Black Sail

The heavy snow at the year’s end had blanketed the entire island with a layer of white frost.

Whenever this time of year came around, it would always freeze a lot of people to death.

Many junkies, veterans, and prostitutes had sought refuge here. When their money ran out and they had no means of earning a living, pitching tents in the wilderness to burn wood for warmth was no solution. They couldn’t withstand the cold and hunger and would sooner or later perish.

Boss might not care about the squalor, but he still took care of the dead on the island.

Every winter, he would have people drag carts to collect the bodies and burn them in a pile to prevent the spread of plagues and contagious diseases when the spring thaw came.

SS Fuma Keqing Revenge had docked at the harbor.

There were no more tents pitched on the winter beaches, as it was bitterly cold, and no one would come ashore for a quick one. They had to warm up by the fireplace inside a building first.

All the pirates had come back for the New Year, as the merchant ships had stopped running. What was there to plunder?

Passenger ships were all dormitory-style too. Luxury ships with private cabins only fools would try to rob. The guards of the lords weren’t vegetarian; besides, nobles didn’t follow the same schedule as commoners, so there were no luxury ships around this time of year.

So the docks were densely packed with pirate ships, seven or eight hundred of them. One dock couldn’t accommodate them all, so many had to find a wild shore to dock at, or simply stay at sea and take a small boat back when done.

There were many ships at the docks, but not many people, as only the crew left on watch miserably cleared snow off the decks.