Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

"Alright, alright."

"Why are there so many people on the ship?"

"They are His Excellency's army officers, riding our ship back from Gui Tu City." The acting captain added, "They're from our Sea Blue Army."

"Oh?" The tax collector raised an eyebrow, scrutinzing the deck where groups of warrant officers were scattered about. The warrant officers were all dressed in military academy uniforms, looking vigorous and spirited, and didn't look like slaves no matter how one looked at them.

The tax collector came to a conclusion in his heart, knowing these people were not slaves, but still sneered at the acting captain, "If you dare to traffic humans, you're as good as dead, do you understand?"

"Understand, understand," the acting captain hurriedly nodded. The laws of the member states of the Alliance varied, and attitudes towards slavery were different as well. But in the Sea Blue Republic, bribing a public officer only cost you a hand, while human trafficking cost you your head.

"Take me to check the cargo."

"Alright, alright."

The acting captain of the Bandit Gull led the two tax collectors down into the ship's hold. This original first mate, an old sailor of more than a dozen years at sea, was still going to suffer a social beating due to his lack of social experience.

What awaited the Bandit Gull was to be a strict and thorough inspection. I wonder if the portly captain still adrift at sea would suddenly feel a pang in his chest?

"Hey! I've got it!" Andre suddenly shouted excitedly, dancing around and explaining his latest mathematical theory to Winters and Bard, "I've figured out how to get us all ashore the fastest using this small boat. First, send three people ashore, then have it come back and only carry a cargo each time, cycling back and forth.

Use only one person to row each time, and make sure each person rows only once, so that everyone has enough energy.

"With only twenty-seven trips, we could get all of us and our luggage ashore..."

So, this gentleman had been silent all this time just to ponder over his own mathematical theory.

Winters and Bard exchanged another pained look, and Winters suddenly felt a phantom limb pain flare up, causing him to sigh deeply as he supported his forehead.

Bard, with deep seriousness, said to Andre, "I never would have thought you such a mathematical genius. There's a problem I've never been able to figure out, and I must ask for your instruction. An old man had to cross a river with a wolf, a sheep, and a basket of turnips. The boat was too small, so he could only carry one thing at a time. The wolf wanted to eat the sheep, the sheep the turnips; how could the old man get all three across the river unharmed?"

A painful sigh escaped from the deepest part of Winters' chest, feeling his phantom limb pain intensify.

Later on, the tax collector counted the goods, collected the money, left a receipt, and then went to inspect other ships in a small boat.

The Bandit Gull anchored overnight outside Sea Blue Port, waiting to enter the port the next day.

Major Moritz, a severe alcoholic, continued his sighing and circling on the open deck.

Winters lay on the deck, unable to sleep as he tossed and turned. Just a few kilometers away lay his homeland, which he had longed for day and night.

Not far from Winters, Bard seemed to be sleeping sweetly.

Winters suddenly realized that he was finally returning home, but Bard was leaving his homeland; he must be feeling uneasy as well.

The night passed without a word.

—————I am the dividing line between leaving home and returning to it—————

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Assuming the luggage of two people equals the weight of one person, and the boat's maximum load is three people, and there are thirty-six people in all. Can it be guaranteed that each time only one person rows and each person only rows one one-way trip, that twenty-seven round trips can get everyone ashore?

Actually, it can't.

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