Another World: Naval Storm

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[Host conditions do not meet, enter silent state]

[Countdown to self-destruction...]

At Kaili, the largest military and civilian port in the Drake Empire, the work stop signal rang, and the porters who had been busy all day cheered. They gathered in groups of three or five to chat and drink water, waiting for the foreman to distribute their wages. Leo sat on the wooden box, rubbing his sore shoulders, unconsciously emitting the sour smell of a literary youth.

At this time, Vincent from Gramosburg came over and sat down next to Leo Sivens. He took out a pre-rolled cigarette from his jacket pocket and threw one to Leo.

"Thank you." Leo took it, lit it, and thanked the old worker.

The tobacco used in the cigarettes was of very low quality, and the feeling of the smoke passing through the lungs was not pleasant. Although it was not his first time smoking, Leo still started coughing violently.

"Your limbs are so light, I can tell you don't work hard and just work very hard." Most people working at the docks are very hardworking, like to fight head-on, and speak directly. After exhaling a puff of smoke, Vincent patted Leo on the shoulder, "But I can see that you are also tough and you didn't run halfway, which is good."

Vincent has been working at the docks for more than 20 years. He is an old hand. When he was young, he joined the army and fought against the French. After retiring, he found a job as a porter to support his family. Because of the rise of the Drake Empire and the prosperity of maritime trade, there is endless work at the docks and life is okay.

Leo took the last puff and flicked the cigarette butt away. "I heard that you participated in the war against the French. What was it like on the battlefield?"

Leo has recently been thinking about whether to join the Drake Empire army. Leo traveled through time and space and came to a world similar to the world before World War I on Earth. He not only inherited his original knowledge and body, but also had enhanced his memory. He was admitted to the Imperial Platinum University and changed his destiny through studying. However, Mia was sick, Frank was working hard to make money on the sea, the high medical bills and the creditors who kept coming to his door made Leo have no time to study.

Leo, who knows his own limitations, cannot engage in speculative business, and he has no capital. If he engages in invention, he will almost forget all the knowledge from his previous life. Joining the imperial army can at least help him escape the fate of being a coolie, even if he cannot achieve great success.

"War is not a game. The Fran army is one of the strongest armies in Asia. It is not easy to defeat them. We suffered heavy casualties. When the war ended, all the churches in the Drake Empire were playing requiems!" When talking about the war, Vincent's face was solemn, completely different from his usual cheerful appearance.

Leo has finally been reborn, but he doesn't want to die young. He feels that the army is still too dangerous, so it seems he has to choose another branch of the military.

"For the Drake Empire, someone had to go to war, it was either me or him. Fortunately, the war was won. You see, there has been no war for twenty years, and life is much better than before." Vincent's answer was in line with the sense of responsibility of a veteran who had fought for the Drake Empire for many years.

Leo thought of Frank Sivens, the father of his original self, a man who was over fifty but still remembered the glory of the Drake Empire Navy. He encouraged Leo to join the navy all day long, and whenever he had time, he would tell him about his experiences on the sea, such as ships sinking and floating in storms, sailors fighting against huge waves, terrifying ghost ships on the sea, confrontations with the French Navy, and the fact that the Marines on land were also elite land forces, etc., which made Leo never tired of it.

In 1894, the Drak Empire Navy was not ranked high in the world. The Francois had just destroyed their own Great Wall and implemented the "Green Water Navy" policy. It was incomprehensible why the Francois in the two worlds had such strikingly similar brain circuits, but it did not affect the fact that they were still among the top naval powers. Talen's Royal Navy ships had always been the sum of all other naval powers. His Majesty Emperor William of the Drak Empire, who was crazy about "The Theory of Ocean Hegemony", showed the world his determination to build a strong navy, but the Drak Empire Navy lagged behind other naval powers in the world in terms of ship research and development, personnel selection and training, and the manufacture of naval guns and armor.

Leo, who was living in poverty, couldn't think too much at the moment. He stretched his neck and looked at the money in the foreman Dim's hand.

"Here you go." Foreman Dim counted ten liers and stuffed them into Leo's hand.

"Thanks…"

After weighing the hard-earned money in his hand, Leo was defeated by reality. What could ten riels buy? Two eggs, 400 grams of crumbly bread, and a little over a pound of potatoes.

At the seaside under the setting sun, there are flying seabirds, majestic warships, and a lighthouse shining with yellow light. The scenery of the port is pleasant, but Leo is not in the mood to appreciate it. He vows to live a simple life living in a big house and drinking foreign wine.

The colors of the slums after the rain were very monotonous, and people could not see any hope. Leo walked back to the cabin where he lived, taking advantage of the little free time he had to record the knowledge he could recall from his previous life and compare it with this world.

The neighbor's little girl, Hannah, half begged and half threatened Leo to draw a picture of cornflowers for her. Fortunately, Leo learned sketching from picking up girls in his previous life, so little Hannah was still able to win over.

"Ding-ling-ling" the sound of bicycles comes from far away.

A postman took out a parcel from his bag, compared the house number, and handed it to Leo.

"My letter?" Leo couldn't imagine who would send him a letter, a poor boy in the slums.

The postman was very sure, "If you are Mr. Leo Sivens, then it must be yours!"

Taking the letter from the postman, the cornflowers embroidered with tiny gold threads on the envelope sparkled in the sun, making it look particularly luxurious. Leo vaguely knew where the letter came from, and was somewhat at a loss.

"Congratulations, Mr. Leo Sivens. You are the pride of Kaili's downtown area for being admitted to Platinum University." The postman patted Leo on the shoulder and congratulated him.

"Puli University." Little Hannah was very shocked and kept muttering to herself.

Located in the center of the city, the University of Pulley was rebuilt from a royal palace and is one of the earliest universities in the Drake Empire. Most of its graduates become government officials or employees of large companies. Being admitted to the University of Pulley means the beginning of a smooth road.

Leo was a little absorbed in looking at the admission date, admitted major and precautions written in the letter, and then at the cornflower.

"Pu Li or Kai Li."

Hannah snatched the letter from Leo's hand, turned it over and over to read it carefully, and her reaction was even more intense than Leo's.

"Is there any need to think about it? Of course I'll go to Platinum!"

I took the letter back from Hannah and put it in a small wooden box. In the dilapidated cabin, the strong fire brought some warmth to the house. It was time to give Leo's mother Mia a meal. Thanks to the strike that caused countless casualties in the past few years, the empire became a little kinder to the workers and established a relatively good public welfare system, so that Leo could receive a small amount of relief funds.

"The tuition fee of Platinum University is not low..."

"Leo, don't you have to go to school today?" Mia's voice was weak.

Leo came to the bed with a lamp. Mia's face was pale, her eyes were bloodshot, and her lips were cracked due to long-term dryness.

Leo traveled through time and felt the meticulous love of Mia and Frank. He also regarded them as his own relatives and wanted to live with them forever.

Mia had forgotten that Leo had already graduated from high school, and the illness had made the woman very haggard.

Leo didn't dare tell Mia that he was doing hard labor, nor did he dare tell her that Leo had secretly signed up for the Naval Academy's entrance examination. Mia had always hoped that Leo would go to college and have a decent job.

Leo lied, "Mia, I'm sorry, I didn't get into Platinum University."

Mia was a little surprised, and then she began to comfort Leo, "Puli University is the pride of the Dekla Empire. It's no big deal if you can't get in. Kaili University is also good. Don't give up your ideals and don't give up studying."

Mia is just a fisherman's daughter and has not been well educated, but she has always supported Leo with her life experience and love.

Ideal? In the previous life, when I just graduated, I entered the society with a little pride and ambition, but I could only find a job with a salary of 3000 yuan. It was up to you whether to do it or not. If you didn't, there were plenty of people who would do it! You couldn't find a bricklayer at a construction site for 300 yuan, but you could easily find a college student for 200 yuan. In this life, Leo, who had suffered enough, had already recognized the reality. In an era when even black bread was not enough to fill one's stomach, ideals could not withstand hunger.

[The self-destruction countdown stops...]

【System reloads...】

[Dear Commander, looking forward to meeting you]

Leo, who was in a dream, knew nothing about this.