Soft salt breezes whisked around the decks of the ships. Many sailors were used to this, while the Royal Guard soldiers and Larys Cassell began to feel the queasiness that plagues those who do not fare well on the sea.
"Captain Matthias, how are you holding up? If you are feeling anything like me, I pity you." Larys called out to the captain across from him, promptly before spewing his guts out over the side of the ship.
"This is nothing, my lord! I have managed to remain steadfast and not waver to this abominable feeling. In fact, I think that I am not affected by this at.... Bleurgh!" Captain Matthias boasted before joining Larys Cassell in spewing over the edge of the ship.
Many of the nearby sailors chuckled to themselves as they watched the hilarious spectacle unfold before them. Larys and Matthias were slowly turning pale and green in the face. It was their first time at sea and they were truly at the mercy of sea sickness.
Grand Admiral Nelson could only shake his head in disappointment and softly grumbled. "Truly embarrassing. For a future Duke and a captain of the Royal Guard to be reduced to this, it is hard to watch. Those bastards better not get vomit on my main deck."
They had been journeying for over a month and were fast approaching the Simbar continent. Their voyage so far had been relatively comfortable, the winds were favourable and there had been no indicators of an oncoming storm. Most importantly, there had been no sight of an enemy navy.
"Grand Admiral! How long until we reach Guangdong? I can not bear to remain on this accursed ship. Let me touch solid ground once more, I beg of you," Captain Matthias cried, showing a pathetic side of himself, unbecoming for a captain of the Royal Guard.
"Not long to go. If our estimates are correct we should be able to arrive within a week, albeit that could change due to unfavourable weather conditions. I am afraid you are going to have to harden up for the time being. If you throw up on my ship: the crown jewel of the Luxenberg Navy, I will have you scrub the decks yourself," Grand Admiral Nelson replied.
Matthias face darkened with sadness and regret as he could not escape this hellish feeling anytime soon. Larys shared Matthias's feelings and both of them spent the remainder of their trip being ill and fighting the urge to throw up over the side of the ship, although their efforts were in vain and they did vomit on multiple occasions.
The next week was hellish for Larys and Matthias, many of the other Royal Guard members began to fall ill with sea sickness, they had done well to hold out for as long as they did. Thankfully for them, the voyage remained smooth and Grand Admiral Nelson's words became truth.
In just under a month and a half at sea, the envoys could finally see the port city of Guangdong. It was a sight to behold. Foreign-looking buildings rose as the ships drew nearer to the port. Intricate Asian-styled buildings lined the paths that were swarmed full of people.
The city itself seemed crowded and constantly busy. It wasn't as sophisticated and advanced as Osterbon or Hannover, yet it was still a massive city that would attract people far and wide to see. None of the Luxenberg party members had seen such a giant city before. It was almost double the size of Hannover and probably had a population Quadruple the size of Hannover.
While the Luxenberg party members were marvelling at the sight, they soon saw a fleet of ships adorning purple sails approach. Their wooden hulls were as black as the night and on the sail was a golden dragon, signifying the crest of the Gu family.
The lead ship was bigger than the others and had a lavishly designed golden dragon as the ship's figurehead. Its size was comparable to the standard Luxenberg ship of the line but was outfitted with slightly fewer cannons.
Noticing the approaching ships, Grand Admiral Nelson relayed orders to all ships, they were to way anchor and wait for further instruction. They were outnumbered 3 to 1 and had to worry about potential cannons that could reach them from the city.
The lead Gu ship approached The Holy Trinity and began the process of boarding. In a matter of minutes, a detachment of Gu soldiers were now aboard the main deck of The Holy Trinity. With them was a young, but very dashing-looking figure. He wore a pristine and lavish naval officer's uniform, which was heavily decorated with medals.
Grand Admiral Nelson was puzzled by the sight of so many medals. It was peculiar for a young man who barely looked 25 to have achieved such enormous feats. Nelson theorised that there were two likely explanations for this. Either he was a genius without equal, or he was a royal, maybe powerful figure. They were soon to find out the truth.
Among both parties were interpreters, each one skilled in multiple languages. In total, the world of Syronnea had 5 main languages. Xandarian (Spanish) was used in the continent of Xandar. Kislevian (Russian) was the common tongue for people living on the continent of Kislev.
Asharanic (Arabic) was the dominant language on the continent of Asharan, although some tribes on the continent continued to use their ancestral languages. Simbarnese (Mandarin) was the standard language for the continent of Simbar. Bulgartic (English) was the native language of the continent currently ruled by Victor: Bulgar.
With each side possessing interpreters, it made truthful and clear communication easier. The interpreter from the Gu party stepped forward to address the Luxenberg party members. His face bore a resting expression of indifference. His eyes were brown with a hint of green in them. His hair was short and black, while he had a skinny but long moustache.
"Greetings foreign envoys, my name is Wang Jun, and I am a member of the foreign affairs pavilion. It is my esteemed honour to introduce the admiral of this fleet, the valiant Prince Gu San-Tong, the 3rd Prince of Gu."
At the mention of his name, Prince Gu San-Tong stepped forward and offered a smug look. Grand Admiral Nelson's theory was correct, this made him doubt the honours that were granted to the young man.
'He might be difficult to deal with,' Grand Admiral Nelson thought while standing beside Larys Cassell and Captain Matthias.