Chapter 38: Wine and Women (Part 1) Please collect

  Green Forest Bar, a famous bar in the port of Sisys, its owner is a woman named Maria, who is a well-known socialite in Sisys. She is good at dancing and has a way with people, running the bar very successfully. The sailors of Sisys like to gather here for drinks and fun every evening.

  Travelers who have been battered by the sea breeze and covered in dust, as soon as they step into the Green Forest Bar, can feel a lively atmosphere rushing towards them.

  The bar wasn't very big, with scantily clad waitresses flitting about. They may not have been beautiful, but they were young and full of energy. Sometimes, even when a rough sailor would grope their behinds, they wouldn't get angry, just give him a sideways glance and then smile and ask for a tip. If there was a man who caught their eye, they'd be happy to spend the night with him.

  In this bar, as soon as night falls, every corner is crowded with people, and everywhere are sturdy sailors. Some of them gather together, boasting about their experiences, some gather together, raising their glasses to drink, and others hug the bar girls, having fun.

  This is the paradise of sailors, a heaven of extreme pleasure.

  Tang Jie really likes this place, it makes him feel very at ease.

  Finding work as a sailor at the Green Forest Tavern was much easier than Tong had thought.

  In his view, there shouldn't be any sailors who would willingly become pirates.

  But in fact he was wrong.

  Due to the heavy burden of miscellaneous taxes, countless sailors and workers in Xixi Port are unemployed every day. They often go hungry one meal and full another, whoever gives them money, they will work for whom.

  In a situation where one's life is in danger every day, as long as one has enough money, one will never have to worry about finding brave men.

  No one will laugh at a man for being a pirate, but everyone will laugh at a man for being poor.

  And these sailors on the sea, when they pick up their weapons, they are pirates; when they put down their weapons and return to the dock, they are workers. Many sailors have had experience as pirates before.

  Especially after Tang Jie's identity was exposed, the eyes of these sailors who had long heard about Tang Jie's deeds changed.

  This mysterious young man with black hair became a captain at a young age, his future is boundless and yet he is approachable, especially the story of Tang Jie risking his life to save his captain in a desperate situation has been passed down among the sailors, who tell it with relish.

  There is such a newly-famous captain, young and brave, with both ability and integrity. Which sailor would not be willing to die for him?

  Tang Jie followed Old Ba Er and only invited all the sailors to drink three cups of wine, Tang Jie's ship was immediately full!

  Under the careful selection of Old Barth and Tongue, the three-masted Lion's Whelp, with a complement of two hundred and forty men, accepted only forty necessary sailors.

  Lao Ba Er said to Tang Jie, "You're a new captain, you can't have all the faces on your ship be unfamiliar at once. The number of people is too large, it's easy to cause trouble. Even if you can control them, it will add a lot of trouble for you. Wait until you've turned these forty sailors into your loyal and trusted followers, then you can accept new crew members."

  "Remember, never let any seed of discord sprout on your ship that you can't control!" Old Bar said this as he patted Tang Jie's shoulder, with a strange glint flashing in his eyes. "This is another lesson I'm teaching you."

  After recruiting sailors, three days passed and the new ship had completed a smooth handover. The day of departure was just the next morning.

  Tang Jie came to the Green Forest Bar again under the instigation of William and others, taking advantage of the night.

  Because Captain Bar and Nia were on duty that night, neither of them came to the Green Forest Bar.

  Tang Jie leaned against the long bar, playing with a transparent glass cup in his hand, with a faint smile on his face, looking elegant and uninhibited. Some sexy women passed by him from time to time, occasionally casting flirtatious glances at him.

  "I'm telling you, Captain Tung is blessed with a face that the ladies love. Otherwise, why would none of them be batting their eyelashes at me?" Seeing how popular Tung was with women, Beer Barrel William slapped his thigh and let out a sigh.

  "Alright, William, with that face of yours, women are scared to death, and you're flirting? Don't dream on!" The sailors immediately chimed in, mercilessly singing a counterpoint.

  The rotund man sat at a round table in the bar, not angry but instead raising his mug high and laughing loudly at the rough sailors of the tavern: "Comrades, let's curse this son of a bitch new captain who's better looking than us! To Captain Tung!"

  At the sound of William's voice, the sailors on the Hell's Gate burst out laughing and raised their glasses, shouting: "To Captain Tung!"

  The other sailors in the bar heard the cheers of the sailors from the Hell's Gate and looked over, followed by a burst of laughter, and raised their glasses to toast Tang Jie, the new noble on the sea.

  Tang Jie looked at the sailors holding up their wine cups to him, and he also burst out laughing, raised his own cup in a toast to them, then tilted his head back and downed it in one gulp.

  William saw Tongde drink the rum in his cup dry, and he excitedly turned around and patted the table: "Hey, Maria, bring more rum! We have two barrels of wine here, you'd better pray that your stock is enough!"

  Maria was a plump woman, unlike many women who grew up blowing sea breezes by the sea, her skin pores were somewhat coarse. On the contrary, she had delicate skin, and Green Forest Bar in Xixi had been open for ten years. Many people guessed that she was at least thirty or forty years old, but from her appearance, you couldn't tell her age at all.

  This woman has a melon-seed-shaped face, a head of slightly curly brown long hair, and is not considered very beautiful. However, under her two willow-leaf eyebrows are a pair of enchanting eyes, a pair of brown-green pupils that seem to speak, and unintentionally, the autumn waves flow, and there is a touching charm.

  With a twist of her slender waist, Maria held a tray of rum in her hands, with several large cups on it. Her brown-green eyes scanned the faces of the crowd, and a charming smile bloomed at the corner of her mouth as she said in a clear voice: "You people can drink as much as you want, but you won't be able to finish all the wine I have here, so just relax!"

  Tang Jie's gaze fell on Maria, this woman had a seductive figure, she was wearing a dark red low-cut pleated long skirt, **exposing her chest forward deeply and enchantingly**.

  A woman who dares to wear a red dress is a woman of unparalleled confidence and passion, and Maria's red dress is alluring yet elegant, perfectly accentuating the seductive charm that emanates from her body. From her high-heeled chest to her slender waist that can be grasped in one hand, to her plump and rounded hips, this enticing curve under the dark red outline is boldly and seductively exposed.

  Whether before or after crossing over, Tang Jie had never seen a woman with such a charming and flirtatious air as Maria. For a moment, his eyes were fixed on her, somewhat dazed.

  The sailors next to Tang Jie exchanged a look and smiled ambiguously.

  It's just as well that Deputy Nia is on duty today and didn't come along, or else it would have been lively!

  Maria's outfit today was carefully prepared and worn specifically to seduce Tong Jie.

  This young man with black hair, he came for three days, and Maria observed him for three days.

  Maria had traveled to many countries when she was young and met countless people, but she had never seen a young man like Tong Jie.

  He looked very young, no more than twenty years old, but Maria couldn't see any trace of youthful arrogance or frivolity on him, only the corners of his mouth with a hint of introverted pride. This young man was the most respected and admired among these rugged old sailors, and he must have had some extraordinary qualities.

  This man is not particularly handsome, but he has a strong facial features, every organ on his face is clear and angular, full of masculinity, especially his pair of black eyes, when smiling, like spring breeze, warm and pleasant, when not smiling, like a lion's gaze, majestic and powerful.

  With just these few points, the man was already a good lover and playmate, but when Maria heard about Dong Jie's deeds in Dam, her gaze towards him had several different colors.

  In a coastal city, Maria runs a bar alone. If she were to keep herself clean and proper, it would be impossible for her to run the bar for long. To put it bluntly, she is actually a social butterfly. On days when she has engagements, she mingles with the wealthy and powerful in Xixi. Sometimes, when she sees men she likes at the bar, she will go up and chat with them. If she feels good about it, she will flirt with them a bit. If the other person also responds positively, the two of them will have a romantic encounter until dawn, after which they will part ways without any further entanglement.

  These men who came and went hastily, although some were infatuated with Maria's beauty and wanted to stay, but Maria never spent much thought on any one of them. She just smiled cleverly and wandered among them until these men exhausted their patience and left themselves.

  In Maria's view, they need her, but it is only a physical impulse, and she needs them, just to alleviate loneliness and solitude, or perhaps to use their power to protect herself. But if she puts her body and mind on them, that would be playing with fire and seeking death.

  Men are all a kind of heartless and unrighteous animal, this is a conclusion that Maria has come up with over the years.

  But the man in front of her, named Tang Jie, gave her a different answer.

  Maria certainly knew what the notorious Jerulan Prison was, being locked up in Jerulan Prison was equivalent to a death sentence, entering hell, and no one had ever come out alive!

  But this man, he forcibly broke the 230-year history and record of Jerault Prison, relying on his extraordinary courage and bravery to rescue his captain from that living hell!

  When Maria first heard this story in a bar, she smiled incredulously, thinking it was someone's made-up tale to show off.

  But when she really saw this black-haired young man appear in the bar, Maria felt that her eyes suddenly lit up!

  She saw a strong and masculine man bursting into her eyes.

  At first glance, this black-haired man had already moved her heart.

  Maria began to ask the sailors on the Hell's Gate about Tong Jie's deeds in a roundabout way. She listened with rapt attention, like a little girl, as they told stories of Tong Jie's brave adventures in the Jail of Jalran, and couldn't help but cover her mouth in surprise at the tense parts.

  A man with such a heavy sense of obligation should also be a man who cherishes and appreciates his loved ones.

  Maria's gaze and Tange's gaze touched lightly in the air, each seeing appreciation and a primitive desire in the other's eyes.

  Maria's eyes sparkled with autumn waves, and she gazed at Tang Jie with a beautiful gaze, smiling: "Praise the sea god Tira, I've never seen such a young captain like Tang Jie before. It's truly admirable! I heard you killed a third-level magic swordsman with your bare hands? That's incredible!"

  Maria's voice was slightly husky, rich and soft, extremely charming, and very comfortable to listen to, like drinking hot wine. Moreover, every sentence she spoke hit the nail on the head, making Tang Jie also feel a little proud, he smiled slightly: "A beautiful woman like Miss Maria who can run a bar alone, I've never seen before, I really admire her."

  Very good, this is a man who knows how to return favors.

  Maria's eyes sparkled with delight, and she continued to probe, her gaze becoming increasingly flirtatious. Her two white hands naturally rested on Tang Jie's shoulders as she smiled: "Considering Captain Tang Jie's age, he still has a long time at sea ahead of him. When you have the chance, be sure to come to the green forest more often to take care of my business, okay?"

  Tang Jie could feel that this woman was conveying a message to him through her eyes, language and tone of voice that was full of honey, as well as her body movements: Man, I have a good impression of you, how about you?

  Played Starcraft too much yesterday, got kicked out after 9pm due to disconnection and just realized I forgot to update, dizzy!!

  Apologies to book friends, today 2 updates, more than 7,000 words...