The Benedict Family hired the second type of public carriage. One carriage was enough to transport a mercenary band.
Each omnibus was followed by a servant of the Benedict family in a livery.
The carriages left the Turkey and Ale Inn one after another, heading towards the southeast of the city.
The Modima River was the fifth largest tributary of the Alvindale River. It flowed into the Alvindale River from the south of Casablanca City.
As the fifth largest tributary of the Alvindale River, the lower reaches of the Modima River were more than ten kilometers wide. Hundreds of tons of magic-powered ships could travel through the river unimpeded until they reached the Modima Lake.
The Modima Dukedom was famous for producing grains, magical wood, herbs, copper, and iron. It was known as one of the richest dukedoms in the Empire. The rich production of the Modima Dukedom flowed along the river and was transported to Casablanca.
Naturally, there were many docks along the banks of the Modima River in the south of Casablanca.
The destination of the carriages was a passenger dock upstream of the Modima River.
The carriages took nearly two hours to travel through half of Casablanca before they finally arrived at their destination.
It was a medium-sized passenger dock. Compared to the cargo docks that had dozens of large berths, this dock only had four berths.
In one of the berths, a large magical passenger ship was anchored.
As more and more mercenaries were sent to the dock, the originally peaceful passenger dock quickly became lively.
After more than an hour, the last public carriage arrived at the dock.
Under the guidance of the servants of the Benedict family, the mercenary regiments boarded the ship one by one.
This was a medium-sized magic-powered passenger ship that was more than sixty meters long and fourteen to fifteen meters wide. The cabins from top to bottom, including the forecastle and stern above the deck, had a total of four floors. The first floor was naturally the forecastle and stern.
The forecastle and stern were above the deck and had good ventilation and lighting. They were where the luxurious cabins were.
Of the three floors below the deck, the upper two floors were also guest rooms. These were ordinary guest rooms that were packed with twelve bunk cabins.
The lowest floor of the deck was the quarters for the sailors, guards, and service staff of the passenger ship. There was also a warehouse that stored the daily necessities of the passenger ship.
The hull of this passenger ship was mainly made of wood. From its appearance, it looked very much like a western sailboat from the 18th century on Earth. However, this ship had neither sails nor cannons. There were only some small cannons installed on the bow and stern.
The captain of the passenger ship was a sixth-level mage, and he had three beginner mage assistants. The ship was controlled by the four of them.
There were also some advanced mage apprentices on the passenger ship. They were in charge of operating the alchemy cannons on top of the ship.
The mages and mage apprentices all lived in the forecastle, but the mages had their own individual rooms, while the mage apprentices could only squeeze six people into one room.
Other than the mages, there was also a squadron of guards on the ship, and about a hundred ordinary crew members. These people lived on the lowest level of the deck.
Under the guidance of the crew, the mercenaries boarded the passenger ship in an orderly manner and were arranged into cabins below the deck according to their respective mercenary teams.
Feng Chou and the Salma Mercenary Group were placed in two adjacent cabins.
This cabin was about three meters wide and six meters deep. Along the two sides of the cabin were six two-story wooden beds. In this narrow space, twelve people were forcibly stuffed.
Twelve people stayed in a narrow space of only eighteen square meters. In the entire space, there was only a one-foot-tall and two-foot-wide window for light and ventilation.
The air in the cabin quickly became terrible.
Feng Chou walked out of the cabin. Outside the cabin was a one-meter-wide aisle. This aisle was located on the central axis of the ship. On both sides were identical cabins. Each cabin was stuffed with twelve people. This level of cabin could fit more than four hundred people.
Feng Chou walked around the aisle. He found that in the middle of the ship, there were about four empty cabins. They were connected together to form the dining hall of this level.
The two stairs to the deck were on both sides of the dining hall.
Because the windows on both sides of the dining hall could be seen through, and the air that flowed down from the deck, the air here was still considered fresh.
There were only twenty or so booths here. Obviously, it was far from enough for the four hundred guests on this level to eat.
At the end of the cabin was the kitchen. The crew was already busy preparing lunch for the guests.
On his way back from the kitchen, Feng Chou planned to go up to the deck to get some fresh air when he passed by the dining hall.
Unexpectedly, in the corner of the dining hall, the guard guarding the stairs reached out to stop him. He told Feng Chou that because the deck was too narrow, the guests living on the lower level couldn't go up to the deck. That was the privilege of the VIPs living on the upper level.
Feng Chou, who had no choice but to retreat, planned to sit in the dining hall for a while. At this time, the dining hall waiter reminded him that only the guests who ordered food could rest in the dining hall.
Speechless, Feng Chou asked the waiter how he could stay on the upper level.
The waiter said with a hint of sarcasm, "It's very simple. You just need to make up the cost of the first-class cabin."
"How much do I need to make up?"
The mockery on the waiter's face became obvious. He said, "Twenty-five crowns per person in the ordinary cabin and five hundred crowns in the first-class cabin."
Feng Chou smiled and took out the money pouch from his waist. He took out a handful of shiny gold coins and asked, "Then where do I go to make up for the difference in first class?"
The waiter's expression suddenly became interesting. He froze for a moment, then suddenly squeezed out a smile and said, "I'll take you there. Follow me."
With that, he eagerly led Feng Chou to the stairs leading to the deck.
Feng Chou put the gold coins back into the bag and followed the waiter to the stairs. This time, the guard stood straight and didn't reach out to stop him.
The front and back of the deck were the forecastle and the poop. In the middle, there was a deck less than twenty meters wide for the passengers to move around. On top of the forecastle and poop, there were more than thirty small cannons installed. Passengers weren't allowed to go up there.
The waiter took Feng Chou to the captain's office at the front of the forecastle. The captain was not in this spacious office, but the captain's secretary was.
The waiter took off his hat to the captain's secretary and said, "Master Joshua, this guest intends to make up the difference and stay in the first-class cabin."
The young man in front of him, wearing a silk Frac suit and a wig, was not a mage. He was just an apprentice mage.
But he obviously didn't mind being called a master mage.
He looked at Feng Chou with some suspicion and asked, "Did you tell him the price of the first-class cabin?"
Feng Chou interjected, "Master Mage, please allow me to introduce myself. I am Baron Amborite's knight attendant and plenipotentiary. My master has hired a group of mercenaries and intends to get a knighthood in the development of Benedict Hill. That's why I'm here."
"My master is rich and generous. He doesn't mind his servants using his wealth to get a slightly more comfortable environment for themselves."
After that, he took out his money bag and counted twenty-three large gold lions, one small gold lion, and five silver crowns. He placed them on Joshua's desk.