After buying the house, Feng Shan checked out of the inn.

Of course, he also gave Lady Margaret a check for the room that she couldn’t refuse.

The day he moved into the cabin, Feng Shan already regretted it.

’I shouldn’t have checked out of the inn, or given Frank that animal hide. For the past two days, aside from when he was eating, Frank has been sleeping in until late morning, and the supposedly soundproof walls can’t even block the high-pitched noises coming from the second floor.’

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

A thick fog rose from the surface of the Bering Sea, shrouding the vast expanse of water like a delicate veil and blurring the line between sea and sky.

In the hazy gloom, the waves gently swelled, making a low, deep sound.

Feng Shan stood on the lawn in front of his cabin. Today was the day the crabbing boat was due to arrive. Yesterday, Alvin had already recruited thirty qualified crew members.

BEEP! BEEP!

A car horn honked a few times.

Alvin pulled up in his pickup truck, parking on the side of the road.

Feng Shan nodded, first heading back into the cabin to grab the Totem Wooden Statue, then walked over to the pickup. He saw that the truck bed and the back seat were crammed with crewmen catching a ride.

"Boss."

"Boss."

"Hey, Boss."

The crewmen greeted him lazily. This was one thing that was better abroad than back home—the relationship between employees and the boss was much more relaxed.

"Who brought breakfast? Let me have a taste!" Feng Shan opened the passenger door, slid in, and caught the faint aroma of bread.

A crewman chuckled and took out some bread, passing it to the front passenger seat.

"Have mine. It’s a smoked sausage sandwich."

"Not bad. I’ll save a private bunk for you later," Feng Shan said with satisfaction after taking the sandwich, tearing open the wrapper, and taking a huge bite.

’A private bunk.’

Hearing this, the other crewmen secretly regretted not bringing breakfast with them.

Of all the crabbing boats in Alaska, only the boss’s ship had actual crew quarters. They’d even heard it had a bathroom and a sauna.

These were perks they couldn’t even dream of.

Other crabbing boats would have loved to convert every last inch of space into cold storage to hold more snow crabs.

As for the crew?

’What right do those lazy bums have to sleep in a bunk? They can all go sleep on the deck.’

"Boss, the boat’s arrived. When can we head out to catch snow crabs?" another crewman asked expectantly.

While eating his sandwich, Feng Shan gestured vaguely to the man beside him. "You’ll have to ask Captain Alvin about that," he mumbled.

Ever since becoming the captain of the new vessel, Alvin had become much more confident.

His status on Saint Paul Island had skyrocketed, and no one dared to mock his past or his prosthetic leg anymore.

He’d even heard that someone had tried to bribe him during the crew recruitment yesterday.

After all, who could resist the temptation of a job that paid 100,000 US Dollars for a week’s work, especially on a massive 1,500-ton crabbing boat?

Conditions like these were enough to make people flock to him, trying every trick in the book to secure this precious job opportunity.

But Alvin not only refused the bribe, he also kicked the person who offered it out of the recruitment line.

His actions caused quite a stir at the hiring event. It was an unspoken rule that captains took bribes.

Some praised his integrity, while others secretly questioned his motives.

Feng Shan knew Alvin was trying to win his trust and approval this way.

’It was a bit dramatic, but I guess it passes muster.’

Alvin gripped the steering wheel and smiled.

"Boss, I’ve already purchased a 1,000-ton snow crab quota. I’m hoping we can get the crew familiar with working together before the Gray-eyed Snow Crab season ends, so we’ll be ready for the Emperor Crab season."

"You’re the captain, you call the shots!" Feng Shan said, continuing to eat his sandwich.

As the owner of the crabbing boat, he’d had Frank register a company called the "Crown Colony Fishing Company" yesterday, and he’d injected 1 million US Dollars into it for operating expenses.

As for how the money was spent or where it went, Feng Shan didn’t care.

As long as it could stand up to Frank’s financial audit at the end of the year, he was fine with it.

The pickup truck arrived at the Merchant Fishing Pier.

Some of the island’s residents and fishermen had already gathered, eager to get a look at the massive crabbing boat. Among them were painters from the shipyard.

The vessel’s registration had already been transferred to Feng Shan’s name and filed with the transportation safety board and the fish and wildlife service.

Today, the crabbing boat was going to get a new name.

The sun gradually rose.

Golden sunlight spilled across the sparkling sea, making it glitter like countless brilliant jewels.

The fog that had veiled the sea like a sheer scarf began to thin under the sunlight, slowly revealing the ocean’s true face.

Soon, a massive silhouette appeared in the mist, slowly approaching the pier.

As it drew closer, the details of its hull became clearer.

The enormous blue and white hull gleamed with a metallic luster in the sun. Its towering mast stood like an imposing giant, the flags upon it fluttering gently in the breeze.

Its ax-like bow effortlessly cleaved through the waves with a low roar, as if announcing its arrival to all.

WHOOOOOM!!!

A horn blast echoed, piercing the sky.

On the Merchant Fishing Pier, the crowd who now saw the crabbing boat for the first time had varied expressions: some were shocked, some stood with their mouths agape, and others’ eyes shone with excitement.

Feng Shan’s eyes were also wide, fixed on the great ship sailing toward him.

"What do you think? I told you she was a beauty," Eugene said with a grin, standing beside him.

Everyone had seen big ships before—ocean liners of several thousand, tens of thousands, or even over a hundred thousand tons.

But a 1,500-ton crabbing boat? That was a first for Saint Paul Island.

Guided by the crew on the shore, the new vessel slowly docked at the pier. The gangway was lowered, and a middle-aged man was the first to walk down.

"Excuse me, which of you is Mr. Feng?"

Eugene quickly led Feng Shan out of the crowd and up to the middle-aged man. "Bernie, this is Mr. Feng Shan."

The man quickly extended both hands, his expression full of envy. "The crabbing boat has been delivered safely. Once my crew disembarks, we can officially hand her over. She’s a wonderful kid, the best crabbing boat I’ve ever piloted."

"Of course she is!" Feng Shan accepted the praise with a smile.

’How could she not be, for over twenty million US Dollars?’

After a few simple pleasantries, the middle-aged man turned and waved at the crabbing boat.

The temporary crew on the crabbing boat began to disembark, while Alvin and the new crew stood behind Feng Shan, their faces alight with excitement.

"Boss, you should be the first to board."

Feng Shan suppressed his excitement, held the Totem Wooden Statue, and walked up the gangway onto his new ship.

A series of cheers erupted.

Alvin led the crew aboard. They fanned out to their pre-assigned stations and began inspecting the ship’s various facilities.

The shipyard painters hurried aboard the fishing boat with their paint and tools. Ropes were hung over the gunwale, and a worker lowered himself down to the bow, carrying a can of paint.

They stuck a pre-cut stencil to the hull, then picked up a spray gun, filled it with paint, and sprayed on the ship’s name.

River Beach

Meanwhile, accompanied by Alvin, Feng Shan went to the wheelhouse on the top level of the bow.

The spacious wheelhouse was about ten square meters, with all sorts of high-tech equipment, navigation systems, and communication devices neatly installed on the console.

To Feng Shan, it just looked clean and tidy, but Alvin was trembling with excitement.

The wheelhouse of his old ship, the Yekaterina II, had been no bigger than a bathroom. You had to lean halfway out just to shout a message to someone.

Eugene, who was accompanying them, smiled. "Captain Alvin, are you satisfied with this wheelhouse?"

"Satisfied? I’m more than satisfied!" Alvin was too excited for words.

"Here’s the operations manual. This ship has state-of-the-art sonar and radar systems. It’s a bit different from smaller crabbing boats, so I suggest you study the controls beforehand." Eugene handed a manual to Alvin, then turned to Feng Shan. "Mr. Feng, let me show you the cabins."

Leaving Alvin to read the manual.

Feng Shan, escorted by Eugene, walked to the ship’s cabins. Along the way, he ran into crewmen who were all beaming, shouting and cheering.

After all, it was hard to suppress their excitement over a crabbing boat with such excellent amenities.

"Sir, these are the crew quarters." Eugene pushed open a cabin door. "This room can accommodate ten crew members at once. We’ve specially reinforced the bed frames to ensure they remain stable even in heavy seas."

Feng Shan walked into the quarters and saw five bunk beds. Although the space was a bit tight, it was a hundred times better than the primitive bunks on smaller crabbing boats.

"There are two of these quarters, accommodating twenty crew members in total. The Captain and the First Mate have their own separate cabins."

"Let me show you the sauna." Eugene smiled and led him out of the quarters to another cabin. Inside was a three-square-meter pool with an enclosed sauna room next to it.

They continued on, passing a dining hall, a kitchen, a recreation room, and, on the deck below, a processing workshop, a 500-cubic-meter flash-freezing cold storage unit, and live wells for the catch.

Feng Shan looked so pleased he might as well have had the word "satisfied" carved on his face.

When he returned to the wheelhouse, Alvin had already put down the manual and was familiarizing himself with the controls on the console.

"Captain Alvin, can we set sail?" Feng Shan asked with a smile.

Alvin replied with a serious expression, "Of course. At your service, anytime!"

But before they departed, there was one more thing to do.

Feng Shan picked up the Totem Wooden Statue and placed it on a shelf on the console. His expression turned solemn as he spoke.

"Captain, this is a totem from my hometown. It will protect the River Beach and ensure she has a bountiful catch. I hope that you will be the only one to touch it."

’A totem!’

Alvin’s expression tensed. He looked at the crude craftsmanship of the wooden statue without a hint of disdain.

Seafaring vessels had a long tradition of displaying guardian figures. In Alvin’s eyes, this tradition represented faith and hope.

"Boss, I will protect it as I would my own life."

He then picked up the intercom and made an all-hands announcement.

"Alright, boys! Let’s get the River Beach moving! We’re heading out!"

As the engines rumbled to life, the horn sounded, and the ship slowly pulled away from the pier.

The rousing blast of the horn was like a battle cry, carried far into the distance by the sea breeze.

The spectators on the pier waved their arms, seeing the River Beach off on her maiden voyage.

Feng Shan stepped out onto the deck outside the wheelhouse. The salty sea wind hit his face, bringing with it a feeling of freedom and grandeur.

Sunlight sparkled on the rippling surface of the sea.

The River Beach moved forward steadily, pushed by the waves. The gentle rocking of the hull indicated excellent stability.

After leaving the bay and making a loop through the nearby waters of the Bering Sea, the River Beach returned to the pier.

The feedback was unanimous: both captain and crew had nothing but praise for the River Beach. The next step was to test her crabbing capabilities.

After all, you don’t buy a crabbing boat for anything but crabbing.

Once the ship docked, Alvin immediately assigned people to prepare for the next day’s crabbing expedition: gathering supplies, refueling, and buying bait.

The crewmen rubbed their hands together, ready to make a fortune.

...