eyed Dragon recalled that the goddess of luck really favored herself!

More than a month ago, if I hadn't had to go to Port Royal, I would have gone bankrupt now, right?

Once the ship goes bankrupt and cannot afford to maintain it, you can only sell it! If that's the case, what's the difference between me now and the homeless people curled up in the corners of dirty streets outside?

"At that time, this was the case..."

...

"Captain? Come out quickly, Port Royal has arrived!"

The Mary Pearl brigged Garen sailboat, one-eyed, finally arrived at Port Royal on time after more than ten days of sailing on the sea.

While they were about to enter the port, his first mate called him out of the captain's office.

As one of the confidants of the One-Eyed Dragon, the first mate also knew the difficulties their One-Eyed Dragon Captain is currently facing.

If you can't receive a mission in Port Royal and make a profit this time, I'm afraid the ship can only be sold at Port Royal at a low price. After giving the crew a severance fee, I'm afraid the captain himself will not even have much money left to return to China, right?

By then, their one-eyed captain will become a member of the bankrupt ship owner's army and continue to hang out in various ports in the Caribbean until someone hires him or dies himself.

There are so many such things in the Caribbean and the New World!

Not every ship owner can make money in shipping. When you encounter good luck, a ship of cargo can get rich overnight. When you are not lucky, it is still good to lose all your money!

The first mate knew that their captain of the one-eyed dragon had always had a wish: he had always wanted to earn enough gold coins, and then set up a large farm on the New World and Europe, plant different cash crops separately, and then transport them back and forth every year in the monsoon.

With his own farm, he can save a lot of money on purchasing materials. In addition, he also has an ocean-going sea boat. He will definitely earn a lot of gold coins when traveling back and forth several times a year!

Then, marry another lady from a down-and-out little noble family and slowly live the comfortable and corrupt second half of her life!

This is the highest pursuit of the one-eyed dragon in his life!

However, the first mate felt that under the current circumstances, the possibility that the captain could realize this wish was too slim, let alone the situation that he was on the verge of bankruptcy.

"This is really a strange thing! Why are there no British tax officials coming to earn Hong Kong taxes yet?"

With the help of the guided boat, the one-eyed dragon's sea ship approached a freight terminal, and he asked curiously.

Generally speaking, when their sea boats stopped, those greedy British men should have come to collect taxes long ago, but now, what about their tax officer? Even if he is an empty ship now and does not need to collect commodity tax, he should also be charged for port tax and docking fees, right?

"I don't know, Captain!"

After the first mate looked at the pier and did not find the tax officer, he could only shake his head helplessly and said that he was not clear about the situation.

"Maybe... they forgot?"

Forgot? How is this possible?!

One-eyed dragon doesn't believe that those rigorous and greedy British people would let go of the entry tax and docking fees of such a large sea boat!

It would be nice if they didn't try to collect a few more shillings in silver coins, and they would dare to expect them to forget?

Such a big brig Garen sailboat is parked here at the port, as long as they are not blind, they will not be unable to see it! Then don't expect them to forget it!

"Sir! Port Royal is now a free port, and any legal owner is welcome to collect transportation tasks! If you receive the task, then we will not charge any docking fees."

Finally, a port clerk who came to register asked the first mate and registered basic information about the Mary Pearl. Before leaving, he turned around and said this to Captain One-Eyed Dragon without expression, which was to solve the other party's doubts.

"So, what about the tax on entering Hong Kong?"

Captain One-Eyed Dragon quickly asked, "All ports are charged for this entry tax, right?"

"Sir, Port Royal is now Freeport. I don't want to repeat it anymore. Our work is very busy!"

The meaning of Freeport is already very obvious. It means that all or most of the goods can be tax-free in and out, so this Port Royal employee does not want to elaborate on it.

Originally, they didn't even charge for docking fees before, but later, in order to facilitate this order, they had to charge docking fees for ships that came to unload and stayed for a long time.

If you come to Port Royal to receive transportation tasks like one-eyed dragon, the superiors have already sent a message and all fees will be reduced! As long as the other party will not stop the ship at the dock and refuse to leave.

"Is it really not accepted?"

One-eyed dragon was a little surprised. I have never heard of any official ports in various countries in the entire Caribbean Sea that do not receive port taxes and docking fees?

Their greedy officials will only collect more ruthlessly than the other! But now, Port Royal will not accept them? When did these vampires become so easy to talk to? Or did they have a broken brain? Or did they think they had too much money and had nowhere to spend it?

“…”

The registrant looked at the one-eyed dragon impatiently and said nothing.

"Why not collect? Or, taxes are collected elsewhere?"

Just in case, Captain One-Eyed Dragon finally asked.

You know, the amount of the money should be just enough if he has the taxes he is ready to pay in his pocket.

If they turn back and say that they want to be fined if they evade taxes, where can they find additional coins for them? If they don’t pay the fine, they will have to detain the ship directly!

So, he thought it would be better to confirm it again! He only had the last chance now. Either make a profit to relieve this, or it would be bankrupt and end! He was not allowed to be cautious.

“…”

The port registration clerk looked back at the one-eyed dragon and confirmed that he was a naive face. He might not know what happened here. Then he sighed a little, put away his quill, and closed the registration booklet.

"Did you see the flag over there? Now, this place no longer belongs to the British Empire."

After pointing at the flags on the city head and above the city defense castle in the distance, the port registered staff pointed at the flags in a complicated tone and said.

"That's...?"

Captain One-eyed Dragon looked in the direction pointed by the Registrar. Sure enough, the flagpoles in the castle were hung not on the rice-shaped flags that symbolized the British Empire, but a strange flag?

It is made of a golden base, with... five fiery red sparks on it?

Wait...that flag seems something is wrong?

The one-eyed dragon narrowed his eyes, thinking that he had read it wrong. In order to confirm, he took out his nautical telescope and looked over his only eye and carefully. On the flag, it seemed like... five burning red flames embroidered with burning flames? The burning and moving flames?!

"That

"What are those...those flags?"

The one-eyed dragon looked at the port registration officer with a horror. He had no idea what the five balls of flame patterns on the flag would represent!

How could such a thing be possible? With the help of the telescope, he was sure that he had never misunderstood this time!

On those flags and on the golden cloth, there were indeed five moving flames that seemed to be burning!

"Ha! Of course, what else can the flag be?"

"Those moving flag patterns are actually caused by the witch's spells. I'll get used to it after seeing too much."

The registrant looked at the expressions of the group with a funny face.

In his opinion, this ship should be the first time that the witch has come here since he occupied Port Royal. Anyway, during this period, whenever a ship came to Port Royal, he could always see such expressions on the other party's face. Now, he has long been used to it.

"Finally, let me explain to you: Now, Port Royal belongs to witches, and the witches have occupied this place! It's that simple!"

"Also, I am no longer an official, just an employee, okay! I guess you are here to take on the reward task, right? Go to the port office yourself, and you can handle the rest yourself, anyway, you will get used to it."

After saying that, the registrant shook his head and left.

He didn't want to care what these people were thinking. He was used to it anyway. There was nothing wrong with working for the witch. His salary increased a lot, so who would be unable to get along with the money?

“…”

After being shocked, Captain One-Eyed Dragon also began to carefully examine the situation in the port.

He was surprised to find that not only the flags on the city walls in the distance had changed, but also the costumes of the port officials. They no longer wear British officials' clothing, nor wigs that symbolize their identity?

Looking at the distance, the soldiers standing guard at the city gate no longer wore the red suits of British royal soldiers, but a white base that he had never seen before, and a lot of golden stripes. In addition to muskets, there were shields and daggers? This is really a strange equipment!

"Can't this British man's territory be really occupied by others? But... it would be too incredible if he was occupied by a group of witches?"

Something is wrong here...

Captain One-Eyed Dragon pondered and began to murmur. Although the facts were already in front of him, he always felt that things seemed too surprising and a little fantastic?

"Captain? What should we do next? Are we going to the so-called port office to receive the reward transportation mission?"

Seeing the captain silent on the side, the first mate began to ask.

He didn't want to care about who was occupied by this place, it had nothing to do with him! He just wanted to know whether this place could make money like them?

"No, don't hurry!"

The one-eyed dragon looked up and looked at the situation around the port. After thinking about it, he felt that it would be better to be cautious, so he turned to the adjutant and said:

"We will go to the city for a few days to repair. You can arrange some staff, go find out the situation here first and then consider it!"

Captain One-Eyed Dragon did not dare to rashly collect the task, but planned to repair it for a day or two, and then took the opportunity to find out the specific situation here before making plans.

"Well, as you please! But, Captain, I have to remind you that we don't have much money anymore."
To be continued...