Chapter 810: Changes

Emerald Harbor.

As the largest port in the Kingdom of Sear, it had always been extremely prosperous. Every day, countless ships docked here, and the demand for unloading cargo alone was enough to support all the dock laborers.

Chopper was one of them.

As an ordinary dock laborer, aside from working hard and sweating all day, he also had to watch helplessly as his hard-earned money was exploited by harbor officials and gangs. In the end, what little remained was barely enough to feed his family, and his wife even had to scavenge for wild vegetables to make ends meet. Their family’s situation was indeed far from good.

And the words his wife said to him this morning only made this honest man frown deeply.

“Little Bruce is already ten years old. It’s time to think about his future!”

As the son of a dock laborer, Bruce could never go to school like the children of nobles and wealthy citizens, nor could he afford the luxury of a private tutor.

This world had always been unequal. Even the church’s limited spots for clerics and opportunities for advancement were monopolized by the upper class. For the lower strata of society, there was hardly a glimmer of hope for changing their fate.

Similarly, training to become a knight, or even just a common soldier, was entirely out of the question. The daily cost of eating meat alone was astronomical.

And without any specialized skills, becoming an adventurer or mercenary? That would likely result in ending up dead in a sewer the very next day.

“Perhaps… becoming a sailor is the only option?”

Chopper muttered to himself.

He certainly didn’t want Bruce to follow in his footsteps and become a lowly laborer. Yet after thinking about it for a long time, he could only see being a sailor as a slightly better option. After all, that was the only world he had access to—docks and large ships. Thanks to his relationship with the third mate of the Crescent, getting Bruce on board as an apprentice sailor wouldn’t be too difficult.

The only problem was, what should Bruce do for the next few years before becoming an apprentice sailor?

Even at ten years old, Bruce was already considered half a laborer and should contribute to the family.

Moreover, Chopper was very worried that if Bruce didn’t have something to do, the mischievous boy might soon be recruited by pickpockets and become one of the common little thieves around the docks.

For the love of the gods, that was certainly not an honorable path.

Because of all these worries, Chopper seemed somewhat absent-minded, not even noticing the new notices posted on the roadside.

To be honest, even if those notices contained big news, for someone like him, they were nothing more than a bit of gossip to talk about over tea and after meals—even royal decrees were no exception!

For the nobles of Emerald Harbor, the sudden change of kings in the Kingdom of Sear was a monumental event.

But for Chopper, the king was far too distant. Nothing could compare to the shocking news of black bread and wheat flour prices rising.

“Hey, old sea dog, thanks for that bottle of rum!”

“Doc, that barbecue last time was great!”

“Jeff, have you heard? Yesterday old Berry caught a golden eel, a legendary delicacy. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to taste it—he sold it instead…”

…

Arriving at the dock, Chopper exchanged greetings with his fellow workers, then took off his coat and folded it carefully.

Lifting crates and carrying boxes would wear out clothes badly. This was his only relatively intact and decent outfit, and he was saving it for his son Bruce to wear in the future.

“Chopper, are you troubled about something?”

His distracted expression caught the attention of his coworkers, who immediately started asking him questions.

“Sigh… it’s just about Bruce!”

Chopper replied with a bitter smile. The surrounding workers immediately showed expressions of sympathy or understanding.

The issue of their children was also their own problem. After all, children at this age were growing fast and ate a lot, which was a significant burden on the family.

Moreover, with both parents busy working, there was no one to take care of the kids, making them easy targets for abduction or falling into bad habits.

“Actually, for families like ours, our kids will either become fishermen, sailors, or laborers like us. If they’re lucky and work hard, maybe they’ll be promoted to chief mate by the ship owner. That’s about as respectable as it gets…”

After sharing his plans, Chopper suddenly sighed.

He gazed at the distant sea, breathed in the faintly fishy air, and a flicker of unwillingness—a sense of refusal to accept things as they were—passed through his eyes.

Because he knew very well that unless a miracle happened, his family would struggle at the bottom of society for generations.

But even if he knew this, what could he do?

The children of nobles remained nobles, and the children of slaves remained slaves. Those who could change their fate were just too few.

“Come on, let’s get to work!”

Chopper draped a piece of cloth over his shoulder and called out to his coworkers.

The dock work was paid daily, with each day’s work assigned and paid separately. If they didn’t work enough, there would be no dinner for the family tonight. It was the most important thing of all.

So Chopper didn’t have time for sentimental thoughts and immediately called on his companions to start working.

“It’s the dry season now, and the trade winds haven’t come yet. I’m afraid there won’t be much work today!”

A tall, thin man next to Chopper wore a worried expression on his face: “Be careful of those people from the east district. They seem to want to steal our business!”

“They dare?”

Chopper raised his eyebrows, naturally exuding a bit of fierceness: “We all pay the same tribute to the ‘Blood Axe Gang.’ If they dare to steal our work, we’ll just fight them directly!”

In the face of survival, even the proudest must bow their heads, and even the most honest man can become ruthless.

Especially when they saw the few ships at the dock and the laborers from the east district starting to move in, Chopper immediately stood up, almost ready to start a fight right there on the dock.

Passersby, small merchants, and even members of the patrol watched with grins on their faces, treating it as a daily entertainment to pass the time.

“Ship!”

“Many ships!”

…

However, the fight never happened. As the crowd shouted in surprise, Chopper was astonished to see a large mass of clouds entering the harbor.

As they drew closer, he realized those clouds were actually countless sails, casting huge shadows. The size and style of the ships were unlike anything he had ever seen.

“What a huge fleet!”

Chopper’s mouth hung open for a long time before he could close it again: “This definitely isn’t a fleet that any local island noble could afford. Could it be from the mainland? But the trade season has long passed…”

“Quickly, back to work!”

With the arrival of a large amount of work, the laborers’ fight naturally dissolved.

After all, no one would refuse to make money. Wasn’t the very reason they fought over work precisely for this?

But now, the experienced laborers already knew that today’s only concern was how much work they could do. There would certainly be no shortage of tasks.

“Where are those ships from?”

Looking at the large figurehead on the bow, resembling a dragon with features of a deer and a horse, and covered in scales, Chopper asked his supervisor in confusion.

“Hehe… These are ships from the Eastern Continent, the Da Chang Empire, belonging to the Yun family’s trading company. Have you heard of them?”

The supervisor mentioned several awkward-sounding names.

Obviously, he himself didn’t know much about it either. He had just heard these details moments ago, but that didn’t stop him from showing off in front of the group of laborers to satisfy his sense of superiority.

“Eastern Continent, Da Chang Empire?”

Chopper blinked his eyes: “Where is that?”

As a dock laborer, he had access to a lot of information. Compared to farmers who only knew how to work the fields, he was already quite well-informed about the kingdom. However, he couldn’t even begin to imagine what another continent and another empire might be like.

“Alright, quickly get to work!”

The supervisor’s face showed a hint of embarrassment, clearly not knowing much himself, and immediately changed the subject: “No one goes home to eat dinner until the day’s work is done.”

“Okay!”

The laborers shouted enthusiastically, full of motivation. After all, they were paid by the piece. The more they worked, the more they earned.

…

The day passed unconsciously, and the sun set, with a purplish moon hanging halfway in the sky.

Under the bright moonlight, Chopper was heading home with a handful of copper coins, two loaves of black bread, fresh onions, carrots, and other rewards from his day’s hard work.

“Oh, great!”

After opening the door, a little boy ran out, holding up the bread and cheering excitedly.

“Ha ha, little Bruce, you can finally have a full meal tonight!”

Chopper lovingly patted his son’s head and excitedly said: “Do you know? Today, a bunch of big ships from the East arrived at the dock, bringing many incredible things. For example, colorful silk that looks like it’s been magically enchanted to be smooth and soft, and shiny porcelain. They say these goods can sell for a fortune… It’s a big trading company that brought them. If this goes well, they’ll keep coming…”

His eyes sparkled with excitement: “If that’s the case, maybe I can work every day, save up some money, and send you to study…”

“Dear!”

At this moment, his wife came out, holding a pot of meat soup that gave off a rich aroma, surprising Chopper even more.

After all, his wife was a very thrifty person.

“Bruce’s matter has already been resolved. The constable came to our house today to make an announcement!”

The woman excitedly said: “Didn’t you see the notice from the kingdom? Starting this year, all school-age children can be sent to the newly built schools for unified education. The schools even provide a free lunch… It’s said that the kingdom will also select promising students from them and train them to become warriors and noble knights!”

“Ah? I didn’t notice!”

Chopper picked up his son: “What are you saying?”

“That’s right!”

The woman proudly puffed out her chest: “Bruce will grow up to be an educated and respectable person. He might even become a respected noble knight someday!”